Tag: kiddo

Even bigger foosh.

On By HanneIn Thursday Thrills1 Comment

Poor kiddo – Mind. Blown.

I don’t think he knew what to expect when I announced an extra-special adventure to the aquarium, but photo 5from the moment we got out of the car (two blocks away), he was humming with excitement. The old water front trolly tracks are still in place, despite the fact that the trolly no longer runs, nor is the track complete. But for Evan, it’s a chance to see some real train tracks up close. We walked along the tracks, stood on them, jumped off them, touched them, etc. I kept trying to encourage him to move along, but the tracks themselves were worthy of an adventure.

It was pretty cute to see his Thomas the train boots on the tracks, and he kept talking about choo-choos and tracks and more choo-choos and choo-choo boots, etc. Having a short section of tracks would be an amazing addition to parks. Kids like Evan would love to climb on them, or bring some toy trains to play with.

photo 1From there we crossed the street, and he attached himself to the fence to look out over the water, looking for fish. I kept telling him that we were going to go seefish, but he was very concerned about trying to find them in the (super nasty) water right off the pier. We watched a ferry come inand some seagulls fly above and eventually I convinced him that there was more to the adventure beside the trolly tracks and the water down below. It was sad to see the garbage floating just off the pier. It was a good chance to talk about how we throw trash in the garbage and not on the ground. #teachablemoment.

Finally convinced that there was more to see we headed to the aquarium. He was happy to stand in line photo 2with me until he caught sight of the massive wall tank that you first encounter after the ticket counter. He was ready to run overand I had to remind him a few times as he edged away, that he needed to wait for me. Once we were in, he ran to the tank and sat down with the rest of the kids. Aquarium staff was giving a presentation about the tank, though he wasn’t paying attention. When they were done, he slowly walked up and down along the tank, looking at all the fish and watching the diver feed them (“Foosh eat! Eat all!”) He was focused on a fish toward the bottom of the tank when the diver swam down to wave at him. He turned back with wide eyes and then returned focus to the diver, jumping up and down and waving until he turned suddenly shy and ran back to sit with me and wave from afar. Moving on, Evan ran to each and every tank with the same sense of excitement, yet with a determination. Looking at these fish was his job for the dayand he took it very seriously.

A couple tanks had simulated wavesand that seemed to bother him. We went to the touch tank where he seemed more interested in just putting his fingers in the water rather than actually touching the sea creatures. 

photo 3My favorite part is the Octopus tank.

My last visit to the aquarium I learned that they catch and release each Octopus that is on display, keeping them only a few months before returning them to the ocean and finding a new one. While being captured and brought to a small tank must be terrifying, it’s nice to know that they can return to a normal life. Today’s guest was on his first day in the display and was rather active as he explored his new (temporary home). Evan was unsure about this large creature and preferred to watch from afar. I did let him pick a postcard in the gift shopand he chose the octopus and requested to bring it to his crib for naptime later in the afternoon – so clearly it wasn’t that scary.

Surprisingly enough, the harbor seals, sea lions and sea otters were of little interest. While they’ve recently updated the harbor seal enclosure, the rest of them are seriously lacking.

By the end of the trip, it was clear that his poor brain was working over-time. Lunch was quiet and then we played for awhile, but when it came time fornap, he was rather emotional about cleaning up. It took a little gentle convincing (and being allowed to take his postcard to nap)but he was soon tucked in his crib, his eyes closed before I left the room.

It’s so fun to experience these places again from a child’s perspective. A place like the zoo or aquarium, while they never grow old, your perspective changes and that bright-eyed innocence fades (but never quite goes away – I did spend 6 hours in the Chicago Aquarium during my 2010 visit and was probably just as mentally exhausted afterward).

Thursday Thrills: Big foosh.

On By HanneIn Thursday Thrills1 Comment

I always give Evan a choice of what kind of adventure – maybe a little bit of a guided choice if I have a photo 1particular errand to run, though he’s generally happy to help me with those as well. But today he made the decision long before I even asked him about an adventure. Two words. Big. Foosh (which sometimes sounds like woosh).

His interest of choice lately seems to be fish, so a favorite  place to visit has been the pet store.  He’s very serious as he talks about their eyesand how they swim (in the water, he likes to point out). He talks about them eating all their foodand we’re working on their colors. After visiting all the tanks, he always finds a few to return to before we go to visit the mice, gerbils, hamsters and rats. Bonus points if they have playful ferrets to watch.

He reminds me of myself as he wanders through the store, wanting to look at everything (and then returning to the fish for one last look). We often run into other little kids likely on the same adventure, but he’s rarely distracted from his routine (but doesn’t hesitate to tell other kids to be quiet if they aren’t using a respectable inside voice – and no running!). It’s these trips where I usually pick up some food for my own fish or a toy for Nellieand he’s happy to help, proudly carrying what I need and handing it to the cashier.

photo 4 I love watching the birds, the parakeets specifically, the most. There is always one that reminds me of Buddy and his happy little chirps.  You never realize how quiet a home is until you’ve had a bird and then lost him. Even with a dog to greet you at the door, it doesn’t make up for the loving and excited bird that’s happy to have you home.

The Interbay Petco seems to be the best place to visit. Located next to a smaller Whole Foods, the store is relatively new.  Unlike the one on 15th, it’s bright, clean, and the friendly staff seems to recognize the fact that they are a fun activity rather than just a shop.

Thursday Thrills

On By HanneIn History, Thursday Thrills2 Comments

One of my 30 before 30 items is to spend a day exploring a local (Washington) town I’ve never been too. But there are also many areas in and around Seattle that I’ve never really explored. After walking one kid to the bus stop earlier this week, the little guy I watch was pretty adamant about going buh-bye. It was a pretty nice morning, with quite a bit of blue sky which is always nice (and fairly infrequent at times) in a place like Seattle. So we loaded up and circled through our favorite Starbucks for a latte and specialty ice water (because water from a starbucks cup is ten times better than the water in your own water bottle when you’re two), and then head out. I was aimed for Fremont, a fun artsy area, when I decided to swing out toward Wallingford first. It’s a cute little neighborhood and while I’ve driven up and down N 45th St. more times that I can count, I’ve never been inside the Wallingford Center that advertises ‘Life’s Necessities & Little Luxuries’.

photo 4

An old school building from 1904, this places oozes charm before you even head inside. The kiddo was excited to go inside and look around. We were greeted with a big display of cupcakes at Trophy Cupcake. But before he could do more than point at all the nummies, he spotted a train table in the middle of the ‘hallway’ at the north end. The place was pretty empty at it was just opening, but after a looky–lou around, there are a lot of open spaces available for rent. I get the feeling that most people come here for specific reasons – the pharmacy, the old Tweedy & Popp hardware store, etc. – rather than just to browse. It’s too bad, really. I think they could do a lot with this building to build up visitors to the area. I still have yet to explore the other stores on the street (there is a fun sock shop, but they weren’t open yet).  The kiddo is pretty good about keeping his hands to himself as we looked through a couple of the shops and then headed outside.

photo 33We circled the building and spent some time watching a small fountain that had a pink carnation bud floating around. The water was icy-cold so it was easy to convince the kid to keep his fingers out. We then walked up the street a bit, but a majority of the shops don’t open until 11 (and we were about 20 minutes shy of open).  Overall, it’s a lovely little area. Some of the shops outside the center look a little run down, but certainly worth a revisit once everything is open. And we’ll certainly return for a tasty cupcake sooner rather than later. Trophy has converted a couple of the old classrooms into a fun seating area.

The top floor has been converted into studio apartments. Google doesn’t provide many images of the way it once was, but more than anything I’d love to see the way the studios are set up. A building like this is as close to ‘old history’ as we have in Seattle. #historynerdsunite

a time to be thankful…

On By HanneIn Health, Stress, UpdateLeave a comment

The past few months since I posted, I’ve really struggled with my health. While I didn’t do too bad on the antibiotics, it completely destroyed my immune system and I’ve been struggling with respiratory crap since July. I ended up back on antibiotics for 7 days earlier this month, and while I’m not coughing much anymore, I’m *still* congested. Ugh. Being sick pretty much for 5 months straight has left me feeling blah, uninspired and just… down.

imagesBut I also realized that while life has been a bitch for the second half of 2013, there are people out there that have it much, much worse. Sure I’ve been on some hard core meds over the course of those five months – but at least I can afford it (even if it pains me to pay for it). So over the past few weeks and over the course of the next few weeks until Christmas, I’m trying to focus on helping those that are having a hard time. And I’m having a good time doing it.

A week or so ago, I took my little buddy Evan for an ‘adventure’ (we go on ‘adventures’ rather than errands, because really… what sounds more fun?) to the grocery store to do a big shop for the Northwest Harvest food drive the radio was doing. We went up and down almost every aisle* looking for stuff on sale to maximize what I was spending and also for stuff a little different than the basic canned tuna, peanut butter, and pasta. I wish I had the link for a blog article I stumbled upon awhile back. Basically, a woman overheard a comment directed toward someone who was donating a couple jars of Greek olives, and something else considered ‘fancy’ and how the people at the food bank wouldn’t know what to do with those items. The woman writing the blog had been on assistance at one timeand while she wasn’t a chef, she could pull together some good meals out of various ingredients and *loved* to find different things at the food bank. Now she’s got a good job, writes a column, etc and likes to donate items that aren’t traditional to give a little variety.  So I tried to get a mix of basic items (because buying rice, pasta, etc. For me it was a trip to the grocery store. For Evan it was a chance to point out the things he knew, a chance to practice colors, and best of all (in his eyes) he got to put everything in the cart for me (he loves to be a helper).

Another way I’ve tried to boost the holiday cheer, is by getting a head start on my Christmas cards. Costco had a great deal on personalized cards, so I got a bunch and have been getting those started (big batch to go out this weekend). For those of you also doing Christmas cards, consider sending a card to a service member through Holiday mail for Heroes. The deadline is Dec. 6th, so if you’re lazing around this weekend with a belly full of Turkey, consider writing a few Christmas cards.

As most probably saw on FB, I didn’t get the grant that I applied for back in May. It’s not a surprise, but at the same time, it’s a big let down. I had big plans for that, and while not getting it this time around certainly won’t stop me, it’s put a big kink in my plans and it still hurts. I’m just going to take a little time over the holidays to not think about it (I’ve got enough going on already) and then time to dust off and keep moving forward.

Will try to keep this updated a bit more than once every 4 months.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

*My goal in life is to spell the word ‘aisle’ correct without having to let spell check fix it for me. Ugh.