Living on the Edge

Father's Day Gift Specials

I posted this on the SpokaneMama Blog, but it's a great deal and no matter where you live...you can take advantage of it!

Are you looking for the perfect gift for dad?  The online store: Knives and Multitools.com has put together special gift packages that you can purchase only through the link below...right here on my blog!

Dave, a fellow who works with my husband, owns this website.  It's his second job.  In his first he is out protecting everyone from the interesting characters you see on Cops on Saturday night.  He has put together some fun gift combinations that would be sure to please a variety of dads:

Kits for...the Fishing Dad, the Hands on Dad, the Hunting Dad, the Military Dad, the Law Enforcement Dad, and the Fire Fighter Dad.

Click on this link to find the specials:  Exclusive SpokaneMama Father's Day Deals

All the knives are of the highest quality and Dave added fun accessories to go along with them.  In addition to surprising dad with a cool gift this year, you will be supportinga local business!

Wolves in North Idaho

This is my favorite picture from the past few weeks.  

The girls and I did a girls day out together this week.  There is this place in North Idaho I've been wanting to take them to for quite some time now.  It's called Wolf People and it's in Cocolalla, Idaho.  The name of the town is fun to say...it kind of rolls off your tongue...

Each day they are open they bring a couple wolves from their wolf refuge.  These are wolves that they use for education.  They will go and visit schools and teach children the truth about wolves...to help educate everyone on what is fact and what is fiction.

It was amazing to see them up close.  They are much larger than I thought they would be.  I guess I thought they were more the size of a coyote.

Q might be the animal whisperer, but CC has a way with dogs.  They love her.  She is our dog girl.  Both wolves licked her hand and greeted her.  (Our dog Buddy is the same way...she is the only one that he will lick/kiss!)

The male wolf loved having his back scratched...they were working on shedding their winter coat big time!  It was just a little unnerving to have your kids scratching a wolf's back.  But like when we were in Alaska and the girls got to feed the reindeer, it was a chance of a lifetime!

Yes, the gate was open!  Nobody got away!

They were a little wary, but pretty easy going....just don't go near their bones!

Wolf People is a pretty important place now that the government delisted the wolves.  Wolves can be hunted now, which is sad.  Their numbers will drop dramatically and all because people fear them or fear what they think they might do.

Just a Word From Our Sponsor...

Have you visited SpokaneMama.com lately?  There are new local promotions on the site!

• Win tickets to the Corbin Bleu concert at Silver Mt.Resort
• Win a Family Pass to Pet Fest 2008
• Mama's Night Out:  Pizza and Paint at Polka Dot Pottery

There are also some great national promotions as well.  So even if you don't live locally in the Inland Northwest, you can win some fun items as well!!

Here's the link to take you directly to the exclusives page: WIN!

SpokaneMama Blog

If you are looking for fun things to do in the Inland Northwest, I've created a second blog.  I just had to.  With the demands of family picture sharing and cute anecdotal stories...I was just running out of room for all the cool stuff I wanted to post about the Inland Northwest resources.  Which, by the way, is why I started blogging in the first place.

So just hop on over to the SpokaneMama Blog and see what there is to do in the Inland Northwest. Lately I've been loading lots of fun Spring Break Ideas.  But I have big plans for that site...so stay tuned! 

Please excuse the boring header right now.  I've had a bit of trouble shuffling between the laptop and the desktop and program confusion and such. Soon my creativity will be flowing over!

The MAC in Spokane

Although the Inland Northwest doesn't have too many museums, the ones we do have are pretty darn cool!  The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, or MAC as it's called for short, not only focuses on a variety of arts, but also local history.

During Spring Break the MAC is having another one of its Living History Days.  On April 3rd, from 11:00-3:00, you can enjoy live historical reenactments of the Civil war and the early fur trade era.  You can explore exhibits on early firefighting, law enforcement, and the Hillyard neighborhood.  Participate in fun make-and-take art activities and meet "Billy the Kid" at this family-friendly open house.

Admission is only $10 for the whole family and includes. 

Many area schools take field trips here during the year.  They do a wonderful and active living history tour for school groups.  If you're asked to be a chaperone for your child's class field trip, don't miss it!  You'll enjoy it as much, if not more than the kids!

Paint Up Some Fun!

One of my girls' favorite things to do is arts and crafts. If I'm scrapbooking they are scrapbooking. If I make cards, they are next to my elbow using my scraps and making their own cards.  When I paint a room...they run the other way. (Can't fool them that it's an artsy thing to do--oh well!)

But we discovered a really cool thing to do here in the Inland Northwest:  Painting Pottery.  I remember doing this as a little girl.  They were figurines and piggy banks and things like that.  We didn't have a place to do it where we moved from, but quickly we discovered that there are many places to do it here.  And the assortment of things to choose from is so much better!  Plus they fire the piece now and make it look really professional!

One of our favorites--it's the closest one to our home--is Polka Dot Pottery.  There are no studio fees and there are many paints for you to choose from.

They have two locations now, one on the North side of Spokane and a second one now in Spokane Valley. 

The location in Spokane Valley is offering fun kids classes.  Give them a call to find out more....and we may just see you there!

2714 W. Northwest Blvd. Spokane

509-327-5437

118 S. Pines Road  Spokane Valley  509-924-2292

Hours:  Wed-Fri  10-8pm (Pines location opens at 11) Sat: 10-5   Sun: 12-4

www.polkadotpottery.com

Although our we have our favorite studio, there are a number of others in the area, both in Idaho and Washington.  If you know of one that I haven't metioned, let me know.

Color Me Mine

River Park Square, 808 West Main Suite 225, Spokane  509-838-3037

Hands-On Art Studio

3115 N Government Way, Ste 3, Coeur d'Alene  208-765-8203

Here are some other studios I've found.  I haven't been to these places, but if anyone knows anything about these places, let me know.

Thrown

1109 1/2 E. Sherman Ave, Coeur d'Alene  208-651-5735

Whimsical Wheel

2718 E 57th Ave ste 103b, Spokane  509-443-6719

Glazed by Design

Spokane Valley, 509-891-4179

Custom Clay Prints by Kathy Taylor

Coeur d'Alene, 208-691-3811

Pottery in Motion

Sagle, Idaho  208-265-8212

The Garland Theater

We love to go to the movies.  It's fun now that the girls are older, we don't have to go to only the animated films anymore.  I can actually get out to see a 'chick flick' from time to time.  But it is amazing how expensive it is to go to a movie these days.  We tend to just rent something from Blockbuster with our monthly free coupon and pop some popcorn in the microwave.  No lines for the bathroom in our house--well at least they're shorter.

But Spokane does have a good discount theater.  There used to be one over in Hayden, Idaho too, but I read recently that that theater had to push its prices back up (oh well).  The Garland Theater in Spokane manages to keep prices down, even with the pressures of Hollywood.  And right now on Wednesdays they have $1 day where all the movies are only $1!  Now that makes it easy for a family to get out to the big screen.  They also have FREE popcorn Tuesdays.  You get a free small popcorn with every paid admission.

The Garland Theater 

924 West Garland, Spokane  509-327-1050

To add to their bargains...during Spring Break they are even offering a FREE MOVIE! Yup, from March 31 through April 4th you can see the newest veggie tales flick: "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" (rated G)for free.  The show starts at 9:30 am each day and the doors are open at 9:00.  They just ask that you don't bring any outside food in with you.  I think that's fair!

The other movies showing during spring break are:

Alvin and the Chipmunks (PG)

27 Dresses (PG13)

National Treasure: Book of Secrets (PG)

and coming April 4th is JUNO!

Mobius Kids

Mobius Kids is a very fun hands-on children's discovery museum.  Right now they have a traveling exhibit called "It's a Nano World."

It includes twelve fun and interactive stations that introduce kids to the biological wonders and tools of the 'nan-sized' world!  Did you know that a nanometer is 100,000 times thinner than a strand of hair.  Now that would be an easy ruler to keep in your back pocket wouldn't it?  With this exhibit, kids as well as their parents can discover the nanotech boom from Berkeley, where researchers there are working to unlock the potential of nanoscience to battle global warming and disease.

It's not just in the science fiction movies any more!

Spring break is a great opportunity to come visit Mobius Kids!  My kids still like hanging out there on a rainy day....and they are 10 and 11.

They also have a schedule of creative classes at Mobius throughout the week.  Be sure to call Mobius for class times and prices.  509-624-KIDS

Spring Break 2008 Camps

March 31 -  Crystals Week!- Make sparkling pattern pictures

March 31 - Creative Concoctions:  Flubber, goop, or slime. Make this fun goo that goes by many names.  Also create ooblek, a fluid that acts as a solid and a liquid!

March 31     Stuck on You! - Come and see the amazing things you can do with glue! Make goop and create a fun art project with some colorful glue. Parents stay with their little ones during this class.

Ages 2-4

April 1    3-D Collage Camp - It's a jungle out there! Create 3 dimensional Jungle or Ocean collage using paints, shells, leaves, and more! Parents stay with their little ones in the 2-4 year old class.   

two classes:  Ages 2-4   and  Ages 5-8

April 2    Finger Painting Frenzy! - Throw the brushes out! Budding artists can explore their creativity using just their hands. Take the art home, leave the mess here! 

Ages 2-4

April 3    Put a smile on that mug! - Create a fun & useful masterpiece when you paint your very own mug that you can use for your favorite drink. Paint is safe & non-toxic.

Ages 5-8 

April 3    Balloon-a-palooza! - Have you ever wondered how to make a balloon animal? Find out how when Ryan from Balloon Bonanza teaches you how to transform balloons into animals, flowers, and much more. Take some balloons home to make more animals for your friends!

Ages 5-8

April 4    Bubbleology! - Is that you in a bubble? Have a blast as you create bubbles of all shapes & sizes, put your arm through a bubble with out popping it, and even stand in a giant bubble!

Ages 3-6

April 4  Super Sleuth Camp - Sharpen your private investigation skills during this hands-on detective camp! Learn how to lift and examine finger prints and use clues to figure out "Who done it?"

Ages 5-8

Ski FREE During Spring Break

The snow has continued to collect at the area ski resorts even though spring has officially arrived.  So here's the perfect opportunity to save gas money and do a local vacation.  GO SKIING!  Mt. Spokane will be having its last day on March 30th, but Silver Mt., Schweitzer, and 49 Degrees North will all be open. 

Silver Mt. and Schwietzer both have ski and stay packages that include free lift tickets for the family.  Check out their websites for more details.

49 Degrees North in Chewellah, Washington has the best deal around.  FREE skiing for everyone, ALL WEEK!  And there's no limit to how many times you head up there!  They just had over a foot of new snow last weekend, the days are still cool and the nights too so the snow isn't going anywhere too soon.  Lifts run from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm daily through April 6th.

See you on the mountain!!

Let's Go Swimming

My girls love the water.  Before we moved here they were on a swim team.  They both had to overcome their fear of the deep end of the pool and trust that they could still successfully swim no matter what the depth of the bottom below them.

Learning to swim was mandatory in our family.  With all the river and lake time we rack up each summer it is a necessity.  Since overcoming their fear of the water and the deep end, they now LOVE the water.  At the end of last summer they even learned how to kneeboard.  It was fun watching them learn.  They each had their own fears to surmount before they could enjoy it.  But they did. 

With all the lakes and rivers in the Inland Northwest every child should know how to swim.  Spring Break is the perfect time to hit the water.  Here are some of the places with indoor water.  There are many more city and county pools open during the summer.  But an indoor pool tends to be a warm spot on a chilly spring day.

Disclaimer:  some of these pools are club pools that require membership.  Be sure to call.  Sometimes these clubs have special deals for non-member swim lessons.

Ironwood Athletic Club   

940 Ironwood Drive, Coeur d'Alene    208-667-CLUB

YMCA

2421 N Discovery Place, Spokane Valley    509-777-9622

They also have a climbing wall that's a lot of fun.  Be sure to call and check on their break schedule (they do a mandatory no swim time) so you don't get stuck sitting through one of them.

Triple Play Water Park

175 West Orchard, Hayden Idaho    208-762-PLAY or 1-877-770-PLAY

Indoor fun at its best!  We went there last year during the spring duldrums and had a blast!  There's a wave pool, waterslides, water play area, mini golf, climbing walls and more!  The best thing was the temperature was 85 degrees!

Ramada Spokane Indoor Waterpark

8909 West Airport Drive, Spokane   509-838-5211