SEATTLE-Ethiopia is the cradle of mankind, the birthplace of coffee, the purported resting place of the Ark of the Covenant-and home to legions of Bob Marley fans. Discover five million years of this country’s diverse history and culture in the world premiere exhibition Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia, on display at Pacific Science Center from Oct. 4, 2008 - March 8, 2009.

As always, the Pacific Science Center in Seattle has made a well-rounded anthropological exhibit. It begins with a historical tour through Ethiopia’s ancient history. Visitors are taken through a study of the cultural and religious aspects that have shaped this ancient civilization. Photos and artifacts are brought to life with an audio wand that acts as your personal docent. See ancient Korans and beautiful diptych paintings. Learn more about the Queen of Sheba, King Solomon’s lineage and brush up on your Rastafarian knowledge.

Next you’ll find a hands-on area that transitions the historical area into the archaeological area. It gives visitors a chance to search for fossils and piece together a skeleton. You have many opportunities to bring out your inner Indiana Jones. From here you will see replicas of hominid fossil skulls representing our evolutionary changes throughout time.

The culmination of the exhibit is a beautiful evolutionary mural that is a backdrop to Lucy.  Dr. Donald C. Johanson discovered this 3.18 million year-old Australopithecus afarensis fossil. His 1974 expedition at Hadar, Ethiopia was a breakthrough. Johanson’s discovery filled in a missing link in the evolutionary scale. Lucy’s skeleton gave evidence of a previously unknown species of hominid.

Give your family at least three hours for this exhibit. You can end your tour with a viewing of Mysteries of the Nile in the Eames IMAX® Theater. Mystery of the Nile is a breathtaking cinematic adventure that takes audiences on an expedition down the world’s greatest and most deadly river, the Blue Nile. For 114 days, a team of explorers led by Pasquale Scaturro and Gordon Brown face seemingly insurmountable challenges-class VI rapids, dangerous crocodiles and hippos, gunfire from bandits, malaria, sand storms and the fierce desert sun-as they make their way along all 3,250 miles of the river to became the first in history to complete a full descent of the Blue Nile from source to sea. Throughout the journey crossing Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, the beauty and wonder of the magnificent Nile region are revealed as never before.

Images and Information used with permission, courtesy of pacificsciencecenter.org

Pacific Science Center (http://pacificsciencecenter.org) is an independent, not-for-profit educational institution that inspires lifelong interest in science, math and technology by engaging diverse communities through interactive and innovative exhibits and programs in every county of Washington state and beyond.

IMAX® is a registered trademark of the IMAX Corporation

Astacia Carter is also known as mamikaze. Read her blog Life On the Run .

October classes include ballerina tutus and sparkly crowns for your little princess, classy Scrabble tile pendants that are all the rage, and luxurious aromatherapy bath bombs for an amazing spa-like experience in your own tub. Share your creativity with those you love—Little Birdie Secrets crafts make perfect from-the-heart Christmas gifts!

Classes are $32 per person and include child care, all supplies, and instruction from our experienced teachers. There is a $10 cancellation fee for all classes. Classes are limited to 15 students per session.

Class projects can be seen on display at Tot Spot Café, or on our blog at littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com. Sign up at Tot Spot (17802 134th Ave NE, Suite 6 Woodinville, WA 98072) or by e-mailing us at littlebirdiesecrets@gmail.com. Please include your name, e-mail address, phone number (in case of class changes or cancellation), and which class you’ll attend. We will confirm your registration by sending a PayPal invoice that must be paid within two days of receipt to hold your spot.

The best tip I can give are to not go on the weekends. Here are a few others:

1. Avoid the long lines at the parking lots by parking at the South
Hill Mall and taking the Pierce Transit Shuttle. Ride Pierce Transit’s
“Fair Express Bus” for just $1.50 each way or $3 round-trip. Plus, up
to four children, 13 and under, ride free with a “fare-paying”
passenger. Express buses run often and conveniently drop off and pick
up at the Fair’s Blue Gate
http://www.thefair.com/puyallup-fair/visitor-info/getting-here.php

2. Mark out the entire day. This is a huge event and it takes no less
than 5 hours with children in tow.

3. Kids 5 & under are free.

4. Pack snacks. Fair food is expensive! I feed my kids before we leave
an then plan on one meal and one treat. Which still amounts to about $40.

5. Next year, buy a ticket pack from Fred Meyer. It was $31.95 for 2
admissions, 6 ride coupons (1 coupon per ride instead of buy all those
little funtastic tickets for $1 each and giving up 5 tickets per ride)
and $12 in food vouchers.

4. Consider the Dizzy Pass: The Dizzy Pass ($25) is valid Tue-Thu
(Sept. 9-11) and Mon-Thu (Sept. 15-18). Includes unlimited Funtastic
rides and $3 worth of game coupons. *Great for the school-aged*
crowd. Excludes Extreme Scream.

6. Plan your day before you arrive. Read the schedule and make a plan
of what shows you or the kids want to see (the draft horses, Let’s
Pretend Circus, Pig Races, Trout fishing, etc) then you can prevent
walking back and forth around the ginormous fairgrounds.

7. Give your kids their money when you get there. I have found this
limits the gimmes when they know their allowance right away.

8. Wear walking shoes and bring jackets. The Fair is in the Puyallup
Valley which can be windy in the fall.

Mamikaze can usually be found writing at Life On the Run.

I know there’s a lot of fun stuff to do here.  So why is it that half the time I find myself totally without ideas?  Fortunately there are some local sites dedicated to helping parents scope out the best of our local possibilities.

The next time you have visitors from out-of-town, a birthday party to plan, or are just looking for something new to try, check out these great local sites.

1) Little Kids, Big City (http://www.nwsource.com/column/little-kids-big-city)

Blogger Lora Shinn is a veritable treasure trove of great ideas for restaurants, wading pools, and more.

2) Savvy Source (http://seattle.savvysource.com/) 

Local mom Bethany Dunn shares a wealth of info on fun things to do in our lovely city.

3) Mamaspod (www.mamaspod.com)

This is a great hands-free option for the mom on the go!  Tune in as three local moms dish on what’s great (and not so great) to do in Seattle and the east-side.

4) Parent Map (http://parentmap.com/)

No list would be complete without including Parent Map, the must-visit source for up-to-date listings of events and resources.  Sign up for the weekly e-newsletter, which shows up every Thursday chock full of suggestions for weekend fun!

Did I miss your favorite website?  Leave a comment and I’ll add it!

© Jenny Blackburn. All Rights Reserved.

Catch more of Jenny Blackburn’s humorous anecdotes on being a mom, a woman, and a whole lot crazy at Absolutely Bananas.

If you walk on (to the ferry, that is), you may enjoy:
1. Kidimu — a Blue Man exhibit, crafts, and an outdoor dig for dino bones are the current attractions.
2. Waterfront Park — a nice playground easy to walk to from the ferry, we locals visit regularly (it IS next to a grocery store!); events include Wednesday free concerts at 7pm for another week this summer and Saturday night movies in August, too. Rent kayaks and canoes down at the water, too.
3. Eagle Harbor Books — large kids books section with toys to play with while mom and dad shop; they also have storytimes and other events for kids of various ages.
4. Lollipops — located in the Winslow Mall, they have fine children’s clothing, with an old-fashioned play kitchen my child must always check on.
5. Winslow Green strip center — you can run on the lawn, up in the gazebo, shop for kids at Skookum’s, Calico Cat and Possum, and break for cookies and lattes at Bainbridge Bakers nearby (my favorite bakery because they have lots of parking, more tables, herb cheese sticks, and decaf drip coffee–hey, it’s harder to find than you think!).
6. Paper Products — my child always begs for balloons from here, next door to the downtown Winslow Drug drugstore which always has some interesting doodads my child adores.
7. Blackbird Bakery — located on the “main drag” of Winslow, local kids get their TOAST with jam (I’m serious) and animal-shaped cookies; for fun, sit at the window counter and see how many folks walking by will wave back at you (we got 9 in just a few minutes). If you’re a knitter, sneak around the corner to Churchmouse Yarns, an awesome shop with incredibly helpful staff for knitting dummies like me.
8. Teriyaki Town — located in Winslow Mall, this restaurant has taught my child the thrill of egg rolls and gyozos (and she eats the chicken and rice, too); order at the counter (great prices, huge portions and brown rice if you like) and take it to go for picnics.
9. Mora’s Ice Cream — the BEST ice cream, almost gelato, it’s so soft (unfortunately, kinda pricey and no child-sized cups, but their sprinkle portions are astronomical).
10. Town & Country — gourmet grocery store with salad bar that includes pasta salads my child is always willing to try, sandwiches ordered to go, and the best fried chicken on the island (for us health nuts). We love the dried mango downstairs in the bulk section. Walk down to Waterfront Park with your favorites.
11. Doc’s Marina Grill — walk a little farther down Winslow to Madison, down hill towards the boat marina and you can eat outside at Doc’s; their food is decent and they have a kids’ menu including hot dogs.
12. Pegasus Coffee House — next to Doc’s, if you get this far, they have a nice cozy inside and now an outdoor patio as well.
13. Casa Rojas — next to Kidimu in the Pavilion mall, they have lots of high chairs and many options on the kids’ menu, along with roving musicians and singers if you time it right (or wrong!). Don’t we all just want somewhere to have a margarita while the kids eat (or throw their food)?
14. Cafe Andante — the newest coffee shop on the island, they have grill cheese sandwiches, friendly staff, and GREAT hot chocolate if our Northwest weather turns on you during your visit.

Driving over? Check out these places outside of Winslow:
1. Battle Point Park — huge playground, duck pond, and currently osprey nesting on the water tower.
2. Aquatic Center — great indoor fun (so come in winter, too!), tunnel slide, lazy river, toddler pool, and rope swing (check for open swim hours online).
3. Bainbridge Gardens and New Rose Cafe — our local garden store where kids can run up and down rows of plants, pricey but comes with expertise (as for the cafe, it’s tasty, but beware, last time I ordered to food to go, they charged EXTRA for bagging it up).
4. Bloedel Reserve — a large private estate on the north end of the island that requires parking reservations; little feet will definitely want a stroller (however, some areas are not stroller-friendly) although bigger feet will enjoy the trails, the Japanese garden and open spaces; you’ll spend a minimum of 1 1/2 hours here. Check out the photo albums in the house; they have great shots of eaglets in a nearby nest.
5. Bainbridge Library — a frequent stop for locals on cloudy days, with an entire downstairs for kids’ books, toys, puzzles and fish tank.
6. Fay Bainbridge State Park — picturesque park blending playground and beach fun located on the far north tip of the island; it’s usually windy here, so be prepared.

After a long day of exploring, bribe the kids back on the ferry with promises of popcorn and chocolate milk (okay, beer for you parents), race car video gaming or a popsicle. Plan ahead for a ferry wait if you are driving on, particularly on Sunday afternoons in the summer when lines can be long.

I could go on and on (oh, looks like I already did!). Feel free to comment or email me if you have any questions about visiting our green island. We are a friendly bunch!

For more discussions on family life on Bainbridge Island, check out Wendy’s blog, Let the dog in!

I can’t seem to find an official stroller policy on Metro’s website, although from what I’ve heard from drivers, the policy is that the child must be removed from the stroller and the stroller folded up while it is on the bus.

Um, yeah. Not so much. Any parent knows how much of a challenge that can be, especially with an older baby or toddler who is of the age that they want to move around a lot. My guess is that this is a pretty big obstacle to riding the bus with kids: you need the stroller for wherever you are going (the zoo, Pike Place Market, the Ballard Locks) but getting the kids and the stuff and the folded-up stroller all on the bus just isn’t workable.

I tried taking the bus with the stroller for the first time last week. The logistics were…well, overwhelming, and I spent way too much time in the days leading up to our outing trying to figure out how it would work.

Here’s how it went down. I had the stroller and the diaper bag, and I brought the Ergo carrier with me. So, I put Elanor in the Ergo when we got to the bus stop, then folded up the stroller in advance and had the diaper bag sitting next to the folded-up stroller, ready to grab when the bus arrived. (I hate sitting at a stop forever waiting for someone who is getting on the bus to gather his or her things; I so did not want to be that person.)

Surprisingly, people were helpful as I was trying to heft the stroller up the stairs and onto the bus while wrangling the diaper bag with Elanor in the Ergo. That’s what saved us, having her contained in a carrier. If I hadn’t brought the Ergo, it would have been a lot more difficult.

As it was, we were able to get situated and get everything stowed with a minimum of fuss, and the rest of the trip was uneventful.

At the end of the trip, the bus driver got off with me for her break, and we talked about how incongruous it is that strollers have to be folded up and stowed and that people in wheelchairs and little old ladies with their wheeled grocery carts are allowed to get on the bus without question.

The driver said that the reason behind not allowing kids in strollers is that it’s a safety issue; they don’t want strollers with kids rolling all over the bus. And that makes sense to me, but as the driver said, she didn’t know why they didn’t allow strollers to be strapped in like wheelchairs. I completely agree – why not?

Aside: I get the whole ADA thing and the reason why wheelchairs have to be allowed on; that makes sense. It just seems like if you are going to allow wheelchairs, then you might as well allow strollers too; the equipment to handle wheeled vehicles is already in place, so what’s the problem?

But back to my original point. I saw two other moms with strollers on the bus this week; both were on the #17. They handled the stroller situation very differently from one another.

One mom just flat out told the driver that she had too much stuff stowed in the stroller and she wasn’t unpacking it, and that she’d just park it in the handicapped spot on the bus. The driver rolled his eyes and sighed (along with most of the passengers) and then did as she had essentially ordered him.

So in the middle of a crowded bus that was already running late, the mom got on with her giant Bob stroller in tow, fastened it in, and got her daughter out, forcing an elderly tourist couple to switch seats in the process.

It was all kind of awkward, and as much as I’m in favor of letting strollers be on the bus, something about the way the mom just sort of bullied her way on really rubbed me the wrong way. She wasn’t even apologetic, as I probably would have been. She just did it, no apologies, as if it was her right. On second thought, maybe that’s not such a bad thing, even if it made for a mighty awkward atmosphere on the bus.

The second mom had such a small baby that the baby was still in an infant car seat, which was hooked into the stroller.

The bus driver said, “You know you’re going to have to fold that stroller up.”

She said, with a sigh, “Yeah, I know.”

So she lugged the stroller on, unhooked the car seat, gave it to her mom to hold, then folded up the stroller and stuck it under the seat.

It was a non-event, quite the opposite of the other mom who just barreled her way on the bus, stroller in tow. I felt bad for the second mom mom; she had such a small baby and the driver was still making her fold up the stroller. I know when Elanor was still really small and I was recovering from having a c-section, there would have been no way I could have managed that.

Up until recently, we haven’t used our stroller much because of this very issue. We use it for walks in the neighborhood or to walk to the grocery store or the coffee shop, but if we ride the bus we usually just wear Elanor in the Ergo because it’s much easier than dealing with the stroller, even if it would be nice to have the stroller once we get wherever we are going.

As she gets older, though, I know we’ll have to face this situation more often. One thing we’ll have to do is buy a smaller stroller that folds up easily. (Our current stroller is great for walks around the neighborhood, but it’s big and doesn’t fold well.) I’m not sure what else can make the process easier, other than bringing a carrier or sling to put her in while we are on the bus itself.

Have any of you encountered the stroller-bus dilemma? Does it keep you from riding the bus more often? Do you ride anyway and just work around it? If so, what do you do? Do you have any ideas for how parents can make it easier on themselves or how Metro could help in making it easier?

Read more of Kathleen’s writing on her personal blog. If you have questions, anecdotes, or topics for “Carless in Seattle,” email kathleen (at) seattlemomblogs.com.

I think I was not the only parent there, feeling a little weird about this. I walked in to see many other adults with a deer in the headlights look, standing around not sure what to do next. I knew this had the potential to be really fun, I just wished someone had given me some kind of direction. I was handed tickets “for the baby legs” and handed stickers, “for the cupcakes” and turned loose without knowing where anything was or what I was supposed to do next. It took me a good half an hour to realize they were serving free snacks– the website wasn’t even clear about this and no one told me where they were. So for the first twenty minutes, I like everyone else, just wandered around in a daze.

And then it got more fun.

My kids were immediately drawn to the chill out room. Toys, tents and tunnels. They really couldn’t have cared if there was ANYTHING else, though they did spot the cupcakes immediately. So we hung out. Not the most fun for Charming and I , but the kids enjoyed themselves. I was impressed with how well done the chill out room was. I think the whole event could have just been one giant chill out room and been a success. But I wanted to DANCE. Isn’t that what we’d come for? So we bid farewell to the toys and sought out the boogie.

The dance floor had some great features. Bubbles would intermittently disperse throughtout the entire room, and my sweet Spider was pulled from her groggy, post-car ride limpness to just glance in awe at this. There were also well thought of bins full of scarves and shakers to help get our baby’s grooves on. Once the d.j. turned the music down a little, it was even better. (I know, I am obnoxious, but I had to ask– these little one have such sensitive ear drums.) Though it took a little warming up, we eventually tore up the dance floor, though not many other people did. It kind of reminded me of high school actually– everyone seemed a little self concious. But Sugar and I had a good time as we danced like no one was watching.

Now, admittedly, this was my first time in a night club (day or night) and so I felt a little out of my element. Though I like to dance, I am not a drinker of alcohol on any level and having married before I turned 21, there has never been a reason for me to frequent a night club. Personally, I felt that for the event to be truly kid friendly, there should have been no alcohol served. Yet, the bar was open, complete with a fully pierced, wife beater wearing bartender. There was a roped off area that the alcohol was not to leave, but I was uncomfortable. Again, bars aren’t my thing, so maybe it was just me.

But the giveaways wAnytime FREE is involved I am so there. I loved the free baby legs, the cupcakes and the other little perks like the donuts and the juiceboxes. We even got an extra pair of baby legs because Sugar walked in the baby legs fashion show. So props on that! Yay giveaways.

Overall, though we had a good time, I felt that some improvements could have been made. The time for example, was killer. Is there a baby on this planet that doesn’t typically take a nap from 1-4? I realize they were probably working with the club’s schedule, but I really think an earlier time would have helped it be better attended. Not only that, but I think the kids would have been more into the dancing. At least mine would have anyway. I got in for free thanks to Baby Loves Disco generously giving some tickets away to Seattle Mom Blogs, and I am glad I got to go, because I am not sure I would have paid the $12 a person to go. For my family that would have been $60 on top of the 45 minute drive one way, and though we got free stuff, we could have bought more baby legs with the same amount of money and enjoyed the sunny day too.

Bottom line? Great concept. And if you live in the city and you like/liked clubbing, this is a great venue for you. For me, I was just a little out of my element. I felt much more comfortable when we were home and we got to do this:

Stephanie is a work at home momma trying to make the world more beautiful while also trying to keep her sanity with three energetic children under the age of six.

You can read more about her fabulously crazy life over at The Mommiverse.

According to the website, Playmatters offers children age five and under a place to play in a fun, clean, and safe environment, while adults can chat and network with other adults.

And, this Saturday as part of their Grand Opening event, they’re offering free admission all day (10:30am to 6pm).

For more details check out the website at www.playmattersseattle.com. And, if you go, be sure to come back here and leave a comment with thumbs up/thumbs down.

Due to some incredible planning, we managed to arrive about an hour early and much to our disappointment, people that arrive early don’t have many options. According to the less-than-helpful teenagers working the popcorn stand, we a.) could go to a “theoretical” cafe down the street ( I think there’s one down that way) or b.) were welcome to sit on the second hand couch in the divey theater lobby. It was really cold outside, and I wanted to stay put, but it was going to be a pretty lame way to spend an hour, so we ventured out again in search of a KFC I had spotted earlier.

Well once our tummies were full of parfait, chicken and biscuits (in that order) we returned to the theater. It’s a good thing we ate before coming because even though popcorn was available, it was cooked with peanut oil (who does that?) and had to opt out because of Sugar’s allergy.

Lame.

And then it was showtime. Swedish films with English subtitles. I immensely enjoyed the parts of the movies where there was no dialogue, because that was the only time that the theater wasn’t abuzz with parents reading the subtitles aloud. It wasn’t the reading that bugged me, because it was expected, but it was the lack of synchronization, and sometimes the mispronunciations. And yes, I know I am being picky.

One thing that made me chuckle though, was the two or three times that curse words appeared in the subtitles. There were two occasions of “crap” and one “damn.” One line read something like, “I wish she didn’t do that. Crap.” But what was heard by all was “I wish she didn’t do that. (Silence).” Not a single person uttered the word crap. It made me smile.

The films?  Overall, good.  I really loved the first short we saw called “Aston’s Stones” where a little boy character (who happens to be canine) begins collecting stones and making little beds for them until his parents cannot even step in his room without stepping on one of his “babies.”  In the end the parents, deceptively and lovingly convince him to take his stones on a holiday at the beach, and eventually leave them there.  It was just really cute and the animation was kind of unique.

The only short that I did not particularly care for was, “Poison Arrow Frogs,” about a little boy who goes to the museum with his dad.  The film redeemed itself in the end with a positive message about what we take into ourselves, like nice words, or bad feelings is what we put out to the world.  But the terrible animation and weak storytelling almost didn’t make it worth it.  It was like the people who put on the festival were like, “We need another cartoon from Sweden, go check out YouTube,” and they found some crummy flash animation and called it good enough.  Could have done without it, because even the “morale”didn’t come across super clearly.

Overall, we enjoyed ourselves at the film festival, if for no other reason than we got to spend some casual time out of the house with our oldest two children.  I loved the “independent and global” film-ish-ness of about the experience, and it really took me back.  I just felt that some of the experience was lost in the little details.

But please, check it out for yourself.  Films will be shown until the end of this week.  For showtimes and information visit:

www.childrensfilmfestivalseattle.org

Stephanie is a work at home momma trying to make the world more beautiful while also trying to keep her sanity with three energetic children under the age of six.

You can read more about her fabulously crazy life over at The Mommiverse.

Now that I have children, I am lucky to even rent a video.

BUT! This weekend starts the beginning of the Children’s Film Festival Seattle. I am really excited and hoping that it turns out awesome. They have got animations and short films from around the globe for children. The films have themes related to growing up, making friends, being creative and having fun.

Tickets are $6 for children and adults and babes in arms are free.

The website has more information (and a trailer!) that will tell you more than I ever could, but I will be back to tell you how it all went. Though you should probably just go yourself.

Check it out: http://childrensfilmfestivalseattle.org

Stephanie is a work at home momma trying to make the world more beautiful while also trying to keep her sanity with three energetic children under the age of six.

You can read more about her fabulously crazy life over at The Mommiverse.