Don't Get Bored in Idaho

Jump Creek Falls

2011-04-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

Wow! I'm a guest blogger on Don't Get Bored! I'm just tickled by that for a few reasons. First, because last June when I moved to Kuna from North Idaho (where one does not need a great blog like this to find awesome outdoor things to do), Amanda and Don't Get Bored saved my children's summer. We haunted her blog for ideas, and then followed her footsteps all over Treasure Valley.

Second--I don't even blog! So I'm a guest blogger before I'm even a blogger blogger. Well, okay, I did keep a pretty invisible blog on Vox for a while, just logging all the sightings of twins we had after the babies were born. They'll be two in May 2011. Also with us on this trip were the Dad, Brett; my son Nate, 15; and daughter Anna, 11.

Finally--I found something really cool that Amanda didn't already know about. So I get to repay her a little bit.

And Jump Creek Falls is very, very cool.

We headed out toward Marsing on an unseasonably beautiful March day. The drive took us through Idaho's vineyard country, which will be even nicer a few weeks further into spring but was pretty even with the leafless vinyards and orchards laid out across the valley. It's a bit tricky to get to Jump Creek. Our GPS was utterly confused, and MapQuest kept telling us to turn right when our gut said we needed to be going left. We followed our gut and found ourselves at a fork in the road with two choices--left on a very rutted, dirt road; or right through a cattle guard marked with huge NO TRESPASSING signs. After a short discussion, we chose the cattle guard, and there was a brief Deliverance-like interlude before we realized that we were on the right track, on a public road, and the warnings to trespassers were aimed at foot traffic. Apparently, folks hiking BLM lands in the area don't always respect fences around adjacent private lands.

I found directions on the Internet, and was able to put together an accurate set from those and our experiences, which appear at the end of this entry.

It's interesting how quickly the drive goes from vinyards, to slightly rolling desert, to this sudden lava-rock crevice with a creek flowing through it. We pulled into the parking lot, unloaded, and headed up the trail into the canyon. The kids enjoyed finding caves, looking for lizards, and spotting small fish in the creek. The hike itself is short, not even a quarter mile, and mostly on a flat path with a bed of sand and small gravel. We had the backpackers for the boyos, who are 21 months old, but we never needed them. We just let them walk.

The only tricky bit was the creek crossing. The path drops down to the creekbed, where closely-set stepping stones cross the water about 12 feet wide and 8 inches deep. Nate went ahead and reported to Brett and me about the status of each rock, so that we knew to avoid wobbly ones while helping the boyos cross. It was dicey enough to knot my back a bit, but really, we were fine. Then a quick scramble upward, and we were back on the easy level trail.

I will note that I'm pretty intrepid; this crossing would not be suitable for all moms of toddlers. But we made it just fine and continued up the creek trail. Older kids--certainly 4 and up--will be fine.

The scenery was startling--not only the suddenness of the canyon itself, but the large caves and strange rock formations. This near-perfect pyramid looked like a carefully groomed Christmas tree, and was probably 30 feet tall. With the layer of spring green on everything, the contrast between lava rock and growth bed was striking.

And at the end of the trail--this wonderful waterfall drops into a pool. There's a cave to clamber through for another view.

As early as it was in the year, we did see people; from the looks of it, there are always people here. There's some graffiti to overlook, and I've read that Jump Creek (not surprisingly) attracts the aimless among young people, who go there to drink a few beers and do other things they think will make them feel and seem mature. However, we saw only a family fishing with their dogs, another family hiking, and what looked to be a small private school group on an outing.

The kids can't wait to go back. We give it four and a half stars out of five (dang that graffiti!) and plan another outing a bit later in the spring.

Stuff to take: Sunscreen, water, good shoes, maybe an extra pair in the car in case you get wet on the crossing (Anna did), and a picnic. There's not much in the way of picnic facilities, but it's a 45-minute drive or so, so this is at least a half-day outing. Oh, and a camera! I'm not sure the fishing is worth much, but if you're an angler you might want to drop a line, so be prepared for that. Nate really wished he had his rod with him.

From Boise, take I-84 W toward Marsing, exiting onto ID 55 S at exit 33A. Stay on ID 55 S for about 16 miles (more or less), until you see Edison Rd; about a mile later you will turn left onto US 95. From there it's about 2.5 miles to Poison Creek Road on the right; follow Poison Creek Road about 3.5 miles to a 4-way intersection (you are on some very small roads here, so keep that in mind when you picture "intersection") and turn left onto the unnamed gravel road. About a half mile down that road, you will turn right through a scary-looking cattle guard; the threatening signs are for the private property only, not the road, which is public access to the canyon area. You will see the road turning left along the base of some hills; once you make that turn it won't be long before you see the Jump Creek sign directing you to the trailhead parking lot.

You're in for a special treat

2011-04-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

It is my pleasure to announce that Don't Get Bored in Idaho will feature a report from guest blogger, Janna M.H., who has recently to Kuna from North Idaho. Impressively, she found something to do with her family that I did not even know existed. She has written up a very thorough report (including pictures) of their outing. Stay tuned tomorrow to read about where they went and what they did and how you can have the same adventure.

Trey McIntyre Project Finds Dance Partner in Boise

2011-03-13T01:41:00.000-08:00

The Trey McIntyre Project

2011-03-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

I had the absolute delight of watching a performance of the Trey McIntyre Project this afternoon. How do I convey to you how incredible this experience was without sounding cliche? I'm not sure I'll succeed because all those words you've heard before come to mind. Breathtaking. Amazing. Awesome.

I have never been to a Trey McIntryre Project performance before although I've wanted to see them perform since they opened their company here two years ago. I can tell you that the dancers are skilled. They are fluid. And they are the best trained I've ever seen. Boise is indeed lucky to have them call this city their home. They perform around the country and internationally and act as ambassadors to our city as they travel world wide. What an honor to be the home town of such a renown company. Trey McIntyre could have gone to any city and I for one am grateful he has brought his talent and fame to our town and has worked to build relationships in the city. It was neat to see the mayor of Boise and his family in the audience this afternoon.

The Trey McIntyre Project, also known as TMP, does many things to engage with the people of Boise including donating performances for the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign and Make-A-Wish annual gala, offering adult beginning classes, bringing dance into area schools, performing Spontaneous Urban Performances throughout the city, and partnering with Boise State University to provide affordable tickets for students. (Information taken from TMP Mardi Gras program March 2011).

If you want to read more about today's TMP Mardi Gras performance, let me direct you to an excellent article written by Boise Weekly writer James Ady. Boise Weekly article.

If you missed the show this weekend, that's okay, there are more coming up. In fact, season tickets for TMP go on sale tonight. A season pass gives you discount pricing, priority seating, and VIP parking. Upcoming performances are on October 15, 2011 and February 11, 2012. Call the Morrison Center for ticket information 426-1609.

And if you want even more information on Trey McIntyre check out their webpage. You can also watch the PBS NewsHour special on YouTube about Trey McIntyre coming to the "small western city" of Boise, Idaho (their words, not mine).

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T01:55:00.000-08:00

Make some plans for the new year by checking out these activity guides for Boise, Meridian, and Caldwell.

http://www.cityofboise.org/Departments/Parks/PDF/Activities/WinterSpringActivityGuide2010_2011.pdf

http://www.meridiancity.org/uploadedFiles/Departments/Parks_and_Rec/MPRRecGuideWinter2011.pdf

http://activenet8.active.com/caldwell/

Free day at the zoo this Saturday

2010-11-29T14:19:00.000-08:00

I received this email from Amy Stahl over at Boise Parks and Recreation today. It's an invitation to "Claus N Paws." We've never been to this event before but I think it would be loads of fun. I especially like that admission is free for everyone.

"Join all of your favorite animals on Saturday, Dec. 4, for Claus N Paws, a fun-filled holiday gathering at Zoo Boise. Admission is free. Enjoy musical entertainment throughout the day and watch some of the zoo's residents receive special holiday treats. Finish your holiday shopping with great discounts at the Zootique gift shop or Zoo Boise passes. Oh, and don't forget to have your picture taken with Santa Claus with a $3donation to the zoo! Santa will be here from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

"The City of Boise offers free admission to Claus N Paws as a thank you for all the support Zoo Boise has received this year from the community," said Liz Littman, Marketing & Development Associate.

Zoo Boise is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, a national organization that supports excellence in animal care, conservation, education and science. Located in Julia Davis Park, Zoo Boise is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily year round. For more information, please see www.zooboise.org. Or call (208) 384-4260.

There are many great events going on this weekend. What are your plans?

Capital Tree Lighting Monday night

2010-11-21T20:48:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I'm scratching my head about what to do with my kids this week. Typically we don't have the entire week of Thanksgiving off of school, so I can't go off of what we've done in the past. We don't usually do anything this week but go to school and the eat like crazy on Thanksgiving day. Now I have to figure out something to do for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Here's what I have planned for Monday evening, a night at the Capital building for the Christmas tree lighting. We've never done that before and it's free so I think we'll give it a try. Of course, we'll have to bundle up because the weather is supposed to be cold that night. We might wimp out if the wind is blowing. We'll see. What are you doing this week?

Warning: Rafiki is temporarily closed. Do not attempt a visit to Rafiki because you'll find everything gone. Like everything. We were totally bummed to drive all the way there last Friday and find them closed. Since the place was completely empty of everything I assumed they had went out of business. There wasn't a "we are moving" sign on the door or anything to indicate a change of venue. We nearly shed tears on the way home. However, when we got home I looked closely at their website and realized that they aren't out of business, they are just moving locations. They will soon be located just a few miles from my house. So we're cool with that.

Congratulations ReeSe, you are the winner of the Farmstead tickets. Thanks to everyone who participated!

2010-10-15T00:06:00.000-07:00

This flaming red maple tree in our backyard is usually our first clue that fall is in the air.

Soon we make a trip to the corn maze and pumpkin patch and bring home some cool-looking pumpkins for our front porch.

Before we know it, the wind has taken the leaves from the trees and I find tiny and not-so-tiny feet sticking out from under the leaves.

And a new fall tradition this year. Healthy soups for dinner. Maui Black Bean Soup, Moroccan Pumpkin Soup, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Roasted Root Vegetable Soup, Squash, Bean and Corn Soup, Lamb Stew with Beans and Pumpkin, Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Roasted Tomato and Black Bean Soup (pictured above) and many, many more. Mmmmm, I love fall.

And I know you do, too. Thank you so much for sending in your comments about your fall family traditions. It was a pleasure to read about the things you love to do during this wonderful time of year. And a big welcome to the family who just moved here from Florida who will be experiencing their first ever fall in Idaho. I hope you enjoy it. Since you are new to town, let me suggest my favorite photographer. I know a lot of you mentioned taking family pictures in the fall, that's also something we like to do. In fact, that picture of the toes in the leaves was taken by Sweet Grace, a division of Cazier Photography. Cazier Photography is the most professional and amazing family photographer in Idaho. You will love your experience with them. Without further ado, I would like to announce the winner of my very first giveaway----four tickets to the Farmstead Corn Maze and Pumpkin Festival! The winner was chosen by random selection. (I told my husband to pick a number between 1 and 23).
And the winner is......ReeSe! Congratulations ReeSe, you are the winner of four tickets to the Farmstead. Email me your mailing address and I will mail these tickets to you asap.

Thanks for playing everyone! If I ever get another opportunity like this in the future I will be sure to let you know. Maybe I can hit someone up for some Idaho Stampede tickets or other sporting event. (I doubt my husband is willing to raffle off his BSU Bronco football tickets). Go Broncos!

Fall Giveaway

2010-10-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to announce my very first free giveaway! I have four free tickets to the Farmstead Corn Maze Festival and Pumpkin Patch that I will be raffling off on October 15th. It has been our family tradition to go to the Farmstead every fall. What is one of your fall-time traditions? To enter please leave me a comment with your name and one thing you love to do in the fall between now and October 14th at midnight. Let's see how many comments we can get about not getting bored in Idaho.

Don't forget to check back October 15th to see if you were the lucky winner of 4 free tickets to the Farmstead Corn Maze Festival and Pumpkin Patch.

We have to go every year or it just wouldn't be fall.

2010-10-03T23:49:00.001-07:00

The Farmstead is our fall family tradition. We go every year. People ask me all the time which I like better, Linder Farms or the Farmstead. We have been to both Linder Farms and the Farmstead and the Farmstead is our clear favorite. For the amount of things there is to do, the Farmstead has a lot more to offer. Not that you won't enjoy yourself at Linder Farms, we did, but we just enjoy the Farmstead more.

Like I said, the Farmstead has a lot to offer. There's the corn maze, of course, the straw maze, the jumping pillow, the corn cannon, the pig races, the corn box, the slides, Bunnyville, the kids' corn maze, hayrides, a pumpkin patch, Straw Palace, the cow train, the pony rides, and the Field of Screams. There's also a large courtyard filled with food choices. If you go on game day you'll see the guy at the corn dog stand with his flatscreen set up and tuned in. Besides having all these things to do you don't have to worry about paying for anything once you get in. With the exception of the pony rides, pumpkins, and the food everything else is paid for with your admittance. There's no hassling with tickets or anything like that.

I love how the Farmstead was the first to come up with the idea of the corn maze 14 years ago. What, you didn't know they were the original corn maze? I also love how they try and improve upon what they do year after year. Corn Cannons? I mean who would have thought of that? And the girl just loved them! I'm impressed with the efforts they make to keep it new and exciting year after year. They even built a bigger platform for the slides since it often got crowded with all those kiddos at the top. Also new this year is the Straw Palace . It's big enough to hide in and small enough not to get lost in. The new additions helped the boy who has a vivid memory get over the fact that they didn't have the peddle carts or the duck races this year.

Being the smart adventure seekers that we are, we planned our trip to the Farmstead when we thought it would be the least crowded. We ventured out on opening weekend and Game Day. Yes, Game Day, with a capital GD, the day all of Boise is at the stadium and the rest of us are out having fun. Hee, hee. It was a smart move on our part as we had the whole place to ourselves.

We arrived around 6:30 and stayed until 9:30 pm. And we didn't even go through the corn maze which would have kept us there another 45 - 60 minutes. I'll admit it took us a while to get adjusted to the new location. (Did I mention they have a new location off Overland and Eagle Rds?) Once we got our bearings and the boy got over the fact that they didn't have the peddle carts this year or the duck races, we were able to really enjoy ourselves. We checked out the jumping pillow first and then the corn cannon, then over to the pony rides which only cost a dollar a person. After the pony rides, the kids played in the corn box. I don't know if you are familiar with Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, but I couldn't help thinking of the chapter "How Corn Took Over America" as the kids played in a box of corn kernels. My goodness, corn has a lot of uses in our society and the Farmstead is no exception. Let's hear it for King Corn.

After picking the corn kernels out of their ears, we ventured over to the Straw Palace to play hide and seek. The cow train was next and the kids loved riding over the bumps that are also new this year. Next up the pumpkin patch and then a relaxing ride on the hayride. The girl can't understand why I love the hayride so much. I told her it's because it's the only time I ever just sit. I know all you moms are sighing right now at the thought of sitting and doing nothing. Ahhhh. Doesn't happen enough, does it?

After the hayride we wandered over to the pig race that started at 8 pm. At the beginning of every pig race they ask for volunteers to cheer on a pig and every year the girl jumps up and down with her hand in the air hoping to be picked. This year since there were so few people there that night the girl actually got picked to cheer on a pig. To top it off, her pig, Boarbra Walters won the pig race! She won a free dessert from Dutch Oven Creations. We found our way over to Dutch Oven Creations in the courtyard and gorged ourselves on the most delicious scone topped with cinnamon and sugar and icecream. This was an extra special treat for my kids who aren't given anything unhealthy to eat in our home. They indulged in every bite. Lastly, we didn't walk through the corn maze like we usually do because, frankly, I don't trust myself not to get lost in mazes and there wasn't anybody going through that we could follow. That's okay though because we'd been there for three hours and it was time for bed.

Just when we thought the night couldn't get any better, we ran into Hilary, the co-owner of the Farmstead who gave us four free tickets to raffle off on this blog. Awesome!

Things to remember:

Wear shoes and socks if you want to be most comfortable. Bring or wear appropriate clothing such as coats, jackets, hats and gloves because it gets cool at night. If the weather is warm bring sunscreen and lots of water. Allow yourself plenty of time to spend there. The corn maze takes about an hour and all the other activities combined take at least one or two hours. Don't forget your camera for all those photo ops. Bring dollars for the pony rides, pumpkins, and money for the food court. Remember their location has changed to Overland and Eagle Rd. Enter on Overland just east of Eagle Rd where the carpool place is. Have fun!

Check out their website for hours of operation and directions. They open at noon on Thursday and Friday, October 7 and 8 for teacher inservice .

The Farmstead on Groupon today! Save 50% off one admission

2010-09-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my kids started asking when we could go to that "one place."
"What one place?"
"That one place with the corn maze and the slides and the pig races and those peddle carts and those corn kernels etc. You know....that one place."
"Oh, the Farmstead!"
If you love the Farmstead as much as we do, you will love this sweet deal on Groupons. It's half off one admission ticket. So you save $5 by buying one admission ticket now, then print off your coupon, and bring it with you. It's super easy.
But you only have until midnight tonight (Wednesday) to buy your groupon. Here's the link. And if you've never been to the Farmstead you can read our review by clicking on "Farmstead" under the "Labels" column on the left hand side.

2010-09-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been to Bounce? It's so fun. I took the kids there a couple of weeks ago. They loved it. I hope to follow up with pictures and details about our experience at Bounce but I only have two seconds on the computer until one of the kids needs me to put them to bed. I couldn't let the day end without telling you about the amazing deal for half off Bounce admission on Groupons today. There's only three hours left.

Glowing balloons provide family fun and cool photo op

2010-09-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love hot air balloons? I remember one year my neighbor's uncle landed his hot air balloon right in our neighborhood park. It was so spectacular that I ran home and grabbed my camera and by the time I got back the girl and my neighbor's uncle were in the basket and 50 feet in the air. Now I was really glad I had my camera.

If you love looking at hot air balloons check out Boise's hot air balloon festival this weekend. A community pancake breakfast will be held on Saturday morning at 7 am at Ann Morrison park so you can eat and watch the balloons lift off at the same time. And don't be late because there's no point in getting there at 9. The balloons and the pancakes will be gone.

After the morning lift off on Saturday you can return that evening at 6:30 pm for food vendors, live music, and glowing balloons. Some say that the glowing balloons are "one of the coolest photo opportunities of all time."

If you can't make it on Saturday they will lift off again at Ann Morrison park on Sunday at 7:10 am. Here's a link for more info on what's being called the 2010 Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic.

Hee Haw'n at the Western Idaho Fair

2010-08-20T01:39:00.000-07:00

The Western Idaho Fair is a great place to see lots of farm animals.

And if you're used to that sort of thing you might enjoy yourself. However, for some of us, (especially us who live in the suburbs miles from the smells of nature) we may not fully appreciate the barns full of goats, sheep, pigs, horses, llamas, donkeys, straw, feed, and manure. We may, however, enjoy looking at the rabbits, chickens, roosters, chicks, doves, and ducklings, as long as they're far enough away from the barns full of smellier animals. This was our experience last year at the Western Idaho Fair as the boy held onto his nose like this the entire time. It wouldn't have been a big deal (I personally thought it was cute and couldn't help but smiling every time I looked down at him) had my cowboy-father-in-law not paid for our admittance and anticipated showing his grandkids all the farm animals. He didn't say anything but I was embarrassed that my kid, his grandson, was not only plugging his nose but asking over and over when he could go home. We aren't much for fair rides since you have to wait in line in the hot sun and it costs a ridiculous amount of money and it's really not that fun anyway. I'm not much for fair food since it's loaded with trans fats and laden with chemicals so basically we just look at the animals.

Aren't they cute? The girl took all those pictures with her camera.

Carnival. If you want to take your family to the carnival, I recommend going on KTVB Family Day which is Monday, August 23. It's the best deal for the money ($25 for a wrist band good for admission and carnival rides all day per person) and it's the only day that no smoking is allowed and no alcohol is served. But beware----it's very crowded.

Ground Acts including Lego Experience Tour, Days of the Dinosaur, Aussie Kingdom, Ham Bone Racing Pigs, hypnotists, and more.

New this year--DemoStation. Activites, classes, contests etc. Ceramics, baking, photography, bee keeping, floral bingo, you get the idea.

Concerts--There are five free-with-fair-admission concerts including The Doobie Brothers, Uncle Kracker, Luke Bryan, .38 Special, Clint Black, and Kevin Rudolf.

August 20 - 29th, 2010 at the Western Idaho Fairgrounds

Remember to wear close-toed shoes and pack sunscreen, water, stroller, hand sanitizer, camera, and cash. They will check your bags at the door so leave your rifle at home. Cowboy hat is okay. Have fun!

Tired of dinner and a movie? Try the Shakespeare Festival

2010-07-26T02:50:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Boise Idaho has a fantastic Shakespeare Company? Yes, we do. This nationally recognized theater company draws the most outstanding actors in the region and even some as far as Ohio. Indeed, the folks at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival have been voted the best performing arts group by the Idaho Statesman this year and in many years past. (They've been doing this since 1977). Their mission is to "produce great theater, entertain, and educate" (www.idahoshakespeare.org/mission-statement). I am thrilled that we have such amazing talent right here in Idaho giving of their time and talents to entertain and educate our community. I know that we are better because of the arts. And if I had loads of money I would donate to their cause, but alas, I am poor......

In high school I recall going to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival on a field trip. From what I can remember it was very hot outside and my classmates wouldn't stop talking. I hardly heard a word. Although my first outing wasn't ideal, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival planted in me a love for the outdoor theater and I vowed to go back. So why have I not been back? I was an English major for crying out loud. I took a class all about Shakespeare and it was one of my favorites. I guess because seeing a production instead of a movie is a little on the pricey side and we've never had a lot of money.

Imagine my delight when my friend, Emi, who was visiting from Hawaii, invited me to see A Midsummer's Nights Dream with her on July 10th. It was a warm Thursday evening and the show started at 8:00 pm. We had seats on the hillside ($23.00 ea) and arrived a bit early (7:00) to get a good spot on the lawn. We brought our own lawn chairs (which are acceptable, no higher than 6 inches off the ground is okay) and found a great place in the front of the back.

After we saved our seats we went over to Cafe Shakespeare and ordered gourmet boxed dinners. Let me tell you we were not disappointed. The menu was superb (we had a hard time deciding what to get) and the food we ordered was delicious. Emi drooled over her sandwich and I devoured my chicken-summer-corn-and-cilantro salad with the lime-cilantro vinaigrette. Yummy. See a pdf of the menu here.

The Greenshow started at 7:30 and was put on by the Fools Squad (a couple of guys that told a lot of jokes). Personally I didn't think it was that funny but my daughter has often told me that I "have no sense of humor" so maybe I'm not the one to judge. The show began at 8 :00 and it was fabulous. Being in a landscaped amphitheater is a unique experience. Especially one in the Barber Park Reserve. You can hear the sounds of nature, see Eagles fly over head, and even see little creatures make an appearance in front of the stage like we did. The actors didn't skip a beat when suddenly a skunk scurried over to the stage before hurrying on its way. Some members of the audience held up blankets to ward off a possible skunk spray. I personally don't think the blanket would have done much good, but I guess it's instinctive to want to protect yourself. Not only did we spy birds and creatures, we also saw and felt many mosquitoes. I think we got at least five bites after the sun went down and the bugs came out. The temperature also cooled down so we were glad we had brought our jackets. The show ended around 11 pm to a standing ovation. The actors were simply superb. After the show was over it took us about 15 minutes to get our car out of the parking lot. I would suggest going to the bathroom if you need to before getting in your car. I also suggest parking as far away from the theater as possible to avoid the traffic jam. Overall a fantastic experience worth every penny. Thank you Emi!
****Four out of four stars
Things you should know.
You can bring your own food! Lots of people do it.
Even if it's hot outside make sure and bring a jacket and maybe a blanket for your legs because after the sun goes down it's going to cool way down.
Bring bug spray. Those mosquitoes were fierce.
Be an hour early.
If you are sitting hillside or on the lawn you can bring your own lawn chair. Or blanket if you prefer.
Park far away from the entrance to avoid the traffic jam afterwards.
Try the food at Cafe Shakespeare. It's so good.
Family Nights are on Sunday evenings. The show begins at 7pm rather than 8 pm and young children are welcome.
If you have a group of ten or more you can get a discount on admission tickets.
They have other plays besides Shakespeare. Click here to check out their lineup.
The season runs through September 26, 2010.
They offer summer acting camps for kids.
Get your tickets from their website box office.
If you need more information you may call (208) 336-9221 or check out their FAQs.

How to get there. Don't get lost like we did.

The Idaho Shakespeare Festival Amphitheater & Reserve is located at 5657 Warm Springs Avenue. Following I-84, take the Highway 21 exit (same as the Micron/Gowen Field exit) and proceed toward Idaho City. Once you cross the bridge at the Boise River, take an immediate left onto Warm Springs Avenue, heading west. The theater is two miles on the left behind the Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation offices. - OR –
Take the Connector into downtown Boise, staying on Myrtle Street and Parkcenter Boulevard. After approximately six miles, you’ll see the Amphitheater on the right, behind the Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation office building.

Wanna coupon for Monkey Bizness?

2010-07-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my newest friend and blog reader, Janna, for passing along this great tip. Today and tomorrow Groupons Boise is selling a discounted coupon for Monkey Bizness. They are offering five passes for $20.00. Each pass is worth 7.50 so I saved $17.00 by buying them today through Groupon. The coupon is good for one year but all passes must be used at the same time. Since I have three kids and five passes, it will be a great chance for two of the kids to invite a friend to come with us. As soon as we go to Monkey Bizness we'll take some pictures and let you know what we think of it. So far I've heard good things about it.

Check out this link to Groupons if you are interested in this great deal.

2010-06-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

Jewel sings a song about Boise

Hey Twi-Moms,

2010-06-28T22:17:00.001-07:00

Do you have your Eclipse tickets yet? Look for me if you are going to Regal 21 Cinemas on Overland. I'll be there with my Team Edward shirt on. ::drool::

You may have already figured this out

2010-06-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

but in case you hadn't, I am a total flake. Probably the most irresponsible person you will ever meet. I am late for everything. I say things and then never do them. I intend to follow through and then completely forget or simply do not have time. It's either that or I am a total jerk. And if that's the case, I want you to know that even though I may be a jerk, it's not on purpose. I'm just super forgetful and constantly overwhelmed and perfectionistic/idealistic. I have all these ideas in my head and all these things I want to do, but maybe 2% of them actually happen. Why? I don't know why exactly. I have some theories. Mainly I think it's because I am slow. My pace is slower than a turtles'. Also, I absolutely cannot multi-task. Oh, I know what you're thinking, I'm not good at multi-tasking either. No, seriously, I'm the worse. I can only do one thing at a time. It takes me forever just to respond to emails because I have to have time set aside with no distractions to respond to someone. And that time is at night after my kids are in bed. Since the youngest child doesn't go to bed until 11 or 11:30 every night all the things I intended to do after she's asleep don't happen if I've accidentally fallen asleep with her, I forget, I'm too tired, I have to plan a menu, or I have to run to Winco for groceries.

As an introvert I often have fantasies about being alone. I dream about my sister calling me up and asking if she could take my kids for me for a few days. Yes, days, not hours. I want several days. I have things I've been wanting to do that have been on the list for five years. My sister's wedding video for instance. I think I've probably sworn to her at least 30 different times that I would get it to her soon. Just recently I swore to her that I would have it done by August, gosh, I really hope that happens. Since I haven't even started it yet we will see.

I need time to organize and get to a place where I feel like I'm in control. Everyday I wake up and it seems like I am just reacting to the day. The boy needs a drink of water, the girl doesn't have anything to wear, the baby needs a diaper change, someone needs a bandaid, uh, the kids are fighting about something gotta go see what's going on, the cat threw up in the garage. Needless to say, I don't cope well with things like this when I am trying to get something done. So instead of stressing about stuff, I completely go with the flow. Probably to a fault. I say yes to just about everything. "Mom, can you read me a book?" I say "sure" even if I'm in the middle of making breakfast. Before I know it, I've burned the eggs again.

I would say I'm fairly good at dealing with the immediate things around me. I can be patient because my expectations of doing anything else flew out the window ten years ago. This is my life. The good thing about going with the flow is it helps me be happy. I play with the kids, I stay in the moment, I love my life, but here's the bad news, the laundry piles up, emails don't get returned, we're completely starving because nobody is in the kitchen making dinner, facebook friends get ignored, real life friends are never seen, the weeds don't pull themselves, and blog posts don't write themselves.

My list of blog ideas is two feet long and growing everyday. I have too many post ideas and not enough time to write them all. Last summer we did tons of things we never blogged about. I have pictures on my computer still waiting for me to write about them. Is it lame to write about something we did last summer? I don't know. I don't think so. It's on the list of things to do. I have other ideas, too, but I hesitate to share them in case I never get around to writing and posting them. How lame is that?

P.S. It took me 1.5 hours to write this and I was interrupted 13 times.

National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest & Festival

2010-06-18T00:36:00.000-07:00

Coming up the third full week of June is the National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest and Festival in Weiser, Idaho. Our family has never been to this before but I've heard good things about it. Maybe we'll try and make it this year, I don't know. It looks really fun. Check out the Weiser Festival website to see all that is happening in Weiser next week.

Our plans for this summer

2010-06-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Are you wondering what to do this summer with your kids? Boy, I am. My kids are ages 10, 5, and two-and-a-half. It gets a little tricky trying to figure out something to do that would please them all. Taking them to the movies doesn't work. There's no way the two-year-old can sit through a movie, and even if she could, I wouldn't want her watching the same movies as her 10 year old sister.

I found that hiking and day trips work best for my kids. I just have to make sure I've planned well in advance and I've packed plenty of healthy snacks. Besides hiking and day trips, my kids also love going to different city parks, swimming, and having friends over to play. Unfortunately for them, I am not the crafty-type, so we don't stay at home making crafts. I'm also not into chores, so we don't stay home and work either. (Sorry to disappoint you, Mom). We play it up in the summer because that's what summer is all about. Our summer = no schedule. And we like it that way.

We're not completely unorganized though. As soon as school gets out, we get out a big piece of poster board and write down all the fun things we want to do and see during the summer. We tape it to the wall and mark off each thing as we do it. We've done this every summer for the last three years. It helps us remember what we want to do and helps us see what we've done.

Here's what's on our list so far for this summer
Roaring Springs
Play with BFFs
Swim @ Grandma's
Washington! (the girl and I and our good friends are going to Lilith Fair at the Gorge)
Race go-carts at Wahooz
Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, Baker City, Ore
Four Rivers Cultural Center, Ontario, Ore
Go on a train ride, Mountain Home
Meridian Dairy Days
Geocaching
Ponderosa State Park, McCall (we're going there for a family reunion in August)
MK Nature Center
Idaho Botanical Gardens
Boise Art Museum
Discovery Center
See a show at Starlight Mountain Theater, Garden Valley
Meridian bookmobile
Boise Farmer's Market
Eagle pop ups and snowshack
Deer Flat Nature Trail
Black Canyon Beach, Emmett
Sandy Point Beach
Boise Zoo
Parma Drive In, Parma
Go to the mall
Monkey Bizness
Greenbelt
hike Table Rock again
Hydrotube
Camel's Back Park
Hyde Park
Boise Depot

Things to do at the house
puppet show
collect rocks
nature walk
collect leaves
scavenger hunt
make an obstacle course
create a skit and video tape it
swim in our pool
play in the sprinklers

We can't all have backyard swimming pools...

2010-06-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

that's why there's city pools. Going to a city pool is a great way to cool off and have fun with your family and friends this summer.

In Meridian, there is a pool owned and operated by the Western Ada Recreation District. It is located off Meridian and Franklin Rds behind Storey Park. I have been swimming there with my kids and it is a great pool. It is reasonably priced and they have recently added a splash pad and shade umbrellas. There's a high dive and a low dive, but no slide that I can remember. See their website for entrance fees, operating hours, and information on swim lessons, private parties, open swim hours, lap hours, and free swim day.

Boise has many city pools. Borah Pool, Fairmont Pool, Ivywild Pool, Lowell Pool, South Pool, and The Natatorium Pool and Hydrotube. My sister was on a swim team and we got to spend a lot of time at these pools. This summer I plan on taking the kids to the Hydrotube. I've heard great things about it and I think they would love it. Click on the pools above to find their location and more information about what each pool offers. The City of Boise also has this fantastic website that tells you all about swim lessons, swim team, parent and child swim time, pool events, pool parties, and it has a map that shows you where all of the pools are located. If you are new to town you might want to check out the map to see which pool is closest to you.

Also, if you think you'll be doing a lot of swimming at city pools this summer, I recommend buying a season pass which is good for all the outdoor city pools. There is a resident price and non-resident price. See the list of admission prices here for all the Boise city pools. (The Hydrotube is not included in the season pass).

Nampa has a fun waterpark you might want to try. My sister-in-law has taken her kids here for years and she loves it. It's Lakeview Waterpark located near Lakeview Park off Garrity Blvd. I've been to Lakeview Park a few times but never knew that there was a fantastic waterpark right there. It has a zero-entry beach (great for small kids who want to enter the water), a gigantic water slide, spraying water toys, and a nice pool house with restrooms and showers. And it's very affordable. Only $1.00 for kids under five, and $2.00 for kids 6-17, and adults 18 and up are $3.00. We'll have to check that out this summer too.

Nampa also has a city pool called Lincoln Pool in Lions Park along Davis Ave. It has a diving board, a splash pad, a toddler area and a slide. They also have great indoor pools at the Nampa Rec Center.

Caldwell has Caldwell Municipal Pool at 512 Harrison. It has two slides and two diving boards and goes from 2 ft deep to 12 ft deep.

The YMCA also has three indoor pools in the area. One in downtown Boise, one in West Boise off Cloverdale and Chinden, and one in Caldwell off of Indiana Ave. We've been to all three Y pools and the one in Caldwell is our favorite. (Although I am still really upset at the lifeguards for making me take waterwings OFF my two-year-old. They say they are not safe. I say let me be the judge of that and if you see her drowning with her waterwings on, go ahead and jump in the water and save her.)

If city pools aren't your thing, you can always try and befriend someone with a backyard pool or a neighborhood pool. Or if you are more of an introvert like me and you don't have any friends, then I suggest doing what we did and buy an Intex pool for $149.00. We have one that is 12 feet in diameter and 39 inches deep and the kids and I swim, or in my case sit, in it almost everyday in the summer. Even my husband jumps in with us after he gets home from work. We absolutely love it!

Meridian Dairy Days Starts Tonight

2010-06-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

Did you go to the Meridian Dairy Days Parade last year? We did. And we got rained on. Hopefully, this year, there won't be need for any hoods or umbrellas. The parade is on Friday night and tonight is the Pancake Feed in Storey Park and the free concert afterwards given by the Meridian Symphony Orchestra. Bring a lawn chair if you're staying for the concert. See you there!

"Meridian Dairy Day is held the third full weekend of June each year, and celebrates our community’s heritage when Meridian was the dairy center of Idaho. The event has been celebrated in some fashion since 1929.... The Dairy Days Festival begins on Thursday night in Storey Park with a Pancake Feed followed by a free concert by the Meridian Symphony Orchestra.

On Friday, the Festival Marketplace opens, with 80 vendors selling food, crafts, art, and various other products and services. For the children, the “Kids Corral” provides free fun activities and games.

Friday evening, the “Real Dairy Parade” begins at 7 pm with 100 entries focusing on a dairy theme.

Saturday morning begins with the annual “Milk Run” fun run at Meridian Speedway. Little tykes can participate in a ¼ mile run around the track, and then the older kids and adults do a 5K race that starts and ends at the Speedway. Vendors open at 10 am. At noon the "Dairy Dash", a kid's bicycle race, takes place at the Meridian Speedway. In the afternoon, area coffee shops and restaurants participate in the “Milk Mocktail” Contest, and the public votes for their favorite dairy-based drink. Join us at 2pm to sample the recipes and vote for your favorite.

Other events for 2010 include: the Annual Dairy Princess Contest a carnival, a farm animal education exhibition and dairy cattle and dairy goat shows." (taken from the Meridian Chamber of Commerce website)

Check out Meridian Dairy Days new website at www.dairydays.org

2010-06-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have blogged. I'm working on a post of summer activities. Look for it on Monday.....or Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Thursday, or whenever I get a chance. :)

So you think you can dance?

2010-03-26T23:58:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine attended a "Free Family Dance" event last Saturday night and said it was so much fun. She told me they will be hosting another "Free Family Dance" on Saturday, April 10th from 7 to 11 pm at the Boise Square Dance Hall. Here is the website that explains the details. Looks like a good time if you like that sorta thing.

Almost Easter

2010-03-26T23:32:00.001-07:00

Zoo Boise is hosting its 7th annual Easter EGGstravaganza on March 27th from 10 am to 5 pm with last admission at 4:30 pm. "Join the Easter Bunny for fun activities include egg scrambles, photo ops, face painting, Easter egg toss, fun jumps, animal enrichment activities, and, of course, the zoo."--the Zoo Boise website.

*If you know of any upcoming Easter egg hunts, please let me know.

"But do I have to camp?"

2010-03-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

Lol, that's what the girl said this morning when I asked her if she'd ever want to be in a gymnastics camp. Camping to her means tents, camp fires, and sleeping over night. Here are a few more spring break camps I found online. It's time to start planning your week. Good luck.

MEGA FUN CHESS CAMP - for ages 4 - 12. Beginners welcome. Check out Vellotti's Chess Kids for more info. 713-2486

LEGO CAMP - for ages 4 - 10. Check out Vellotti's Chess Kids for more info. This looks really fun. 713-2486

HORSE BACK RIDING CAMP - ages 6 - 12. Check out Kaizen Farm's for more details. 888-0363

SKI LESSONS - Bogus Basin will be featuring a "buddy deal" during spring break. Have fun downhill skiing, snowboarding, nordic skiing, or snow shoeing. Also note the tubing hill will close on March 27th before spring break begins. 322-5100

COOKING CAMP - They didn't list ages, so I'm not sure. Check out Young Chefs Academy for their camp schedule and more info. 939-2550

MUSICAL THEATRE CAMP - for grades 1-5 and 6-12. Students will be performing Disney's High School Musical 2, jr. Sign up early to get 10.00 off camp fee. Their website doesn't have any details so just call Starlight Mountain Theatre at 342-2187 like I did.

ART CAMP - ages 7 - 12 at the Boise Art Museum.

There are so many more camps available that it's hard to post them all. I know NAMPA and CALDWELL also have their camps listed on their respective parks and recreation websites.

The YMCA is also a wonderful resource for kids' camps and adult classes. Pick up one of their schedule books at your local YMCA and you'll be astonished at how much they offer. You do not have to be a member of the Y to participate in their camps. You just pay a little bit more. Also, if you cannot afford a Y camp, you can apply for a membership and financial assistance is available to those who qualify.

If you're looking for a day care -ish place for spring break, CLUB KID- WINGS is an all day camp for kids age 5-14. See their website for more details or call 376-3641. Something similar to Wings would be TUMBLE TIME, located in West Boise, and BRONCO ELITE, located in downtown Boise and Caldwell. Bronco Elite offers gymnastics, indoor swimming, dance, sports instruction, arts & crafts, and field trips. Also, GEM STATE GYMNASTICS ACADEMY offers preschool, cheerleading, gymnastics, and swimming. Check out their website or call 853 -3220.

There are other fun places around town to explore if you are not interested in doing a camp. During the week of spring break, WAHOOZ FAMILY FUN ZONE is offering $5.00 off an adult fun pass and $3.00 off a child fun pass with the donation of a canned food item.

Also, the DISCOVERY CENTER has some fun things going on during spring break like Nano Day on Wednesday and Friday, Story and Activity Time on Wednesday at 10:30 am, and Firefighter Equipment stuff on Saturday.

We love going to the MK Nature Center, the Botanical Gardens, the Greenbelt, different parks when the weather is good. When the weather is not so good we love Rafiki, Monkey Bizness, Overland Park Cinemas, the Reel Theaters, bookstores and the library.

I know on one of the days during spring break we will be making a day trip. Since the girl is learning Idaho history this year, we will be making a trip to the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City, Oregon to see the Oregon Trail. I hope we survive the 2 hour drive. My kids don't do so well after 40 minutes. What are your plans for spring break?

Spring Break Camps through Boise Parks and Recreation

2010-03-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

I did a bunch of research this week trying to find spring break camps for kids. Just as I was preparing my post I got this email from Amy over at the Boise Parks and Recreation. Wow, she's done a fabulous job putting this list together so I'm going to include her list here and add the other things that I found above this post.

ART CAMP – Kids age 6-12 will get hands-on experience with clay, watercolor, drawing, designing, sculpture and more in three-hour sessions! Camps meet from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. March 29-April 2 at Fort Boise Community Center . Cost is $72.12 for Boise City residents; $11.24 for non-residents. To register, see www.cityofboise.org/parks, call (208) 384-4486 or stop by Fort Boise Community Center , 700 Robbins Road.

CYCLING SAFETY – Cyclists age 9-12 will learn the laws and rules for riding on the road. Classroom instructional and actual riding will provide the proper techniques to be safe, visible and responsible. Camp is based out of Fort Boise Community Center , 700 Robbins Road and is co-sponsored by the Southwest Idaho Mountain Biking Association. The class meets from 1-3 p.m. March 29-31. Cost is is $33 for Boise City residents and $57.10 for non-residents. To register, see www.cityofboise.org/parks, call (208) 384-4486 or stop by Fort Boise Community Center , 700 Robbins Road.

MOUNTAIN BIKING -- Spend Spring Break exploring some of the single-track trails on the Boise Front! These half-day youth camps are offered March 29-April 2. Learn proper bike maintenance, equipment responsibility, technical skills, safety, sharing, respect and more! Camp is based out of Fort Boise Community Center , 700 Robbins Road and is co-sponsored by the Southwest Idaho Mountain Biking Association. Bikes are available. Kids age 9-12 will meet from 9 a.m.-noon; 6-8 year-olds from 1-4 p.m. Cost is $63 for Boise City residents; $97.10 for non-residents. To register, see www.cityofboise.org/parks, call (208) 384-4486 or stop by Fort Boise Community Center , 700 Robbins Road.

DRAMA CAMP – Thespians will love this unique and musical theater experience during Spring Break! Skits, musical production, improvisational activities, and basic theater knowledge are all part of this week-long camp for youth ages 9-12. Each participant needs to bring sack lunch, water bottle and a snack. There will be a mini performance on the last day of the camp. Camp will meet from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. March 29-April 2 at Whitney Community Center1, 1609 S. Owyhee St. Cost is $41 for Boise City Residents; $63 for non-residents. To register, see www.cityofboise.org/parks, call (208) 384-4486 or stop by Fort Boise Community Center , 700 Robbins Road.

GOLF CAMP – Tee up for five days of fun at Warm Springs Golf Course! This camp is designed to prepare youth to play golf on their own. Kids age 7-15 will learn full swings, short game, play and rules. Campers will take breaks with movies and down time too. Clubs are provided. Camp meets from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 29-April 2 at the golf course, 2495 Warm Springs Ave. Cost is $250. To register, call 343-5661.

GOIN’ WILD! -- Come explore the wonderfully wild world of animals at Zoo Boise. At these one-day camps, we offer a variety of games, crafts, hands-on science experiments, zoo tours, and an up-close animal encounter, students will explore animal wildlife. Open to youth in grades 1-3, each session meets from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the zoo. March 29 -- Herps! Reptiles & Amphibians

March 30 -- Feline Wonders: The Cats
March 31 -- Things with Wings
April 1 -- Beastly Behavior: Why do they do that?
April 2 -- Who Was Here? Animal Scene Investigations

Cost per person per day is $25 Boise City residents, $30 non-residents, $20 zoo members. To register, seewww.cityofboise.org/parks, call (208) 384-4486 or stop by Fort Boise Community Center , 700 Robbins Road .

LEARN TO SKATE CAMP – Beginners age 5-12 are invited to learn basic skating skills in this camp, which is taught by professional coaches. Open to boys and girls, “It’s Great to Skate” meets from 8:30-11:30 a.m. March 29-April 2 at Idaho IceWorld, 7072 S. Eisenman Road . In addition to skating instruction, campers will enjoy snacks, games and public skate sessions. Cost is $100. Registration deadline is March 27. Call 331-0044 for registration information.

HOCKEY CAMP – Boys and girls will learn basic hockey skating skills in this camp, which is taught by professional coaches. Camp meets from 8:30-11:30 a.m. March 29-April 2 at Idaho IceWorld, 7072 S. Eisenman Road . In addition to skating instruction, campers will enjoy snacks, games and public skate sessions. Cost is $100. Registration deadline is March 27. Call 331-0044 for registration information.

Youth scholarships are available. For more information, see www.cityofboise.org/parks or call them (208) 384-4486.

McCall Winter Carnival and the Activity Barn

2010-01-28T00:20:00.000-08:00

Friday, January 29th begins the Winter Carnival in McCall. This wonderful winter carnival begins with a night of fireworks, boasts a mardi gras parade, a bingo night, and many other events. However, people don't go to the Winter Carnival to see a parade or watch fireworks. They go to see the dozens of amazing snow sculptures. Artists come from all over the West to participate in this time-honored competition and tradition.

The carnival runs through February 7th. Check out their website for more information.

If you can't make it to the Winter Carnival, but would still like to enjoy a weekend in McCall, we recommend tubing at the Activity Barn as a fun family activity. It even has a toe lift so you don't have to hike to the top.

It's really fun on days like this when the sky is blue and it's not snowing.

www.activitybarn.com

****We highly recommend this place.

50% off Artist for a Day

2010-01-22T12:31:00.000-08:00

I have just learned that after 12 years, the paint-your-own pottery place, Artist for a Day is closing their doors on January 31st, 2010. Our family has enjoyed painting at Artist for a Day and we're sad to see them go. We will try and make it in one more time before they close, especially since everything is half off.

Free Show at Prairie Dog Playhouse TONIGHT

2010-01-14T13:48:00.000-08:00

I received this invitation via email and wanted to pass it along. Check out their website here.

Hi All! You are invited to the Open Dress Rehearsal of "The Adventures of Sheerluck Homes!" on Thursday, January 14th at 7:15 p.m. Prairie Dog is located at 3820 Cassia, in Boise, Idaho. The House opens at 6:45. Since this is a free show, there's no need for reservations, but show up early for a good seat! Lets show the actors what they are in for, with a rowdy Prairie Dog audience! Call 336-7383 if you have any questions... See you there!

What are you doing over Christmas break?

2009-12-29T14:28:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you, but we've been having a great Christmas vacation. Today we ventured over to play at Monkey Bizness. The boy went there with his preschool last month and had a lot of fun, so we thought we would try it out today. Unfortunately for us they were full to capacity and we didn't know that until we got there. I guess I learned to call ahead before we try to go there again.

We ended up at Rafiki. We love it there. We also plan to going swimming at the Caldwell Y, bowling at the BSU student union building, and lazar tagging at Wahooz before the week is over.

What kinds of fun things are you doing this week?

A wonderful Christmas experience

2009-12-12T22:30:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for something to do with your family this weekend, check out this FREE live nativity walk.

Update: Our family has never been to a live nativity before so we decided to check this out. We bundled up in coats, hats, gloves, and snow boots and braved the cold weather and slick roads. I am so glad we did. (I just wish the boy would have gone potty before we left).

I wasn't sure where this was located, but we found it easily enough on a street called St. James off McDermott between Franklin Rd and Cherry Lane. You could see the people gathered and the small fires burning from the road so we had no problem finding it. We parked on St James street and a young lady guided us on a walk to different settings in the story of the birth of Christ. At each setting the young people there (mostly teenagers, which impressed me that they would spend their weekend in the cold doing this for free) narrated a part of the account of the Christmas story from the bible. At one setting there were three sheep which my kids thought was pretty cool. Every setting had backdrops and props and costumes. I could tell that a lot of time and effort had gone into planning this event. There was also a small fire in a fire pit at each setting to keep warm. The last setting was, of course, a young man dressed as Joseph and a young lady dressed as Mary with a little baby doll to represent the baby Jesus. It was pretty cool.

Then we walked over to the refreshment area where they had hot chocolate and cold cookies. The whole experience took about 15 minutes and it was just the thing to get us in the Christmas spirit. I hope this group of people will do this again next year. We really enjoyed it and will go back if they do it again.

Enjoy the show! Lots of performing arts events this weekend

2009-12-10T23:29:00.001-08:00

Our own Ballet Idaho is putting on the Nutcracker Dec 11, 12, and 13th at the Morrison Center. Click here for more info.

The Boise Little Theater is putting on The Christmas Story Dec 11 through Dec 19. Click here for more info.

Starlight Mountain Theatre is putting on A White Christmas. Click here.

Also, A Christmas Carol will be performed at the Morrison Center on Dec 18 & 19. Click here

Watch Annie at the Nampa Civic Center Dec 11 & 12. Click here

There's probably more but that's all I have for now.

2009-12-10T23:11:00.000-08:00

Each year the young men and women of Eagle present a traditional live nativity. They've been doing this for so long they even have their own website. Check out this link to learn more about this live nativity and how to get there. This one looks amazing. December 18 and 19 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Dress warmly and bring a canned food item for the Idaho Food Bank.

2009-12-10T22:48:00.000-08:00

Santa and his reindeer ATV.

Hitch a sleigh ride with Santa and his reindeer. Santa and his ATV pulled sleigh will be available for no charge on Sunday Dec 13 through Thursday Dec 17 and Saturday Dec 19th through Thursday Dec 24th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. On Christmas Eve they will be handing out candy canes and hot chocolate from 6pm to 10pm.

Wow, thank you Dan & Crystal Christensen. Check it out at 2200 E Oakridge St in the Silverwood subdivision.

The Farm's Dead

2009-10-14T21:58:00.001-07:00

My favorite place to go in the fall is the Farmstead. The husband calls it the Farm's dead because he thinks he's funny. I've already been there three times this year. Each time has been so much fun. I took the kids last Friday and the weather was so nice. We were there for over two hours and still didn't get to do everything that we wanted to do. We would have stayed longer but we had to get home for dinner. I kept my wristband on and returned later that night with my husband and we had a fun date night. I thought he would get us lost in the maze for sure, but he surprisingly got us out in 15 minutes.

What to expect from the Farmstead:

Lots and lots of activities that are fun for all ages.

Corn maze. (In the shape of a penny this year).

Fun slides. Jumping pillow.

Corn box. (I found a kernel in our washing machine a few days later). Duck races.

Barnyard animals. Petal Cart races.

Saddle roping. Straw maze.

Pony rides. (Costs extra).

Cow train. Pig races.

Pumpkin patch. Hay ride.

Food court. Field of Screams. (No, thanks. My husband and I did the corn maze, the slide, the jumping pillow, food court, and the hay ride on our date. No Field of Screams for us).

Why I love the Farmstead so much.

Clean. Family-friendly. Organized. Not crowded. Big and spread out, but not too spread out. Plenty of bathrooms close by with hand washing stations. There's lots to do and the activities are actually fun. Plenty of picture taking moments. No lines. No waiting. Good exercise. Well- lit at night. You're out in nature. You're there for at least two hours so it's worth the drive and worth the money. I'm a sucker for pumpkins.

What you should know before going.

Before entering the corn maze, make sure you don't already have to pee. I felt like I was going to pee my pants the whole time we were searching for the exit. Which felt like a very long time. Dress warm. Wear shoes and socks and long pants on a warm day, and a coat, gloves, and hat if you're going on a cold, windy day or at night.

Another tip: You can find coupons in the Book of Good Deals that comes in the mail and on the Farmstead website on the upper right hand corner. We used a 2 for 1 coupon that is good for 6 people. We all got in for half price! And then, when the husband and I went back for our date later that night, we just had to pay for him since I still had my wristband on. Sweet. They also have group discounts for four dollars per person. See their website for details.

****Four out of four stars. Check out our pictures below.

2009-10-14T21:51:00.001-07:00

A time and a season

2009-10-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

I love fall. The leaves on the maple tree in my back yard change to a flame red and the air is clean and crisp. I love warming scents of pumpkin spice and gingerbread in my scent warmer and the comfort of wearing my hoodie around the house. I also love fall decorations. Pumpkins are my favorite. They're so unique in their orange color and plump bodies and little green stem. We love to visit the pumpkin patch and usually end up with 30 different pumpkins on our front porch by the end of the season. Most are imperfect, either too large or too small or too green or too warty--but that's the way we like them.

Speaking of pumpkin patches, we are headed to The Farmstead Farm Festival tomorrow. We went there last year (known as The Maize) and had a fabulous time in the corn maze and in the courtyard. There was so much for the kids to do and see. So we are excited to go back again this year. I'll post pictures within the week of our outing. What do you love to do in the fall?

PS You'll find some really great links to fall activities to your right --------------->

Free Admission to a Museum on Saturday

2009-09-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

I bet you didn't know that tomorrow is Museum Day. In celebration of Museum Day, many museums around the country are giving free admission to you and a guest. My aunt passed this information along to me and she called the Idaho Historical Museum and they said, sure enough, free admission tomorrow. That's Saturday, September 26th, and they are open from 9 am to 5 pm.

Other museums not charging admission are the Idaho Botanical Gardens and the Boise Art Museum. So now you have no excuse. Unless that is you have a really busy day tomorrow like me. It's the baby's birthday tomorrow.

Click here for more info about Museum Day.

Hello Hyde Park

2009-08-03T15:31:00.001-07:00

Don't be intimidated by Hyde Park. Just because it's really historic and awesome and trendy and North Boiseish, doesn't mean you aren't cool enough to walk down the streets and peek in the shops.

That's exactly what we did after our hike to Hulls Gulch. We parked our minivan right there on the street, opened the door, and jumped out.

This shop Ten Thousand Villages looked super inviting so we walked in. I wasn't sure how the lady would react to seeing three little kids, but she was very friendly and pointed to the things the kids could touch. She told us that they are a non-profit fair trade store run mostly by volunteers. They sell handmade items such as jewelry, home decor and accessories, and musical instruments to help villages and developing countries. We saw some really unique hand bags and coin purses and necklaces. They have recently changed their name from Ten Thousand Villages to Dunia Marketplace.

Here are some more things you will see if you visit Hyde Park.

Antique Shops

An art gallery and a bookshop.

Places to eat indoors and out.

A snowshack.

And a place where you can go to find all kinds of Goody's.

Just like we did.

We highly recommend Hyde Park. ****Four out of four stars. Don't forget your money.

Hiking Hulls Gulch

2009-08-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

It was time for another adventure so we packed our backpack and headed for Hulls Gulch. The two youngest kiddos pooped out half way up the mountain on our last hike so we looked for something a bit easier. The Ridge to Rivers website suggested the Pond Loop as a family friendly hike so we decided to give it a go. We drove to Camelsback Park and parked in the parking lot and then walked past the tennis courts to this sign.

This was a great hike because it didn't have any steep parts.

And it was well marked so we knew where to go.

It also had occasional shade and this foot bridge which was cool.

One of the best parts of our hike was seeing a dead lizard, a dead beetle, and this live squirrel.

****Four out of four stars. The Pond Loop at Hull's Gulch is perfect for young kids because it's fairly short, has some shady parts, and isn't steep. If you have older kids there are plenty of other more difficult trails. Just take a different path.

What to know before you go: Take plenty of water, sunscreen, shoes, etc. This hike took us about 40 minutes but my kids are very, very slow. Park in the Camelsback Park parking lot and walk east past the tennis courts and you'll see the trail head. Afterward, have a picnic at the park, or head to Hyde Park and grab a shaved ice from the Snow Shack or an icecream from Goody's. Have fun!

"You know what your problem is, it's that you haven't seen enough movies - all of life's riddles are answered in the movies." Steve Martin

2009-07-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ever since I saw E.T., I've been hooked on movies. I love to watch movies with my kids at the cheap seats and indulge in a little buttered popcorn and rootbeer once in a while. There's nothing like watching monsters and aliens fighting against each other to take your mind off your troubles. If you're looking for affordable ways to see the movies this summer, or you're interested to know what is out there, take a look at what I've put together and let me know what you would add to this list. (I've left off the big name theaters because I figured we all know about those already).

Free Summer Movies at Overland Park Cinemas, click here for details. The next free summer movie will be Kung Fu Panda. They also have free movies on Wednesday mornings showing Adventures in Odyssey, click here for more info.

The Reel Theatres in Nampa now has a 3D theater. They offer their 3D movies at an amazing low price of $4.00. Tuesday and Midnights are only $3.00 They are currently showing Monsters vs Aliens in 3D. My husband took the older kids to this a few weeks ago and they had a great time. Click here for more info.

On Monday and Tuesdays mornings, the Northgate and Ontario Reel Theaters are offering "Summer Kid Movies" for only 2.00. They are currently showing The Tale of Desperaux. Click here to see what's showing after that.

AMAZING DEAL! On Wednesday and Thursday mornings, the Country Club on Overland and Nampa Reel Theaters are offering "Family Days in the Summer" for only 1.00 admission to their CURRENTLY playing G or PG rated movie. Right now you can see Monsters vs Aliens or Race to Witch Mountain for one dollar. They also have great prices on popcorn and drinks. Click here and here for details.

Meridian's "Cable One Movie Night." Join your friends and neighbors every Friday night for a free movie under the stars at Settler's Park. Friday July 17, beginning at dusk, they will be showing Journey to the Center of the Earth and passing out 3D glasses to the first 2000 guests. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and bug spray. Click here for upcoming movies every Friday night until August 28.

Boise's "Movies Under the Stars." This isn't just a movie night, it's been designed as an event. Beginning at 7 pm, the Boise Park and Rec department will be organizing games and things for kids to do between the ages of 6 -12. You are invited to come and bring your picnic dinner or enjoy food from the different vendors that will be on hand. Parking is free at the park or across the street at the library. On Saturday night, July 18, they will be showing Kung Fu Panda. The movie will begin at dusk and will be shown on a large inflatable screen. The next movie at Julia Davis Park won't be until August 22nd when they show The Wizard of Oz. Click here for more details.

And if you like watching movies under the stars, but you prefer doing so in the comfort of your car, check out the Parma Vu Drive In. It's about 40 minutes from Boise. Currently playing is Imagine That at 9:45 and Night at the Museum at 11:30.

For the more cultured types who are looking for independent and foreign films there is The Flicks. I also love the Egyptian Theatre. They not only show movies in this historical theater, they host concerts and various special events.

And if you just feel like staying home, there is always Netflix.

For more information about our local movie theaters, check out the Idaho Statesman.com.

Take a Hike

2009-07-08T23:18:00.000-07:00

The weather has been cooler lately so the kids and I decided it was time for a hike. I got on the fabulous Ridge to Rivers website to search out which hike would be best for us. We settled on a hike up to Table Rock. The kids are familiar with Table Rock since we made the drive to the top last fall.

So Tuesday morning we put on our hiking shoes and headed for the trailhe

ad behind the Old Penitentiary. (Another trailhead can also be found across from the Warm Springs Golf Course

parking lot). We pulled into the parking lot of the penitentiary and guess who we saw getting off of their bikes? My aunt Irene and uncle Paul. Wow! What a coincidence to run into them. They had the same idea that morning to hike Table Rock. They waited for me to put sunscreen on the kids and then we all hiked together. The boy and the baby made it about half way until they were ready to turn around. Poor boy had a really bad stomachache and said, "Ow, ew, ow, ew" the whole way down. My aunt and uncle and the girl kept going until they made it to the top. They snapped some great pictures and had a great time. I was so glad they were there.

There is a kiosk at the base of the trail that shows you a map of all the different routes to the top. Some are more difficult than others. The Ridge to Rivers website has a link to family friendly hikes that is very informative. Give them a call if you have any questions. To get to the Idaho Penitentiary parking lot follow these directions. The kiosk and trail markers will show you where to go from there.

What to know before you go: Go on a cool day or in the early morning. There is no shade on the trail and it gets very hot. Take your cell phone for emergencies. Bring water and wear sunscreen and a hat. Wear hiking boots or good shoes. The hike took us about 2 hours, but we are went at a snail's pace. Have fun. Enjoy being in nature and taking in some beautiful views of the valley.

Free lunch program for those who need it

2009-07-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

Are you worried about how you're going to afford to feed your children this summer? Have your children been receiving free or reduced lunches at their school? Then you'll be happy to hear about the Summer Feed Program. It's awesome. (Thanks to Smullin Family for telling us about it in her comment last month. I had never heard about it before but now we're hooked). We've been going every day for the last two weeks. What a wonderful service! Free lunches for kids are handed out at schools and local parks to help keep children from low-income families (that would be us) fed this summer. Children ages 1 to 18 are handed a free lunch and a free milk. The program ends on July 31st, so click on the links to find your nearest location and go check it out. **If you are not a low income family, please do not take advantage of the free summer lunch program. It is intended for those who need it and I would hate to see this program taken away from those who really benefit from it.

Click here to see locations for Boise School District.

Click here to see locations for Meridian School District.

Also, the Idaho Food Bank is participating.

Meridian's most popular park

2009-07-04T16:24:00.001-07:00

Settler's Park is Meridian's most popular park. There's a lot of amenities such as a splash pad, adventure island playground, climbing boulders, interactive sound garden, large fishing pond, ball fields, and concessions. This year they added more seating, shade umbrellas, tennis courts, and really cool horseshoe pits.

The first time we went to Settler's Park I didn't have a fun experience. There were TONS of people there and with so much for the kids to do, it was difficult to keep an eye on them. I was by myself and it seemed like everyone there was with five of their best friends. So I felt really dumb. It was also very hot and there was no shade and no place to sit.

That was last year. This year I was happy to see that they added some tables and benches and shade umbrellas. We've avoided the crowds this year by going in the morning at 11:00 am or in the evening at 8pm. And we've met friends there. It's been great.

Things to know before you go: Wear your swim suit because you're going to want to get wet. They turn the water on at 11 am. Speaking of water, do not let your kids drink the water as they play in the splash pad. Last year (or was it the year before?) it was rumored that they found crypto in the water and lots of people got sick. Keep dirty diapers and kids with diarrhea away from the water.

Also, the ground gets very hot, especially under the climbing boulders and play equipment. I would suggest they wear sandals that can get wet so they can go back and forth between the play areas and the splash pad without burning their feet. Bring an umbrella and a chair if you are going during a busy time of day. Bring money for snacks and drinks. Don't forget your camera. Have fun!

Check out this link for more information.

Rafiki is Ra-Fun

2009-06-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

Rafiki? What's Rafiki? Rafiki is one of Boise's newest play places for kids. It means "friend" in Swahili. (The other new place is called Monkey Bizness).

A couple of weeks ago, we had some really awesome friends in town so we decided to give Rafiki a try. We're glad we did because we all had a fabulous time. There was a lot for the kids to do. Here's a run down of some of the activities on site. There's a climbing structure with a slide that's fun. A train table with Thomas trains. A play kitchen with lots of plastic food. Baby dolls and accessories. Dress-up clothes. Costumes. Puppet Theater. Books. Games. Toys. Air hockey table. Ping- pong table. Climbing wall. Wii Room. Arts and Crafts table.

Besides the great activities for the kids, I appreciated the clean bathrooms, healthy snacks, comfortable sofas, magazines, espresso bar, and the fact that it was an all around clean facility. And it wasn't crowded either. And you know how I love places that aren't crowded.

My friend Emi and I relaxed on the sofas while they played for TWO hours. With 7,000 square feet, Rafiki is very large and open. It was easy to keep an eye on all four kids while they did their various activities. We went at 4 pm and got in for a discounted rate of 5.49 per child. I thought that was a great price. We will definitely be back again. ****Four out of four stars.

Things to know before you go. Make sure your child is wearing socks.

How to get there. 6202 State St Boise Idaho 83703. Look for the Zamzows on State St and you'll see Rafiki. It sounds far away if you live in south Meridian like I do, but it's only 12.8 miles from my house and if you take the freeway to Curtis Rd, it only takes 25 minutes. It's worth the drive.

See their website for more info.

2009-06-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

Special Needs Activity Day

When: Thurs, June 25, 10:30am-2:30pm

Where: Settler’s Park in Meridian

What: A day for kids with special needs to improve skills and have fun

§ All special needs abilities can participate in events at each booth

§ Sports booths: baseball, soccer, bowling, gymnastics, basketball

§ Arts and crafts: face painting, drawing and creating craft

§ Other: bean bag toss, and running race

§ Prize for completing activities

§ Enjoy Adventure Island Playground afterwards

Are you cheap? Check this out.

2009-06-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

Free rootbeer floats today at A&W, click here for details

Free light smoothie at Orange Julius, click here for coupon

$10 admission all day at Roaring Springs today, click here

Meridian Dairy Days Going On Now

2009-06-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

It's one of our family traditions. You can't go a year without attending the Meridian Dairy Days Parade. I remember going to the parade as a kid and it's something my kids look forward to every year. They love getting candy and waiting for the milk truck to toss them free chocolate milks. The parade is on Friday evening and other various activities are scheduled throughout the weekend. Besides the parade, we love going to the Pancake Feed and then listening to the Meridian Symphony perform for free in Storey Park. The carnival is also fun when it's not too hot or crowded.

Here is some information I took from their website. Click here for a schedule of events.

Meridian Dairy Days is held the third full weekend of June each year, and celebrates our community’s heritage when Meridian was the dairy center of Idaho. The event has been celebrated in some fashion since 1929. The Meridian Chamber of Commerce produces the Dairy Days Festival with a full slate of events, which combines with dairy-related events produced by the Meridian Dairy Show Board. The 80th Annual Meridian Dairy Days will be held on June 16-20 in 2009.

Entries in the COW WOW Art Contest start appearing throughout the City the weekend before the Festival. Based on the 2009 theme: Moo-sicians, businesses, groups and individuals decorate plywood cows to show off their creativity and vie for cash prizes.

The Dairy Days Festival begins on Thursday night in Storey Park with a Pancake Feed followed by a free concert by the Meridian Symphony Orchestra.

On Friday, the Festival Marketplace opens, with 80 vendors selling food, crafts, art, and various other products and services. For the children, the “Kids Corral” provides free fun activities and games.

Friday evening, the “Real Dairy Parade” begins at 7 pm with 100 entries focusing on a dairy theme. (www.meridiandairydays.info)

Saturday morning begins with the annual “Milk Run” fun run at Meridian Speedway. Little tykes can participate in a ¼ mile run around the track, and then the older kids and adults do a 5K race that starts and ends at the Speedway. Vendors open at 10 am. At noon the "Dairy Dash", a kid's bicycle race, takes place at the Meridian Speedway. In the afternoon, area coffee shops and restaurants participate in the “Milk Mocktail” Contest, and the public votes for their favorite dairy-based drink. Join us at 2pm to sample the recipes and vote for your favorite.

Other events for 2009 include: the 60th Annual Dairy Princess Contest a carnival, a farm animal education exhibition and dairy cattle and dairy goat shows.

Nothing beats being Free

2009-06-03T08:42:00.001-07:00

It's time to celebrate the last day of school with Free Rootbeer Floats from Sonic during the hours of 8 pm to Midnight. Stop by and get your 10 oz float while supplies last. Click here to see if your local Sonic is participating. Don't believe me? Click here.

And wouldn't ya know, on Friday it's National Doughnut Day. To celebrate, head over to your local Krispy Kreme for a free doughnut. Dunkin Donuts is also offering a free doughnut with a drink purchase. Don't believe me? Click here.

MK Nature Center, Municipal Park, and the Boise River Greenbelt

2009-05-19T14:14:00.001-07:00

We had so much fun at Municipal Park, The MK Nature Center, and the Boise River Greenbelt. It's a trip we make often in the spring time. If that sounds like a lot to do, don't be overwhelmed. It's all in one spot. You just have to do a little walking. Having done this trip many times, here's what I recommend. I like to park in the parking lot of Municipal Park and enter the MK Nature Center through the north entrance. Here are the driving directions to Municipal Park. Here's a map and driving directions to the MK Nature Center.

Municipal Park is a beautiful 28 acre park next to the Boise River and adjacent to the MK Nature Center. It has huge shade trees, a large grassy area, bathrooms, a shelter, a little sandbox, and a great play structure. Dogs, however, are not allowed. After you park in the Municipal parking lot, stroll over to the entrance to the MK Nature Center. There's not a big sign, just look for a path and an opening in the fence. Go ahead an walk in. It's totally free. Check out the underwater viewing windows along the stream walk to see the stages of the fish cycle and some really cool fresh water fish. The education building has stuffed wildlife, a room to observe birds and other creatures outside of the building, and plenty of activities for the kids to keep their little hands busy. We usually spend about 30 minutes at the MK Nature Center depending on the weather.

Then we stroll over to the Boise River Greenbelt which is a step away from the Nature Center. We usually spend another 30 minutes walking the path and exploring the river banks. There's a few places along the banks to stop and put your feet in. Then we head back to Municipal Park and play on the play structures before coming home. So fun!

What to bring: water bottles, sunscreen, stroller and /or bikes for the greenbelt, snacks. See all links for directions, hours of operation, and more info. My family loves this trip.****Four out of four stars.

*A word of caution. This area is prime for school field trips. If you are thinking about going to The MK Nature and/or Municipal Park in May, be sure to avoid the area between the peak field trip hours of 10 am to 2 pm.

2009-05-19T14:06:00.001-07:00

Craters of the Moon

2009-05-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine Alan Murray, and Brian Davidson and his family, recently took a day trip to see the Craters of the Moon. Alan and Brian are part of a team of individuals from around the world who explore cool places and then report about it on their website. Kind of like I do, but on a much grander, more professional scale. A good comparison would be National Geographic (them) meets Star magazine (me).

Anyway, check out their website Uncharted.net for lots of good information you need to know before visiting the Craters of the Moon. They talk about how to get there, what to expect, what to bring, and show you lots of cool pictures. They advise going in the spring time.

After you check out the Craters of the Moon look around their website for other neat things to see and do around our state and the whole world. I especially liked the story on the alligators in Hagerman. Real alligators in Idaho. I had no idea.

Boise Music Week Going On Right Now

2009-05-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Boise Music Week is going on right now at the Morrison Center. Talented performers from the community are putting on Brigadoon. I've been to several musicals over the years because of Boise Music Week and it is so much fun. The best thing about it is it's FREE. Check out this link for more information.

And if you miss it this year, there is always next year. (I'll try and give you more notice next time. Sorry).

I HEART JOURNEY

2009-05-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

Were you around in the 1980s? Then I know you've heard of them. Open Arms, Faithfully, Don't Stop Believin'.......

I was so excited to get an email from the Taco Bell Arena this morning telling me that Journey is coming to town and tickets go on sale tomorrow, Friday May 8. I was bummed to see the date of the concert because I can't go that day, but for everyone else out there that can, here is the information.

TACO BELL ARENA – BOISE, ID

Sunday, July 26, 2009
On Sale Friday, May 8 at 10:00 a.m.

Seattle, WA – Live Nation welcomes Journey with special guest Heart to Taco Bell Arena on Sunday, July 26 at 8:00 p.m.

JOURNEY--Neal Schon (guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo (drums) and new lead singer Arnel Pineda—is hitting the road to promote REVELATION, the highly anticipated three-disc CD/DVD package set for release June 3 exclusively at Wal-Mart stores in North America.

First emerging in 1976 with their debut album Dreamboat Annie, HEART eschews resting on their legendary stature and remains an active and artistically potent unit. In addition to forging Heart's indelible mark in rock'n'roll, the Wilson sisters were also pioneer female rockers whose success and influence broke down the gender barrier for women to be bandleaders and musicians.

Tickets are $47.00, $57.00 and $67.00 and go on sale Friday, May 8 at 10:00 a.m. at LiveNation.com and Idahotickets.com, all Select-A-Seat locations, Taco Bell Arena Box Office or charge by phone: (208) 426-1766. Prices include the facility fee but do not all applicable service fees.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Taco Bell Arena Administrative Office at (208) 426-1900

EVENT INFORMATION:
Journey special guest Heart
July 26, 2009 - 8:00 PM

Shoshone Falls

2009-05-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

Two Saturdays ago we packed the kids in the car and made the trip to Twin Falls to see the "Niagara of the West." Boy, did I wish I would have had the bit of information I'm about to pass along to you before we went. You see, we had no idea that it would be an HOUR wait in the car before we even got to see the falls.

We had no idea that thousands of other people were as interested in seeing Shoshone Falls that day as we were. Traffic was backed up bumper to bumper for two miles. After a two hour drive and sitting in a line of traffic, the kids were getting restless. I finally said, "Come on kids, we're walking the rest of the way." Of course, I didn't know how far it was to the falls, I just knew I didn't want to wait any longer. We jumped out of the car, got the stroller out of the back, and hoofed it on foot, while the husband had to wait in the line of traffic. We beat him down the road by about 25 minutes or so.

The falls were spectacular and the weather was perfect. The girl loved knowing that she had seen the best waterfall in the west. Most of the pictures are ones that she took since I had my hands full with the little ones. We had a great time and would highly recommend making the trip to see Shoshone Falls.

Things to know before you go:
Expect the trip to take all day. Take a stroller if you have young kids. There are restrooms available, but no soap. Bring your own soap or hand sanitizer. There are snacks, drinks, and souvenirs available for purchase. There is a large grassy area and picnic tables. Expect a long wait and tons of people if you are going during the peak season, April thru May. There is a park fee of 3.00 per vehicle. Dogs are permitted on leashes. Take your camera and check the weather before you go. Driving directions are pretty easy. Go to Twin Falls and then turn left on Falls Ave and follow the signs. Have fun!

Here's a link to a video of the falls that the Idaho Statesman posted in April.

One Benefit to the Slow Housing Market

2009-05-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of our slow housing market or the big declines in market values. In fact, I hate the whole mess. But I have managed to find one benefit. Since I was a teenager I have loved to go to the Parade of Homes. I loved to go so much that I would go by myself. It was free and it was fun. I remember when they started charging admission and requiring tickets. I was mad. Every year I would complain about it and often couldn't afford to go or didn't have time to bother getting a ticket. But this year the Parade of Homes is FREE. No tickets are required. Finally. Something good out of all this.

It's going on now through May 10th. Weekday hours are 5PM to 8PM, Fridays are 3PM to 8PM, and Saturday and Sunday hours are Noon to 8PM. Reflecting the slower housing market, there are just 17 new homes on the Parade this year, but they are homes presented by many of the Valley’s best builders including Tradewinds, Tahoe Homes, The Marrs Company, Capitol Building, Brighton Homes, Crocker homes, Borup Construction (they built my home, btw), James Clyde Custom Homes, Boise Hunter Homes, Berkeley Building Company, Roth Homes, Flynner Homes, and Eric Evans Construction.

The best overall home this year was built by Tradewinds. Check it out in Bella Terra.

There is an excellent clickable tour map online at the BCA website. You can also click through to previews of each home.

Yay, it's Spring Break, time to break out the bad weather

2009-03-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's just me, but it seems like we always have bad weather during spring break. Either it's warm the week before (remember last Friday? a perfect day) or warm the week after, but during the week of spring break the weather is seldom ideal for outside activities. That's okay. Kick the kids outside anyway, it's good for them.

If you are a wimp about the weather, let's talk about some indoor activities. I have some links listed under indoor activities that might interest you. Today I would recommend Boondocks. Although they are not called Boondocks anymore. The name isn't an improvement if you ask me. Even my kids think it's silly. The new owners are calling it Wahooz. Probably because they needed a dot com name or something. Isn't that how business names are created these days? Anyway, check out the Wahooz website and you'll see that they are running a special today and all this week for spring break. Today is 12 Buck Tuesday. Usually this special runs every Tuesday after 4 pm, but today they are extending it so you get the entire day for 12 Bucks. Not that you would want to hang there all day though. For 12 Bucks you can get unlimited use of miniature golf, laser tag, and kiddie kove. The video arcade and go karts are not included. The special that is running all week is a discount off the unlimited fun pass. If you bring in a can of food for the Idaho Food Bank you'll receive $5 off the adult pass and $3 off the junior pass. See this link to Wahooz website for details.

On the right, I have links to more indoor activities and local libraries and bookstores. Check out their websites for information on what they are doing for spring break. (I would recommend any of those, except for Planet Kid. They are insanely busy during spring break because the Wings Center brings their kids into Planet Kid every 30 minutes or so. So beware of crowds if you choose to visit Planet Kid this week.)

Also on the right, I have links to outdoor activities and local parks. We are going to the MK Nature Center and Municipal Park this week. Then we are having an indoor baby sale at our house on Friday and Saturday. I have mounds of clothes and toys and I need to sort and price before Friday.

Spring Break is Coming

2009-03-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

What are your plans for spring break? Do you have any good ideas to share?

YMCA

2009-03-03T21:30:00.000-08:00

*These are pictures of the Caldwell YMCA

Our family loves to swim. Grandma has a pool in the summer, but in the winter we like to swim at the YMCA. Have you been to the Caldwell Y? They have an amazing aquatic center.

There are three different area YMCAs with aquatic centers. I don't know a lot about the pools at the Downtown Y, but I know the West Y has a kiddie pool for young kids ages 0-5 and then a bigger pool for intermediate swimmers, and a lap pool and high dive. It also has a curly slide and a hot tub. The Caldwell Y has those same things plus a "lazy river" and a splash pad which are really fun. The boy likes to call the Caldwell Y "the yellow Y". You'll see "why" if you go. Ha ha, "why."

We recommend swimming and playing at the YMCA because it's really fun and better than being bored at home. The only thing I don't like about the experience is walking in the dressing rooms with bare feet. Oh, and when grown woman, usually old, walk around naked.

See your local YMCA website here for prices, location, and operating hours. Also, check into their financial assistance program to see if you qualify. Downtown Boise, West, Caldwell, Homecourt (no aquatic center at homecourt).

Basketball Games

2009-02-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

Winter time in Idaho can be a lot of fun for some people. Some people love to snow ski and can afford it. Some people love snowmobiling and can afford it. Other people love cross country skiing and snow shoeing and don't mind that it's actually exercise.

While it's great that there are people in Idaho that are taking advantage of these fun and expensive winter sports, there are others who, well, can't afford it. Besides...............the drive up to Bogus makes my puke my guts up and I don't feel like skiing much after that.

If you are like me and would love to get involved in winter sports but don't like the cold or the cost, you have to find other things to do in the winter. Hmmm, what is there to do? One thing our family likes to do is go to BSU basketball games. There's lots of excitement and the kids love it. (Ok, I don't really go so that was a little misleading. I should have said our family with the exception of myself and the baby.) But the husband tells me it's exciting and that the kids love it.

At the last game, the girl ended up spilling her entire drink all over herself, the boy fell asleep, and the husband lost his blackberry. But hopefully that was just our bad luck and you will have a great time. Check out the BSU Men's basketball team website for game times.

This kind of excitement can also be had at local high school basketball games. See your district website for details.

Pojos Arcade

2009-01-21T23:32:00.000-08:00

During Christmas break, I took the kids to Pojos. There were lots of fun things to do with the girl, the boy, and the baby. The boy liked this game where you roll the ball into one of the holes to get the monster truck to race to the finish line. He also liked skee ball, although I was sure he was going to knock someone out with the way he kept throwing the balls.

All the kids enjoyed the carousel. Especially the baby.

This play structure was fun.

The girl brought a friend along and they had fun in the bumper cars.

The boy especially loved all the car games. I didn't even need to put money in them for him to enjoy them. At the end, the kids swapped the tickets they had earned from the arcade games for some cool junk and we were on our way.

****Four out of four stars. We recommend Pojos because it's great family fun. (Just don't go there on a Friday or Saturday night. Too many teens!) Also, when you go you should know that this is an old(er) facility. It's been around since I was a kid. It's not as nice as Boondocks (now Wahooz, btw) but not as expensive either. Especially if you print off a coupon before you go. They have coupons that you can use for almost any day of the week. See their website for coupons, hours of operation, and directions.

Artist for a Day

2009-01-04T23:46:00.000-08:00

I took the girl to Artist for a Day last week and we had so much fun. Artist for a Day is a paint-your-own-pottery place. They have a lot of cute pieces to choose from. I've painted plates and mugs and vases and flower pots. The girl has painted trinket holders, hand mirrors, cats, fairies, sandals, and mugs. Not real cats, lol.

We always have a lot of fun doing this mother-daughter activity. In the past, we have tried to go as a family, but it doesn't work out so well for us because the boy is, well, a boy. He can't sit still long enough to color, let alone paint.

Useful information to know--plan on at least two hours to paint. It always takes us a long time to choose what piece we want to paint and what colors we want to paint it. And the more you paint your piece, the darker the color will be. I like to paint my piece two or three times. Bring a bottle of water and snack with you. They also have a fridge with snacks and water available for purchase. After you have painted your new little treasure, you leave it with Artist for a Day for them to glaze and fire. You can pick it up from the store after seven days. But you must come back and get it within three weeks or they will donate it to charity. (I'm sure" charity" has gotten some interesting looking pieces.)

Every Monday is Kids Day at Artist for a Day. That means that children ages 12 and under get a free studio fee with a paid adult. That's a savings of $6.00. They also have other days to save.

This month they are having a Ladies Night 2 for 1 Studio Fee for ladies 18+ after 6 pm on Wednesday nights, January 7th and 21st. Is there anybody out there who would like to join me on the 21st? It would be so fun!

Also, every Tuesday for the entire day it's 2 for 1 studio fee. Also, Date Night every Friday and Saturday after 6 pm is also 2 for 1 studio fee.

I'm beginning to wish we had gone on one of these days to save. Our bill was $33.00. Good thing the girl had some Christmas money she was willing to part with.

Business hours are Monday -Thursday noon to 9pm

Friday noon to 11pm

Saturday 11am to 11pm

Sunday 11am to 7pm

For directions on how to get there and more info go to www.artistforadayboise.com

More than just lights on a house

2008-12-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we've done something considered blogworthy. But just a few nights ago, we ventured out to see the Denning family Christmas lights. (They're more than just lights. Going there is an event. You can expect to see a light show synced to Christmas music.)

We piled the kids into the car on a school night and told them we were going to look at Christmas lights. About half way there, the boy perks up and says, "We going to Lowes, Mom?" I chuckled. We do go to Lowe's to look at Christmas lights and displays just for fun. We've done it about three or four times since Halloween.

"No. We're going to a house, to see the lights on a house."

"But I wanna go to Lowe's, Mom." It's so cute the way he says Lowe's.

"I know. But this will be cool too."

"But I wanna go to Lowes." (Repeated 12 times.)

Finally we round the corner and we can see it. It looks like something out of a movie--either Deck the Halls or that Griswald one. We turn our car stereo on and tune it to 107.5 and enjoy the show. It doesn't disappoint. When we've heard all the songs and the show starts over I get the box of canned food I brought for the Food Bank and place it in the barrel on the front porch. Free entertainment. Love it. Thank you Denning Family. The boy had a good time and the girl and the baby did too. We cross our fingers that they'll do it again next year. Or we might end up at Lowe's.

I had the opportunity to sit down with the famous guy behind the Denning Family Christmas lights and ask him a few questions. (I didn't really. We did this over FB.)

What is your address? 4468 W. Blue Creek St in Meridian.

How long have you been doing this? 4 years.

Do you have show hours? 6pm to 10 pm on weeknights, 'til 11pm on Friday and Saturday.

How many songs? 10

How many minutes? Somewhere around 28 minutes for the full playlist. I haven't timed it exactly.

What station does a person tune to to hear the playlist? 107.5 FM

How many lights do you have? As of last tally, I show 26,662 lights.

How do your circuits handle all that power? I have to have it all laid out in a spreadsheet to keep things organized and spilt between the circuits evenly. It currently runs on 7 separate circuit breakers in my panel to keep things from tripping.

How much does this cost you? Last year cost me about $55 more on my electrical bill. I do have a few more lights this year though so the bill will likely be $5-10 higher. It draws 99.14 amps or 11,896 watts with everything in "on" mode which equates to $0.71/hour. The actual electrical usage is much lower though since the lights mostly blink and aren't always turned on. I'd guess actual show time cost is 1/3 of that.

How tall is the star on your roof? It's about 6.5 ft tall. It holds 190 C9 clear bulbs and draws 11 amps when turned on.

How does this all work? It's all accomplished with hardware/software from Light-O-Rama (ww.lightorama.com) which runs off my computer. I currently have 96 separate channels of computer control that can be turned on/off.

How many people come see your show? There's no way to know for sure. In 2006, the Statesman actually wrote up a big article on me and put my photo in the paper, etc. Boy, the traffic was crazy that year. I counted 24 parked cars one night.

With all the time and money you put into purchasing your lights, putting them up, taking them down, storing them, and paying for power, is there any way you will accept donations? I mean, I'd give you a few bucks for entertaining me and my family. No. But this year because so many people have asked that question, we are accepting donations to the Idaho Food Bank. There's a barrel on the front porch where you can place canned goods and a lock box for cash donations all for the Food Bank.

Does your neighborhood HOA hold a holiday lights contest, and if so, are you even allowed to enter? Yeah, I've won first place every year since 2005. I've got my fingers crossed for 2008.

Upcoming Events

2008-12-10T23:44:00.000-08:00

There are many wonderful performing arts events coming up. Here's what I've found.

Morrison Center Events

The Nutcracker Dec 12-14

Lord of the Dance Dec 18 **Sold out**

Nampa Civic Center Events

A Christmas Carol Dec. 10-13

Gospel Jubilee Dec 14, 21, 28

A Centre Stage Christmas Dec 19

The Christmas Show Dec 20

Taco Bell Arena Events

Michael W. Smith Dec 14

Idaho Center

Walking with Dinosaurs Jan 7, 9-11 2009

Boise Contemporary Theater

No, You Shut Up Dec. 10-13, 17-20

The Star - Starlight Mountain Theatre Winter Office

Best Christmas Pageant Ever Dec. 19 & 20

Get in the Christmas Spirit

2008-12-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

Winter Garden a Glow at the Idaho Botanical Garden. See the lights and get in the Christmas Spirit.

Bored Much?

2008-12-05T22:37:00.000-08:00

I am looking for some new ideas of things to do around here in the winter time. Besides snow skiing. Brrr. Does anyone have any ideas? Typically when there is a day off of school or it's a weekend and we don't want to get bored, we usually head to the Y to go swimming. It's something all my kids enjoy. And we mix it up and go to different Ys. The Caldwell Y is really fun. But other than that I haven't been able to think of what else to do.....My kids love Planet Kid, but I'm such a germ phobe that I am completely avoiding places like that until after flu season. So other than the Y and Planet Kid, does anyone have any suggestions for me? (Nothing too germy, please.)

Watch for my next post about my favorite house with holiday lights. Here's a hint. It's in Meridian and the lights are synched and timed with music that you listen to on your car radio. There's a sign in their yard that tells you which station to tune to. I am happy to say that I am actually long time high school buds with these creative people.

Rafiki

2008-10-29T23:36:00.000-07:00

So has anyone been to Rafiki yet? I have not.

If you have been to this new place in town, please fill us in.

How was your experience? What was it like?

Click here to see their website.

2008-10-25T23:09:00.000-07:00

We all need a little love once in a while

so if you could be so kind,

I would love if you would follow my blog.

District III Marching Band Festival

2008-10-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

There is an event coming up that I miss every year and I am not going to miss it this year. The reason I miss it every year is because I never know about it until it's over. Does that ever happen to you? This event is a competition between the local high school marching bands and drill teams. It's called the District III Marching Band Festival and it's been going on for 45 years. On Sunday morning, the Idaho Statesman does a big layout in the their local section about the competition and the results. It is then that I realize, dang it, I missed it again.

Fortunately, this year I was determined not to let that happen. I am so glad I found this on idahostatesman.com and I thought I would share it with you. The competition starts tomorrow at the Bronco Stadium. Gates open at 1 pm where you can purchase your ticket. Adults are $7 and students and seniors are $5.

The first school performs at 2pm. The schools I am interested in watching start at 5:45. I hope that didn't sound snobbish. You can certainly go at 1:00 but it makes for a long day. The competition ends around 8:30, then the BSU Blue Thunder Marching Band performs, and then at 8:45ish the trophies are awarded. And they are big trophies. Click here to see a list of the participating high schools and what time they are performing, I guess competing.

If you go dress warm and bring lots of blankets.

Oh you are going to love this dumb factoid about myself. In 1992, I had the privilege of being part of the Centennial High School Marching Band and Drill team. When we competed in District III that year, we beat Capital High School!! Now that may not sound like it is a big deal, but I think they had, like, an 18 year winning streak that we had just broken. And that of course was our only goal. Beat Capital. And we did.

Linder Farms

2008-10-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday and Thursday mornings, I had the pleasure of going to Linder Farms with the boy and his two different preschools. To be honest, I didn't have a great time on Wednesday because it was super crowded and it felt like we were being herded like cattle. It was also freezing cold and the wind was blowing. On Thursday, however, we had a really fun time. It was more organized and less crowded. It was also a lot warmer. My favorite experience at Linder Farms was the hay ride.

I also liked the straw maze.

After the straw maze we walked out to the pumpkin patch (more like a gigantic field) and got a pumpkin. The boy picked an all green pumpkin because that's what he wanted. It actually made a cute addition to our decor.

****Highly Recommended. A good place for preschool field trips. (Not nearly as cool as Wagner Farms, but I guess if you've never been to Wagner Farms you wouldn't know what you're missing.) Also, if you wondering which one to go to between the Mazie or Linder Farms, I personally think the Maize is more fun and has more to do, although it is more expensive. If anyone has anything to add about Linder Farms or anything else, please make a comment. They are always greatly appreciated. Also, add yourself as a follower and make my day!

Spyglass Gardens

2008-10-21T23:12:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for a pumpkin patch with a small town feel, look no further than Spyglass Gardens. Spyglass Gardens started as one couple's dream. Steven and Wendy have a home and some land--not a lot, but enough. On their land they grow fruits and vegetables without pesticides. They harvest their crops and sell them right from the gardens next to their home. They stay busy all summer long, but things don't slow down in the fall. People return to buy straw bales, corn stalks, and cinderella pumpkins. Children return to run through the straw maze and pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. (No hay rides unfortunately.)

We've been to Spyglass twice already this year and both times have been really fun and uncrowded. The boy and I played in the straw maze by ourselves for fifteen minutes. We played I'm Gonna Get Cha and Can't Catch Me and I'm Going To Beat You (as in beat you to the other side).

Then I pulled him and the baby in the wagon (provided by Spyglass, they have plenty on site) and we went over and found some more pumpkins. I say more because we already have 10 from our last trip.

Then we bought some straw bales and some corn stalks and wished we could afford the ghost pumpkins and the cinderella pumpkins but we couldn't. So Wendy helped me load up the van and this is what we did when we got home.

****We highly recommend Spyglass Gardens. They are located on 3445 S. Linder Rd between Victory and Amity. Their October hours are Monday - Saturday 10:00am to 6:30 pm and Sundays between 12:30 to 5:30 pm. See their website for more info.

Scarecrow Stroll

2008-10-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

Introducing the bride of crow. Also known as Mrs. Scarecrow.

That's the name we gave her when we met her for the first time at the Scarecrow Stroll in the Idaho Botanical Garden.

I always want to say gardens with an s.

If you're like me and you don't like crowds-- go to places you want to go on game day. Unless you're going to the game. Then by all means have a great time and go broncos. If you're not going to the football game, go somewhere you've been wanting to go. Trust me, you'll have the whole place to yourself.

This is what happened to us on Friday evening when we ventured out to the Idaho Botanical Garden and the rest of Boise ventured to the BSU/Hawaii game. It was 70 degrees that day and the weather was perfect. The fall colors were beautiful and there were still many flowers in bloom. The kids had a great time running around. The boy liked to throw rocks into various streams, ponds, waterfalls, and fountains.

And run and run and run and run.

The girl liked taking pictures of the decorated scarecrows.

And the baby liked sticking her hands into the streams.

I quite enjoyed the peace and quiet and the beautiful fall foliage.

We were the only, only, only, people there. Except for the family that was there for like 10 minutes. So that doesn't really count. We saw lots of birds and quail and squirrels. There we many flowers still in bloom. And even though we have been there before, we still spent almost two hours there. What did you do for two hours?

We just walked around and explored nature. Snapped a few pictures.

And it was fun. And quiet.

And not crowded. And not hot. And really fun.

We went between the hours of 5 and 7 pm and toward the end of the evening the sun was setting and I was able to get a cool picture of the girl.

I am by no means a photographer, but I thought it turned out cool.

The cost to get in was so cheap I had to ask the lady, "Did you charge for me?" Yes. Four dollars for an adult, two dollars for kids four and older. So it cost us six dollars to get in. Six dollars for two hours of family entertainment. Think Mastercard commercial. Priceless.

****Four out of four stars. Click here for the The Idaho Botanical Garden website.

A child's vote counts on this blog

2008-10-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

I just figured out why my daughter has been asking me for so long to put a poll on the blog that asks you who you want to vote for. Why is an eight year old concerned with these matters? Apparently, at school, there are several children talking politics. In fact, they each have some pretty strong opinions about the candidates they like and don't like. A few days ago, the girl came home and said, "Mom, so and so said that if Obama gets to be president, he'll take away Disneyland." Really. I guess scare tactics run in children's circles as well as adults.

This afternoon we put the poll up together. As soon as it posted the girl says, can I vote? Of course you can vote. So she clicked on her favorite guy and then gave me a big smile. I guess all she wanted was to vote. Is that too much to ask?

A-Mazing

2008-10-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday we went to the Maize. It was amazing. Before we left, I printed off some $1 off coupons. It's one dollar off per person so I thought it was worth the 30 seconds of my time. We drove the four minutes it took us to get to the Maize and met some friends there. We

purchased the Bargain pass which includes the maze and all the fun in the courtyard. It is $12.00 for ages 12 and up and $9.00 for kids 4-11. Three and under is free. We were really glad we purchased the bargain pass because the maze is fun, but the courtyard is a blast.

I was glad we agreed on which maze to walk through since there were two very different choices. Obama and McCain. The kids had fun taking turns on deciding whether to go right,

left, or straight. It took us about 20-30 minutes to find our way out.

After the maze, we played in the courtyard which has many fun activities for the young ones. They jumped on the giant jumping pillow,

peddled the peddle carts,

slid down the slides,

played in the corn box,

rode the bucking cow train,

pet the pony and the goat,

and took advantage of a free hayride (minus the hay). We spent over an hour doing these activities.

****Four out of four stars. We will be back. Probably with the boy's preschool friends. Speaking of preschool, check out the Maize's special prices and hours for preschool groups on their website. It's easy to find. Located off Meridian road just south of Columbia Rd. Take exit 44 and head south on Meridian for five miles. You will see it on your right.

Teacher inservice means Amanda has to make plans again.

2008-09-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

Sunday night is the night that I plan out our week. And seeing that there is no school on Thursday and Friday due to teacher in-service, I am planning things to do on those days. I've checked the weather and, yeah, it's finally cool enough to take the kids to the Bruneau sand dunes.

On Friday, we plan to go to the Maize. They have designed the maze around the presidential candidates. As you enter, you are faced with the choice of going right or left. Very clever. They are open on Thursday and Friday beginning at noon since there is no school. Otherwise, they open at 4:00 on weekdays. I remember the first time I took the girl to Wagner Farms. I didn't know they weren't open until 4:00 pm. (They let us in anyway and we had the whole place to ourselves. It was great.) Now I'm always sure to check the hours of operations before I go anywhere.

Our family always looks forward to Meridian's Scarecrow Festival. We've been for the last three or four or five years. I can't remember. It's always the first weekend of October and we go on Friday right after school. There's pumpkin bowling, a really cool trampoline, rock climbing, vendors, pumpkin painting, kids crafts, and more. Sadly enough, they're not having the Scarecrow Festival this year, rather a Harvest Festival. It's one day only and it looks really lame.

Speaking of scarecrows, check out the scarecrows at the Idaho Botanical Garden. We are planning on doing this soon. It looks really fun.

What are your plans for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday?

Free Tater Tots at the Idaho International Film Festival

2008-09-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

So I have to admit that I have seen Napoleon Dynamite, not once, but twice, and really liked it. I don't think I'd like to see it again, however. Seeing "non-traditional" films is fun to do sometimes. I remember going to the Flicks once and seeing an Italian movie with English subtitles. It was called Il Postino. It was such a blast. Wayne I., if you're reading this, thank you for taking me even if it was only because you didn't have anyone else to go with.

This weekend, The Idaho International Film Festival is having it's 6th annual film festival. It looks really fun. You can watch movies, meet actors, eat popcorn, go to free workshops, and participate in after-film discussions and debates. The event actually kicked off Thursday night with a Gala at Bardenay's (love that place). But there are things going on all weekend. Check out the program guide. Movies are showing at the Flicks, the Egyptian, and Edwards Boise Downtown. If any of you readers have been to this before, I would love to hear your thoughts about it. Click here to read what the Statesman has to say about it.

Another Dumb Factoid About Myself. This one pertains to being in Idaho and having a famous person say hi to you. Are you ready for this factoid? Ok...keep reading....it's coming............Matt Damon has said "hi" to me. In person. Outside the Egyptian Theatre. Not kidding you. Me. Amanda. Not the whole crowd. Just me. Here's a picture to kind-of prove it. I have one witness and his name is John. If you'd like to interview him about this, we can make arrangements.

Kidding about the free tater tots (in case that wasn't obvious.)

I Heart Boise

2008-09-24T22:25:00.000-07:00

Wow. Where do I start? I just found some really cool links that I didn't even know existed. Ya know how you start at one place on the internet and end up somewhere totally different? That's what happened to me.

1. Boise.org. Click here.

2. DowntownBoise.org. Click here.

3. FallforBoise.com. Click here.

4. ExperienceBoise.org. Click here.

5. SearchBoise.com. Click here.

Happy searching. Plan something fun and then do it. (Unless life happens and you can't.)

If you're wondering about the poll--we got 16 votes total. Nine for football and seven for performing arts. Thank you to every one who voted.

Watch for tomorrows' post about the Idaho International Film Festival going on this weekend.

According to my calendar, today "Autumn Begins."

2008-09-21T22:19:00.001-07:00

In honor of the first day of autumn, (which is never capitalized, I checked) this post will be about one of my favorite things to do in the fall--going to the pumpkin patch with my kids. We go at least twice. It seems like we never get enough pumpkins the first time. I also like to buy cornstalks and straw bales and decorate the front of the house. We have a favorite place that we like to go. Spyglass Gardens. It's close to our house, small, and kid friendly. The people who own it are so nice. We've been going there for the last 5 years and it's become a tradition. They have pumpkins you can pick, a little maze made from straw bales, and lots of other vegetables, corn stalks, and straw bales for sale. Admission is free. You are only charged for the things you buy and the pumpkins are priced according to size, not weight. They are closed on Mondays and picking begins on September 28th. So get in the spirit of fall and plan a trip to the pumpkin patch. Don't forget your camera.

There are other pumpkin patches around town that are great too. I found a great website that lists the local ones. Go to www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org.

Another great site is www.pickyourown.org.

www.localharvest .org is good too.

One more thing--I think Wagner Farms is closed. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Happy Autumn everyone! (Whoops).

How the heck do you spell theatre, I mean theater, I mean.....anyway.

2008-09-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

So my friend Eric made a comment to my recent post (which I really appreciate by the way) and noted that I left out the theaters in town. He probably has theaters on his brain since he runs some really cool ones. But he's right, what was I thinking? I love going to the theater and not just the movie kind.

The husband and I have seen a few live stage productions at the Stage Coach Theatre and really enjoyed it. We've never been to any other stage theaters in town only because our Stage Coach tickets were freebies given to us by a friend of ours. But this season maybe we'll break open the pocket book and try the Knock 'em Dead dinner theatre like Eric suggested. Sounds way fun.

The experience of a live stage production is so fun and intimate. And the price is not more than you'd pay at a movie theater. Especially after you add the soda and popcorn. And depending on where you sit of course. Check out these upcoming shows and put a little spice up your theater-going-self.

1. Boise Little Theater

The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Several dates in October. Click here.

2. Idaho Shakespeare Company (last show til next season)

Greater Tuna. Thru September 27th. Click here.

3. Knock 'Em Dead Productions (also have dinner theatre)

Ragtime Oct. 3 - Nov. 8. Click here.

4. Praire Dog Playhouse

Indiana Stones and the Quest for the Holy Oil. Sept. 26 - Nov 1st. Click here.

5. Stage Coach Theatre

Dark Rituals. Several dates in October. Click here.

Okay. If I've left anyone out, let me know. But don't tell me that I left out the Boise Contemporary Theatre. Their website is a little weird so I left them off.

Be Cool. Attend a Performing Arts Event

2008-09-17T12:59:00.001-07:00

I love the Performing Arts and it seems like there are always great performances to be had this time of year. I'll spare you a few minutes of your own searching and let you know what I found that is coming up for the end of September and the month of October. All of these events were found using links from this website. So handy, if I may say so myself.

This list does not pretend to include everything that is going on around town, like Bronco Football games. Although there is a link for that, if you like that sort of thing. I know the husband does and a lot of you do too. With that said, here's what interested me.

1. Trey McIntyre Project Premiere-- Saturday, Sept 20th at the Morrison Center

2. Forever Tango-- Oct 2-4 at the Morrison Center

3. Reba and Kelly Clarkson Concert--Oct 9 at the Taco Bell Arena

4. BYU Ballroom Dance Co.-- Oct 10 & 11 at the Nampa Civic Center

5. Beethoven by the Boise Philharmonic--Oct 18 at the Morrison Center

6. BSU Orchestra Concert--Oct 19 at the Morrison Center

7. Irish Dancers-- Oct 25 at the Nampa Civic Center

8. Disney on Ice-- Nov 6-9 at the Taco Bell Arena

9. Trans-Siberian Orchestra--Nov 10 at the Idaho Center

If there is anything that I missed that you would like to see here, please make a comment or send me an email and I'll get it on the list.

Another Dumb Factoid About Myself--I love the Humanities so much that I wanted to major in it at Boise State. Impossible since BSU does not offer a Humanities major. So I dropped out and quit. Not really. But I was disappointed.

Art in the Park

2008-09-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that Art in the Park is beginning today and ending on Sunday at 5 p.m. I've been to this in years past and I've always really enjoyed it. Except for the two times I have taken my kids by myself and really hated it. I probably won't make it this year but if you go please leave a comment and tell us about your experience.

This is event is sponsored by the Boise Art Museum and is located in Julia Davis Park. Lots of vendors from all over the west bring their arts and crafts to sell. But they aren't cheap so bring lots of money if you want to buy something. Also, parking is a pain so I would recommend taking the free shuttle. More details and hours of operation are on BAM's website.

Silver City

2008-09-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

For some time now I thought it would be cool to visit the historic Silver City. Labor Day seemed like the perfect day. The husband had the day off work and the weather wasn't too hot-- so off we went.

Now this trip isn't for the faint of heart. It's a long drive and the last 10 miles or so to Silver City are horrible if you are in a vehicle. If you're riding an ATV it'd be a blast. But I can tell you it's miserable when you're sitting in the back of a van and you're sitting back there because you're nice and you let your daughter who got car sick sit up front. The dirt road was narrow and steep and bumpy and windy. We had a GPS and I was counting down the 0.1 miles until we "reached our destination." "Don't worry Mom," the girl would say, "we just have 8.3 miles to go. Don't worry Mom, we just have 8.2 miles to go." And so on and so forth.

When we got there we realized we weren't the only people with this brilliant idea to check out Silver City. There were lots of cars and lots of ATVs parked along the dirt roads. That's okay, it's not every day you get to go to a crowded ghost town. You're loving the irony aren't you?

We had a little mishap during our first five minutes. We had just gotten out of our car that's now caked with dirt and didn't know what to do or where to go. It's not like Disneyland where your every step is directed, analyzed, and marketed . So we walked up to the first building we see and this guy comes up to us and says really loud and really mean, "Can I help you?" Ahhh.

I think the scared looks on all five of our faces made him realize we weren't trespassing on purpose. He softened his voice a little and informed us that the buildings are private property and that there were two open buildings, the Idaho Hotel, and Pat's What Not Shop. He then informed us if we wanted to come back in two weeks they would have 10 buildings open for visitors. Thanks but no thanks was my thought. I'm not coming up that mountain again for a few years.

So we checked out Pat's What Not Shop and the Idaho Hotel. Not too impressive if you want my honest opinion. But we did have a great time looking at the abandoned buildings and taking pictures. I guess my favorite part of that was just feeling like I had gone back in time. Not that I'd want to do that for real or anything.

Then we spent a considerable amount of time looking for a non-existent bathroom. Finally we found an outhouse near a campsite. Then we found a trail that led to Silver City's cemetery. It was about a 5 minute hike. (Well, 5 minutes for most people, 10 minutes for us.) The cemetery is awesome. It's hard to find something this old in Idaho.

The cemetery is situated on the slope of a mountain and there's beautiful wild flowers and grasses growing every where. It was nice to see something other than cheat grass. A lot of these people buried young children and babies and it was a reminder to me of how lucky we are to live with so many modern conveniences and technologies that help keep our children safe.

Things to keep in mind if you go. Leave early enough in the morning so you're not driving home in the dark. It's about a two hour drive from Meridian. Do not attempt this trip after November 1st or before June 1st. Make sure you have a full tank of gas and your car doesn't need new brake pads. Definitely hike to the cemetery. Do not trespass on the properties marked "Private Property Keep Out." And remember that the bathrooms are outhouses and that there is no running water. Don't forget your children and your cameras. Check out their website for more info and directions. Have fun.

****Four out of four stars. It's not every day you get to go back in time.

Table Rock

2008-08-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

If you're not familiar with the view from Table Rock you are missing out. This is why I decided that my kids needed the experience. As we drove up there I had a flood of memories. My friends and I made a lot of trips up to Table Rock as high schoolers looking for somewhere to go. It felt quite different to be driving a van a full of kids, listening to Baby Einstein, and munching on fish crackers. I was kind of wishing I could be in Holly's car dancing to Life is a Highway with my best friends. Holly, what was the name of your car again?

But anyway, we made it to the top and the kids were in awe of the view. The boy had his hiking shoes on and was ready to hike. I had to explain that he could not climb down the rocks. Maybe another time we could hike up to Table Rock, but we definitely weren't climbing down it. Then there was the issue of something I had completely forgotten about. Graffiti. The girl was intrigued by it and I was embarrassed by it, especially the not-so-clean stuff. She didn't understand why people would do it if it was against the law. Because they usually don't get caught. Oh. Have you ever done that Mom? I was glad I could honestly say no.

Things I liked best about the trip--we were the only people up there, my kids had fun, and we got to drool over a lot of cool houses on the way up.

Now what you've been waiting for--how to get there. If coming from Meridian, take the freeway to downtown and go on north on Broadway past St. Luke's. Take a right on Reserve. Go about 1/2 mile and turn right on Shaw (pretty sure) headed up a ridge through a neighborhood, then turn right on Table Rock Road, then go through the gate where the paved road changes to a rough, dirt road, and be careful as you drive up the mountain. (I was kind of scared but it was a good scared). If anyone has better directions, please comment and let us know. Also, if you are nervous about the directions, just type in St. Luke's hospital into Yahoo maps and you can see the streets better. This drive took us about 45 minutes from our house in Meridian.

****Four out of four stars. This was a fun thing to do and easy place to visit. We will come back again next year sometime.

Planet Kid

2008-08-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

Oh Planet Kid. I love it and I hate it at the same time. I love it when we go and it's not crowded and it's clean and the kids have fun and they don't get sick a few days later. I hate it when it's crowded and dirty and the girl is trying to get away from the boy and the boy is crying and the baby gets sick a few days later.

This last trip, however, was very fun. After frequenting Planet Kid for the past 6 years with the girl, I definitely have some advice about going there. If you don't know what Planet Kid is let me explain. Picture the Carl's Jr playground on Eagle Rd and multiply that by two minus the fries and the shake. Does that help?

My kids love this place. I love it because there's an area designated for kids under age 2 where I take the baby and give anybody above the age of 2 a dirty look until they leave. There's a ball pit, lots of things to climb, slides, and tunnels.

Price of admission is kind of steep. Ages 1-3 is $4.50 and ages 4-12 is $7.75. They have daily specials and hours of operation on their website. Planet Kid.

The trick about going when it's not busy is to get there after 5:00 on a weekday. Planet Kid is located in the Wings Center which is a day care facility among other things. They bring their classes into Planet Kid and let about 30 kids run wild while you're trying to figure out what just happened. If you go after 5 pm, you can avoid that. Also, PK is popular for birthday parties so avoid PK on Friday nights and weekends. During the school year you can go any time of the day without lots of older kids running around. However, make sure you check the school calendar (links for schools on the right) because sometimes it will be Teacher Inservice that day and you will be sorry. I'm speaking from personal experience.

The other thing you want to do is to make sure you're children have socks on their feet or they won't be allowed in. I also dress my kids in pants to avoid any scraped knees.

As your child's parent, you might just want to be cool and climb around with them. If you do, bring knee pads and you'll be a lot more comfortable. Don't be embarrassed. I've seen parents who do this. If you're not going to be playing, bring a magazine, book, or your laptop. They have free (I think it's free) wireless internet there.

Last of all, we always wash our hands right before we leave this place. Love that smell of soap on my hands. Makes me feel clean. Now if I could just get the boy not to touch anything right after he's washes his hands I'd be happy.

***Three out of Four. If they lowered the price of admission and vacuumed obsessively, it'd be a four.

What to do with the little ones?

2008-08-26T11:22:00.001-07:00

Now that the girl is back to school, I needed to find something to do with the boy and the baby. So I set out to find some fun places to visit. No one wants to be at home with the laundry and dishes staring them in the face. Get out and do something fun. At least that's my thinking anyway. Maybe that's why my laundry's piled up and there's never anything to eat on.

Anyway, here's what I've found. Chucky Cheese's. Planet Kid. Pojos. Boondocks. The YMCA. Cabela's. Story times at bookstores and libraries. Yes, I know they are all indoors. Haven't you noticed that it's been cooling down?

Links to most of these places are on the right. I've also added a list of libraries for your convenience. Check out their sites for story times. If you know of any fun places to visit with a toddler, please share with me. I would love some fresh ideas.

Also, as soon as I locate my charger to my digi cam, I'll be able to upload the pictures from our last four adventures. That's why there's been a snag to the updating of the bloggy. Stay tune as I ask the husband to find the charger tonight. (He's always been in charge of dishes and cords. Oh, and Broncos and lawn care. Me...I'm everything else.) Now you know the real story behind the dishes. No one to blame but myself for the laundry.

School Begins

2008-08-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

Much to my daughter's chagrin, school is starting. For many of you, school has already begun. Our first day is Monday. Oh, I hate to see summer come to a close. We really enjoy staying up late and sleeping in. With not a care in the world we suddenly change to schedules, homework, stomachaches, and stress, stress, stress.

To combat the back to school blues, I've gone to work planning some fun things to do on those days when the kids have no school due to Teacher Inservice, Parent-Teacher Conferences, holidays, Spring Break, etc. This way, the girl has something to look forward to. All the activities and day trips we didn't have time for can now be scheduled into those days off.

So check your school district's calendar to find out when your children have days off of school. I have links to the Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Kuna, and Caldwell districts.

Here's another factoid about myself. The current Superintendent for the Meridian District was my principal at Joplin Elementary my entire grade school career. Students of the month got to have lunch with her. I didn't say I got to have lunch with her--just those lucky enough to get student of the month. Also, my mom has been friends with her ever since they went to Borah High School together. She was a great principal then and I think she is a great superintendent now.