We live in America. So like many people here, we are a little bit of everything. I have a tiny bit of Irish in my Ancestry, in addition to Polish, French, German, Slavic, English, Scottish… My family has been in this country for quite a long time, I could go on and on. However, you don’t need to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Of course there is a certain crowd that celebrates with lots of drunken antics. That’s fine for them, but we start the day with the “traditional” kid St. Patrick’s day breakfast, Lucky Charms and green milk! Read More
Three Short Walks with Amazing Views Inside of Anchorage
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Posted on June 5, 2018 by fromthestates12
If you are an inexperienced hiker, you have small children, or you don’t have a lot of time to spare I totally understand wanting to find a place that is beautiful, yet doesn’t require a lot of walking. In addition, due to the somewhat intimidating wildlife in the area, I like to keep a list of places that I feel comfortable going to completely on my own. These three locations fit the bill!
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Gardening in the Land of the Midnight Sun
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Posted on May 28, 2018 by fromthestates12
Obviously it is colder in Alaska than it is in the lower 48. When trying to start a garden this coolness plainly hinders the planting process. I have read that in some places it’s not safe to plant until today, June 1st. However, I have also read that if the birch tree buds are opening, then you are good to go!
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Reading in the Last Frontier
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Posted on April 30, 2018 by fromthestates12
We have photos of my husband reading Jasper his very first book, days after he was born. In addition, Jasper was the Very Hungry Caterpillar for his first Halloween! Books are extremely important in our family. My husband and I both harbor a love for reading and, at two-years-old, we have successfully passed that love onto Jasper. Jasper can sit quietly in his room for over an hour looking at his books. He loves to see the pictures as much as he loves being read to. Read More
Thunder Bird Falls – Alaska
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Posted on April 12, 2018 by fromthestates12
The second hike we did after moving to Alaska was Thunder Bird Falls. In April of 2017 we climbed the ice covered paths to the viewing deck overlooking the falls. At this time we were unaware of what microspikes are. We slipped and slid with Jasper strapped to my husbands back. It would have been so much easier with microspikes!
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Easter in Alaska
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Posted on March 31, 2018 by fromthestates12
Easter Events in Alaska
Jasper’s first Easter egg hunt was last year, in 2017, a few short months after we moved to Alaska. A church in our town puts on an egg drop for the local children. This means that a helicopter flies over a field next to the high school in town, and drops tons of eggs all over while everyone watches. Then the children are set free to go collect the eggs like a normal Easter egg hunt. Children have to be four before they can participate in the actual egg drop hunt, so Jasper was and still is too young to participate. However, that year he was able to have fun at the toddler egg search, and we all enjoyed watching the helicopter drop more than 30,000 eggs!
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St. Patrick’s Day Themed Projects
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Posted on March 17, 2018 by fromthestates12
We live in America. So like many people here, we are a little bit of everything. I have a tiny bit of Irish in my Ancestry, in addition to Polish, French, German, Slavic, English, Scottish… My family has been in this country for quite a long time, I could go on and on. However, you don’t need to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Of course there is a certain crowd that celebrates with lots of drunken antics. That’s fine for them, but we start the day with the “traditional” kid St. Patrick’s day breakfast, Lucky Charms and green milk! Read More
Winter Themed Projects
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Posted on March 6, 2018 by fromthestates12
Being a former daycare teacher, I love to do themes! I think teaching with themes helps your child to explore the world in different way than they normally would. Yes, we paint a lot, but under this theme we are painting on snow! Sometimes I let Jasper help me with recipes, but now we are incorporating snow into a recipe! Below is everything we did under the winter “theme” this year! Read More
Foxy Mountain – Review
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Posted on February 28, 2018 by fromthestates12
Are you looking for some cute t-shirt designs? What about some twinning shirts so you can match your little one? Hop on over to Foxy Mountain and check out their gear! Read More
Finding a Frozen Waterfall
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Posted on February 20, 2018 by fromthestates12
Last week we visited Barbara Falls for the third time. Barbara Falls in located in Eagle River. I believe it is also referred to as South Fork Falls. This is a super easy trail and probably the easiest waterfall to visit in the Anchorage area. There is some elevation going up to the viewing deck. However, Jasper can walk to both the viewing deck and the bottom of the falls, and he is only two. Read More
Winter Adventures at Eklutna Lake
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Posted on February 8, 2018 by fromthestates12
The first time we visited Eklutna Lake was in the summer of 2017. With Jasper strapped to my back, I approached a lake that was a good distance from the path. Some areas of the bank were dry and cracked. I had never seen mud cracked in patterns like that Read More