Everyday life

LDS-themed escape room.

For our combined youth activity at church during September, we crafted an escape room.  Our class (the Laurels) were in charge of planning the activity, but since I wanted the girls to be able to participate, they were limited in what they could actually contribute to constructing the escape room.

Constructing seven virtually identical escape rooms to accommodate over fifty youth took loads of time, not surprisingly.  I based the design on a download I obtained from Latter-day Breakout.  I tweaked it a bit to suit our purposes (and to save a bit of money) and am delighted to say that it turned out great!

Peeking in each room to see the kids interacting without the use of smart phones, digging into their scriptures and using their brains made me absolutely giddy.  I love these young men and women!  Each group made it out just shy of the allotted one hour time limit and, if I’m not mistake, they all had a good time.  Mission accomplished.

1st day of school. For mom too!

Fall of 2017 brought three different school start times for our kids.  I didn’t even get a picture of Anna because after sleeping in until at least 7:00 all summer long, I was unprepared for what waking up at 5:45 would do to me.  Ninth grade means early morning seminary for her and a 6:30 drive to the church.  Thank heaven it’s less than five minutes away.  I wish I could have caught the smile on her face on camera.  It’s going to be a good year for her.

Lily leaves at 7:30, which is no change from last year since she took a first period math class at the junior high (despite still being in 6th grade, which is elementary school here).  She was pretty chipper and looked fancy with the wavy hair she sported thanks to the braids I had put in her hair the night before.

 

Rachel and Eve leave an hour later and were equally excited for the school year to begin.  I am so grateful for kids who love learning and for local schools and teachers who facilitate that love.  I dropped them off for their first day and hopped in the car to head down to Utah for my “first day of school” at BYU’s Education Week.  I hit “eclipse traffic” on the way down – all the Utah peeps who headed up to eastern Idaho to get into the path of totality waited a day to return home and I got to greet them when the freeways merged.  It took me an hour to go 10 miles – I felt like I was in California or something.  Here’s the view outside my back window:

No matter, I had a fantastic audiobook and I was alone.  All alone!  Who would have guessed that such freedom would be so exhilarating to me?  Ditching my kids on their first day of school, no less.

 

I spent my first day at Education Week literally running across campus from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. sampling classes across a variety of topics of interest.  That night, my dear friend from my mission joined me and we dabbled in more classes, ate delicious asian food (reminiscent of our days in Taiwan), and fed each other good advice and encouragement.  It was soul-filling.  Every last bit of it.

2017 Total Solar Eclipse – not to be missed.

Our family went up to the zone of totality in Stanley, Idaho to witness the Great American Eclipse on August 21, 2017. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely convinced that it would be worth the effort of dragging everyone out of bed at 4 in the morning to make sure we missed traffic and got an adequate viewing spot.  I thought to myself (and out loud), Boise will have 99.4% totality.  We can just watch it from our backyard in peace.  How different could that possibly be from a total solar eclipse?

Fortunately the drive to Stanley was rather uneventful(though the 4 a.m. wake up time was brutal).  The crowds that the media had warned about, virtually non-existent.  We parked in a field that had been designated for eclipse viewing that could have held thousands of cars.  There were fifty.  Maybe.  Apparently, our surrounding states were pretty non-plussed about the whole idea of a celestial event and didn’t bother to make their way to Idaho.  We could have slept in until 7:30 and made it to Stanley with time to spare.  Regardless, we enjoyed time with cousins and the surrounding views for the hours leading up to the eclipse.

Watching the moon slowly make its way into the path of the Sun through the safety of special glasses was exciting.  We marveled as it inched across the Sun and could see and feel changes in the amount of sunlight as it did so, so slow that they were almost imperceptible.  Still, the light of the Sun was powerful enough that, without our safety glasses, we could not actually view the solar eclipse.  Until that brilliant moment when the two were perfectly aligned and we could remove the glasses and witness a singular event that we will never forget.  It was absolutely incredible.

Tim experienced a solar eclipse as a missionary in Colombia years ago.  On the Sunday thereafter, he teased the local members of the church there for scrambling to the podium during fast and testimony meeting to bear their “testimonies” concerning the eclipse.  Having viewed totality myself, I completely get it now.  There are so many spiritual parallels in life’s events, notably the ones that God provides through nature.

Here’s what was so remarkable to me about this experience.  I had never paused to contemplate the effect the light of the Sun has on the earth.  It was mind-boggling to me that the Sun’s light is SO powerful that even when 99.6, or, 99.7 right up to 99.9 percent of it was covered, the light was still blinding to behold with the naked eye.  The eclipse lasted less than 2 ½ minutes, during which time the entire horizon 360 degrees around looked like dusk.  We stared and stared, soaking it all in, knowing that time was short, and, sure enough, at the very instant the moon was no longer perfectly aligned with the Sun, its light burst out suddenly and we all had to turn away to avoid eye damage.

The Sun, or the Light of the World is a symbol for a very important figure in the plan of salvation.  Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, and, much like the Sun, his power and influence can drive out all darkness.  Even when the encroaching darkness obscures 99.9 percent of His light, it can still penetrate the earth in a way that is blinding to behold.  The world can sometimes feel like a dark place.  Contention, pain, suffering, hate, fear, confusion and sadness are very real to the human experience and can inch into our lives so slowly we may not even notice how much “light” they obscure.  How grateful I am to know that light will always drive out the darkness.  Our Savior Jesus Christ is the source of all light, and as we look to Him, pain is eased, burdens are lifted, and confusion is dispelled.  Instead we find hope, and truth and peace.

Summer visits with the cousins.

Boise is not really “on the way” to anywhere special.  Consequently, we LOVE anytime family or friends make an effort to join us in our neck of the woods.  This summer, Tim’s sister and her family joined us for a few days in August.  We made sure they got to dabble in an authentic Boise experience.

We of course floated the Boise River, made the short trek to one of the best views in the city at Camel’s Back park, played in the fountain at Ann Morrison park and caught a play at the Idaho Shakespeare festival.  We rounded out the weekend with a trip to Stanley for the solar eclipse.  Not bad for a quick weekend trip.

 

While the kids were away, the rest of us play.

We drove down to Utah a couple of times to take the kids to various summer camps at BYU.  Much as I tried to get all my ducks in a row, we could only schedule two of the girls at the same time so after spending a week there while Lily attended a dance camp, we ended up right back there after a week at home for Rachel’s chemistry camp and Anna’s Remix Vocal Academy.

Having thrown all our money into these summer enrichment programs, the rest of us enjoyed a bit of free fun at the splash pad, swimming in the duck pond with the cousins(not really a duck pond, but since we shared it with them that’s what my kids affectionately called it), experiencing a bit of pioneer history, and visiting with family and friends.  Utah’s great that way.  Plenty of free fun.

Summer survival.

I always look forward to summer.  I get all starry-eyed just dreaming about having my kids all to myself, working on projects together, horsing around in between, exploring the town, building relationships and learning new things…

Well, we ALL know that’s not typically how it plays out.  Within a few days(it was within a few hours last year), the kids don’t know what to do with all their spare time so they start bickering with one another, begging mom for screen time, or to play another round of Battleship(with mom, and no one to look after the baby) or if they can invite a friend over (again), or to go grab Happy Hour slushies at Sonic for the nth time that week.

It’s all we can do to keep our sanity.  Everyone has their tips and tricks.  Not all of them work for everyone.  But here are a few tips for summer survival that work for me and my family:

  1.  Expect your kids to get up at a regular time.  There’s nothing that makes kids feel more like slugs (and act like them) than not maintaining some sort of sleep schedule.  It’s lights out by 9:30 at our house, even though it’s still light outside until 10:30.   Then they’re up for breakfast by 8:00 in the morning.  This is late enough that they get ample sleep and I still wake up well before them and fit in a workout, shower and breakfast prep(and occasionally more).
  2. Screen time is contingent upon meeting certain requirements.  Ours include morning chores, piano practice, outside/exercise time, scripture study and prayer, personal study time to prevent “summer slide”, and service to others.  Even after all of that is done, they must still wait until at least 1:30 to indulge in screen time.  Which they do.  For about two hours… so that I can get some peace and quiet around here. Click here for printable (and editable) “Have you…” form
  3. Work some sort of structure into your week to keep it fun.  We have “Make it Monday”, “Take it outside Tuesday”, “Work Wednesday”, “Thinking Thursday”, and “Friend Friday”.  The focus for each day ensures that we schedule something every day that falls into the category for that day.  For instance, baking on Monday, a hike on Tuesday, an extra home project or service on Wednesday, an educational outing or project on Thursday and a special outing or play date with friends on Friday.  That doesn’t mean that they can only play with friends on Friday, or that we only get outside on Tuesday; just gives us a guideline so we are keeping ourselves busy and fulfilled.  To top it off, I made a list of ideas of things to do, ways to serve, etc. as a guide for the not-so-littles.
  4. Teach your kids skills while you have them home.  My kids can count on sewing at least one thing with mom and planning, shopping for and preparing dinner for two weeks apiece during the summer.  We put this on the schedule as well, naturally.
  5. Refrain from signing your kids up for countless activities.  We mistakenly think this will keep them engaged and out of our hair.  I have found it cuts into our day and runs us all ragged.  Not to mention, it’s costly.  Three of my four girls were able to sign up for a single 3-5 day summer camp of their choice, two of which coincide so all that chauffeuring is benefiting more than just one child.  There’s something to be said for the “lazy days of summer” (after they’ve gotten their “to-dos” done, of course).
  6. Don’t be afraid to let your kids be bored. It does not make you a bad mom to not provide round-the-clock stimulation for your kids.  When my kid complains she’s bored, my first reply is, “Great! That means you get to use that awesome brain of yours to think of something to do.”  If she complains again, the reply changes to, “Well, I’ve got plenty of ideas…” and out rolls a list of chores.  My kids don’t proclaim boredom anymore.

No summer is perfect.  I’ve been at this for years and finally figured out what worked for us about three summers ago. With a healthy balance of structure, idle time, and flexibility (and VACATION!) any family can enjoy the summer of their dreams.

Camping at Ponderosa State Park

We’d been camping for six days by the time we ended up in McCall at Ponderosa State Park and were more than glad it was the last time we’d be setting up our tent.  We’d heard good things about Ponderosa State Park and it certainly met our expectations.  Our site was huge and the bathrooms were pretty stellar (our standards were probably compromised by a week in the sticks but still, give me some warm water on my filthy bod and I’m happy).  Probably our favorite feature of this campground were the walking paths.  Close proximity to a beautiful lake and a decent swimming beach were more than worth the sticker price of staying here.  If our kids hadn’t gotten into a gigantic argument on our second night in(sorry neighbors), putting themselves at great risk and forcing us to head home early we would have explored more.  Lucky for us, McCall is only a couple of hours away so we will be back for sure.  With a cane with which to discipline our unruly children.  😉

A day of pretending.

We’re too cheap to buy a boat.  Strike that.  We’re too practical to buy a depreciating asset on one income.  That, and half our family is particularly prone to skin cancer so spending days on end out on the water just doesn’t have a ton of appeal.

Still, because we are cheap in everyday life, it gives us the opportunity to splurge on vacation.  So renting a boat while camping at Ponderosa State Park seemed like a fair plan.  We got to pretend we all have olive skin and mad wakeboarding skills for a day in exchange for sunburns and swallowed water.  It was fun.

We learned that our kids were wusses inherited their father’s aversion to risk and preferred leisurely tube rides and swimming in the lake.  Lucky for us, we got to turn the keys in at the end of the day and drive boat-free to a restaurant for a delicious dinner on the town.

Hiawatha Trail.

Coeur D’Alene.  Now that’s a town worth spending more time in.  We camped at Heyburn State Park, about 45 minutes south of Coeur D’Alene and then we spent so many hours driving to all the destinations around Coeur D’Alene that we had planned to visit that we barely scratched the surface of this apparently awesome northern Idaho town.  Three days was definitely not sufficient.

We biked the Hiawatha Trail the first day, which turned out to be an all-day adventure.  We drove across the Montana border to pick up our tickets, parked our car at the trailhead, got everyone situated with working headlights and lamps, and were on our way.  The first tunnel is 1.2 miles long and the darkness is a bit of a shocker.  Not to mention the cold.  There are gutters on either side of the tunnel to funnel the water away from the center of the path.  Still, the path is plenty wet and you’re bound to get a few drips of water on your face as you navigate the dark abyss.  Or, get splashed by the person in front of you.

Tim took the lead, with Jack in tow – I told him to put the plastic shield down on the bike trailer.  He didn’t.  Lily and Rachel followed him eagerly and Eve and Anna lagged behind with me as we approached the tunnel.  Then Anna just HAD to take a picture and stopped right in front of me.  Eve was apprehensive about entering without me so I rode around Anna, telling her she’d be on her own so that Eve wouldn’t have to go it alone (Tim and the others were already well into the mountain at this point).

It wasn’t quite the start we were going for, as we ended up split into three groups, but we made it to the other side relatively unscathed.  Except for Jack, who was splattered by the mud that Tim’s rear wheels kicked up.  It must not have been terribly traumatic for him, though, because he did not utter a peep the whole time.

The next ten miles boasted sweeping vistas, exhilarating trellises, a few short tunnels to break it up for the kids, and a light breeze for good measure.  There’s a slight downhill grade, just enough that you have to keep pedaling but not enough to work your legs into oblivion.  Truly, this is the perfect family bike ride.  The last five miles leave a bit more to be desired.  By now, you’re deeper in the canyon so there are fewer tunnels, trellises and the views less stunning.  Plus, it’s probably afternoon by now, unless you got an early start and the altitude change is just enough for the heat to settle in a bit.

None of this would have been a problem for me, but for the kids, well, mostly my youngest, it got to be pretty taxing.  To her credit, she was riding the bike that was least equipped to ride on gravel.  It was your typical kids bike – heavy with no gears and the bumpiness was really getting to her.  The last five miles I spent coaxing her into pushing through, stopping for quick snack breaks, assuring her that she was doing great and that she would make it (though even I had to contemplate the possibility of walking her bike the last mile or so).

I even started breaking out into song, singing my best rendition of “The Sun’ll Come Out Tomorrow” to infuse a bit of light-heartedness into the atmosphere.  She wasn’t having it.  The girl was bent on being miserable.  I even quoted Jeffrey R. Holland, who said, “No misfortune is so bad that whining won’t make it worse.”  Not surprisingly, that didn’t work.

Five miles of this.  Five agonizing miles.  Then all of a sudden, we rounded a corner, saw the end of the trail and her beloved sisters and dad waiting patiently for us and she was all smiles.  It was like the last five miles had never happened.  For her.  I was still fuming inside at the emotional acrobatics I’d had to perform just to keep her from throwing her bike off a ledge.

We loaded up into the shuttle bus, which took us back to the initial tunnel and we pedaled back through for another 1.2 miles where our car was parked with her merrily singing the entire way.

Despite the torture exacted by this particular daughter, it was perhaps the best bike ride of my entire life.  The scenery was stunning, the physical exertion minimal, and the uniqueness of riding on what used to be an old railroad lent a variety not seen on a typical trail.  If you’re looking for a higher exertion and adventure level, this may not be your ride.  Try Slick Rock in Moab, Utah, cause this trail’s for families with young(ish) children.  Loved, loved it.

Priest Lake State Park Lionhead Campground

Our family trip this summer took us up to the Idaho Panhandle, to an area just a few miles from the Canadian border in the Selkirk Mountains called Priest Lake.  Since we’d be camping for over a week, I figured we’d go the state park route so that we wouldn’t have to brave vault toilets and avoid showering the entire time.  Well, much to my chagrin, Lionhead campground does not, in fact, have flush toilets, nor does it boast showers.  There ARE, however, flush toilets and showers at Indian Creek Campground (also in Priest Lake State Park) and your reservation at Lionhead will get you in for free.  The jaunt from one campground to the other takes at least 20 minutes but it was well worth being clean for a day.

After arriving at Indian Creek Campground, we quickly discovered that, despite not having flush toilets and showers, Lionhead campground was definitely the better of the two.  Less crowded, more shade, better scenery…it was far and above the best choice.  Our campsite at Lionhead had ample space, easy access to running water, a short walk to a beautiful beach and gorgeous trees surrounding us on every side.  Being close to a lake, however, the mosquitoes were pretty relentless, so come prepared.

All in all, it was probably one of our very favorite places we’ve camped.  Next time we’ll be sure to stay a few days longer so we can canoe the Thorofare (there are boat rentals at the beach) to Upper Priest Lake, which is a no-wake zone, apparently.  There are no services for miles so come prepared with plenty of food, gas, and tolerance for “roughing it”.  The front entrance to the campground sells ice (2 bags per campsite) and ice cream, which saved Lily from eating the real food I’d prepared.  We were filthy, our tummies were full, and our spirits satisfied by communing with each other and nature.   Two thumbs up for Priest Lake.