Adirondack Family Time™

I hope we are teaching our children to treat the earth with respect all year round. (There is only one, my son tells me.) I know we can always do more, learn more and be an even better example. As with everyone else we try to do little things all year, using canvas shopping bags, composting, gardening, car-pooling, and recycling. I even attempt to pass off my thrift store obsession and used bookstore passion as me saving the world one vintage cardigan at a time. It’s the free roadside furniture compulsion that my husband believes that needs intervention. I know I can fix whatever orphaned bureau sits on the roadside with the huge FREE sign attached to it convincing myself I am freeing the landfills of dressers. My husband wishes for me to make a smaller gesture. All jokes aside the kids know we are really just scratching the surface. Every year we have taken on the job of cleaning up the Ampersand Mountain trailhead. After the first few years of trying to convince my children that its

Make Your Own Food Coloring You can make your own food coloring by using other foods. Have you ever forgotten to strain the extra juice from blueberries when you are going to make blueberry bread? I can't possibly be the only one. The whole loaf will turn a beautiful hue of purple. Just think, you can save the juice and use it to add color to your frostings and other items. There is nothing artificial about it and you don't have to worry about all the health risks associated with artificial food dyes . You’ll need to use a sieve to strain the pulp from the juice and then add as much of the juice as needed for the desired color. Berries are great for making colored icing. There are also natural food dyes that can be found at your natural food store or online. Foods That Color Other Foods: Red: onion skin or beets Yellow: turmeric Brown: coffee Blue: red cabbage Lavender: blackberries Green: spinach There are plenty of other naturally occurring items. Please be careful when try

The last of the ice and snow clings to the edges of the road, covered in a filthy coat of sand. We are packing up the skis and snowshoes and putting away the winter boots. We are optimistic that spring is here to stay. My children chirp on and on about spring because the calendar says it’s so. With that comes a few disagreements and dessert dangling (similar to the proverbial carrot) that winter coats, hats and gloves do still need to be worn if the temperature drops. I explain the shoulder season. Grumbling commences with accusations of mothers that make up seasonal names to insure children wear coats. They will eventually learn that the passing of the spring equinox doesn’t mean that the change of season is an immediate one. We now have to search for snow. It is hiding deep off the trails where the sun and heat won’t find it for months. Our search leads us up Baker Mt. The summit of Baker is only .9 mile from the base. It’s just the beginning of the main trail that looks like a froz

The Eastern Blue Bird which is also the state bird of Missouri. This small thrush has a white belly. The males are bright blue on the head and back with a reddish brown throat and breast. The adult females are a faded version of the male with lighter blue/grey wings and head, and a pale brown throat and breast. Learn more about the New York State Bird

What is the flower of New York? What is the tree of New York? What is the NYS bird? *Check the index under Answers for, well, the answers!

By Diane Chase Take the family for this short hike located right in the center of the Adirondack's Lake Placid.  The kids of all ages will enjoy this scenic view of the High Peaks and village of Lake Placid. We are lathering the children with sunscreen. What a wonderful word, sunscreen. Up to this point we have unintentionally thwarted the sun’s rays by numerous scarves and ski masks. Sunblock would have been an unnecessary layer. Now the car has that smell of beach and summer and masks the musty road salt remnants of winter. We have discovered that a trip to the grocery store is best served after a bit of outdoor activity. Cobble Hill provides a quick remedy. The most challenging part of our climb up Cobble Hill is finding the entrance. Whitney Road is a private road so there is no sign posted. We are here at the good graces of easements and owners. A few cars are already squeezed against the side of the road. We park and walk up the road a bit then turn around. The trai

Write down a couple of things a day that have made you happy! It doesn't have to be complicated or long otherwise you will find a reason not to do it every day. Just a date and a few lines. 3/18/09 I watched my children build a log house and we bowled it down I talked to my best friend today My dog is asleep on my feet I vacuumed my mini van (yes, I can not tell you how happy that makes me!) See it's easy. I have plenty more but just thought I would get those down!

We have a big day planned with all sorts of activities on the agenda. We have errands to run and want to squeeze in an end of season ski as we work our way to Tupper Lake. The last thing on the list is going to the Wild Center. As we head into town the kids start negotiating the length of their stay at the museum. What has become the last stop now becomes the first. The children are thrilled to get here. I am always amazed that each time we show up it is just as exciting. I guess that is why it is a living museum. It is constantly changing and growing. The children know the way so our jackets are stowed, the movie times checked and the game plan discussed. My plan is to relax and have a cup of coffee. The kids are old enough now to be on their own for certain lengths of time. I take a seat behind the tables set up for the Family Art and Nature Project and under a “green intentions” exhibit. People have written on bits of cloth clipped to branches how they plan on living a greener life.

he Ministry of the Environment Government of Japan has a guide on using cloth as opposed to paper for wrapping gifts to cut down on the paper waste. Using the same square of fabric you can also create a tote bag to use to carry small parcels. Furoshiki (f'-ROHSH-kee) means “bath spread” and it derives from the practice of bundling clothes at public baths in the Edo Period (1603-1867). The term refers to any size or pattern, though most are around one to two ft. square. The furoshiki usually double-sided pattern and a stitched hem around the edges. Unlike wrapping paper furoshiki can be part of a gift, and can be used again and again. To make your own: Take a square of 100% cotton fabric (one that looks the same on both sides so there isn't a "wrong" side and stitch a rolled hem around the edge. You are finished. Now you can go out into the world and make it a better place! small = 18" medium = about 20" large = about 35" Another option is to go to the

Did you know that with only 15 minutes a day you can get your required amount of Vitamin D ( by just being outside in the sunshine) With anything moderation is the key. Any more time than that do take protective measures with sunscreen otherwise go outside (and take your vitamin, too!)

Well this isn't my usual thing but I wonder how other parents and families are sustaining through these tough times while still maintaining a positive outlook. I remember growing up with tasks to do and helping my grandmother cook. It didn't feel like work because she made it fun and helped us complete our goals with a sense of purpose and joy. That said I thought I need to purposefully and joyfully stock the freezer with some quick meals. My children go through these as if they were starving. Here is a homemade version of the pizza pocket. There are many variations of pizza out there. I used to work in a pizzeria, one of many jobs while putting myself through school, and for years couldn't abide the smell or taste of pizza. Having children has helped overcome that aversion. This recipe is my own and is an easy thing to do with kids. My children love to help. Eat well, live well, love well! pizza dough ~dissolve 1 package dried yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp) into ~1 cup warm wat

There is something to be said about talking like a pirate that just doesn’t get old, at least in our house. It is probably only my children who’s acting skills come into play when simply asked to set the dinner table. Then the pirate-speak comes out in full force. They are being held captive until their real parents can swoop in and free them from evil forces. The imposed drudgery of picking up their own toys is met with “Or ye’ll what? Put me in t’hold?” There is a bit of sass that goes along with pirate talk (since pirates are not known for their manners). So we couldn’t ask for a better Winter Carnival theme than Pirates of the Adirondacks because our pirate vocabulary was getting a bit weak. As research says if you don’t use a foreign language regularly, you lose it, so I am here to help you practice, practice, practice for the last few days of Carnival, “Arrr. ya scurvy dogs.” The standards of “Blow me down” and “Shiver me timbers” are fine to use if ye are shocked over the outco