Happiness Tuesdays #11

Happiness Counts!!!
I am beginning Happiness Tuesdays to tell you some things that make me happy and to share with you quotes, websites, and photos to make you happy!


Happiness Tuesdays #11
Here are three things that make me happy:


1) when friends of the boys invite me to their weddings....how cool is that??

at J and J's wedding

at J and S's wedding

at A and C's wedding

2) attending colleagues' weddings...just a couple of examples, but they all were special!

A and T's wedding...later

at J and A's wedding

3) When the Torch Lake kids get married...lots of fun!!

at the shower of E and M

at A and D's wedding

     Weddings of all kinds are fun, but weddings of special people are...well... special!! They make me happy!


Find what makes you happy and jump in with both feet!!


Happy Parenting!
D and C

Camping with the Kids

     F2 and I camped often, including some backpacking before we had the boys, and we camped a lot with our Torch Lake Group friends when they were 'kidless' also. So we weren't new to the game when we started making the camping a family affair. That was definitely helpful.  Taking children camping means putting the focus on them, keeping them involved, and making sure they get enough sleep!!
     Some helpful hints??  Make sure your kids can follow your directions without questioning...there are many possibly dangerous situations when you're out in the woods...so little ones need to do what you say. And...you, as the adult, need to pay even more attention to them than you normally do, to keep them safe and happy.

Can you see them?? Standing with Yogi at Jellystone Park! This is a great kind of 'starter' park for camping with kids since it's planned for families. Lots to do, kids' movies at night...Chad and Scott loved it!

This is the tent we most often used when camping. Here, we are camping at a State Park somewhere (no clue where!). Can you see the orange color inside the tent?? That is a sleeping bag! You'll see 2 of these in many of the photos...well-used, and we still have them 25 years later. The boys loved having their very own sleeping bags, but you shouldn't spend more than you need to either. These came from KMart, and have paid for themselves over and over as they were used to make forts at home also!!

 Kids gain skills by helping to put the campsite together..according to their ages! Our guys liked to hand us parts of the tent to put together and our cots, too. Loved those cots, but they tended to be exasperating to set up...arghhh! You need to find time for naps when the little ones are sleepy, so make sure you have a place where the temperature doesn't get too warm. I made that mistake once and wound up with a sweaty little boy...scared myself, didn't do it again!!

Is he cute, or what??  Anyway...be prepared for any kind of weather. Early or late summer can be shaky in many parts of the country...at night or early in the morning temps can be far lower than the rest of the day. Having cold, crabby children does not add to the camping experience!

Good Morning, Sweetie-Pies!!  We continued to camp as the guys got older...we could go farther and do more things...setting up and taking down the tent more often. Sometimes the boys didn't use the cots, just slept on air mattresses on the floor of the tent...still lovin' those sleeping bags though!

Taking hikes and exploring with families who camped with us was a way to keep the guys entertained. We could teach them some things about nature at the same time. Be prepared for DIRT!! If you're a fussy person, camping may not be for you. All your equipment, clothing, car...everything winds up with a coating of sand, dirt, pine sap and needles. That's if it doesn't rain...yuck!! BUT, all of it was well worth it...all  members of the family loved it. Everything could be cleaned once we arrived back home...you gotta let loose now and then :)

Here we are camping with part of the TLG...bh and eh and their daddy in this photo. Think they enjoy the campfire??? Oh, yes, this is always one of their favorite parts of camping. Smells good, feels good, and you can make s'mores!! Hurray!

Camping in the 'piney woods' is such a great family adventure. You can start when the children are very young by taking one night trips and let your adventures grow as your kids do. If you can remember to take pictures along the way...you can take a memory walk through your albums just like I am.


     Road trips that involve camping are a fantastic way to strengthen your family as a unit and to instill the character traits you'd like your kids to have in the future. Have fun whenever you can..they grow up soooo fast:)


Happy Parenting!
D and C

Road Trip, Fun Tourist Traps

    

a road trip to Hartwick Pines, Michigan

      Last week I let you know how we traveled in the car as a family while the boys were young (Planning Family Vacations).  I mentioned giving the guys a chance to stop at some of those "amazing" stops along the roadway. If there are certain stops you know you just can't handle, then be prepared to cover the eyes of the kids who can read the abundance of road signs that advertise them. Be ready to distract and then be firm about your "No."  But remember that your trip is a family vacation so the kids need to have some input into what they get to see. When that happens they will be so excited to read every one of those obnoxious road signs (hurray for reading)!
      Here are a few of the ones where we've stopped over the years!!

     We had so much fun visiting different "stories". Kids loved it!

     We camped at Houghton Lake  and Higgins Lake in Michigan often. Zubler's is an amazing touristy shop in Prudenville outside the camp area where kids can browse for hours and pick up such delightful things as tomahawks, slingshots, carved wooden anythings, moccasins, ....seriously, almost anything you can think of...so be prepared to limit spending and/or number of items allowed :)  More on allowances in the future!

    The boys loved visiting the Deer Camp where they could see and feed the deer. Looks like Scott wasn't sure about that deer licking his fingers!!

     Do you have a Mystery Spot in your area? They really are fun...based on gravity and difference in perception. Chad was having fun being almost as tall as Dad!

     This was a maze built in the forest...with paths formed by ropes! It was actually a little scarier than we thought it would be. Chad and Scott had to stay together and keep within our sight so that we wouldn't freak out. Keep in mind that we were the overprotective types...and proud of it :)

     While traveling in the West, we went to Four Corners...the spot where four states actually touch. The 'spot' is on Native American land, so you pay a fee to enter and then there are several little shops if you want to go to them also. We mostly liked the photo opportunity!

     Here is Chad riding the 'jackalope' at Wall Drugs...you must have seen the signs for Wall Drugs if you travel anywhere in the western half of the country! It is easy to spend hours here if you do go, so plan on it. There are stores within stores, cafeterias, things for kids to sit on, lots of cool and silly things to purchase...so don't plan on a quick visit, unless you're ready for sad faces!

    The guys of the family decided they would pan for gold! Is it a tourist trap...oh, yes! But did everyone have fun? Absolutely!


      I hope this encourages you to at least think about stopping now and then just to have fun with your kids. Add a day of travel time if you need to, to make sure the stress of travel with your family can be relieved with silliness and giggles!


Happy Parenting!
D and C

Happiness Tuesdays #10

Happiness Counts!!!
I am beginning Happiness Tuesdays to tell you some things that make me happy and to share with you quotes, websites, and photos to make you happy!


Happiness Tuesdays #10
Here are three things that make me happy:


1) Blue skies--I know I've said this before, but this is March in Michigan - it needs to be said again :)

Michigan blue sky

Florida blue sky

     2) the smell of campfires...mmm

Chad and Scott with Torch Lake Kid, BC

     3) beautiful quotations, such as:

           "Joy is not in things; it is in us."

                             Richard Wagner

see...the joy is in us :)

Find what makes you happy, and go for it!!

Happy Parenting!

D and C

Carpe Diem!

     Carpe Diem! Seize the day! That is Chad's motto!

Chad says, "SEIZE THE DAY!!"

     What a great way to live...enjoy the day, appreciate the day, actually see the day! What does that mean? What does it have to do with you and your family?

     If we could just stop during our hectic days, breathe, and see what is actually around us...amazing children, loving family, our innate knowledge, our ability to marvel and grow...wouldn't we enjoy each day just a bit more?

Scott says, "You can do it!!"

     Thinking and doing in positive ways leads to happier days. Do you want to try something new? Then do it...what's the worst that could happen? Jump in to your every day actions with a renewed heart. Be aware of the wonders of each day.

     Seize the day doesn't have to mean to go crazy and do over-the-top adventures (although it can !). It can mean to grab each piece of each day and appreciate the heck out of it!! Sometimes it's okay to let go of the daily chores so you can make memories with your family. Forget the sparkle from the dusted tables and make some sparkle in your kids' eyes!!

GO FOR IT!!

     Seize the day - as a person, as a parent, as a spouse!!

                    Carpe Diem!

Happy Parenting!

D and C

 

Planning Family Vacations

     Are your family vacations hard or easy, calm or tense, filled with fun or filled with anxiety? I imagine most vacations have bits of all of that, but to increase the possibility of a great vacation, the whole family needs to know what to expect.

family camping

     If your kids have good manners, are kind to each other, and listen to what you say --- any kind of vacation can be a dream. But if you have troubles with any of those, family vacations can exaggerate the problems and drive you nuts!!!  During vacations, you are forced to spend a lot of time very much 'together', so you have to know how to enjoy each other's company.

     Road trips were the easiest and cheapest for us. We traveled during different week long summer trips to Colorado, Utah, Alabama, Canada, and many trips in Michigan.

     Our trips involved family interaction all day long. This was before electronic everything and movies on the TV in the backseat. After a few years of traveling, we did get a TV which showed only 3 channels and only while traveling through cities! So we depended on toys...I glued Velcro on the toys so the boys could stick them to the carpeted walls of the van...worked for a while:) We sang silly songs together and spotted the alphabet along the roadways. Of course we had sleeping and snacking when in the car. There were puzzles, coloring books, books to read, and always a "surprise bag" for each boy to be opened on a certain day of the trip.

     We usually didn't plan where we were going to spend the night, but we did have to plan stops along the way...you know, the potty break! We often stopped at rest areas for a picnic lunch and to let the boys run around, chase each other, and release some of that steam!!

     Remember, as a part of a family vacation, you should be open to stopping at some of those "tourist traps" that the kids want to see. It doesn't matter if you don't want to...it's not about you!! You might actually enjoy the Mystery Spot, The Dinosaur Store, Shell City, or Wall Drugs. We did!!  Agreeing to go to these kid places needs to be after they show good behavior, never after you've already said "No". So decide to say "Maybe" until after you can think about it. Once that 'no' comes out of your mouth--NOTHING should change it, especially whining, pouting, or crying...unless you want that behavior to continue every time you say "No":)

     This was just a start....ideas to help with family vacations...more to come in the future!

Happy Parenting!

D and C

Happiness Tuesdays #9

Happiness Counts!!!
I am beginning Happiness Tuesdays to tell you some things that make me happy and to share with you quotes, websites, and photos to make you happy!


Happiness Tuesdays #9


These 3 things make me happy:


1) Florida sunrises...

2) Florida sunsets...

3) Florida Girls' Week...

what a great group!!

breakfast with Mom

with my mom, isn't she amazing???

Happiness comes from within, but the outside influences certainly can help :)

Go find your happiness!!

Happy Parenting!

D and C