Just enjoyed a school day visit to the Children's Museum of Houston. Packed before 1pm with field trip kids. Went to Bodega's Tacos nearby (delicious, cheap and great for kids too) for lunch and was much quieter for the afternoon. Make sure not to wear flip flops so you can climb the Power Play tower, boulder on the rock wall, and hop around chasing flashing lights upstairs. Flip flops and a change of clothes are good, however, after playing outside in the water area. Definitely a good investment and the best children's museum we have ever visited.

We just visited the Space Center Houston with our 4 year-old son and 6 year-old daughter. Much fun had by all! We arrived pretty early in the day (10:45am or so) and there was plenty to do until 4pm when we left (hours are 10am-5pm). I had read the review to do the Tram Tour first, which was great advice.

The hour-long movie on the International Space Station in the big theatre was interesting for adults, but my daughter thought it was too loud. Also, in the movie it showed a simulation of what would happen if another meteoroid hit the earth and devastated our cities . . . needless to say a little scary! Our children loved the Flight Simulator where you could sit in a little honeycomb of flight stations and try to land/dock the Shuttle, and our daughter went down the enclosed 3 story-high slide in the kids play area about 8 times!

I would suggest packing a lunch if you can since food and drink is expensive, and no one glared at us as we broke out our sack lunches. You can leave it in the car in a cooler, as they stamp your hand for "re-entry" (we thought this was a great term, given the space environment!).

Last but not least, if you buy your tickets online, through the end of May, they are half off. The ticket you buy online can be used for entry into the Space Center for up to one year from date of purchase (not over and over, just as single entry). So that means you could buy your tickets now and then go during the summer, etc. whenever you are headed for your Space Center family adventure. Have a blast!

We went hiking about with snow shoes, friends, a few sleds to carry our gear, and our 4 and 6 year-old children near Crystal Mountain's skiing area this winter. The hiking around was okay, but you cannot sled on Crystal Mountain and the snow was not deep enough to really enjoy the snow shoes. However, our friends brought along some M & M's candies . . . brilliance. They walked ahead of us and dropped M &M's every so often on the side of the path where snow was clean and not trod upon. They would tell the younger children among us, "Look! I think the snow fairies have been here!" and the young ones would run up, spot the M & M's, put them in their mouth and then admire the fun-colored snow. It kept the younger children engaged and hiking along when the scenery became less that interesting or they just started feeling tired. I am grateful for the snow fairies and plan to come with many little candies to drop the next time we go hiking in the snow.

As a parent of children who not too long ago made me very nervous in the Museum of Glass, I'd like to offer a few tips:
1. Go to the Studio first. There is always something interesting and messy to do here. For the 2-4 set, this might be the best place for them in the museum!
2. Go to the Hot Shop next. From the Glory Hole with hot fire to the video on the big screen above, there is plenty to interest young ones for at least a few minutes.

Every 3rd Thursday the Museum of Glass is free from 5pm-8pm.
www.museumofglass.org for more info

Our family has visited in the cold and the warm weather on Mt. Rainier. The newly remodeled Visitor's Center at Paradise has several interactive displays that captured my 4 year-old's interest as well as my 6 year-old budding reader. The interior is beautiful, and has a lodge-like feel. Even if the weather is lousy, you can enjoy the Center and then hike a bit on the side of the snow.

We hiked in July on the Sunrise side and saw breathtaking views of the Mountain. Mt. Rainier is right in our proverbial backyard, but due to Washington's endless cloudy days, we don't often get to see it. Seeing it up close is, of course, even better! Suggest taking plenty of water and lots of bug repellent in summer. And plan on not completing all of the official hikes if you have small children. There are a variety of challenging and novice hikes. Parents of very small children should definitely bring a pack for the wee ones.