All Aboard Ferry Rides

  Every once and awhile we take a trip on a ferry.  We leave the car behind and walk aboard the ferry to cross the Elizabeth River and explore downtown Norfolk.

  The kids enjoy the ride because they can pick where they sit.  Upstairs is open to the wind in their hair and all the sights and sounds. Downstairs is enclosed and a bit quieter.  They also enjoy watching the water wheel propel us across the water.

They also enjoy catching the sight of other boats.

  The ferry runs every 30 minutes and makes two stops in Portsmouth but only one stop in Norfolk.  During the summer it runs every 15 minutes with the help of another ferry and also runs a ferry to Harbor Park for the games.

  The opportunities are endless for family fun in Norfolk.  Waterside has plenty of games and a splash pad to keep you or small travelers entertained.  This area is immediately where you get off the ferry! We stop after our adventures because one the kids don't want to leave and two it helps motivate them to head towards the home.

Adults there are plenty of chairs for you to rest in while the kids play.

When your ready to leave Norfolk head back to Waterside for the quick ride across the water!

The ferry is free for kids with a paying adult. Adult fares are $1.75 one way and exact fare is required.  So next time your looking for a different mode of transportation and want a little more fresh air grab a ferry and head over to Norfolk.  

A different perspective is always a nice change of pace.

A Date with Home Depot

  The first Saturday of every month Home Depot offers a kids workshop!  Once and a while there's a bonus.  This weekend was the bonus.  I'm going to walk you through how easy it is to take your kids to this freebie in your area!


  First off sign up online at your local store.  It's not necessary but it gives them a heads up on how many kits to order.   Next even if you sign up it doesn't guarantee you a kit; it is a first come first serve deal.  The workshop is 9am-12noon.  Of course if you get there earlier versus later your chances are good.

Behold the kit of the day.  Some kits vary in size, ease of assembly and some you get to paint (on site).

The tables usually have the necessary tools. This kit also required a screwdriver not shown.  

Instructions are pretty easy to follow.  I have messed up once and a while but for the most part it's not that bad.

The instructions include an inventory of the necessary items to cross check for assembly.

The kits come usually come with all the pieces to include nails at various sizes, decals and anything relevant to the project.

The instructions are so through that it tells you when to use large nails and small nails.

 Pre-made holes make it easy to insert the nail and maybe steady it before hammering.

Hammering is not easy but I have watched my daughter get much better at hammering.

She is able to hold the piece steady and hammer the nails now.

Bring on the back of the project!

Screwdrivers were needed.  My son loves to play with his tools at home so this was exciting to him.

Screwing a screw in is hard to do.  ousting the screw down and twisting it in required another hand.

The top of the project required a screw eye!

A little finger to secure to secure the last piece of hardware.

Finishing touches were easy and I could step back and relax now.

I present you a finished product not painted but my other child wants to paint theirs and then apply the stickers.

A picture frame! A nice handmade gift for someone for Christmas or a keepsake ornament for the tree.

#Nablopomo

Not quite Wordless Wednesday

  You know one place that we go that doesn't get old is the zoo.  We do have a membership there which does help and encourage us to go but it's always different.  The animals may not change.  Most of the time.  Sometimes the zoo likes to change it up and relocate them to a different part of the zoo but usually everything is the same.

  However after having gone several times and days you get the opportunity to experience different things!  Sometimes the animals are more active in the morning, you might catch a zookeeper feeding the animals, interacting with the animals, or even seeing an animal in motion.  We rarely catch our tiger walking around.  He is usually in the farthest corner and slightly difficult to see but one day he was pacing back and forth growling.  That was neat to witness.  I would love to hear more noises from animals!  What kind of noise does a giraffe make or a kangaroo?

  I want to share with you some of the animals we have at our zoo!

The Bald Eagle sitting proud in his area.  I like this exhibit as there are no bars or windows.  Your view of this bird is clean and clear.

  These little fellas are fun to watch!  They are also a nice sight to see after you have finished with the small reptiles and nocturnal sections.

One day we went to story hour for the children and they read a book about armadillos and even had a real one there for the kids to see.  Needless to say my daughter loves to see them when she goes because she had such a up close encounter with them.

Ahh, the red panda.  This is one exhibit we always see if nothing else.  We have two areas with them.  One area is so neat as it has branches above your head where sometimes your lucky enough to catch them walking on.  The other area is spacious with a lot of things for them to go up, down and through.

  These two monkeys cracked me up this day.  It was as if they were siblings and one wanted to get down but the other just wouldn't move.  They were like this for awhile. I don't know who held out longer

The zoo has a few turtles in the lion area.  I have never seen a sign declaring them as residents so I think they are free loaders.  

The zoo is also home to a small blooming garden.  It is spring so it was nice to see after months of brown and barely green.

Last month we got to see the baby tigers.  The zoo always has something going on.  Unfortunately we are saying good bye to our elephants soon as they are being transferred to another zoo.

Hopefully this move will bring us another exciting animal to learn and view.

  Our membership provides us with many opportunities: discounts on meals and drinks as well as children's camps. We receive a newsletter and also receive invites and discounts to special events.

Check out your local zoo for a great family experience.

My local zoo is the virginiazoo!

19th Day of Elf

  Today the elf gave us an idea based on what he was doing.  It's some thing we normally do but even though it's the 19th day of December; we still had not done it.

Some houses had lights up in their neighborhood.  They were so pretty.

  So Elf was taking a ride through the neighborhood to see them.

I think he really liked them!

   The children also liked touring the neighborhood.  After touring with elf we toured our own neighborhood as well.

Happy holidays everyone!

Now showing Alvin and the Chipmunks (no spoiler)

  I stepped out to a matinee showing of Alvin and the Chipmunks with my family today! The movie is rated PG and runs for 1 hr and 28 minutes.

  Summary:
  The movie has the same storyline of the chipmunks being left at home while Dave leaves but the chipmunks become alarmed about why Dave left which sets them off on a roadtrip.

  Over the course of their roadtrip through various states trouble follows them wherever they go providing us the audience with pure entertainment.  Some if the humor you don't even see coming.

  You will see fast cars, dancing, singing and special appearances by the Chipettes.  This is a funny movie and everyone in my party to include a 3 yo laughed and enjoyed it. There are popular radio hit songs played throughout.

  I would rent this movie when it comes out!

Wordless Wednesday

  We bought a pass the last time we stayed in Williamsburg for +Colonial Williamsburg  so we decided to go one last time for the year.  I like this time of year as much as the spring.  When you visit Colonial Williamsburg multiple times you get the opportunity to see different things, performances, entry into a different home and even how the spruce up the homes be it wreaths in the winter or beautiful blossoms in the garden in the spring.

  So today I am sharing with you the variety of door displays to include wreaths and trimmings.  If you look closely you will see so many varieties of items.  From shoes, to iceskates, artichokes, apples, peppers and oranges.

  My family had a great time walking around looking at the sights and catching a little bit of history in action.  We even might have walked away with a bit more knowledge then what we arrived knowing.