Christmas In The Square

Last night we went to Christmas in the Square in Frisco. There were bounce houses, carriage rides, pony rides, games, food, and fun things for sale. We were hoping to see the highlight of the event at 5:15 when Santa Claus parachutes down into the square. Unfortunately, it must have been too cloudy because he wasn’t able to do it. We were really bummed. But we enjoyed the watching the light shows on the buildings around the square. They showed snowflakes falling down the sides of the buildings. It was really pretty. But it was incredibly cold and windy even though we were all bundled up like Eskimos.

We also enjoyed strolling along the street where we found a store that we had never heard of – Love, Peace, and Popcorn. They sell gourmet popcorn and it’s incredible! We have recently developed a new love for popcorn with the beginning of Family Movie Night at home on Friday evenings. Popcorn is always required. It was fun checking out all of the creative flavors of popcorn. Of course, there were the basics like cheese or caramel. But have you ever tried pizza popcorn or dill pickle popcorn? What about eggnog and rum flavored popcorn or s’mores popcorn? They may sound a little weird but give them a try. You can request a sample of any flavor but good luck deciding which ones to buy by the bag to bring home.

A Homestead Christmas – Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area

LLELA is hosting A Homestead Christmas on Saturday, December 12 from noon to 3 pm.

My family and I attended last year and had a really good time. It created some family memories for us while stepping back in time at the log cabin in the woods of Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area.

There is no additional fee for this event – admission is the usual $3 per person entry gate fee. Once you are parked, the Homestead is a short “hike” through the woods.

The trails are wide open and great for little ones to run ahead and explore.  I have negotiated the area with a stroller in the past with no trouble.  The distance to the log cabin homestead is less than 1/2 mile.

If you peek through the trees, you can see the homestead log cabin area which consists of two cabins and a smoke house.  The larger cabin is the 1869 Minor-Porter Log Home which was quite large and fancy for it’s time.

LLELA staff and volunteers were there to welcome us with hot spiced cider cooked over the cabin’s fire.  There were also other holiday treats that would have been enjoyed during the times of the original homestead.  We tried the candied orange rinds…

I really liked them, but the boys decided they preferred candy from the present.  They didn’t seem to mind cookies from the late 1800s…

In the smaller cabin which also has a dirt floor, the boys took part in the craft.  They made a toy that might have been a Christmas gift in Homestead days – an animated horse.  When the paper spins the horse appears to move.

One of the things I find fascinating is how they used to keep bugs off the table.  Check out the muli-layer bowls at the bottom of these table legs.

This kept crawling bugs out of the food that was stored on the table.  The outer ring was filled with water creating an elaborate insect trap.

A Homestead Christmas at Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area also featured music, additional crafts and wildlife tree trimming.  Overall, great fun for 2009 from a 1869 perspective.

The Texas State Fair…Our First Visit!

Thanks to BurbMom.net and GMC, Reese and I enjoyed a free day at the Texas State Fair a few weeks ago!

We met up with lots of our buddies, rode tons of rides, had a fantastic *free* lunch at the GMC tents, & even got to check out the 2010 GMCs. I was truly impressed with the gas mileage of the new crossovers!

We LOVED the Lego Tents!

Where is Reese anyway?

Lots of building opportunities at the Lego Tents…

We were challenged to build something that “started with an A, but not an apple” in 2 minutes…Reese built a jail for our Alpaca…

And Mommy built the Alpaca!

We rode lots of rides with our buddies, then the boys got their faces painted.

We had never visited the State Fair before (and I’ve lived in the DFW area for 11 years now!) and I’m glad BurbMom provided this opportunity so I would drag myself out there. The weather held out and stopped raining for a day, the rides were fun, the crowd was not bad at all, & Reese and I had a fantastic time.

The Dallas/ Ft. Worth U2 concert!

So… we had a SUPER time on our first post- baby date night! The concert was outstanding, and the company was as good as it gets! Love you Michael! Muse, the band that opened the show were great – but the real heart of the show was of course U2. Bono was in amazing voice, and the rest of the band sounded unreal. It was a date night full of romance & rock-n-roll!

Because this was the first time my husband and I have left the baby since she was born 14 months ago – we were nervous about how it would go.  But, we needn’t have worried about leaving our daughter, Miss Molly with my brother and sister in law. From the moment they arrived she was smitten, and took no notice of mommy and daddy – even as we were leaving! And we were so relieved when the concert had hardly begun and we got a text from them saying Molly had eaten, and had a bath, and had gone to bed with no problem!! Yay, baby girl!! We were so proud of our little pumpkin!! And once we knew she was okay, we could relax and enjoy some great music!

And now, some pictures I took during the concert! Enjoy!

(The crazy claw like stage…waiting for the concert to start)

(Bono strolling the 360 degree stage, wearing the iconic sunglasses)

*Additional video clips can be seen at Milkandcuddles.com

Now, THIS is Halloween…

Circus performers. Costume contests.  Consignment sales. Woo-hoo!

I was poking around the web earlier, looking for something great to do with my son on Halloween — a fun little treat that would tuck nicely in between nap time and a trip to Grandma’s — and, voila … the 2^nd Annual North Texas Kids Family Expo.

Held at the Plano Centre from 10 am-4 pm, this event not only sounds awesome (I’m a sucker—ahem—I mean my son, Cooper, is a sucker for bounce houses, face painting and “peace of mind” trick-or-treating), but it’s also benefiting a great local charity: CITY House, an emergency crisis shelter for teens.

The NTK Expo is totally budget-friendly (FREE! woo-hoo!). There’s a line-up of parenting seminars (I’ve got to check out the one about kids and healthy eating) with child care provided (double woo-hoo!).  And, I can wear my Super Mom cape loud and proud (c’mon, we’ve all got one).

Now, all we have to do is decide what Coop’s going to be … Super Son, perhaps (that’s a costume that fits like a glove).

The Haunted Old Alton Bridge

October is finally here and you know what that means…Halloween and spooky stories (no, today’s post is not on Oktoberfest).

Ten Ways to Learn While at Celebrate Roanoke

I love free, family-friendly activities and events.

One of our favorite fall events is Celebrate Roanoke.   It is a fun festival coming up Saturday, October 10– from 10am to 10pm, on Oak Street, Roanoke.

Perfect for the whole family!

As with everything we do as a family, I try and engage my preschool-aged kiddos and interact with them.  Here are ten ideas that we have used in the past and they may help you interact with your youngsters at Celebrate Roanoke, or any other local fall fair:

1. Play where’s Waldo, only pick a clown or someone in costume (maybe the Elvis impersonator).  Have your children tell you whenever they spot him or her walking around.
2. Count the number of people you see dressed in historical garb.  How many different types of outfits or historical personalities are there?   Talk to one of the people in historical “character” and ask them who they are pretending to be.
3. Watch the historical reenactments and ask your kids to tell you what they think life would have been like if they were “at the gunfight” or if they had to drive around in a horse-drawn carriage all the time.
4. Count the number of people in line for an event, like a bounce house.  How many people are before us?  After another batch gets in for their turn, re-count and discuss subtraction and addition as more people have entered or left the line.
5. Make quantitative comparisons of the lines at two different vendors, or between the balloon-blowing clowns and the face painters.  Ask your kiddos which line they’d prefer to be in, the longer or the shorter one.  Ask them to theorize why someone would prefer to be in the longer line.
6. As you walk up to or past a music stage, ask if they can hear the music yet, and talk about how the closer you are to something the louder it becomes.  My kids love the kids’ music stage at Celebrate Roanoke where the performers are all under 18.
7. Practice map skills.  I love that Celebrate Roanoke distributes a program with a nifty map, or they did previous years.  You can use the map to discuss where you are and pick a destination of where you want to be – like you are at the bounce houses trying to get to the mini-train station – and have the kids figure out how to get there.
8. Practice telling time.  Pick an activity that your kids are looking forward to, like open street dancing, and have them tell you how long they will have to wait before the event will start.  My daughter also loves “counting” her steps while she is dancing – and they have really patient instructors teaching her “the moves”.
9. Discuss safety as your kiddos are exposed to and get the chance to interact with law enforcement and firemen.  My son especially loves policemen and is thrilled to watch the Motorcycle Rodeo.
10. During the fireworks, try and guess which color is going to “explode” next.  Compare the bangs.  Was this set of fireworks bigger or smaller than the last one?  Have your kids describe what they see.

Any questions, call the city of Roanoke, 817-491-2411.  Here is there public website with information about the Celebrate Roanoke Festival.  I hope to see you and your family there!

This article was written by Rachel, mom to three youngsters who lives in and loves Roanoke.  Check out her blog for more fun learning and interacting ideas.

Kelli Kayaks – Grapevine adventures for your family

Listen up Dallas! There is more to discover in our bustling city than malls and football games. Trust me, I too race to the twice yearly sale at Nordstrom’s and there’s nothing quite like the thrill of watching the sales lady at Neiman’s open the David Yurman case so I can slip something on from their newest collection. Likewise, there’s something comforting about standing in line at Tom Thumb on Sunday, surrounded by fans in Romo jerseys, anxious to get home, start cooking and cheering on Da’ Boys.

But on a Saturday morning, before the malls open and there’s no chance that the screen at the new Cowboy’s Stadium is lit up, get out there and try something different! Yesterday, my hubby and I did just that; we went kayaking around Grapevine Lake.

I first kayaked several years ago with a ladies trip. In the ocean, off the coast of La Jolla, California, we kayaked in and out of sea caves. It was thrilling, and I was hooked. Since then, my husband and I have taken lessons, and hit the water several different times. We really enjoy the peace and solitude, now that we’re not so worried about tipping over.

This weekend, we rented two different kayaks from Heart of Texas Kayaks in Grapevine. It’s a new place that’s only been open since July, but they’ve got a variety of boats for sale or for rent. On Friday, I picked out a 14’ closed hull for my husband, and an 11’ open air for myself. If you’ve got kids with you, you can rent a tandem kayak and plop them in the front so you can keep an eye on them!  The rentals come with paddles and life vests.  I loaded the kayaks onto the roof of our SUV (that is another story in and of itself, but there are no scratches on the car) and drove home.

Saturday morning, with the car already loaded, we packed our lunch and headed out to Trophy Club. Someone had tipped us off to a little known boat launch on Marshall Creek. Other than a couple of fishermen, and a ton of tricolored herons, the place was quiet. We easily slipped our kayaks into the creek, and headed against the current toward the lake. The fish were jumping and they were huge! I should call my fisherman dad and find out what they were, Pikes maybe? White egrets nestled on dead branches, and if we were quiet enough with our paddles, they didn’t fly off when we floated by. Cruising down the waterway, it’s hard to imagine that you’re within walking distance of well over one million people. Marshall Creek is lined with trees, so there was plenty of shade as we paddled, and the rustle of the wind in the leaves was soothing. The creek widens out and gets a little noisier as you near the lake. On the right bank there’s an off road area, so there were plenty of dirt bikes and ATV’s tearing up the trail. Around the next bend, the noise of the motors is gone and the lake comes into full view. It was a spectacular day with a breeze strong enough to cool us off, but not gusty enough to fight our navigation. We paddled across the lake to look at some beautiful homes then sat back and drifted while we had lunch. After an hour, we decided to head back to the launch. This time, we were floating with the current, so the two and a half mile journey was a little easier.

Back on dry land, we assessed the damage; two sunburned knees (his), two sunburned lips (mine) and one mysterious arm bruise (his). We loaded up the kayaks, much easier with someone who is over 6 feet tall, and drove back into town. It was nice to get out and get some fresh air and best of all, we made it home in time for the Cowboys game.

Events this Week – August 2 to 8

Here are some of the really fun things we found on the Family eGuide calendar for families in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex:

When you click on the event links below they will take you to Family eGuide’s information about the event – while you are there be sure to sign up for the weekly e-newsletter and check out the other fun things on the calendar.

Week of August 2 through August 8 – Events and Activities for DFW moms, dads & kids!

Sunday – Wizard of Oz at Studio B in Highland Village – 2:30 pm

Monday – Fun and Games at the Coppell Library – 3:00 pm

Tuesday –FREE concert at The Shops of Highland Village – 6:00 pm

Wednesday – Fish Feeding Frenzy at Bass Pro Shop in Grapevine – 12:30 pm

Thursday – Summerfest at the Gaylord Texan – 5:00 pm*

*Check out Burb Mom’s take on Summerfest at the Gaylord Texan

Friday - Movies at the Park – Coppell - E.T. – 8:00 pm

Saturday – Wee Boogie End of Summer Bash – 4:00 pm

Gems Found on a Hike Through the Woods

My husband and I enjoyed our quiet and restful hike together. One of the best parts about hiking in new places is discovering what I like to call gems for the first time. Take for instance these creamy white flowers–like small freshwater pearls in a sea of green.

Of course, I can’t leave out the blooming citrine on a stalk of lamb’s ear, the texture of soft fleece.

Still further along our hike we happened upon these blueish-violet flowers. Upon further examination we noticed a small insect on one of the petals. Can you find it?

Then in the middle of the trail we nearly stepped on this golden nugget–a fungus of some sort.

Yet another fungus, like a royal violet velvet robe.

My favorite gem–a ruby–were the scarlet ripe mulberries readying for snacking. A delicious snack they did make…perfectly tart and full of flavor, just as a wild mulberry should be.

Let me know if you decide to take this hike or if you can name any of these plants. Until then, what kind of treasures have you noticed lately?

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