Lake Padden ~ Bellingham

We arrived at Lake Padden at 11:00 am on a nice Thursday to find an almost empty parking lot! There are a two entrances, we used the first since we were planning on walking most of the 2.6 mile loop around the lake before hitting the playground for a picnic lunch {so basically, we bribed the girls with the playground... hey, whatever works}. We met Jen and Natalie on the path near the parking lot, ready to begin our adventure.

If you plan on walking around the lake, I really recommend heading counter-clockwise around the lake, unless you enjoy physical torture, or do not have a stroller {or in my case a double stroller with 70+ pounds of kids in it}. Luckily, Jen knew which way to go {seriously, she's my hero for that}. I didn't take the time to snap any pictures on the trail because I was pushing the stroller {and my camera is not the best}. It is gorgeous and you will have to see it for yourself ;) Most of the trail is through the woods with trees and ferns all around, and {of course} the lake in the middle. It is mostly shaded, so may be on the colder side if it's not as nice out. There are a few steep spots, so I wouldn't let my girls stray out of sight.

The path has a few offshoots, which I believe are trail heads {one sign had a horse on it} but we stayed on the main trail that loops around the lake. The path is cement in parts, but mostly gravel/rock and dirt. Jen told me that it gets muddy after it rains. Our 2 strollers fit side-by-side, with room for one more. We encountered quite a few dog-walkers and joggers, as well as other parents with strollers. Some of the dogs were off-leash, and there is a dog park nearby, but we didn't have any issues {Mia is afraid of dogs... when she feels like it}.

When you come out of the trees and stroll by a softball field and some bathrooms, you know you are getting close to the playground! There are some nice views of the lake at this point, as well. The girls were beyond excited at this point, and took off running toward the playground! The playground is one large area covered with cedar. It is home to two play structures, a ride-on springy type toy, and swings {yay} with two baby and two regular swings. There is also a basketball hoop nearby.

Of course, soon, it was time to find a potty. Instead of walking back to the one we had seen before the ball field, we found a closer one, past a picnic shelter further ahead on the trail. The bathrooms are what you would expect, all cement and metal, with no soap {basically ones that can be hosed down to clean}. Luckily, this time, I remembered to bring the hand sanitizer.

We found a picnic table nearby and had a nice lunch next to the lake. We noticed two picnic shelters, a number of benches and other tables around the lake. While eating, there was one duck that came really close {no, we didn't feed it} and the girls had fun "quacking" at it and its entire family. We watched a jogger toss {literally} their dog in the lake for a swim and another person fishing. It was a nice way to spend our afternoon!

The girls played for a while before a family of older boys started taking over the playground and scaring off the younger kids. Luckily, they did not stay very long. The girls mainly played on the larger structure's corkscrew slide and green tube with holes in it, meant for climbing {I think}, but Mia kept sliding down it {because the boys kept sliding up the slide, I'm sure}. There were also some monkey bars, and a few platforms to play on.

The smaller structure was largely ignored by the girls, except to slide down once. I would say it is for really little ones, maybe for under age 2. It has a ramp, slide, and platform section. I didn't see many kids playing on it.  There was evidence that some older kids had taken chalk and played a few games of tic-tac-toe on the side of it, however {at least, I think it was chalk}.

There is a lot to do at this park! Bring a picnic blanket along for a lunch in the many grassy areas, a ball to kick, bounce or hit, or a book to read. We saw quite a few people sunbathing. On the trail around the lake there are some more secluded spots along the outer edges, a small dock, and even raised fire pits if you feel like barbecuing. You can also camp here, boat, golf, and swim!

By the time we left the park, it was almost 2:00 pm, and there were barely any parking spots left {mid-summer, mid-week}. The park did not feel crowded at all during our outing, and we had a nice time! We will definitely return.

The park is open from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm. For more information, check out the City of Bellingham's website.

:) Jen

Rainy Day Fun ~ Dollar Tree Birdhouses!

So far, we have not had much of a Summer... or none at all, according to an article that was in the Bellingham Herald the other day. I don't think I'm the only one who tends to go a little crazy when I'm cooped up in the house with two little ones {at least on the days when they are fighting non-stop}.  It is nice to have some fun crafts set aside for those not-so-nice days.

We found these little wooden birdhouses and acrylic paint sets at the Dollar Tree for a whopping {you guessed it} $1 each, plus tax. Later, we saw more birdhouses and paint sets at Joann Fabrics for the same price, with way more paint sets to choose from, even glitter! Next time Joann's has a 20% off your total purchase coupon, I am definitely stocking up on more. {I kind of want to make my own...I have a thing for birdhouses}

 

The girls had a blast, and I had fun watching them! Mia dipped the paint brush in every color so her house would be multi-colored. Addy was more concerned with the birds liking hers. Both girls concentrated for longer than I expected and were so excited that they made some new homes for the birds in our back yard. I sprayed both with a clear UV sealer so we can enjoy them for a long time, even if the birds don't ;) 

I would appreciate it if you would take a second to check out the poll on the left... Thanks! 

:)  Jen

Industrial Credit Union's Family Pass

I have been a member of Industrial Credit Union for over 10 years and recently learned of their free Family Pass program through some friends {I'm really not sure why I hadn't heard of it before}.  The Family Pass consists of a free checking account, special offers each month (a meal, deal, adventure & freebie), prizes and financial tools. Anyone can sign up for free! To sign up, you can go online, or into any ICU branch {make sure to tell them who sent you... more about that later}. Once you sign up online, you still need to go in to an ICU branch to finalize your membership. My husband went in on a day that he was already in town {thank you honey} and he said it was quick and painless. He also came home with some {cute} little Family Pass stickers to put on our debit cards until we receive the official Family Pass debit cards in the mail.  To redeem an offer, all we need to do is flash our debit card.

Here are the deals for July 2011:

Once you sign up, you start receiving Family Pass emails on the first of each month that will clarify the deals. Usually there are day and/or time restrictions for the offers. You are also entered into a drawing for a prize each month! The prizes are nothing to sneeze at either. This month's prize is a video camera and a previous prize was a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge! {I would LOVE the video camera to preserve some of my girls' shenanigans!}

Family Pass members can also earn extra entries for the prize drawing! If your friends sign up and tell ICU that you referred them, BOTH you and your friend will earn 2 extra entries {my name is Jennifer Landreth if I referred you, hint, hint} :) For extra entries, members can also tweet a photo or message (up to 5 extra entries per month) about their family enjoying one of the activities, or share it on the Family Pass facebook page.  {Trust me, you want to "like" the facebook page} There may be a few surprises throughout the month, for instance free NW WA fair family packs were recently given out to all Family Pass members who completed all of the other deals on the same day and posted pictures on the Family Pass facebook page of them enjoying said deals! Industrial Credit Union is also interested in receiving input and asks that members send them suggestions for deals. {Chocolate Necessities, anyone???}

There are also a few financial benefits and tools worth mentioning. According to the website, you can get up to $100 back by refinancing an auto loan through Industrial CU, a $250 emergency line of credit, and use of FinanceWorks (a budgeting tool). Of course, all loans are subject to approval, and other restrictions may apply {blah, blah, blah}.

I am very excited about this program and hope others will take advantage of it, as well! It definitely sounds Frugal, Family oriented, and Fun. Do you know of any other local businesses that have similar programs?

Bay Horizon Park Playground ~ Birch Bay

We had already made plans with our friends, Jen and Natalie, to walk to Bay Horizon Park to let the girls play on the playground, so it was especially nice that summer decided to return to us for the day! We headed over on the gravel path from our housing development, and were greeted by a few blackberry bushes that had taken advantage of our recent rain. We managed to get through without anyone getting pricked, though we may bring clippers next time.

This park, at first glance, looks very interesting. There are two separate play structures that are each in the center of a circle that is filled with cedar and surrounded by concrete. One is for younger kids ages 2-5, the other is for ages 5-12 years. There are concrete ramps leading into each playground, but no direct path from one to the other. I really have to watch the girls as they run from one structure to the other, since there is a bit of a lip from the cedar shavings up the the cement. Both have taken spills here that have resulted in scraped knees. 

Of course, my girls (ages 3 and 4 3/4) seem to gravitate toward the playground for the older kids. This playground is not your usual playground. The slide on the bigger kids' playground does not have sides. Kids are supposed to wrap their legs around the sides and hold on with their hands. There is also a web-like rope section that the girls take turns pretending to be spiders on. Behind that, there are suspended circles, monkey bars and metal sections that spin. Though they don't have the coordination for all of the activities, the girls seem to have fun!

 

The little kids playground has equally fun things for smaller kids to do. There is a tire-swing looking thing that does not spin, as it is attached at the top and bottom. The girls will stand on it and shake it or pretend it is a fire pit. They lose interest in this pretty quickly. There are also some metal chimes, drums, a metal bar for hanging and a section with stairs that kids can walk around and around, up and down on. This play structure is usually ignored by my four-year-old, but my three-year-old seems to enjoy it.

There are a few picnic tables and benches at the park, but no garbage can, so be prepared to take your trash with you. The playground has a fence around it, and some grass, but not enough to kick a ball around or anything.  It would be a nice spot for a picnic lunch.

There is a port-a-potty located in the corner of the parking lot. It is a bigger one so you can pull in a stroller if needed. It also houses some spiders and other bugs, so be prepared for that. When we went, the current date was filled in on the inspection chart, but the hand sanitizer was empty. Nevertheless, it is always nice to have a potty available! 

There is also a newly revamped gym/activity center that is supposed to be open for open gym on Wednesdays from 4:30-8:30 starting August 10, 2011. The parks department will be holding other activities in the gym, as well. I can't wait to check it out!

Bay Horizon Park, Blaine's former Air Force Station, is located on Gemini Street. It is also home to Birch Bay Hostel & Guesthouse and Lions Camp Horizon! 

The 3 F's

So, I've been wanting to blog for a while. I started this one over a year ago & quickly realized that I don't have the energy to blog to try to earn extra cash. I'd rather blog for fun! I also want to post about FRUGAL, FAMILY oriented, FUN things to do in my area, Whatcom County, Washington. That should be easy, right?