Our Quick Trip to Malabar Farm

April 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Last week was Spring Break and we wanted to go somewhere even if just for a few days. We wanted to go someplace different and we wanted to keep our budget under control as well. We found the perfect place to get away that’s just far enough away from Cincinnati to feel like a real trip but not so far away that staying only one night would have been impossible.

We headed North (no, not to Alaska – do you always hear that song in your head when you say head North? oh well, I do) and a bit East of Columbus to Malabar Farm State Park in Lucas, Ohio. Malabar Farm is right next to the Mohican State Park and both are neat places to see.

Malabar Farm is a 900 acre tract of land previously owned by the author, Lois Bromfield. There is a 32 room farm house, lots of barns, some ponds, a little museum, walking trails, tons of animals and a Youth Hostel, called HI-Lucas.  This was the main reason we went to Malabar Farm. As my British husband grew up staying in hostels and as we had stayed in hostels in Europe in our 20′s, we wanted our kids to experience this really unique way of travelling.

The Youth Hostel is located down a little bit from the “big” house and it’s a great place to stay. The hostel is in an old farmhouse – you can still see the gas light fixtures on the walls. The rooms are huge and comfy. We rented a family room for $59 for all four of us. Our room was in the front of the house and had three bunk beds. Sheets and towels were provided.  The bathrooms, like in most, if not all hostels, are communal — one for the girls and one for the boys. In fact, everything in a hostel is communal — if there is not a designated family bedroom, then there are typically girl rooms and boy rooms.  Kitchen facilities are more than adequate: you have a space in the fridge for your food and you can use the cooking tools available.  In the Hi-Lucas hostel, the kitchen was stocked nicely with things like oil, salt, pepper,etc. and there’s even a Keurig machine with a wide variety of k-cups; bread; and bananas. Mark, the host, does ask for donations when you use these things and that seems only fair.

We were super fortunate the night we stayed as there was another family staying at the hostel. There were two girls, one the same age as our daughter. They had fun playing the games to be found in the basement as well as running around outside on the farm. It’s such a comfy and homey feel — it was easy for us to let all four kids head over to look at the cows or to go and run after the ducks while we just sat back and relaxed on the porch swing.

And a farm it is. There are chickens, turkey’s, sheep, cow’s and geese (not the Canadian variety, thankfully). Since we had a front room which faced the barns and animals, I can now, truthfully state that geese make noises all night long (not necessarily a bad thing). While we were there, a baby calf was born and, to our utter glee,  we saw geese lay eggs in the road. As we have never eaten a goose egg before, we immediately took it into the hostel kitchen to scramble it up. Ummm, it’s a pass. A big pass. Goose eggs are gross — chewy and very odd tasting. We decided to save the next two goose eggs we collected and we safely carted them home and blew them out to paint for Easter.

Because it’s a working farm and because there’s a store next to the museum, you can buy fresh eggs and meat if you want to cook them up. We didn’t know about this prior to going, but we did buy some of the eggs. Fresh eggs are so amazing tasting – unlike any egg you buy in a grocery store. If you planned it right, you could pick up some big steaks prior to your night’s stay at the hostel and you could grill them. Sounds yummy to me!

The farm is located pretty much in the middle of nowhere — there are no convenient stores, no gas stations, no fast food restaurants and no grocery stores anywhere near here.  This means you’ll want to plan ahead. We didn’t and we had to do a bit of driving in order to get some essentials like food to eat.  There is a restaurant right across from the farm called the Malabar Farm Restaurant. This is a french restaurant so be prepared for high prices and a limited menu (not necessarily a bad thing). We did not eat there as there really wasn’t anything on the menu for our kids.

We ended heading to Loudonville, a city about 8 miles away from Malabar Farm and there we found a small, but well stocked IGA (found only with the help of Siri, love that girl. Sometimes.) and quite a few choices  for restaurants. We chose a small local bar and restaurant combined and our food was great.

There are so many hiking trails on both Malabar Farm and at the nearby Mohican State Park that you can spend days just walking and looking at the gorgeous countryside. We took quite a few walks during our two days in the area and wished we’d had time to do more. If you go during the “season” at the Farm, there is normally tons of things to do — you can tour the big house and take guided farm tours. We enjoyed being there when it was quiet as it was possible to see how busy this place could be on a nice weekend in May.

I took quite a few photos on our trip, so I’ll hope you’ll indulge me in the number of photos I’ve added to this post. I always thought growing up I was a city girl, but as I have grown older (ahem!), I realize more and more than I’m a country girl trapped in the city life. When I get out in the open, my heart just soars and I can breathe. It’s such a delight to see my munchkins charge around chasing chickens and looking for frogs. We live in the city for the advantages it affords our children, but at these moments, the edges as to why it’s necessary blurs just a bit.

Our family is hoping to take another trip to Malabar Farm very soon. It’s a great little treasure right here in Ohio.

If you want to make it a long weekend, this is just about 30 miles away from the heart of Amish country in Ohio. We stayed just in our area this time around as we’ve been to this area before. Most of the Amish working farms which are open to the public, don’t open up until late April and early May, so we passed on visiting this time around.

 

Filed Under: Family Outings, Life, Parks, Trip Tagged With: , , ,

I knew this was coming

January 25, 2012 By 2 Comments

I come from a big family. I’m one of five kids. Whenever I think of most big families I look at the division of…..well everything. Some are prettier than others, some are smarter than others, some like school, some don’t, some are nice , some aren’t, etc. It’s just how it is–God has to spread it all out–everyone can’t be the same.

Who am I in my family? Well, I won’t claim the obvious ones–smart and pretty–but I will claim that I’m the prude. Yes, the prude. I’ve always been. Talking about sex or anything close to sex has always given me red cheeks (on my face) and hives. I’m the baby of the family as well. To find the unprude (yes, I just made that word up), we have to look at the other end of the spectrum to the oldest child and my oldest sister. She is completely uninhibited by the discussion of sex in any way shape or form. And for this, I’m thankful. As my own Mother was obviously the prude in her family, she chose the ‘ignore and surely it will all go away’ method of educating me (and perhaps my siblings but I’m NOT going to ask them!). And as I always tuned out any conversation I felt was unseemly, I didn’t listen to my friends if they talked about such matters. Imagine the shock when I started my period. Thank heaven and earth that my parents were out of the country and I was at my oldest sisters for safe keeping. My guardian angel was surely with me that day. My sister, disgusted at our Mom, took matters into her own hands and taught me all that I needed to know. And I was thankful. But now, I have my own problem looming.

No matter how much you want to bury your head in the sand or move to a desert island your kids still grow up. This year, my oldest and my only daughter, Attie is in 4th Grade. What’s the big deal? The MOVIE is quickly approaching. I have no idea what the MOVIE is, what’s involved or included–all of it is a hazy guess and speculation on my part. I’m figuring it covers basic body parts, possibly puberty and maybe basic birds and bee information. I get to go for a preview before the class gets to see. Screw popcorn, I’m hoping we’re allowed to bring a flask with us.

I’ve been dreading this moment for a lifetime, but I must buck up. I don’t want to do to my girl what was done to me. For blank sake, even if it’s hard, I’m sure I can do this. As I gave birth to a prude, yes, it’s obvious at the ripe old age of 9–all of the outward signs are there, she’s not going to make it easy for me. We’re both going to be uncomfortable. We will never hold public conversations with each other about our sex lives like other mom’s and their daughter’s (umm humm! you know who you are and I know who you are). I will have this conversation with her and will make myself follow-up with her every once in awhile just to make sure we’re on the same page about everything.

Just typing this out has me in a cold sweat. My mouth is dry and I’m scared and worried that I’ll screw it up. I’ve started taking some pre-conversation measures so that I’m not going to completely blind side her when we talk. I made her read “Are you there God, it’s me Margaret” this Fall. She can’t stand to being told what she has to read, but by golly I insisted she read it. Once she started, I think she enjoyed it. It’s been 10 years, we don’t need to say how many since I read it. Of course, I didn’t read it again before I gave it to her to read. I sure hope it all still applies……. Probably the best thing I decide to do so far on this new journey was purchasing “The Care and Keeping of You” collection from American Girl. She won’t share any of it with me, but when she’s been out, I’ve taken a couple of peeks at the set she keeps tucked into her loft bed. It’s fabulous–well written, straight forward, no fluff.

The serious countdown has begun. I have maybe two months but more than likely just weeks left before I have to open the channels of communication. Man, for the gazillioneth time since becoming a Mom, I wish I had the power to freeze and stop time.

Do you have a daughter? Have you had “the talk” with her yet? What else do I need know to steel prepare myself for this. No matter how hard or uncomfortable for either or both us, this is important to me and I want to make sure I do it right. I just hope I don’t pass out when I start talking.

 

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: , , ,

What’s Happened to Average or Normal?

December 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

December is here (duh) and, per normal, this finds me running around in my spare time (HA) like a chicken with her head cut off trying to figure out what to buy whom for Christmas.

For whatever reason, I seem to be stuck in the kitchen this year. Maybe it’s my new found way of eating more fruits and vegs and trying not to have any sugar, but my eye, stomach and ahem! booty are drawn to the kitchen areas of stores. For whatever reason, when I go shopping for others, it seems that I always end up looking for things I need not so much the person I’m buying a gift for.

This year, trolling through housewares has me a bit dismayed–when did someone decide we all needed appliances that make really really small things?  I have no idea how I have made it this far along in life without my own personal miniature brownie maker, miniature donut maker, miniature cupcake maker, miniature pie maker and last, but certainly not least, miniature whoopie pie maker. I don’t want ANY of these (well, the whoopie pie maker does sound like it could be useful for every household in America), do I? And if I did, where exactly am I supposed to store all of these extra electronic gadgets. Especially since……

It seems that all regular appliances are now all gargantuan. I could use a new food processor. I’m grateful to my current food processor, but, no offense,  after 21 years of being together, it’s time for a divorce. The fact that it spews, and I’m NOT using that word lightly, all contents everywhere making for complicated cleanups has me begging for mercy. Same goes for my blender–that beootch so needs to leave. I’m worried, though, about their replacements. Have you seen the size of a food processor built in this decade? They are all huge. Well not all, there is, of course, the miniature food processor useful for ___________ you fill in the blank because I can’t.

I just want regular ‘ole, medium, average appliances that do what they’re supposed to do (yes, I really do need to make that a requirement). I like brands like Kitchen Aid and Cuisinart –they just sound like quality, don’t they? I want ones that won’t require me to move or  build out in order to store them when not in use. If you know of one/any regular sized appliances–and I’m specifically talking about blenders and food processors, put a bow on it (red will do) and drop it off on my front porch. You’ll make my Christmas Merry and Bright and maybe, just maybe, if I get that whoopie pie machine, I’ll whip up a miniature batch just for you.

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: ,

Not Quite a Wordless Wednesday

August 3, 2011 By 2 Comments

I am a grower of sunflowers.  Some were planted with decision and purpose; most were planted by squirrels feeding on last years flowers.  Regardless, I love them.  They are gorgeous and they make me happy.

I took some photos this week and thought I’d share them with you.  My husband, correctly stated, if I could have a vase of fresh cut sunflowers (or any flowers for that matter) sitting on my dining room table all year long, my heart would never stop singing.

Here they are (with one or two non-sunflower photos as well).  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. (To see them big and beautiful, simply click on one of the photos.)

Filed Under: Life

Stains stains go AWAY!

June 14, 2011 By 2 Comments

Confirmation Code: GSDNSHH13523544

Summer for us means lots of outdoor time and lots of outdoor time means lots of stains.  My Mom is the champion of getting out stains, but once Bubba hit about 2, giving her all of his clothes to wash each week, just didn’t seem like a nice thing to do, so I had to get some stain fighting tricks to put in my own back pocket.  I can remember when Bubba was little.  He pretty much spent 24/7 attached to my hip and yet I struggled to figure out what he’d eaten or done – the stains were indescribable and unrecognizable.

As the years have moved on, I’ve gotten pretty good at keeping the kids (and me and the hubs) looking stain free.  I thought I’d share my tips with you.  Here they are:

Chocolate:  soak clothing in cream – the higher the fat content the easier it will be to remove the stain.
Berry stains: Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries,  strawberries and well any other kind of berry are pesky stains but one of the easiest to get out of clothing.  Simply boil a teakettle full of water, hold the stained area of the clothing over an empty cup or pan and pour the boiling hot water on the stain.  Keep pouring until the stain is completely gone.
Blood stains: When shorts come out we see more scraped up knees and so more clothes stained with blood.  When blood get on clothes, rinse or soak the stain in cold water – the colder the better.  And the sooner you do it the easier it will come out.
Grease: Juicy burgers right off the grill are yummy AND messy. To get out grease stains, there are lots of common household staples you can use – pre-treat stains before putting them in the washing machine with Dawn dish washing detergent, shampoo, or believe it or not Cheese Whiz.  The great think about grease stains is that if you find them when you take the clothes out of the dryer, don’t worry about it.  Pre-treat the set in grease stains and wash – when you take the clothes out of the dryer the second time, the stains will be gone! I do this all of the time with Dawn. In fact, I keep a small bottle with the laundry supplies so that I can quickly treat stains.
Grass: Grass stains can be some of the most difficult stains to get out. Something our moms knew is that grass stains can easily be tackled with some Karo Syrup. That’s right, corn syrup. Really rub the Karo into the stains and let them sit for a bit before washing.
Markers: Kids love to draw and not always on paper or within the lines!  Your secret weapon to easily remove marker from most anything is to keep some WD-40 on hand.  Another  solution is to keep white tooth paste (not gel) on hand.  Work it in and rinse – repeat this process until the marks are gone.  You can also use nail polish removal and just pour and blot – never rub.
Mud: Many times mud gets on clothes and it seems to want to stay around forever. It’s the one I have the hardes time getting out.  I’ve had some success with these.  Here’s two ways to get rid of mud stains forever. Scrape off as much mud as you can with a butter knife. Next take a potato, cut it in half and rub the cut, raw side of the potato on the stain. Wash to see if the potato took the mud stain out.  If that didn’t work, make a solution of four cups warm water, one cup borax, and one cup baking soda.  Let the clothing soak for two hours and then wash as normal.
Tomato:  If you spill some spaghetti sauce on your favorite shirt, don’t sweat it.  Go ahead and wash it like you normally would and then, while the shirt is still wet, place it outside and in direct sunlight (make sure the sunlight is hitting the stain).  Go away for a few hours and when you come back, the stain will be gone.
Red wine: Hopefully you don’t have this stain problem with your kids, but if you’re drinking red wine and you spill it on clothes or even your carpet, quickly get the stain out by pouring white wine on top.  Not sure why this works, but it does.
Do you have a favorite stain removal trick not posted here?  Please share in the comments.
Filed Under: Life
« Older Posts