8 Tips to Help You Drink Enough Water

One of the goals I've spent a lot of time working on is drinking enough water. I imagine we all know that adults should be drinking a minimum of 64 oz a day, but just because you know something is good for you doesn't mean it's easy. 

 During a group discussion last semester, one of my classmates revealed that she is lucky to get 16oz in and wanted to know what tips I had. If one person found this information valuable, I imagine there are plenty of others who would too, so here is the advice I gave her, plus a few extra ideas I came up with while editing.

 Feel free to pick and choose from the suggestions, I have used all of them at one time or another, but not necessarily at the same time:

• Drink good tasting water. Sometimes that means spending extra money on either bottled water or filters, but i consider it a preventative medicine to drink enough water, so if I can make room in my budget, I do.
• Flavor it. Try some lemon, lime, fruit, herbs, or anything that sounds good.
• Drink it at room temperature. It will actually hydrate you better. However, if you prefer it cold, drink it that way.
• Make water available and easily accessible all day. I've tried several variations- After my babies, I've filled the hospital jug and kept it near me all day and night. Sometimes it's as simple as leaving a filled glass of water on the table and refilling it anytime it empties. The goal being to take at least one drink every single time I walk by. 
• Use a straw. For some reason I can gulp down a ton of water if I use a straw.  I can do it fairly mindlessly, so I don't feel like I'm drinking as much.
• Use tall glasses/bottles. I find it less daunting to drink 4 16oz bottles or 6.5 10oz glasses than 8 8oz glasses. It's all mental and it may not work for you, but it helps me.
• Drink while exercising. I aim to drink at least 16 oz before, during, and/or after exercising.
• Drink a glass with any medicines or vitamins. When I take my vitamin or any medicine, I aim to drink at least a full 8 oz (for each medicine) and that helps too.

What tips would you add?

Slate Run Living Historical Farm: Summer 2014

One of the kids' favorite places to visit is Slate Run Living Historical Farm. The farm is located in my hometown, Canal Winchester, Ohio. Going to the farm is like stepping back in time to the 1880s and seeing what farm life was like back then. Even the breeds of animals are specific to the time period. One of my favorite things about the farm is that you can go season after season, year after year and still see new things.

The farm provides a variety of activities to do and see. When you walk along the path from the parking lot up to the house and barns, you'll pass by a few fields full of heirloom garden favorites. As you near the house, there are period toys and games that want to be played with and are appropriate for a variety of ages.

 According to the Metro Parks website, the farmhouse is a gothic revival built in 1856 and later restored. This visit was actually the first that I can recall going inside and it's certainly worth the detour, but I'm already on picture overload, so I'll have to share the inside with you another day. It wouldn't be a summer post though if I didn't show you the summer kitchen. No joke, a summer kitchen is on my dream house wishlist. The summer kitchen is separated from the rest of the house and is in the back.

Merino Sheep

 Of course, my kids would not consider it a farm if it didn't have animals. They have your standard farm animals, but the breeds are all heirloom and at least part of them are fairly rare these days. The thing my kids love the most about the animals, is that you can pet them. I don't recommend trying to pet the geese or turkeys, but the sheep, cows, pigs, and horses love the attention and some will even come over as you walk up.

Poland China Hog

If you've never been to a historical farm, I highly recommend you find one locally to visit, or if you're in central Ohio, you should definitely hit up Slate Run. Their hours are:  
April and May: Tue-Sat 9am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm (Memorial Day, noon-6pm) 
June to Aug: Tue-Thu 9am-4pm, Fri-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-6pm  (July 4, 9am-6pm)
Sept to Oct: Tue-Sat 9am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm (Labor Day, noon-6pm)
Nov to March: Wed-Sat 9am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm

Note: The Farm is closed on Mondays, and is also closed on Tuesdays from November to March. The Farm is closed also on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day

What's your favorite thing to see or do at a farm?

Dillon State Park: Visitor's Center, Dillon Dam, and Playground

Last week we took a short drive over to Dillon Dam part of the Dillon State Park. For reference, it's about 10 miles from Blackhand Gorge Sat Nature Preserve which we visited earlier this summer. We had a slightly late start to our morning, so we didn't get to see everything we wanted, but we still had a great time.

The visitor's center is really nice and clean. It's pretty small, the above picture shows the majority of the areas to look at, but it was filled with neat information and someone is there to answer questions for the majority of the day. The screen in the picture above shows the view of an underwater camera inside the pond.

Outside the visitor's center there is a nice landscaped trail that leads over to the playground, or you can drive right to the playground.

The playground was the highlight of our morning. It's probably one of the nicest playground we've ever been to. The kids had a great time sliding, swinging, climbing, and exploring. There is a long line of swings in the back and several extra areas surrounding the main part pictured above. The kids had a blast and were sad when it was time to move on.

The Dam really wasn't all that much to look at but it was a nice walk and the scenery was beautiful. I hear the fishing is excellent, though.

That's all the time we had for that morning, since I didn't pack a lunch, but we'll be exploring some other free parts of Dillon State Park later this summer. Check out their website for more information.

Have you been exploring your local area this summer?

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: a quick trip summer 2014

I grew up attending the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, so I may be biased, but I love it there. Our family currently has a membership, so we use it to attend multiple times a year. We typically avoid the summer months, because it gets so hot and crowded. However, last week's weather was too gorgeous not to go see the new giraffes.

 The new exhibit was packed! They have an area where you can actually feed the giraffes, we decided not to wait through that line since we can go back later.

 The Africa exhibit which houses the new giraffes, is also home to these lions. This was the first I've seen of their new habitat, and I was blown away by how close they were to one of the windows.

 The Africa exhibit was so crowded, we decided not to stay long and quickly made our way to the North American area. This bald eagle was practically posing for everyone.

 Next we made our way through Asia and stopped to check out the elephants. Zeke's first visit to the zoo was to see the baby elephant 5 years ago, so it holds special memories for us.

 It was Claire's first visit to the zoo and she spent the first couple hours snuggled in the Ergo.

 She woke up for lunch and spent the last little bit riding in the stroller. Doesn't she look happy?

 Zeke had a great time with the map. It's so neat to see him studying and learning new things.

 It wouldn't be a trip to the zoo for our kids, if we didn't stop by the aquarium, so we stopped there and to visit a couple other favorites, Komodo Dragon and Aldabra Tortoise, before returning home.

What are your favorite zoo animals?

Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve

We recently visited Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve in Toboso, Ohio. It's named for the black hand print that used to be on the side of a cliff. The hand print is no longer there, but it's still a great place to visit to get some peace and quiet, enjoy a leisurely bike ride, or go on a hike.

 We stuck to the paved trailed to keep it easy for the kids, but there was still plenty to see and experience.

 

 We found a dragonfly hanging out on a leaf.

 Quinn found some flowers.

 

We also found some little caves in the side of one of the cliffs.

 The view as we approached Black Hand Rock was particularly neat.

The sign David was reading in the previous picture tells a little about the rock.

 The downside to seeing Black Hand Rock, is that it's not wheelchair or stroller accessible. We didn't have either with us, but it was on my mind that day.

 

 We had a great time and still had plenty of energy left to head back home after seeing Black Hand Rock. The trail was very green and peaceful, but we think it would be even prettier in the fall when all the leaves change color.

Have you taken a leisurely walk recently?

Dawes Arboretum Visit

Yesterday, my family and I ventured over to Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio for a picnic and a hike. We try to make it over to Dawes at least once a year, because there is so much to see.

 This visit was the first time we actually went in the visitor's center and we were so glad we did, because the kids had so much fun in their kid's area downstairs.

 The kid's discovery center has several little sections with learning activities for various ages.

 Quinn and Wyatt were particularly fond of the puzzles.

 Zeke had a blast finding things outside using the binoculars.

 They have a live beehive available for viewing and learning too! The hive is enclosed in glass, but opens up outside.

 My kids didn't discover the nature table, but I thought it was neat and would love to show it to them in the future.

 This tree is huge! It's just outside the visitors center and provides shade for a little picnic patio. We chose to eat our lunch at a different picnic site, but did stop to attempt a big kid group shot.

 When I say attempt, I really do mean attempt. I was only able to take 3 pictures before these goofballs were totally over the novelty of sitting on a giant rock and would no longer sit.

 David snapped this shot of Claire and I rocking the Ergo, like always, while we were walking along the Glacier Ridge trail.

 One of the things I really like about Dawes is the variety they have. And most of it is marked with a little plaque staked into the ground.

 We only walked the one trail, but Zeke was curious to see what it looked like on the map and then decided to take on the role of navigator.

 We made it about 3/4 mile before the kids got tired and needed to turn around, eventually Quinn and Wyatt needed a little help. By the time we returned to the van, we had walked about 1.5 miles and were ready to go home.

On the way out of the Arboretum, you'll find the Beard-Green Cemetery. We have yet to stop and actually look at the graves, but it's just a neat little extra we always look forward to passing.

Have you been to a nature center recently?

How to Cut and Serve Watermelon

Independence Day is coming soon and one thing that says summer holiday to me is watermelon. My family loves watermelon, but giving it to the kids has always resulted in a big mess. One day I thought to cut it differently and everything changed. I had been in the habit of cubing it up so we could eat it with a fork, but removing the rind isn't easy when you have kids that want to help.
Slicing the watermelon this way, creates pieces that are small enough for little kids to easily bite into while leaving the rind as a sort of handle.

First place a cutting board on a rimmed baking sheet (this will catch all of that juice and make clean-up easier).
Using a sharp knife, cut the melon in half and place flat side down.
Slice the watermelon in approximately 1-inch sections, then 1/4 turn the melon so you can slice perpendicularly.
Repeat with remaining half.
Serve in a cake carrier* (if you have one). A cake carrier is great for holding the watermelon. It has a convenient carrying handle and is strong enough to hold the heavy watermelon. The lid helps to keep bugs away while the melon is unattended. My only word of caution is to be mindful of the juice from the melon if you are traveling. The carrier is not liquid tight, so some juice may be able to get through. I have not had any issues with it leaking and making a mess, but I had a close call at the end of a picnic.

How do you eat your watermelon?

*For your convenience, I have included an affiliate link to the carrier shown above.