Adirondack Family Time™

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