"Falling Leaves & Restless Kids", by Kay Tarapolsi

The leaves have fallen, it's gotten colder and now we won't get to enjoy the great local Redmond parks within walking distance from our house.

So what is to become of my sanity? Being at home all day long with a young child is enough to send anyone online looking for things to do out of the rain. It's good that we live in a community that is one step ahead of moms that need a break from shopping and dads a break from getting the bills from shopping.

A place to start is the Redmond Community Center Open play. Children between the ages of 1-5 pay $3 to come on Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Thursday between the hours of 10am and 12pm to play. The auditorium is big with lots of seating for moms and there are a ton of driving toys and other distractions for the little ones.

Another option, McDonald's a more expensive one, is to join the Great Play. I had a chance to visit during their open house and was quite impressed with the teachers and the facilities. They have classes set up for different aged kids at different times, so be sure to check their website for times and costs. When the kids are climbing the walls, why not take them someplace that they can do that safely? Try Vertical World's Fall Youth Climbing Programs. Be sure to let me know how it goes since mine is still a bit on the wee side! For those that would rather bounce than climb, be sure to check out the Arena Sports Inflatable Playground off of Willow's road. The times vary for their drop in programs, but buying an unlimited pass will sure help with keeping those finances down as the kids bounce up.

With so many people that work in Microsoft that live in the area, this next one might not come as a surprise, but I forget about it all the time. The Microsoft Museum is free every weekday. For the little ones that think dad lives at work sometimes, this might be a good way to show them what dad does while at work. Of course our fallback option is McDonald's on Redmond Way. Now that there are finally healthy choices on the menu, I don't feel as guilty taking the kids there when it's pouring out. Besides, the new gym area is much better then that play structure they had before. I was finally able to go in there and feel at ease with the food and play options.

Koloud 'Kay' Tarapolsi
Contributing author, Overlake Neighborhood

What's for Dinner?

There you have it, the dreaded question you hear over and over every night if you're a mom. Okay, dads hear it too, but not nearly as much, I'd think.

So where are the hidden gems in Redmond that you can take a family with munchkins to without getting the evil eye from other dinner guests? Here are a few of our family favorites, some for the charm, some for the food and some for the discounts (an added plus with larger families):

Black Bear Diner in Overlake has really great food, even if you have to wait for awhile for it to show up. And with Kid's Eat Free on Monday nights, sometimes it's worth it to take a coloring book or play I Spy to keep the kiddos entertained while waiting.

Ruby's Diner, in Redmond Town Center, offers Kid's Eat Free on Tuesday nights. Our kids love the train that is overhead and the old style cartoons shown on the TV under the register. The menus are printed on vehicles that they can put together and then spend the rest of the meal decorating with stickers. Plus, if you are sweet to the waitress and say ‘please’ you can have a free kid cone of ice cream. The ‘please’ part if very important to remember.

For brunch on Sunday, we love Desert Fire , also at RTC, but if you go on Monday nights, they also have Kid's Eat Free. I know my own really like staring at the fire in the middle and will zone on it. It's all we need to get a glance at the menu to order some southwest favorites.

Celtic Bayou , the place with the closest thing to hush puppies that I so miss from Oklahoma, has Kid's Eat Free on Saturdays and Sundays. You need to go before the bar crowd, but it's so noisy in there usually that kid's can be kids without disturbing the other patrons. An added bonus? Their kid menus can be washed off and reused, and they have little books to help encourage our little readers.

If you're in the mood for good fast food, but don’t want to go through a drive through, Taco Del Mar offers Kid's Eat Free on Sundays. My kid's swear that the one in Redmond makes the best rice and beans EVER (that emphasis is from them).

While not totally free, Las Margaritas in Bear Creek, does offer Kid's Meal's on Sunday for $1.99. Getting to practice Spanish and counting the parrots hanging on the ceiling are a draw for my girls. Except that every time we are there, they expect them to start singing like the Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland.

Claim Jumper has a free child's plate that they give out to the under 2 crowd. But make sure you check your receipt, as last time they charged us for it. It’s not much by any means, but why claim (pun intended) something is free when it's not, that's what I wanna know.

While Red Robin doesn't have Kid's Eat Free, it's a nice distraction on Tuesdays/Thursdays at the RTC location and Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays at the Overlake location when Red Robin makes visits at each of the tables. Since my girls are still at the age where this is cool, we are frequent visitors. An added bonus? It’s another great place to play I Spy.

Ooba is another one of those places without meal deals for kids, but they have a great table next to the register that kids can pick up a game (video or otherwise) and be entertained while you read the hand written chalk board menu. I like that's it's a local business that started in Redmond because it's a nice alternative from the main restaurant chains.

So, here you go, places in Redmond to get a break from cooking at home. There are lots of other restaurants in the surrounding towns that also have kid's eat free or other deals, but with gas prices going up up up, it's nice to stick close to home, without eating at home.

Koloud 'Kay' Tarapolsi
Co-author, Overlake Neighborhood

Redmond Saturday Market - Kid's Day

This upcoming Saturday, July 19th, the Redmond Saturday Market will be hosting a Kid's Day. This particular event happens twice a summer with the next one slated for August 16th. On this special day, children come out and get a chance to sell their handcrafted items. Therefore not only can you buy your weekly fruits, vegetables and flowers at the Market, but now you get a choice to shop for crafts from not only adult vendors, but also some kids! Due to health department rules, no food items may be sold by the young ones and all craft items must have been made by the kids selling them.

The Redmond Saturday Market is the oldest Eastside Open Air Market and the sixth longest running in the State of Washington. It has been in continuous operation every summer since 1976 and is located at 7730 Leary Way. This year will mark its 33rd season with a membership of 130 vendors and an average attendance of 80 vendors per week.

I've done a few vendor booths in my day for my craft business, but I've never taken my kids with me, so this will be a first for them. They actually will get a chance to see what it's like for me to sit in one spot from 9am to 3pm and talk to people about crafts. They have always begged to come, but I've said no because it's work for me and they do tend to be a handful. So this Saturday, instead of "Take Your Daughter's to Work Day" my daughters will get to call it "Take Your Mom to Work Day" since young vendors must be accompanied by a guardian while selling at the Market.

So be sure to stop by the kid's crafts area and support a young artisan starting to make their way in the craft vending world!

Koloud 'Kay' Tarapolsi
Co-author, Overlake Neighborhood

Splish Splash at Grasslawn Park

Our family lives fairly close to Grasslawn Park and we've been waiting with baited breath for it to open its new kid's area. So this week we walked over to see what the hoopla was all about and boy was it worth the wait!

There is a great little water area, a much smaller version of the Waterfront Park in Portland (okay, a much much smaller version), three new climbing walls to keep the older ones happy, two huge swings that kids can lay in to swing and the crème de la crème? A merry go round that is much safer then the traditional ones of days past. Plus to help put my mind at ease, there is a beautifully safe fence next to the area. This great addition is to keep the kiddos out of traffic’s way, something that is missing from other water features in our area.

For adults, I loved that there was plenty of spaces to sit, not that I got much sitting done. I had to chase after one of my girls that has just discovered walking, while running in circles to help my other girl on the merry go around and then go from one climbing rock to the next to watch the third girl. Let's just say that I'm glad I took plenty of water because I had quite the workout by the time we walked home.

As much as we love the new water park in Bellevue at Crossroads, with gas prices soaring through our car roof, we can walk to our newly reconstructed neighborhood park. Not only that, it really felt like we moved our bodies more. Once the playground on the other side of Grasslawn Park finishes getting its facelift, I'll have a hard time convincing the girls to go home at all. Now if the city adds a water feature to Westside Park, we’d just go ahead and pitch a tent.


Koloud 'Kay' Tarapolsi
Co-author, Grasslawn Neighborhood

Redmond Derby Days

This Saturday is one of our family’s favorite days in Redmond possibly for the entire year. It's the best day for meeting our neighbor's, making new friends, getting to vote on important issues (which brand of peanut butter at PCC is better) and be a part of a parade.

That's right, it's Derby Days! Every year, our children take part in the Kid's Parade, but this year, we're doing things a bit different. In the past their favorite thing is that they feel they have a job, since they get "paid" by Kempf & Co and Clark Raymond & Co to walk in the kid’s parade, so this year we'll need to explain that they don't get paid for being in the Grande Parade. It’s all part of being a good ambassador of this great city we live in!

I'm actually organizing an entry in the parade and have been feeling all the joys of trying to get 50 people to agree to come together for one morning and walk in a semi-group. A few months ago, I organized a parade entry for the Dalai Lama at Quest Field, but considering the entry in the Derby Days Grande Parade involve much more children, I can already tell it's not going to be as easy as trying to impress His Holiness.

After the Parade, my kids love going into the activity area and creating some crafts from local vendors and vote at the PCC booth. Meanwhile, we adults love to listen to the music at the Microsoft stage. My husband tries to sneak over to the bike races later in the day while we enjoy the food and drinks vendors.

Then afterwards we head over to the Redmond Community Center for the Carnival before finishing off our perfect day with the Fireworks. We go home an exhausted and happy bunch, our countdown already started for next year's Derby Days.

Koloud 'Kay' Tarapolsi
Co-author, Overlake Neighborhood

Redmond's Saturday Market culture (and fresh food source)

This is a picture of Duane at his vegetable market. A young child is admiring one of his cucumbers. Duane is one of 80 vendors at the "Redmond Saturday Market" open from 9 -3pm every week from May 3 - October 25. Duane's friendly smile and table of his fresh, locally grown tomatoes & large display of a variety of potatoes drew me to his "shop". I was hungry, too! Duane farms his organic produce on leased land and greenhouses in Sultan, Snohomish, and Puyallup. Tomatoes ($2.50/pd) have to be kept warm and waist-high to propagate.


Duane's wide variety of potatoes are $1.25/pd. He told me his shallots ($3.00/pd) taste good "caramelized". What's a caramelized shallot? Guess I'll have to pull out a cook book and see what he means. I told Duane my grandfather Yoder's two brothers started up a tomato greenhouse in Ohio that eventually grew into an international crysanthumum propagating business & fresh mushroom business. We had an instant connection.

So, just what is the "culture" of this Market? For starters, Redmond Saturday Market is the "Oldest Open-Aired Market on the Eastside". It's celebrating 33 years! All fresh produce, farm products, high quality crafts and specialty foods sold in the Market must be locally grown or made in Washington. Joanne Westlund's "Market Thymes" semi-annual newsletter has some wonderful news about the Market revealing market culture:

1) Food vendors Jim and Martha and their
children collect fresh produce donations at the market and donate it to a nonprofit, faith-based food bank called "Love, INC". Jim and Martha provide other human services for rent and utility assistance, car repair and clothing. Stop by their Hawaiian Ice and Hot Dog stand and say hi.

2) "Kids Day Selling" is an opportunity for an entrepreneurial or creative child to experience creating a craft and then presenting it to the public for selling! The dates this year for Kids Day Selling is July 19 and August 16. Stop by Joanne's information booth to learn more.

3) Have you ever had a question about what was killing off your plants, getting rid of gophers, or what plant to buy for a special place in your garden? The Redmond Saturday Market has "Master Gardeners" who can help you!

4) Eleven days with music!

You can't miss the Saturday Market (Downtown Redmond, on Leary Way next to Redmond Town Center). Ever since the Marriott Residence Inn closed their parking lot, the hard part is finding parking. Joanne purchased 5 new garden carts to help transport heavy purchases to the Leary loading dock. The best parking is the LWSD and RTC lots.

President and Treasurer of the Saturday Market, Joanne Westlund is a busy lady. But she still finds time to participate on the Redmond Historical Society Board. Her phone is 425-556-0636. Stop by and say hi to her.

Nostalgia for Baby Boomers; insight for their kids.

THOSE BORN 1920-1979

To all the kids who survived the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!

> First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
> They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
> Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
> We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
> As infants &children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.
> Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
> We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
> We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
> We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because,
> WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!
> We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
> No one was able to reach us all day.And we were OK.
> We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
> We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms.......
> WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
> We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
> We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
> We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.
> We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
> Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
> The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
> These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
> The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
> We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
> If YOU are one of them CONGRATULATIONS!
> While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

A quote from Jay Leno:

'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

-- contributed by my friend, Bill Brouseau, founding Eastside Catholic Boys Lacrosse Coach and teacher.

Summer Reading in Redmond

Books are big in our house. We have shelves upstairs devoted to board books, paper books, princess books, books in the shapes of animals and even books in the bathroom about poop. Downstairs in our house, I'm always being asked for tape from my daughters who put together books they have written. Some are LOL funny about stuffed animal adventures, some sad about our cat that went to go visit her sister far far away *sniff* while others are historical, depicting trips we've taken. Every night the girls get to take turns picking one long and one short book to be read by their dad.

So were do you go in Redmond to quench a thirst for books? Half-priced books (7805 NE Leary Way, 702.2499) is always great for little allowances. And it's healthy for the earth to buy books that have been read before. McDonald's Book Exchange (16415 NE 83rd St, 885.4773) is another place that's been around forever selling used books. Plus, you can teach your kids about the old way of exchanging their books for new ones!

Soulfood Books (15748 Redmond Way, 881.5309) has a really terrific story time every second Saturday starting at 11am. I love this groovy place because while you're ordering your tea in the cafe or browsing the store, you can keep an eye on your kids in the children's book area.

Borders in Redmond Town Center (16549 NE 74th St, 869.1907) is another one of our favorite place for buying books. My oldest daughter still remembers being read to by Beryl at their story time but now Todd and Stephanie have taken over on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Stephanie's story time involves head bobbing and is not to be missed. There used to be two story times, one at 10:30am and one at 11am, but now there is only one at 10:30am each day, so it gets very crowded and loud sometimes.

But the very best place in Redmond to find books? Our awesome Redmond Library (15810 NE 85th St, 885.1861) of course! They have various story times throughout the week for different ages and cultures. And after the story time, you can check out the books that were just read, head over to the children's area for your own personal puppet show (well, I usually get my own at least) or find CDs or DVDs to rent for a month. Can't locate something on the shelf? Then you can request them to bring it to you from another library! I once had a book from Oregon sent to me through the interlibrary loan system. Plus starting June 16th, the Summer Reading Program begins.

So happy reading!
Koloud 'Kay' Tarapolsi
Co-author, Overlake Neighborhood

Playdates & Perks at RTC

Contributed by Kay Tarapolsi

In order to save my sanity midweek, I decided to get my three kids (ages 6, 4 and 1) out of the house to try the 'Playdates & Perks' that the Redmond Town Center features every Thursday from 10-2pm. I had been told about this from another mom who loved to stop by with her kids and get a Kid's Creation for a reduced fare. Our first step was at the Information office to get the membership card and a list of participating stores. The first disappointment of the hunt for Perks? Cold Stone is no longer offering their Kid's Creations for $1.50. When I asked why, the information hostess had no answer for me. Additionally crossed off the list was Cosi, who is no longer at RTC (what's more, the RTC website lists a discount at Rubber Sole, another defunct business). We also realized we were too late for the Hush Baby Boutique story time that was at 11am. Too bad, I heard they have fabulous cookies. Undeterred, we headed to Pizza Schmizza for a kid's slice of pizza. As usually, it was superb. It just came out of the oven and was perfect sized for the price ($1).

After our snack we mozzied over to Learning Quest for the free gift. The girls were given little lizards that they loved and they were still playing with the next day. Next we stopped at the Paint Away and were shown three birth plaques (of which we would pick one) we could receive for free if we purchased $20 worth of items. I asked the sales clerk if they had other options that were for kids since these were adult projects and was told no (even after showing her the list that says "children's activity" next to their name). I actually would have spent the $20 on extra items if we were given a "children's activity" to decorate that was more appropriate for a child of 6 or 4. We left Paint Away with the girls being let down that they wouldn't get to participate.

Looking at the list of other stores, it seemed that others offered services that just weren't very 'Playdate' friendly. Some of the stores listed (Laura Victoria and Lucy) don't even offer children's clothing or items while others (Sahib Cuisine of India) are not child suitable and are geared more towards the business lunch crowd. And whereas Regis does offer a $5 off a children's haircut, I don't know that many kids that need a 20% discount on chemical services.

I think the 'Playdates & Perks' is a really fabulous idea and while we were sitting at Ruby's enjoying the free kids meal (with a purchase of an adult entree), I realized it just needed a bit of work to make it more 'Playdate' friendly for children. Start by handing out an updated list of 'Perks,' with non participating merchants removed and matching the RTC website. Next, make a separate list for places that offer discounts for moms, but maybe at a time without the kids. How about a MNO (Moms Night Out) that includes dinner at Sahib and price cuts at Laura Victoria, Lucy, Chico's, Victoria's Secret, etc followed by some deliciously discounted brew and gossip at Tully's? My final suggestions to make this concept work? Encourage more stores that appeal to children to participate, places such as Gymboree, Gap Kids, Claire's, Red Robin, REI, Uncle's Games and Wetzel's Pretzels. These merchants need to be reminded that the Redmond/Woodinville/Duvall area has more children under the age of 5 then any other surrounding city. As they should have said in Field of Dreams "build it for the kids and the parents will come."

Koloud 'Kay' Tarapolsi
Co-author, Overlake Neighborhood

3rd Annual Giant Indoor Garage Sale

I don't know about you, but I have a lot of junk in my house. Stuff in my garage, like the 6 bikes, 8 sand shovels (I'm not even going to try to count the rakes, buckets, bubble toys, floaties, dump trucks , etc) and 11 pairs of gardening gloves I seem to collect on sale every fall, are just a few of the things. I've now got too big of a headache looking at stuff to try to count the pots for the flowers that I can never seem to plant in the spring or the bird feeders that I can't seem to fill in the winter. And should we talk about the tools that people give us that they don't want anymore and we'll someday fix? And okay, if you're going to force me to think about it, let's go inside and look at my clutter there. How about the boxes of baby clothes that I'm still holding onto (just in case I can talk my husband into having a fourth child) or the scrapbooking supplies for that rainy day to create masterpieces that my girls will show their own kid’s?

Who am I fooling? I can't seem to have enough time or energy to really do all the stuff I need to do with all the stuff that is taking over my home. Which is why the Indoor Garage Sale (April 12th, 9am to 1pm) that will be held at the Redmond Community Center is perfect for people like me. Those moms that just need to show up with our junk...oops, I mean treasures, which are taking over our homes. The best part? For only $15, I don't have to give up a whole weekend to covering up the parts of the garage that aren't for sale, wake up at 6am to set up the driveway or have total strangers ask to use my bathroom. I can show up with whatever I need to pass on to others that can use it.

The worst part of the garage sale? Resisting the urge to visit the other tables to buy more "treasures" that I can fill my home with since now I'll have so much space!

Check out this link to clear up your home:
3rd Annual Giant Indoor Garage Sale


Kay Tarapolsi, Overlake Neighborhood

Eggstravaganza coming to Redmond

I can't tell you how excited my kids are that the City of Redmond's Eggstravaganza is just around the corner.

This annual event, held at the Redmond Senior Center on March 22nd, is a big hit at our house. Sure the Easter Bunny visits my kids at home and leaves them baskets of goodies in the back yard next to her hole. And of course we decorate eggs with stickers, crayons and dye that takes days to get scrubbed off my kitchen table. But nothing beats heading down to be with our neighbors and friends hunting eggs with candy inside for the little ones.

The first time we went, we paid for the Traditional Hunt and Pancake Breakfast that is held inside the Senior Center from 8am to 11am and put on by our local Lions Club. This year, it'll be in Classroom #24361, but in the past years that we've been to this event, we've just headed to the actual hunt at 10am (SHARP) and slept in a bit. (Around our house, the Easter Bunny wakes up very early to put those baskets near her dug out hole with the chewed up carrots. Then after she's done, she goes back to bed!) I also like that the "hunt" is held in an open area so I can see where the kids are at all times while I'm having a conversation with the other parents that are there.

After the hunt, we head inside (admission is $5 for kids and $7 for adults) for some face coloring, arts and crafts and games. And who can resist a photo with Mr(s) Bunny ($3 donation) to send back home to the grandparents? It sure beats the photos at Bellevue Square Mall that start at $19!!! Last year they started a Flashlight Hunt and Family Dance from 7pm to 10pm, also at the Senior Center, but our little ones are just to young for such an event.

Thanks to Jill and the City for providing such a great non-religious event that my family can take pleasure in and giving us a chance to see the community come out to enjoy the day. To learn more about the Eggstravaganza, visit the City of Redmond's website and we'll see you there! Rain or shine.

Koloud 'Kay' Tarapolsi
Co-Author, Overlake Neighborhood