Volunteerism = Great Fun!

Soup Kitchen?

In many people's mind volunteering they immediately get a mental picture of a soup kitchen.  Although this may not sound that fun, it can be very rewarding.

Getting your kids involved in volunteer events can create some great memories and experiences with your kids - and of course it typically only costs you time.

Here are some examples of things we have done and really enjoyed doing.  Since we really enjoy the outdoors we have a few things we do to combine being outside with good work.



The boys and I helping with a City event.

 A Few Examples

Clean Stream - which I have down as Saturday April 2nd this year in the St. Louis area.  Check with your City Hall if you have streams and rivers in your community you probably have a clean up.  This was a fun morning of collecting garbage around a stream in our community.

We have also worked with a group in our area call GORC, Gateway Off Road Cyclists who do a ton of work to keep the trails nice in our many local parks.  http://www.gorctrails.com/ to see a schedule of work days.

We help the city I work in with events as well, setting up for festivals, building habitat homes, Halloween Haunted Hayride fundraiser - talk about fun for the whole family.

To the right you can see a link to the City of O'Fallon, MO volunteer page - there are many opportunities for every family out there.  The benefit is time with you kids for a good cause and you are teaching them good citizenship.

Will Jr. working on a Habitat for Humanity Home.

How to be the "Cool Dad"!

Dad + Teenager = Dork

Usually if we think back to our own childhoods you can probably remember the "era" in which you were not to fond of your parents and they started to seem dorky.  For most people this happens late Middle School into High School.

Can becoming a dork be avoided?  YES IT CAN!

To be completely honest - I discovered this by accident, but once the knowledge was gained I have continued the exercise with the rest of my children.

The Secret

Are you ready for this - I actually mentioned it in a previous blog - Coach your Kids!!!

That's it - whatever sport they like get involved!  Be a coach, assistant coach, equipment manager, team parent, whatever.

When my oldest was in middle school I became an Assistant Football Coach - this is something I had never done before.  I do like the sport, and I played it a little in high school, so I decided to participate.  There is a bond that forms when you coach your kids team that is unique and is lasting.  It is not about playing favorites, they are just proud to have you there - you are a role model to them and the kids they go to school with.  I have noticed it in other parents who coach as well.  There are parents envious of my relationship with my son - he is comfortable talking to me about just about everything. I am now a Head Coach for my youngest sons football team, and a basketball coach to both my younger boys.

Bonuses

Back to one of the purposes of this blog - when you coach it is very inexpensive for your kids to be on the team.  You get to schedule the practices - so you CAN make it work for your schedule.

Drawbacks

Some parents no matter how hard you try will have something to complain about - do your best, and worse case invite them out to assistant coach.  You will find that many parents have a different view of their child's physical prowess, this is most obvious in the parents who never see a practice and see the reality.
Be careful to not give your child unfair opportunities - there are coaches who play their kids when there are others who could be in that role better.  Try to be as fair as you can be.  My goal is for the kids to learn - they get more for 6 hours of practice then 40 minutes of game time.

But I don't know the sport...

Great - that is what the internet is for, I look up drills for each sport I coach - I look like an expert because I am changing things around each practice.  If you are part of a feeder program attend sessions with the High School Coaches - our Head Coach invites all of the coaches to three classes explaining the system they use. 

Just go for it - the reward is worth the risk!

Nature - admission is still free!

Just about anywhere you live there are trails to hike, bike, explore.  Here a few near the St. Louis area - these are several opportunities around Hwy. 94 in St. Charles County

Hidden Treasures of Weldon Spring

They say if you tell others about a secret place, it becomes “not so secret.”   Although I love the quiet serenity of what I am about to reveal, it would be criminal to not share with others.  Many have traveled the section of Hwy 94 going West of Hwy 40, on their way to the various wineries.  What considerably fewer people are aware of, are the beautiful trails you pass along the way.  Even though my family has only lived here for five years, I often find myself telling folks who have lived in the area the majority of their lives about the treasures in their own backyards.   I will share some details of these treasures, hopefully allowing you to discover the beauty they have to offer.

Lewis and Clark

Shortly after you pass Francis Howell High School, on the left will appear a gravel parking lot.   This is the trail head of the Lewis and Clark trails.  The trails are loops of 5 and 8 miles respectively, and somewhere near the 3 mile mark, you have the option to make it an eight mile or a five mile trek.  For the less adventurous, from the parking lot take the trail to the right.  Just after the one mile marker, you will find a wonderful overlook of the Missouri River, and ideal spot for a picnic on the rocks.  Compared to the majority of the trail, this 1 mile stretch is relatively flat.  If you choose to end your journey there, you will miss much of the beauty this trail has to offer.  In the five mile loop, there are actually three observation points over the river.  My personal favorite is the third, and a photo from this spot is the header of the Cottleville/Weldon Spring Chamber of Commerce website.  Near the halfway point of this trail is a spring fed creek with interesting rocks, and a connector to the Katy Trail.  You enter the Katy trail near mile marker 54, and in my opinion in the most scenic area of the Katy Trail.  The Lewis and Clark trail is strictly for pedestrians, mountain bikes are not allowed.

Lost Valley

Just a short way past the Weldon Spring Katy Trail Access Point, to the right is the Lost Valley trail, where mountain bikes are most definitely allowed.  At one time, this was a large Boy Scout camp.  The trail is an eight mile loop, after you travel about a mile down a gravel road.  As you enter the park, there is a beautiful stream that you will come across multiple times on your trip.  This is a challenging mountain bike course in places, but I consider myself a novice cyclist, and have been able to complete it a few times.  If you take to this trail on foot, I would strongly suggest a heavy dose of bug spray, as the mosquitoes can be very heavy in this area at times.



Where the Hamburg dead ends into the Katy Trail



Hamburg Trail

The Hamburg Trail is a one way trail, eight miles in length, with multiple access points.  At one end, is the Busch Nature Preserve, which contains many miles to explore, and the other end terminates at the Katy Trail near mile marker 57. Between these points, the trail travels along Hwy 94, with a few small parking areas right off the highway as you travel west.  This trail also serves as a connector from the Katy Trail to Lost Valley.  There are some distance runners in the area that will run all of the trails mentioned in a single outing. 

 See more pictures of these trails on facebook at my “Missouri Trails” page.



Weston running Lost Valley



SNOW DAY! Now What?

When I was kid....

Something about up hill both ways.  In the St. Louis area they are a little quicker to call a snow day then back home in Wisconsin - butt then again they are a little more ready for it up North.

Today we have a snow day - and if the kids are home - someone may have to stay at home with him.  Today that is me (it's nice when your main office is in your house).  So between getting work done I need to keep them busy.  I plan to get most of my work done during movie time.  So here are some suggestions for Snow Day!

Indoor Fun

1.  Watch the movie - Snow Day, this is a tradition for us!

2.  Have some fun in the kitchen - we keep Hot Chocolate in the house, it is an inexpensive treat - and they absolutely love it.  If you know the snow is coming grab what you need to make cookies this is fun and keeps the house nice and warm.

3.  Light up the fireplace if you have one.

4.  Have a "Re-Arranging" party - this is where we change room lay outs - the side bar is you get them to do some cleaning along the way.  This can be their rooms or whatever.  We are moving the fish tank to the basement today.

5.  Speaking of the basement - we play games - my basement is unfinished - meaning they can't wreck anything.  They bounce their basketballs, and even put on their roller blades and skate around.

Outdoor Fun

The key is to cover every piece of skin that you can, and make sure to check on them - my 5 year can have frost bite from head to toe and she doesn't want to go in out of the snow.

1.  Make Snow Angels

2.  If it is warm enough, build a fort, where you don't have a ton of snow, use other things to support the structure - existing things in the yard, or some planks a of wood can help.  We made an igloo over a dog house once - it worked well.

3.  Go sledding - Last snow fall before this one I found them at Schnuck's grocery store - the staff there didn't even know they sold them.  Then you have to find a good hill.
Cottleville built one for their concerts in the park - makes a nice slow hill with two options for speed.  Warren Elementary seems to draw a crowd as well.

Have fun - and if you have or discover something else - please share!

Cottleville City Hall in the Background!

Great Athletes without Great Expense

Building Great Athletes

Just as it is for us - we really don't need gyms and trainers to be more healthy - the simple truth of weight loss and fitness is "Eat Less - Do More"

Odds are good your kids are going to be interested in one sport or another - this too is about the activity more than - the cost of specialized training.

We are an athletic family - but there is a difference between an athlete and an enthusiast and we have some of each in my collection of 5 children.  My oldest son (High School Junior), and youngest son (5th grader) are truly athletes - the sport has become beyond the time they are with a coach, they work on their athleticism beyond the time they spend with the team - they take pride in their physical accomplishments.  I would like to think that I created a path for them to become athletes.  You find the true athletes on a team have little tolerance for others messing around. 

As a kid - I was a "study" in athletic potential with no path to get there - opportunities were not created for me, and although I went out for sports there were many obstacles to even participating. 

Tip number one - let them try, maybe nudge them here a bit - as many different sports as possible when they are in grade school.  Personally we have not been on any select teams and that has not really held anyone back.  Leagues at Boys and Girls Clubs, and the YMCA are usually much less in cost.

Summer Camps

Summer camps put on by the local High Schools are a great way to get physical activity, learn skills, and see what sports they like best.  These camps are usually $20 - $50 - they get a shirt and have some fun.  You can go to any schools camps usually until they are in High School.  My younger son has decided early that he prefers running, football, and wrestling - so this summer he will go to multiple football and wrestling camps.

Local Athletes - High School and College Athletes

Get to know the older kids in your neighborhood - my oldest has served as a mentor to younger kids in the neighborhood and several of them are becoming solid athletes as well.  Make a connection with the athletes and ask them to show your kid some techniques of the sport, buy him/her a pizza or something for the effort, it is worth the investment.

The Internet

Once your child has decided on some sports look for drills on the internet - you can find things that they can do or you can assist them with in the house or backyard.

Coaching

Finally, the most money saving and effective method of helping your young athlete - Be their Coach!  My next blog will cover this in detail - because this is a little more involved - its more time, and it is more intimidating for many parents.  I coach sports for my kids that I never played - it can be done - and the REWARDS are worth it.

So stay tuned - Moms - Dads - the secret to still being "cool" in your kids eyes when they are in High School will be in my next blog.