Fun in Missouri

Penguin Parade at the St. Louis Zoo.

Every Sunday afternoon during the months of January and February (weather permitting, of course) the penguins at the St. Louis Zoo take a little stroll. It is an enrichment activity for the penguins. A chance to see something different, stretch their legs and put on quite the show for those brave enough to hit up the zoo on a chilly winter day. The trainers and a few rangers, to help control the crowd, lead the penguins out of the exit of the penguin and puffin cove and take them on a short little walk along the pedestrian path back to the entrance to the penguin and puffin cove. Zoo visitors line the “parade” route and watch as the king and gentoo penguins enjoy their little stroll. It is an activity I’ve always wanted to do but just have never gotten around to.

This past weekend we finally made it to the zoo for the penguin parade. It was so fun to watch those little guys strolling along. They were so curious and interested in the people watching them. A few of the gentoo penguins were even curious enough to go right up to couple of people. Maya got a big kick out of it and can’t wait to share the experience with her classmates this week when they learn about penguins at school.

Since the penguins aren’t big fans of warm temperatures they only take their little stroll if the temperatures are below 50 degrees so it is a bit chilly. As long as you bundle up you should be good. They don’t stay out for long.  As I was watching all the people who had gathered for the parade I couldn’t decided who was enjoying the penguins more the grown ups or the kids

If you live in St. Louis or happen to be in our city on a Sunday during the months of January or February this is a great event you don’t want to miss. Remember to bundle up.

The Missouri Botanical Gardens is one of my favorite places in St. Louis. The acres and acres of flowers, trees and vegetation right in the midst of the city are so peaceful, relaxing and inspiring. It just so happens that Maya adores going to the “Tanical Gardens” as she refers to them, so we find ourselves there quite often.

This Saturday we decided to take advantage of what promised to be a gorgeous, crisp morning and headed to the Gardens for a morning of stopping to smell the roses and running around the Children’s Garden.

The rose garden was beautiful with lots of wonderfully scented roses still in bloom. Maya had fun sniffing all the different colored roses and telling us what she thought they smelled like, things like strawberries, blueberries and cupcakes

After spending some time in the rose garden we slowly made our way to Maya’s favorite part of the Botanical Gardens, The Children’s Garden. We spent about an hour running around the children’s section watching her climb everything she could, put on a puppet show for us and spend some time in the pretend general store.

Anna spent the whole morning partaking in her favorite activity, sleeping soundly in the ERGO carrier with her face pressed firmly against me. I don’t know why she likes to sleep that way, but she does it whether I’m holding her and rocking her to sleep or she is sleeping in the carrier. The little imprints she gets on her nose and chin are too cute.

It was a gorgeous morning at the gardens spending time together as a family and making the most of a fabulous autumn morning here in St. Louis.

Fun in Missouri

The Balloon Glow is by far one of my favorite St. Louis area events. If you live in this area and haven’t been down to Forest Park to see the Balloon Glow, the open act of The Great Forest Park Balloon Race, you are definitely missing out.

The Great Forest Park Balloon Race is an event that takes place every year around this time. Hot air balloons gather in Forest Park for a weekend of activities that includes the big race and a balloon glow the evening before. The balloon glow is a very popular event here in St. Louis, it is always packed and parking is always a challenge.

The Balloon Glow takes place on the Friday evening before the big race.  Central Field within Forest Park fills up with hot air balloons, food and merchandise venders and lots and lots of spectators.  When dusk hits all the balloons fill up and spend the evening setting balloons aglow. It is a beautiful sight.

We’ve been to the glow a few times, but Maya didn’t remember her previous experiences and this year we brought a few friends along who had never been to the glow before. We all had so much fun. Maya really got a kick out of the huge balloons and the sights and sounds of the glow. She even managed to snag herself a flashing ring from one of the sponsors

It was pretty windy the evening of the glow this time and a couple of times we had to dodge falling hot air balloons! But, all in all it was a fabulous event yet again, with another huge turn out. Even though we had to walk about 2 miles to and from our car I sure am glad we didn’t have to battle the traffic inside Forest Park.

I missed the balloon race this year but in previous years I’ve really enjoyed seeing the balloons littered through the sky during the race. The Great Forest Park Balloon Race and all the corresponding activities is definitely a must see for St. Louis area residents.

The labor day long weekend has always sort of marked the unofficial end to summer. When I was growing up in Canada the weather was definitely cooler and more fall like starting in September so it really felt like summer was over. Here in St. Louis we’ll have summer like weather for a while longer so even though it doesn’t feel like summer is over this past weekend still feels like the unofficial end to me. We marked it by spending a lot of time out and about our neck of the woods.

Friday and Saturday were super hot here, like over 100 degrees, and Lorne was busy breaking up our pathway to nowhere in the backyard so we didn’t do much of anything. We woke Sunday to much cooler temperatures, it was in the upper 50s when we woke up, we haven’t seen temperatures like that since we left Australia! It was cloudy and threatening rain so we decided to hit up the local children’s museum, The Magic House. Unfortunately, half of St. Louis also decided to do the same thing so it was crazy busy. We didn’t let that stop us though, Maya still managed to have some fun.

After about an hour at the Magic House Lorne and I had had all the noise and chaos we could handle to we headed to downtown Kirkwood for ice cream, coffee and a little walk. Maya and Lorne decided they had to stop and play with the giant boulder fountain and try to make it move in a different direction. This really is a super cool fountain. The perfectly cylindrical boulder rolls on top of a water and you can make it move in every different direction fairly easily. Maya and Lorne had a lot of fun as you can see.

Monday was another gem of a day with temperatures in the upper 50s again in the morning, except this time we had sun. We headed down to Forest Park for a veteran’s memorial festival that was going on. They had great food, live music, rides and civil war and Lewis and Clark reenactment displays. It was fun. Maya especially loved the rides

And, of course, a trip to Forest Park wouldn’t be complete without stopping by the fountain and art hill. Maya found a stick and pretended to fish in the fountain

We had a great weekend. We are still enjoying absolutely gorgeous weather which has seen us outside and at the park a lot the last couple of days. I’m hoping we’ve seen the last of the 100 degree weather for this year. To me there is nothing better than a perfect 70-80 degree day. I need to find somewhere to live where I can have that everyday, or at least most days.

Hope you all enjoyed your farewell to summer weekend.

Living in St. Louis for over a decade, I’ve grown used to hot summers. Heat and humid usually roll in around June and stick around through September. Temperatures in the 90s are typical and it isn’t uncommon to see heat waves that bring in temperatures in the triple digits. Hot summers and St. Louis just go hand in hand.

As used to the hot weather as I am the last few weeks have been ridiculously hot. We are just getting over 3 weeks of triple digits temperatures EVERY DAY!! It was the kind of hot that requires you to stay inside all day. We’ve all suffered from a bit of cabin fever, especially Maya.

A few times we’ve felt sorry for her being stuck inside all day long so we let her go outside for a little fun in the evening. Of course, when it is over 100 degrees outside water must be involved. Here’s how Maya has been beating the heat these last few weeks.

Finally, we’re getting some relief from the crazy sizzling summer weather. Upper 80s for a few days? I’ll take it. I’m thinking a few trips to the park and maybe even a quick trip to the zoo are in order. I mean we have to make the most of it since I’m sure the heat will be back before we know it.

I returned to St. Louis to find that we had been overtaken by the cicada.  And, when I say overtaken, that is what I mean. It is like a horror movie or something.  They are literally EVERYWHERE.  Apparently this happens every 13 years, thank god it only happens every 13 years because seriously these things are driving me crazy.

My garden, lawn, trees and the side of my shed are riddled with the adolescent shells of cicadas.  They apparently shed their skins when they emerge from the ground in order to reveal their adult form, a larger, flying version of themselves.  The sheer volume is absurd and totally disgusting.  The volume of their sound is beyond loud.  It is literally hard to hear someone else talking unless they are right beside you.  Plus, the adult cicadas are in every tree and flying all around.  They are constantly flying into me when I am outside, gross.  And, when I have Maya’s pool filled up out back they are constantly landing in it and can’t get out so I have to fish them out.  Just writing about them is making my skin crawl.

It is no secret that bugs and I do not get along.  I have a total (and I admit mostly irrational) bug phobia.  The only bugs I can tolerate without having a completely embarrassing freak out at the sight of them are lady bugs and bumble bees.  Although, one year when we were living in Florida there was an infestation of lady bugs and even then those cute little bugs freaked me out, any bug in large quantity is too much for me.  So, needless to say, returning home to find thousands of cicadas had now taken up residence in my backyard has me all kinds of grossed out.

And, I”m not the only one who is bugged out by these bugs.  Outdoor places, particularly those with lots of trees, like the park, are deserted.  I braved the early morning heat and the constant dive bombing of cicadas into my hair to take Maya to the park this morning.  There was no one else there when we first arrived, and let me tell you, that is completely unusual for our neighborhood park, it is usually packed no matter how hot it is.  Eventually another couple of moms with little ones arrived and said the same thing I had been thinking since I arrived “Ewww, gross, why did I bother coming here.”  Every few minutes either one of us moms or one of our kids would let out a squeal and the “a bug has landed on me” dance would begin.  It was seriously comical.

But, the worst is yet to come.  At some point around mid-July (or so I’ve been told) all these adults will have done the deed, laid new cicada eggs that will torment us 13 years from now, and they will all die.  So, what happens to a cicada when it dies, does it just vanish?  Nope, it falls from the tree it has laid its eggs in resulting in the presence of dead cicada bodies every where.  That means that the thousands of cicadas that have taken up residence in my backyard will die and leave their dead cicada bodies all over my backyard.  Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up.  Lorne will definitely be in charge of that clean up!

At least I have another 13 years to prepare for the next go around with these loud, pesky bugs.

This past weekend was filled with reminders that the seasons have changed and autumn is in full swing.  I love autumn.  I love all the things that cooler weather brings.  Things like hot chocolate, sweaters, the changing colors of the leaves, the fall flowers, apple picking and sweet apple based desserts, pumpkin carving and roasted pumpkin seeds.  I love the way the air smells.  I love cuddling deeper under the blankets in the morning because the house has cooled overnight.  Simply, I love this time of year.

And, I love weekends like this past weekend.  Filled with fun and family and memory making moments.

Our weekend started with a bonfire and hayride hosted by our neighborhood association.  All the families in our neighborhood gathered in the park down the street for a potluck dinner, a huge bonfire and a hayride through the park.  It was amazing.  We had so much fun and got to meet so many of our neighbors. Maya was thrilled by the hayride.

We followed that up by spending yesterday at a local apple orchard picking apples and finding our perfect Halloween pumpkin.  The day was perfect.  The weather was gorgeous, the apples we picked were delicious and Maya found her perfect pumpkin.  It is the type of day that ends with a feeling of “I couldn’t have planned a better day if I tried.”

To wrap up our perfect weekend of fall fun we had our very first fire in our fireplace.  It was warm and relaxing.  Sipping a glass of wine by the fire while looking through the pictures from our awesome weekend was definitely the perfect way to end it.

I love reminders of why this is my favorite time of year.

Fun in Missouri

The Magic House – St. Louis Children’s Museum

This past weekend we hit up an incredible children’s museum here in St. Louis, The Magic House.  I’d been wanting to take Maya for a while but had put it off because I’d been worried that she was too young to enjoy most of the exhibits.  It was AMAZING.  I had heard many wonderful things about The Magic House so I knew we were going to have a great time, but it turned out to be even better than I expected.  There is so much to do, every nook and cranny is filled with fun activities for kids of all ages.  Maya was in heaven.

Between the room dedicated to bubbles, the children’s sized community complete with a market, library, bank, pizza shop and hospital, the large musical instruments and the little attic filled with toys and clothes from the early 1900s, it is hard to say what Maya’s favorite part of the day was.  There is so much to do, so many different activities to try, that we found ourselves bouncing from one thing to the next faster than we could blink.  Maya hopped from spot to spot not wanting to miss out on one little thing.

The Magic House is definitely one of those places you can visit over and over again and not get bored.  There is so much to do and see you need multiple visits just to feel like you’ve made a dent in what they have to offer.  The cost of admission is very reasonable at $8.75 per person.  Plus, there is something for everyone, including the very little ones.  There is an area designed just for babies 6 months to 24 months where everything is safe for little ones and on there level.

We will definitely be making many more trips back to The Magic House.  If you live in the St. Louis area or are here visiting don’t miss out on The Magic House, it is definitely worth the trip.  You’ll leave wanting to go back for more, just like we did.

*I was not commissioned to write this post or compensated for to write it.

As I mentioned the other day, one of the things we did this past weekend to ring in the summer was go to City Garden in downtown St. Louis. They have these cool chimes embedded in the ground and you can step or jump on them to make music.  They sound beautiful and it is a lot of fun to watch all the kids (and adults) playing on them.

Last year Maya couldn’t make the chimes go on her own.  Lorne had to hold her and really jump her up and down on each square to make any noise.  This year she is able to do it on her own.  She can’t get them to go every time but when she steps in just the right spot and hard enough she can get them to go.  It was fun to watch her give it a try.

We all know that Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial beginning of summer.  The past few years we have planned our little family vacation around this time of year so we’ve been welcoming in the summer else where.  This year we were home for the big long weekend and didn’t really have any big plans.  We decided the best way to kickoff our summer was to head out and do some of our favorite St. Louis activities.

Our weekend started with a trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, one of our favorite things to do, that included checking out the very cool Dinoquest exhibit and the Children’s Garden.  Next to the zoo, the botanical gardens is always top on Maya’s list of things to do.

Sunday we decided swimming was in order since it was so hot.  We headed to one of our favorite local Missouri state parks, Castlewood.  We found a nice shady spot by the spring fed creek and settled in for a day of rock throwing, wading in the water and picnicking.

And we finished the weekend off with a trip to City Garden, this great little garden/park in the middle of downtown St. Louis.  We loved it last year and I think it was an even bigger hit this year since Maya was able to do a lot more.

All in all it was a fabulous start to our summer.  I’m really looking forward to all the fun things in store for us this summer.

Happy Summer everyone!!!!