Winter Blues? Cure It With Baby Farm Animals!

Nothing says spring like baby farm animals. We found out there were some new lambs at Muscoot Farm in Katonah and took a trip to see them this past weekend. The temps were in the high 30s, but we bundled up, put on our rain boots to protect against the melting snow, and made the half-hour trip north.

It turned out to be a great visit. Most of the animals are indoors in their respective "houses," and we saw cows, horses, turkey, chicken, pigs, goats, and of course the sheep. There were two baby lambs, one born a week ago, and one born just that morning! 

The other animal my kids liked a lot were the pigs, which were huge. I didn't get a good picture of them (they were too big to fit into my camera frame!), but they were literally three times the size of me. I've always thought of pigs as about the size of a dog, but these pigs were more like small cows. Still cute, though.

The animals were in close proximity to one another, which was great because it was so muddy out. It was a good thing we wore rain boots; the kids were really into the puddles.

One more day until spring officially begins!

Cabbage Patch Kids

This past weekend we decided to go apple picking with a few other families, and after extensive research, we settled on trying out Lawrence Orchards in Newburgh, New York. We've been to several orchards in the past, including the popular Harvest Moon and Maskers, but we've found the former too crowded and the latter too boring for the kids (it's just straight-up apple picking). Lawrence, I'd heard, provides a good mix of children's activities as well as other fruits and vegetables to pick in addition to the apples.

It was all true. Lawrence was a blast. My kids went from picking apples to picking grapes, corn, broccoli, cabbage and kale. I realized that I've lived 35 years and never actually seen a corn stalk up close. Did you know that the cob grows on the bottom of the stalk? Well, now you know.

I'd also never picked broccoli before, or even seen a broccoli plant. Prior to this, if you'd told me in a very convincing manner that broccoli grew on trees, I might have believed you. But now I know better. I also had no idea that cabbage plants are enormous. Big enough to sit in, which my kids tried to do.

After we were all picked out, we moved onto the adorable "play village." The owners have built a section of wooden structures that include a fire station, an old-fashioned school house, a general store, a church, and more. The interior of each building is very detailed, and the kids just loved it. Leah spent almost an hour in the school house, holding forth as the teacher to a crowd of younger children.

It was a very pleasant way to spend a beautiful fall day. There are other kids' activities that we did not have time to experience, including a train ride, a maze, and farm animals on the premises. I will say that the prices of the produce are on the expensive side, and it costs $3 a person just to get in, but the money was well spent. There was also hot food sold on the premises, as well as the requisite apple cider donuts.

The Proof is in the Pictures

It all started with this photo that I took of my kids, Leah (age 5) and Matt (3), at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center in Connecticut. The day was gorgeous, the kids were happy, the baby goats were like cartoon versions of themselves they were so cute, and I thought to myself, "I'm providing them a damn good childhood here. Too bad they won't remember any of it when they're teenagers and blaming me for everything that's going wrong in their lives."

But now they will remember it. All of it. Because I'm going to document every last moment of childhood joy and throw it in their faces when they try to accuse me of not providing them with enough love or attention or time or whatever. You gotta keep your bases covered, amirite, parents?

Here's another money shot, taken on the same day. Does it get more idyllic than this?

Of course, this whole plan could backfire on me, and the existence of this blog could become excellent fodder for my kids' therapists (whose bills I will surely be footing out of guilt). It all remains to be seen.

Anyway, for those looking to visit the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, I highly recommend it. We live in Westchester County, about twenty minutes away, and it was a breezy, scenic drive up the Merritt Parkway. This was our first trip, and I was impressed. Prior to this, our go-to farm has been Stone Barns in Tarrytown, but there was actually a lot more animal interaction at the Stamford Museum (and there's an actual museum, although we didn't have time to check it out).

The kids spent all their times feeding the baby goats, checking out the resident otters, and admiring the World's Cutest Bunny. I mean, all bunnies are cute, right? I've never met an ugly one. But this bunny was beyond the beyond, with his crazy-fluffy ears and hilariously bulging cheeks. This photo doesn't do it justice. If you saw this bunny in person I guarantee that you'd be making involuntary cooing sounds, as I did.

Also on site were other various farm animals (including free-roaming hens), vegetable gardens and beehives. There were even barns and silos. 

Oh, and did I mention the playground? The nature center has one of the largest, most awesome playgrounds my kids have ever experienced. It was certainly the largest, most awesome playground I have ever experienced. There were different sections to it, dozens of ramps, and this insanely long slide. I may have pushed a kid aside to try it out myself.

All in all, a lovely place ... a place where memories are made and childhoods are made happier. That should be their motto.