Sowams Woods

Our last adventure of the week was to Sowams Woods. It was a scavenger's hunt organized by the library and the Barrington Land Conservation Fund. We did another scavenger's hunt with them during winter break, and that was fun (though Joan and I had to go sit in the car for the second half, she was too cold).

You might think, as we did, that Sowams Woods would be the woods behind Sowams School, or
at the very least in close proximity to Sowams Road. You would be wrong. It's actually on the other side of the river, close to the golf course. Even Josh didn't know it was there, and he has run or biked a lot of this town!

It was a good one hour walk. There were lots of families, though, and we were stuck in the back at first, so the kids couldn't hear anything, and Evan started getting bored. So I sent them to weave their way to the front, that helped a lot.

We learned the conservation of this particular area is focused on two vernal ponds that spring peepers, and other frogs and salamanders, call home. Actually, the pools are the breeding/nursery grounds, the woods around are the home. If the woods weren't there, the spring peepers and salamanders would be no more, even if the pools remained undisturbed.

So we have discovered another secret spot in our town. I guess we need to explore more!

Boston's Museum of Science

We spent as much time at the Museum of Science as we spent in the car to get there and get back (four hours), but it was so much fun! First up was the Mirror Maze (the real reason why we made the trek all the way to Boston). Granted, we've been to a better one in San Francisco, but the kids loved it either way (I guess kids are less picky when it comes to mirror mazes). And because it was early in the day, we didn't have to wait to get in, so we did it twice.

The second time Evan went on his own, and Joan and I went together. I caught this picture of Joan in her most favorite skirt she bought with her own money. It shimmers and shines, she likes to pretend she's like the disco ball at the party. And everybody, and I do mean EVERYBODY, compliments her on her skirt, so obviously, money well spent.

We then proceeded to explore the symmetry exhibits that accompany the maze, and then tried to do as many challenges as possible in the Hall of Human Life exhibit. Gotta love giving scientists free data! But hey, when they offered to tell us how high our foot arches are, how efficiently we walk, and how good we are at remembering faces, we were game!

There's so much to do here. We probably only saw a quarter of the exhibits. We also kept to exhibits we didn't visit last time we were there (a couple years ago). And it was, not surprisingly, very crowded. So there were lines for everything, and you had to move along quickly to let others explore too. I don't think it's ever not crowded, though, it's just such a great place. Here, they're exploring magnetism. 

And this was definitely one of my favorites: rainbow shadows. As you move, you move between colored lights projected on the wall , and you can get shadows different colors depending on where you are and if you're overlapping your shadow with someone else's. I love Evan's shadow in this picture!

We had lunch there, then got to visit the Discovery Center, an area for kids 0-8. That's the only place that's not crowded, because it has a very low maximum capacity. So you leave your number and they text you when there's room for more. And it is full of awesome stuff to explore. We're definitely going back there next time, because we were in there less than 30 minutes, as I wanted to leave early to avoid traffic (ha ha). Much there was left unexplored. We will definitely take on the drive again this summer!

A note on the drive. I always think the Maps estimate to Boston (or back) will be fairly accurate, but I also always forget that in the time it takes to get to I-93, everyone will come out to greet us there. It's really only supposed to take 1:10! Yet, more often than not, it's more like 2 hours. (Actually, there was the one time last week when it did indeed only take 1:30. That was a good day. Especially because I had to make it back in time to pick up the kids at the bus stop!)

 

 Maps said it would be 1:21 when we left the museum. It also didn't show any red sections, which I found suspicious. This is 20 minutes later...

On a funny note, here's a conversation on the way back from Boston, as I questioned aloud if I was in the right lane (I was):

Me: "Oh, shit"
Evan: ::whispers to Joan:: " She said 'oh, shit'"
Kids giggle, I apologize. 
Evan: " we don't mind if you say "oh, shit"..."
Joan: "...as long as you don't say it to us, which you would never do"
Evan, pondering: " I don't know why people start saying "oh, shit" instead of "dang it"..."
Me: "wait, this is the first time you hear ME saying "oh, shit". I think I deserve some credit for that"

Children's Museum

Wednesday's adventure took us to the Providence Children's Museum. We have a membership, so it was an obvious adventure to take. They also had a couple special shows scheduled for spring break, so the kids picked their favorite.

We were there right as it opened, which meant we got the very coveted free parking, and kids got a solid 30 minutes of play before it got crowded. The kids love climbing all over this giant blue lady chair, so that was the first stop. You always want to do that first, especially when crowds are guaranteed.

Then it was building time. first with actual bricks, then with Lego brinks.

And finally, the main event: Mad Science. It was a cool show, the kids were right at the front, and loved it. Lots of cool science experiments, and humor, as always necessary with kids shows. We spent three hours at the children's museum! It was very crowded, but it was totally worth it.

Coggeshall Farm

Spring Break is upon us! Sadly, spring itself refuses to completely arrive. With temperatures barely reaching the low 50s and two rainy days this week, it really doesn't feel like we're quite there yet. We had glorious 60 degrees on Saturday, but that was just tease, with a return to low 30s for Sunday, and even a quick spell of snowfall. But adventures lay ahead!

Since I haven't posted any of our adventures here for a long while, allow me to recount adventures of the past.

In September 2015 we had a great day at Coggeshall Farm Museum. This is working farm, where things are done as if it was the 18th century. The buildings are time period accurate, and staff wears traditional 18th century middle class farmers attire. They have chickens, goats, cows, sheep (which get sheared in late May), and a couple very friendly cats. They also have a heirloom garden, and they make their own maple syrup (they have maple sugaring programs, but we keep missing them).

On our first visit we showed up early for a special "help us start the day!" program, and it was very fun! We got to help carry water in from the well (ok, only Josh carried water, the rest of us carried empty buckets), and the kids got to feed the chickens. Oh yes, and pet the very friendly cats.

Two years ago, almost to the day, the kids and I visited again for an event. It was a lot busier, but not terribly. We got to attempt to spin wool (not the easiest skill to learn in 20 minutes!), and we got to try a special potato and apple pie (if you think that doesn't sound like a great combination, you'd be right, but it was a popular stable in the late 18th century, or so we were told). We also got to play a few games of The Graces, a 19th century game that was very popular with youngsters. I'd like to point out it was a beautiful, spring day. A good short sleeves, short pants, dress kinda day.

As it is two years later, it was time to revisit this wonderful place. Being Spring Break, it sounded like a good place to be. My mistake of believing library website (saying the farm was open on weekdays) over the actual farm site (saying it was only open weekends), turned out to be a wonderful stroke of luck. So yes, ok, we didn't get to see the reenactors and inside the main house (something Evan specially was not happy about), but we got there just a someone on staff was doing a private walk-through with insurance people. She noticed us waiting for "opening time" (we were a few minutes early, or so we thought), and she told us we could walk right in and explore the grounds, no problem.

And so we did. We got the whole place to ourselves (minus the insurance people). And because that staff member was doing the tour, we got to see the chickens and turkey come out, and the big fat sheep, followed by the sweetest and jumpiest little baby sheep (you could see it appear over the stone fence in joyous jumps).

Evan got to pet a goat, caught off guard by the familiarity of said staff member. And the cats, oh, the cats. They are clearly missing the summer crowds, as they were walking with us, at the ready for a petting session.

We even got to rescue a couple of very fluffy sheep, who got trapped in the chicken coop after the wind closed the door behind them. I wish I had taking a picture, as they came out in full distress, charging out that door, just after I told Evan to move out of the way. Clearly, everyone's safety was my priority, but I assure you, there's footage in my mind. What can I say, sheep look funny when distressed!

After our last visit two years ago, we loved that game of The Graces so much, we bought ourselves a pair. And the kids wanted to bring it to play there again. And we all played, and it was so fun.

The sun came out, and it actually felt warm. Mind you, not warm enough to lose the coats. As I mentioned before, spring refuses to fully arrive. But it was a nice morning adventure. The first of this spring break!

To work or not to work. That is the question...

Wow, can't believe it's been almost five years since I brought myself  to this place. Honestly, I could have come back a couple of years ago, with both kids at school. What can I say, life has been a bit off-track for me.

So I bring you what I hope to be the first of many future entries. I hope to get back in the habit of sharing a bit of our lives with you. I've decided to keep it more real, and post more than just the happy stuff and pretty pictures. So in that spirit, I bring you my current conundrum:

To work or not to work? That is the question indeed.

The past two summers I've worked on weekends to help with the bills. Which worked well for us before, but eventually we get tired of the split schedules and loss of family time. So I started looking for alternatives. As a way to gain perspective and experience, I started volunteering at a zoo. It's a hard, labor intensive job, but it's so much fun! A quick primer: elephants and bears are awesome (in the full definition of the word), but you can't approach them without a zoo keeper. Otters are funny, but they will bite your fingers off, so stay away. Coyotes are hyper, Beavers are the best begrudging cuddlers (they will only put up with it if you have food).

Last spring, in a quest to change my work situation and get paid to do something more enjoyable that mixing paint at Lowes, I applied to a bunch of seasonal summer jobs, some specifically with birds, with the hope they would pay enough to cover daycare for the kids during summer vacation and maybe a bit extra for the bills, and give me a more recent and satisfying work experience related to my field. Well, that was a bust. I got one interview, but no dice. Not a mood booster either.

We decided to weather the summer with my weekend job, and try to find something else after summer break. And so it happened that after summer, a position became available at the zoo. What a wonderful stroke of luck! Josh and I were talking about me quitting Lowes as it was. After year and a half of no weekend family time, it was really taking a toll on us. So I applied to the zoo, and quit Lowes. Just like that, a leap of faith, no plan B. I did get an interview for the zoo, but things didn't work out, and I didn't get the job.  I was very shaken by the turn of events, and it's been a process to mend my battered self esteem. Suffice it to say it's out of the hospital, but still recovering (this is a metaphor, no actual hospitals were involved).

In such a state I proceeded to scour the internet for job opportunities. I found the same seasonal positions I applied to last year, plus some new permanent positions, and I applied to all. I'm sure you can guess how that went. One interview, no dice. I even went back to Lowes to see if they had something available or if I could have my job back. I got an interview for a position there, but I can tell you I never had a chance. The person who got it has been there far longer, and is, indeed, better qualified for it.

So now it is April. We have a 10 day vacation next month, and school is out one month after that. Time is running out to get something in place before summer. Here's another thing: summer camps are expensive. And they charge by the week! You'd think you're sending them to a NASA space camp (is that a thing?). So if you go right back to work after you have kids, and you know what your schedule will be like, you prepare. You have the cost of summer camps/daycare figured out into your budget. Or, even better, you have family near to help out with the kids. Well, we have neither. And although yes, we absolutely need the paycheck, if I were to get a job right now, it would be a starting position, so likely not terribly well paid, and all of the money would go to summer camp. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely some jobs I would take the trade off for (zoo, for example), but there's not many such open positions around here.

The problem when you stay home with the kids since they are born is that change is hard. We spend summer together, that's what we do. Though nowadays they really don't need me that much. Most of the time I supervise from inside and they invent games to play outside, with a few adventure outings here and there. But this summer, if I decide to not get a job for now, I won't be working weekends. That opens a whole lot of possibilities for family adventures we haven't had in two summers! We could actually go camping! The last two times we planned for it and I got time off work, it rained. So my kids haven't done any camping with their nature lover parents. The shame! (We are camping during our 10 day vacation, figures we need to go to California to actually get it done!)

And so it goes, round and round in my head. But it would be a great summer! But you should get a job... But we could plan so many adventures! But we need the paycheck... But...!

Ultimately, I'm a firm believer that things will happen when they must. So for now, I'm painting the dining room and living room, and then I'll paint the closet that drives me nuts. Then maybe our bedroom, or the bathroom. One perk of having worked at Lowes is that I already have paint for all of it! So I will focus on painting, apply to any dream job status jobs that may pop up, and see what happens. Something's gotta give, right? In the meantime, I paint. And blog.