Find things to do for kids & families in Schenectady, Albany, & Troy.

Hey everybody!  Hannah’s Hope Fund won the $250 K grant.  Thanks to everyone who voted.

And now, for some sad news.  Remember how I callously blew you off to make myself some cookies last night?  Well, just as I was about to begin cooking, I plunged into a horrifying and mysterious stomach-related illness.  At first I expected to recover quickly, and my adorable husband offered to make the cookies for me.  Alas, I ended up hunched in the fetal position and asleep by 9:30 pm.  Now, no-bake cookies is my desperation dessert:  when there’s no significant chocolate to be eaten in the house, I’m almost guaranteed to have enough of the necessary ingredients for at least a few cookies, and we’ll often make a half or one-third batch.  So by the next morning, after Wade had left for work, I realized that there were only six cookies left.  Cute W had clearly eaten at least four, and that doesn’t count any bowl-licking that might have been involved.  Not like I’m bitter.  Except, actually, I am.  And I was, this morning, and the girls enjoyed giggling as I lamented my lost cookie opportunity.  Then they took to arguing that, since the main ingredient of the cookies is oatmeal, cookies would be an appropriate breakfast.  Absolutely not, I said, but I promised that we’d each get two cookies after lunch.  And then, my neighbor Mary’s granddaughter ended up playing at our house all day.  Really delightful, but that means that  she was here for lunch.  Which means that I had to go all Giving Tree and hand over my share of the cookies.  I broke a few crumbles off.  That was all I got.  Tragic for me, and, of course, tragic for those who requested a share in the comments.

Enjoy the weekend, stay cool, let’s hope that Earl‘s not too bad.  Here are some things to do this weekend:

All Weekend:

• Fair-a-palooza continues with the Fonda Fair, the Columbia County Fair in Chatham, and the Schaghticoke Fair .
• It’s the Capital District Scottish Games on Saturday & Sunday at the Altamont Fairgrounds.   I’ve never been to this one–anybody want to tell us whether it’s a fun family destination?
• The Iroquois Indian Museum has its annual Iroquois Festival on Saturday and Sunday.  I’ve actually gone to this festival.  It’s a bit of a drive, but if you’re inclined to visit the museum sometime, why not go when there are tons of dancers, food vendors, and craft people?  I actually looked for photos from our visit, but it was mostly close ups of my children, sweating and watching dancers.  The lines for food, as I recall, were super-long, and there’s a nature trail if you want to break up the visit.  Even better, I actually bought a very cool small painting by Roger Parish.  Regular readers will know that I’m a cheap non-shopper, so that’s unusual for me.
• Keep in mind that while many pools have closed, most NY State Park beaches are open all weekend.

Evening of Friday, September 3rd:

• It’s First Friday in Albany from 5-9 pm.
• It’s First Friday in Ballston Spa from 6-9 pm.  This includes Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in Wiswall Park.

Saturday, September 4th:

• At 6:30 pm, join the folks at Thacher for some Campfire Storytelling. Call to register, and pitch in $1/person to cover the cost of s’mores.
• Take a Twilight Kayak from 7-9 pm at Lake Moreau.
• Go Stargazing at Thacher at 8:30 pm.

Sunday, September 5th:

• At 9 am, take a Mud Pond Hike at Lake Moreau.
• It’s Sundays at the Center at 1:30 pm at Sand Lake Center for the Arts.  Ventriloquist Sylvia Markson will perform, and then there’s a puppet-making workshop.  You need to reserve ahead of time:  call or do it online.
• At 2 pm, learn about the Wildlife Program at Thacher.  Get a chance to see some injured animals who are being nursed back to health, and learn what to do if you find an animal in distress.

Monday, September 6th:

• At noon it’s the popular annual Grafton Lakes Labor Day Sand Sculpture Contest.

I completely blew off posting tonight and spent that time making myself no-bake cookies instead?  Would you lose all respect for me?

The Tour de Habitat, a bike race in the Capital District coming up on Saturday, September 26th to benefit Habitat for Humanity, has a 10-mile, fairly flat option to encourage novices and families to participate.  They ask that you raise $100 per person or $100 per family with young children in order to participate.  There’s more information on the TU’s Bike Blog.

Anyway, this reminded me that I’ve been meaning to post about all sorts of local bike stuff.

Local Bike Blogs:

• Bike Albany
• The Times Union’s Bike Blog

Local Biking Organizations:

• The Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club
• Albany Bicycle Coalition
• New York (State) Bicycling Coalition

More Local Bike Fun:

• Troy Bike Rescue They recycle & distribute bikes and teach hands-on maintenance; also in Albany.
• Bike Polo I already mentioned this one back in my Wacky Sports post.

Way back when I gushed about my deep and abiding love for the Trail-gator, Mari asked for a photo.  I think that I didn’t post one because I couldn’t find one that was even remotely flattering.  Apparently in the past few months I’ve become increasingly shameless.  So, here it is:

Completely off-topic:   just a little while ago, J was bringing in her brand-new-from-the-dentist toothbrush in from the car.  I was standing in the doorway and I had to yell out a halt when it appeared that she was going to rub the car’s exterior with the bristles as she walked by.   I reminded her that this would be dirty and gross and she gave me this look that read:  duh, Mom, I absolutely know that.  Well, sure she did.  And yet, she is my daughter.  As a child, I once pulled a long string of gum out of my mouth and wrapped it around my head.  Another time, I was pretending that I was filming a shampoo commercial in the shower.   I pretended like I had a special tool to sweep all of those suds off of my hair :  my big sister’s razor.  I only caught on when I saw the hair drifting toward the drain.  So, yeah:  if I have to play Captain Obvious for my daughter’s own protection, I’ll do it.

Here’s some of what’s going on around the Capital District:

First: a Clifton Park girl’s charity, Hannah’s Hope Fund, is currently in 2nd place for winning $25K from Pepsi.  The money would go toward treatment for a fatal disorder called Giant Axonal Neuropathy.   You can support Hannah’s Hope Fund by voting here. Local bloggers Friday Puppy and All Around Albany have been spreading the word.  But act now:  tomorrow is the last day to vote.

Some of you are fans of my lovely friend Pam, who’s been popular for (among other things) her Thursday story times at the Niskayuna Barnes & Noble.  Her schedule has changed, and her story hour has changed to 9:30 am on Fridays.

There’s another new Chipotle, this one in Stuyvesant Plaza.  Catching up on Google Reader was comical:  one person said that they were giving away free food again, someone else said that they weren’t, and someone else said that it was friends-and-family only, but that she was admitted when her disappointed son burst into tears.

All Over Albany pointed out a TU Dog-Owned Life Blog post with a list of Capital Region dog parks.  Hey, if you’ve got a kid who loves dogs, any of these might be a fun outing.

The TU’s Youth Arts Blog posted about the Malta Ballet Company’s upcoming auditions for The Nutcracker.  They’re on Sept. 11th.  Seemed like, if you wanted to try to audition, you might want to have more lead-time than you’d normally get from my weekend post.

At All Over Albany, someone was asking about good local fishing spots.  Not my cup of tea, but there’s plenty of good information.

Phew!  We went and saw the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Co. at Freedom Park, then found Mary sitting on her front porch and chatted with her, so the kids weren’t in bed (and therefore I hadn’t started this post) until 9:45 pm.  Put it together while watching the Emmys, except that I missed all the fun stuff.  Apparently I have to put the Temple Grandin movie in the Netflix Queue.  I already linked to her TED Talk at the CBS blog.

Anyway, scouting about the internet, I noticed that the Children’s Museum of Science & Technology has started including a detailed list of activities throughout the day–helpful, I think.  I’d love comments on which of these activites are “worth it” and which are perhaps a teensy bit lame–then folks who are visiting can plan better.

Here’s what’s going on this week:

Joyful Jumpers is having a Scholastic Book Fair this week and next week.  Who doesn’t love a little Scholastic Book action?  Okay, I know:  they publish some junkier stuff, too, these days, but they’re still fun.

Fair-a-palooza:

• The Fonda Fair runs August 31-Sept. 6.
• The Columbia County Fair in Chatham runs Sept. 1-6.
• The Schaghticoke Fair runs Sept. 1-6.

Monday, August 30th:

• At 10:30 am, they’re doing a Music Together demonstration at the Pine Hills Branch Library.
• At 10:30 am, preschoolers can make crafts with recycled materials at the downtown Albany Public Library.
• Do a Scavenger Hunt at Moreau Lake at 11 am.  You’ll notice that they have something pretty much every day.  If you’ve never visited, now’s a great week to do it, because then you can stay and swim at the beach–it’s still open!
• It’s Luau Day from noon to 4 pm at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga.  This is the last of the special themed Mondays, I think. Free with admission, drop-in.
• At 2 pm, they’ll have a Lego Building Blitz for school-aged kids at the Mont Pleasant Branch Library.
• At 6 pm, they’re showing Up at the Bach Branch Library.
• The Valleycats game tonight includes Back-to-School giveaways, a drawing for Yankees tickets, and fireworks.

Tuesday, August 31st:

• Take a Hike at Moreau Lake at 8:30 am.
• It’s Summertime Tots from 10 am to noon at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. Free with admission, drop-in.
• At 6:30 pm, there’s a Family Story Time at the Niskayuna Library. PJs welcome.
• Hair of the Dog is playing at 6:30 pm at Cook Park in Colonie.
• Learn about Bug-eaters at 7:30 pm at Five Rivers.

Wednesday, September 1st:

• Take a Hike at Moreau Lake at 10 am.
• Try some Paper Making Magic from 3-4:30 pm at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga.  Free with admission, ages 3 and up.
• They’re showing Up at the Pine Hills Branch Library at 6 pm.

Thursday, September 2nd:

• It’s Craft Day at 1 pm at Moreau Lake.
• At 2 pm and 5 pm, you can see Yo Gabba Gabba Live at the Times Union Center.
• At 7 pm, it’s Lego Night at the Niskayuna Barnes & Noble.
• At 7  pm, there’s a Children’s Circle Storytime & Playtime at the Bethlehem Public Library.  This program is designed to accommodate children with special needs.

Friday, September 3rd:

• Not only can you do some stretching with Stuffee from 10-10:30 am at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga,  but there’s a special guest, Scrubby Bear, who’ll teach about handwashing.  Free with admission, drop-in.
• Take a Hike at Moreau Lake at 10 am.
• Kids 8 and up can register to Learn How to Yoyo at 3:30 pm at the downtown Albany Public Library.  They’ll learn from yoyo champion Tim Tilstra. Register at 427-4310.
• At 4 pm, teens (well, 12 and up) can learn Japanese Writing at the Bach Branch Library.  This is a series of classes where they’ll learn  the meaning of Japanese characters and how to write them.  And, they’ll get Japanese snacks too.
• It’s First Friday in Albany from 5-9 pm.
• It’s First Friday in Ballston Spa from 6-9 pm

Sunday:

I forgot to mention that the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company, which got rained out back on August 22nd,  is performing at 7 pm at Freedom Park in Scotia tomorrow (Sunday) night.  I’ve already said that I love them.  I actually think that we might do a last-of-the-season Jumpin’ Jacks dinner followed by the dance performance.

Salsa:

I was reading the August Family Fun, and there was an article that began, “Kids dig salsa. . .” and my first reaction was, ummm really?  Like, what kids?  Not my kids.  My kids think: hey, what’s worse than one vegetable?  Several unidentified vegetables all mixed up together!

Okay, perhaps I’m being a little unfair here.  Lately, M’s enjoyed guacamole with some salsa mixed in, so we’re making progress at least.  And, since I follow Ellyn Satter‘s advice to enjoy my delightfully healthy grown-up fare and allow them to get jealous and curious on their own,  there’s nothing like a big bowl of salsa to convince my kids that mom & dad sincerely adore their veggies.

The other day we made salsa that was so beautiful that we had to take a picture of it to share.

This is from a recipe that we started making pre-kids.  I tried to just find a link to it, but the ingredients were a little bit off on the ones that I found.  The version above used a variety of tomatoes, including a yellow heirloom–yum.  Tomatilloes also grow locally, so you can look for them at your farmers’ market (along with just about everything else except the lime!).

Ingredients:

• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 2-6 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed (we usually stay on the low side of this)
• 4 small tomatilloes, husked and chopped (about ½ cup)
• ½ green pepper, cut into a couple of pieces(about ¼ cup)
• 2-3 T cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1-2 T parsley (optional)
• 6 plum tomatoes, diced (about 2 ½ cups)
• juice of one lime (about 2 tablespoons)
• ½ t salt

Directions:

• Finely chop garlic and jalapenos in food processor.  Add tomatilloes and green pepper and pulse ‘til chopped.  Add cilantro & parsley and one or two tomatoes, pulse until chopped.
• Remove and add remaining tomatoes, lime juice & salt.  Can be served immediately; better if chilled several hours.

From:  K & W, who got it from a CSA that got it from Consumer Reports, August, 1995

Another one we made was Rick Bayless’ Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, which is in his Mexican Everyday cookbook.  Also delish, but better combined with his chicken tacos.

Late-Summer Slacking:

Okay, as if it’s not bad enough that all of the summer programs end early and the beaches close because the college kids are leaving for school, has anyone noticed  that there seems to be an end-of-summer-malaise?  I hate this.  It bugs me every year.  We’ve got freakin’ gorgeous weather now, but when I take the kids to the town pool, is anyone there?  No-ho!  They’re all done with summer!

I remember this particularly from the autumn when J was born.  She was born on October 1st, and right around the time that she arrived, I kept bringing M to play at playgrounds.  My reasoning:  I am going to be trapped in the house all winter with these two little girlies, and I’d better get as much fresh air and sunshine as I can, while I can.  But on any given day, it would be, say, in the 60s, and it was too cold for everyone!  The playgrounds were deserted!  When we all know that if it were April or even May in the 60s, we’d all be outside and the kids would be breaking out the sandals.  But alas, the playground then, like the pool these days, is no fun when there’s no one there who wants to play, too. Hopefully it will be better this week.

This morning my kids had no particular desire to get outside.  We kept pointing out the beautiful day until we realized that we were pointing out the beautiful day from inside.  So we went outside and puttered, then took a bike ride, and the girls haven’t been inside since (knock on wood).  In fact, while they played happily, W & I snuck inside and took a little rest!

They’re starting a new event in Schenectady:  a Pedal Paddle Run on September 11th at Freedom Park.  The race itself begins at 8:30 am and adults and kids 10 and up can participate in teams, or ages 15 and up as individuals.  At noon there will be music and kids’ entertainment.

Personally, the idea of this screams out to me, because I like to run (in theory, if not always while I’m doing it) and I like to bike, but the third of the triathlon set–swimming–has always eluded me.

Now, don’t get me wrong:  I’m not a drowning hazard.  In fact, I can do some excellent dives off the diving board, even though I’m not actually allowed to do them these days because it would Humiliate My Children.  No, my problem with swimming is that I can’t coordinate the breathing with the swimming.  I can choose to swim or I can choose to breathe, but simultaneously?  Nope.

So, a canoe or kayak sounds like a welcome change of pace.  I even aspire to do a little bit more serious kayak or crew stuff sometime in my future, because I think that that might be a ticket to the Arms I’ve Always Deserved.  Maybe when the kids are able to watch themselves for a while without havoc or CPS reports.

Anyway, I’ll throw this onto the weekend listing when it’s coming up, but I wanted to give you some advance warning just in case you’re cool enough to participate in this.  Here are details on registration/teams. I have an easy out because it’s the the same time as the girls’ first soccer games of the season.  So, I can say, wow, I would totally do that, no problem, except that I have a conflict.  Alas.  Maybe we’ll make it for the bounce house.

On my hunt for events this weekend, I found another $5 off coupon for Water Slide World in today’s Gazette.  Poking around the internet for special events, I noticed a For the Love of Dance 10-week program at the National Museum of Dance designed to offer 2- to 5-year-olds a smorgasbord of dancing experiences.  Here’s what I found for this weekend:

All Weekend:

• The Washington County Fair runs from August 23-29, 10 am to 10 pm.
• There are Valleycats games Saturday through Monday, with fireworks and an early (5 pm) game on Sunday.
• This is Travers Weekend, the highlight of the Saratoga Racing Season.  I’m not a huge racing fan, so for me, this precludes heading anywhere north of the weekend, but perhaps I’m just a spoilsport.
• It’s Restoration Fest from noon to 10 pm on Saturday & Sunday: this is mostly young-grown-up music, but that doesn’t mean you can’t tote kids along.
• There’s a Mountain Bike World Cup Festival all weekend at Windham, including at Kids’ Race at 1 pm on Sunday.

Evening of Friday, August 27th:

• It’s Troy Night Out from 5-9 pm.
• Go on a Spider Search at Thacher Nature Center at 5:30 pm.
• From 6-9 pm, Mabee Farm is having their last Howlin’ at the Moon concert with Running the River.  They’re also giving away hot dogs from 6-7 pm.
• There’s a Twilight Kayak Paddle from 7-9 pm at Moreau Lake State Park. Call to reserve a spot.
  

Saturday, August 28th:

• At 9 am, you can take a hike at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site and learn some amateur birdwatching techniques.  Call to register, and it’s $3/adult, $1/child.
• Starting at 9 am, there’s a Bike the Byway event at the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway starting in Colonie.  I heard about this via the TU’s Clifton Park Blog.
• Take a Bird Walk at 9 am at Five Rivers.
• From 9-11:30 am there’s a Beginner’s Class in Wildflower Identification at the Albany Pine Bush.  Pre-register, and it’s $2/person, $5/family.
• At 10 am, you can learn about Summer Insects at Thacher Nature Center.  Call to register, and bring water, but no nets!  This must be the perfect insect season, because everywhere I turn there are people organizing insect outings.
• There’s an Arts & Crafts Festival from 10 am to 5 pm at Mabee Farm.  It’s $4/adults, $3/child or $10/carload.
• It’s Albany Latinfest from 11 am to 6 pm at Washington Park in Albany.  They’ll have a pretty extensive Kidzone.
• Learn to fish on a Moreau Lake Fishing Trip at 10 am.  Register; this event costs $15, which includes boat rental and supplies.
• At 1 pm, you can take a hike at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site and learn about medicinal plants.  Call to register, and it’s $3/adult, $1/child.
• From 2-8 pm, it’s the Uncle Sam Jam Celebration in Troy.
• At 2 pm, learn about Berried Treasure at Five Rivers.
• Go Stargazing at Thacher Nature Center at 9 pm–as long as it’s not cloudy.

Sunday, August 29th:

• Take a Mud Pond Hike at Moreau Lake State Park from 9-11 am.
• It’s a bit of a drive, but there’s a free children’s opera of The Three Little Pigs at the Belleayre Music Festival at 1 pm.
• Discover the Pine Bush at 1 pm.  Pre-register, and it’s $2/person, $5/family.
• Learn how to Fillet a Fish at Moreau Lake State Park at 2 pm.
• At 6 pm, there’s It Happened Right Here! Factual and fictional storytelling about New York at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site.

Yeah, this is whiny.  You might just want to skip it.  I can’t be, you know, relentlessly fun.

I don’t know how everyone else is doing, but I’ve had it up to here with this weather.   I always dislike this time of year, anyway:  all the summer programs finish up (like my beloved town camp), and school is looming, with the bustle of supplies and over-the-summer homework and PTO jobs, but without the actual, you know, kids leaving the house for a while.

J with rainbow at Craig Elementary School playground.

Seriously, we just all do better when we have a little time to ourselves.  My workout time takes a precipitous dive when the kids are with me all day, because I simply cannot wake up any earlier than I already do.  Don’t even ask.  When the kids were away for a week I even tried to reset my body clock extra-early, and it just didn’t happen.  I’d lose track of time and it would be 2 am and I’d be feeling super.  I’m better at night.  I’m barely functional in the morning.  So Unworked-out Mommy is a teensy bit less patient.

The girls have been playing together pretty well in the mornings.  I do the dullest chores ever and they play until I suddenly realize that I’ve devoted two hours to cleaning the fridge and now they’re sick of each other and starving.  So then I make lunch and attempt to get us out of the house and results vary.  One day it was a playground (wild success), another day errands (really poor: I pulled the car to a screeching halt twice to turn around and chastise them), and today I attempted the pool when a brief glimmer of sunlight filled me with unwarranted optimism.   I believe that it was our most dismal trip to the pool ever.

Really, I’ve just been in a shame spiral lately. M’s been extra obnoxious, including pushing her most effective button the other day, about how Mommy doesn’t work or, you know, do anything.  Which, I’d have to say, makes me angry for a good 48 hours, at least.  Then today she got herself sent to her room for 35 minutes.  This after I started at ten minutes.  Meanwhile, J has developed an unidentified rash that may or may not be clearing up.  Her legs are also a freaking mess of bug bites from when she was away on vacation last week without Mommy to nag about bug spray.  There was also some slacking in the pierced ear care, leading to some infected yuckiness.  She kept claiming that it didn’t hurt, and I had no idea if the redness might be rash- or bug-related.  And then an earring fell out in bed, which I didn’t notice until it had already begun to close.  So last night there was a painful, pussy and emotionally draining re-piercing ceremony at bedtime.  I feel like I’ve really earned my Crappy Mother of the Week badge.

In short, it’s not all about the weather.  But I can’t help thinking that a little warmth and sunshine will buck us all up a bit.  It’s supposed to be coming.  It better be.

I’ve been receiving emails about fall classes, so I thought that I’d share a few:

Yoga with Cathy: this instructor has some serious groupies, and she’s got classes for pregnant moms, parents & teensy babies, toddlers, and more.

Music Box Arts: these Music Together class begin later in September, but there are free demo classes at a variety of locations beginning after Labor Day.

Union College: has learn-to-skate and hockey lessons.

So, what’s everybody doing this fall?  Both of my girls are doing Ginny Martin this year–J’s returning from last year, and M, apparently inspired by the recital, is giving it a try.  They’re also both doing soccer with the town, which is very exciting.  Prior to about a month ago, the girls were ho-hum about it, but W loves soccer, and he’s volunteered to coach both their teams.  Over the weekend we picked up cleats and shin guards (hoping that shiny new equipment would amp up the enthusiasm), and they’ve been kicking and bonding like crazy ever since.   Once soccer’s over, they’re switching to . ice skating at Union M’s also said that she’s interested in doing more Kidzart classes and J’s said that she’d like to learn to play the piano or the guitar or the tambourine. . . any suggestions there?

Do you have any favorite extracurricular activities to recommend to the rest of us?