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BridgeTea

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About BridgeTea

  • Birthday 11/04/1961

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Female
  • Interests
    Rollerskating (old-school quads)
    Bicycling (20 year old GT Terra mountain bike)
    Daydreaming (every chance I get)
    Reading (non-fiction)
    Learning to train a sweet, new pound dog
    Raising chickens and two kitties

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  • Biography
    Minimally experienced homeschooler. Totally maxed out on the parenting thing, though.
  • Location
    Michigan's north woods
  • Interests
    Bicycling, gardening, daydreaming.
  • Occupation
    I'm holding down the fort while MrTea is working his tail off.
  1. Oh! I am in the Cadillac area. The UP is fantastic for exploring and camping, but I am not hardy enough to live there! No co-ops for us. SOF was a requirement for the only one near me.
  2. Adding: yes to Grand Rapids, also. Such an interesting city that has become quite vibrant the last several years. Seems there is always something going on down there. (Uhh..."down there" because I'm "up north"!)
  3. Traverse City is a fantastic place to start looking. That whole area is my favorite in-state destination. How about the Grand Haven or South Haven areas? I'm not personally familiar with those towns but I've always heard great things about them. (Faith, help me out here. Aren't they similar in feel to TC? And they'd be in easy reach of Kalamazoo.) Enjoy exploring Michigan. We've had some tough financial times, but it really is a lovely state.
  4. I highly recommend Albuquerque's Biopark and Aquarium. Between all the whimsical garden displays, train layout, multiple themed gardens and the small but really nice aquarium, we thought it was a real bargain. I believe we spent about four hours there, moving at a very relaxed pace and stopping to play and explore. (There was DH, a teen and me. The place is perfect for all ages and abilities.) There are food choices like nachos, hotdogs, and burgers available in the courtyard area shared by the Biopark and the aquarium. What month are you going? IIRC, you are in Michigan like I am, and we were very comfortable walking around outside in early March. It can be extremely windy though, more so in Amarillo than ABQ. Car rentals at the airport are all located in one beautiful building out back. Free shuttles will take you there. Lots of comfy seating and nice bathrooms there. Easy place to relax while one person takes care of the rental. Enjoy your trip!
  5. DD15: "Didn't he play a cowboy back in the '50s?" I voted that she knows a little about him, as that was the extent of her knowledge. She's never seen a show or movie that he was in, so chances are her dad shared childhood memories with her at some point. He does have a tendency to bust out into "Happy Trails" when one of the older kids is driving off. Perhaps she heard him singing and asked... I'm 51, and I've never seen more than still shots of Roy Rogers. We were a Gunsmoke family. :laugh:
  6. Spray WD-40 on your hands and work it under your nails. Wash that off and follow up with Corn Huskers brand lotion.
  7. Love it! Are you going to have shirts printed with a big ol' brain picture? My girls are doing a 5k color run in September, and I listened in while they were choosing their team name to register online. Oh my word, we all laughed til we cried going down through the list of team names. (Wish i could recall a few, but I can't. So much nerdy cleverness, though!.) My girls decided to go with "Reading Rainbow". Enjoy your run!
  8. Have you looked at the Danskin line of athletic wear sold at Walmart? Cute colors, tapered fit without fitting like a glove, no need to layer, different sleeve lengths, economical (cheap price but still last), and they work for broad shoulders. They seem to carry mostly solid colors, but occasionally we've found styles with a little more interest like color blocking or print inserts.
  9. (((Erin))) Aww, I'm sorry for your troubles. Here's what's making me smile today: I'm getting a bumper crop of strawberries! My 10 little plants I poked in the ground last year had lots of baby plants, which are all now producing like crazy. A friend gives me all her (very recent) Smithsonian, Nat Geo, and Discover magazines. The latest stack just arrived, and my girl is already curled up on the couch with several. Our dog makes us all smile. She's fairly lazy and kind of boring, but right now her love affair with Mr. Squeakers the toy hedgehog is making her a big ol' goof.
  10. Yes for all of us. MrTea and one child can curl in a U shape both upwards and downwards.
  11. Rivka! How exciting! Way to identify some needs and create a business to fill those needs. I admire the way you think.
  12. Hominy offends all my senses, but the smell (or even the memory of the smell) puts me in a really unhappy place. Beets. They smell earthy, and not in a good way. More like plain old dirt.
  13. If I had a young child, I would consider the Kalamazoo Air Museum. Kiddie rides and flight simulators in addition to the planes. Grand Rapids has a minor league ball team, the White Caps, that play at 5th/3rd Ball Park (yeah, I know - dumb name) at the north end of GR. We've gone many times with all ages, and everyone has a blast. The seats are cheap, and the grass seats are even cheaper! You just take a blanket and enjoy the game sitting on the hillside, with the little ones able to stretch out and play. The sun will set behind you, which is way better than squinting all evening. Many summer games end with a fireworks display. We've also caught live bands playing Motown and 70s rock. Our favorite was the night that they gave away ~8 crappy old cars to the people holding the "lucky" tickets. Funny stuff. The zoo is a good choice. Small town zoo, but they seem to make improvements and add exhibits every year. Picnic grounds and playground near the parking area. We still try to hit the zoo every other year or so. We haven't done the Children's Museum as my children are grown/nearly grown, and I think it's new to Grand Rapids. I'd sure look into that - the ads they run always look good. MrTea says he used to take our girls to Meijer Gardens just on the outside (free) when they were in the area for doctor appointments way back when. (I'd forgotten about that as I didn't go.) I can get details from him if you'd like, but I believe they were able to see many of the sculptures. We were just at the GR Public Museum. I did a quick family survey, and they had this to say about taking a small child: "The carousel would be the best part. Also the doll room. And they'd love the animal displays with the buttons to push with animal sounds. Skip paying extra for the Titanic - boring for a little kid." I haven't taken a small child there in a while, but I would. They have a nice planetarium, and I'd just get a suggestion for an age-appropriate show if you decide to go there. I say this because the Halloween laser light show scared the crap out of me just because it was so...jarring. I was glad I didn't have a child with me because I'm not sure I was calm enough to console anybody else, LOL. Grand Rapids seems to be adding more street festivals, 5k runs, concerts in the park, etc. all the time. Maybe look to see what they have on tap for your weekend. I'll try to come back with links... note: Bummer! No home games for the White Caps on your dates. Maybe next time. http://www.experiencegr.com/things-to-do/family-fun/ www.airzoo.org www.grcm.org www.grmuseum.org www.meijergardens.org
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