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  • 2nd Annual Kids to Parks Day
    May 19 9:00am - May 19 5:00pm
    

    SAVE THE DATE
    2nd Annual National Kids to Parks Day
    Saturday, May 19, 2012
    
    Details at www.buddybison.org
  • Grandin Village Block Party
    May 20 2:00pm - May 20 4:30pm
    

    The annual Grandin Village Block Party is this Sunday, May 20th from 2-4:30 pm. Bring the family for free food, fun and games.
    
    They are looking for volunteers for help with setup, cleanup, serving food, running children's activities, etc. If you can spare an hour on Sunday afternoon, please contact Parke Loesel at jkploesel@aol.com
    
    

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Ashley found this wonderful blog, Hands Free Mama and posted a few of her recent blogs around on social media.  We are considering it a must read… just a simple reminder of the special time with our families.  Time we won’t get back.

Here’s an excerpt…

“Each minute of every day, we are presented with a choice on how we spend our moments. We can either miss the moments or grasp them.

I’m going Hands Free. I want to make memories, not to-do lists. I want to feel the squeeze of my daughter’s arms, not the pressure of over-commitment. I want to get lost in conversation with my spouse, not consumed by a sea of unimportant emails. I want to be overwhelmed by sunsets that give me hope, not by extracurricular commitments that steal my joy. I want the noise of my life to be a mixture of laughter and gratitude, not the intrusive buzz of cell phones and text messages. I am letting go of distraction, disconnection, and perfection to live a life that simply, so very simply, consists of what really matters.

I’m going Hands Free, and if this sounds like a life you want to start living, come along.”

Visit her blog at http://www.handsfreemama.com/2012/05/07/how-to-miss-a-childhood/

Thanks for the lovely reminders.

Ashley and I have been taking turns with our copy of Jennifer Pharr Davis‘ book, Becoming Odyssa.  We have really enjoyed chatting about the book and considering our future hikes together on the AT.

Particularly, we have enjoyed the stories of her connections with folks that she meets along the more than 2,100 miles of the Appalachian Trail.  Ashley, of course, took the speed route through the book and I am more than half way…taking the slow route.  All the while, it has been a very engaging book to read.

Recently Jennifer (trail name: Odyssa) was at one of our favorite local outfitters - Walkabout Outfitter (www.walkaboutoutfitter.com) and Channel 7 News stopped by for an interview.

Watch the interview and learn more about this young lady’s accomplishments here:

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-story-long-distance-hiker-20120514,0,3348180.story

There are some fatastic events going on in the Roanoke Valley for Bike Month.  Many of those can be found at a very resourceful website, www.bikeroanoke.com.  Well worth your time for a visit!  We will be spreading the word about their upcoming events, including Open Streets Roanoke during Festival in the Park.

Speaking of biking, Ashley and I would encourage you to read a recent Dadline, regarding the importance of letting kids ride their bikes and how to help them take the big steps, safely.  The link to the Dadline article is…

http://www.roanoke.com/columnists/dadline/wb/307757

Ralph Berrier, Jr. writes a wonderful bi-weekly article for the readers of the Roanoke Times called the Dadline.  This has been a a great resource for encouragement and security for parents in the region for some time now.  We look forward to Ralph’s wonderful stories each time.

We really enjoy sharing our favorite things with you here on our website, but we rarely demand that you go out and buy these things.

Today’s offering is different! This has to go on your must-have list, immediately!

We have poured our enthusiasm for the Okee Dokee Brothers all over this website over the last few years, but now these guys have made an incredible product which came from their incredible journey down the Mississippi River last year.

Here are some details from their website about the Okee Dokee Brothers and their most recent gem, Can You Canoe?

As childhood friends, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing spent summers at their neighborhood creek building makeshift rafts, fishing for crawdads and dreaming of great river adventures.

Now, as The Okee Dokee Brothers, they have realized these boyhood dreams via a great adventure on the Mississippi River, culminating with Can You Canoe? This new CD-DVD set will be available on May 15th (Red Eye Distribution, $16/$8.99 digital). This is the first release in a planned Adventure Album series for families.

It all began last June when Joe and Justin embarked on a canoe trip in Minneapolis and continued down the river for the next 30 days until they arrived at the St. Louis Gateway Arch. During their month-long journey on the Mississippi, they camped, canoed, filmed and most importantly, composed the songs that make up their new album for kids and families.

Can You Canoe? was produced by Dean Jones in his Hudson River Valley straw-bale studio. Guest appearances from Garth Hudson (The Band), Elizabeth Mitchell (You Are My Flower), as well as Morgan Taylor and Rachel Loshak (Gustafer Yellowgold) add sparkle to these joyful songs.

The songs on the album range from direct references of the river (”Can you Canoe?,” “Mr. and Mrs. Sippi,” “Haul Away Joe”) to more general topics in the outdoor motif (”The Bullfrog Opera,” “Campin’ Tent,” “Thousand Star Hotel”).The Okee Dokee Brothers also use the river as a metaphor to address deeper themes such as the struggles in a friendship (”Brother, Along for the Ride”) and life’s changes and phases (”Roll on River”).

The 40-minute supplemental film tells the story of The Okee Dokee Brothers’ trip while including educational segments, camping shenanigans, music videos, interviews and pristine nature scenes.All the footage was filmed on location along the Mississippi River, including a visit with The Original River Rat and a group of young Tom Sawyer-Huck Finn-Becky Thatcher look-alikes in Hannibal, MO.

Joe and Justin draw inspiration from their experiences while providing a creative framework for the audience to explore their own imaginations. “We hope a project like this can inspire kids to take an active role in their lives, get outside and make their dreams realities,” they explain. All the songs and footage on this CD/DVD set are tied together by themes of rivers, friendship, and especially outdoor adventure.

Check out this fine video from the Okee Dokee Brothers… then preorder this cd/dvd collection today!  It’ll be available for download and in some of our favorite stores this coming Tuesday!

Inspiring families to get outside is what we are all about here at KIVA… But the Okee Dokee Brothers do more than inspire, they captivate and create the spark which is needed to make that outdoor time happen!

Thanks Guys!

p.s. COME TO ROANOKE!

FIRST…

Make that handmade card.  Best, all around!

SECOND…

A call and/or a thank you hug… Instant success!

THIRD…

Time.  Spend time with your mom!

Here are a few upcoming area events which should provide excellent opportunities to enjoy time with your mom!

Gallop for the Greenways this Saturday!

Gallop 4 the Greenways is an annual fundraising event to support our growing network of pedestrian and bicycle trails. The 6th annual Gallop 4 the Greenways will be held on Wiley Drive near River’s Edge Sports Complex May 12th, 2012. The 5k race and walk will take place on the beautiful Roanoke River Greenway. After the race, be sure to stick around for the post-race festivities including live music, food and a fine selection of beverages proper for adults and children.Join them in supporting one of the most important quality of life assets in the Roanoke area. www.gallop4thegreenways.com

Local Gardeners Growing Local Foods!

Weather permitting, a local group of gardeners will meet at the garden, behind Virginia Heights Baptist Church from 10:30-12:30 this Saturday.
They plan to do some planting and cleaning up brush around our dump site. Please bring your snips, loppers and hand trowels.

Carpenters– if you are available to help with the trellis please e-mail us back. He will need some extra hands to set the trellis into place.

more details? Email Katrina at marchmz@gmail.com

Science in Action!

The Science Museum of Western Virginia is excited to announce a free admission to the museum for all mothers on May 13th, 2012 from 1pm - 5pm, in honor of Mother’s Day.
 
Admitted free with a paying child, moms can come out to the museum and enjoy an afternoon of hands-on fun with the family. “We encourage families to come & enjoy Mom’s special day with a fun-filled afternoon at the Science Museum,” said Jim Rollings, Executive Director. “All ages can enjoy the interactive exhibits here - from getting a little dirty panning for gemstones in the Rock Sluice exhibit, to exploring Virginia’s nightlife with night vision, there’s a great time to be had and some relaxing fun for Mom.”
 
The Museum has interactive, hands-on exhibits for all ages, including weather exhibits, geology exhibits, light, color and sound exhibits and the “Bridge of Fire.” The museum is located in the upper level of Tanglewood Mall across from Belk. details at http://www.smwv.org/

Chugga-chugga!

Everything is in bloom at the Virginia Museum of Transportation! Our galleries are filled with children on field trips and preschoolers are coming out for Transportation Tuesdays. Families are visiting and children are waving as trains pass by our rail yard. It’s a beautiful spring! 
 Roanoke Rail Fest (Transportation Museum!)

or…

find your own adventure!

We recommend you start out with www.roanokeoutside.com.  This is an amazing resource for the Roanoke Valley!  It is well worth stopping by first.

Enjoy the weekend,

The Wild Donahues

Thank you, Sir…  You engaged our children and will forever cause people around the world to see the importance of

exploring their world.

making mistakes.

climbing a hill.

facing their fears.

screaming.

smiling.

laughing.

sighing.

having “nakie” time.

crying.

finding magic in a special place.

feeling sad.

finding a way to express themselves.

a warm dinner at the end of the day.

a parent’s love.

and… the importance of finding a special book, one that the child can return to, day after day… even when they are older.

Thank you, Mr. Sendak! You will be missed.

Maurice Sendak (1928-2012)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/maurice-sendak-dead_n_1499243.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D158696

Roaringly and gnashingly,

The Wild Donahues