Fun with kids: September, 2016
Ah, September. The last bits of summer, which is always too short. And the start of fall, and I love love love love love fall in Colorado. I also love looking ahead and planning ways to make the month special. Here's what I'm thinking for September, 2016:
Celebrate Labor Day
We've got some awesome red-and-white-and-silver sparkly garlands to put on our porch railing. And our flag, of course. And we have lots of little fabric flags in a box...perhaps we'll make a centerpiece out of them. Also we have color changing bulbs in our dining room lamp that we'll set to red and blue. But the best part of Labor Day will be little Jeep trip with a super summer-y picnic...can't wait...
Make a list of all the things you wanted to do but didn't this summer*
Put it where you'll see it at the start of next summer. Make sure to make time for those things.
Get back to a schedule
Things have been pretty loosey-goosey around here this summer...on purpose...and it's been great, has led to lots of impromptu evening hikes, evening hot springs trips etc. etc. But I'm ready to get everyone back on a schedule, especially in terms of having dinner together and getting the kids to be on time (8:30)...our bedtime routine always takes longer than I think it will...want to make sure to have plenty of time for baths, tooth brushing, goodnights, drinks of water, stories, tuck-in, back scratchies and songs and kisses from Mommy...
Go hiking
Hiking in the fall is the best...the crowds are gone, the leaves are turning, it's cool but not cold. I hope to do one new trail a week with the kids this month. Plus I feel like their hiking ability has just taken a huge leap forward, so I'm feeling like I can take them on some harder/longer stuff which is so exciting...
Do some crafts
We've barely done anything crafty, being out-of-doors all summer, but I'm psyched to start doing some things with the kids again. What I'm looking forward to the most is painting with custom-mixed colors (and teaching color theory along the way)...I got washable red, blue, yellow, white and black paints recently and the kids and I are having fun mixing up colors and painting with them...I also want to get some simple white frames so we can start hanging some of their creations in their rooms...wanting to start to make their rooms a little more personal and a little more them...but that's a whole other post...
September 12th is National Chocolate Milkshake Day
And we have a great little diner where we can take the kids for said treat...
Make pizza from scratch
We've had a "no oven" rule all summer, partly to keep the house cool (there's no AC here) and partly to just focus on simple grilled and/or uncooked dinners (which was actually a really nice way to do food for the summer...we'll probably do it again.)
Anyway, I'm looking forward to cooking again and one of the things I've been looking forward to the most is making pizza dough with the kids...it's easy and kneading it will be so much fun for them. I'm on the hunt for some good regular pizza dough and paleo pizza dough recipes...will share what I find at some point in the future...
A special school pick-up
One of these days for no reason I'm going to pick the kids up at school with balloons (one of the things they love most in the world) and then take them to the park for the rest of the afternoon...
Movie Night
Another thing we've abandoned with the long summer nights, but Sunday night family movie night is so fun. Each person gets a turn picking and we can make popcorn and/or some other special and fun snacks, curl up together on our big sofa...Heaven...
Celebrate the Equinox (September 22)
We do this with a special meal (including dessert, which doesn't happen in our house that often), and also my brother has a theory that you can balance an egg longways on the counter on the equinox only, so we will be trying that...
Clean, organize, and make the house cozy
Don't get me wrong, we are going to be squeezing all we can out of summer around here, but after the Equinox it's going to be nice to put our fall/winter bedding on the bed, the electric blankets back out on the porch (where my husband and I sit and talk after the kids go to bed almost every night), put candles back out and warm throws and start using our fall napkins on the table, get our closets switched out to cold weather clothes...and also clean out clutter/things we no longer use and get things organized in the process...all feels so good...
Eat apples and pears and on September 29th, a blackberry treat
Love love love love the fruit that's coming into season. And a little known feast day called Michaelmas is September 29th, during which it's tradition to have blackberry something*, and so we're going to do that...
Figure out what you're doing for Halloween*
I know it seems so early, but Halloween is a realllllllly big deal at our house, with my mother-in-law making costumes and so we have to plan ahead. There's lots of anticipation this way too. And less stress when the holiday finally does roll around...
Hope you all have a lovely September!
XOXO
*Credit goes to the book Simple Abundance for these ideas...
Steamboat with kids (and for artsy parents): September, 2016
Some things we're looking forward to this month:
Sep. 3 and 4: Wild West Air Fest
We went to this last year and it was such a beautiful warm day, and the air show was super fun. There were also some fun kid things eg a bounce house and big plastic bubbles that rolled around in water. They also do airplane and helicopter rides, which I would love to do with the kids...they've never been on a plane, can you imagine that being their first experience? But it's super expensive, so... Learn more
Sep. 8-11: Crane Festival
I think we're going to do the Friday Sep. 9, 5:30-8:00 event, "Family activities, dessert, and crane viewing." Yum...s'mores... Also Sunday Sep. 11, 10:30–2:00, live owls on the library lawn... Learn more
Sep. 10, 11 AM: Rubber Duckie Race
We happened upon this last year at the library, it was charming to watch all the little duckies in the river...will be fun to have our own in the race and also to watch them get put into the river this year... Learn more
Sep. 10, 7 PM: Big Lebowski Festival
My husband loves this movie...this will be a fun little date night. It's at the Chief Theater which is such a cool downtown venue... Learn more
Sep. 24, 3 PM: Steamboat is Magic! Family Show
How fun will it be to take the kids to a magic show?? Learn more
Sep. 28, 7 PM: Free Foreign Film
"The Automatic Hate," which is actually an American indie film...trying to go to this series each month for a little culture and adult time...
Leaves Turning
The peak should be the latter part of the month...I'll be doing some drives with the kids and as a family we'll go out on the Jeep trails a weekend or two...
I love fall in Colorado...
XO
Fun with kids: August 2016
Some things we're looking forward to doing as summer winds down:
Individual kid trips
Papa and Grammy have graciously offered to host our kids individually 2 nights each—a first for us, and at 4 years old it seems like a good time to do it. They are beyond excited. Zo gets to go first, this Thursday, then we'll swap kids Saturday and then I'll be going down for a week-long visit with both kids starting Monday...can't wait...
Orange creamsicles
I want to try this recipe...in our dino and monster pop molds
Camp out on the porch and watch the meteor shower
The Perseid meteor shower is back the night of August 11–12...I'll have just Luke (see above) and am thinking of making a cozy sleeping area out on the porch and watching...
Backroads exploring with a picnic
So many places to go around Steamboat...we'll be doing this more than once...
Float the river
I don't think the kids are old enough to float yet, but my husband and I could go...this is something we haven't done yet...
Go to an outdoor concert
It seems like wherever you are this is an option...a nice thing to do on a warm summer night...we're going to see Fantastic Mr. Fox...
Lay under a tree with a book
I think we're going to head to the Botanic Gardens for this (pictured above)
Hike to the top of something
Maybe Emerald Mountain, that we see from our house? Or maybe in Junction my parents and I will do this...
Make gazpacho
I'm going to try this recipe
Go school shopping
I have such great memories of doing this with my Mom, one of the few times during my childhood that I remember being alone with her. We'd go to the big city (Denver) and spend the whole day finding just the right clothes and supplies for school, eating lunch, talking about things that mattered. I'm going to spend a few hours individually with each kid while we're in Junction doing the same...
Pick a big wildflower bouquet
I've got my eye on some purple flowers that I've seen when we're out Jeeping...
Hope you enjoy August as much as we're planning to! XOXO
Steamboat with kids: Events, August 2016
Here are a few fun things we're doing this month (for more complete listings of goings on in and around town, see links below):
August 4: Dido and Aeneas
I first heard this opera as a freshman in college in a music survey class. It's so beautiful. And in English, which is cool, because you can understand what's going on. We had a CD of it and used to listen to it at dinner parties when my friend Chris and I lived together on the Hill in Boulder. My mother-in-law and I are going and Daddy's taking the kids for the evening. This is being performed at Strawberry Park Hot Springs and I'm not really sure what to expect. Are there going to be chairs and a stage? Are we all going to get into the hot springs and watch from there? We shall see...
August 5: Rodeo
We went to the Ranch Rodeo over the 4th of July weekend, which was fun, but I wanted to squeeze in a traditional rodeo in before summer is over. They do such a good job in Steamboat. I love the barrel racing. Luke loves that he can be as loud as he wants (I'm always asking him to pipe down because we live in a townhouse). Zo and Luke are really excited to get the ribbon off the lamb's tail. Should be a great night.
August 12: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Kids theater at the Larson Barn, which I've never been to. Zo will be doing her 2 days alone with Grammy and Papa so it'll just be Luke and Daddy and I...can't wait!
August 18–21: Routt County Fair
Ah, the fair. We haven't been yet, but you can't go wrong with kids at the fair...
August 31: Foreign Film
I love love love love indie and foreign films, but it's one of those things that I haven't been doing, there's just no time it feels like. But after going to the Seattle Film Festival earlier this summer I'm making time for this kind of thing. These movies aren't generally kid-friendly, but t's good for me to get out of the house and my husband's so great about taking the kids. The library does a film once a month at the Chief Theater, which is a really cool venue, it's free (although you can do donations), there's beer and wine for sale, the building is so cool...so glad I'm committed to doing this...
Links:
12 fun things to do with kids: July, 2016
Some fun things to do this July:
1. Have a slumber party
And have some fun and special stuff planned, like favorite-colored helium balloons for the kids, pizza and a movie, a disco dance party, pillow fights, a trip to the playground the next morning and/or and this princess cupcake game...
2. Set off July 4th fireworks
Hello, poppers and sparklers! Take the kids with you to buy them...
3. Make home-made lemonade
I'm going to try this Paleo version...
4. Picnic among the flowers
It can be as easy as picking up sandwiches at the local deli or fancier and homemade with this basket (which we've had forever) and these bento boxes (which we just got...amazing), these water bottles (which I'm lusting after...pricy, but you'll have them forever, right?) and these cloth napkins (I'm thinking you could just get any cute cotton fabric and tear into squares...which I may do this month as well). We're going to be going here.
5. Celebrate Bastille Day (July 14th)
I'm not a big cook but I do like making fancy French meals occasionally... and this seems like a good occasion to do it. Julia Child is one of my heroes. I'm going to make a new receipe from this book.
6. Stargaze
We've got a covered balcony that faces southwest...we have a rectangle of sky we look out on and I always think of the cliff dwelling Indians (eg the Anasazi) and how they must have had similar views of the sky. Seeing the stars is a little challenging this time of year with it staying so light so late but it's so delightful to sit out on the porch in the evenings. Right now we've got both Mars and Jupiter in our view, which is really cool...
7. Go camping
We did a day trip to Steamboat Lake the other week, and an overnight is in order...
8. Have ice cream cones
Lyon's Drug is another recent discovery of ours...they've got an old-fashioned soda fountain and ice cream cones for $1...
9. Draw with chalk
The kids are so excited to do this...
10. Catch bugs
When the kids went on "summer vacation" (aka stayed with their two grandmas while my dad and I did an amazing Pacific Northwest trip about a month ago), we got them a bug hotel and nets as a present. They love catching bugs and having them stay the night (there is a one night max stay at the bug hotel.) We haven't caught a ladybug yet...that is our goal for July...
11. Build a sandcastle
Make it as big and as fancy as you can...
12. Go to a baseball game
Ours is going to be Daddy's work's softball team, on a Wednesday evening with a picnic and a few cold beers in tow...
Enjoy July!
XOXO