Category Archives: Summer Fun

Individual Greenhouses for your Garden

***A repost for those of you who are planning a garden***

I love fresh vegetables, and I grew up with a vegetable garden and there is nothing better than a vine ripened tomatoes picked fresh and made into bruschetta or some other yummy food.  Our family started its first vegetable garden to introduce the older kids to healthy eating.  It was great when the realized how food was grown and they actually wanted to try the tomatoes and the zucchini. The chocolate zucchini cake was a hit, the tomatoes were not.   So we keep trying.

Since we live in the Pacific Northwest and our summers are finicky.  I have friends who have migrated from California or Texas and they bemoan the fact we can ski until March and wear hoodies until July. So, it helps to have a green house or a cold frame to give your plants a healthy head start.

I, however, have 3 small boys to raise. Which means they would break any cold-frame, accidentally of course, and I can’t afford a green house. (Their feet never seem to stop growing!).  So, I came up with another, much cheaper idea after visiting Williamsburg with family. According to the period actors, the settlers used glass bells over plants as miniature green houses. I don’t want breakable glass around the kids and the food, so we used Milk  Jugs. Yes, Milk jugs. We go through a gallon of milk a week and have plenty of them around.  Its easy. Cut the bottom of the milk jug off, leave the cap on the top.  The plants get their water from the surrounding ground.  And, the milk jugs let light through while heating the surrounding air, to encourage growth.

As the garden grows, watch for more posts.  The first round of spinach is about ready to be harvested!

Zip Line at NW Trek

The website says its fast, exhilirating, and challenging. I bet! Just the thought of careening down a line at 33feet per second, 55 feet in the air has my heart doing major palpitations! But, what an adventure, and local too!

This is definitely for the older kiddos, I would say ages 10 or 13 and above, but use your own judgement on how old your kids should be.  The website talks about a challenge course, a zip line and a high wire tight rope, none of which are for the faint of heart.

Zip Line and Challenge Course Regulations:

  • Reservations are required. If you require clarification on any details please call 360-832-7163 prior to making a reservation.
  • Reservations are limited to 15 participants in 60 minute blocks.
  • Minimum age is 10 years old. Proof of age, such as passport or birth certificate, may be requested for all children when checking in.
  • Ages 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian for the length of the course.
  • Due to restriction on number of people per platform, we require 1 parent for a maximum of 2 children for each Zip Wild experience.
  • Minimum height for visitors is 4’7″
  • Max weight is 275 lbs
  • Fully enclosed and comfortable sporting or hiking shoes required

Pricing: $39.95 in addition to membership or admission to Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. View more course details on our zip line reservation page.

Summer Bash and Movies in the Park – Tacoma

Summer Bash at Metro ParksI apologize for the lateness of the post, there are only 2 more weekends left!! Treat your kids to a unique experience, reminiscent of the Drive Thrus of our parents (Grandparents?) time.

Summer Bash is a great event that happens throughout Tacoma.  As we wrap up our summer vacations, get ready to go back to school, there is nothing better than popping some popcorn at home, driving to your nearest or dearest park, lounging on a blanket and enjoying a movie.

Just remember, the movie starts at DUSK, and that usually means around 8-9pm. So, be aware of bedtime routines and the fact you could be out until 10pm, or later on these nights! Sadly, because my guys are still so little, they would never last.  But it won’t be long till I need to chase them down and wrestle them to the bed. When that happens, we’ll be there!

Movies in the Park

August 24th at Norpoint: 4818 Nassau Ave NE
Movie: The Lorax

August 31st at Peoples Community Center: 1602 MLK Jr Way
Movie: Puss in Boots (One of my favs!)

Summer Water Safety

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Im not sure how many people know of this wonderful service, but I need to blow the whistle. This is a great organization that is offering invaluable services to our community and it is WAY under-funded and under-utilized. We need to change that!

Mary Bridge Childrens Hospital in Tacoma has some really great safety programs for kids. I know if I could wrap my kids in bubble wrap for the rest of their lives to ensure they don’t get hurt I would. But I also know they would be scarred for life upon entering Jr. High. So, we as parents do the next best thing: we baby proof, provide bicycle helmets, get car seats fitted and generally do what we can to provide a safe environment for our kids to grow up in.

Mary Bridge can be a partner in that with you. Their Safe Kids program is described this way:

Safe Kids Worldwide is the first national non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of accidental childhood injuries to children under 14 years of age. Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Center is the proud lead agency for local Safe Kids coalitions in Pierce and King County-South. Members of local Safe Kids coalitions represent a wide variety of community organizations such as fire departments, law enforcement departments, education programs and schools, health care organizations, local health departments, human service organizations and other community members.

Just some of the programs they offer:
* Car Seat Checks: Tues 9-10:30 at the safety building 1112 S 5th Street 253-403-1417
* Bicycle Helmet Fitting/Sales
* Water Safety (Short Term LOANER Life Jackets) 253-403-1234
* Safety Education programs and presentations to schools/daycares

My family has used both the car seat checks and the loaner life jackets. The life jackets are not trendy, nor cute and they have the MultiCare/Mary Bridget information on them, but hey they work! This weekend we will be doing a lot of swimming and you know what? Rather than buy life vests for the short time we will actually wear them, Mary Bridge has loaned them to us for free! My kids are safer because of this program and for that, I thank you from the bottom of this moms heart!

If you are looking for a car seat check closer to you: Check here for a list of events!