Discovering the George Bush Monument in Downtown Houston with Kids

While the George Bush Monument has been in Houston apparently for some time, we only discovered it last weekend. It's in downtown just north of Preston and the Preston Pedestrian Bridge. (If you read the Burp the Bayou post, this is a good activity to follow on that one since they're so close to each other.)

The monument itself is a bronze statue of President George Bush (#41) that's about 9 feet tall. He has a commanding presence, which is good because I think parents should encourage children to respect our U.S. presidents no matter what political affiliation they have... but I digress. There is a small water fountain behind the statue, which is what Kyster is looking at in the photo. There are also four plaques representing four different periods in President Bush's life, which gives parents and grandparents an opportunity to talk with their kids about history and government. As I've said before, I love to weave in educational moments when I can.

The view from the George Bush Monument is really pretty, too. This photo shows that even amongst downtown Houston, there is some green areas. And people say Houston isn't pretty. Well, I hope they add this monument to their things to see. :-)

This monument visit is easily done in 10-15 minutes but you can also enjoy the walk & bike ride trails along Buffalo Bayou, which is part of the view from the monument. I suggest heading south on the trail from the George Bush Monument though because going north on the trail gets a bit sketchy when you go under the overpasses & bridges. Sadly, we saw a few homeless people there and it scared Kyster. That's definitely another teaching moment but not one you have to tackle on a visit. The trail south is better groomed and green. I do recommend that. Maps are available online and all around the trail, too.

Until the next nap time...

Picnic in the Park: Saturday, April 26 11 am - 2pm

PICNIC IN THE PARK
Saturday, April 26

11 am – 2 pm
Police Memorial (north of Memorial Drive)
FREE

Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Houston Parks & Recreation Department invite Houstonians to celebrate the north bank completion of the Sabine to Montrose stretch of Buffalo Bayou Park - including a first-time connection from the Carruth Bridge to the Police Memorial site.

Join us for a day of free family fun!  We'll have outdoor lawn games including badminton, horseshoes and bocce ball.   Pack a picnic and bring a blanket.  There will also be food and drinks available for purchase and live entertainment throughout the afternoon.

Guests are encouraged to walk or bike the trails to the Police Memorial area.  Those driving are able to utilize the free parking at Lot H (Sabine Street exit off of Memorial Drive, before Houston Avenue). Click here for amap.

Until the next nap time...

Burp the Bayou

Many thanks to the friends and neighbors who came to tonight's Garden Oaks Civic Club meeting. As promised, I'll share photos of the activities that I discussed on our blog over the next few days.

Last weekend, we visited this activity because although it's been around for awhile, we'd never heard of it. Pique your kids interest by telling them you're going to "burp the bayou". First head downtown and park near Preston. Last Sunday, there was no street parking when we arrived so we paid $7 to park at the Downtown Aquarium (even though we didn't attend that). Then we walked east toward the Preston Street Pedestrian Bridge that goes over the bayou. I think it's neat to see the bayou from this angle. Ahead of you, you'll see very tall silver (probably steel) sculptures that are interesting in their own right. At the base of those sculptures are red brick bases as shown in the photo to the left. It's very non-descript... on purpose. There's no signage so of course your curiosity is piqued.

"Can I push it?" Kyster asked with a big smirk. You almost feel like you're getting away with something.

Go ahead. It's funny. You push the button and then look to your right/west toward the bayou. Large bubbles arise from the bayou! You can imagine the "BURP!" sound. Of course, kids think it's hilarious and despite my pushing for good manners, even I think it's funny. If you want to see this small yet humorous part of Houston, check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYRzPx8J6n4. It's a great YouTube video. I still think you can have fun as a parent or grandparent by building this up. You can ask your kids, "Do you know how to burp a baby? Well, do you know how to burp a bayou? Do you know what a bayou is? Would you like to burp our bayou?"

It's free, silly and something you can do when you have just 15 minutes of free time. If you have more time, you can enjoy the walk & bike trail along the bayou just off Preston, but I recommend journeying south of Preston. The trail north of Preston seems to get a bit sketchy with, sadly, homeless people that scared my daughter. It's a good teaching moment but I'm not sure it's one that you need to incorporate on this trip.

Until the next nap time...

What It's Like to Be a Big Sister

Ok so this is going to be about if you have a younger brother or sister. This will probably help  you through the days of  where there will be crying almost wherever you go, how I know all of this stuff and how you can trust me because I am only 9 years old. I don't like to lie to the world or just the people who are listening to me do this blog. I have a little brother who is only 1 year old so I can tell you all the things that you can do with a little brother. I'd guess that this would also be like having a little sister. I have two little girl cousins that feel like sisters to me. Their names are Claire and Camille. This is how you know you can trust me.

#1. I am going to tell you the things that are great about little brothers. When I come home from school and I get frustrated because I have so much homework (5-6 pages!), I put my head down and feel like I can't do it. But then, when I see my brother or I think about him happy and smiling, I feel like I can do it and that I can change my brother's life into a happy fairy tale. When he has homework in the future, I can help him on it or at least tutor him because I'm 8 years older than him. How that's easier for my parents is that I can check his work and for the tutoring part, I can tutor him on any day they'd like and it can be for free. When he is in PreK or the last grade of baby school, I'm going to teach him his colors, numbers, letters and what facial parts he has and all those things. I know I can do this right because I've done it on my cousin Claire before. She was almost in PreK and she came to me and said, "Kylie, I'm scared and I don't know anything about what I'm supposed to do at the big school. Can you help me?" I taught her addition and subtraction (I taught her what 4+4 is) and those kinds of addition problems. The best part about that was that when her face lit up with joy because I gave her her own learning book that I had when I was little but didn't use it.

These days I help Grady with reading even though he closes the book and gets out of my lap. But I still keep trying. After that, he usually wants to do music so I turn on his radio and we start getting his baby instruments, shaking them, laughing and making music. Then usually after that he wants to work on his muscles like he starts throwing balls. Then he usually goes in my room. I think "Oh no! I hope he doesn't go in my closet because he could get lost in it because it's so crowded."

Having a brother feels like nothing bad is in the world. It's not always good. Sometimes when I'm supposed to be watching him, I'm actually playing with him but couldn't get to him in time when he fell and blood was coming out of his mouth. He started crying with tears all down his face. So I picked him up and ran to the kitchen. Luckily, he didn't need stitches. It was just a little blood. It made me feel like he would never forgive me. Now that's why I always try to make the best of myself when my brother is around me so he doesn't make the same mistakes as I do. He's supposed to make his own mistakes. Don't start getting worried or crying with tears. Having a little brother when you first think about it is actually not going to be the best thing, you think. But then after awhile, when you guys start being closer and closer together, you feel like nothing will take you guys apart and that nothing can make one of you mad at each. You guys will always forgive and you guys can always remember that God is with you.

Please add your comments so I know what you think and what you'd like to know more about from a 9 year old Houston girl. Thanks.
--Kyster

What Happened to Your New Year's Resolution?

Busy. It's how every parent would explain their life. I know. Somehow my newborn turned one and my "Little K" is about to become my "Miss K" when she turns 9 in just a few weeks. In all of this, I haven't blogged. At all. However, I've realized how much I've missed the cathartic process of writing for me and the community aspect of sharing with other parents and grandparents. So, here goes another (albeit late) New Year's resolution.

We're going to change things up a bit on the Kids Activity Queen blog. Starting later this week, my (almost) 9-year-old will start blogging here in addition to me. My hope is that the blog will offer candid insight from a kids' perspective, not just a grown ups'. I hope you'll excuse the typos yet embrace the youngster who will be sharing her experiences growing up... as a big sister who is 8 years older than her only sibling, as an almost (cringe) preteen with the excitement & then pain of braces & of course all the outings/adventures/activities that we'll be exploring.

I welcome feedback & suggestions. I hope Miss K will too, although as I write this I realize she may decide to rename her pseudonym/blogger name. We'll see. I'll choose my battles as wisely as any type A, working mother can and hope that the rest will fall into place with a lot of time on my knees praying. I still think that's the best any of us can do. Do you agree?

Until the next time (not too long),
The Kids Activity Queen

FREE Wortham Tree Lighting Ceremony today from 11 am - 1 pm

Are the kids out of school today? In between cooking for Thanksgiving and keeping the kids out of trouble, you may be looking for a way to kick the holiday season into high gear.

Head to the 26th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at Wortham Theater Center. Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, and Houston First Corporation unite to host this holiday tradition on Wednesday, Nov. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Wortham Theater Center's Grand Foyer (501 Texas Street at Smith Street). Admission is free and open to the public. Costumed characters from Houston Ballet's The Nutcracker will be on hand to greet the public for the occasion, which has become a holiday tradition for many families. Local choirs and musical groups will perform at the event. Guests can enjoy holiday treats at the event. WHAT: 26th Annual Wortham Theater Center Tree Lighting Ceremony WHO: Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, and Houston First Corporation WHEN: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Wortham Theater Center Grand Foyer (501 Texas Street at Smith Street)   Until the next nap time...

A Metal Mouth To Be

Before you get braces on your teeth, you always think it's cool to get them. As you can see from the photo below, Little K has her fingers crossed that she will get braces TODAY. 

Our orthodontist says (like her dad), K has a small jaw & nice, big teeth. The docs don't break your jaw like they used to. Instead, they'll likely put a spacer on the roof of her mouth & on the bottom. That'll expand the jaw so that when the rest of her adult teeth come in, there will actually be room for them. The braces will direct the adult teeth that are already in on where they should stay once there's more room in that mouth. 

K is a bit disappointed that she isn't walking out today with a mouth full of metal but we will in two weeks. Let's see how long her excitement about orthodontics lasts. 

Until the next nap time...

There's A Reason It's Called Vacation

There's a reason it's called vacation. On the up side, I eat and drink what I want, sleep in, half make my bed and lay around in the sun casually. Down side? The baby doesn't get the sleep he needs so he is fussy and K doesn't understand why the last day of vacation she has to go to bed at 8 pm.

"Because," I say, "I'm the mom, I waited many years to say this, and this was on the mom test. Go to bed."

All this said (in fun), we've had a nice July 4th holiday weekend in Galveston with a bike ride down Seawall Blvd., visits with

several friends and family, a dip in the

pool at the Artillery Club, fireworks and more. Here are a few pics from the

weekend. So despite the fun, we head home tomorrow, only for K to head to Scout Camp while I return to work, laundry, etc. But that's why it's called vacation. It's an escape from the norm and a good reminder of why we work as hard as we do. Well, there is the mortgage, too.

Until the next nap time...

When This Parent's Plans Changed

It's been quite awhile since I've posted personal updates. I've had my hands full ( literally) but more posts are ahead. Since October 2012, I announced my pregnancy with our second child, moved out of our house do it could be remodeled, had our son, finished our home remodel & moved back in. Mr. G is now 4 months old & receives constant attention from 8-year-old big sis, K. 

I'm afraid I can't call my daughter Little K any more. The contrast between the 2 kids is striking. Trent half teases that I should mention that, yes, both kids have the same father! I had no intention of having children so spread apart in age but life doesn't always stick to my plans. In fact, when K was about 6 years old, I changed my mind about having another child. Those details will have to wait for another post. 

Today, July 4, 2013, I'm thankful for so many freedoms and for a family that Someone much smarter than me planned. Thank you, Lord.

We're off to a party in Galveston with Taylor Swift blaring & the baby cooing to his sister singing.  I wonder if Taylor Swift will still think in 25 years that her ex is mean. I say, it's a fun song but there are great things ahead, honey. Get ready!

Until the next nap time ....

Escape the Houston Heat with Movies for Kids and Families

Looking for a way to escape the summer heat in Houston? Head to the movies. 

Take advantage of this great offer: the Summer Movie Express program at Edwards Marq'e and Regal West Oaks. Each location will host the Summer Movie Express on Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 10 am for nine weeks. Admission is $1 and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Will Rogers Institute.

It starts this week for the Houston locations and there is a list of the movies on the web site at http://www.regmovies.com/Movies/Summer-Movie-Express.

This is a great discount deal and both the kids and grown-ups apppreciate the option for a cooler activity.

Until the next nap time...

Heights Chamber Hosts Annual Crawfish Festival in the Heights on Saturday, April 6, 2013

Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce Hosts Annual Crawfish Festival in the Heights on Saturday, April 6, 2013

HOUSTON— Tuesday, March 5, 2013 — The Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for its annual Crawfish Festival in the Heights to be held Saturday, April 6, from 11 am until sunset. With expected attendance nearing 10,000 people, the Festival will be held at Northwest Mall, located at 9500 Hempstead Highway and Mangum, to accommodate the large crowd.

“We think this prime location and large, open area will attract even more families and festival goers,” Chamber President Ken Stallman said.

The Festival will include activities for the entire family such as:

·         live music by Steve Krase and the In Crowd,

·         a Show and Shine car and motorcycle show,

·         Shoppers’ Paradise with more than ## vendor booths with items for purchase,

·         a kids world with loads of children’s games, rides and activities, and

·         the Idol of the Heights singing finale.

“The success of last year’s event fueled our energy to make this year’s festival bigger and better than ever,” Mickey Blake, Heights Chamber chairperson, said. “One of the big changes is the incorporation of the Idol in the Heights song competition with one winner taking home the grand prize of $1,500. The talent is awesome!”

The Idol of the Heights preliminary rounds are being held on Fridays in March. Complete details are available online at http://www.heightschamber.com/crawfish-festival-idol-of-the-heights.

Festival attendees are encouraged to buy crawfish food tickets online in advance for $15 each through April 1, 2013. Crawfish food tickets will be available at the event for $20 on a first come, first served basis. The crawfish food ticket buys three pounds of crawfish, corn and potatoes as well as one drink (soft drink, water or beer). Other festival food will also be available at the event.

Supporters are encouraged to purchase $10 raffle tickets for a chance to win a 2013 Hyundai Elantra, sponsored by North Freeway Hyundai and the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce. Winners do not need to be present at the event to win. Buy raffle tickets online or by calling the Heights Chamber at 713-861-6735.

About the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to promoting and developing business and industry beneficial to the economic viability of the greater Houston Heights. Through monthly breakfast presentations, luncheons, expositions and other events, the Chamber works to develop local commerce. The Heights Chamber is located at 545 W. 19^th Street in the Chase Bank building. Learn more by visiting www.HeightsChamber.com.

Reporters: Please contact Megan F. Salch at 832-256-6676. 

Until the next nap time...

Wise beyond her years

God works in mysterious ways and He never ceases to amaze me. Just the other day, I was telling Little K something or other about needing to make sure I do some work so I can help pay the bills and she responded with something like “Why do you worry? It’s all going to work out. God always takes care of you.” 

As I looked in the backseat of my car through my rearview mirror, I expected to see a sage old man but it was just my 7-year-old. She floors me most days. Wise beyond her years.

Until the next nap time...

Moving with Kids and Pets

Today is moving day. We're moving into a nearby rental house for about six months while some remodeling happens on our home in Houston. I'm 5.5 months pregnant so my inner planner is in high gear. It's mornings like today that remind me that there are just some things in life that aren't meant to be planned out with details. Go with the flow, Megan. I'm trying.

Last night, we finished most of the packing since the movers would arrive between 8:30-9:30 am Monday. After getting our daughter to bed and reassuring her (and calming down her intense excitement about the move), I bathed so that I'd be ready for Monday. We went to bed early too. The dog lay on his pet bed beside the master bed. The cat, who had been crying about not being able to join the master bedroom, was in the end allowed to enter the master bedroom so he wouldn't wake up our daughter. He took his place between my pillow and my husband's. Whatever.

Fast forward to 5 am. I wake up to the cat pawing at me and the comforter. I shoo him away, thinking he was trying to play like he usually does in the early mornings. Shortly after that, he returned and I tried to ignore his pawing again, only to be awakened by wet sheets. Yep, he urinated on top of my comforter, which went through the comforter, through the sheets, onto my leg and PJs to the mattress cover.

I sprang from the bed, yelling a word that I shouldn't, of course waking up my husband. I blabbered some sort of explanation and ran into the bathroom, where I proceeded to take a bath without removing my PJ top. I think I thought I could continue wearing the shirt because it had not gotten soaked by the cat, but I was also half asleep. I bathed quickly since I could hear my husband grumbling as he removed the bed sheets. I drained the tub and climbed out to learn that I had no towels because everything had been packed. I dried myself using the shower curtain, walked into the bedroom where my husband said: "Are you sure this wasn't you?
really?  "No, it wasn't me," I said strongly. "Why in the world would a full-grown adult pee on herself?"

My husband, not dressed for public viewing, carried the duvet & duvet cover to the outside trash can. Neither of us were pleased with the quality but the urine threw us over the edge. Upon returning inside where I was laughing, my husband helped me grab the sheets and take them to the laundry downstairs. It was 5:30 am. I finished adding soap to the load and returned to my unsheeted bed upstairs. I was still laughing when I heard my 7-year-old shout out: "Can you two turn it down some? I'm trying to sleep." She acts like this is a regular occurrence.

I barely had laid down when I heard my husband ranting downstairs. What have I forgotten to do now?

When I entered the kitchen, my husband explained that in the medlem, we didn't let the dog go outside so he decided to urinate on the kitchen floor. My husband stood with a wet mop in his hand, looking incredulous. He continued his hysterical rant while mopping the floor at about 5:40 am. When he mentioned some crazy things that he might do to add to the nut house, I burst into laughter so hard that... wait for it... I peed on the floor! (Yes, it's true and I just admitted it to everyone.) I ran, still laughing, to the downstairs bathroom and my husband shouted "Oh, well why not you too? Anyone else?" There was no toilet paper in the bathroom since I packed that too, so my husband brought me paper towels. Lovely.

He mopped the rest of the floor, cracking up himself. "Should I put the dog out now?" I asked.

"Oh, he's outside getting the second half out," Trent replied.

After scrubbing our hands, we returned upstairs, crawled on top of the bed and I shut my eyes. I could feel him staring at me so I opened my eyes again.

"See you in 11 minutes," Trent said. It was 6:04 am. "(God) never gives me more than I can handle," he repeated over & over softly with a little giggle in his voice. No, he doesn't but he will give you plenty of smiles along the way, I thought.

The alarm rang early this morning, but we got dressed and headed out for breakfast. No need to set the house on fire. Besides Little K spilling chocolate milk ALL over her white uniform blouse, breakfast went smoothly. Luckily, I had spare uniforms in the car since everything had been packed.

We arrived at school in time for announcements so we could see Cousin Claire dance on stage. The morning drop-off was a success despite a few early morning obstacles. At this point, the day has to get better. Hope this tale makes you laugh.

Until the next nap time..

Defining Wealth for Kids... reprinted from "Daily Worth"

I thought this article from "Daily Worth" was so good, that I had to share it.

Defining Wealth for Kids
by Marjorie Ingall
I blame Kit, the plucky American Girl Doll who survives the Great Depression. Ever since my daughter Maxine read the Kit books, she’s been asking, “What would happen if Daddy lost his job? Where would we live if the bank took our house?”

And she most wants to know: “Are we rich or are we poor?”

A lot of kids ask that last question, says Kiki Schaffer, an education director at the YMHA in New York City. The trick is figuring out what your child is really asking.

She might be seeking reassurance that she’ll be loved and protected no matter what the future holds. But if, like Maxie, your child really wants to know about family wealth, why not grab the teachable moment?

I've been explaining to Maxie that even though we have enough for our needs, we try to not to waste money. We spend wisely. We work hard. We help those in need (in our tradition, we give tzedakah).

Maxie goes to a public school where 40% of the children qualify for free lunch; there, we’re pretty well-off. But she also goes to a Hebrew School where many families outearn us many times over. (I watched one middle-school girl show her shoes to another student, saying, “They’re my mother’s, they’re Prada, you touch them, you die.”)

This dichotomy, sometimes being the kid with more and sometimes being the kid with less, is healthy, Schaffer says. “You can explain how some people have less and are happy and others have more but are never satisfied.” In other words, wealth is, quite often, a state of mind."

 

Until the next nap time...

Houston's Greek Festival Not Kid-Friendly

Festivus for the rest of us

So our family joined to the Greek Fedtival this Sunday at 2 pm & I was so excited since I hadn't ever been. On the way there, Little K asked me 20 questions about how much fun she would have. I reassured her that, yes, there would be a jumpie/moonwalk, face painting & tons of fun stuff for kids. I lied.

We paid $5/adult (no fee for kids under 12) to enter & discovered that there was beer, wine, water & soft drinks amongst a myriad of Greek food to eat, we grabbed three years for a total of $21, ate those & searched for family-friendly activities. The kids dance program wouldn't start for another hour & there was nothing else for kids to doz I grabbed drinks & we sat on the ground in the parking lot next to a trash can to figure out what to do.

The Greek Fest was officially a bust when Little K announced, "I'm bored."

I imagine it'd be fun on a Friday or Saturday night without kids. You could buy a bottle of wine from the festival & share it while you walk around the pretty campuses of Annunciation church & school as well as the University of St. Thomas. Besides that, there's just not much to do.

We're now heading to St. Cecilia Oktoberfest near I10 & Bunker Hill, which promises loads of kid activities. With the cooler temperature today, I just couldn't stay inside.

Until the next nap time....

Good Deal on Haunted Houses

The month of October ushers in spooks and skeletons of all sorts. If your kids are oldest enough to enjoy these, here is a way to grab the fun with a discount. From today through October 6, Groupon is offering discounted prices. See www.groupon.com/Houston for complete details.

Until the next nap time...

Tales of a Second Grade Nothing

Being a mom is hard. Being a GOOD mom is WAY harder.

When your 2nd grader forgets her homework & begs you to take her back to school at 3:45 pm so she can get her homework -- saying she'll even clean out the kitty litter if you'll take her back -- you do it. When your child sees that her teacher is in a private meeting with another parent and she's too scared to interrupt them, you coach her along but encourage her to own up to the situation. After reaching way down to find the courage to open that door and politely interrupt the grown-up meeting, when the teacher says that there are consequences to her actions and that she'll have to do the work tomorrow (during recess or lunch), you bite your lip 'cuz you feel like you're in time out too but you let the teacher discipline the student instead of rushing in to save the day (which is what you really want to do). This is not the second grade I remember with Jolly Rancher candies for good work, trips to the ice cream parlor when the class did really well and games in class. 

Oh, it doesn't stop there because Little K is tough on herself. (It doesn't help that her parents are a bit strict.) She slapped her arm in the car to punish herself. I quickly asked her about it and she said she was very mad at herself. This, of course, launches us into another conversation about never hurting her body. That action alone made me more upset than forgetting any piece of homework. 

And then, the doubt sets in. Before I can sort through if I replied to the teacher in the right way, did I correct Little K in the right way, was I too hard on her... Little K had cleaned the kitty litter for the first time, finished the homework that did come home with her, and asked if she could ride her scooter outside since she lost the privilege of TV. She's a good kid, who happens to be just 7 years old. 

After dinner and a bath, Little K breezes through another workbook I found and she does it with a smile. I stood or sat beside her and she smiled and giggled. She's a happy kid. She bounced into bed, singing and laughing as if the world was her oyster. Well, it is. 

"You need to calm down and get a good night's sleep so you'll be well rested for your big day tomorrow," I said. "I don't want you to forget anything and I want you to be able to do all your work tomorrow just like you did today."

"Okay, Mommy," she replied. "But can you set my alarm for extra early so I can do some more of that workbook?" 

We say our prayers. I tuck her into bed and Daddy pecks her forehead. I kiss my girl good night and close the bedroom door behind me. Good Lord, I hope she remembers her stuff from now on, I think. I can't take much more of this. My mom warned me about motherhood but it was the child-bearing part that worried me. I didn't realize that when your kid hurts, your heart hurts too. Luckily, tomorrow is another day for both of us.

Until the next nap time...