2020 was full of firsts for all of us. We survived our first pandemic. Many of us home schooled for the first time. 2020 was the first year we went shopping for face masks.
My baby boy had so many big “FIRSTS” this year. I’m documenting them so I don’t forget!
First time snow skiing!
(March 2020)
He had SOO much fun and skied for six straight hours! That night, he couldn’t figure out why his legs hurt so bad. 🙂
.
First time riding a bike with no training wheels!
(June 2020)
Now that we have Four boys on bikes, Ted and I need to get bikes!
.
First lost tooth!
(July 2020)
He lost a tooth on the same day one of his best friends lost her first tooth.
.
First time going to Elementary school!
(September 2020)
His first day of Kindergarten was also the first time we had a teenager in the home. September 14 was first day of school and George’s birthday.
.
First time playing a team sport!
(September 2020)
He joined a soccer team and didn’t love it. He said he got kicked too much!
.
First time Ice Skating on his own!
(December 2020)
.
Firsts are a little bittersweet when it comes to your baby! However, I’m so grateful for this last little Egly and for many ‘firsts’ still to come.
I’m a full-time mom with a teaching degree. When COVID-19 forced my four sons to do full-time home school (aka: distance learning), I thought: ‘No Problem, I can handle this!’
I WAS WRONG.
It was so …very … hard!
Our first week of full-time distance learning was a train wreck.
If you would have peeked into our home, you would have (unfortunately) seen:
Yelling,
fighting,
frustration,
anxiety,
confusion,
crying, and
an iPad being thrown to the ground by an overwhelmed child and hitting another child who was seated on the ground.
By the end of the week I was so exhausted I thought I had the Coronavirus! I went to bed with a pounding head and an aching body.
SOMETHING HAD TO CHANGE!
No…
EVERYTHING had to change.
CHANGE had to start with ME.
My husband reminded me that STRESS is often due to not feeling like we have control and/or navigating a lot of change. Yep. That described us! He went on to share what we DO have control over is our: attitude, outlook, and the the actions we take.
I took the weekend to rest, reflect, and re-assess. I needed a higher perspective on home schooling my children. I had to remember that CHANGE is hard. Navigating this brand NEW learning environment and having to immediately perform was causing us to all feel stressed.
I am a person who loves to get things DONE. I like efficiency, and I enjoy checking off boxes. My preferences were NOT aligning with home schooling, and children are not efficient.
My GOAL to KEEP UP! and GET IT DONE! was wrecking our relationships. Very little actual learning occurred and we were all unhappy.
When the goal is to “Get it DONE” there isn’t time to absorb, discuss, reflect and learn.
Here were my new goals and actions:
1. Distinguish between controllable and uncontrollable.
I can’t control the fact that we are in a new learning situation, I CAN control how I act, as well as my level of preparation and time management.
2. I will prioritize my relationships with my kids over the assignments.
I will pause and think before I react to something my kids say or do.
3. Apologize.
I told my children I was sorry for being upset, frenzied, and impatient.
4. Realize we are all learning something new!
Remind the kids we are ALL new to this, and we were going to work on being patient and kind to each other. We would give each other grace.
5. Familiarize myself with their technology, passwords, and schedules.
6. Get more organized and prepared.
We kept their school stuff in one area.
7. Communicate with the teachers.
Remember the son who was so overwhelmed he threw his iPad? I told the teacher that our goal is no longer going to be to get everything done. We were going to slow down so he had time to absorb the information, reflect, and learn. She was okay with the fact that he may not get every assignment done.
8. Get more sleep.
The kids will be in bed before 9 and will wake up by 8 AM.
9. Come prepared and ready to work by 9 AM.
iPads are charged, everyone is fed, pencils are sharpened, and we’ve looked over the plan for the day.
10. Re-prioritize:
Focus 100% on their learning from morning until lunch. I will try not to get distracted by housework or my phone.
Switch my desire from ‘checking all the boxes’ to slowing down and really learning.
Choose quantity over quantity.
Less focus on grades, stronger focus on growing.
.
These 2 things helped:
1. Prayer and Scripture
I ask God for help ALL DAY LONG reading my Bible fills my spirit and renews my strength.
2. Getting input from others:
Discussing better practices with my husband
Asking others what their best practices were and what was working for them (NOTE: talk to people who are more effective or more experienced)
Reading books or listening to podcasts that re-focus my attention to the big picture.
“Teaching from Rest” is an excellent book that walks you through how to teach with peace rather than frenzy! The author asks the question: If you knew your child was guaranteed to get into Harvard, but your relationship would be wrecked in the process, would you agree to that?
Are the days EASY now? NO!
It’s still a day-by-day, hour-by-hour challenge.
Do I feel more peaceful and prepared? Yes!
I’ve learned that most change can be bad in the beginning, messy in the middle, and extraordinary in the end.
.
A few SMALL changes made a BIG impact!
How about you? What are you learning? How are you staying sane? What’s helped you? Leave a comment and thanks for reading!
It was a cold day with LOTS of snow. All four boys shoveled two of our neighbors driveways.
We played with our dog, completed a Christmas puzzle, then watched White Christmas (one of my FAVORITE Christmas movies).
Luke and Paul were excited to go to bed that night because they could hardly wait for it to be Christmas morning!
After the two littles fell asleep, George and Clark helped me put presents under the tree, then George created a scavenger hunt from the “elves.”
Clark set up some games around the house for everyone to play on Christmas Day.
Christmas Day:
Scavenger hunt for the littles:
George created a scavenger hunt from our ‘elves.’ He wrote a clue, that led to another clue, that led to another … all around our house. The final clue led to a gift from “Santa.” The gift was a game called “Ticket to Ride.” I’d read good reviews of this game so I thought my boys would like it.
I made the mistake of trying to play it with them right away, without having ever played before. I didn’t realize how many details were involved. I tried to read the instructions and play at the same time. This was a FAIL! I didn’t understand how to play, let alone how to teach all four boys what to do. We all got frustrated and quit.
Afterwards, I watched a YouTube video on how to play. I finally understood and asked my boys if they wanted to try again. The boys said no, they just wanted to open their other presents.
Opening presents:
Clark got football cards
Luke got an art set
Hanging new ornaments they received for Christmas
Our big Christmas gift to the boys was a dog (Read that story here) …but other family members had gifts for them to open Christmas morning.
I filled their stockings with some fun treats, hid the stockings in my closet, tied a long string around them, and wrapped that string all around the house. I gave the boys the end of the string, and they had to follow it to find their stockings.
The boys also did a “Secret Santa” gift exchange with each other. After Thanksgiving, I put the names of the boys in a bowl and they each drew a name. They have a $15 budget and get to pick out a gift for each other.
Luke drew George’s name and got him a puzzle (see below).
Paul drew Clark’s name and bought him football cards.
Clark drew Luke’s name and got him a remote control car.
George drew Paul and bought him some Pokemon cards.
Christmas Day Scavenger Hunt for the Parents:
Clark created “Wheel of Fortune”
Ted came in first
As a Christmas gift for me and Ted, Clark created a super fun obstacle course for us to complete. We had targets to hit with a nerf gun, matchbox cars that had to get past a certain line, a box to tear open to find a clue and a quarter, basketballs to get in the net, then a word to complete in a “Wheel of Fortune” type game. When we completed all our ‘challenges,’ we had to race to put our “quarter” on the winning circle to win a prize (see picture above). I won “Wheel of Fortune” and the matchbox car game, but Ted is way better with a nerf gun and basketball. He won and got a big chocolate bar. I was second and Clark gave me chocolate coins.
Christmas Day Walk:
It was COLD outside (7 degrees), but Ted encouraged us to bundle up and get outside with him, and I’m glad we did!
Christmas Dinner:
Steak, Brussel Sprouts, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus and …. French Fries. (I forgot to take a picture)
We Watched:
A Christmas Story – Ted and George love this movie. Since they watch “White Christmas” with me, I watch this movie with them.
We read:
The Christmas Lizard: this is a cute story of the Lizard climbing up the tree and hearing the different reasons Christmas is celebrated. The Nutcracker says “tradition,” the elves say “parties,” etc. When he gets to the very top of the tree he finds the Angel and the angel points to the manger and tells the lizard that the reason we celebrate Christmas is Jesus.
After Luke and Paul went to bed, I was able to talk George into giving Ticket to Ride another try. We both really enjoyed playing! I would only recommend it for ages 10 and up!
The Day After Christmas:
Luke got George’s name as his “Secret Santa” gift exchange. I helped him create a puzzle as a gift for George.
We put it together and it turned out so cool!
We also went ice skating with friends.
One friend lifted his hockey stick to hit a puck, and accidentally smacked Clark in the eye. It hurt bad at first (and looks really bad), but Clark was playing again in ten minutes.
We took another walk and had a snowball fight:
Get Ready …
Get Set …
Fire!!!
My boys received this “snowball maker” toy last year – it makes these perfect, round snowballs and saves your hands from freezing or your gloves from getting soaked:
Hope you had a Merry Christmas friends! Sending love from our family to yours!
Here’s a peek into our fall and winter. I love how my iPhone can take pictures and videos and turn them into this:
It was a long journey to get here … our oldest three boys started asking for a dog since, well, they could say the word “DOG!”
I was NOT excited about having a dog. I had a hard enough time keeping up with our boys, I didn’t want another thing to take care of!
However, this quote resonated with me….
“Every boy should have two things: a dog and a mother who lets him have one.”
― Robert Benchley
In 2013, we told George and Clark that when Paul was potty-trained, we’d get a dog! They were overjoyed. However…
Just as Paul was potty-trained, I found out I was pregnant. So, they boys got a BROTHER instead of a dog. Thankfully, they were okay with that … for a while.
Every subsequent Christmas and birthday – the number one requested item was: A DOG.
In 2020…we finally decided it was time. And you all know why. This year we were all stuck at home with plenty of time on our hands!
We got serious about looking for a Goldendoodle. However, I didn’t realize how expensive they could be. I was NOT going to pay what most people were asking.
I told the boys that if we were going to get a dog, we would have to find the right one, for the right price.
So the boys started praying. They asked God for a golden doodle dog for a ‘good price.’
I also saw Clark googling:
“Goldendoodles for less than one thousand dollars.”
For several months, we couldn’t find one. But then…we went for a visit to Tulsa.
Randomly at dinner, I told a friend that we were searching for a golden doodle, but could not find one for a decent price. This friend gave me the number of a local breeder who sells them for a very reasonable price.
There was MORE great news:
I knew the breeder’s family! I had worked with her brother-in-law in Colorado Springs!
I had friends with her dogs.
She had a litter recently born and they’d be available the same week that my in-laws would be visiting us in Minnesota!
Ted and I SECRETLY went to meet the puppies and of course, we fell in love. It’s hard to meet a puppy and not BUY a puppy!
This was finally the right breeder, the right dog, at the right time and the right price!!!
We bought one.
However…it was a secret. We would surprise the boys the week before Christmas!
When the puppy was ready, Papa and Nana picked him up and and drove him from Tulsa all the way to our home in Minnesota.
The Big Puppy Surprise:
When they were just a few minutes away, I took the boys upstairs. I told them we had to hang out in my room for a little while because dad had to work on something for Christmas.
While we were upstairs, Ted greeted Nana and Papa at the door and let them in. They put the crate in front of the Christmas tree, they put the puppy in the crate, and a blanket over the crate. Nana and Papa stood in front of the crate, blocking it from view.
Then…Ted came upstairs, knocked on my door, told the boys he was ready…and they came downstairs.
The boys were SOO excited to see their Nana and Papa.
Then, Nana and Papa moved to show the crate. They removed the blanket and showed them the REAL surprise – their PUPPY!
They exclaimed this as the BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!
The Best Christmas ever!
The best dog ever!
The best parents ever!
The best nana and papa ever!
They were thrilled and oh, what a memory!
Why the name?
All the men in our family have a “W” in their middle names…so we wanted our dog’s name to start with a W.
Here’s a fun and simple activity to do with your kids: Salt dough ornaments.
My boys aren’t always into crafty things – but when they heard their cousins made and SOLD some of their ornaments, my boys were all in! They always love a way to earn money – right now they are saving up to buy a DOG! (This was their idea, not mine)
.
The salt dough recipe is simple:
2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1 cup of water
Mix with a wisk, and then your hands.
Flour a surface, then roll out the dough until it’s about a quarter inch thick
Cut into shapes
Use a drinking straw to poke a hole at the top of the ornament for the string to go through
To make the Snowman Ornament:
Use a cup to make circles
Take a little piece of the dough and form it into the shape of a carrot
Press the nose on top of the circle
Press divots in the dough for the eyes and mouth. I used the bottom of a paint brush.
Bake at 175 degrees for 3 hours.
Let them sit for 1 hour.
Paint with acrylic paint or water colors.
Seal with Modge Podge.
Tie a string through the hole.
Hang on your tree, gift wrap, or sell.
My boys …Selling their handmade ornaments to neighbors
The boys put their earnings in this jar and tied one of their dog bone salt dough ornaments around it!
A lady I enjoy listening to, raised four amazing sons and swears by the power of spending time with your kids around the table – not just eating, but staying to play games. She said the boys didn’t always want to play, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Playing together opens up conversations you may not normally have. Games make you laugh and connect in a new way.
A really fun and simple activity that can act as a physics lesson and opportunity for an experiment. Make a simple ramp using cardboard or a piece of wood, and roll different objects down: measure how far they go, how fast they roll, or hold races between different kinds of balls to see which wins!
.
7. Go Fishing With Magnets
Create “fishing poles” using pencils, string, and magnets.
Place a variety of items in a bin–some magnetic, some otherwise–and let them go to town exploring the concept of magnetism!
.
8. Draw self portraits
Luke age 5
Have your kids look in the mirror and do a self portrait!
Be sure to have them write their name and age. It will be fun to look back on this when they are older.
You could have them repeat this every year around their birthday to see how their drawings improve!
.
9. Make a Flip Book Animation
Kids can learn how to make a flipbook animation in less than 5 minutes. All you need is a pen and a stack of paper, or even better, a sticky note pad. This video is a great and very quick tutorial
Here is one of my son’s first flip book, using index cards:
If you have snow like we do, this is fun for all ages!
.
12. Skiing
Luke learning to ski and LOVING it!
Skiing requires gloves, you can wear a mask, it’s outdoors and fairly easy to stay ‘socially distant.’ Many ski resorts have special rates and lessons for beginners.
.
13. Play with shaving cream
.
14. Have a make your own pizza and family movie night
My fourth grade teacher once gave us the title “The Entire City Lends a Hand” and had the class each write their own story. Read a rendition of that here.
If you have kids who are 8 and older, they can earn money or serve their neighbors by shoveling, cleaning up leaves, or helping any other outdoor task.
.
40. Find a place to explore!
Though there are some places that are closed for Covid, you can still find a new place to explore with your kids!
Being bored is a natural part of life as a kid. Try not to offer an immediate solution to their boredom and see what they come up with! It’s often in times of boredom that children show their greatest creativity!
Laugh out loud with your family this holiday weekend!
Choose any or all of the simple games below.
Each game requires a one minute timer or stopwatch.
Race the clock for a MINUTE to WIN IT!
1. Junk in the Trunk
Strap an empty tissue box to each player’s waist and put several ping pong balls inside. Tell players they have to get as many balls out as possible without using their hands, in one minute. They can dance, shake, get on all fours — whatever it takes. The player with the fewest ping pong balls in their tissue box at the end wins.
.
2. Tower of Terror
See which player can build the tallest block tower (or use jenga pieces or anything stackable you own) in one minute. If it collapses, the player has to start from scratch.
.
3. One-handed Coin Stacking
Give players a pile of 25 coins and have them stack them using only one hand. Whoever stacks the most coins in one minute wins.
.
4. Rubber Band Shooting Range
Stack several empty soda cans or plastic cups into a pyramid and have players shoot rubber bands at them, attempting to knock down the pyramid. Whoever has the fewest cans standing at the end of one minute wins.
.
5. Wall Bounce
Have participants bounce a ball off the wall and into a bucket. Whoever has the most balls in the bucket at the end wins. To have multiple players at once, simply use different colored balls or write players’ initials on them.
.
6. Keep It Up
Tell players or teams they must keep a balloon afloat for one minute. Additional rules are up to you: tell them they can use only their heads, toes, etc. or just say “anything goes.” If the balloon touches the ground, they’re out. The last person or team standing wins.
.
7. Shoe Flick
Flick it!
Get players to take their heel out of their shoe and attempt to flick it onto a table or chair six feet away using only their feet/legs. If they can get one, have them try to get the other. If their shoe overshoots or falls off the table, they have to start over.
.
8. Anagrams
Pick a fun word or phrase and have players rearrange the letters to create anagrams. For example, the phrase “minute to win it” has more than 5,000 possible anagram combinations such as “timeout,” twin,” and “wine.” Use an anagram generator online for inspiration. Whoever has the most anagrams after 60 seconds wins.
9. State of Fun
Have players write down as many states as they can before the timer goes off.
.
10. Toothpick letters
Give each player a large pile of toothpicks and instruct them to create letters (for littles) or spell out three-letter words (for older kids) without breaking or bending any of the toothpicks. Whoever has the most letters or words when the timer goes off wins.
Here’s what we’ve been up to in September and October:
My boys and a couple of their friends at a local apple orchard.
Luke wakes up and waits at the steps for me to see him, say good morning and give him a hug. I haven’t asked him to wait…it’s just become a tradition.
The boys are in school two days a week, and do school at home three days a week.
Luke in Soccer
Paul in Soccer
Clark in football
This was our first season of FOUR boys in sports! Luke, Paul, and George were in soccer. Clark was in football.
Paul and his friend caught Pike!
Then…it started snowing….
The wonder of snow!
Catching snowflakes
And didn’t stop snowing…
So much snow!
Here the boys are selling hot chocolate to neighbors.
All the snow means SNOW SLUSHEES!
Life Hack: Buy a sweatshirt that makes you look and feel like a teddy bear to get more cuddles!
Rain or shine (or snow) – Paul is ready to fish!
Amazon had a sale on animal crackers. They inspired me to make my favorite childhood treat for my kids – Circus Sundaes! Vanilla Ice Cream, strawberry syrup, animal crackers and whip cream.
Paul asked if he could sleep by Luke. When I checked on them, I found this!
The kids and I said “Goodbye” to Summer and “Hello” to Fall! First, however, we reflected on all that we were able to do in spite of this crazy pandemic.
Here’s our TOP TEN from Summer 2020
1. Family Road Trips
Our Illinois Besties
Family love
Papa’s Ranger
Cousins
Great views of Duluth
Indiana, Illinois, and Duluth, MN
2. Camps
In spite of the pandemic, the boys all did a camp this summer. Luke did a mini sport camp. The 3 big boys got to do a basketball camp and a Survival Camp. The “Survival Camp” was to teach them how to survive if they found themselves stuck in the woods. They created shelter from whatever they could find in the woods, they learned how to start a fire, purify lake water, and use a compass to find their way around the woods.
They loved it, but Paul wondered why their teacher brought stuff into the woods that they wouldn’t really find in the woods (like flint, a fire starter and SMORES).
3. Simple summer fun
The pond at sunset
Buck Hill Hike
Kayaking
Fishing
Clark caught one!
In the land of 10,000 lakes – the boys spent a lot of time in and around the water.
6. Boys at Work
The boys were brainstorming ways to earn money this summer. They decided to start a weeding business. They went door-to-door to ask if the homeowner would like them to pull weeds. The homeowner could “pick their price.” (They did turn down one offer to do an hour of work for $1 – not kidding) Clark asked me how soon weeds grow back. He was thrilled to know that they would have business all summer long – and they did!
George and Clark continued their YouTube channel that started in Quarantine. I loved that it kept them brainstorming, writing, creating and working together. At the time of this post, they have 61 subscribers! George told me that they are putting their video creation on ‘pause,’ but will make more during school breaks. Click here to find their channel.
9. LOTS of yard games!
10. Surprise visit from Nana and Papa
Leave a comment and share a happy memory from summer. Thanks for reading!
It was Ted’s Birthday weekend and we wanted to get out of the Twin Cities and do something fun. A visit to Duluth had been on our Minnesota Bucket List for two years – so we booked a place to stay and invited some friends to join us for the weekend up north. (Bonus, our friends used to LIVE THERE – so they knew all the best spots to visit!!)
We arrived in Duluth on Friday around noon and started the weekend in Canal Park. We walked through a few of the quaint shops and got to the end to see the massive lift bridge. Every 30 minutes, the bridge lifts to let boats come into the Harbour from Lake Superior. You can click here to find the ship schedule.
Moose sighting (sitting?)Watching a glass-blowing class in action
Notes on Grandma's Restaurant: I didn't love the indoor 'vibe' of this restaurant, but getting a seat by a window or on the upstairs patio makes it nice! The food was pretty good, but not amazing. The reason to go here - LOCATION! I'd only go back if I had an outdoor table that overlooks the bridge.
Then we walked to the lighthouse at the end of the loooong pier. My boys were amazed that Superior is really a lake and not an ocean.
We walked back to our hotel to check in, then watched the trucks and tractors working behind the hotel – setting huge boulders in place and creating a large walkway along the lake. Each semi could only hold three boulders. After we watched them work for awhile, we drove to Park Point Beach, which is about an eight minute drive from Canal Park. The drive takes you across the lift bridge – which was fun, and the drive to the beach is nice because you get to enjoy viewing a wide range of homes along the lakefront.
Hanging out behind the hotel, watching the trucks at workThis long truck could only hold 3 boulders
When we arrived at Park Point Beach, we stood to observe the powerful lake and unique beach – full of soft sand and huge, heavy logs that had washed onto the shore. The lake is always VERY cold and since it was late in the day, we weren’t planning to swim. However, the chilly air, the cold water, and lack of swimsuits, did not stop the kids. They were playing in the waves within minutes of our arrival.
They watched the water for about 2 minutes…Then they jumped in and didn’t mind the freezing water. We found a couple cute Sea Turtles
After time at Park Point, we went back to the hotel to dry off and change, then walked to dinner at Canal Street Brewery. The restaurant has a great vibe, and huge windows overlooking the lake. Ted ordered a salmon salad and I had a grilled chicken sandwich with brie and asparagus. The boys ate burgers. We all enjoyed our meals and would definitely go back.
After dinner, we let the kids swim in the hotel pool, then we enjoyed s’mores on the hotel’s back patio.
We’d been watching the weather for several days preceding our trip, and the forecast showed rain and lightning all weekend. Clark asked if we could pray and ask God for nice weather so that we could explore outdoors. Thankfully, Friday was nice! It was warm during the day and just a little chilly at night. After getting into bed Friday night, it rained and thundered all night – but the storms were over by morning! Saturday’s weather was perfect for exploring.
We started the day with breakfast in the hotel, then drove about 45 minutes north along Lake Superior to Gooseberry Falls State Park.
Gooseberry Falls was SPECTACULAR!
It was one of the most amazing ‘playgrounds’ we’ve ever explored. There are so many trails to hike, but we spent hours just playing in the water.
Wear comfy clothes that you don’t mind getting wet.
There are two large parking lots – if one is full, there is one just beside it. Both were nearly full when we left, but it didn’t feel overly crowded because the State Park is SO large!
If you are bringing children, I recommend following the trail to the LOWER FALLS. We started at the UPPER falls and found it was DANGEROUS for young, curious children. Our kids wanted to get really close to the edge of the falls, and could have easily fallen over. There is nothing to stop them. In fact, the day we were there, two children fell over the falls and had to be life flighted out. At the time of this post, all I know is that they are injured, but still alive.
Pack some snacks and a water bottle – All the hiking and water play will make you hungry!
20-30 minutes before you leave, call to make a reservation at the world famous Betty’s Pies. We tried to eat there, but there was too long of a wait. They told us we could call in advance to save our place in line.
Paul caught a HUGE frog!You can get so close to the falls – some people were walking through it.Love this place and these peopleExploring a quiet streamOh George 🙂
We happened to see a sign that said Grand Superior Grille as we were leaving the falls, and stopped here for lunch. The restaurant has sweeping views of the lake, and a well-priced menu. We practically had the place to ourselves and couldn’t believe more people weren’t there. The food and environment were fantastic. George said this was his favorite restaurant we went to all weekend because of the nice environment and good food.
Behind the restaurant is a phenomenal rocky coast.
Skipping rocks
Next, we drove to Brighton Beach but only stayed for a few minutes because it was way too packed. As an alternative, we went to Lester Park. It’s not a beach, but has trails to hike, a playground, and the best part – a beautiful creek to play in. The kids absolutely loved it and could have stayed and played in the creek for HOURS!
Lester Park Tips:
For a calm place to play, use the creek to the left of the playground.
The first creek you see (close to the parking lot) is usually filled with teenagers. Walking a little farther in, is a much better place for kids to explore.
Mom look, I found an L for Luke!Pretty Lester Park TrailsLuke and his friends
We talked them into leaving by promising ice cream. I was hoping to go to the historic Portland’s Malt Shop, but we drove by and saw a super long line, so we went back to our hotel and walked to Dairy Queen. While we ate our ice cream, we walked back to the Lift Bridge. The boys enjoyed chasing pigeons and sea gulls, and climbing on the rocks along the coast.
For dinner we ordered pizzas and salads from Vitta Pizza.
Notes on Vitta: Their food is fantastic! I shared an amazing salad with Ted and a couple different pizzas (both SO good). The kids loved the pizza too! I sat inside the restaurant while waiting for our food, and wouldn't recommend eating inside. It's crowded and the seats are uncomfortable. However, the food is perfect for take out. (Rating 5/5)
While the dads took the kids swimming, my friend Mary and I got to enjoy a little quiet time to catch our breath and chat. After dinner, the mamas took the kiddos to bed, and Ted went out with Mary’s husband to rent electric scooters and enjoy some guy time.
The weather was amazing ALL day and I’m so thankful! We got to pack in SO much fun!
Sunday morning we went to a quaint coffee shop called Perk Place. I had the most delicious latte called ‘Honey Bear.’ It’s made with a little cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. We drove around the Congdon area to see some of the historic, ornate mansions. We also drove through the downtown area and saw the famous Duluth Trading Company.
Did you know that Duluth once had most millionaires per capita than any other US city? People gained their wealth from the Iron Mining and logging industry.
Our next stop was the GORGEOUS Enger Park. This park has:
A Japanese Garden with a large bell you can ring,
Many paths to explore and rocks to climb
An incredible view of Duluth, the harbor, lift bridge and Lake Superior
A tower with nearly 100 steps and about 5 levels. There are 360 degree views on each level
Great views of DuluthThere’s a smooth path to the tower, but my boys would rather climb the rocky terrainThe Japanese GardenIt’s Ted’s Birthday!
After exploring the park, we headed home with happy hearts. It was an incredible weekend, full of fun adventures with good friends.
I’m thrilled that I finally got to see Duluth. There is so much history and beauty in that city – hills and large rocks, cool buildings and restaurants, falls and creeks, and of course, Lake Superior.
Here are a few things we missed this trip, but hope to see and do during our next visit:
Where to go:
Rose garden – Beautiful and overlooks Lake Superior
Glensheen mansion – explore inside and outside, located on Lake Superior
Build a Marble Maze / Labrynth
