Save the Date
Sat, Feb 23: SUBARU WINTERFEST at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort
Wed, Feb 27: Summer Camp Registration Opens at Red Butte Garden
Wed, Feb 27: 8th Annual Intermountain Icebreaker at Golden Spike Event Center - Ogden, UT
Thu, Mar 7: Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream at Vivint Smart Home Arena
Thu, Mar 14: Peter & the Wolf - Ogden Symphony Ballet Association at Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts
Fri, Mar 15: Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID at SCERA Center for the Arts
Sat, Mar 16: World Cutter & Chariot Racing Championship at Golden Spike Event Center - Ogden, UT
Sat, Mar 23: Pink Park City at Canyons Village at Park City - Utah
Sat, Mar 23: SPRING GRÜV at Park City Mountain Resort, Utah
*Some events may have additional dates. Click through to see more information.
Dear KidsOutAndAbout.com readers:
This weekly column is usually my opportunity to provide some nugget of parenting wisdom that I've learned from others and applied successfully in my own family. But sometimes, I just write about how not to be intimidated by indoor plumbing. This is one of those times.
As you may have gathered, I know computers, not pipes. But my girls have lots of hair and we have just one functional tub, and so a couple of times each year I have to summon the plumber to snake the backed-up drain. The last time he was at my house for some other work, I asked whether anyone had invented a high- or low-tech solution to the hair-clogging problem, given that we're in the 21st century, and that even the Ancient Romans had some kind of indoor plumbing. "Not really," he answered. "Not to the structure of the tub itself." But then he leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice. "Here's what you do," he advised. "Get yourself a shop-vac. Not a regular vacuum, it has to be a shop-vac, a wet/dry vacuum. Seal up the overflow hole on the wall of the tub with some duct tape. Then place the shop-vac over the drain, and turn it on. It's great on hair."
I didn't have a shop-vac. But—and maybe this is my version of a midlife mom crisis—I do love big noisy home improvement gadgets like leaf blowers and chainsaws; they make me feel powerful. I'd actually been hoping to find an excuse to get a shop-vac. So I hopped out to the Big Orange Box Store and, for one-third the price of having the plumber clear my drain just once, bought myself a shop-vac. I also bought duct tape, because you can never have enough duct tape. Ten minutes (to assemble) and fifteen seconds (to suck) after I got home, I had a perfectly flowing drain.
It was grosser than I'd anticipated, a lot blacker and gunkier and smellier. (My oldest turned pale and bolted from the bathroom.) So be forewarned: You may need to employ that "mom stomach" you've cultivated. But who cares? I saved money, and made myself feel accomplished. I almost want the drain to clog again soon so I can get that little power-tool endorphin rush.
Do you have a fabulous cheap solution to an ongoing problem? Send it along so I can spread the word, and we can all feel like adults together.
14 Easy Ways to Date Your Children
Showing love doesn't have to be all about romance! Our Phoenix editor, Meg Brunson, likes to make special one-on-one time with each of her children at Valentine's Day and throughout the year. Sound daunting? It's easier than you think!
Read Meg's article 14 Easy Ways to Date Your Children and spread a little love!
Choose Great Taste and Good Health and Join a CSA This Year
It's CSA sign-up season! If you haven't ever participated in a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture), you're missing out on a terrific opportunity to support your local community, connect with your neighbors, get great deals on fresh produce, and expand your culinary horizons.
Families purchase shares of produce that they receive each week during the growing season. Depending on the CSA, fruits, dairy, meat, or other natural products may be available. Some farms encourage pick-your-own activities or offer events when everyone can help out on the farm. What a great field-to-table lesson for the whole family!
Here's our local list of CSAs - Locally Community-Supported Agriculture.
The perfect spot to carve out some family time.
Snowbasin Resort has everything your family needs for the perfect winter adventure - wide open bowls, pristine groomers, mountain-side dining the whole family will enjoy and gondolas that will whisk you away to over 9,000 feet. Looking for lessons for the kids? Our award-winning style of teaching makes learning easy and fun. And, we offer a variety of packages from first-timers to those looking to go from greens to blues or blues to blacks. If they learn here, they’ll love it forever.
Save big when you buy tickets online in advance!
Open House and Open Enrollment at Challenger School!
Since 1963, Challenger School has helped children excel by employing proven, effective methods in a fun and structured environment that inspires them to achieve. The Challenger difference is evident from the moment you set foot on campus. Students bubble with enthusiasm as they make connections between their prior knowledge and new concepts. In order to facilitate setting crucial learning patterns, Challenger accepts students as young as 2 years, 9 months. Yet in all grades, the schools acclaimed, intellectually stimulating programs establish a foundation of achievement with clear results. On 2018 national standardized tests, Challenger K-8 students averaged well above the 90th percentile.
Come take a Tour at one of the six locations in Utah!
My Fair Lady in Concert - Ogden Symphony Ballet Association
In a concert version of Lerner & Loewe’s beloved Broadway musical “My Fair Lady,” enjoy the ‘loverly’ antics of phoneticist Henry Higgins and cockney lower girl Eliza Doolittle. ‘Just you wait’ to watch Professor Higgins train Eliza to speak, dance and dress like a lady of society so that Eliza might make a more comfortable and proper life for herself. You’ll ‘dance all night’ with this rollicking and hilarious musical social commentary.
Click here for more information.
LEGO® Mindstorms® - Salt Lake County Library (Draper Branch)
A STEM program, presented by Clark Planetarium, with hands-on activities that explore complex concepts and principles through simulations of robotic missions. Each visit will involve learners in authentic STEM-focused activities that exercise group work to build robots, collect and analyze data, and solve problems. Simulating NASA mission procedures of identifying an object and designing a robotic exploration mission, our program will provide a playful approach to STEM activities.
Click here for more information.
Winter Series Rodeo - Golden Spike Event Center - Ogden, UT
Now that the weather is cooler, come cozy up in our heated Golden Spike Arena to watch Utah's top cowboys and cowgirls compete in the sport of rodeo! Stock provided by 16-time "Stock Contractor of the Year" Broken Heart Rodeo Company. Have a beer, pretzel, and some laughs while our funnyman Sam Lively entertains the crowd. Hope to see you there!
Click here for more information.
Whether you're looking for outdoor activities or you need some suggestions on how to entertain yourself while you're cooped up inside, we've got you covered. Skiing, skating, fun with ice and snow, suggestions for kids with special needs: Find it all in our Master Guide to Winter.
