Everyday life

Priest Lake Natural Waterslide

Priest Lake Natural Waterslide – an absolute must-do.

Our first day at Idaho’s Priest Lake was spent exploring the surrounding Selkirk Mountains.  We had read about a natural waterslide in the area and were thrilled to find that it was just a few miles up the road from our campground (Lionhead).  We took the road as directed (just ask the rangers at the Lionhead campground for directions – basically if you take the dirt road directly across the street from the campground entrance and stay to the left for 3 miles or so until you reach a concrete barricade just before a sharp left turn, you’re there), parked our car and began the 1 1/2 mile hike.

The grade was negligible but the shade spotty, so I’d recommend hiking in the morning, as we did, if the day is forecast to be hot.  Another reason to begin early is that the parking is limited so you’d just as soon beat the crowds.  We had to cross streams about ten times and the entire river once along the way.  It was somewhat precarious, but only because we were carrying on our backs our 18-month old son with brittle bones, but under normal circumstances the water-crossings would have been par for the course.

Definitely family friendly and pretty much zero risk of being swept away by the stream.  Here is a picture of the average crossing:

No biggie, right?  There was only one where we were past our ankles.  Cold, but not treacherous in the least.  You can hear the water pretty much the whole way and you’ll know you’re there because it will look something like this(and there will probably be other people enjoying the area):

We hiked up after crossing the river, but there are a few sunny dry spots on the rocks on the other side so we crossed again to hang out in the sun and take our turns sliding down.  It was smooth and the current was steady.  If you’re not wearing shorts, a lot of people recommend packing a couple of trash bags to put underneath your bottom.  I was wearing shorts so the trash bag was superfluous.

You can go down either side relatively safely, but we found that the right side (as you’re looking down the slide) was less bumpy and less swift so we preferred it to the other side.  You have pretty much zero control once you get going, which is fine, if you like that sort of thing.  For those of us who like to exercise some measure of control over our speed, there’s really no point in that.

Rest assured that the pool at the bottom of the slide is sufficient to stop you regardless.  And, if you’re still concerned about going off the edge into the rocks ten feet below, there’s a rope that you can grab to save you from your death.  Seriously though, experiencing a natural waterslide and being risk-averse really don’t mix, so cut loose and take your chances.   We watched others practically throw themselves down this thing at breakneck speed and the meager pool at the end still stopped them.

We had a fantastic time.  The scenery was breathtaking, the weather delightful, the company enjoyable and the level of exertion just right for our crew.  Priest Lake natural waterslide for the win.

Silverwood Theme Park

Our campsite in Heyburn State park was pretty legit, but we scheduled so much time on excursions we barely had time to enjoy it.  Our first meal was campfire calzones, made ahead of time, frozen and cooked over the grate of the campfire.  Tim and I make a great team – I do all the prep and he builds a fantastic fire for reheating/cooking.  Yum-O.

Silverwood Theme Park was a winner.  We went the day after July 4th so I was a bit nervous that the crowds would be oppressive.  As it turned out, we barely waited in a single line all day.  We hit every ride more than once (some I wished I hadn’t – I’m talking about you Aftershock), saw an awesome magic show and even made sure at least one of us puked.  Check, check, check.  I have no idea what happened to Eve, but at the end of the night, as we rode the train around the park, I glanced back at her, saw her looking rather pale, asked her if she felt sick, at which point she grabbed her mouth and I sprung into action, frantically emptying the a Ziploc bag of its contents so that Eve could vomit right into the bag.  Tim didn’t even notice the entire event, though he was sitting beside her.  Such a dad.  I made him hold the bag until we exited the train 20 minutes later.  I have to admit, it might have been one of my proudest mom moments, as the alternative would have been quite the opposite.  Ziploc for the win.

Silverwood, we will be back.

Summer fun. More aptly named June fun.

We kicked off the summer with some pretty awesome routines to ensure that we were enriching our minds and bodies , reveling sufficiently in the outdoors, exploring our town, and building relationships.  It lasted through June before it all went down the tubes.  We had several summer camps and a family vacation to thank for that.  But June was the stuff summers are made of: cooking with the kids, sewing, reading, hiking, biking, field tripping, and the like. Here’s a taste of June 2017:

Our family is so unbelievably blessed.  We fit this and so much more into a few short, blissful weeks.  I seriously LOVE summer with my family!

Keeping marriage alive.

Date night.  I used to think there was no way we could pull it off.  Our kids were difficult, babysitters were expensive, we were so stinkin’ tired by the end of the day that doing anything besides hitting the sack seemed ridiculous.  We wasted many years justifying our low frequency of date nights.  Then our oldest turned 11.  And suddenly a whole new world opened up to us.  Tim and I could pay her far less than hiring outside help, but enough to keep her honest.  So date night became a thing for us.  We have a basic rotation of what we do for our dates – a monthly lunch date, an evening at the temple, an occasional game night with friends, movie night at home, a walk or bike ride on the Greenbelt.  My favorite though, and of course it’s the most expensive of the lot, is our season tickets to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.  4-5 plays a summer and we book the tickets ahead of time so that it’s on the calendar.  Works like a charm.  It’s a built-in date night doing something we both love.  Outdoor theater with my man.  Building our relationship one act at a time.  Genius.

The way to a man’s heart.

Dads have come a long way in recent years.  Studies suggest that they help more around the home and with the children than ever before.  Despite this, our appreciation/respect for what they do may or may not have improved accordingly.

This Father’s Day we set out to make certain Tim had no doubt how much we love a appreciate everything he does for our family.  How better to do that than through food, glorious food?

For starters, the kids scoured Pinterest for just the right candy bar poster.  

We kicked off the morning with a nutritious breakfast of (yep! They’re homemade!) Boston Cream Donuts.

I could have stopped there but since dinner has to get on the table, why not make it a special request from our special guy?  Louisiana Chicken Pasta it was.  Seriously delish.  (Though, as a side note, I would recommend pounding the chicken breasts super thin so you don’t have to deep-fry them to the point of looking burnt…the chicken tasted divine but didn’t make for an amazing display). 

All that(and a Sunday afternoon nap) made for one happy daddy.  That night Tim thanked me for my hard work and thoughtfulness and remarked that he needed to up his game on making me feel awesome on Mother’s Day.  Cha-Ching!

A break for Lily and me.

You know that time you wrote a lengthy blog post about a fun experience you got to have with your second-born which you subsequently deleted?  No?  Well I do.  So let’s just hope that in this case a picture is worth a thousand words.  Sixth-grade field trip with Lily was awesome.  The end.

We run for food and friends, in that order.

I signed the kids up for Boise’s Capitol Classic again.  It’s a one-mile run down Capitol Boulevard for kids ages 6-14.  My girls never hesitate when I ask if they want to participate any given year, largely because they can count on at least one friend for company along the path and, more importantly, they anticipate the after-race party in downtown’s Capitol Park with food, games, potential prizes and food.  Wait, did I mention that already?

They came walking  flying down the street with their friends by their side and smiles on their faces.  They barely broke a sweat.  I’m not sure the race is the “boost” to fitness it’s intended to be, but whatever.  It’s a great way to kick off the summer.

The Ides of May

This May was surprisingly less hectic than previous ones.  Perhaps I’m getting used to the mayhem.  Or maybe I’m neither pregnant nor carrying around a baby so the demands are manageable.  Regardless, I’m grateful for the reduction in stress.  Here are a few shots of the mountains of projects, activities and performances that magically appear during the glorious month of May (when what you really want to be doing is relaxing by the pool with an ice-cold lemonade in hand…who am I kidding?  Like that ever happens in the life of a mother of five.)

Recitals and field trips and projects and concerts.  All joyful occasions.  And all DONE.

Love and logic.

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve been told I’m the worst mom in the world, Tim could quit his job and stay-at-home with the kids too.  Today I got an earful because I was refusing to “rescue” my youngest daughter from her dilly-dallying morning ways by making her lunch.

She’d been up for half an hour and had barely gotten dressed.  She had five minutes left to do everything else – eat breakfast and make her lunch.  She uncharactetistically scarfed down a bowl of cereal but, when faced with the task of pulling together a lunch in a minute flat, she began to fall apart and yelled at me to help her with her lunch.  In response to her disrespect, and the fact that her distress could have been easily avoided by staying on task that morning, I flatly refused.

The girl launched into a full-blown tantrum and subsequently missed her ride to school.  Well, the policy in our house is that if you miss your ride, you get to walk the almost 1.5 miles to school.  By yourself.

She tried to turn the tables on me and say that she wouldn’t go to school unless I drove her.  I wasn’t playing that game.  The policy on THAT is that if she didn’t do her job (school), she would get to do my job for the day (a whole lotta chores, naturally).  We have a policy for everything, apparently.

Reluctantly, she began to come around.  She cleaned up the destruction her tantrum had resulted in, made her lunch and got herself out the door.  I followed her closely in the car for over a mile until we reached a certain point where the road ends and the walking path begins. I decided to join her for the final stretch.

Apparently, the fresh air and exercise had done her good.  We chatted about how she could avoid the same scenario in the future as we dodged sprinklers and giggled when we got sprayed.  All was forgiven.  Apparently I’m no longer the worst mom in the world.  At least until next time.

How doing something for me made me a better mother.

It’s been said that “water cannot be drawn from an empty well” and that advice applies in particular to mothers.  The task to raise children is a daunting one and can tax even the most energetic of women.  It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that to mother is to give everything to our children and, while I believe that to err on the side of this extreme is better than the opposite, as always, there is a balance to be struck.

How does one find that balance?  How can a mother know when her well needs to be replenished and how can she determine exactly what would do the trick?  Some mothers have regular opportunities for replenishment : a satisfying job outside the home, a college course or two, a book club or exercise group, a religious study group or regular girls’ night.  Still others, like me, fill their wells in less regular increments: squeezing in dates with the hubby, taking an occasional trip (sans kids and sometimes husband as well), a spa day or participation in a community musical.

Each mother can determine the frequency of said “breaks” and the nature of them.  The trick is to do it deliberately and to make each moment away from your kids count.  It’s also important to refrain from feeling entitled to a “break” or claiming that you “need” it.  Despite the fact that there are obvious benefits to filling one’s well, I dare say that such attitudes diminish the sense of gratitude we feel for the opportunity to pursue one’s own interests AND for the appreciation we feel at the opportunity to be called “mother” in the first place.  There are very few things we “need” in life and it’s safe to say that a break from parenting does not make the short list.

Still, a quote from M. Russell Ballard reads:

Find some time for yourself to cultivate your gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that you would like to learn or do that will enrich your life, and make time for them. Water cannot be drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others, even to your children.

Notice he said “pick one or two things” and set aside a “little time” so that we would not fall into the trap of prioritizing ourselves over our deserving families.

On occasion, I have lacked such judgment and determined that my chosen “replenishment” was not replenishing at all and simply an escape.  Other times my chosen rejuvenation was just that and benefitted my family indirectly by inspiring me to be a better me.

One such time came a few years ago when I decided to participate in a community choir for the 8 weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.  I decided to do it largely because I missed performing and because it would only require a few hours a week for a short period of time.  And yes, because it would give me a break from my children.

The experience was everything I hoped it would be.  The music penetrated my soul and filled me with gratitude.  I formed cherished friendships.  My voice began to do things it hadn’t after years of relative disuse.  But the most remarkable effect it had was the way it changed my parenting.

I had become caught up in a cycle of negativity with my daughters.  Their strong wills compelled me to match them with progressively harsher discipline and it wasn’t working.

During one particular rehearsal, the choir was having serious pitch problems.  As we sang a certain a cappella number our problems with intonation were readily obvious. I’m sure it was a source of frustration to our accomplished conductors.  Instead of criticizing, however, they lavished praise on us and simply gave us tools to help us improve our intonation.

I learned something about parenting that day. I learned that negativity is rarely a catalyst for change.  I learned to exercise patience with my children who had far less experience and wisdom than I (much as I had less experienced than these incredible choir directors).  I learned to use praise as motivation for improvement.

I am so grateful that I was deliberate and prudent in my decision to spend time away from my family.  Consequently, it yielded far more benefits than anticipated.  My well was filled to the brim.  And then some.