Russian Saunas For Kids

Terry's best friend, Craig, spent several years in Russia working for the Peace Corps. When he would come back to the States to visit, he would talk about some of his cultural experiences, such as going to the sauna. Sitting in a sauna sounds pretty relaxing, but that's only the beginning. Then he and his colleagues would jump in the snow and after that people would hit them with switches. He told us it was therapeutic, but to me it sounded downright painful (not to mention a bit kinky.)
But maybe the architects that plan the recreational swimming pools have been studying in Russia, because every new swimming pool I take my boys to has a contraption that, in my opinion, similates a Russian sauna experience.
These "water playgrounds" pummel the kids with water. You would think kids wouldn't want water coming at them at fire-hose force, but that doesn't seem to be the case. My sons stand under a pipe that gushes water on them with smiles on their faces.
They can't get enough of the fountains, which is like being thrown under a water fall. And to complete the Russian sauna experience (albeit no switches, thank goodness,) the centers usually have a family hot tub, so my kids can go from cold water, to hot water, to cold again. After going through that cycle, they are as relaxed as noodles for a good part of the day. So maybe the Russians were on to something after all.

We're Back

Our family just can't get enough of Glenwood Springs. Get in that warm mineral water pool once, and your body begs for more. We planned a "last-weekend-before-school-starts" trip there.

My parents wanted in on the fun, so they joined us.

Keeping up with Ethan and James in the pool gave them quite a workout.
And what better way to end a day of swimming with two young boys than with a little vino on the patio of our hotel room while the boys watch Spongebob Squarepants. Salut Glenwood Springs!

Little Daredevils

James, Ethan and I picked up Terry from work yesterday evening. We were going to drop them off with a baby sitter and have a grownup dinner at Le Central--yeah!! I even wore heels. Terry works in downtown Denver. The first thing the boys did when we got to his office was scramble onto top of the credenza to take in the view from the 43rd floor. I would have done the same thing when I was a kid. Now, in my old age, getting so close to the window makes me a little queasy, so I stood at a safe distance away from the window to take this picture.

A Camping We Will Go

Our first family

camping trip was at the same

time dull and worthwhile.

Last weekend we dragged our nature-indifferent boys on their first camping trip to Chatfield Reservoir. Going camping there was basically like camping in the suburbs. It really is suited more for RV's than tents. Each site has full electrical hookup plus water. It wasn't exactly the full nature experience I would have preferred, but I figured we should introduce wilderness to our sons slowly. Going one night without a TV and sleeping in a tent would expose them to enough nature without putting them in shock.

In order to determine whether we'd go camping again, I have come up with a list of pros and cons of the experience.

Pro: Having running water at our site, plus a toilet and sink within easy walking distance.

Con: Paying $37/per night for this convienence.

Pro: Having a picnic lunch in the shade of the site's sole pine tree.

Con: Baking in the 95 degree heat. What grass that was left on our site was painful to walk on.

Pro: Going to the reservoir's beach to swim. I loved watching Ethan run so fast through the shallow water that he looked like he was hydroplaning. James had a marvelous time scooping up sand into little hills.

Con: Trying not to step on the numerous piles of goose poop all over the beach. I almost fainted when James came close to scooping a pile up with his shovel.

Pro: Eating a smore for the first time in God knows how long.

Con: Dealing with Ethan's impatience at how long it takes to cook dinner over a fire.

Pro: Having nothing better to do but sip a beer and watch the sun set.

The pro's edged out the con's by one. It's safe to say we'll give camping a shot again ... next summer.

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Summer Fun

Do you have a place you take your kids to every summer? A place that gives you that good ol' summertime feeling? For me, it's Roosevelt Activity Pool in Longmont. After searching long and wide for a pool I can take take my toddlers to by myself, with very little worries of one of them drowning while I'm caring to the other, I came across this pool through a mom's group I belonged to.
Even though it is a 30-minute drive from my house, it makes total sense to go there. Why?

1. It's cheap. It only costs $8 for all three of us to swim for the day.

2. It's small and enclosed. The pool only goes to a depth of 2 ft. 8 in., so no worries of my older son wandering off and drowning while I attend to the other one. Plus it's fenced in, with only one opening to the parking lot, so I can sit in the shade and keep an eye on both my boys while they explore the place.

3. It's got some great water features, like some fountains to run through and a pole with buckets attached that randomly dump water on unsuspecting victims--kids love that!

James enjoys a snack at the pool.

With temperatures reaching the mid-90's throughout the summer in Colorado, parks are useless. What's the point of going to a place where your child will burn themselves going down the slide? This pool gives my boys the chance to get their energy out without hurting themselves, which makes summer fun for all of us.

Surf's Up In Colorado

We spent last Sunday morning at Boulder Reservoir, which has a large sandy swim beach. Reservoirs like these are the closest thing we Coloradans can get to a day at the beach. Water, sun and sand make it almost like the real thing. Except, if you look closely at the beach, you see there's only a veneer of sand over top of mud.

Not that our boys minded--the mud was the best part. Making mud pies and squishing their toes in the ooze kept them busy for a full hour.

They also loved splashing in the dank-smelling, alge-filled pools along the shore. At least while they were having all that dirty fun, I got to lay back on my towel, feel the sun on my face, and dream about a real beach vacation--Thailand, perhaps?

Practicing Driving

Ethan went to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese this weekend and played this driving video game. He was having so much fun, I didn't have the heart to tell him not to push the gas and brake pedal at the same time.

Dinosaur Ridge

Yesterday, I decided to exploit Ethan's love for dinosaurs to get some fresh air and Colorado scenery. About 20 miles west of Denver is Dinosaur Ridge, a mountain in which lots of dinosaur fossils were found, including Stegasauros and Allosaurus fossils. A non-profit group maintains the area, which includes a gift shop and visitor center and a road along the mountain with signs pointing to some of the areas unique finds, including dinosaur tracks.

This sign describes how the Allosaurus died.

When we got to the visitor center, Ethan was anxious to see some meat-eating dinosaurs. It didn't disapoint: there was a block of stone with the backbone of an Allosaurus embedded in it. I was hoping for a walking trail next to the visitor center, but the guide in the gift shop said you have to drive along the mountain road, and along the way there are signs pointing to various dinosaur fossils. Not very kid friendly, I think. In the meantime, Ethan and James were ogling some plastic dinosaurs. I ended up getting Ethan a T-Rex and James an Iguanadon, which turned the free visit into a $20 visit.

Ethan and James play with their new toys outside the gift shop.

After the boys played with the dinosaurs on the picnic tables outside the gift shop, I coaxed them into the car and we headed up the road. I was hoping for good pull-off areas along the two-lane road, but there weren't any until you got to the top of the mountain. We got out and walked around. There were no dinosaur fossils, but a great view of surrounding mountains.

Ethan's favorite part of the visit: the gift shop.

My favorite part of the visit: the view.

Then, heading down the mountain I saw a sign for the Stegasaurus lot, and made a sharp right turn into the parking lot. It wasn't until I got the kids out and we walked around that I realized that this was just a park-and-ride lot for the public bus. I guess I should have read the tour guide map I got at the gift shop more closely.

All in all, not the best toddler-friendly excursion, but still fun and scenic nontheless.

Thank You Bob Ross

There's nothing like a screaming child to get you into action. On Saturday morning, I was slowly moving around the house, doing my best to clean it. Then Ethan starts crying like wounded animal. I run down the stairs, my heart beating. "What happened?" I asked Terry. "Channel 6 (PBS) isn't playing Bob Ross' 'Joy of Painting' this morning," he said. "Oh God," I replied.

Bob Ross is Ethan's new infatuation. This year he got into coloring and drawing, and will spend hours drawing pictures of rainbows and dinosaurs. One Saturday morning he happened to see Bob Ross's show, and just fell in love with it. "Bob Ross is the best painter in the world," Ethan often tells us.

I checked PBS's web site, and my fears were confirmed. The station is doing yet another fund raiser, and is taking programs off that people want to watch to put pledge programming on, like "Dr. Wayne Dyer: The Power of Intention." The station won't play Bob Ross on Saturday morning until June 21. In its place it's playing back-to-back episodes of "Sewing With Nancy." "I hate that clothes-making guy!" Ethan bawled.

No worries. The library has plenty of Bob Ross DVD's you can borrow. Terry and I hatched a plan--we'll ride our bikes on our suburb's trail system to a new park. Then I'll keep riding on the trail to the library, and Terry will hang out with the kids. It turned out to be one of those family outings where everyone benefits: Terry and I get some exercise; the boys get to check out a new park; and I get some much-needed downtime under the guise of fulfilling my son's Bob Ross fix.

Everything worked according to plan. The boys had a great time at the park, and I fell in love with riding a bike again. I got the video, and then we returned home.

On the way back, I noticed Ethan's knees were practically hitting the handlbars. We got the bike for him when he was four, and he hasn't shown much interest in riding it until now. Figures he's outgrown it.

So this morning I perused Craig's List for a used kid's bike, and I hit the jackpot. A guy in a neighboring suburb is selling a never-used bike for $35. We frantically emailed him and he called us back and said the bike is ours.

Now I have visions Terry and I teaching Ethan how to ride his new bike without training wheels and all of us hitting the trails on our bikes, with Terry towing James in the bike trailer. I'm sure it won't work out that way--Ethan will hate his new bike, James won't want to sit in the trailer, etc. But along the way, we'll find a way to turn those lemons into lemonade.