Together your hands paint the plant holder, turn the soil, carefully press the seedlings in. You work all week to provide for your daughter, but there is nothing more important to you than making memories together. You’ve had a hard week at work, but today … it’s finally Saturday. You jumped out of bed, made pancakes with her and headed off on an adventure together. Now, here you are, planting seedlings to celebrate the turning of the season: and your daughter knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that she …
Making Memories in Cape Town: Twelve Experiences To Enjoy With Your Kids
What do drone flying, a scavenger hunt in a fine arts gallery, a tea party in an enchanted forest, a duck parade on a wine estate, and a look behind the art of glassblowing all have in common? Adventure Clubs! We’ve all seen the too-many-times recycled blog posts about what to do with your kids during school holidays, listing all the same old places which are usually quite boring. We are NOT a listing service that simply tells you what’s going on around town. There are plenty of those. Nope. …
The Fight
Our eyes took in the scene on the screen, riveted in the moment, waiting for the turning point we knew was coming… Condemned to death, the knight stood, head and hands in the stocks—an angry mob jeering at him from all sides. He was not alone. His men appeared from among the crowd to stand with him, willing to brave the odds because of their sheer devotion to this man they loved. The din of the crowd rose, and the condemned man looked at his accusers—not in fear, but in …
The Adopted
Her face was etched with fatigue, but her eyes glowed with the joy of a new mom, beaming from the inside out. As she arrived at the “enchanted forest”, she sighed a breath of relief. She’d made it to an adventure – with her new baby! The moms who were already there took in the sight of her and her bouncy baby boy, who looked vastly different from her. We knew instinctively that she was a new mommy who had recently adopted for the first time. Her little cherub was …
The Work of Creating Art
Dressed in tutus and sparkly tiaras, the little ones waited, noses pressed hard against the glass, feet covered in leather slippers, and pink tights hugging little legs. They waited for their dreams to become a reality—to see a real ballerina right in front of them, spinning and leaping high into the air, toes stretched and pointed, legs extended in a graceful arabesque. Steeped in anticipation for weeks, the adventure to Meet the Ballerinas was just as exciting for parents as it was for children. Moms couldn’t keep the grins off …
The Adventuring Option
“What school are your kids going to when they are older?” “What sports and actives are you going to have them do? “What instruments will you have them play” As soon as we have a new child in our home, we get peppered all the time with the questions about how we will encourage our young children’s brain development. We know that 90% of a child’s brain is developed before the age of five and that this time is critical to defining their life possibilities. So the question then becomes, …
The Spoiled Child
She tried to stay focused. She attempted her best to converse. But she struggled to not be distracted by my three little girls running around, gathering flowers and chasing squirrels, giggling and rolling in the new green grass, joyfully embracing spring’s goodness after a long winter. My friend and I sat enjoying a cup of coffee amid the soft, pink roses, the wind was warm and full of new beginnings. My children played and ran, soaking up the fresh springtime air. My friend was a young lady who was recently …
The Curious Child
The day was warm and bright and I was driving home from an Adventure Clubs adventure, a contented feeling settling around me as glanced at all three of my small kids fast asleep in the back of my minivan. I smiled as I thought about how much they had done on the adventure. We had been on a “Fun with Transportation” adventure… first a boat ride around the harbor, then a huge Ferris wheel, then a kid’s train along the coastline. There was so much stimulation. So much to see, …
The Other Mom
We were walking along the beach promenade with kids toddling, walking, and running around us. The sun shone bright on this gorgeous autumn day and the air was crisp and cool. We felt such bliss—almost too good to be true. Feeling inspired by the moment, I asked one of the newer moms how she was enjoying Adventure Clubs. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The thing is, the moms aren’t caddy or competitive like in some other parent groups I’ve been a part of. We are all here to create …
The Dads
March 1, 2034 To my Daddy on my 21st birthday, “I remember each of these days like they were yesterday… I was two years old and we were in a bakery, on an adventure to make Christmas pies and gingerbread men with other moms, dads and little kids, all gathered around a big, long table. The pastry chef explained what we were doing and I watched with big, round eyes. I couldn’t wait to get started! You were there, right beside me, putting flour on my nose with your big …
The Canvas
We entered into the art studio with seven moms and a happy gaggle of children under the age of five. I held my breath, waiting; waiting for the “no kids allowed” speech, waiting for the expected restrictions against their smallness, their noise, their exuberance that could result only in one thing—a big, huge mess. But it never came. We were welcomed with so much enthusiasm, we immediately felt at home. Filled with excitement, the studio staff showed the children rows of acrylic paints, scores of vibrant colors and soft pastels, …
The Song
She walked across the forest path—with a toddler in her arms and a pre-schooler at her heels. Her head hung low, her body tired. I could tell—it hadn’t been a great night. We’ve all heard them—the mommy “survival” lines: “Just get through this season. Hang on. You’ll survive.” or “Motherhood is a balancing act. Just keep all those balls up in the air. You can do it.” Season. It feels like you are just waiting for it to pass—trying to survive it. Balance. It feels compartmentalized, awkward, tense—impossible. When people …
