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Once A Year An Only Child

Mon, 14 Jul 2014 00:00:00 -0700

Once a year, around the second week of June, my younger daughter revels in being an only child.

Her older sister, an astronaut wannabe, heads to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, where thousands of her peers engage in simulated missions and try out what it feels like to bounce around in zero gravity. She's sure she's the luckiest kid on earth.

But my 13-year-old? She knows she's got it made.

My two daughters were born only 18 months apart, and neither of them ever forgets it. My older daughter loves to taunt her younger sister about the fact that, for an entire year and a half, she had the benefit of my full attention. My little one celebrates every chance to remind me of the fact that, pretty much the minute she was born, she got hauled around in her big sister's wake.

That's why, several years ago, when my now-15year-old started flying off into space once a year, the 13-year-old announced that she was going to be queen for a week. It would be her week, she said. It would be the very best week of the year.

It would be Only Child Week.

We made it happen.

It's not that we're indulging her, really. Her Dad and I have embraced Only Child Week, perhaps because we, too, feel we missed out on letting our little one be the only one. We're making up for lost time. We're giving her the chance to shine without the shadow of her older sister blocking our view.

And so, every year, as soon as we put our older daughter on the plane to Alabama, we start a journey of our own. A few years ago, we hit Charlottesville, Virginia, and took cooking lessons at the classic colonial Clifton Inn. The summer before that, we zip-lined our way through upstate New York and pretended to be genies in our pink sparkly suite at the funka-licious Roxbury Motel. Last June, we rode WaveRunners and kicked back on the beach at Florida's Sandpearl Resort.

This summer's Only Child Week? Couldn't have been better. Sure, while we relaxed to the max at Lost Valley Ranch, high in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, we yahooed our way on horseback through the trails. We do-si-doed at the weekly square dance. We drank milkshakes at the ranch's old fashioned soda fountain and ate pancakes by the creek after a morning hay ride.

But the greatest part of the week was hanging with our "only child."

We took a family ride, just the three of us and a wrangler, high up a hill where my husband almost hyperventilated and my daughter soothed his frazzled nerves. We made ice cream sundaes at a ranch social, letting our teenager dump as many M & M's on top of hers as she could fit. We cannonballed and splashed each other in the pool and made midnight treks to the main lodge to swipe homemade chocolate chip cookies from a giant jar the kitchen kept filled for hungry cowgirls.

We giggled with our daughter over her stuffed animals' antics (yes, even at 13, she goes nowhere without her oversized pals). We sat on either side of her on our cabin's porch swing and at the ranch's hayloft theater.

We made it all about her.

And in the process, we got the chance to really connect with who she was this year, how she'd changed from the last time she took on only child status. She'd gotten braver, we noticed, more willing to try scary stuff like galloping through a field on a horse she'd met only days before. She'd definitely let her more independent side emerge -- last year, she never would have agreed to go off with the teen supervisor for a pre-breakfast ride or an evening bonfire. She'd become shyer, in a way, resisting me when I tried to take her photo, but more outgoing and self-assured somehow, too, bonding with some kids from across the country and choosing her very own cowboy hat at the ranch store.

It wasn't that we didn't know our daughter. It was that Only Child Week gave us a chance to bring her into sharp focus, without the distractions of work and school and French horn practice and babysitting commitments.

Some of my friends comment, from time to time, that it's not fair that we take our little one on a week's vacation every year while we send the older one off to camp. But they're missing the point. Our big girl? She's convinced she's got the best end of the deal. She's at Space Camp, with zillions of kids just like her. Her baby sister's stuck with Mom and Dad.

And our little one? She's getting the chance to be what she's always wished she'd gotten the chance to be, even for just the eighteen months her sister had. For one week, every June, she's an only child.

Farm Fresh Vacations

lohayes@gmail.com (Lynn O'Rourke Hayes) — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0700

Sometimes fresh air and open spaces are just what the family needs.

Spend the night in the country and collect new skills.

Here are five places your family will remember till the cows come home:

Leaping Lamb Farm. Alsea, OR.

Stow your gadgets and get back to nature on this charming 64-acre farm, in Oregon’s Coast Range. Craft a leisurely family breakfast in your cozy cabin including eggs your crew has collected. Find your way to the orchard to pick apples, pears or plums or wander off to forage for mushrooms. Lend a hand in the greenhouse and garden or learn about raising lamb and Heritage turkeys. Brush the horses, admire the peacock and make time for a hike or bike outing on neighboring trails.

Contact: 877-820-6132; www.leapinglambfarm.com

Madava Farms. Dover ,NY.

Visit the lush Hudson River Valley to learn how pure, certified organic Crown Maple syrup is produced on this 800-acre farm. After a 45-minute bark –to- barrel tour, you’ll have the opportunity to sample four varieties (from light to dark) as well as maple sugar. Visit the on-site café for other local taste treats. The local tourism website offers additional suggestions for farm fresh experiences, self drive itineraries and charming regional inns.

Contact: www.crownmaple.com; http://dutchesstourism.com

Icicle Inn Resort. Leavenworth, WA.

Sign up for artisan cheese making classes offered by Alpine Lakes Cheeses during which you’ll learn how this ancient food is crafted from the rich milk provided by the nearby farm’s small flock of 60 grass-fed sheep. The hands on classes are offered for beginners as well as more experienced cheese makers. The kids will also enjoy a year-round indoor/outdoor pool, miniature golf plus hiking and biking.

Contact: 800-961-0162; www.iciclevillage.com

Olde Fogie Farm B & B Marietta, PA.

When the bell rings, signaling the onset of morning chores, kids can help collect eggs, pet the pig and feed the rest of the critters. Hosts Tom and Biz Fogie get rave reviews for friendly hospitality and a fresh approach to sharing their farm life with families. For an experience beyond the fence, the Fogie’s will arrange for your clan to dine with a local Amish family. You can also visit the nearby toy train and clock and watch museums. Contact: (717) 426-3992; OldFogiesFarm.com.

Philo Apple Farm. Philo, CA.

Leave the electronics and expectations for room service behind when you check into a charming cottage tucked within this small, family-owned working apple orchard. The proprietors have honed their cooking, growing and hospitality skills during the last 20 years and delight in sharing their knowledge with guests. Stay and participate in meal preparation or just hang out amidst the fruit trees. Either way, you’ll learn about the making of fresh juice and jam and savor the sweetness of their well-preserved family recipes.

Contact: www.philoapplefarm.com.

5 Small Towns To Consider

lohayes@gmail.com (Lynn O'Rourke Hayes) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Small towns offer charm, history and an opportunity for adventure.

Here are five communities east of the Mississippi with special experiences of interest to families on vacation.

Princeton, NJ.

This college town is home to more prizewinners than any other community – as in Pulitzers, Nobels and Medals of Honor. The leafy enclave offers miles of bike paths, canals for paddling and festivals for every season. The university’s extraordinary cultural offerings include an art museum best known for their Chinese collection and impressive theatre known to showcase pre-Broadway productions. Take a walking tour, shop in Palmer Square and visit the free Einstein Museum to learn more about another of the town’s bright lights.

Contact: www.VisitPrinceton.com; www.PrincetonTourCompany.com.

Annapolis, MD.

Work up an appetite kayaking, windsurfing or sailing on the Chesapeake Bay before an evening feast of the region’s famous crabs. Home to the U.S. Naval Academy, this history-rich state capital offers charming restaurants, shops, museums, lighthouses and the opportunity to enjoy watching water-worthy vessels, large and small, slip out to sea. Contact: 888.302.2852; VisitAnnapolis.org.

Ocracoke, NC.

Revel in the old world charm of this small coastal village, where you’ll walk in the footsteps of Blackbeard the pirate, an early resident of the area. Amble along cobblestone streets, past clapboard houses, art galleries and colorful eateries before heading out for a kayak tour on the waters where the buccaneers once battled. Feed the local herd of ponies, likely descendants of Spanish mustangs, before spending the day on a pristine 16-mile stretch of protected beach.

Contact: 252-928-6711; ocracokevillage.com

Stowe, VT.

Do you favor Phish Food or Chunky Monkey? Schedule a family taste test when you tour the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory in this scenic New England town. Take a sled dog tour, find out how apple cider is made or consider a stroll on the five-mile long Stowe Recreation path.

Check into the Trapp Family Lodge and Resort to enjoy their 2,400 acre natural wonderland, where hiking, rock climbing, cross country skiing and snowshoeing are tailored to family travelers.

Contact: GoStowe.com; TrappFamily.com.

Brunswick, ME Visit this small fishing village where artists and writers have found inspiration for decades. Winslow Homer painted his famous seascapes nearby and Harriet Beecher Stowe crafted Uncle Tom’s Cabin in town. Each year, the Brunswick Outdoor Arts Festival keeps the creative vibe alive offering theatre, music and crafts. Enjoy riverside views from the paved Androscoggin Bicycle and Pedestrian Path enroute to the 150-year old Topsham Fair where family fun includes animal pull events, crafts and harness racing. Contact: 888-624-6345; VisitMaine.com; topshamfair.net

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