Family » Life Lyn Style

Hiking with Grandma

Oct 232011

Today, we headed to Firestone Metro Park in Akron to go on a hike with my grandma. I haven’t done much hiking with her in a while. The Metro Parks Serving Summit County have a hiking spree and we used to do it as a family when I was growing up. You travel around to the different parks and need to hike 8 out of 13 trails to complete the spree. My grandma has completed the spree 29 out of the last 30 years. Today was her last hike of the season so now she’s done 30 seasons!

Today’s trail was called the Redwing Trail.

It was a perfect fall day.

There were a few muddy patches and a couple of puddles. It was just how Nick likes it.

We’ve spent time in parks with Nick and Sally, but this was their first real hike. It had a planned beginning, end and signs to follow to stay on the right trail.

Here’s a photo of my grandma with the kids and me. She just completed the spree for 2011.

Here’s a close up!

While we were taking photos, she took a group shot of the 4 of us.

We brought a stroller for Sally, but she ended up walking almost all of the hike. We’ll definitely be going on more family hikes next year. We are going to try the Cleveland Metro Parks Walking Works Program that starts in June. After today, I feel like the kids will be ready.

Halloween Parties

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Oct 222011

When it rains, it pours. We were invited to 2 different Halloween parties today. We were able to go to one party for a bit and leave early and be fashionably late for the second party. Everyone had a great time and the kids are exhausted. Maybe we’ll be lucky and they’ll both sleep until 7AM.

The host of the first party is an Art Director for her full time job. Everything detail is always done extremely well! We arrived just after 3PM. There were carnival games such as a spider ring toss, Halloween corn hole, penny toss and pin the tail on the black cat.

All of the kids and some of the parents were in costume. One family game as pirates.

There was a train table which Nick and Sally loved. There was also plenty of themed food. Mummy pizza, sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches shaped like pumpkins and bats, a candy board with miniature bags of candy where just a few of the items on the first table.

This veggie tray was done up like a cemetery. The sweets table had spider treats, eye ball doughnuts and others.

There was a craft table set up with bead necklaces and put a sticker face on paper pumpkins. Soon enough, we were all outside for the piñata. Notice the Man in the Yellow Hat. He came with his sister Curious George.

Everyone took a turn at the piñata. It finally broke with some adult intervention.

Everything was nicely decorated. I also remembered to get a photo with the host.

We arrived at the second party around 5PM. Everyone brought something and we had fruit, veggies, pizza and a couple of desserts for dinner. The kids enjoyed seeing each other and being all dressed up.

This photo has all of the older kids.

This photo was our attempt at all of the kids including two babies.

After dinner, there was lots of playing. Nick was again enamored with the trains. I see a train table in his future.

We all had a great day!

Mid-Week Workout Plan Update

Exercise, Family 1 Response »

Oct 192011

I thought today would be a good day to track the workout progress to date for the week.

The Plan (in black) – Actual (in Green)

Monday – spin

I went to Beth’s spinning class. This was my second class since my knee injury. It feels so great to be back!

Tuesday – try out the new higher intensity water aerobics class

This class is new and Sharan is the instructor. It was an awesome class. I actually felt like it was challenging. This is something that I’d like to figure out how to fit into my workout schedule on a regular basis. It’s a pay class, but seems worth every penny. I think I will become a regular.

Wednesday – cardio warm up (45 minutes on the elliptical), then weights

We got to the J a bit later than I planned. I warmed up with 17 min on the elliptical. I rocked the intensity and strides per minute.

Chest press (2 sets with 12 pound dumbbells)
Fly (2 sets with 10 pound dumbbells)
Shoulder press (2 sets with 5 pound dumbbells)
Biceps (2 sets with 12 pound dumbbells)
Triceps (1 set of 60, 50, 40, 30, then 20 pounds)
Leg curl
Leg extension
Lunges (1 set of 10 on each side)
Push ups (using bench or Smith bar)
Plank (tried 3 times, didn’t have a way to time myself)
Abs machine (it was busy every time I walked by)
Abs floor exercises (did variety of exercises)

I feel very good about this workout. I didn’t get to all of the exercises due to time constraints (and I forgot my exact list). I worked hard and felt like I pushed myself. It’s good to be on track.

We’re started to make some vacation plans for next summer and I am hoping to really get in shape between now and then. It’s great to have some extra motivation going into the holiday season.

One Less Tooth

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Oct 122011

When we were in Delaware visiting my in-laws, Sally had a little accident. No one saw it happen, but the result was a bleeding mouth and a lost tooth. We’re pretty sure the accident involved the stairs, but the details are a guessing game.

She’s still working on getting her set of baby teeth. Now, she’s one short. According to the dentist, there’s nothing for us to do. She’ll just have to be patient until the permanent tooth comes in. Ironically, this may take longer than if she had her baby tooth. The dentist also said that the lost tooth will bother the parents much more than it bothers her.

She’s still her normal happy self!

And, she loves her new Hawaii dress.

The Kindness of Strangers

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Oct 102011

While the kids and I were in Delaware, Jeff Gordon #24 NASCAR driver was expected to make a public appearance at the local mall. Apparently, he doesn’t ever make appearances. My brother in law Derek loves racing, especially Jeff Gordon.

We arrived expecting the event to be inside the mall at the food court. We instead were greeted by an outside event, pending rain and Jeff’s #24 car.

Nick and Sally were very interested in the car also.

The trailer that transports the car was also on display.

Derek was able to have Jeff sign his hat. He was thrilled.

But, that is all thanks to strangers.

Derek and his dad got in the autograph/photo line only to find out that you had to come at 4PM with canned food to receive one of 65 wrist bands to have the opportunity to meet Jeff Gordon during his public appearance. Derek was heart broken and didn’t really understand. Then, the gentleman in the above picture came up to him and said that he had a wrist band and Derek could get in line with him. The race people could tell what had happened and didn’t give Derek a hard time when they double and triple checked for wrist bands. It was an awesome random act of kindness. Thanks!

Highlights from Holly’s House

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Oct 092011

Last week, we visited my sister Holly in Maryland. We arrived on Wednesday the 29th, just in time to meet my niece and nephew at the bus.

They were glad to be home.

On Thursday, the kids had off school. We hung out at the house. The kids enjoyed some morning cartoons. Nick had a hard time with live PBS, since we always have Dinosaur Train and The Cat in the Hat on demand at our house.

We left Thursday evening to travel to Delaware and then met back up with the cousins at Port Discovery on Saturday. We had bought them a membership as a gift and it was nice to see it in person.

I don’t have too many photos because the kids were very active!

Nick especially enjoyed the tinker toys and wind tunnel experiment area.

Back at Holly’s we made individual pizzas. The dough didn’t turn out as well as I would have liked, but everyone had a good time. The apple dessert on the other hand was a huge success.

Uncle Frank is living about a hour and a half from Holly’s house, so he came to visit. Sally enjoyed some snuggle time. Frank enjoyed a beer. He just turned 21 in August and I couldn’t believe that he’s old enough to enjoy a brew.

We spent all weekend playing, but Uncle Dan slaved over his wood pile.

We had a great time and the kids did so well on the trip that we’ll plan to do it again in the spring.

Fifer Orchards Fall Fest and Market

Family, Farmer's Market 1 Response »

Oct 072011

After we went apple and pumpkin picking at Fifer Orchards, we enjoyed the Fall Fest and the Market.

Sally LOVED the big slides. She went down them at least 6 times.

Sally enjoyed walking through the high corn stalks while Nick enjoyed riding the tractor tricycle.

The rubber duck races with water were a HUGE hit.

There were swings and there was a tall corn stalk for photographing the height of people.

My mother in law and Derek enjoyed the pumpkin checker board. It was really neat. Nick and Sally can’t turn down a play box. This one was filled with corn.

We were at the Fall Fest on a Friday and it wasn’t crowded at all. Nick and Sally didn’t really have to wait in line for anything.

After the fest, we looked around the market. There’s a huge apple operation here. Crates of apples going out on trucks throughout our visit. There were also big crates of pumpkins for sale.

While I walked around the market, some ice cream was enjoyed. I never saw green snake like pumpkins before.

Derek loves Superman, so we took his photo with the logo pumpkins. The market displays were pristine.

You could tell that it was apple season. Right before we left, we saw this praying mantis. The kids were really interested in it.

It was a perfect way to spend a nice fall day. Hopefully, we’ll go to Fifer Orchards on another trip to Delaware.

U-Pick Tour–Fifer Orchards, Wyoming Delaware–Apples and Pumpkins

Family, U-Pick No Responses »

Oct 052011

Last Friday, the kids and I were in Delaware to visit my in-laws. Nick and Sally were especially happy to see grandma, grandpa and uncle Derek. Our plans included a trip to go apple picking at Fifer Orchards. The picking began with a wagon ride to the orchard.

This orchard has one type of apple available for u-pick at a time. Friday, it was Stayman apples. Apparently, this is a popular Virginian apple. I was surprised because I never realized that apples would be regional, but I’ve never heard of them before. Uncle Derek picked 18 apples. Nick helped Grandma pick out some apples.

Sally and Grandpa really got into the trees.

Of course, Sally and Nick each sampled an apple. Grandma and Grandpa said they don’t have many photos of them together, so we took this opportunity to take a shot.

We ended up with 48 pounds of apples. They were $1.59 a pound. The East Coast prices were definitely higher than the $.90 a pound that I paid at Eddy’s last week. After our apple picking, we noticed this sign.

Derek and Nick grabbed a wagon and we were off to pick a couple of pumpkins.

It was fun for me to show Nick and Sally the pumpkin vines and explain that they grow like watermelon and squash. Sally eyed this one.

Nick found one he liked too. Derek and Sally took the wagon back for us. I think the pumpkins were $5 each.

I was glad to see another farm this summer. My mother in law gave us 2 of the bags of apples. They are a tarter apple and we are going to make a couple of desserts and some apple sauce with them. We’re hoping that Nick and Sally enjoy carving the pumpkins.

The Drive

Family No Responses »

Oct 022011

I’m home and plan to stay in Ohio for a while. Two days after I returned from Hawaii, I packed up the kids and headed on a 4 night adventure to Maryland and Delaware. I have lots to tell you about in the days to come.

In case you are wondering, that’s about 20 hours of driving with stops. I now know many episodes of Curious George, Sesame Street and Clifford by memory. All in all, the kids did great with all of the traveling.

We got a good rest stop routine down early. It including potty break, diaper changing, running around and dancing. We packed drinks and food so we wouldn’t have to wait in any lines. Many of the rest stops had family restrooms and they were ideal for one adult with two kids.

On the way home, I had a driver trying to get my attention. I couldn’t tell if he was ticked off at me or this red truck that was close by. When I pulled up to the toll booth, he was in the lane next to me. He yelled and I rolled down the window thinking that maybe something was awry with the car. He screamed at me to stop texting while driving.

I yelled back that I didn’t even have a phone. That wasn’t totally true as I had a phone in the car, but I certainly was not texting while I was driving with two kids in the car in the rain, etc. I like to see where I am going.

A few things got me thinking about texting as we drove. In Pennsylvania, there are signs at every rest area to stop texting while driving. In Maryland, it’s against the law to text while driving or use a hand held cell phone.

A few communities around us are enacting different ordiances. Many states have varying laws.

Baltimore’s new law went into effect yesterday.

I don’t have a problem with the laws, but I don’t think they really stop people. Soon, we are going to need no make up, food, singing, talking, etc. laws. I’m not sure where you draw the line.

Grandpa’s Here!

Family, Uncategorized 2 Responses »

Sep 182011

My father in law arrived from Delaware today. He’s in Ohio for the week to take care of the kids while I’m in Hawaii. Nick and Sally are super excited!

I wrote a few pages of notes. I stocked. I cooked. I cleaned. I got sick. Now, I’m scheduled to board a plane in 12 hours. Aloha!

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