Have you ever wanted to be transported to a different planet? A place so surreal and completely different from what you know as earth? You might want to try Tent Rocks, tucked away in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico. You will feel like you have just stepped off this planet.
What do you think? Have you been to a place like this? You can find more information how these rocks formed here.
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
Hi there,
Back in the fall I started a new series on family sports. The idea behind is to find sports that families can do together and that suits several age groups. Rather than one family member doing a sport, and everybody else sitting in on a bench watching, I like to see the whole family being active together.
When my nephew was here visiting I took him and my kids (except the baby) to an indoor rock climbing gym. A one time visit is a bit pricey (it was $11.95 per person between noon and 3pm); if we went regularly I would buy a family pass. We brought our own tennis shoes and only rented harnesses.
Here is the group I took (sans my 8 year old who was hiding behind my back as usual).
Below is my 6 year old Ella with a full body harness. I recommend this harness for her age and younger as it makes them feel safe. 
The gym had a variety of of equipment. There were rings and ropes hanging from the wall. Lots of bouldering walls, which are great for little ones. I wish I hadn’t paid for my 4 year old since she was too scared to climb on a rope and happy to just boulder. They also have exercise bikes there which we didn’t try.
Below is Esther. She climbed so fast it was hard keeping up with her trying to keep the rope tight while belaying.
My nephew did a great job evading my camera. Here he really couldn’t run away…Isn’t he cute? I love his plaid shirt.
Teenagers 14 years and older can be trained to belay, which really helps when you have bunch of kids. My oldest (below on the right) and I took turns belaying. It took us about 15 min to be trained in belaying, so factor that in the first time you come.
After fussing and complaining for a couple of hours my 8 year old finally started climbing and enjoying himself. He was allowed to climb without a rope up to a certain point. 
This is a great sport for the winter time. My kids always ask to go. If you have never been give it a try. There are a lot of employees there ready to help.
The gym offers youth classes and classes for home-schoolers.
Have a great weekend, I’ll see you back here next week with an interview of the Hollands.
-Sofija
We have had a bit of snow lately and I am always in awe how beautiful the high desert is in the winter. Nearby us is a Bosque del Apache, a National Wildlife Refuge. Thousands of birds descent on it every year. One photographer who has captured this event beautifully is our friend Sam Mulder. He is a father of four, scientist and a home-school dad, who does wildlife photography in his spare time. Take a look.
He goes to the Bosque several times a year trying to photograph and then catalog all the wildlife that lives there. One time he took my oldest son who helped him spot a few animals. What an opportunity for my son to see what it takes to be a wildlife photographer. There is a lot of hiking involved, and patience.
If you come to New Mexico in the wintertime, make Bosque del Apache one of your destinations. Stop by at Buckhorn and eat their famous green chili cheeseburger in San Antonio (NM) on the way (call first to make sure they are actually open). The best times to be visit the Bosque is at sunrise or sunset.
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
Hi there,
how was your weekend? Did you try to squeeze in as much fun as you can before school starts up again? My kids certainly did. Thanks to dear friends they got to go ice skating twice and sledding. Here are some pictures my 11 year old daughter took when she went sledding. I must say this girl takes some good pictures.
The picture of the girl is Esther’s good friend. Looking at these pictures makes me sad I missed it. I did make it into the mountains once, I’ll share pictures soon.
Have a lovely day, and good start back to school!
-Sofija
Yep, home-schoolers do the school picture thing, too. And the yearbook. In our home-school co-op we pick a photographer who is used to doing school pictures and we go to their location. At the end of the year a team puts together a year book. Most often we use Shutterfly.
Here we are waiting for our turn and practicing that cheesy grin.
The year book has a page even for the nursery and pre-school. My two year old was not on board with that. I’m going to have to find another picture for her.
Lucille on the other hand was ready.
The whole process was quite fast. Even with six kiddos we were done in 10 minutes.
Have a lovely day!
-Sofija
Friends,
If you plan on visiting Sedona, do it in the fall. It is not too hot, and the colors are pretty. Sedona is nestled in a valley. We started from the north, thus getting beautiful views of the valley from the top (see above).
As you drive down into the valley you will see a wall of rocks for miles. A river runs parallel to the highway, and there are lots of camping spots along the way.
This at the bottom of the valley. You can park here and go on long or short hikes. Nearby here is also the center of Sedona, with lots of touristy shops, restaurants, and hotels. I found Sedona much bigger than I expected. If you camp near the center you can mountain bike or hike right from the town. Be aware that you must secure a camp site down there months in advance, they fill up quickly.
My husband got a shot of me taking pictures.
We didn’t have much time as we were driving through on our way to Phoenix. I will be back soon for sure. My husband has taken his Boy Scout troop there several times. They go mountain biking, and then cool of in the river at Slide Rock. You can rent bikes and fuel up on coffee at BikesNBeans.
How about you, have you been here? How long would you recommend staying?
-Sofija
Friends,
Remember how I told you about my 11 year old being on an American Girl film set? Well I managed to get a picture of Esther while the crew was breaking for lunch. She is the one in the middle with her two friends from her homeschool co-op. The one on the left is holding a hot dog that she wasn’t allowed to eat. They were shooting a parade in old town Albuquerque. The consensus was that being in a movie is really really fun- for the first two hours. After that it becomes boring, shooting the same thing over and over again from different angles. As I was waiting for Esther to be done I got to see Jane Seymour walking around the set. I couldn’t get close but she looked great. Smaller than I thought, very petite. She was wearing a long, black skirt, black jacket, white ruffle shirt, and a black hat with a red flower. I was told she didn’t want her picture taken so I didn’t bother to try.
As fun as this was I don’t see a future for us being extra’s on film set. But it was fun to see how they do it up close. I liked how much detail they put into it. The popcorn and cotton candy for the parade were made on the set. They were even roasting green chilli on the side of the road.
As you are reading this I will be on my way to Phoenix to meet up with my sister and her family. So exited to see her again. I will see you back here next week hopefully with some enticing road trip pictures.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Sofija
One of our favorite things to do in Albuquerque is the annual balloon fiesta. The fiesta is a big event. It seems like the whole city shuts down and traffic comes to a screeching halt (which is unusual around here). For 9 days you can see hundreds of balloons flying above the city every morning. It is quite a sight. But it is even better to be there. I was told it is the only hot air balloon event were visitors can walk on the field amongst the balloons. You can stand right next to them as they take off. We go on the days when all the special shapes take off. We try to be there by 6am because the balloons take off at sunrise. Here is a picture of me in front of scores of balloons being inflated.
There are favorite shapes that come back year after year, like Darth Vader (below), Spider Man pig, a haunted house, and many more. One year I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a balloon shaped as a pitcher with apple wine which is only made in the county of Germany where I was raised. Balloonist from all over the world come here. My kids collect the cards they hand out telling people who owns the balloons and where they are from.
My kid’s favorites are the bees below. The first year we came there were a girl bee and a boy bee. They would hold hands as they go up and even kiss up in the air. The crowd always cheer when they kiss. Last time we went they had had a baby, now there are three bees. So sweet. You can only see two, they third one hasn’t been inflated yet.
Here is a ballon from the inside. I was told Noah’s Ark is the only one that has a scenery on the outside and inside. 
Here is Noah’s Ark on the outside, just about to take off.
This picture shows you how close these balloons are and how many people stand around them watching. The butterfly was my 4 year old’s favorite.
Here is my 4 year old warming up with some hot chocolate. It is pretty cold until the sun comes up.
You can get an idea how many balloons are in the sky, I read we have around 600 taking off each morning.
Friends, if you are planning a trip to New Mexico, this is the time to come. If you are brave you can even hitch a ride for about $250.
Have a wonderful day,
Sofija
Friends,
We like to Mountain Bike. That is, my husband loves it and he is getting us slowly into it, as well. Last week we all piled up in the car and went to the East Mountains, outside of Albuquerque to go for a ride. It was a rather spontaneous thing, so I was surprised that our 6 kiddos could have fun without the usual snacks, gear, extra clothes, etc. Take a look:
We put as many bikes as we could fit on the bike rack (everyone except the baby had a bike), and the rest we piled in the trunk of our suburban.
David and I took the 4, 6, and 8 year old on the bike path. While my two oldest stayed back to watch the baby. The baby is almost 2 years old, but we call her the baby, and probably always will…My 4 year old can’t really ride yet, so we put her on a scoot, the kind of bike that does not have pedals.
She got tired pretty quickly going uphill on her scoot, so she decided to take a rest and do a pine cone dance.
Here is my man in action after the younger kids were done and heading back to the parking lot.
Natasha had a great time walking around the picnic area with no one stopping her.
Lucille taking a much needed rest after her 10 minute bike ride.
At the picnic area I wanted to shoot some action shots of my husband jumping off a ledge on his bike. This turned into everybody jumping off and having a really fun time.
I think we are on our way to becoming a mountain bike family. I so hoped we could find a sport that we can all enjoy on different levels, and this might be it.
So, if you are ever in the area, bring a bike!
Have a great day, I’ll see you back here soon with a kid’s fall fashion shoot I did with my friend. So exited to share it with you.
-Sofija
Hi there,
On Friday I had a chance to go to old town Albuquerque. We had an international student stay with us last week, so I wanted to show her the sights. Founded in 1706 it is quite charming. Spanish settlers organized the center in the traditional Spanish colonial way: with a central plaza anchored by a church. This is San Felipe de Neri church, built in 1793.
There are shops all around the plaza shaded by pergolas like this one.
What makes Old Town so fun are the little shops hidden in sideways like this one.
Here is the plaza in the center. On the weekends there will be bands playing life music and children dancing.
New Mexico is all about manana. Life is slower here.
Here you can see the blending of cultures in this area. Native Americans side by side with Spanish settlers and poeple of Mexican origin. This is reflected in the stores, museums, and performances in old town. When you get here on the right day you see a Native American dancer performing on the street.
Found this water well in one of the side passages.
Here is my 2 year old, Natasha.
The building still look very much like when they were built centuries ago.
This is me and Natasha cooling off with a smoothie. It was quite hot.
Hope you enjoyed it. Come visit us sometime.
Have a wonderful day,
Sofija
Teach Where You Live 