Mountain Mom and Tots

5 Activities for Kids on Bainbridge Island, Washington

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Over the Thanksgiving Break the whole mountain family drove out to Bainbridge Island, Washington. While there we got to experience a full day of heavy downpour, freezing temperatures and snow. But even with the less than ideal weather we had a great time. It’s always good to visit the ocean.Here are five fun things to do with your tots on Bainbridge Island.

1 – Take the Ferry
The trip started off with the ferry ride from Seattle where little g asked “Are there real fairies on board?” Sorry honey, not that kind of fairy. Walkers, bikes and cars all get on the boat for a 35 minute cruise across the water. My tots loved it except for the wind.

2 – Go Shopping
Bainbridge Island’s main drag is full of boutiques and restaurants. It’d be a great day trip from Seattle for a little adult shopping, but the nearby Calico Cat Toys had a great selection of kid toys and games. With the kids we opted for some ice cream at Mora’s where we enjoyed great flavors like blackberry and lemon bar. Frog sculptures around the island are fun for kids to find.

3 – Fort Ward Park
Being who I am, I was on the hunt for green space. And for an island they have plenty. Fort Ward Park is right on the coast with a paved hiking, biking trail that borders the rocky beach. Big E and Mountain Dad was in heaven looking for shells and sea glass, even in the breezy weather. Little g on the other hand wanted nothing more than to be held and have a snack.

4 – Lytle Beach
Since I live in landlocked Utah I tried to spend as much time at the beach as I could, even with freezing temperatures. Lytle Beach could also be described as Little Beach, an end of the road strip of rock and sand surrounded by a residential area. On the small section of public access Big E and I found a huge jelly fish, but the cold weather cut our trip short.

5 – KiDiMu
The tots loved the Kids Discovery Museum, and I did too. The upstairs exhibits were my favorite – A giant litebright, puppet theather and adjustable golf ball roller coasters were fun for both adults and kids. On the main floor, imagination abounds with a pirate tree house, kid sized shopping center, doctors office and boat.

Bainbridge Island was a quaint place to visit with lots of fun activities and beautiful forests and beaches. Next time I’ll plan a trip in the summer, but even with bad weather it was a great trip.

I Love the Mountains, I Love the Rolling Hills

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In this week of gratitude I would be remiss to ignore the natural beauty of the world. Living in the mountains has been an amazing adventure for the last three years, but the beauty of the mountains would not be as amazing without all the variety in the world. Desert, plains, hills, mountains, oceans, rivers, lakes, forest – the options are endless for outdoor exploration. I am especially grateful for this nation’s National Parks and the outdoor opportunities they present.

I’m Thankful for Snow, But I Wasn’t Always

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I used to hate the winter. Shoveling snow, treacherous driving, the cold, the layers – it seemed like there was no redeeming part of being surrounded by snow and ice.

Growing up on the flat lands of Nebraska and Wisconsin didn’t allow for much exposure to downhill mountain sports. One of my first downhill skiing experiences was down a converted garbage dump and I wasn’t very good at it. So as an adult when I moved to the Wasatch mountains in Utah they seemed surreal at first, like a set on a movie screen. Nothing could be that big.

Years passed. I got married. I still disliked the snow. Then something changed. I watched the Winter X games on TV. The snowboarders, skiers and snowmobilers blew my mind with their tricks, flips and wide faced smiles. I wanted a piece of that joy.

At that time my husband and I desperately wanted a baby. We had tried for 6 months, then a year, then a year and a half and couldn’t get pregnant. After watching the X games I decided if I couldn’t have a baby like I wanted then I would do something else that really wanted. Learn to Snowboard.

Thanks to a Womens Workshop at Brighton resort I did just that. The first lesson I didn’t even make it on the lift. I fell a lot and was sore by the end but I came back the next week and did it again. Then I signed up for the following month.

Something changed in my attitude. Suddenly I had a reason to love the snow. The joy and thrill of gliding down the mountain was new to me and I relished it. That thrill was only possible if the storms kept coming. Snow created so much joy that eventually I became a snowboard instructor and moved my whole family to live within walking distance of a ski resort.

Now my kids are learning to ski and I can hardly wait to see them catch a bit of that joy. Since I’m pregnant this season I will have to sit out. I’m so sad to miss out on the best thing winter has to offer. Snowboarding.

Yummy Yummy! I Love Food!

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Given that this week is Thanksgiving I thought it only fitting to express my gratitude for food. I am five months pregnant so food is often on my mind, in my hands, in my belly. The other day as I ate an entire veggie pizza at three in the afternoon I thought about how great it is to eat good food.

I used to work at an inpatient eating disorder clinic where I learned the value of intuitive eating. Eat when you’re hungry. Stop when you’re full. Honor your cravings. It’s amazing that being a little more mindful about food intake allows for a much healthier and happier relationship with it. It’s good to have variety in your diet, including desserts and fried food. It’s best to listen to how your body feels when you eat and evaluate how the food tastes.

I wasn’t always able to do this – in fact just a few months ago the thought of food my my stomach roil. Morning sickness (which is an inaccurate moniker to say the least) morphed my perceptions about food so that I despised it. It was fuel, nothing more. Now I am grateful to have the joy of eating back in my life. There are just too many tasty things out there not to love.

My family is not without obstacles related to food. Big E has serious food allergies to wheat, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts, meaning our family meals have adjusted drastically to accommodate. The stress of stabbing your child with an EpiPen is something I don’t wish on anyone and although it has taken years, we are now at a place where his allergies don’t affect our daily lives much anymore.

There have even been benefits. I learned how to bake gluten free recipes. We eat home cooked meals daily. Since he’s not allergic to any fruits or vegetables we eat more of those than cheap snack foods.

With Thanksgiving just a day away I hope you all can find joy in the food you have to prepare. I’m grateful for our little garden where we can grow our own food and for the amazing variety of meals available in this modern world. What’s your favorite food? Happy Thanksgiving

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