Archives for April 2011

Here’s your weekend list!  Headed to Seattle or one of our other neighbors? Check out the big list over at ThriftyNWmom compiled by super bargain sleuth Sia of Centsible in Seattle.   If you prefer to stay local, read on for the best of South Sound fun.

Let's Play! You'll find free fun all over the South Sound this weekend!

All Weekend

LMNOP Kids’ consignment sale at the Thurston County Fairgrounds    Find gently used kids’ clothes at bargain prices. Owner, Nicole, wants you to know that they have 3o thousand (!) pieces in. If you see her, be sure to tell her I sent you!

Ongoing

Beauty and the Beast Performances by Ascension Theater at the Old Cannery in Sumner  Tickets are 15.00; student discounts available; kids under 5 are free.

Friday

Kidz Kaboodle Sale The 6th avenue children’s consignment store sells duds for just .25! Thanks, The Coupon Project. This continues on Saturday, but the best stuff will fly out the door today.

Scholastic Clearance Book Sale-Also on Saturday  Score Scholastic favorites at bargain prices at Bates Technical College. Clifford will also be on hand at various times.

For more daytime Friday fun, please see me weekly list: What Sounds Fun This Week.

Saturday

Many area farmers’ markets have opened.

Free pancake breakfast at McLendon hardware and one free 2″ tomato plant per family. Breakfast begins at 7:30. Thanks, ThriftyNWmom.

HC MAST water weekends at Redondo-The center is open again every Saturday from 10-2. Kids can touch sea critter in the tanks and learn about other aquatic animals

The Knack! Make it, Take it event at Michaels. Decorate a t-shirt or apron for mom. Free with purchase of tee or apron.  10AM-12

Magic Show by Giggleworks Free magic show for the whole family at the Steilacoom library at 11AM

Living History Open House at historic Fort Steilacoom All buildings open for public tours; costumed actors on hand   Free but donations encouraged

Norwegian Heritage Festival at the Scandinavian Cultural Center at PLU Channel your inner Viking and enjoy vendors, musical performances, and food. 11AM-4PM  Free admission

Dragon Boat Festival – Olympia  9:00am to 4:30pm; Free event put on by St. Martins University including spirited dragon boat races, Chinese traditional art demonstrations, traditional lion dances, music, martial arts performances and more. Thanks, Centsible in Seattle!

Learn about the Budd Inlet Water Treatment Plant at the LOTT Wet Science Center in Olympia. Slide show followed by a tour; begins at 1:00 PM  Free-Come on, how lucky would your kids be to get to tour a water treatment plant??

Daffodil Arabian Horse Show at the Puyallup fair grounds Got a horse lover? Admission is free; shows both Saturday and Sunday

Fan Go Round at Cheney Stadium Meet, “Old timers,” from area baseball teams. Autograph sessions, memorabilia displays, and a chance to check out the newly renovated stadium. Free admission and parking  1-5 PM

Day of the Books/Day of the Child or  El Dia de los Libros/El Dia de los Ninos   A free celebration of books, language, and culture at the Puyallup Public Library  2-4 PM

Families in Motion event at the Riverwalk trail in Puyallup A free event celebrating the Riverwalk Trail and encouraging families to get active together. Booths, music, and a fun run. 10-2

Harriet Tubman performances   Actress and storyteller Karol Brown portrays the conductor of the underground railroad in two performances at the Tacoma Public Library 11AM at Wheelock and 3PM at Moore

Migratory Madness at Northwest Trek Special activities celebrating migration included with admission  *Admission is pricey. There are bogo coupons in the Entertainment Book, or think about upgrading a zoo membership if you would go more than twice a year.

Sunday

Migratory Madness at Northwest Trek Special activities celebrating migration included with admission  *Admission is pricey. There are bogo coupons in the Entertainment Book, or think about upgrading a zoo membership if you would go more than twice a year.

Let’s Have A Picnic Americana Celebration at the Tacoma Art Museum Picnic outside or eat at the cafeteria. Part of a celebration of the Norman Rockwell exhibit. Kids are free. Regular admission for adults (you could try to get an Art Access pass from your library to go for free). Hands on activities and performances 10AM-4PM

It’s May Day! Think about making a basket. Scroll one down if you need a link to directions.

or take advantage of this sun! You might want to take a hike, enjoy the new boardwalk at Nisqually, or try the bridge to the beach. I’ve got the scoop on those outings, plus more ideas for area walks right here. You could always take a new playground for a spin -check out #10-6, and 5-1, in my best playgrounds series. I’d love to hear your ideas, too

Know something I missed? Don’t be shy: Let me know! If you love this list, I’d be thrilled to have you share it with a pal or two. If you’re new here, are write just about events and activities just for the South Sound, and I update every day. Consider Liking my Facebook page or using one of the handy buttons on the top right to subscribe to my feed or reader so you won’t miss a thing.

Photo credit: stock.xchng

When I was a little girl, my sister and I loved to celebrate May 1st by making paper cones and filling them with flower bouquets for our neighbors. Part of the fun was making them, and part of the fun was getting to ring the doorbell and run! I’ve discovered that most people don’t have this tradition…..maybe my mom brought it from the Midwest, or maybe it’s just fading away because the stores haven’t figured out how to market it. Either way, I say: Let’s bring back May Day! It’s such a simple craft and such a sweet way to mark Spring.

To be official, you’ll want to wait until Sunday, but round up the supplies now (you probably have most around the house). And, I suppose this goes without saying, but if you’re going to do the doorbell and run method, choose a friendly neighbor!

We make ours like this one from Kaboose. It’s basically a decorated paper plate shaped into a cone and stapled. You’ll want to get some ribbon to make a little handle for the door. The cheap, flimsy plates actually work best, and in a pinch, construction paper will work, too. Then fill it with some lovely flowers and find a neighbor to give it to! Of course, if you want to channel your inner Martha and pretty it up, feel free. You can post your pics to the Facebook page if you get some good ones!

Photo credit: Stock xchng

Need something to liven up this somewhat dreary Spring (aka Winter: Part II)? I have four one time passes to the Children’s Museum in Seattle. You can use them any day you want. My kids and I went up during our Spring Break, and we had a ball. My older son particularly loved the art studio. Now, I can’t help you with the price of gas or parking, so keep that in mind. One of my fb readers suggesting parking and taking the monorail for an extra bit of fun. Ready to win? You have four chances:

1. Leave a comment here

2. Share the page-tell your pal about it during your walk; shoot an email to your MOPS group-whatever. Leave an Extra comment letting me know what you did.

3.Leave a comment at the Facebook page.

4.Sugget the FB page to friends and leave an Extra comment when you’ve done so.

I’ll be back later with a super easy craft and my plea to bring back May Day! I’ll see you here for that. Don’t forget to enter both here and at the fb pages to increase your chances…..and, good luck!

Update: The Hawthorne is now closed.

You don’t have to be a anglophile, or even a royal watcher, to enjoy a spot of tea. Tea is a great excuse for your kids to get dressed up and practice their best manners, and if you choose your tea room carefully, it doesn’t have to be expensive.

There are quite a few tea shops in the area, but I chose the Hawthorn in Old Town Tacoma because it has a large a la carte menu, and mostly, because the pictures on the web site looked like the tables were far enough apart that we might be able to sit down without breaking granny’s china.

The staff is as gracious as can be and didn’t bat an eye at seeing a rowdy little boy walking in the door. Henry had the ladybug child’s tea which included strawberry and cream cheese sandwiches, fruit kabobs, and a ladybug cookie. It also came with a choice of beverage. He chose lemonade, which he received in his own teapot along with his own china cup and saucer. He was beyond thrilled. I had the super yummy curry chicken salad from the lunch menu.

Now, all-in, we spent about 25.00. If this is too pricey for your outing budget, you can order scones or tea a la carte and easily spend just a few dollars, while still having a special experience. A scone from the lunch menu is  2.50 and comes with jam or cream. A small pot of tea is 3.50 and includes refills. There is also a smaller tea set available for 8.00 a person which includes tea, fruit, and your choice of scone. There are pages of tea choices available, so you don’t have to get your kids all hopped off if you go this route.

If this isn’t in your neck of the woods, you can check out this list of Puget Sound area tea rooms. Do call and check first, as some places I used to know about have closed shop in the last couple of years. I also suggest looking at the menu to get an idea of whether the place you’re considering is budget and child friendly.  The Hawthorn is quite unusual in having single items available on the lunch menu. Many tea shops also seat at particular times and request reservations. We walked right into the Hawthorn, and were in and out in just under an hour. I would have lingered but Henry was making swords out of his kabob toothpicks, so it was time to go.

Of course, you could just do a tea party at your place! By all means, use real tea cups. You can get them for just a few bucks at the thrift store. If you don’t want your kiddos drinking out of them, use them as centerpieces.

Got your own favorite place to get a cuppa? Let me know! Many area tea places are also hosting special events for Mother’s Day. These are really pricey and will fill up anyway, so if it sounds fun to you (or maybe your mil?) make reservations now.

If your kids planted a pumpkin seed at the Spring Fair, you probably met a master gardener. The master gardeners are highly skilled volunteers who can help you with a whole variety of gardening questions. They also run a truly amazing, Free program for children beginning May 7th and running all the way until October 1st. You can see a pdf of the whole schedule here.

The programs are on Saturdays at 1:00PM and each lasts about an hour and a half. During some sessions kids are actually planning and planting gardens that they’ll harvest in the coming months. During other sessions, they’ll enjoy projects like making garden stepping stones and bird feeders. At the end of the summer, kids will dry seeds for next year and donate produce to the food bank. How cool is that??

All sessions are held at the Jack and the Beanstalk garden at the Master Gardener Demonstration garden which is in Puyallup where Pioneer meets Fruitland (for my Tacoma readers, it’s just a bit further down the road that goes by the Puyallup cemetery). You can just show up at these events. The first is on May 7th, and I’ll have it my weekend list, but I wanted to make sure you knew a bit about it in advance.

Not close enough for you? Windmill Gardens in Sumner holds periodic kids’ gardening events (the next one I see is a boot planter in June).  Rodgers’ Country Nursery in Bremerton has a weekly Felix and Fritz Kids’ Club. These do require registration and have a small supply fee. If you know of other places offering gardening fun for little sprouts, please let me know!

Photo credit: Stock.xchng

As promised, here’s a quick and easy recipe that will use up any extra ham you might have leftover.

Ham and Hash Brown Bake

Spray the inside of a casserole dish

In a large bowl combine 2 cups chopped ham, 1 can of cream of celery soup or cream of mushroom if you don’t have it, 1 16 oz. container of sour cream, and  almost all of a large package of frozen country style hash browns (shredded, about 30 oz. worth) *If you don’t like to use canned soups, you can get a crockpot recipe for cream of mushroom soup here at A Year of Slow Cooking. That will obviously take a little more work.

Pour the mixture into the casserole dish. Mine was a 1.3qt. oval

Top with about 1/2 cup shredded cheese. You can also stir some cheese into the mixture if you want. I used cheddar. I think you could use any kind you wanted, and feel free to add more-I won’t tell.

Bake in a 325 degree oven until heated through and the cheese and potatoes look all yummy.

You can vary the amounts of any of the ingredients without messing this up much. There are dozens of variations of this recipe on the internet. Some call for adding onions, butter, peppers, or chiles. If your kids will eat food with, “green stuff mixed,” in, I’m sure this would be very tasty. Mine won’t. You could also leave out the ham and have sort of a brunch-y side. My husband  and Henry both loved this. Our oldest wouldn’t go near it, but hey, 3 out of 4 isn’t bad!

Here are my picks for South Sound weekday fun for the week of April 25th. Know something great I missed? Let me know!

Score some bargains for your readers at the Scholastic clearance this week. Photo: Stock xchng

Ongoing Events

Open playtimes at area Bounce House facilities ; Playtime at area gyms;art exploration at The Children’s Museum of Tacoma . Open playtime at Discovery Village (new Spring hours)!

Story times at Pierce County Libraries. Every library has multiple story time events this week. Select the date you want on the calendar and find a story session at a library near you!  There are also story times at Tacoma Public Libraries. I don’t list these separately due to space issues. If you’re one of my Thurston County readers, here is the link toTimberland regional library. Use the calendar to the left to look for kids’ story times. Here is the link for my Kitsap readers (this is a large-ish pdf file-scroll down for the storytimes).

The Pt.Defiance Zoo is back on its regular schedule and open every day.

Monday

Construction kick-off for the new Tacoma Children’s Museum 10AM Refreshments and “playful surprises.”

Plus, it’s the 25th of the month, which means .25 admission and special “birthday,” activities at the current location from 10-5 (I’ll be calling to confirm this).

Tuesday

Robot Garage at the Key Peninsula Library  11AM  Registration required  Learn about robotics and engineering concepts   for kids in grades 2-9

Scratch, imagine, program, and share at the South Hill library 4-5:30  For kids in grades 4-6  Requires registration   Students learn a programming language that lets them create animated stories, games, and music.

Read to a Dog Graham 6:30  Drop in and practice your reading skills with a canine pal.

Spanish/English storytime at the Puyallup public library 6:30  *Use links at the top of the list to find other story times.

Family game night at the Dupont library Drop in and play favorite board games between 6-7:30

Wednesday

Free day at the Pt.Defiance Zoo for Tacoma city residents. You must reside within the city limits, and you must bring picture i.d. and proof of residency (like a utility bill).

Mommy and Me Fitness Class at Elev8te Fitness in Tacoma  I haven’t been here or tried this, but reader Corey sent in a note that she takes her whole crew weekly and has a blast.

Stories and Strings at the Muckleshoot Library at 11 AM  Stories, songs, and silliness for all ages

Playgrounds on Ice in Bremerton Pick up a pass at the Bremerton Parks and Rec office and skate for free at the Bremerton Ice Center through the end of May; skate rental 2.50. If you’re one of my Pierce County readers, Sprinker is closing May 17th for a major refurbishment, so make your plans to get in a last skate soon!

Airships at the Gig Harbor library at 1:00 Drop in and learn about dirigibles and blimps and make one of your own with staff from the museum of flight. For kids in grade K-5 from 1-2:30   Henry had a blast doing this, and we saw several kids who were probably preschool aged-they weren’t checking i.d.!

Read to a Dog Summit Library at 4:00  Drop in and practice your reading skills with a canine pal.

.31 cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins 5-10 PM  An annual event in partnership with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation    You may want to call your store to confirm. We do this every year. Yes, there is a line, but we’ve never waited longer than 15 minutes. I also find children can be extraordinarily patient when they’re anticipating ice cream!

Thursday

Scholastic Clearance Book Sale at Bates Technical College (continues Friday and Saturday)  10-8  Thursday and Friday; 10-6 Saturday  Save 50-80%, plus enjoy free family activities and appearances by Clifford the Big Red Dog

Luna Moms Playgroup in Puyallup Organized by Codi of Stroller Strides but open to any mom with a little one.  Want to list your group? Just give me a holler!

Read with a dog at the Puyallup Public Library 3:30-4:30  Drop in and practice your reading. Today’s canine friend is Robbie, the Chinook.

Gig Harbor Library Chess Club 6PM  Instruction and game play

Friday

Nature Yoga at the Tacoma Nature Center 10:30  For kids 1-6 and their grown-ups  6.00

Toddler and preschool story times at the Puyallup Public Library  *Use the link at the top of the list to find other story times through out the week.

Spring into Origami at the Gig Harbor library  1:30-2:30  Drop in program for kids 9 and up and families

I’ll have lots of other events for Friday and your weekend in my big weekend list! This week I have a giveaway planned (yeah-the one I forgot last week), two ideas for outings I bet you haven’t tried, and a recipe to use up any extra ham you might have around.

We also share quick ideas and tips over at the Sounds Fun Mom Facebook page . Come on over and join a growing community of fun loving South Sound families. If you’re new here, you might also consider subscribing to my feed or reader with the handy buttons in the top right.

Here’s a fun way to celebrate Earth Day, and it’s free! Now, I saw this first on QueenBeeCoupons, but it’s been literally all over the blogosphere, so if your heart is set on one, get there early. First, for those of you like to keep track of such things, I feel I should mention that Arbor Day is technically April 29th, but this weekend is Earth Day, and you can see how there is a little cross over there.

The one in the picture looks like a fir. They grow fast! We had a Christmas tree sized one when we bought our house six years ago, and it’s turned into a root-spreading/driveway-uprooting monster that we’ll probably have to cut down, so keep that in mind!

Another option is to visit your favorite local nursery. Assuming your kiddos are past the picking everything stage, a nursery visit offers lots of learning opportunities and fun things to see. Finally, you can join the Arbor Day foundation year round for just 10.00 and get ten trees of your choice in the mail! I have friends who have done this, and it’s a totally legit offer-just understand that when your seedlings arrive they’re going to look a lot like twigs. While not free, this deal is tax deductible! If this all sounds like too much work, don’t worry! My weekend events list is full of outdoor fun.