Pink Stork Logo

Upon request, I made a few logos for a friend's start up. It was according to what she asked for, and she wasvery specific. So here they are. The first two are my personal favorites, and the last one is the one the person actually chose. There are about five more, but I didn't particularly like them.

Bergen County Zoo

We made the trip to this zoo mostly because of it's close proximity to our dentist's office.  I wasn't expecting much from this trip. I was very pleasantly surprised. It is such a lovely place to visit!  The zoo was not big, but had plenty to see. It was clean, neat and the animals looked happy. There is also quite a diversity of animals. The zoo had plenty of shade, which is important on a hot day. Right outside the zoo there was a huge playground.  They have a train, a carousel, and pony rides (my boys aren't much into those, they like the animals the most), they also have a butterfly pavilion, which I loved.  My kids are pretty jaded when it comes to places that we visit, and even they agreed that Bergen County Zoo was a great place.  It's been a while since we've gone there, and I have had requests for a return visit on multiple occasions!  And the price was good too, it's only $8.00 for adult and $5.00 for the kid, half of that if you're a Bergen County Resident.

Here is their website with all the information: http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/bcparks/zoo.aspx

Here are a few photos from our trip:

 

 

The Castle of Doylestown

A friend recommended this place and we were so lucky to be able to go there. This playground is an amazing eight story castle, with twists, turns, tunnels, windows and the longest winding slide ever. The structure is immense and the photo doesn't do it justice. You really have to be there to believe how big it is. You can get lost in the maze inside the casle. The boys went in together, and I went in after them. I didn't even see them in there. The slide is great! On a beautiful summerry day this was perfect. Oh, and it was free. :) 

The castle is located in Doylestown, PA.  However, right at this moment it is under constructions.  They are cleaning, rebuilding and making the playing space even bigger.  Here is the website for the township.  It has updated information on when this place will be open to public again, and on the stages of rebuilding.  Plus, some interesting info on how this playground came to be! 
http://www.doylestownrec.com/info/facilities/details.aspx?FacilityID=12833

It is a gem, and I highly recommend visiting it, once it is fixed, of course!

Playing with scissors

 

Research shows that our brains and bodies need a vacation here and there.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200305/why-your-brain-needs-break

 

A break to recharge. Here is what happens when my brain takes a siesta: my hands start playing with scissors, needles and matches, and make things like this:

Rachel

Dragons

NJ Beaches

NJ has many beautiful beaches down the shore.  There is a beach for every taste, there are party beaches, quiet beaches, beaches with roller coaster rides, aquariums, waterparks, hiking, habitats and so much more fun.  Of course, after Sandy hit last year, I can no longer say what remains and what was swept away.  Hopefully this year the beach will be back to it's glorious self, with the help of all the folks that have worked hard restoring it to it's beautiful self. 

I love the beach. Real beach. Ocean with big waves and miles of send. We skipped it the year before last because the youngest guy was afraid of the waves. He was so terrified that he wouldn't allow me to get off the blanket. It wasn't enjoyable for anyone. We took a year off, and enjoyed some local lakes, and finally past summer we went. I missed it! This time he loved it. He wouldn't get out of the water, and was not afraid at all!

We like beaches with no rides, and no restaurants. Just the waves and the sand for us. I've tried many of them on the Jersey shore. My favorite is Belmar. Sandy Hook was lovely, but we were there on a weekday during the evening. Seven Presidents is supposed to be really good, we will try it next year.  Point Pleasant has many rides, and restaurants and the Jackson Aquarium.  It is a fun place to take the kids to spend a day, but if you are looking to just enjoy the water there are many quieter spots.

The plan for the next summer is to make it to the beach once a week.  I am hoping Sandy Hook will be open and operating as usual. I also made a decision to make it down to the beach at least once to watch the moon rise.