New England Mamas

Secret Spaces - Hidden Gems: Homemade Ice Cream

Summer in New England conjours certain images- beaches, sun and ice cream.  If your like my family, you enjoy a nice cold ice cream treat during the summer.  From Memorial Day to Labor Day, you can nave your pick of flavors from a variety of places.  My kids have nicknames some of the one's around here - the turkey ice cream, buffalo ice cream, ice box, cow ice cream and sunflower valley by what's in the vicinity.

Today we're going to talk about sunflower valley ice cream, otherwise known as Buttonwoods Farm.  Nestled in the woods on Route 165 in Griswold CT, surrounded by fields of sunflowers the third week of July, it looks like any ordinary ice cream stand to the passerby.   Their ice cream is by far, some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted.  It's all homemade, and the only place I know where you can get pumpkin, or sunflower ice cream - yum!  With over 31 flavors, there's bound to be the perfect flavor for you.

An added bonus, every third week of July (now through July 27th), they offer hayrides through the sunflowers, or you can walk through the fields.  These sunflowers, along with tee shirts and handmade night lights are sold at the stand.  All proceeds from these sales go to the Make A Wish Foundation of CT.

New England - A safe place to raise kids

Today, I came across an article by Parents Magazine and the results of their study on the safest place in America to raise children.  I am happy to see that four out of the top 10 safest states are from New England.  And the other two states round out number 11 and 12.

I'm even happier, to see that my home state of Connecticut is ranked the #1 safest state.  This is due mainly to their booster seat and bike helmet laws.  We've got some work to do to improve especially in the way of water safety, but it's great to know that overall, our kids are in safe hands.  I like knowing that our lawmakers have our children's safety in their minds.  When Connecticut first passed their upgraded child seat laws, I scoffed.  Really, what first grader (and above) is going to want to sit in a booster seat?  And how will I navigate the car line at school if I have to strap a child into a car seat/booster seat?  You know what, it doesn't take any more time.  Einey, my first grader, just hit 40 pounds, the minimum state weight to go from a car seat to a booster seat (even though I switched her earlier).  To graduate from a booster seat to a car seat, she has to have reached 60 pounds and her seventh birthday (the law is a bit ambiguous on this, but talking to seat inspectors, they all have that in agreement).  I don't see her miraculously gaining 20 pounds in the next ten months, so we'll be holding onto the booster seat for a few more years. 

How did the rest of the New England States rank?  Rhode Island, our neighboring state, comes in at #2.  Their main focus is on combating violent crimes involving children.  Their weakness is at school-bus crossing zones.  The next New England state on the list was Maine coming in at #6.  They rank high when it comes to teen drivers, but low with leaving children unattended in vehicles.  Massachusetts rounds out the top ten at #8.  They have great emergency care set up for children, but allow children as young as four to buckle up without a booster seat.  I found this surprising with their proximity to CT which has much stricter laws. Vermont just misses the top ten at #11 and New Hampshire comes in at #12.  Overall, New England seems to be a very safe place t olive.  To find out where your states ranks and some quick stats, visit Parents.com.

Dancing with the Stars Live Tour

I have a confession to make.

I love Dancing with the Stars.

I know it's kind of cheesy and hokey - and the "stars" aren't exactly A-listers - but man, oh man, the way those dancers make their bodies move is just amazing to me.

So I was more than excited to see the Dancing with the Stars Live Tour when it rolled into Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT last Thursday night.

I had never been to Mohegan Sun before. I'm not really a casino person. But the first thing I noticed upon walking into the casino was the overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke. It was so overwhelming to me, I think, because I am used to there being a smoking ban in public places. So that kind of grossed me out.

But anyway, on to the show...

I had gone to the Dancing with the Stars Live Tour last year at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, which had more "stars" than this year's tour. Last year, Drew Lachey (love him!), Joey Lawrence, Joey McIntyre, Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin were part of the tour.

Watching Drew and Cheryl Burke (his dance partner) perform their "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" routine was a major life highlight of mine (don't feel sorry for me; I do have a life!).

This year the "stars" were Joey Lawrence, Marie Osmond and Wayne Newton.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Joey Lawrence. But I'm kind of over seeing him and Edyta Sliwinska (his dance partner) perform their routines, especially after seeing them live on last year's tour.

Marie Osmond? Eh. She sang solos more than she danced. I think she danced two times with Jonathan Roberts (her dance partner). Her other appearances were her songs, which the older people in the crowd were loving. Personally, I could have done without them.

And Wayne Newton. Well, it was cool to have the opportunity to see this living legend live on stage. He truly is an entertainer, and he really seemed happy to be there. But he didn't dance at all. I mean, I know he had a heart ailment that kept him from performing at the finale of Dancing. But again, the show is called Dancing with the Stars. Just a thought!

The company dancers were fantastic, though. They performed most of the actual dances. And their bodies!? Holy crap. Freaking. Amazing.

So, all in all, I give the show an 8 out of 10. I would have liked to have seen more dancing... with the stars. But the energy of the show was great, and as for motivation for hitting the gym? Oh yeah, totally there.

I would just suggest that Mohegan Sun consider a smoking ban because walking through the smoke-filled casino kind of sucked. Not that Mohegan Sun is listening!

- Jane

I want to Fly Like an Eagle

*Post title taken from the song title by Steve Miller

Something wonderful has been happening in New England over the last few years. Each winter, Bald Eagles have been returning to New England, and more specifically, to the Connecticut   River Valley. In fact, coming up in mid-February, the Connecticut Audubon Society is sponsoring its annual Eagle Fest in Essex, CT. There is food, games, activities for the kids and boat rides. If anyone makes it to the Eagle Fest, I’d love to hear about your experience.

If the Eagle Fest is a little too crowded for your likes, don’t despair. The birds can usually be found throughout the months of January and February on the shores of the Connecticut River and other large bodies of water in New England. In fact, I just read that there were recently four eagles spotted near my home in Eastern CT over a month long period from late December through late January. Two years ago, Husband, the girls and I were fortunate to see one of these majestic creatures from afar from the window of a restaurant while we were having breakfast. Unfortunately, it was too far away to get any pictures of it.

With any luck, we’ll be able to catch a closer sight of these beautiful birds in the coming weeks. We are planning on making a joint hiking trip to Gillette’s Castle in East Haddam in the very near future. From what we’ve researched, it should be a prime eagle viewing area. Hopefully I’ll be able to bring back pictures to share.

While eagle sightings have increased over the winter in New England, it’s the sightings in May that really make a difference. To spot a pair of eagles in spring means they are nesting in the area and furthering their survival in the New England wilderness.

Keeping My Spirit

I don't know about you, but normally the time right after Christmas and New Year's can be a little depressing.  All the decorations start coming down and what are we left with, here in Connecticut?  Cold days filled with slush & dirty snow.  Days can get grey, especially with the sun setting now at an unGodly time (as in BEFORE 5pm)!

I'm never in a rush to put away my Christmas decorations.  Having my stuff up into January keeps that Christmas spirit alive in me.  It's like I don't want to face the depressing winter days remaining until the spring arrives with it's pretty flowers and singing birds. 

Don't get me wrong.  I used to like snow.  I remember being young, staying outside for hours with my siblings and friends, making snow forts, sliding down the backyard hills on tobaggons, and when the snow was REALLY high, we'd make tunnels to slide through them.  I remember having a BLAST!  Now I encourage my kids to play outside in the snow, but alas, I don't want to stay out there too long.  Yup.  I'm getting OLD. 

Snow is pretty.  I'll take snow falling on Christmas Day.  Actually, I think I dislike ice more.  Maybe it's because I was in a few accidents involving ice.  Now that I've gotten older, I can't just hide inside during the bad weather.  Sometimes I have to drive in it, and although I am a very careful driver, I can't trust others to be the same way. You just never know out there. 

Oh my gosh, there IS one thing nice about the winter, now that I think about this even further.  I have a VERY handsome plow guy.  He came by this morning to sand our driveway, since we had a little snow and there was some ice out there.  Our driveway is steep and long (we live in the Litchfield hills) and it needs attention constantly in the winter...

Sigh.  Oh, sorry.  I was thinking about that strapping man.  He's also a fireman, did I tell you?  I stood there, at his truck, and I think I said something about sanding the driveway...and...

Ok, I changed my mind.  I don't mind living here in New England. 

BIG Sigh.

Disappointment

All eyes were on the sky this weekend.  The weatherman predicted a wintery mess for Sunday night into Monday morning for the state.  1-3 inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain.  The girls periodically peeked out the windows all day yesterday to see if it was snowing yet.  Before bed, Einey remarked "I hope it snows while I'm sleeping". 

This morning we awoke to....

Nothing.   There was slushy ice in the driveway and ice on the cars, but the roads were just wet.  The girls had school (much to their dismay) without even a delay. 

And I have to admit, I was disappointed to.  Even thought I love the one-on-one time with Moe while her sisters are in school, I was looking forward to their first snow day of the year.  Husband is home today and I had visions of pancakes and board games and laughter.

I know the weather can be unpredictable (especially in New England!) but it seems like all winter storms are predicted harsher than reality.  It's great to be prepared.  Now just to teach the girls not to get so excited and wait to see what the weather brings.