Studio3Music Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Donna Venning’

Mar
30

Get Out!

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Family, Things to do
We live in a great area!  There is so much to do and see right here in the Puget Sound vicinity.  Our family loves getting out and exploring.  Here is a list of our favorite outings.

Get Outside:

Places to picnic, beautiful gardens for walking…a MUST DO in the spring. Arboretum at the UW.  http://depts.washington.edu/uwbg/index.php. 

Beach Naturalist Program sponsored by the Seattle Arboretum.  During the summer, knowledgeable and friendly volunteers are out at certain beaches, answering questions and teaching about the all types of beach life.  Their schedule for this summer isn’t up yet, but make sure to check it out closer to summer: http://www.seattleaquarium.org/page.aspx?pid=267

Tulip Festival

Seasonal Favorites:

Spring:  Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.  We like to start at the Golden Glen Creamery and take their field tour, but there are numerous fields available (both free and paid).  Info can be found at www.tulipfestival.org.

Springbrook Trout Farm

Springbrook Trout Farm, Renton.  You’ll have to call them after mid-April to find out their hours (they don’t have a website), but this place is fun!  Kids are guaranteed to catch a trout.  We’ve brought ours home for dinner (they’re small, but the kids think it’s cool to catch their meal).  Open from April-October.  253.852.0360

Summer: Jetty Island.  Small ferry ride, beaches, free programs, swimming…our summer fav place!  http://www.everettwa.org/default.aspx?ID=503

Fall: Harvest picking (fruits and vegetables).  Technically available all year, but this just tends to be the time my family does this.  We use the site www.pickyourown.org  to find specific orchards. 

We also love the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe (late August).  It’s just the right size, with plenty of rides and animals.  Once my kids got past the nap-stage, we started going for the entire day, but we actually leave around 4 pm and eat dinner in Monroe at Red Robin.  Sure, we had to pay for parking twice, but we find this cheaper than eating at the fair…the food prices are ridiculous!

Winter:  Lights of Christmas at Warm Beach.  Over 1 million lights, a “talking” Douglas fir tree, train ride, carolers and much, much more.  www.warmbeach.com  (you can go for the evening, but I highly recommend staying overnight.)

 

NW Railway Museum and Train Ride

Transportation Fun:

Northwest Railway Museum and Train Ride, Snoqualmie: Have fun climbing on some old trains, check out the museum and ride a train.  www.trainmuseum.org.  This organization also sponsors special train events, such as “Day out with Thomas” and a Santa Train.

Take a Bus.  Buses are readily available in both King and Snohomish counties and are always fun for kids (especially if you find a route that uses a “double” bus and you let them sit in the middle.)  We like to ride into Seattle and visit the Seattle Public Library (their “stairless” floor system is so cool).  But with little ones, start with a short bus ride, just 15 minutes or less. 

USS Turner Joy

Ferry Ride and USS Turner Joy Navy Destroyer:  Start your day as a walk-on passenger on the Seattle/Bremerton ferry route, and then when you dismount in Bremerton, you are within walking distance of the USS Turner Joy, a retired Navy destroyer-turned-museum.  www.ussturnerjoy.org.

Up and Down Fun:  When my oldest was 3, we could easily spend thirty minutes at the Bellevue Nordstrom, just riding the escalators up and down. When he got tired of that, we went and took the glass elevator in the mall. When we’re in downtown Seattle, the Convention Center is a favorite place to go ride the escalators (still is…three incredibly long escalators in a row…up and down; up and down….)

Worth the Drive:

CWU Chimposium in Ellensburg, WA. March-November.  Must call 509-963-2244 for details about available dates.   Hour-long talks featuring CWU’s signing chimps.  Worth the drive (less than two hours). 

Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad (Steam Engine).  In the shadow of Mt. Rainier, but definitely fun to ride a steam engine.  Take a picnic! www.mrsr.com

The Reptile Man’s “Serpentarium” in Monroe:  An enormous collection of reptiles, many of which your kids can hold (ew!).  Their newest arrival…a two-headed turtle!  www.reptileman.com.

The Whale Museum. Friday Harbor.  If your little one loves these big guys, this is the spot to go!  www.whale-museum.org.

Cedar River Watershed Education Center, North Bend.  Okay, the name sounds boring, but this interactive center is a blast.  Kids follow the many paths a drop of water (ping-pong ball) can take!  When you’re done, plan to picnic at Rattlesnake Lake right next to the center. http://www.seattle.gov/util/About_SPU/Water_System/Water_Sources_&_Treatment/Cedar_River_Education_Center/index.asp

Swimming Fun:

The cities of Mountlake Terrace and Federal Way have the coolest indoor pools around.  Both of these pools are fantastic fun and both feature a lazy river and a shallow toddler swim and play area.  Federal Way pool has a water slide to boot!

Mountlake Terrace: http://www.cityofmlt.com/cityServices/recreation/indoorPool/indoorPool.htm

Federal Way: http://www.cityoffederalway.com/Page.aspx?page=1310

-posted by Donna Venning, who admits that living only a mile away from IKEA has spoiled her…their one-hour playland is a great outing…mom can have coffee with friends while the kids play in the ball room!

Tags: ,

Join the conversation

Mar
9

Simple Ways to Save $3

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Family, Things to do

So you’re thinking, “Big deal! Three bucks?  Who cares about saving that?”

If that’s what flashed through your mind, I challenge you to do this:  go to your purse, take out three one-dollar bills and toss them in the trash can.  If you can do that, you don’t need this blog.  But if you can’t do it, then read on!

Reuse Zip Lock Bags
Unless you stored raw poultry or some oily item in it, consider reusing your Ziplock bags.  Wash them with your normal dishes and turn them inside out to dry.

Select $3 in coupons or ad sales per week
If coupon clipping doesn’t appeal to you, start small.  Flip through the Tuesday ads and coupons that come out and select just a few – $3 worth – to use this week.  Look for coupons that give you the best savings (.75 cents or $1.00) on items you really need/use and with just three or four coupons, you’ve saved your $3.00!

Skip a Trip
On average, it costs approximately .36 cents per mile to operate a vehicle.  If just one extra errand you run is five miles away (the grocery store, the dry cleaners, etc), by not making an unnecessary round-trip you could save $3.60. Sure, you may want a particular can of soup for the casserole you planned to make, but instead of running to the store for that one item, perhaps you could alter your dinner menu for the evening and pick up the soup the next day when you’re going by the store anyway.  I do this with library books…I don’t run to the library to return something that is due that night.  The closest library to me is approximately five miles away.  Instead of running down to return books, I jump online, renew them so I don’t get charged overdue fines, and then the next time I’m passing the library, I drop them off.

Reuse the Brew
If you brew more than one pot of coffee in a day, instead of using two full portions of coffee, do this: brew the first pot, toss half the used grounds, the add fresh grounds to the half of used grounds that are still left. Brew pot #2.  Depending on what brand of coffee you purchase, this could save you anywhere from cents to dollars per week.  And, only people who like really strong, black coffee will taste any difference (if even that!)

Use Cloth
I was at a friend’s house for the first time and needed a paper towel.  When I inquired, she said “Oh, we don’t use them.  They’re a waste of money.  Here’s a towel.”  I admit, at first, I thought it was very strange.  “How does a family not have paper towels?” I thought to myself.  Then last year I purchased some kitchen hand towels and have slowly begun to use them over paper towels.  I admit I’ve been slow to break my addiction to paper and still prefer them for certain jobs.  But, I looked into the cost and sure enough…you save money by using cloth towels in the kitchen.  Just toss used towels in with every load of laundry and you’ll always have clean towels available and won’t have any additional loads to do, since the towels take up so little space in the machine.

Go Energy Star
According to a St. Louis newspaper article about energy usage, if you replace your five most frequently used light bulbs with Energy Star compact fluorescent bulbs, you will save .16 cents per day.  So granted, it takes 18 days to save $3.00, but in a year, that adds up to $20, which isn’t bad for such a simple change.  Replace ten bulbs and the savings start to add up!

Stop Renting DVDs
The King County library has a wonderful selection of movies and they stay fairly current.  By using their online request feature, you can have any book or video sent directly to your local library.  (You may have a little longer wait for the title you want than you would by renting from the Red Box, but if you regularly rent kid videos, you can’t beat the library’s free “rental” system and selection!)

-posted by Donna Venning, whose recent method of saving $3 has been to stop buying a weekly latté. At first she missed her white chocolate mocha, but has learned to enjoy her twice-brewed coffee with vanilla creamer just as much!

Tags: , ,

One response so far, share yours!

Feb
25

Polite Children – a Contradiction in Words? I Think Not…

Posted in Family, parenting, Things to do

So many things that a child does can be written off to childish behavior, but I’m convinced that there are some basic manners and courtesies that we need to instill in our children.  Don’t let good manners be a dying art form!  Beyond the basic “please” and “thank you” here are a few things you can teach your child.

Getting on an Elevator:
Teach the child to stand away from the door at least 10 feet when waiting.  This allows people who are on the elevator the opportunity to get off without getting mauled. This same rule of allowing the “Exiting” person applies to going into/out of rooms or buildings.

Holding a Door Open:
When opening a door to enter a building, glance behind and in front of you. Is another person approaching the door?  Instead of letting it slam shut on the person, teach your child the simple courtesy of holding the door until the person has either gone through or had to opportunity to grasp the door with their hand.

No Interrupting:
Teaching a young child to wait their turn to speak requires practice and patience, but believe me, you’ll lose your patience more if you don’t teach them this habit!  Gently tell a child to wait until you acknowledge them before beginning to speak. When I’m on the phone or speaking in person with someone, I’ve taught my children to put their hand on my arm or my hand.  I hold their hand to acknowledge that they want my attention, then at a respectful and appropriate break in the conversation, I turn my attention to my child.  Once they learn this, if they interrupt, I make them wait two minutes before getting to speak.

Greeting Someone:
Whether it’s someone who comes to your house, someone you planned to meet up with or someone you run into out and about, teach your children to say “Hello” and “Goodbye” to people.  This tells the person they are important to you.  At our house, we stand at the doorway and wave until our friends are out of our driveway rather than closing the door behind them the second they leave.  We also taught our children to say “Hello, my name is _____________” when they meet someone the first time.

Cutting in Line:
They’ll learn this one fast enough once they’re in school and other kids catch them not following the rule, but save them the embarrassment and teach them early on: if there is a line for something (like at a restaurant, water fountain, the library check out, etc) teach the children to discern the end of the line and take their place in it, not to just walk up to the front.

No Double Dipping:
Okay, so you saw the Seinfeld episode about this, but your kids haven’t!  With parties and potlucks and such, kids have a wealth of opportunities to put their spoon (licked) or their hand (also licked) back into a community bowl, so in the name of polite manners and for health reasons, teach them the “no double dipping” rule.  If they need more salsa, teach them to use the serving spoon, not the spoon that just came out of their mouth.

-posted by Donna Venning, who confesses that she got the idea for this blog after nearly toppling over a kid who rushed onto the elevator as she tried to get off.

Tags: , , , ,

Join the conversation

Feb
14

Fun Date Ideas for…

Posted in Bits and Pieces

Mr. Sports Fan

Check out Craigslist.com for great prices on tickets to sporting events.  Many season ticket holders sell their unused seats on this site.  Or, see if the local sports arena offers tours and sign up for one.  Some movie chains show big games (or fights, races) on their screens; make a few calls to inquire about this.  What about dinner out at a sports bar (many sports bars are rumored to have the best burgers you’ll ever find).

Mr. Outdoors

So easy…get a book on local hikes from the library and plan one.  Has he always wanted to try mountain climbing?  Find an indoor climbing gym and sign up for a one-day lesson. Do a little research and find out if there is an old military base within a decent drive…take a day trip and visit it (allow him to impress you with his knowledge of military history!) or ditto for a historic place…a spot on the Oregon Trail, an old battle field…I guarantee within a two-hours drive you’ll find something of interest.

Mr. Academic

Go to a local bookstore and spend a few un-pressured, un-timed hours perusing the books.  Allow him to roam about in his favorite section while you look at yours (but check in on him now and then and ask what he’s found).  Check out the local community college…are they having a lecture on a topic of interest to your husband?  Bookstores and the local library have guest authors come and speak; check out their websites for visiting authors.

Mr. Media

Seriously…just go to Best Buy or Fry’s Electronics (worth the drive for Valentine’s Day if you don’t live real close to it).  Just go, no agenda.  He’ll be in Heaven! If you’ve got the $$$ to spare, give him a gift card when you walk in (don’t tell him to buy whatever and you’ll pay for it.  Go a few days ahead of schedule and purchase a gift card…that way, he’ll spend it.  If you’re paying with the check book or credit card at the end of the trip, he’s likely to keep the cost in mind and not buy what he wants.  Or the reverse…he could go hog wild and lose all abandon and you’ll walk out of there in debt.)

Mr. Up For Anything

  • Trapeze classes are the craze right now.  Google “trapeze classes” in your area and see if there is a company that offers classes.  You’ll be surprised.  There are also a few trampoline arenas that have opened, too.
  • Have you tried the snake?  There’s a restaurant in Seattle that specializes in exotic meats.  You name it…alligator, yak, kangaroo…it’s on the list.  Not up my alley but men think it’s really cool to be able to tell other men “Yeah, I’ve had ostrich burger before…”
  • Rent a metal detector.  Sure enough, there’s a business in our area that takes you treasure hunting for two hours using their metal detectors.
  • Kid Places, Without the Kids: The Bug Museum (or any museum), the Zoo, a Fair, even just a park…places that you usually go with kids can be a totally different experience when just the two of you go.  Take the time to enjoy things you like at these sites. Go to the mall, get an ice cream and people watch.

There are so many fun date ideas…these are just to get your mind thinking.  With internet access (which obviously you have because you’re reading this), you can Google topics like “fly fishing rentals” or whatever activity you think he’d like.  You’ll be amazed at what businesses are out there.  A little research on the computer and you’ll have some great ideas…ideas to extend past Valentine’s Day and into the year.

-posted by Donna Venning, who is spending Valentine’s Day at an indoor shooting range this year. : )

Tags: ,

Join the conversation

Feb
9

Making Mealtimes More Pleasant

Posted in Family, parenting

Dinner time is one of the most chaotic times of the day for many families. From prep time (when Mom’s attention is occupied elsewhere) to getting the whole flock to the table, to actually eating the meal together, there are many challenges to conquer. I think the problem magnifies simply because Mom has a tendency to lapse in discipline during this time. When your attention needs to be directed at not burning the stir-fry that is on the stove top, it’s much easier to let offenses slip by than to stop, take time out, and correct the wrongdoing.

Your number one priority for your children is not getting food on the table at a particular time…it’s to continually train them. Don’t neglect this responsibility simply because you are being task-orientated at the moment. If dinner is burned one night because you had to divert your attention from the stove top to the squabbling siblings in the living room, perhaps a burnt meal is just the cure your kids need. (You just get to grin and bear the burnt food, too. Consider it a practice in not complaining.)

Once you actually get the food to the table, a myriad of other problems can arise. Following are a few ideas for some common mealtime problems.

“Yuck. I hate Brussels sprouts and pork chops.” Hmmm…tomorrow night, instead of Brussels sprouts and pork chops, how about serving a Mozambique dinner instead…a small cake-bread made of maize. Perhaps sprouts and chops won’t taste so yucky next time.Too many conversations. Mealtime can (and should!) be a time for developing the family bonds…that can’t be done if everyone is talking at the same time. Teach your children to listen first…is someone else in the middle of a sentence? Train them to wait their turn. This takes some time to implement with younger children, but it can be done. Always remember that telling your children something once is not training them. Consider athletes…did Sasha Cohen’s coach simply tell her how to do a triple Salchow and then she went out and flawlessly executed it? No…she had to practice it over and over. Your children will need to practice not interrupting in order to learn the skill.

Direct the conversation. Consider having a daily question that each person takes a turn to answer. Simple questions from “What fun thing did you do today?” to more thought provoking questions “If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?” are fun ways to facilitate discussion. Or, take some time one afternoon and have your kids write questions on 3×5 cards. Keep the cards near the napkins and select a card or two each evening. To decide who speaks first, simply going around the table, going oldest to youngest, or in birthday order (January, February, etc) are simple ways to make sure everyone will get their turn to answer.

Jack-in-the-Boxes. If staying in his seat is a challenge for one of your children, you need to correct this habit right away because it is contagious. Once one child is allowed to get up from the table without permission, the others will soon follow. Don’t buy their excuses “I just need to go get this…” “I just have to…” Teach your children to ask before they get up (keep in mind I’m not simply talking about after the meal, I’m talking about during it).

As you’ve probably experienced, young children rarely have a reason to get up…they just do it. If there is something your child needs, teach them to ask. “Mommy, may I please get up and get a spoon to eat my corn with?” rather than a child just getting up and heading who knows where (ok, he knows he’s heading to the spoon drawer, but he needs to ask first).  Some solutions I’ve known moms to do: take away the chair of a child who can’t sit in it and require him to eat standing up; take away a favorite evening time privilege (no video or computer time, 15 minutes earlier to bed, etc); or remove the child to a different room—eating dinner “in exile” on a TV tray facing the kitchen wall is an appropriate response to a child whose constant up and down is a distraction to others.

- posted by Donna Venning, who recently spent an entire dinner conversation discussing what Lego bricks one would need to make a meal out of Lego.  Too bad Lego doesn’t make broccoli shaped pieces!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Tags: , ,

3 responses so far, join the conversation!

« Older Posts