Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland

The Ultimate Block Party is Coming to Baltimore

WHAT: A play celebration at the Inner Harbor

WHEN: Sunday, October 2 from 11am-5pm

WHERE: Rash Field at the Inner Harbor

ADMISSION: Free

photos courtesy of The Ultimate Block Party

Even though we make a concerted effort to minimize scheduled activities, they keep sneaking in, and before I know it, I'm rushing to the next lesson, or event, or whatever. It's not just me. The amount of playtime kids get has steadily decreased over the years.

For this very reason, the Ultimate Block Party was born, an event which was first held in New York's Central Park and then moved to Toronto. Baltimore's Ultimate Block Party is coming next! Sponsored by Baltimore City Public Schools' Family Institute, Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute, the Goddard Schools, the Walters Art Museum, T. Rowe Price, Sprout, Child First Authority, the Center for Jewish Education and others, the Ultimate Block Party is a chance to get out with your kids and just play. Take a little time to dress up like railroad conductors, fly paper airplanes, do yoga, make hip-hop music and much more.

So get outta here. Go play!

 

Crock Dill Pickles

I've always loved dill. Every year, my dad used to make a big crock of dill pickles and they were my favorite after-school snack. I ate them by the bowlful. My parents joked that someday I would walk down the aisle carrying a bouquet of dill, and one day (true story) I did.

Dad's recipe seemed to evolve over the years. One year I remember they were incredibly hot. One year I remember he decided the allspice had to come out of the pickle seasoning. But the core of the recipe remained the same.

When I decided to make my own pickles, I looked up a few recipes and gave it a go. After about three failures, I put my tail between my legs and asked Dad for his recipe. I still think it's fair game to tinker with the spices since he always did. So here is his recipe, with my current spice variation. I added garlic and decreased the pickling spice. I think I have it down now.

Thanks, Dad.

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For the brine:

2/3 cup non-iodized salt

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar

5 quarts water

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For the crock:

12 lbs. pickling cucumbers

A bunch of dill (Wegman's always has large bunches at just the right time)

1/2 bottle pickling spice

25 cloves of garlic

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1. Wash the cucumbers and cut off 1/4" from the blossom end.

2. In a large crock, layer cucumbers, dill, garlic and pickling spice.

3. In a large pot, mix the vinegar, water and salt to make the brine. Stir until the salt is dissolved.

4. Pour the brine over the cucumbers to cover them completely. If they are not completely covered, mix a little extra brine as needed.

5. Place a plate on top of the cucumbers, and a jar filled with water on top of the plate to keep the cucumbers completely submerged. Cover the entire crock and jar with a dish towel.

6. Keep the pickles in the crock for no more than 1 week. Taste-test to decide when they are ready. As they pickle, a white, bubbly scum will form on the top. Ewww.

7. Drain and rinse the pickles. Prepare a fresh brine of the same strength and can them, in quart jars, for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. I add some fresh dill to the jars as well. Save a few quarts in the refrigerator un-canned. Those are always the best.

 

 

Summer Wrap Up

I'm not quite ready to end summer, but it's leaving, with or without me. We managed to sneak in some, but not all of our summer goals, and many things of course that weren't on the list. The garden did okay, but just okay. There were a few distinct wins though, like my first home-grown artichoke (above), and pounds of potatoes.

We played at the beach, made ceviche (finally, and yes it was delicious), made ice cream, went swimming, went to a water park, camped in a tree house, explored caves, went to an amusement park, set up a junky pool in the backyard, watched fireworks, and cooked out on the grill with friends. There were other things too, but I can't list everything. All in all a good summer. And let's not forget wrapping it all up with the earthquake and Hurricane Irene. Maybe that part was a little less good, but being without power for 2 ½ days is making us rethink our emergency plans for the winter, so it's not all bad.

I hope your summers were just as lovely.

 

Velvlet

Recently, while visiting my parents at the beach, I found Velvlet placed on my bed. Velvlet is special. My very favorite doll from when I loved  dolls. Her real name was supposed to be "Velvet", but at age 4, I got it wrong and it stuck. She came with a big sister named Crissy that my big sister received (and hated), but I loved Velvlet and she traveled with me everywhere. I decided at some point that she needed makeup, and that explains the magic marker on her eyelids. Her hair was designed to crank in and out of her head, so that she could change hairstyles — a concept that is rather terrifying if you think about it. Now it is a knotty mess that feels like straw.

Emma, my younger daughter, seemed interested in Velvlet right away. Maybe part of it was that they both had the exact same dress. On that particular trip, Emma just happened to have brought my old flower girl dress with her, a hand-me-down that has survived many kids in amazingly good shape. Emma is quite used to hand-me-downs. In fact, she receives so many hand-me-downs (and never complains) that she has received a nick-name. Emma-hand-me-down. And before you think that her nickname isn't nice, let me tell you that she loves every single one of them. Fancy dresses from her princess cousin, or practical shirts from her big sister. Every single one of them is a brand new to her. So when Emma, who isn't all that interested in dolls, seemed interested, I gave Velvlet to her.

The two became inseparable. I find Velvlet tagging along on car rides and tucked in with her at bedtime. I love that my doll has a new home, because honestly, I hate dolls...

...but oh, do I love Emma.