TUESDAY BLAHS LIST: Things to do in Vermont other than Ben & Jerry's

For those of you hitting the road this weekend (or this summer):
Here is a list of things to do in Vermont AND a list of things you should know before embarking on a long car ride- especially with young children (we live 8 hours from the grandparents so we know this stuff!).

1. North East Kingdom (Route 14 North from Montpelier)
This is our home, so I'm partial.  But many say it is the most beautiful part of Vermont...

Some towns to try:

On your way up, visit Hardwick.
eat at Connie's Kitchen for lunch or world famous cookies,
CLAIRE's for sophisticated farm to table, or Positive Pie for upscale pizza.
Take the time to browse in Galaxy Bookshop- a REAL independent bookstore!
http://www.galaxybookshop.com/
www.conskitchen.com/
clairesvt.com/
www.positivepie.com/

Greensboro.
Lake Caspian is beautiful- there is a beach and you can kayak all day around the lake
www.greensborovt.org/

Do not miss CIRCUS SMIRKUS- a circus performed by children.  It will knock you off your feet.
www.smirkus.org/
Jasper Hill makes some fine cheese and Hill Farmstead Brewery some equally fine beer.

Craftsbury- picturesque.
http://www.townofcraftsbury.com/
Special, not to be missed, Library plant sale in May and Antiques fair in July.  www.craftsburypubliclibrary.org/

Don't miss the Farmer's Market- 10am-1pm every Saturday.  The cheeses from Bonnieview Farm are melt in your mouth, the pies from Mother-Daughter Pies are sinful, and the veggies and plants from Wild Branch Valley Farm are delicious.
http://wildbranchbotanicals.com/index.php/about-us-menu

And stop into Pete's Greens.  He's become quite famous.  One taste of his veggies, and you'll know why.http://www.petesgreens.com/

Next, visit Mill Village Pottery for beautiful and functional pieces:
www.vermonttravelplanner.org/travelplanner/ItemDetail

Stop into the Art House for coffee and some beautiful local "artisanry".
www.vermontarthouse.com/

Then go to the Village Store and the General Store for homemade foods, great beers, and genuine smiles.
 Village store- 802-586-2554
craftsburygeneralstore.com

The Craftsbury Outdoor Center hosts world famous Nordic Skiiers.  In the summer, it has plenty to do as well!
www.craftsbury.com/
Lovely nurseries if you don't live too far away:
Stillmeadow Gardens
www.stuartlapointnursery.com/

In July and August, visit Brown's Beautiful Blueberries and get fat on delicious blueberries- prepare to have blue hands!
http://www.bbblueberries.com/

Glover/Barton:
Eat at Parker Pies (in the middle of nowhere but so worth the trip! amazing pizza and on tap selections)
parkerpie.com/

Then head over to Red Sky Trading:  wonderful antiques shop/eatery with adirondack chairs by the river and chickens.
www.redskytrading.com/

If you come in August, go to the Barton Fair- a wonderful, old fashioned country fair.

www.orleanscountyfair.net/

Lake Willoughby:
It's beautiful.  You can kayak, fish, canoe, and hike.
http://www.vermonter.com/nek/willoughby.asp

2.SOUTH:
Montshire Museum, King Arthur Flour & VINS
Stop at King Arthur for lunch between the two.
Montshire is an awesome hands-on museum for young and old, nestled among woods and trails.
www.montshire.org/
VINS (Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences) has a nature playground, many rescued birds of prey (our boys have fallen in love with the very vocal snowy owl), and lovely wooded walks.
www.vinsweb.org/
King Arthur Flour is delicious.
www.kingarthurflour.com/
(all are close together about an hour south of Montpelier- Quechee Gorge is a big tourist attraction- way too crowded- you will drive past it on your way to VINS- look out your window and you've seen it!)

3.WEST:
Burlington Waterfront:
-ECHO science center is fabulous with a touch tank, wilderness play area, and fossil dig.  Rumor has it, there are dinosaur bones visiting this summer!
www.echovermont.org/

-the waterfront is very pretty with a walk/bike path.  Take the time for a ride out onto Lake Champlain.  They have a nice lunch with wine, fruit and cheeses - or pizza.  Don't call it a ferry- they get a little offended.
http://lakechamplaincruises.com/?page_id=41

Stowe:  (ok, while this is touristy- it's not so bad in summer)
There is a walking trail for those who prefer not to hike vertically.
And you pass by many, many yummy restaurants for breaks.
For those up for a challenge, hike Stowe Pinnacle.  It is fantastic.  Bring your lunch and sit at the top for a panoramic view.
http://www.gostowe.com/thingstodo/sports/hiking

NOW, the hints:
Do bring wet wipes, more water than you think you'll need, snacks, fruit, veggies, and sandwiches, activity books for the children, and yes, gulp, a portable dvd player for emergencies (like being stuck on the NJ Turnpike for an hour).  Bring a diaper and/or a big mason jar - stuck in traffic plus little bladders...

Do not take 95.  Just don't do it.

Know the good rest stops: Welcome Center in CT is great (exit 2 heading north) as is Welcome Center in Vermont (5 minutes across the border).  Do not get off at the West Chester, NY airport stop- we made this mistake twice and still couldn't find a restroom!

leave early early early on saturday morning.  or late late late on friday night- do not get near the TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE anytime b/t 4pm and 6pm.

Get EZ Pass- really.  Just do it.

Don't buy gas in NJ- long long lines.

If you have to break up the trip, stop in Northhampton Mass overnight. 

Once you reach the Vermont border,  breathe deeply.  The smell of mountain pine and fresh air will remind you why you came.

HAPPY TUESDAY!

It Happens Every Year...

Nothing profound, nothing new- yet everything profound and everything new. 

As we spend our days outside from morning until night, surrounded by nature, I cannot help but notice the physical changes in us. My hands are still dirty after ten or twelve scrubbings. Blisters cover spots that have been wrapped around shovels and hoes, and rakes.  Mosquito and fly bites itch.  Dirt fills the children's nails and covers their little feet.

Every year, the trees transform from bare to green, the grass pokes through the brown, and the flowers return.  Every year, I am awed by these miracles.  Today, beans we planted as seeds have begun to sprout. The apple blossoms are full, and the lilacs will be open by week's end.  It all happens silently.

The animals have returned as well- far from silent:  loons calling, frogs peeping, birds chirping, hummingbirds buzzing past, chipmunks scolding.

As I become dirtier, my skin, tougher, I feel more a part of this natural world, not just physically, but emotionally, too.  I hear more and see more and feel more.  I hope my children are building and feeling that connection and that this will grow inside of them each and every year as they grow.

It is time the breathe deeply, to bask in the sun's warmth, and to play. outside.

HAPPY MONDAY!

FRIDAY FOOD: Smorgasboard!

In honor of Memorial Day coming up in less than a week, have a look at my Pinterest  Board and find a new recipe to try!

http://pinterest.com/acommoner/sustentance/

Let me know what you liked best.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

CRAFTY THURSDAY: Make a simple birthday gift

 Forget Me Nots from the garden, presented in a jam jar

If you have friends with birthdays in the spring and summer, nature is your best ally.  For in nature, you can find an amazing variety of presents to give ad things to do.  I am listing just a few ideas but would love to hear more from you!

Hand picked flowers.  Wild flowers are abundant and even some weeds are delicate and quite pretty.  Simply pick a bunch and arrange them in a tiny jar or bottle (we use jam jars and poke holes in their lids or pot them roots and all).  Tie a ribbon or twine around the jar with a little note.

Pansies and poetry.  my favorite flowers.  You can pick several, press them, and glue to handmade paper for a beautiful card or frame them with a handwritten poem you like. 

A picnic.  Pack a lunch and go out on a hike or just sit in your back yard together and enjoy a relaxing afternoon in nature.  Make up a little picnic basket as a present:
            Beautiful antique cutlery can be found at many shops for only a couple of dollars.  Use a pretty ribbon to tie sets together; napkins and placemats can be found at a dollar store; speckleware cups and plates are nicer than plastic; a basket can be bought at a thrift shop for next to nothing. Include a couple of mason jars for storing food or drink or other picnic items (wet wipes, bugspray)

A plant or flower.  Take one from your garden or along the road and plant it in a terra cotta pot.
An afternoon kayaking (or, if you don't live near water, going to a botanical garden).

Homemade preserves or pickles.  Simple but delicious.

An antique teacup and saucer filled with wax and flowers or lavender or other herb
(melt the wax and add the flowers.  Pour into teacup.  Don't forget to add a wick).

All of these ideas are very easy, and the ingredients can be collected throughout the year (except for the growing parts of course) so that you always have some on hand. They also make wonderful thank you gifts.

HAPPY THURSDAY!

Break the Rules

Hard at Play

On Monday night, we decided the boys would sleep in our room as their room had been transformed into a Playmobil kingdom which we didn't want to put away but couldn't let them sleep in their beds as they would break something during the night if they had to get up (I mean a bone, or something).

I asked them to pick out the books we were going to read.

Both boys staggered into our room, carrying at least 20 books each- I cold barely see their faces- and plopped them down on the bed before they scrambled in, under the covers.  Did I mention it was 40 degrees here today and dropped down in the 30s?

Knowing the hours it would take to eventually dismantle the kingdom the following day when they lost interest in it, and that the same amount of time to put back all the books, I looked into their excited faces and, somehow, bit my tongue after starting to nag them about tearing apart their bookshelves.  By the time I'd finished 6 books or so, it was 8 o'clock.   I finally came downstairs for a little time with my husband (they were still awake but in bed- or so I thought).

We decided to make chocolate chip cookies (ok, I guilted him away from his movie, b/c I wanted company and help- this was a powerful craving!).  I snuck back upstairs to check on the boys only to find our bedroom empty. Ever so quietly, I tiptoed to their bedroom door and heard them inside chattering to each other.  I figured they were playing Playmobil again.  This time, I didn't get mad at all.  I just smiled and turned around and returned downstairs.

Shortly thereafter, we heard the unmistakeable sound of two sets of feet coming down the stairs.  "I smell chocolate, Mama!" William said, an impish smile on his face.  Reilly nodded and said he thought we might be lonely down here.  It was past 9pm.
John and I hoisted them up on the table and gave them each a mini chocolate chip cookie.
Then we had a dance party.  All 4 of us.

Eventually, John was able to scoot them back upstairs, and they were out cold after 5 minutes.

How many rules were broken?  A lot.  Luckily, I was able to open my eyes enough (and shut my mouth's automatic responses of- "go to bed"- "it's past your bedtime"- "no chocolate at this hour"- "I told you to stay in bed") to allow for all of these moments to happen and to be a part of them.

What a magical night. 

What rules do you break with your family?

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

PS  Guess what?  When they had snuck into their bedroom, William told me that they were actually reading their pile of books to each other.