In the wise words of Curious George…

or should it be thoughts? - George doesn’t actually talk does he… Anyway, they’re wise regardless: “Hiking is exciting. George didn’t know why more people don’t do it.” My thoughts exactly! Not that I mind having the trails to myself… but I often wonder if people make it more complicated than it needs to be - you don’t have to go far and you don’t need any special equipment - that’s why hiking is such an easy way to access nature in our busy lives.  And it’s amazing how many places there are to hike close to home - you just have to do a bit of looking for them…

As I mentioned in my last post, we’ve been exploring the nearby nature centers in Maryland. And I’ve fallen in love with Meadowside in Rock Creek Regional Park - it’s not the nature center itself, though it is pretty cool and even has a small caving tunnel for kids (and me) to explore - but it’s the short hikes that are perfect for kids.  While there are about 25 miles worth of trails throughout the park, we’ve just plotted out a mile or so loop that I know Kai can handle.  It starts at the nature center, meanders down to and along the river and then back up ending at the nature center. Kai loves to carry the map which can be picked up at the head of the trail - that way he feels official and I can show him where we are.  He also loves to have a job - usually it’s to find the next trail marker on a tree to make sure we’re still going in the right direction or to look for cool bugs to collect in his bug catcher.

And it’s great that we get to take a break in the middle to play in the water.  I keep thinking we should bring a picnic to eat on the nice flat rock, but if I try to be that organized, I probably wouldn’t get out of the door…

Kai does get a bit tired on the small incline at the end, but I just have to give a bit of extra encouragement and he pushes through.

There are caged birds of prey (due to permanent injuries which prevent them from being safe in the wild) right at the end of the trail that he enjoys visiting - especially Orion, the bald eagle - how often do you get to see one of those up close (though the dead mice all over his cage do gross me out - I am so not a rodent person, dead or alive - blaah!). But just knowing the birds are ahead is motivation enough - thank goodness as carrying one kid and a backpack are enough for me!

Before I had kids, going hiking was a way for me to escape from the world and reconnect with my thoughts - it was the one place I could make clear decisions and always felt renewed. It’s a totally different experience now - for one thing, it’s not quiet so I can’t just get lost in my thoughts anymore… - but it is a place to reconnect with my kids. I can focus on them without any of the distractions at home - cleaning, making dinner, working, trying to write in my blog… and we can just enjoy exploring together.

So, I was excited to see that the Curious George episode this morning was on hiking - he was a bit reticent at first - which I can empathize with based on Kai’s attitude at times - but by the end he was all over it. How I love that little monkey.

Trying to find a little nature close to home…

Okay, so now that I’m working a bit - even if it’s short-term and very flexible - I have to try a bit harder to make sure my kids are spending plenty of time in the outdoors.  The pool definitely helps.  But we can’t be there all day everyday.  The hidden gems I’ve found in Maryland are the Nature Centers - I’ve checked out two of them so far - Brookside and Meadowside.  Located close to the centers of town, they make it easy to just nip away for a few hours and get some nature time.

I first checked out Brookside - it had a great, stroller-friendly path full of hands-on displays leading through the trees up to the nature center.  There were benches to sit on to watch the wild birds who visited the feeding area. Once inside, there are numerous areas to check out from live amphibeans to a dress up area. But my favorite were the bees - they have a whole glass-enclosed beehive with a tunnel leading to the outside so you can see what those little guys are up to once they return from their galavanting.  But the nature center is only the tip of the iceberg for Wheaton Regional Park, where the nature center is located - there’s Brookside botanical gardens (and you know how I love a good botanical garden) that has some fantastic kids programs that I want to check out.  There are also hiking trails, a carousel, miniature train, horseback riding, ice skating and a playground or two thrown in for good measure. All this just about 15-20 minutes north of the beltway - there are just no excuses not to check out all the fun things to do! But it is a fairly big place, so I recommend starting with the map so you find just what you’re looking for.

And with that, I think I’ll save Meadowside for next time - now that I’m a working woman again, I actually have to keep decent hours…

Playing dress up - part 2…

or at least business casual - as far as I’m concerned, the less nylons involved, the better… So, as I mentioned in my first dress up post, being able to stay under the radar is a thing of the past - out of the blue, I received an email from a two-job-ago boss asking if I was interested in part-time work. I loved the organization, I loved the boss - so, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to hear what they had to say.  In order to be able to hear them, I left Kai with my mom and headed out on my own adventure into the city with Taz.  Now, while my heart of hearts may be in the outdoors, I do get a thrill about being in the city and I loved walking by my old haunts in Dupont Circle - never done it with a stroller before (and of course the metro elevator was out and that’s an incredibly long escalator) but that just made it all the better as I introduced Taz to the neighborhood.  Anyway, after meeting with Pact - to show off Taz and accept a short-term consultancy with my old division of HIV/AIDS grants management - I had to stop by the National Geographic Explorers Hall which is just a few short blocks away.

Just being in that building makes me want to go on an adventure - I have to admit I’ve always harbored a secret dream of working for National Geographic… It all started back in college when I was doing a field study in South Africa. I met a gorgeous photographer named Bruce van Rensburg who I imagined traveling the continent with - he would take photos while I would write accompanying articles… but, it wasn’t meant to be - the one day he was going to come out with me to the townships to take photos, it rained - grrr…  Still, the old passion (for National Geographic, not for Bruce) comes alive while walking the halls of the museum… They had an amazing photographic exhibition on Chinese warrior monks (for a sneak preview, check, out the photographer’s website - absolutely fascinating - you can get lost in these photos), as well as a model display on the Chinese explorer, Zheng He.  In addition to their photo exhibits, they have other free programs such as documentary previews on Tuesdays at noon and live music.  And, just mark your calendars for the the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibition that is coming in November - I may never get to China, but it feels like China is coming to me this year.  This exhibition is one of the few things at the museum that does require a purchased ticket, but hey, it’s cheaper than a trip to China. Not as much fun, but we won’t dwell on that.

And as I write, I am vowing that my consultancy pay will not be spent at the National Geographic store… They just have so many cool kids toys that encourage exploration.  It’s all so tempting…

Deer do not eat pumpkins…

or so it would seem - as that is about the only thing in my garden that they haven’t eaten!  We’re back down in Virginia for a few days and I’m trying to catch up on the gardening - or what’s left of it… Zucchini - gone. Hostas - gone. Flowers - gone. But the pumpkin plants are thriving. Or at least Kai’s is… In the race to see who can grown the best pumpkin - Kai has left me in the dust.

I may have quantity, but I doubt I’ll even get a pumpkin out of my pathetic lot. Only one of his seeds took - but man did it take. May be that’s the key - I should have stuck with one…

To keep Kai interested in gardening so he’ll be happy while I’m busy weeding, not only have I given him his own plant, but a few other things as well - a shovel, rake, gardening gloves and boots - he loves getting decked out in his gardening attire. May be he’ll be a Farmer McGregor yet - we certainly have plenty of rabbits for him to shoo away…

For your own ideas on how to encourage your little ones’ green thumb, check out the parent’s primer at the Kids Gardening Organization (I swear there’s an organization for anything you can think of…).  Green Hour and Family Fun have some other good ideas on planning a first garden. I find though, if I think about it too much, it never happens. So, I say, just buy some seeds, dig a hole and see what comes up - at least that’s what a 4-year-old will be most excited about. May be next year we’ll put a little more thought into it all, but, knowing me, I doubt it.

Theatre in the Woods…

I couldn’t wait to report on how great the Wolftrap Children’s Theatre in the Woods was - but I’ll have to save my judgment because my excitement has been replaced with bitterness… Having rushed the kids out of the house so I could race the hour’s drive to Annie’s house where we all jumped into a borrowed minivan (Annie and I have both vowed to never own a minivan, but we couldn’t deny that this thing was loaded), we drove another 45 minutes to Wolftrap for a children’s concert. We’d been looking forward to this for weeks and we had the boys hyped up for a fun adventure. Sure, we knew the sky looked a bit gray, but we were well prepared with blankets and rain boots.  Well, I guess the powers that be at Wolftrap weren’t so gung ho about the whole theatre in the rain thing because as we pulled up, Ranger Chris (a park ranger, not the power ranger the boys asked if he was) told us it had been CANCELED due to potential bad weather. It wasn’t raining, drizzling, windy, nothing - but the potential was enough to ruin our fun…

However, we didn’t let that stop us and decided to explore the park as Wolftrap is a National Park and you know how I love those.

We walked to the Children’s Theatre stage and had our own little performance - with no drops of rain… I couldn’t resist taking a little hike up the path behind the seating area - even as I’m currently reading the Twilight series and thoughts of vampires scurrying through the woods raged in my head - I just had to know where the path headed.

Turns out, right into a neighborhood - how great would that be to just walk out your door, picnic in hand, and head to a concert at Wolftrap.

After our play on stage, we did a bit of bushwalking and riverdancing - the boys pretended to be the trolls under a bridge and got water inside their rain boots, instead of having the rain boots protect them from the water. Annie and I are all for that and couldn’t resist getting in on it all.

We were lucky to catch a Junior Ranger day at the park (which didn’t get canceled even though it was drizzling by now - go figure).The boys each got a booklet and were able to go on a treasure hunt to search for landmarks with stamps to put in their booklets. There were also activities - such as music or wilderness training - at most of the landmarks. So, while Annie and I were disappointed, the boys had just as much fun with our spur of the moment activities. As my mom would have said, it was a serendipity day after all.  And we definitely want to try out the Children’s Theatre in the future - great outdoor venue and only $5 a ticket with free parking - such a deal.

Like a fish to water…

Kai has officially finished the “Pre-beginner Level 1″ swim course at the Montgomery Aquatic Center.  What that qualifies him for, I have no idea, but he’s certainly not swimming laps just yet.  At least the class fulfilled its mission of helping him to adjust to the water - he was hanging onto the side of the pool for dear life during the first lesson,

but by the end, he was spending as much time with his head under water as above it.

The best part was being able to reinforce his lessons with swims at my mom’s in the afternoon. And, of course, she decked Kai out in a snorkel, mask, fins and a kickboard so he’s taking to the pool in style.  During our evening swims, I’m reminded that it must be innate for kids to just trust their dads more physically - Kai has more courage to try new things with just one session in the pool with his dad than a week’s worth with me.  I can barely get him to let go of my neck, but Kaleo had him touching the black lines at the bottom of the pool, dancing under the water and doing superjumps off the side of the pool.  So, Kaleo gets the fun rough-housing and I get Taz in the baby pool - not that I’m complaining - he’s an up-n-coming fish himself and kicks the water like he owns it.

Playing dress up…

on Capitol Hill.  As some of you know, I worked in international affairs up until 48 hours before leaving Virginia on our way to Australia. Well, I’ve been trying to stay incognito since returning to the States, but those days are over. I admit though, I had a fabulous time accompanying my former boss to lunch in the House of Representatives Dining Room with the Ambassador of Malaysia. I have to say I definitely prefer my time with my kids, but it was an enjoyable diversion - even if I felt so out of practice as my days now consist of conversing with toddlers, not dignataries.

And it was a pleasure to walk the halls of the Capital again. There are so many things I love about D.C. and the Capitol is one of them - it is an amazingly ornate building with such a magical quality about it.

I did feel a bit like Cinderella through it all - except whereas Cinderella lost her shoe, I ditched my 3-inch heels as soon as I could following the lunch. I slipped into the Botanical Gardens, which are nestled just below the Capitol, to change into my trusty reefs.  This was my first visit to the Gardens, so I was glad for the excuse - they were certainly lovely, a true urban oasis, but still - a city block of botanical beauty can be nothing compared to the gardens I have explored and loved in other parts of the world - Geneva, Cape Town, Singapore, Christchurch, Hobart… Not that I’m an expert, but, much to Kaleo’s chagrin, the Botanical Garden is usually the first place I want to check out when we visit a new place so I have explored my share.  So, I have to say, ours are nice, but so planned - I like my gardens with a little more room to wander aimlessly.

Still, I was glad to see that they sponsor several family days that sound like they are worth checking out:

Anyway, I needed all the speed I could muster because while I wasn’t going to turn into a pumpkin, I was really pushing into the time Taz would be screaming for a feed.  So, I rushed through the gardens and along the mall, trying to avoid the endless stream of summer tourists (one of the things I don’t like about D.C.) wearing “future president” and “FBI - Female Body Inspector” t-shirts… My Mom and Bill so kindly took the boys to the Smithsonian folklife festival, which had been rained out for a few hours, but I was able to meet up with them at a museum and enjoy the festival exhibits honoring Bhutan, once they resumed.

As always, it did not disappoint.  Kai was in awe of the sword making exhibit and we met a lovely man who told Kai all about the ancient sword he owned and even let him try it on.  So, a little nature, a little culture - all in all, my kind of day.

Crowds + Rain =

a not so fun 4th of July… The afternoon looked promising as we headed into the lush Virginia countryside to Great Meadow and we were anticipating a nice outdoor holiday celebration far from the hecticness of the National Mall.  Little did we know that there would be THOUSANDS of people at this place - I’m amazed there was anyone left to see the fireworks in D.C.  Kai was so hyped about all the kid stuff there was to do - bouncing castles, pony rides, face painting… so, I thought, if nothing else, he’ll use up lots of energy and have a blast. But, after several hours there, he was able to do all of 2 things - that’s right: 2. The lines were seriously worse than Disneyland - we must have had 75 people in front of us for a few seconds on the buccaneer bouncer - not that we ever got in - they kept closing it due to rain, so after the third time of standing in line, we gave up. In the end - Kai went on a little train and climbed about 3 feet up a fake coconut tree.

Although I did think the coconut tree thing was pretty cool and I was impressed by the number of kids who made it to the top.

We finally gave up on the night when it started pouring rain, Taz was screaming and we were worried our car would be stuck in the mud - since we are apparently the only people in Northern Virginia who do not drive an SUV (or Ute to you Australians). We didn’t even last till the fireworks - but we found a few in our basement, so woke Kai up when we got home and let him experience them for himself.

Happy 4th of July!!

Kai is so excited about the 4th of July - it’s the first one he’ll remember and the first one that we’ve spent in the States in 3 years.  In fact, it’s our first major holiday here at home and that’s the one thing I really missed while we were in Australia - the way the good ole USA goes all out for holidays. Call it commercialism if you will, but I love all of the excitement.  While we weren’t quite up for the festivities on the National Mall today, we got turned onto a great event at Great Meadow in The Plains, VA.  So, here’s to fireworks, a flying circus and some classic Virginia BBQ!