Letting go of the little things

Sometimes I make a suggestion to one of the girls and it leads to an argument, which often times has nothing to do with the original suggestion. A few times recently we've had words over the smallest things (hello puberty) so I have found myself choosing to keep my mouth shut and let some stuff go.

But in the spirit of full disclosure, sometimes it isn't worth the argument because the girls go out of their way to prove me wrong. I think that falls under the heading of "life purpose" at our house lately.

For instance there is L. and her stuffed animal (mostly WebKinz) fetish. She has to have a synthetic stuffed friend everywhere we go, even when it will be a hindrance - like hiking the Appalachian Trail to the Bald Pate Lean-to (with Table Rock detour) we visited last weekend. I would not recommend hiking up a very large mountain (6 miles round trip with a 1,700-foot elevation gain) carrying a stuffed animal in your hand but L. has proven it is possible. She also took the time after this particular hike to let me know how much her stuffed animal "loved it."

And G., who always has to wear soft and comfortable clothes, is in a fleece skirt phase (one that's going on its third year). Again, I would not recommend hiking very large mountains in a fleece skirt in the summer (or wearing any kind of fleece in 80+ degree weather). But G. has proven that it is possible to be both comfortable and competent hiking a mountain in a skirt. (Note to moms of kids with sensory integration issues: Clothing choices can make interesting fashion statements in the tween years.)

And to share a "tip" from L., who proved her dad wrong recently when he strongly suggested she wear lightweight pants on a hiking trail to keep from getting bug bites (and ticks), that wearing capris tucked in to knee socks is the only way to go.

"I wore my capris so if I got hot I could roll them up and roll my knee socks down. But if the bugs got crazy I could cover my legs up quick."

On that trail L. was quite a fashion statement but I can't fault the practical application. She managed to avoid poison ivy at Blueberry Mountain and I did not.

OK, so Fino suggested I wear pants on that trail too but I blew him off. I guess I have some life purpose left in me too when it comes to my spouse.

Almeida fashion

And no outdoor adventure is complete without one of L.'s friends.

A hot and sweaty L. at the Bald Pate Lean-to on the AT with 'Hiking Kitty.'

New goals for kids (and mom)

Being 10- and 12-years old and having several years of hiking under their belts, the girls have been ready for more challenging adventures. Last year we hiked to Table Rock (about 1/3 of the way up Bald Pate) and The Eyebrow (about 1/4 of the way up Old Speck) in Grafton Notch State Park. Table Rock was on the Appalachian Trail and that was a goal last summer, to hike a piece of that trail in Maine. After seeing the view from Table Rock, the girls decided it would be cool to hike the trail across the notch the following week. We braved the Eyebrow Trail and the girls decided that trails with bars, metal wires and open rock faces weren't really their cup of tea.

But they did it and I was darn proud of them.

So now that the thunderstorms have taken a vacation (hopefully for a long while!), we're on to our fall agenda -- hiking to mountain summmits.

Our goal is to hike to summits higher than 1,500 feet around Maine over the next couple of years. Part of our plan is to take a photo on the summit of each one (like the "real hikers" do). We've been thinking about the idea for a while and our hikes to the top of the South Bubble and Gorham Mountain in Acadia earlier this spring cinched the idea that this was the year to go for it.

A friend recommended Blueberry Mountain in the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness north of Fryeburg and we decided that should be next on our list so we could visit in August during blueberry season.

It was a challenging 4 1/2-mile hike with a 1,300' elevation gain that was made more interesting because we could pick (and eat) blueberries along the way. We ate a ton (we've never been good at collecting and saving for later). We were also rewarded with a stop at Rattlesnake Pool near the end of the hike. We could have looped the mountain trails with this as a first stop (there's minimal elevation gain so an easy hike for younger kids to this spot on the Stone House Trail) but decided it was better left to the end as something to look forward to. The natural pool was an amazing site and a perfect place to cool our tired hiking feet.

So our plan for summit shots is now officially underway and the girls have already met their first challenge of a 1,751' summit.

There is a secondary reason for this new family goal however, to help me handle my daughters' move from their tween to teen years. Some days it makes me sad to think how much my babies have grown. And truth be told, I simply haven't felt ready for the jump to the new phase of teenager-hood. But now I feel like I have something to look forward to beyond the mood swings and overall insanity that come with raising teens.

And the girls, well, hopefully they'll keep up with their current MO of talking about everything under the sun while we're out on the trail.

The natural world really does have so many interesting layers.

We're keeping track of our summit shots, which start in 2003 with smaller mountains, on MaineOutdoorJournal.com

[L. carried the GPS unit on her backpack during the hike so we uploaded a track of the trail in case you're interested in giving it a whirl with your tweens/teens.]

Blueberry Ridge Trail at EveryTrailMap created by EveryTrail:GPS Geotagging

Meeting up with an old friend

I ran in to an old friend this past weekend while hiking Blueberry Mountain in Gilead (just north of Fryeburg) with Fino and the kids.

Being the thoughtful individual that he is, he introduced me to some new friends and I am very much enjoying the company of these acquaintances today.

Yup, me and poison ivy have been catching up on old times since yesterday, when the rash that I thought was merely a bunch of bug bites broke out all over my legs.

I'm usually more aware of my friend's kiss of affection and wipe away the traces immediately upon seeing him but I missed his greeting this time.

Oh well, at least he didn't introduce himself to anyone else in the family (this time).

Disc golf is fun outdoor game for kids

The girls caught a discus event while watching the Olympics and that led to questions about what it was and how it was done. I threw the discus in high school so I knew the basics (but was never any good at it though) and after some explanation the girls got to talking about how long it's been since we played disc golf (my kids - like most - make interesting leaps in conversations).

So off to the disc golf course we went this past weekend to play a round at Enmen Field in Brunswick.

Since it's been a long time since we've played "The Beauty" course in Brunswick, we had a hard time tracking down the holes in order. I really wished I had printed a map of the course at home because they didn't have maps at the clubhouse when I asked for one. That's not unusual at the disc golf courses we've visited previously though. The sport is casual enough that most players don't mind a few strays wondering on to a hole out of order (but I'm also mindful of my kids as it is mostly childless adults on the course) because the clubhouse didn't have any maps for newbies that day.

Stray is a good word to describe us - from following the holes to throwing the discs. But that does not stop us from having fun.

We have our own discs -- which are heavier than frisbees -- but I have no idea if they're putters or drivers (yeah, there are all kinds of discs and it's not unusual to see someone carrying a bag to play the different ones on the course) -- and take a bit of getting used to if all you've ever thrown is frisbees. But like frisbees, a quick flick of the wrist can make the disc soar.

But you don't have to have your own discs to play; every course we've been to offers rentals.

We've played disc golf in every season and winter is actually a fun time to play, although I wouldn't recommend doing it on cross country skis. Everyone in the family now has snowshoes so it's on our list of things to do when the snow starts flying.

Our winter adventure More about that adventure

Usually we play on a course in Gorham because it's closer to where we live but it was fun to revisit the Brunswick course after so many years. The girls were only 6- and 8-years old the first time I took them to Enman Field and I can't believe how much they have grown.

Our first trip More about how to play the game

At that time L. spent most of her time on the course collecting sticks for a fairy house (and looked like a little old lady carrying around her bag) and trying to get her disc "in jail" (her nickname for the cages). G. spent a lot of time hitting trees with her disc and all of us had to retrieve our discs from streams and bushes.

G. - and the rest of us - still hit trees and dig out discs from off-course landings and L. still calls the cages "jail" so not much has changed in that regard. But during our latest visit we made it through almost the entire course (we did 17 holes and couldn't seem to locate the 18th), something we haven't done previously. And we still don't bother to keep a formal score card (they always seem to have those at the clubhouse) as we still can't make anything less than 5 par even on the short distance holes.

The score I like to keep notes how long we spent laughing and having fun. That's the only thing that really matters anyhow I think.

This time it was a hole-in-one kinda morning for all of us.

Our latest day on the course

There are a lot of disc golf courses in Maine so check one out near you. A map of courses in Maine

The Pouch: tools of the motherhood trade

I have a small bag I carry in my backpack (I've never been a pocketbook kinda gal) for "emergencies."

It's full of random stuff, including some first aid kit type things, that have often helped me "fix "something for the kids while we were out and about during our every day life (not to be confused with our hiking first aid kit, which is a whole lot more comprehensive in the first aid department and a totally different story).

These are the tools of my trade as a mother.

The keeper of the peace.

The insurance policy.

The lifeline to sanity via a 7" by 4" zipper bag (with carrying strap).

"The Pouch" is also an evolving thing. Items are swapped in and out for the crisis triggers that change as my daughters grow.

And the truth is, I've used nearly every single item in The Pouch in the last year.

The needle from the sewing kit to pick out a splinter in the McDonald's parking lot that had to be taken care of at that exact moment.

The scissors to open a new toy in the car with so much plastic packaging it took nearly an entire trash bag to dispose of when we got home.

The band aids and antibiotic cream for the tiny, minuscule cuts the girls get that require attention immediately. (And I've learned to pack a few different styles and sizes because not just any band aid will do.)

The gum that helps calm my girls down when they get anxious. And for when the bigger accidents (like the trip to the ER for an x-ray last year) that require chewing to keep mouths busy while mom deals with the situation.

The tweezers for the ticks we seem to pick up walking around in random places - like from the library to the car in the parking lot.

The measuring tape to find a certain size picture frame while we are at a second-hand store and the selection and prices are amazingly good that day.

The little white eyeglass screwdriver that not only fixes G.'s glasses but help a co-worker fix at clock at the office.

The emery board and nail clippers for the hang nail that someone in the car has to dwell on at the start of an hour-long car ride.

The paper clips and safety pins because honest to pete I've found 1,001 different ways to fix something with those.

The hair elastics for the last minute pony tails that are needed when the wind kicks up and someone wore their hair down that day.

The pair of underwear and pad (not pictured) that have recently been added to The Pouch and saved the day (and much embarrassment) for the girls' friend who came on an adventure with us recently.

And the old expired BJs card because it earned its place after that day at the river.

Rt.26 has lots o' family-friendly stuff to do

We really enjoy traveling on Route 26 so when Fino suggested combining a yard sale expedition with a trip to the Perham quarries in Oxford County, everyone in the family gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to go.

It was only last year that we discovered how many family-friendly activity options were along Route 26 from Gray to Newry (and probably beyond but we've only made it to Newry so far).

Between Gray and Poland there's the Maine Wildlife Park, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Range Pond and Poland Springs Preservation Park (we enjoyed the trails there last fall). Then there's the Oxford Plains Speedway and Perham's, which is a neat store where you can also pick up a map to get to their public quarries. There's more to do and see so check out more of Route 26 sites for the rest.

During this trip to Oxford county, we found quite a few yard sales and scored two new pairs of snowshoes (they were good quality and inexpensive - no more mishaps for me this coming winter/spring) along with several book sales that had titles we were looking for, including a 1970s 'How to Snowshoe' book I had to pick up just for fun.

We were so distracted by the yard sales though, we didn't get to Perham's to pick up their quarry map (they have three quarries open to the public) until after lunchtime.

With the daily thunderstorms these past few weeks, Fino and I consulted the quarry map and decided the short hike to Waisanen Quarry was a good choice for us. We figured that the 1/4 mile hike would get us back to the car quickly if a storm started to roll in during the afternoon.

The hike was easy and we were pleasantly surprised to find several wooden screens at the quarry. There were coarse and fine screens (which was even better and more unexpected to have both choices) and the kids got to digging and sifting right away. They rinsed the screens in the nearby pond and we did some reminiscing about our trip to the Western Maine Mineral Adventures with their 4-H group last summer.

We found lots of mica and feldspar, which was what this quarry was known for, as well as some clear, black and milky quartz. We didn't have any spectacular finds at the quarry and L. declared that she liked Mt. Apatite better because she thinks the purple apatite rocks she has found there are prettier. But that was OK. We enjoyed our time out in the quarry and took some time to check out the old mining relics parked nearby before we headed back to the car (which was cut a bit short as a thunderstorm started rolling in).

Do you have a favorite stop along Route 26? If you do, we'd love to hear about it because we hope to make a return to this stretch of road in a few weeks to hike at Grafton Notch State Park again. We don't mind hiking in the rain but the thunderstorms have really put a damper on our outdoors adventures this past month.

We're looking forward to getting back to the trails when this weather breaks, which should be soon. Well, it has to right?

The kids love Fuwa

The enthusiasm for the Olympics is in full swing at our house.

It started last week when the girls learned about the official mascots of this year's games at their friend's house last week.

Fuwa.

Each Fuwa represents one of the five Olympic rings and incorporates the most popular animals in China (complete with nicknames) - Fish (Beibei), Panda (Jingjing), Tibetan Antelope (Yingying), Swallow (Nini) and the Olympic Flame (Huanhuan).

Their names - Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni - mean:

"Welcome to Beijing"

My kids think they are pretty slick in knowing how to say Welcome to Beijing in Chinese.

I think it's a clever way to introduce children to the Olympics - and much more interesting than some of the previous Olympic mascots (like the live raccoon Lake Placid mascot that died before the games began). And in case you were wondering, Canada has already released their mascots for the winter games in Vancouver in 2010. I couldn't help but smile after meeting Quatchi - "a young sasquatch who comes from the mysterious forests of Canada."

Not as clever as Fuwa but definitely offers some entertainment value for adults as well as kids.

If your kids are enjoying the current Olympic games (or you want them to get interested in them), here are a few resources to learn more about the Fuwa:

Fuwa on Beijing 2008 This is the official website for the Beijing games and has the full explanation about the Fuwa.

Coloring book pages of Fuwa (about 1/2 way down the page)

The Wikipedia version of Fuwa also includes a bit more history about the unfortunate first naming of the mascots along with some parodies, superstitions and conspiracy theories (less we forget that kid-oriented stuff is not immune to that kind of thing either).

And if you're kids enjoy Anime-type cartoons (and don't mind that they're in another language as my Anime fans don't care so much about that) here's a sampling of the Fuwa TV show that has been running in China for a couple of years. Apparently the Fuwa TV show was introduced on November 11, 2005, at an event marking the 1000th day before the opening of the games but L. has enjoyed 'discovering' this show on YouTube this weekend.

The introduction of Fuwa on Chinese television

A playlist of Fuwa TV shows on YouTube

Another river with speed demon - and no drama

Last Friday while it was thunderstorming in Maine, we were enjoying a sunny (albeit humid) day on the Merrimack River in Massachusetts.

It was our annual trip to the Treehouse (my mom and her fiance's boat). Last year the girls took turns driving the boat but this year, G. took a whirl with the skiff instead.

She was a bit of a speed demon zipping around the river (which is translating to the tractor as well in the backyard) and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

L. opted not to drive the skiff but what she did do that was just as noteworthy.

She went swimming in the river.

Yup, after some thinking on it (which included looking closely at the water for a while) she tested things out by wading in to her ankles. Within minutes of that, she was swimming underwater.

And we are happy to report that there were no sightings of leeches on this adventure! (And no photos either as I went swimming too in solidarity for putting that experience behind us.)

We celebrated L.'s milestone afterward with some Tootsie Rolls and a few rounds of Kings in the Corner back on the Treehouse with grandma.

Sunny days on the river are back (well, even if they are in a different state right now).

Free TV viewing online, why pay for new TV?

The kids are hooked on hulu.com.

It's a website that has an impressive list of TV shows you can view online at no cost. Now that the kids have 'discovered' it, they are hooked.

Every night after dinner I let the girls choose a movie to watch (their only TV time of the day) and lately they have chosen to watch two hours of the old Charlie's Angels episodes on hulu. And as much as I cringe at the adult themes that go on with that show, I think it's pretty tame in comparison to today's TV geared for their tween age group (well IMHO).

Before hulu, the kids were on a Netflix and YouTube movie kick. They enjoyed watching Anime movies on both sites as well as the random stuff Fino always seems to find. The three of them huddle around the computer every night and it sort of warms my heart to see their together time quite literally, in very close proximity.

It seems like eons ago that the kids went to our DVD cabinet to make their movie choices. The truth is, our TV has had very little 'on' time these days with only the occasional library movie rental or Netflix DVD.

Since we don't have cable, my family has not always had the variety of TV watching options that our friends did so we were often in the dark about the popular TV shows. And with the bunny ears going the way of the dinosaurs, my family thought we might have even less options for this kind of watching in a few short months.

But now, maybe not.

The question I often ponder now that sites like hulu are around, is why people are paying for cable when they can watch the same shows online? Granted computer screens aren't the same size as most living room TVs - that might take a little getting used to for some people. But for my family - one of a small number of cable-holdouts - now that we have free access to cable TV shows, watching them on our 16-inch computer monitor is an OK option.

I have thought for some time that all the hoopla about digital TV is smoke and mirrors. Instead of being worried about whether we're going to buy a special digital box for our ancient TV in the living room (ancient being purchased in the early 90s), and apply for the government 'coupon' to off-set that cost, I think the real investment for my family's viewing entertainment might simply be to purchase a larger computer monitor.

Maybe the government officials who set this February 17, 2009, deadline for digital TV know that computers will replace TVs in the near future (and they're trying to save those few manufacturing jobs still left in the US)? Or maybe it's just taking the rest of the American public a while to figure out it can (and likely will) happen a lot sooner than they think.

OK, I sound a bit like a conspiracy theorist, but I'm curious. What do you think about the cable vs. online TV/movie viewing options for you and your family?

Kid Tracks Column: Skin-crawling drama at the river

A biking trip to a favorite swimming hole was more eventful than I was prepared for as the lone adult with four kids in tow. The swimming part wasn't the problem. It was the run-in with leeches I could have done without.

The day started with a bike ride to the Saco River with my girls and two of their friends. It was a warm day so the plan was to swim once we got there.

Finding a place to park the bikes once we got to the river required a bit of maneuvering over some rocks and a walk on a trail through the woods but we found a nice spot for a dip in the river.

The girls decided once they were in the water that they wanted to swim to a little island just off the shore. It was about 50 yards away from the sandbar they were standing on and as close as it seemed, I wasn't sure if any of the girls would find the distance too tiring.

But I agreed ­ after much pleading on their part ­ that they could go with one condition. They had to swim with me two at a time since they didn't have any noodles or floats (no room on the bikes for that gear). I took my 10-year-old and her 9-year-old friend first. The girls swam the distance without a problem and climbed up on the island's rock with smiles on their faces. But as I turned back to get the other two girls, my 10-year-old started screaming.

"mommy, Mommy, MOMmy, MOOOOOMMY!!"

I asked her what was wrong and her friend said, "Oh gosh ... you got leeches."

So my 10-year-old did what a lot of kids would do. She started swiping at her skin, jumping around and screaming about getting them off.

I climbed up on the rock to check things out and her hysteria grew. I had to tell her to stay still so I could take a look and confirmed (silently) that yes, she had a bunch of tiny, squirming leeches attached to her.

I thought (again, silently), "Oooh, yuck-a-doo, but I'm the mommy so I canNOT freak out."

I tried to get a couple of leeches off with my fingernails but it wasn't working very well (probably the one and only time in my life I wished I had long nails). I told her we had to get back to shore where my first aid kit was.

As far as my 10-year-old was concerned, getting back in that river was unthinkable.

Yeah, I wasn't so keen on that either (I had several leeches on my own feet that I couldn't deal with at the time) but we had no choice.

So I sent my 9-year-old friend out first and asked my 12-year-old, who I knew was a solid swimmer, to meet and guide her back to shore while I carried my 10-year-old back into the water.

Once I got back to shore, which required me to swim while carrying a hysterical child, I had my hands full with her as well as the other three girls. The whole crew was jumping around in a building panic trying to figure out if they had leeches on their bodies too.

Then my 9-year-old friend exclaimed to my 10-year-old, "You have some on your back too!"

That made my her jump and swipe at her back even more enthusiastically while screaming "get them off, Off, OFF!"

I snapped at the other girls to check each other for leeches and pointed to a spot about 20 feet away where I wanted them to do that. I was trying to calm down the still hysterical child and did not want any help from the peanut gallery (although I did feel badly I was short with them and apologized later).

I sifted through my backpack looking for my first aid kit only to find that someone had removed it. (As of today, that "someone" in my family has yet to fess up.)

So I grabbed a plastic card from my wallet in hopes that I could scrape the leeches off. But the card was too thick and did not bend enough to fit between my 10-year-old's little toes (she had several leeches between each one). So after testing a handful of cards, I found my expired BJ's card had the most flexibility and worked best.

Now when I say that this kid had little leeches all over, I'm not exaggerating. The tiny suckers with their wiggling tales were all over her feet, legs and back. A conservative guess would be around 40, although I think there were more than that.

The worst clusters of the suckers were on her healing cuts, which is why I think they were attracted to her in the first place. The day before she had sliced her leg and a large cluster of leeches were camped out in that area so that's where I started my removal work. But as I scraped the little suckers off, her cut really opened up and blood started flowing down her leg, which got the other leeches wiggling their tails more enthusiastically. I wasn't sure if that meant they were digging in or not but it's not a sight I will forget anytime soon.

As I scraped, I explained to her and the other girls that leeches have been used for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. As you can imagine, the girls thought that bit of history would have been more interesting if they were not in the midst of a hands-on learning experience.

My 10-year-old's feet became full of sand during the removal process and she would not consider putting her feet back in the water to rinse off so I could see if I missed anything.

Oh no, there was no more walking anywhere near that water again.
So I called it quits for her and took a moment to scrape the little suckers off my own foot and the one my 11-year-old friend found on her back. The other two girls were completely clear (and I noted that neither of them had an open cut on their bodies either).

My 10-year-old had calmed down enough at that point to ask to go home. That's when we all realized that we had a bike ride ahead of us to get there.

The girls put on their clothes, shoes and bike helmets amidst their skin-crawling shutters. We made tracks away from the river (and over the rocks and through the woods) in record time. Although no one was interested in stopping for a water break on the way back, my 10-year-old did stop and pick up a dead butterfly she spotted on the side of the road. I took that as a good sign she wasn't fearful of all of nature's creatures.

I got my 10-year-old in the shower once we were home and tried to put salt between her toes to get rid of the remaining leeches there. The salt didn't seem to work (it probably would have but I think it just wasn't working fast enough for her) so I went back to scraping them off with the card.

Unfortunately, we found a missed leech in a particularly sensitive private area and since it had been attached for a while, it was full of blood and not easy to scrap off in that tender spot. She of course was mortified and then upset about the bleeding that happened after that leech was removed.

Later that night while we were snuggling on the couch, my daughter started experiencing the skin crawling feeling and asked me to check her body for leeches.
There weren't any left.

She woke up several times that night with dreams about "creepy crawling stuff" and had a hard time getting back to sleep.

The next day I asked her if she thought the leeches were worse than the time we were swarmed by yellow jackets (everyone in the family was stung multiple times and it was quite scary for all of us).

"No, the bees were worse."

OK, so there is hope we might go swimming again this summer.

But next time we're going to the lake.
 

 The group before we headed off to the river.

 

I will never look at wild rice the same way again.

The expired BJs card now has a permanent spot in to the family first aid kit.

Originally published in Raising Maine Magazine, August 2008