The Constant Pinner

My name is April, and I am addicted to Pinterest.  I understand that it is not exactly the most productive spending of my daily down time, but the ease of use and the amount of new plus exciting things I find intrigues me.  I am constantly reading about ways to improve my home , be a little more healthy, or get a good laugh.  I know there are thousands of other things floating around out there on my various boards too that I am constantly updating, going back to and trying out but I must admit, I cannot stop.

I feel that I am not your average pinner.  Many pins that I read come with the caption "pin now, read later".  I prefer the read now, pin if interesting option though.  I suppose in a way this is good for my brain.  I read that constant reading helps improve memory. On a pin of course!  So maybe I am on the right track there.  But I also find in the "read now, then pin" concept, I pin proper links.

I recently read a post about "cleaning up Pinterest" that had some very valid information.  In this post they suggest you revamp your community. Figure out what type of account you want to have and clean out the pins that are no longer relevant, or that have dead links. Also update your profile, insuring that you are representing yourself accurately based on the type of account you have (business or personal).  Today, I plan to do all of these things.

Do you see the addiction yet?  I suppose that there are far worse things in life to be addicted to though.  Pinterest has really cultivated my artistic side. 

Mod Podge I made 

I have found many a decorating ideas that I have utilized in my own home.  Simple, easy things that make my home a little more cozy and were not really huge changes costing a lot of money (I'm always looking for a deal). And I've found a lot of ideas that I probably would have never found elsewhere because I am not a regular online surfer.  

I suppose you could say that I am constantly surfing the net via Pinterest, but I rarely open up my Google or Bing app and type in something I am looking for.  I'm not a big fan of online shopping.  I prefer hands on shopping.  I enjoy collecting ideas from Pinterest and then going out into my community and finding like products to use in my own home.  (on a side note I love shopping at Junkie's here in Reno.  They have some awesome finds at great prices!!)  I think this gives my home a little more character because I often find one of a kind items (which can be frustrating when I was looking for curtains and they only had one panel rather than the 2 I needed) and often these items have that "washed vintage" theme already.  

Along with you, I too am wondering where this post is headed, and really, it is just trying to explain how much I value Pinterest and the good I see that it offers.  If you follow me, you will see hours worth of pins flood your timeline in large blocks.  I'm at home in the day time with my boys and rarely have much more to do outside of cleaning.  I prefer to blow off steam if you will, looking at various ideas for my home and family.  I have found many a dinner idea, party foods, and DIY art projects that I have tried out on my family.  They are my personal guinea pigs!  I wouldn't say that my addiction is really a waste of my time, but I often start sentences with "I was reading on Pinterest".  I guess this could be a bit unnerving to some, but I have also found that most people are excited, head over to Pinterest in their spare time, and check it out themselves.  

I have to say that I have found a ton of wonderful blogs via Pinterest that I would have never found on my own.  And most of those blogs happily source their information back to the places they first read the information as well.  Ahhhh the love of the responsible and caring blogger.  Who really knows exactly where all the information first came about, but I do think it is awesome that we can all share what we read and source it back to where we first saw it.  

Thank you Pinterest for helping me find wonderful, amazing, and loads of information relevant to me. 

The River Wild

I am not the wealthiest mom on the planet so I am constantly looking for ways to entertain my children outside of TV and video games without breaking the bank.  Of course, my tech savvy kids think video games are a way of life, I think it is important to branch out, get them connected with nature and enjoy the outdoors (hopefully more than I actually do).  This is not always an easy feat.

During the winter time I hope for snow so that we can enjoy building snow men and possibly, if bodies are willing, make snow angels.  The summer though opens a world of possibilities.  Although I am not a fan of the city I live in I do have to give credit to the abundance of outdoor activities that the warm weather offers.  We live in Reno, Nevada.  At the base of Lake Tahoe, near the Truckee River and just a hop skip and a jump away from Donner Lake, we have quite a few options as long as we are willing to drive and enjoy them.

 I am a kid from the mountains though so sharing my river front view with a million people, locals and tourists, is not exactly my idea of a good time.  With the Truckee River flowing right through the middle of downtown, this would be an easily accessible point to go to but I like to make things difficult.  I asked around my work for ideas of where I could enjoy the river NOT surrounded by screaming kids, dog poop, and trash and came up with a couple of gems.

In town, just down a couple little roads, there are two places that you can hike, relax and swim in the Truckee River without all the commotion of life.  Really enjoy the beauty and peace of the river life the way it was meant to be.  The first place is Mayberry Park.  In a million years I would have never expected there to be a hiking trail and nice river beach tucked back behind a beer distribution center but there it is.  A small little parking area leads to a nice paved path for mothers looking for a peaceful place to push strollers or for joggers to safely and quietly get outdoors.  There are quite a few dirt paths that veer off in every direction, all leading down to the water.  It takes a bit of hiking around to find the perfect spot for you, but it is well worth the time, and you get to enjoy a bit of nature in it's entirety while you're at it.

Since it is the river, made mostly up of snow runoff I wouldn't say the Truckee River is warm, but it is cool to dip into on a hot summer day.  My kids discovered an area that was very safe and enjoyable for them to play in as well.  The river is fast, but some other parents or children, collected all the rocks from the riverbed and built up a little retaining wall, creating a nice pool for swimming with a soft sandy bottom.  They really love this little river area.  And of course there is a little area for mom to relax in the sun and enjoy the peaceful sounds of nature as well.

The second "secret" in Reno is called Oxbow Nature Study Area.  We have yet to make it here while it was open to the public, but it is supposed to boast trails and river access that are not high traffic area.  They are open, according to the locked gate and sign, from 8am to sunset.  Which in a way makes it a bit difficult to visit in the evening since "sunset" seems to vary depending on the weather and the day.  But it is our next stop on the hiking agenda.  I am excited to see beyond the gate.  It is tucked way back at the end of a rather dismal road, that I honestly thought went no where.  The drive in boasts warehouse art businesses and a trailer park.  So I would have to say this is a pretty well hidden little gem if there ever was one.  Most people will not travel into such dire conditions to find anything, but I was ensured by coworkers that this was a real find.
Later this month, before the summer escapes us I am traveling my little monsters to their first visit of Lake Tahoe. Since they are not the most outdoorsy of kids, I wanted to wait until the weather was warmer, and maybe the lake as well.  If you don't already know, Tahoe is NOT the warmest water, ever.  No matter the conditions outside, but it sure is a beautiful and amazing sight to see.  I think it is the blown base of a volcano, but then I thought lakes like that would have been warm from the flowing lava underneath.  Maybe that's just still active volcanos......Either way, Lake Tahoe is a place I think everyone who visits the West Coast should visit.  It is truely a beautiful place and they offer year round activities if you are so inclined.
So cheers to you and yours on an exciting summer adventure that is maybe a little less plugged in, and a lot more peaceful.  We hope to make the most of what nature has to offer this summer ourselves.