Location: Snoqualmie Depot and the Northwest railway Museum
Website: http://www.trainmuseum.org/SnoqualmieDepot.asp
Cost: $12 for adults, $8 for kids, 2 and under free
membership available for $30 for kids (with 2 tickets), $55 for a family (which gives you 8 tickets)
Do you have one of the autistic kids who can't seem to get enough of trains? Even better, do you have company coming and need to come up with an event which is both entertaining and can keep your child interested, but isn't too far away? Come ride the train!
In Snoqualmie and North Bend from early Spring through late Fall, plus a Santa Train right before Christmas, you can come take a ride on a restored train! The depot also has a shop and historic information, and before you groan about taking your child to a train shop let me tell you, this one actually has neat little items for $1 and $2 in addition to the big stuff.
Year round you can come and visit this Victorian landmark from 1890. Right across the main street are shops, a coffee house called Koko Beans (that is not only autism friendly, but actually makes kids drinks at kid temps!!!), and even a little grocery store if you'd like to pull together a picnic. Across the side street there is a rose garden and a gazebo, and further down the road are the oldies- the beautiful old train cars which have yet to be restored. You'll often find one of the Hmong women selling flower bunches for $5, $10, and $20 in front of the oldies, and boy do you get your money's worth there.
The rides last about an hour, but you can get off at either depot to walk around or shop and reboard when you are ready.
They also have a Day Out with Thomas event with Thomas the Train, which sells out fast. Yes, they bring in Thomas the Train and hook him up. If you are interested in either that one or the Santa Train I would suggest picking up a membership- it gets you first crack at event tickets.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
New format, same great information! Haircuts?
Location: Another Hair Place, (next to the North Bend Theater)
113 Bendigo Boulevard North
North Bend, WA 98045
(425) 888-0616
How long have I been using them? 2 years
If your household is like mine, there are certain days to be dreaded with your little autistic ones. One of these days which usually ends in horrific screaming and people *actually* wondering if you are killing your child at our house is haircutting day. (I would capitalize it to show it's importance, but that might give it power over us...) My son had stitches at about 2, and (near as we can tell) putting that cape around him must remind him of something bad, scary, or painful. He's pretty articulate now, but even to this day he doesn't know why it freaks him out. All we know for sure is that using the cape causes screaming and not using the cape causes itching, which causes screaming. We have tried it at home, at special kids haircutting places, at fancy salons, and even at a barber. The barber worked decently well when my son liked his hair very short, but now that those longer styles are in, there is no way. He will not allow clippers at all, due to both sound and sensation, and anyone with scissors has to work FAST before he gets restless. He is sensitive to smells, and salons are full of them. His Grandma Liz use to be able to follow him around with scissors and do it while he played when we has 2, but it took her hours of one snip at a time and he caught on by 3. No win, right? We thought so, too.
Then we found Another Hair Place in North Bend. 30 minutes outside of Seattle, 2 minutes off the freeway, and another world away. If you are coming from Bellevue it is only 20 minutes, and a beautiful drive.
I now see Beth for any and all of my hair needs, because for the FIRST time I can get my hair done at the same time as my child instead of having to hover over him the whole time helping out. As a side, she does the fastest foils that I have ever seen. Candy sees my son. All of them are great. I don't know what it is about these ladies, but they have one of the most open, come as you are, hospitable salons that I have ever seen. They have old records up on the walls which he can look at, and light that is bright enough to see without being glaring or hard on my little guy's eyes. They *love* kids, and Beth also fosters animals so it isn't uncommon to find a tiny happy puppy who will sit in your child's lap for a haircut. Candy gets my son's hair cut AND washed (which is amazing, since he hates other people washing his hair) in less time that it takes him to lose interest, and even if I answer for him she still makes sure to ask HIM all of the questions. Also, for some reason this salon has little to no smell lingering, even when someone is getting a perm. If you want to make sure of less smell try the morning appointments, but even in the evening we haven't had a problem. I even was fine with the smell level when I was pregnant with my second child!
Funny story: 3 days before I was going to the hospital to have an external cephalic version with my second child, which could cause labor to start, I stopped in to get my son's hair trimmed. Beth saw me and asked how the pregnancy was going, and I told her about the procedure. My highlights, which she does in a way to be very low maintenance anyway (my one requirement for hair), were needing to be redone, but neither of us had time. She felt if I should go into labor those first pictures should be of me glowing and my hair shining, so she came in early on the day I was getting the procedure done and fit me in for the fastest partial foil that I have ever seen. I looked beautiful. Thank goodness my daughter decided to stay where she was for another few days, but when I saw those pictures I couldn't deny that she was absolutely right. The fact that she came in early on a Saturday to make my birth pictures better really lets you know the values on which this place runs.
113 Bendigo Boulevard North
North Bend, WA 98045
(425) 888-0616
How long have I been using them? 2 years
If your household is like mine, there are certain days to be dreaded with your little autistic ones. One of these days which usually ends in horrific screaming and people *actually* wondering if you are killing your child at our house is haircutting day. (I would capitalize it to show it's importance, but that might give it power over us...) My son had stitches at about 2, and (near as we can tell) putting that cape around him must remind him of something bad, scary, or painful. He's pretty articulate now, but even to this day he doesn't know why it freaks him out. All we know for sure is that using the cape causes screaming and not using the cape causes itching, which causes screaming. We have tried it at home, at special kids haircutting places, at fancy salons, and even at a barber. The barber worked decently well when my son liked his hair very short, but now that those longer styles are in, there is no way. He will not allow clippers at all, due to both sound and sensation, and anyone with scissors has to work FAST before he gets restless. He is sensitive to smells, and salons are full of them. His Grandma Liz use to be able to follow him around with scissors and do it while he played when we has 2, but it took her hours of one snip at a time and he caught on by 3. No win, right? We thought so, too.
Then we found Another Hair Place in North Bend. 30 minutes outside of Seattle, 2 minutes off the freeway, and another world away. If you are coming from Bellevue it is only 20 minutes, and a beautiful drive.
I now see Beth for any and all of my hair needs, because for the FIRST time I can get my hair done at the same time as my child instead of having to hover over him the whole time helping out. As a side, she does the fastest foils that I have ever seen. Candy sees my son. All of them are great. I don't know what it is about these ladies, but they have one of the most open, come as you are, hospitable salons that I have ever seen. They have old records up on the walls which he can look at, and light that is bright enough to see without being glaring or hard on my little guy's eyes. They *love* kids, and Beth also fosters animals so it isn't uncommon to find a tiny happy puppy who will sit in your child's lap for a haircut. Candy gets my son's hair cut AND washed (which is amazing, since he hates other people washing his hair) in less time that it takes him to lose interest, and even if I answer for him she still makes sure to ask HIM all of the questions. Also, for some reason this salon has little to no smell lingering, even when someone is getting a perm. If you want to make sure of less smell try the morning appointments, but even in the evening we haven't had a problem. I even was fine with the smell level when I was pregnant with my second child!
Funny story: 3 days before I was going to the hospital to have an external cephalic version with my second child, which could cause labor to start, I stopped in to get my son's hair trimmed. Beth saw me and asked how the pregnancy was going, and I told her about the procedure. My highlights, which she does in a way to be very low maintenance anyway (my one requirement for hair), were needing to be redone, but neither of us had time. She felt if I should go into labor those first pictures should be of me glowing and my hair shining, so she came in early on the day I was getting the procedure done and fit me in for the fastest partial foil that I have ever seen. I looked beautiful. Thank goodness my daughter decided to stay where she was for another few days, but when I saw those pictures I couldn't deny that she was absolutely right. The fact that she came in early on a Saturday to make my birth pictures better really lets you know the values on which this place runs.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Welcome, "It takes a village" readers.
If you use to read my newsletter "It takes a village", you'll find this blog format new, but the information gathering and reviewing the same. Several people had asked me to put up a blog with my reviews so that the information could be accessed at any time from any place for anyone, so here you go! I have now discontinued the newsletter and will be posting up both old and new reviews here. I'm also planning to do a few video reviews for those of you who like to see what I am talking about. I look forward to hearing from you and helping you in your childrearing path. remember, it takes a village.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)