A Tale of Three Experiences

During the past several years of the EnviroMom journey, my family has worked hard to bring less stuff into our lives. We reuse. We craigslist. We hand up and down. Yet still, there is far too much stuff! We spent the better part of last Saturday clearing out the various toy stashes of our house. We've decided it's time to move on from the play kitchen. We hope some new toddler or preschooler will whip up pretend culinary delights with our pots, pans, wooden food and mini kitchenette. Coming soon to the Portland craigslist! Good riddance, um, I mean, what a glorious reused bargain! Any takers?

In lieu of less stuff, we've purchased or been gifted more experiences. Thus follows a tale of three experiences.

Experience One. Over the summer, we were given a family pass to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, and were very pleased to find out it also got us in free to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. I can't count how many times we've now visited. We've seen the planetarium and introduced the wonder of the starry night to our children. We've learned about nanotechnology. We've examined and re-examined the gestation of a child in the womb. We've built block towers and then tested if they would withstand simulated earthquakes. We've made mini 'fireworks' in the chemistry lab. The list goes on. Our two kids are very naturally interested in science, and having this museum membership has been a wonderful, rewarding experience. Except for the one time we bought supplemental tickets to the planetarium, this has been a gift that keeps on giving almost freely for one year.

Experience Two. We were given some free tickets to see Disney on Ice at the Rose Garden. We looked at the video trailer online. We saw a montage of Disney princesses skating their hearts out. What's not to like? Well, turns out quite a bit. The show was on a Thursday (school night!!) at 7:30pm. Ouch. That's my kids' bedtime. Regardless, we went. Riding the light rail train to the Rose Garden was a highlight. At the Rose Garden, we dropped $20 almost instantly buying four frozen yogurts. Can you believe that? Twenty dollars!! I don't think I spent that much on ice cream or fro yo all summer long!! After we went to our seats, we were visited by many vendors. We could get $10 popcorns with inexpensively made Tinkerbell hats. Or cotton candy. Same price. Or spinning light-up things. With those, the vendors come up to the kids and asked if they wanted to hold the light, followed by a 'Dad/Mom, can I have it? Please!?' and lots of parents then shelled out the cash. We resisted. But it was hard. What a money pit. I realize I sound ungrateful. We appreciate the free tickets we received. It also made it easier for us to leave right after the intermission, since a vignette on The Lion King scared the living daylights out of my kids. I have such conflicted feelings about Disney. I worked there. I remember thinking it was magical as a kid. And now all I see is the marketing machine. I doubt we'll see another show like this.

Experience Three. On what retailers call Black Friday, we chose not to camp outside box stores in the wee hours of the morning, but did get ourselves gussied up later that day to attend a matinee performance of a local ballet company's holiday production. It was perfect for my two girls. About an hour and a half long, with an intermission. They loved the music of the Portland State University orchestra, the lights, the sets, the costumes, and the grace and beauty of the dancers' performances. After the ballet, a few of the dancers autographed their programs. A memorable and lovely experience supporting a local non-profit dance school. No nickel and dime'ing us the way the Rose Garden show did. While it won't keep on giving the way our museum pass does, I hope the memories will last. My parents very generously took me to see ballets as a kid, and I keep the programs still and cherish that special time.

I'd hazard a guess that many of you have has similar experiences. How fantastic for kids to learn young that presents don't need to come out of a wrapped box. But a word of caution on the experiences you buy, as some seem to have hidden marketing ploys attached.