Free Kid's Workshop at Home Depot

Honestly, I do not go to Home Depot very often. I wish I could be more DIY but Home Depot is definitely my husband's domain. We stopped by the Snohomish location and as we were checking out, the cashier told us about a Kids Workshop that was going on and that we should check it out. They offer these workshops the first Saturday of each month for kids to work on a project (build birdhouses, wooden toy trucks, cork bulletin boards, etc) and best of all, it's FREE. The workshop goes from 9am to 12pm but we walked up closer to 12:30. They were wrapping things up but still gave us the kits to take home. The girls LOVED it and we will definitely be doing it again!  Click here for for more info about the Kids Workshops on the Home Depot website.

The girls loved the signature orange aprons and wore them the rest of the day.

The workshops are designed for kids ages 5-12. My younger daughter is 3 1/2 but since we took the kit home, her savvy daddy was able to assist her in the fun.

The paint was my husband's idea and didn't come with the kit but since we were doing the project at home, we tweaked it a bit :)

Paint is currently drying so check back for the finished project!

to be continued.....




Here it is!! The finished project- a wooden moving truck!

Animal Farm

Today we attempted to go to the beach at Howarth Park but could not find anywhere to park. Our nice days in the Pacific Northwest are limited so people take advantage to soak up the sun whenever there is a chance so everyone has the same idea when the sun is shinning. I want to visit Howarth Park soon so I can blog about it but there is some sort of construction going on and the road was closed which is currently limiting the amount of parking. We decided to visit the Animal Farm at Forest Park which is down the road from Howarth Park and it was a hit! It is free but donations are greatly appreciated. They also had face painting for $2. I will make a separate post about the rest of the park because today, we only went to the Animal Farm. I was very impressed with the super-cute barn setup and everything was very clean complete with hand washing basins upon exiting. We saw ducks, goats, bunnies, alpacas, and horses. There are also pigs, sheep and ponies but didn't see any. We went about half hour prior to closing. They also have pony rides, which we will do next time! The Animal Farm is open from June 30- August 26 this year.

Fishery/ fish hatchery

I forgot to post about our visit a couple months ago to a local fishery. I can't find a website with the location details and I had never even heard of it until my friend, a Savvy Mommy, told me about it. If I remember correctly, it's about 10 miles up Mt. Loop Highway but don't quote me on that :)
It was cloudy and 'misty' (not rainy) during our visit in late May.

Some things to know before you go:
     - the water is very quick moving with large boulders surrounding and is NOT a place to swim
     - The views are absolutely beautiful so make sure to bring a camera.
     - I did not see a bathroom
     -The hike is short but steep and consists of steps, many steps, too many to count. Not good for strollers or wheelchairs. We had small children with us and didn't explore the riverside very far but plan to return to do so in the future.
     -The parking lot is small and easy to miss (we did) but look for this sign to know you are in the right place.

 
I will do more research later as to what these Fisheries actually are but enjoy our pics for now!

Olympic Theatre

Can you smell the fresh popcorn?

Myself and another Savvy Mommy took the kids to see a movie this past weekend. We hit the JACKPOT when we discovered the Olympic Theatre in Arlington. Not only did we catch a matinee showing of the current Disney hit 'Brave', we also indulged in movie favs including; popcorn, candy, and soda, all in a very cool historic theater AND at a bargain price! We saw a matinee for only $4.50 per person! It was pretty busy when we arrived 15 minutes prior to show time but had no problems finding good seats for the 5 us. The lobby is small so the line appeared much larger than it was. The seats are probably original (not sure) and reclined slightly for a comfortable view. There are no cup holders in the armrests but you can by soda in a reusable pop-top container to help prevent spills. You can also purchase a reusable plastic bucket for popcorn. Not sure what they charge for a refill but they do offer a discount and I'm sure it's a great price. Like any theater, no outside food or drink is allowed but keep in mind, this is how small theaters stay in business so making snack purchases at this theater contribute positively and are priced affordably-- especially compared to larger theaters! Overall, the theater is small and intimate yet clean and well-maintained along with friendly service and an unbeatable overall value.

Check their website for current show times and prices as it changes frequently. Also, if I'm not mistaken, the matinee price is only on Saturdays and Sundays for the 2pm showing which is also a great idea for a rainy day weekend! Sorry I only got a few pics but there are a few more on their website.

Spencer Island

Spencer Island is a beautiful island tucked deep in north Everett near the Everett sewer treatment facility.
Getting there: Located near the Everett Animal Shelter just continue along that road, you will enter the water treatment plant, which makes you feel like you went the wrong way, but KEEP GOING, you will come to a sign that says 'No Parking Beyond This Point' but again, KEEP going. The road will turn to gravel and down a bit further there is a parking lot on the right side along with a small brown sign identifying the island. If you park here it is still about a quarter mile walk to the island. When I first read about Spencer Island on The Herald website and various parks and rec sites, they mentioned car break-ins, which can happen anywhere, but on both visits I saw small piles of window glass shattered in the lot. They weren't kidding so don't leave any valuables in the car! You can continue driving down the gravel road towards the bridge and there is an area to turn around but there isn't enough room to park. I think it serves as an access road for the plant which is on both sides of the road. We saw lots of birds on both visits and according to the website, the island is home to deer, coyotes, river otter, and much more! The entire island is an easy and level hike but keep in mind dogs and bikes are not permitted on the south end. There is a port-a-potty near the entrance towards the left after you cross the bridge. We have not seen the entire island so I am not sure if there are more. We also saw a few picnic tables along the way. Depending on the weather and which way the wind is blowing, it may be smelly (like the slough you occasionally smell while driving on I5 between Everett and Marysville.) It was pretty stinky on our first visit but the smell faded away as we got closer to the island and there was no smell on our second visit.

 

The island is divided into 2 areas. We went on 2 separate occasions and were able to see a little bit of each end.

This first group of pictures are from the 'south end'

This next set of pics are from the North end of the island which is where dogs are allowed.  

On the bridge over the Snohomish river.