July 16, 2025 • 29 mins
Claire shares her favorite summer activities in Howard County, from splash pads and farmers markets to library programs and local memberships that help families beat the heat while creating lasting memories.
• Seven farmers markets throughout Howard County including new locations in Old Ellicott City and Merriweather District
• Free splash pads at Merriweather District, Olney, and Millard Cooper Park in Sykesville for cooling off
• Lakefront Live and Amped in the Park offer free summer concerts and entertainment
• Howard County Library Summer Reading Program provides activities for all ages
• Value memberships at Maryland Zoo, Clark's Elioak Farm, Robinson Nature Center, and Maryland Science Center
• Berry picking opportunities at Larriland Farm, Butler's Orchard, and Rock Hill Orchard
• Local hiking spots include Centennial, Lake Kittimaqundi, Elkhorn, Wild Lake, and Patapsco Valley Park
• Staycation options at Turf Valley Resort and Merriweather Lake House Hotel
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey friends and welcome to MomTalk Maryland.
I'm your host, claire Duarte,founder of the Columbia Mom, and
this is your spot for realconversations, local love and a
whole lot of community.
Whether you're folding laundry,running errands or hiding in
your car for some peace andquiet, let's dive in, alright.
So today I'm coming to you froma new space.
(00:21):
As you can see, this is not myhome studio.
I'm actually set up here at theMaryland Innovation Center off
of Gateway Drive.
I've actually been here for afew networking events and a
friend of mine also has anoffice here, and when I told him
that I was launching thepodcast, he was like immediately
, like you got to come over hereand check this out, and I knew
of other podcast studio places,but, needless to say, I
(00:45):
immediately set up one at home,but I knew I was looking for
another alternate location.
So, no, I'm not scrapping myhome studio, but I'm looking
forward to giving this a trialrun, see how it goes.
So if my background looksdifferent, that is why.
So you may or may not see uspropped up here, uh, more often.
So, um, that's where I'm comingto you today.
(01:06):
Um, but, uh, I actuallysubmitted online.
I was like help me decide whatI should talk about today,
because, um, hashtag, mom lifehashtag, mom brain hashtag uh,
trying to go through the to-dolist and manage it all, and, um,
I asked what you wanted me totalk about today on the podcast
and Summer Faves was the winner,or at least the leader at the
(01:28):
time that I last checked.
So that's where we're going togo with today.
And since summer is here and itis hot, I mean there's a million
things that I could talk aboutwhen it comes to summertime,
right.
But since it's also literally,or today is July 1st, and it's
crazy that to me it feels likewe're already midway through
(01:48):
summer, I'm like, how did thisfreaking happen, you know?
So it just it already has feltlike a whirlwind, since I feel
like my son was already home forfor school for like barely 10
days.
Now he's back at his summerprogram, my daughter's already
done like two weeks of camp andthe 4th of July is coming up,
and it's just crazy to feel likethe summer is already getting
(02:10):
away from us.
So, I mean, when it comes to mysummer faves right, there's, I
feel like, so many differentcategories within it, right, and
I apologize in advance becauseI have.
I literally do have my computerup here, and probably another
reason why I even started thisbusiness is because there's so
many things to do in HowardCounty that I was like, you know
(02:32):
, I love that I can also go tomy own website and be like, oh
my gosh, like right now I havepulled up our farmer's market
blog.
Did you know that there areseven farmer's markets in Howard
County?
Two of the new ones are in OldEllicott City and Merriweather
District.
Those are the two newest, whichis awesome.
There are Savage Farmers Market, ellicott City Farmers Market,
(02:57):
clarksville Commons, which isover by us, oakland Mills
Farmers Market I've heard reallygood things about that one Um.
So that's gives you, yeah, atotal of seven, which is like
really cool.
Um anyways.
Or if you want the full detailson like when and where, cause
they're all different times umand days of the week, um.
But that's another fun thing totake advantage of during the
(03:17):
season, cause um hashtag, likesummer produce, is the absolute
best, and I promise I'll stopsaying hashtag, but also no
promises, because I'll probablyforget um.
So, anyways, our blog is loadedwith tons of different um
options for you to kind of takea look at.
So I mean, it almost serves aslike a reminder for me of like
(03:39):
oh, if I want to make my summerbucket list like, um, let me go
back over here because I don'tknow.
I feel like as a mom, you canfall into a couple of different
categories of either a feelingoverwhelmed of all the things to
do, be not even knowing what todo, but overwhelmed by your
kids at home, um, and justtrying to keep them busy, right.
(04:03):
And then there's kind of thehybrid, option number C, where
you're like I want to dosomething fun with the kids to
keep them busy.
I feel overwhelmed with theoptions, what's kind of like a
happy middle ground where I feellike we can all do something
fun together.
And maybe that's a little bitof where the TCM brand was born
(04:27):
out of, of equal parts wantingto get out and equal parts
overwhelmed by the kids.
So I promise I probably won'tmake this any less overwhelming
for you because, again, I'msomeone that if I have too many
options I will shut down, andthat's exactly what I'm going to
do, and so it's just kind oflike information overload.
So, like I said, we're not hereto make your decision making
(04:51):
any easier, but just give youlots of information and resource
, and that's one thing thatwe're good at.
So I mean a couple easy faves,obviously, like Columbia
Association pools, gotta hit thepool to like cool off.
I mean that's just like to melike an absolute must.
And if you have younger kidsdoing the splash pads are great,
like the Merriweather Districtsplash pad.
(05:12):
Another free local one, if yougo just outside Howard County is
in Olney actually that's whereI'm from.
So I'm like, oh, they didn'thave a splash pad when I was
growing up but now they do.
And that's cute because becausewhere the only one is located
is in a shopping center.
It's not super big.
There are a few tables withlike picnic tables and an
(05:33):
umbrella, but there's a pliables, there's a Panera, so you can
like literally like run in andgrab.
I've often brought like apicnic lunch or a Harris Teeter
right there, so it's just kindof like it's very easy, um.
So so that's cool about the allnew one.
I was actually hold on wherewas it?
In front of me.
There's also here.
(05:53):
It is, um, the splash park andmini golf of Germantown.
I grew up going to that.
I'm sure it's changed since Ilast been.
That does require tickets, butit's like a massive park.
From what I remember, Iremember like as a kid loving
like the mini golf and it's justlike, basically like kid crack.
Like I said, I can't be theexpert to speak on that
(06:14):
specifically of what it's beenlike lately, but I know that
that's a really cool optionagain down in montgomery county
but, um, since there's not a tonof splash pads specifically in
Howard County, but at leastthose are um Merriweather and
then only, like I said, it'sjust kind of like just down the
road, so that's another optionfor you too.
Um, oh, oh, wait, I lied onemore.
(06:35):
One more, um is where to go.
Millard Cooper um park that's inSykesville, um, just kind of
like also just on the north topend of the county.
That's a really cute one.
I discovered it like two yearsago and this park is really big.
I think it's good for great forthe littles and your bigger
(06:57):
kids.
There's also like twoplaygrounds, some picnic
pavilions.
It's really awesome, super fun.
I mean we can easily spend likean hour or two there and if you
wanted to make a day of it, youcan also go to basically like
Old Town, sykesville, which isreally cute.
It's kind of like their mainstreet is smaller than Old
(07:20):
Ellicott City but it kind ofgives you that similar like
historic-ish vibe and there areapparently some really cute
shops.
Every time I drive through I'mlike, oh, I need to stop, and I
um, so I, I've been meaning tofor sure.
Apparently there's a reallycute new sandwich shop, um, and
there's also another playgroundkind of around the corner from
there as well, so you couldeasily make it like a morning
afternoon adventure kind ofthing.
(07:41):
Um, all right.
And then of course, I'm pullingup my blog here.
I'm literally have to use thisas a resource because there's no
way that my brain can containall this information.
Um.
So this is me, literally usingmy own research, my own website
for this Um.
Lakefront live um is just one ofmy absolute favorites.
(08:03):
They do summer concerts down atLake Kittimakundi or the
lakefront right by Whole Foods.
They do summer concerts, summermovies.
They have a massive summerlineup.
And when you go to our website,the name of this blog is
Columbia, maryland's LivePerformance Scene.
(08:23):
It's packed this summer.
Here's what you can't miss andthe reason I.
This blog is Columbia,maryland's live performance
scene.
It's packed this summer.
Here's what you can't miss.
And the reason I say that it'sjust because it's like listed
with so many different things.
Obviously, you know there'sMerriweather, you know Post
Pavilion, great concerts tocatch there, and but, like I
said, lakefront Live.
We have that linked in there.
You can kind of see all thedates that are listed there.
(08:46):
I mean, basically it's runningthrough a whole summer but we
love that because we'll bring apicnic down there.
The kids just find so much funand I don't know, that's just
like such Columbia nostalgia forme.
I mean, again, I'm from Olney,so we would come up to Columbia
every now and then and I feellike I remember coming up here
(09:07):
once or twice and I justremember this like it'd be one
of those like core summer familymemories.
You know you would come up andhang out and the water's right
there.
We now have, you know, the, theplayground that we didn't have
when I was growing up, but sothe kids always love being able
to go on the playground.
Um, so it's just like a fun,like just different way to get
(09:27):
out of the house and, uh, youknow, do something with the
family.
So that's just like near anddear to my heart, which I love.
Um, oh, there's also the ampedin the park series over a color
burst park.
Um, those have select dates aswell, so they're not necessary.
A lot of.
They're usually run onThursdays, but it's not every
single Thursday.
(09:47):
Again, we have it linked in ourin our website so you can also
check out their site to doublecheck the actual dates and the
upcoming ones.
But those are really fun.
Other ones that I've takenadvantage of, not just music
wise, but in Color Burst Park,like this past weekend there was
something called Kidizen andthat was a really fun kid event.
(10:10):
So you can check their websitetoo to see some of their
upcoming events if they have anymore kid ones specifically.
But they also do like a fitseries of like summer workout
classes and I remember I didthey've done boxing yoga.
F45, which is no longer, uh dida bunch of fun classes, so that
(10:37):
was really fun, um, and Iremember I there was one summer
I did like a ton of them and itwas a great way to bring a
girlfriend.
It was hot, you know, but wewould have a great time um,
great way for you to try anotherclass, just fun to like be
outside in the park.
You know what I mean.
I feel like anything outside isgreat, oh.
And the other one is, oh, wheredid it go?
(10:59):
Not, oh, toby's Dinner Theater,the Little Mermaid, is showing
all summer.
I'm like, oh, this is remindingmyself I need to like get
tickets because that would alsobe a really good, um like way to
escape the heat.
You know what I mean.
Obviously you need to buytickets, but you know a good, uh
(11:20):
way to get out with the family,especially if you, if their
kids haven't gone, um, if you'venever been to toby's theater,
um, so, um, actually that's aperfect note to myself to put
that on my bucket list.
I keep meaning to um, so that'skind of on like the music front
of things, we talked throughsome of the splash pads and
getting out to be like to cooloff.
(11:42):
And if you didn't see, howardCounty Library is also doing
their summer reading program and, to be honest, in full
transparency, I have actuallynot been to all the Howard
County Library.
So it's kind of love that thisis happening because it's kind
of forcing me to go try out someof the other libraries we are.
We go to Glenwood a lot becauseI love the Builders Barn that
(12:03):
they have in there.
But I recently checked out theHoward County Central Library,
which is also again close tokind of downtown Columbia, but
they have celebrationsthroughout the whole summer.
They literally have summerreading programs for basically
all ages, like you know pre-K toelementary, to your older kids,
(12:25):
slash tweens, and then teensand adults and even individuals
with academic or learningdisabilities.
There's literally something foreverybody and there's fun ways
to get involved with prizes andraffles and just it's a great
way to encourage not only kidsreading but I think as parents
(12:45):
too, when we're like how do wekeep these kids, you know, off
the devices and technology andhow do we balance that?
Some of us already have our ownsummer reading programs from
school in addition.
So obviously this is the PowerCounty Library balance that Some
of us already have our ownsummer reading programs from
school in addition.
So obviously this is the PowerCounty Library program is not
required.
But you know, I know that welove going to the library during
the summer because it's againanother great way to beat the
(13:06):
heat.
You can do it for free,especially on those days where
I'm like I want to get out ofthe house and I don't want to go
to a cuz, it's too hot.
Perfect way to, like you know,go to a library that you haven't
been to before.
Right, and check out these,basically these game boards, and
have your kids work on some ofthese challenges by reading some
of these different books.
Do it together, do it as afamily.
(13:27):
I know, when I was there, Ipicked up a few books myself.
Granted, it's anyway, it's notexactly leisure reading for me.
I picked up some books on um,you know, thyroid stuff.
Again, not the, the sexy stuff,as you may, um, because, uh, I
want to read it more than that,and actually I was trying to
find, um, a thyroid cookbook, soI wanted to learn how to make
more like meals, um, but thelocation I was at was out of it.
(13:49):
So I'm going to keep lookingfor the other locations, see if
they have it.
But that's my challenge formyself, right, while also
helping reinforce that with mykids, because I know already,
like they, you know, the cycleof I'm bored or they just want
to watch TV and they just wantto do that.
So it's, it's hard when itfeels like the burden is on us
(14:10):
and the reality is, you know, Ithink the majority of us aren't
teachers, or aren't?
You know educators and great atpre planning your day,
especially if you've got olderkids, like you know, tweens or
teens that kind of want to beindependent, do their own thing.
Or if you're also like me, likea working mom, working parent,
(14:32):
you know it's hard to like.
How do I pre plan their day andmanage mine Like it's?
The answer is it's challenging.
My goal is not to overwhelm youor make you feel like, oh my
God, there's so much I should doand feel guilty that you don't
get to do it.
If you think for a minute thatI get to do all this stuff,
there's times that I'm better atit than others, you know, and
(14:52):
there's plenty of things thatI've tried the past but haven't
been able to make it to thisyear, because that's just life,
you know and you do what you can.
I'm also saying that as anaffirmation for myself to hear
it too, because please know thatI am very much on that journey
with you.
All right, so we talked aboutfarmer's markets, splash pads.
What did I say?
(15:13):
Live music events pads um, whatdid I say?
Live music events?
Um, and you know there's plentyof other places too that are to
have really fun, like music,like reckless shepherd has
really cool band lineups, um,you know, I mean, there's lots
of other places you can checkthat out.
Oh, but I was mentioning the,the summer reading program, um,
yeah, um, so that'll be afantastic way to check out other
(15:34):
things.
I really, by the time thispodcast drops, we'll probably be
past 4th of July, so, um, Iprobably won't go into it too
heavy, but obviously thelakefront is coming up, um,
which is obviously HowardCounty's pivotal spot to see.
Um, let's see.
Oh, there's a sparkle and swimat the Pearl this Friday at 5 PM
(15:55):
.
Ooh, oh, wait, that sounds socute.
Catonsville, 4th of July, ifyou know.
You know, catonsville is prettydarn epic and they go hard and
I love that for them.
Confession I have actuallynever taken my kids to see
(16:17):
fireworks yet.
My daughter is six and will beseven later this year and I
think the reality is is likeFourth of July I mean this
year's on a Friday, right, so welike could, but they like they
don't start till 930.
And to be honest, you know it,anywhere going to a large crowd
of people with little kids forme is a little bit overwhelming.
It's like, oh, my gosh, likeyou know where am I going to
(16:38):
find parking if I don't get downthere like early enough?
And are we going to be safe?
And I mean, first of all,howard County is immensely safe
and I'm not worried about that.
It's just the sheer mass ofcrowds.
So for us, we've often justlike stayed home because my kids
are little and it's like waypast their bedtime, so it's been
(17:03):
hard to kind of juggle.
We've been considering it alittle bit.
We're like, well, we couldn'thave them stay up late and blah,
blah, blah.
But you know, it also kind ofdepend on how the weather shakes
out.
I think the weather looks good,but, um, so, yeah, confession,
we haven't actually taken themto see the fireworks yet.
I love fireworks, I reallyreally do.
They're like one of my favoritethings, but I do, as the older
we've gotten, we do hate theinsane crowds, the parking, the
(17:27):
trying to find your seed, and sothose are the hashtag adulting
logistics that you get into whenyou're older.
So, but, anyways, the CatCatonsville, one epic, epic,
even if all you do is also go tothe parade, that's pretty darn
amazing.
So, um, where is hold on?
I'm trying to find my other.
Oh, yes, there's also, we havea cute one, um that was shared
(17:53):
earlier this year on um parksand hiking.
Um, again, might not be theyour top thing if the weather's
super hot, but just again, justa fun way to kind of get out and
explore.
Um great way to do like, do likenature trails, nature walks
with the kids.
Um, you know, I feel like, uh,a couple years ago we'd never
taken the kids to wild lake andI was like, how have we never
(18:14):
been there?
You know what I mean.
It's not one that we go to allall the time, it's not like
always.
I feel like the hits are likecentennial, um, and like kid
mccundy, are kind of, at leastfor us, like the top, like two,
and then elkhorn.
I like going to that one a lotbecause I like to go running
there, um, but I don't take thekids there as often, so it's
like, oh, like I should takethem there and um, what's it
(18:38):
called?
Uh, and wildlife, a little bit,just just a little bit
different, right and um, uh, andthere's also patapsco valley
park, um, which I in my 20,would go there a lot, and I
don't know that I've actuallybrought the kids there.
So that will also be a cooloption to do.
So great way to you know whetheryou want to do bikes or just
walking.
We were trying to encourage thekids to ride their bikes.
(19:01):
My daughter just learned how toride a bike this week and I'm
like a little emotional about it, but I'm so proud of her.
Um, but next we'll be workingon my son.
So, um, you know, great way tokind of get like some exercise
out there.
Again, there's a zillionplaygrounds, um, I'm sure you
know, and that can be a fun wayto kind of like you know you
(19:23):
could make a playground bucketlist almost and just kind of of
check them off as you go, maybemake that a fun activity for the
kids of once we visit all theseparks and playgrounds, you get
whatever or you can earn a prize, or you can earn a treat, or
you can earn an extra hour ofdevice time.
(19:45):
I don't know, I am not theparenting expert, so don't don't
ask me about all of that.
Those are just some off the topsuggestions.
Other things that I love wealways get a Maryland Zoo
membership every single year.
Same with Clark's Iliok Farm.
That's like right down the roadfrom us.
My kids still love it there.
They are five and six um, mykids still love it.
(20:10):
They're.
They are five and six um, andthey still literally get to the
farm and run around like crazy.
Um, like I said, my son will begoing into kindergarten, my
daughter will be going to firstgrade um, and we can spend
easily hours there.
We'll often, um, you know, I'llstill even pack a lunch and
that way we can just like chillin one of the pavilion areas.
But Clark's is great um, thezoo I love.
I usually can plan that on dayswhen it's not going to be super
(20:33):
, super hot, but again, I caneasily spend hours there.
And when we go to the zoo um,we almost always do the um
carousel right, that's what it'scalled, carousel um, I feel
like we always like walk around,get lunch or, sorry, eat lunch,
and then we do a carouselbefore we head home.
So, and I always go, usually goin the morning, because that
(20:54):
way we can get head home and itnot be too crazy hot.
The other membership, so thethree memberships that I always
get zoo oh, I lied for hold onzoo Clark, sealy Oak, robinson
Nature Center or hold on zooClarks, hillioke, robinson
Nature Center and MarylandScience Center.
So Robinson Nature Center Ilove, and if you live in Howard
(21:19):
County I believe it's 50 bucksfor the year you have to show
proof of address, but you canalso be a non-resident.
You just pay like a little bitmore, whatever.
But, um, they have a reallycute um nature like playground
um outside, and there are someother trails around there too.
Um, inside I feel like, uh, you, I mean, we can spend an hour
(21:40):
or two, depending on how, likewhat the weather's like, um,
because inside is a littlesmaller and they do camps there,
so you can't like use all thelike.
You know a lot of the roomsdownstairs are used for
activities, but that's where,like, the outdoor play area is
really cute.
They have a great room insidewhere you can see some like
(22:01):
reptiles and animals and havesome interactive exhibits, so
it's really cool um, so, andthat's again super cheap um,
great option.
And they also do have some coolum family events you can check
their events calendar for aswell.
So robinson nature center andthen maryland science center.
Um, they run a group on umevery year I just keep
(22:23):
forgetting it.
I spend like 80 90 bucks for afamily of four, and we just went
recently and, oh my gosh, it's,that's again a great heat day
escape.
You know, obviously you gottadrive up to Baltimore, but it's
only like what, 20, 30 minutesand again, we can also spend
hours there, hours there.
They love it.
(22:43):
Our favorite is the I'mforgetting, forgetting if you've
been there, you know, I'm justcomplaining.
If you go to the top floor andkind of walk to the left of the
back, it's like their kids room,right, and it's a monitored
door and they have like acounter so they only allow a
certain number of people in.
So it's very like, safe andregulated, but only kids up to a
(23:06):
certain age.
Like, I don't even know if thelimit is like 10 or maybe it's
younger than that, but somethinglike that.
And great for if you havebabies, infants, toddlers.
Again, my kids are five and sixand we can still spend so much
time in there.
They have the biggest watertable.
It's so cool, um, so manyinteractive toys, um, I mean
(23:29):
again, there's just really,every time I go to the science
center, there's no way that weeven scratch the surface of
getting everything done.
But, um, awesome, awesome,awesome option.
Um, so I mean for our summerbucket list, for sure, we'll
always include the zoo I lovegoing there a couple times
Clark's Robinson Nature Center,science Center and basically
everything else I listed offhere.
(23:49):
You know, like doing movienight, summer concerts, you know
, I mean, those are to me someof like the quintessential
Columbia things that you justhave to do, and, of course, you
know, cooling off and the splashpads, going to the pool, oh, oh
my gosh, and I know we have ablog on this somewhere.
(24:09):
Hold on, I was going to sayberry picking is another one of
my like summer faves that I haveto do.
Of course, like July is greatbecause, um, it's peak berry
season, um, strawberries aredone, strawberries are May, um,
but, but I'm trying to pull thisup here.
(24:30):
So one of my other favoritethings to do during the summer
is berry picking, and there's acouple of different farms, a
couple of different places thatyou can check out, but now is
definitely the season forblackberries, blueberries and
even peaches, if they'reavailable, you know, at some of
their local places, if they'reavailable, you know, at some of
their local places.
I think Boggers is a big one,but it's like close to like 50
(25:00):
minutes away.
Laerland is another greatoption for us local in Howard
County and then there's Butler'skind of on that um, uh,
montgomery County line.
There's also Rock Hill Orchardthat I love too.
Rock Hill is also on that, likeHoward County MoCo line, um,
but those are some of myfavorites.
I mean, the reality is like it'salso very hot and I feel like,
(25:22):
cause you're like you're in thefields and you know it might be
harder with like little kids andI feel like, like the times
I've done it, the kids wereexhausted and I brought them
probably every year and I stilldo it.
My daughter probably likes itmore than my son like.
So this year when I wentstrawberry picking, I brought my
daughter.
She loved helping me, but myson could probably care less.
Um, but I love when I can go.
I try to wait where I can goget the blueberries and
(25:44):
blackberries at the same time,and then again if the, if the
farm has peaches, ideally I'dlove to do all three.
So that's definitely on mybucket list for sure, because
I'm a fiend for all thingsberries, especially in this
economy, right?
So yeah, I mean those aredefinitely what I would consider
the hits, if you may, some ofmy summer faves.
(26:04):
I mean, of course, if you'reinto some local staycations,
staying at places like TurfValley is an awesome option.
It's just like a gorgeousresort, just like nestled right
up in Ellicott City there isMerriweather Lake House Hotel.
It's beautiful, right on thelakefront.
One year we did our anniversarythere.
It was great because they havethe rooftop pool Absolutely
(26:24):
gorgeous.
And, of course, when we go intothe eastern shore we go to
Rehoboth every year.
And then there's some greatspots in Kent Island that I
visited last year, and HersheyPark is another which that is
also on our list this year to doa day trip to Hershey Park.
So, yeah, I hope I gave youmore than enough options, but
(26:50):
that's some of my take on someof my summer faves.
The reality is again, as aworking, working mom, I'm still
just like you, juggling thechaos of the kids being home.
You know, shuffling work when Ican, when I have the child care
.
So I feel like again this thisyear, specifically because my
business is busier, definitelydoing probably less activities
(27:12):
during the week than I used to,which hurts my mama heart a
little bit.
But it's hard when it's like Ilove this business so much and
I'm throwing myself so much intoit because trying to make it
grow, you know, comes withsacrifices and things like that.
But it also makes me reallygrateful that I did have the
time when I was more of astay-at-home mom or in those
early years of building thebusiness, to dedicate to being
(27:33):
with them and spending lots oftime with them, to go on all
these adventures, because now Iget to share them with you
possible.
Be sure to visit our website tocheck out all of our recent
blogs, because it's like themost annoying, like call to
action for myself, but likeliterally because, again, my
(27:53):
brain is this big, this big andit can only hold so much
information.
This is why we have the websitewith our events calendar and
the blog, so you can, we haveall the information, so you
don't have to worry about it,right?
And, of course, you know, onInstagram you'll see some of our
latest posts where we try tohighlight and share some of
those things, share some of ouradventures, and you can always
(28:13):
see some possible events thatpop up on Hoco Happenings we can
line up.
And if you're hearing this andyou're not on our email list, be
sure to subscribe to our emaillist.
That goes out twice a month, sowe will try to keep you, just
like I said, in the know.
So, thank you so much.
If you have any suggestions thatI you're like oh my god, this
(28:38):
is an absolute fave, you have todo this Girl, let me know.
I don't care if it's ho-co ornot.
Like, that's the whole point.
Like I need to know and even ifI can't get to it right away,
like I will go on the list,right?
You know we all have the everrunning list.
So anyways, as I say, like,subscribe, share and cheers to
summer.
Thanks for tuning into thisepisode of Mom Talk, maryland.
If you loved it, leave a review, share it with a friend or tag
(29:01):
me at thecolumbiamom onInstagram.
I'd love to hear what you thinkand don't forget to follow the
show so you never miss anepisode.
Until next time, keep showingup, keep supporting local and
keep being the incredible mom,woman, human that you are.
Hey friends and welcome to MomTalk Maryland.
I'm your host, claire Duarte,founder of the Columbia Mom, and
this is your spot for realconversations, local love and a
whole lot of community.
Whether you're folding laundry,running errands or hiding in
your car for some peace andquiet, let's dive in, alright.
So today I'm coming to you froma new space.
(00:21):
As you can see, this is not myhome studio.
I'm actually set up here at theMaryland Innovation Center off
of Gateway Drive.
I've actually been here for afew networking events and a
friend of mine also has anoffice here, and when I told him
that I was launching thepodcast, he was like immediately
, like you got to come over hereand check this out, and I knew
of other podcast studio places,but, needless to say, I
(00:45):
immediately set up one at home,but I knew I was looking for
another alternate location.
So, no, I'm not scrapping myhome studio, but I'm looking
forward to giving this a trialrun, see how it goes.
So if my background looksdifferent, that is why.
So you may or may not see uspropped up here, uh, more often.
So, um, that's where I'm comingto you today.
(01:06):
Um, but, uh, I actuallysubmitted online.
I was like help me decide whatI should talk about today,
because, um, hashtag, mom lifehashtag, mom brain hashtag uh,
trying to go through the to-dolist and manage it all, and, um,
I asked what you wanted me totalk about today on the podcast
and Summer Faves was the winner,or at least the leader at the
(01:28):
time that I last checked.
So that's where we're going togo with today.
And since summer is here and itis hot, I mean there's a million
things that I could talk aboutwhen it comes to summertime,
right.
But since it's also literally,or today is July 1st, and it's
crazy that to me it feels likewe're already midway through
(01:48):
summer, I'm like, how did thisfreaking happen, you know?
So it just it already has feltlike a whirlwind, since I feel
like my son was already home forfor school for like barely 10
days.
Now he's back at his summerprogram, my daughter's already
done like two weeks of camp andthe 4th of July is coming up,
and it's just crazy to feel likethe summer is already getting
(02:10):
away from us.
So, I mean, when it comes to mysummer faves right, there's, I
feel like, so many differentcategories within it, right, and
I apologize in advance becauseI have.
I literally do have my computerup here, and probably another
reason why I even started thisbusiness is because there's so
many things to do in HowardCounty that I was like, you know
(02:32):
, I love that I can also go tomy own website and be like, oh
my gosh, like right now I havepulled up our farmer's market
blog.
Did you know that there areseven farmer's markets in Howard
County?
Two of the new ones are in OldEllicott City and Merriweather
District.
Those are the two newest, whichis awesome.
There are Savage Farmers Market, ellicott City Farmers Market,
(02:57):
clarksville Commons, which isover by us, oakland Mills
Farmers Market I've heard reallygood things about that one Um.
So that's gives you, yeah, atotal of seven, which is like
really cool.
Um anyways.
Or if you want the full detailson like when and where, cause
they're all different times umand days of the week, um.
But that's another fun thing totake advantage of during the
(03:17):
season, cause um hashtag, likesummer produce, is the absolute
best, and I promise I'll stopsaying hashtag, but also no
promises, because I'll probablyforget um.
So, anyways, our blog is loadedwith tons of different um
options for you to kind of takea look at.
So I mean, it almost serves aslike a reminder for me of like
(03:39):
oh, if I want to make my summerbucket list like, um, let me go
back over here because I don'tknow.
I feel like as a mom, you canfall into a couple of different
categories of either a feelingoverwhelmed of all the things to
do, be not even knowing what todo, but overwhelmed by your
kids at home, um, and justtrying to keep them busy, right.
(04:03):
And then there's kind of thehybrid, option number C, where
you're like I want to dosomething fun with the kids to
keep them busy.
I feel overwhelmed with theoptions, what's kind of like a
happy middle ground where I feellike we can all do something
fun together.
And maybe that's a little bitof where the TCM brand was born
(04:27):
out of, of equal parts wantingto get out and equal parts
overwhelmed by the kids.
So I promise I probably won'tmake this any less overwhelming
for you because, again, I'msomeone that if I have too many
options I will shut down, andthat's exactly what I'm going to
do, and so it's just kind oflike information overload.
So, like I said, we're not hereto make your decision making
(04:51):
any easier, but just give youlots of information and resource
, and that's one thing thatwe're good at.
So I mean a couple easy faves,obviously, like Columbia
Association pools, gotta hit thepool to like cool off.
I mean that's just like to melike an absolute must.
And if you have younger kidsdoing the splash pads are great,
like the Merriweather Districtsplash pad.
(05:12):
Another free local one, if yougo just outside Howard County is
in Olney actually that's whereI'm from.
So I'm like, oh, they didn'thave a splash pad when I was
growing up but now they do.
And that's cute because becausewhere the only one is located
is in a shopping center.
It's not super big.
There are a few tables withlike picnic tables and an
(05:33):
umbrella, but there's a pliables, there's a Panera, so you can
like literally like run in andgrab.
I've often brought like apicnic lunch or a Harris Teeter
right there, so it's just kindof like it's very easy, um.
So so that's cool about the allnew one.
I was actually hold on wherewas it?
In front of me.
There's also here.
(05:53):
It is, um, the splash park andmini golf of Germantown.
I grew up going to that.
I'm sure it's changed since Ilast been.
That does require tickets, butit's like a massive park.
From what I remember, Iremember like as a kid loving
like the mini golf and it's justlike, basically like kid crack.
Like I said, I can't be theexpert to speak on that
(06:14):
specifically of what it's beenlike lately, but I know that
that's a really cool optionagain down in montgomery county
but, um, since there's not a tonof splash pads specifically in
Howard County, but at leastthose are um Merriweather and
then only, like I said, it'sjust kind of like just down the
road, so that's another optionfor you too.
Um, oh, oh, wait, I lied onemore.
(06:35):
One more, um is where to go.
Millard Cooper um park that's inSykesville, um, just kind of
like also just on the north topend of the county.
That's a really cute one.
I discovered it like two yearsago and this park is really big.
I think it's good for great forthe littles and your bigger
(06:57):
kids.
There's also like twoplaygrounds, some picnic
pavilions.
It's really awesome, super fun.
I mean we can easily spend likean hour or two there and if you
wanted to make a day of it, youcan also go to basically like
Old Town, sykesville, which isreally cute.
It's kind of like their mainstreet is smaller than Old
(07:20):
Ellicott City but it kind ofgives you that similar like
historic-ish vibe and there areapparently some really cute
shops.
Every time I drive through I'mlike, oh, I need to stop, and I
um, so I, I've been meaning tofor sure.
Apparently there's a reallycute new sandwich shop, um, and
there's also another playgroundkind of around the corner from
there as well, so you couldeasily make it like a morning
afternoon adventure kind ofthing.
(07:41):
Um, all right.
And then of course, I'm pullingup my blog here.
I'm literally have to use thisas a resource because there's no
way that my brain can containall this information.
Um.
So this is me, literally usingmy own research, my own website
for this Um.
Lakefront live um is just one ofmy absolute favorites.
(08:03):
They do summer concerts down atLake Kittimakundi or the
lakefront right by Whole Foods.
They do summer concerts, summermovies.
They have a massive summerlineup.
And when you go to our website,the name of this blog is
Columbia, maryland's LivePerformance Scene.
(08:23):
It's packed this summer.
Here's what you can't miss andthe reason I.
This blog is Columbia,maryland's live performance
scene.
It's packed this summer.
Here's what you can't miss.
And the reason I say that it'sjust because it's like listed
with so many different things.
Obviously, you know there'sMerriweather, you know Post
Pavilion, great concerts tocatch there, and but, like I
said, lakefront Live.
We have that linked in there.
You can kind of see all thedates that are listed there.
(08:46):
I mean, basically it's runningthrough a whole summer but we
love that because we'll bring apicnic down there.
The kids just find so much funand I don't know, that's just
like such Columbia nostalgia forme.
I mean, again, I'm from Olney,so we would come up to Columbia
every now and then and I feellike I remember coming up here
(09:07):
once or twice and I justremember this like it'd be one
of those like core summer familymemories.
You know you would come up andhang out and the water's right
there.
We now have, you know, the, theplayground that we didn't have
when I was growing up, but sothe kids always love being able
to go on the playground.
Um, so it's just like a fun,like just different way to get
(09:27):
out of the house and, uh, youknow, do something with the
family.
So that's just like near anddear to my heart, which I love.
Um, oh, there's also the ampedin the park series over a color
burst park.
Um, those have select dates aswell, so they're not necessary.
A lot of.
They're usually run onThursdays, but it's not every
single Thursday.
(09:47):
Again, we have it linked in ourin our website so you can also
check out their site to doublecheck the actual dates and the
upcoming ones.
But those are really fun.
Other ones that I've takenadvantage of, not just music
wise, but in Color Burst Park,like this past weekend there was
something called Kidizen andthat was a really fun kid event.
(10:10):
So you can check their websitetoo to see some of their
upcoming events if they have anymore kid ones specifically.
But they also do like a fitseries of like summer workout
classes and I remember I didthey've done boxing yoga.
F45, which is no longer, uh dida bunch of fun classes, so that
(10:37):
was really fun, um, and Iremember I there was one summer
I did like a ton of them and itwas a great way to bring a
girlfriend.
It was hot, you know, but wewould have a great time um,
great way for you to try anotherclass, just fun to like be
outside in the park.
You know what I mean.
I feel like anything outside isgreat, oh.
And the other one is, oh, wheredid it go?
(10:59):
Not, oh, toby's Dinner Theater,the Little Mermaid, is showing
all summer.
I'm like, oh, this is remindingmyself I need to like get
tickets because that would alsobe a really good, um like way to
escape the heat.
You know what I mean.
Obviously you need to buytickets, but you know a good, uh
(11:20):
way to get out with the family,especially if you, if their
kids haven't gone, um, if you'venever been to toby's theater,
um, so, um, actually that's aperfect note to myself to put
that on my bucket list.
I keep meaning to um, so that'skind of on like the music front
of things, we talked throughsome of the splash pads and
getting out to be like to cooloff.
(11:42):
And if you didn't see, howardCounty Library is also doing
their summer reading program and, to be honest, in full
transparency, I have actuallynot been to all the Howard
County Library.
So it's kind of love that thisis happening because it's kind
of forcing me to go try out someof the other libraries we are.
We go to Glenwood a lot becauseI love the Builders Barn that
(12:03):
they have in there.
But I recently checked out theHoward County Central Library,
which is also again close tokind of downtown Columbia, but
they have celebrationsthroughout the whole summer.
They literally have summerreading programs for basically
all ages, like you know pre-K toelementary, to your older kids,
(12:25):
slash tweens, and then teensand adults and even individuals
with academic or learningdisabilities.
There's literally something foreverybody and there's fun ways
to get involved with prizes andraffles and just it's a great
way to encourage not only kidsreading but I think as parents
(12:45):
too, when we're like how do wekeep these kids, you know, off
the devices and technology andhow do we balance that?
Some of us already have our ownsummer reading programs from
school in addition.
So obviously this is the PowerCounty Library balance that Some
of us already have our ownsummer reading programs from
school in addition.
So obviously this is the PowerCounty Library program is not
required.
But you know, I know that welove going to the library during
the summer because it's againanother great way to beat the
(13:06):
heat.
You can do it for free,especially on those days where
I'm like I want to get out ofthe house and I don't want to go
to a cuz, it's too hot.
Perfect way to, like you know,go to a library that you haven't
been to before.
Right, and check out these,basically these game boards, and
have your kids work on some ofthese challenges by reading some
of these different books.
Do it together, do it as afamily.
(13:27):
I know, when I was there, Ipicked up a few books myself.
Granted, it's anyway, it's notexactly leisure reading for me.
I picked up some books on um,you know, thyroid stuff.
Again, not the, the sexy stuff,as you may, um, because, uh, I
want to read it more than that,and actually I was trying to
find, um, a thyroid cookbook, soI wanted to learn how to make
more like meals, um, but thelocation I was at was out of it.
(13:49):
So I'm going to keep lookingfor the other locations, see if
they have it.
But that's my challenge formyself, right, while also
helping reinforce that with mykids, because I know already,
like they, you know, the cycleof I'm bored or they just want
to watch TV and they just wantto do that.
So it's, it's hard when itfeels like the burden is on us
(14:10):
and the reality is, you know, Ithink the majority of us aren't
teachers, or aren't?
You know educators and great atpre planning your day,
especially if you've got olderkids, like you know, tweens or
teens that kind of want to beindependent, do their own thing.
Or if you're also like me, likea working mom, working parent,
(14:32):
you know it's hard to like.
How do I pre plan their day andmanage mine Like it's?
The answer is it's challenging.
My goal is not to overwhelm youor make you feel like, oh my
God, there's so much I should doand feel guilty that you don't
get to do it.
If you think for a minute thatI get to do all this stuff,
there's times that I'm better atit than others, you know, and
(14:52):
there's plenty of things thatI've tried the past but haven't
been able to make it to thisyear, because that's just life,
you know and you do what you can.
I'm also saying that as anaffirmation for myself to hear
it too, because please know thatI am very much on that journey
with you.
All right, so we talked aboutfarmer's markets, splash pads.
What did I say?
(15:13):
Live music events pads um, whatdid I say?
Live music events?
Um, and you know there's plentyof other places too that are to
have really fun, like music,like reckless shepherd has
really cool band lineups, um,you know, I mean, there's lots
of other places you can checkthat out.
Oh, but I was mentioning the,the summer reading program, um,
yeah, um, so that'll be afantastic way to check out other
(15:34):
things.
I really, by the time thispodcast drops, we'll probably be
past 4th of July, so, um, Iprobably won't go into it too
heavy, but obviously thelakefront is coming up, um,
which is obviously HowardCounty's pivotal spot to see.
Um, let's see.
Oh, there's a sparkle and swimat the Pearl this Friday at 5 PM
(15:55):
.
Ooh, oh, wait, that sounds socute.
Catonsville, 4th of July, ifyou know.
You know, catonsville is prettydarn epic and they go hard and
I love that for them.
Confession I have actuallynever taken my kids to see
(16:17):
fireworks yet.
My daughter is six and will beseven later this year and I
think the reality is is likeFourth of July I mean this
year's on a Friday, right, so welike could, but they like they
don't start till 930.
And to be honest, you know it,anywhere going to a large crowd
of people with little kids forme is a little bit overwhelming.
It's like, oh, my gosh, likeyou know where am I going to
(16:38):
find parking if I don't get downthere like early enough?
And are we going to be safe?
And I mean, first of all,howard County is immensely safe
and I'm not worried about that.
It's just the sheer mass ofcrowds.
So for us, we've often justlike stayed home because my kids
are little and it's like waypast their bedtime, so it's been
(17:03):
hard to kind of juggle.
We've been considering it alittle bit.
We're like, well, we couldn'thave them stay up late and blah,
blah, blah.
But you know, it also kind ofdepend on how the weather shakes
out.
I think the weather looks good,but, um, so, yeah, confession,
we haven't actually taken themto see the fireworks yet.
I love fireworks, I reallyreally do.
They're like one of my favoritethings, but I do, as the older
we've gotten, we do hate theinsane crowds, the parking, the
(17:27):
trying to find your seed, and sothose are the hashtag adulting
logistics that you get into whenyou're older.
So, but, anyways, the CatCatonsville, one epic, epic,
even if all you do is also go tothe parade, that's pretty darn
amazing.
So, um, where is hold on?
I'm trying to find my other.
Oh, yes, there's also, we havea cute one, um that was shared
(17:53):
earlier this year on um parksand hiking.
Um, again, might not be theyour top thing if the weather's
super hot, but just again, justa fun way to kind of get out and
explore.
Um great way to do like, do likenature trails, nature walks
with the kids.
Um, you know, I feel like, uh,a couple years ago we'd never
taken the kids to wild lake andI was like, how have we never
(18:14):
been there?
You know what I mean.
It's not one that we go to allall the time, it's not like
always.
I feel like the hits are likecentennial, um, and like kid
mccundy, are kind of, at leastfor us, like the top, like two,
and then elkhorn.
I like going to that one a lotbecause I like to go running
there, um, but I don't take thekids there as often, so it's
like, oh, like I should takethem there and um, what's it
(18:38):
called?
Uh, and wildlife, a little bit,just just a little bit
different, right and um, uh, andthere's also patapsco valley
park, um, which I in my 20,would go there a lot, and I
don't know that I've actuallybrought the kids there.
So that will also be a cooloption to do.
So great way to you know whetheryou want to do bikes or just
walking.
We were trying to encourage thekids to ride their bikes.
(19:01):
My daughter just learned how toride a bike this week and I'm
like a little emotional about it, but I'm so proud of her.
Um, but next we'll be workingon my son.
So, um, you know, great way tokind of get like some exercise
out there.
Again, there's a zillionplaygrounds, um, I'm sure you
know, and that can be a fun wayto kind of like you know you
(19:23):
could make a playground bucketlist almost and just kind of of
check them off as you go, maybemake that a fun activity for the
kids of once we visit all theseparks and playgrounds, you get
whatever or you can earn a prize, or you can earn a treat, or
you can earn an extra hour ofdevice time.
(19:45):
I don't know, I am not theparenting expert, so don't don't
ask me about all of that.
Those are just some off the topsuggestions.
Other things that I love wealways get a Maryland Zoo
membership every single year.
Same with Clark's Iliok Farm.
That's like right down the roadfrom us.
My kids still love it there.
They are five and six um, mykids still love it.
(20:10):
They're.
They are five and six um, andthey still literally get to the
farm and run around like crazy.
Um, like I said, my son will begoing into kindergarten, my
daughter will be going to firstgrade um, and we can spend
easily hours there.
We'll often, um, you know, I'llstill even pack a lunch and
that way we can just like chillin one of the pavilion areas.
But Clark's is great um, thezoo I love.
I usually can plan that on dayswhen it's not going to be super
(20:33):
, super hot, but again, I caneasily spend hours there.
And when we go to the zoo um,we almost always do the um
carousel right, that's what it'scalled, carousel um, I feel
like we always like walk around,get lunch or, sorry, eat lunch,
and then we do a carouselbefore we head home.
So, and I always go, usually goin the morning, because that
(20:54):
way we can get head home and itnot be too crazy hot.
The other membership, so thethree memberships that I always
get zoo oh, I lied for hold onzoo Clark, sealy Oak, robinson
Nature Center or hold on zooClarks, hillioke, robinson
Nature Center and MarylandScience Center.
So Robinson Nature Center Ilove, and if you live in Howard
(21:19):
County I believe it's 50 bucksfor the year you have to show
proof of address, but you canalso be a non-resident.
You just pay like a little bitmore, whatever.
But, um, they have a reallycute um nature like playground
um outside, and there are someother trails around there too.
Um, inside I feel like, uh, you, I mean, we can spend an hour
(21:40):
or two, depending on how, likewhat the weather's like, um,
because inside is a littlesmaller and they do camps there,
so you can't like use all thelike.
You know a lot of the roomsdownstairs are used for
activities, but that's where,like, the outdoor play area is
really cute.
They have a great room insidewhere you can see some like
(22:01):
reptiles and animals and havesome interactive exhibits, so
it's really cool um, so, andthat's again super cheap um,
great option.
And they also do have some coolum family events you can check
their events calendar for aswell.
So robinson nature center andthen maryland science center.
Um, they run a group on umevery year I just keep
(22:23):
forgetting it.
I spend like 80 90 bucks for afamily of four, and we just went
recently and, oh my gosh, it's,that's again a great heat day
escape.
You know, obviously you gottadrive up to Baltimore, but it's
only like what, 20, 30 minutesand again, we can also spend
hours there, hours there.
They love it.
(22:43):
Our favorite is the I'mforgetting, forgetting if you've
been there, you know, I'm justcomplaining.
If you go to the top floor andkind of walk to the left of the
back, it's like their kids room,right, and it's a monitored
door and they have like acounter so they only allow a
certain number of people in.
So it's very like, safe andregulated, but only kids up to a
(23:06):
certain age.
Like, I don't even know if thelimit is like 10 or maybe it's
younger than that, but somethinglike that.
And great for if you havebabies, infants, toddlers.
Again, my kids are five and sixand we can still spend so much
time in there.
They have the biggest watertable.
It's so cool, um, so manyinteractive toys, um, I mean
(23:29):
again, there's just really,every time I go to the science
center, there's no way that weeven scratch the surface of
getting everything done.
But, um, awesome, awesome,awesome option.
Um, so I mean for our summerbucket list, for sure, we'll
always include the zoo I lovegoing there a couple times
Clark's Robinson Nature Center,science Center and basically
everything else I listed offhere.
(23:49):
You know, like doing movienight, summer concerts, you know
, I mean, those are to me someof like the quintessential
Columbia things that you justhave to do, and, of course, you
know, cooling off and the splashpads, going to the pool, oh, oh
my gosh, and I know we have ablog on this somewhere.
(24:09):
Hold on, I was going to sayberry picking is another one of
my like summer faves that I haveto do.
Of course, like July is greatbecause, um, it's peak berry
season, um, strawberries aredone, strawberries are May, um,
but, but I'm trying to pull thisup here.
(24:30):
So one of my other favoritethings to do during the summer
is berry picking, and there's acouple of different farms, a
couple of different places thatyou can check out, but now is
definitely the season forblackberries, blueberries and
even peaches, if they'reavailable, you know, at some of
their local places, if they'reavailable, you know, at some of
their local places.
I think Boggers is a big one,but it's like close to like 50
(25:00):
minutes away.
Laerland is another greatoption for us local in Howard
County and then there's Butler'skind of on that um, uh,
montgomery County line.
There's also Rock Hill Orchardthat I love too.
Rock Hill is also on that, likeHoward County MoCo line, um,
but those are some of myfavorites.
I mean, the reality is like it'salso very hot and I feel like,
(25:22):
cause you're like you're in thefields and you know it might be
harder with like little kids andI feel like, like the times
I've done it, the kids wereexhausted and I brought them
probably every year and I stilldo it.
My daughter probably likes itmore than my son like.
So this year when I wentstrawberry picking, I brought my
daughter.
She loved helping me, but myson could probably care less.
Um, but I love when I can go.
I try to wait where I can goget the blueberries and
(25:44):
blackberries at the same time,and then again if the, if the
farm has peaches, ideally I'dlove to do all three.
So that's definitely on mybucket list for sure, because
I'm a fiend for all thingsberries, especially in this
economy, right?
So yeah, I mean those aredefinitely what I would consider
the hits, if you may, some ofmy summer faves.
(26:04):
I mean, of course, if you'reinto some local staycations,
staying at places like TurfValley is an awesome option.
It's just like a gorgeousresort, just like nestled right
up in Ellicott City there isMerriweather Lake House Hotel.
It's beautiful, right on thelakefront.
One year we did our anniversarythere.
It was great because they havethe rooftop pool Absolutely
(26:24):
gorgeous.
And, of course, when we go intothe eastern shore we go to
Rehoboth every year.
And then there's some greatspots in Kent Island that I
visited last year, and HersheyPark is another which that is
also on our list this year to doa day trip to Hershey Park.
So, yeah, I hope I gave youmore than enough options, but
(26:50):
that's some of my take on someof my summer faves.
The reality is again, as aworking, working mom, I'm still
just like you, juggling thechaos of the kids being home.
You know, shuffling work when Ican, when I have the child care
.
So I feel like again this thisyear, specifically because my
business is busier, definitelydoing probably less activities
(27:12):
during the week than I used to,which hurts my mama heart a
little bit.
But it's hard when it's like Ilove this business so much and
I'm throwing myself so much intoit because trying to make it
grow, you know, comes withsacrifices and things like that.
But it also makes me reallygrateful that I did have the
time when I was more of astay-at-home mom or in those
early years of building thebusiness, to dedicate to being
(27:33):
with them and spending lots oftime with them, to go on all
these adventures, because now Iget to share them with you
possible.
Be sure to visit our website tocheck out all of our recent
blogs, because it's like themost annoying, like call to
action for myself, but likeliterally because, again, my
(27:53):
brain is this big, this big andit can only hold so much
information.
This is why we have the websitewith our events calendar and
the blog, so you can, we haveall the information, so you
don't have to worry about it,right?
And, of course, you know, onInstagram you'll see some of our
latest posts where we try tohighlight and share some of
those things, share some of ouradventures, and you can always
(28:13):
see some possible events thatpop up on Hoco Happenings we can
line up.
And if you're hearing this andyou're not on our email list, be
sure to subscribe to our emaillist.
That goes out twice a month, sowe will try to keep you, just
like I said, in the know.
So, thank you so much.
If you have any suggestions thatI you're like oh my god, this
(28:38):
is an absolute fave, you have todo this Girl, let me know.
I don't care if it's ho-co ornot.
Like, that's the whole point.
Like I need to know and even ifI can't get to it right away,
like I will go on the list,right?
You know we all have the everrunning list.
So anyways, as I say, like,subscribe, share and cheers to
summer.
Thanks for tuning into thisepisode of Mom Talk, maryland.
If you loved it, leave a review, share it with a friend or tag
(29:01):
me at thecolumbiamom onInstagram.
I'd love to hear what you thinkand don't forget to follow the
show so you never miss anepisode.
Until next time, keep showingup, keep supporting local and
keep being the incredible mom,woman, human that you are.
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