Adirondack Family Time™

1/3 cup butter melted and mixed into 3/4 cup milk = 1 cup cream in baking and cooking.

I sent pictures of our recent trip to The Flume and got a response back from Cornell Cooperative Extension in Westport, NY. Cornell Extension is a wonderful source of information (counties.cce.cornell.edu/essex) The pictures I sent were identified as poison ivy (see blog for help in identifying poison ivy)

I just wanted to list some regulations that all parents should be aware of when choosing a summer camp! (taken from the New York State Health Department Children's Camp in NYS. Here is a link to the complete brochure. http://www.health.state.ny.us/environmental/outdoors/camps/docs/nyscamp.pdf 1) Check the staff credentials/supervision: What are the qualifications of the camp director? All directors' background are screened by the Office of Children and Family Services Central Register Database. Make sure the camp director has been cleared by the NYS Health Department. 2) In NYS all summer camps must have a state, city or county health department permit to operate legally. 3) The camp must be inspected twice yearly by a health department representative. 4) Ask about counselor training and camper supervision. 5) What medical staff is in residence? 6) Is the facility safe? What procedures are in place? 7) Are the waterfront personnel qualified? 8) How much experience does the co

Well, the first way to prevent would be to avoid but I have two small children and I might as well hold back the wind than curb their enthusiasm when outdoors. With that said, we can have both, a wonderful outdoor experience and a safe one by learning to identify poison ivy. Poison Ivy has some distinctive traits but can be difficult to identify: 1) three leaves together 2) shiny leaves in the spring 3) reddish in the fall 4) Isn't supposed to grow in higher elevations so north of Lake Placid is a safe bet To prevent: 1) In your car/backpack First Aid kit keep a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and some wipes 2) Direct contact is needed to get a poison ivy rash 3) Dogs are carriers so beware if you are in an area known for poison ivy 4) Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol helps to dissolve the urushiol oil that causes an allergic reaction. There are commercial products that will do the same thing and perhaps be gentler on a child's skin. 5) With small children wrap their hands so they don&#

Make a batch of your favorite cookies. Put the dough in a sealed container and keep in the refrigerator. Take out and make small batches. I like to bake a few in the toaster oven so the kids can have a warm cookie after playing outside. This way the dough is always available and I don't have to make a lot of cookies at once. * my favorite recipe comes from a local hotel!

I have been fortunate to have great role models in my life, my grandparents, parents and friends that have shown the true meaning of giving back. Now I hope to be able to pass along that same mindedness to my own children. I have two friends particularly that come to mind that took on the task graciously of the care of two elders. These friends have their own busy lives and spend most of it helping others. I won’t mention names only because they do good work all over and never ask for accolades. (Though secretly I applaud them.) They have shown me that taking care of someone does not deplete your reserve for helping others, but actually expands it. I’ve always had a thing for older people, their stories, their experiences. I’ve also always hoped I would grow up to be one some day. Of course, now the day is approaching with speed and clarity. It seems to me that sometimes we forget, as a society, that our elders are the very reason we exist. Without them the mistakes from which we learn

Leave a potty seat in the car so that you always have a convenient place for your child to go. No more accidents. Yes, I understand if your child is a boy the "world is his oyster" but if not... the seat will do the trick.

Free. That is just one word that I like to bandy around, like I’m the one passing it out. Free. So simple. So, well, freeing! There are a lot of things that are free and sometimes, like advice, we just don’t want to hear it. So I will cease with the accolades for all that is free and cut right to the no admission charge at the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks, better known as The Wild Center, on Saturday May 2nd. So to all naysayers who criticize that I can’t get to the point I say! What was the point, again? Ah, yes. After being closed for the month of April The Wild Center has dusted off its winter wear and is celebrating with demonstrations of all things wild. Appropriately there will be over 25 organizations connecting people to nature. The focus of this event is to get families to go outside and enjoy the benefits of a natural environment. As much as I would like to include raking the yard, I don’t think that is what they had in mind. Some events to look forward to are a

What is a group of mice called?

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