Local Stories

Our Fall Bucket List: 25 Must-Do Fall Activities for Woodlands-area Mommies!

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Our favorite season of the year is here, and there's plenty to do in 3 short months! Enjoy WoodlandsMommy.com's "Bucket List" of activities to ensure you have the best fall yet:

1. Visit a pumpkin patch. (Use our list, found here.) Dress the kids in coordinating fall attire, snap adorable photos, and take home your favorite pumpkin finds. Use one or two to decorate your home or front doorstep, and don't forget to carve Jack-o-lanterns for Halloween.

2. Purchase fresh produce from a farmers market. It's harvest season, and you're bound to find fresh fruit & veggie favorites, farm-fresh eggs, and handmade preserves and pickles at one of the many open-air farmers markets in our area.

We volunteered at Mercy House Global in Magnolia! YOU can too!

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Are you looking for an opportunity for your whole family to volunteer? Give Mercy House Global a try! Children are welcome to volunteer alongside their parents, and the coordinator can usually find age-appropriate tasks and duties for children 6 years of age and older.

Mercy House Global is a nonprofit organization located at 5814 FM 1488 Rd in Magnolia, and – according to their website – part of their mission is to engage, empower, and disciple women around the globe in Jesus’ name. Learn more about their mission here.

In the past, finding a volunteer opportunity that all six of my family members can do has been a challenge. Often times, the 7-year-old is too young to help, and the 11-year-old who has special needs might not be able to handle some of the more complicated tasks. For other volunteer jobs, the tasks are too easy and/or too tedious for my teens to enjoy. Mercy House Global was a perfect fit for us!

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When I visited the Volunteer tab on the Mercy House Global website, I was surprised to see that some shifts were available for that current week. Those of you with unpredictable schedules might appreciate the opportunity to possibly squeeze into an opening without too much advance planning.

I scheduled our shift for a Monday from 9:30 to 12:30; we arrived, signed in, and got straight to work. We received a quick orientation for each task, and then we were trusted to get the job done without micro-management! Our contact person / coordinator, Ms. Jennifer, was thoughtful and kind. She made us all feel valued, and whenever she passed our area she encouraged the kids as they worked. The atmosphere was pleasant and upbeat, and our work processes were efficient. We bubble wrapped and boxed candles, folded and packaged shirts, packaged beaded garland, and performed a couple other tasks. The materials we were handling were well-made and beautiful, and those candles smelled so good! NOTE: We chose to wear face coverings, but they were NOT required.

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I highly recommend volunteering at Mercy House Global! They offer 3-hour volunteer slots Monday – Friday, from 9:30am – 12:30pm. In exchange for your serve, you receive a punch card that can be used to save on Mercy House Global merchandise. Sweet perk!

SPOTLIGHT - Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens (It’s FREE!)

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The Woodlands is downright gorgeous and bursting with nature, so residents here might not be too gung ho about making the drive down to the FM 1960 area just to check out more plant life. Allow me to shake that thought! If you’ve never visited Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, you should put it on your to-do list for the fall season. This serene, 300+-acre, free-to-the-public attraction is nationally recognized and boasts the largest collection of native and cultivated plants in the region. The grounds are pretty, smell lovely, and water features and wooden benches scattered throughout the botanical gardens make it great place to go just to gain some peace of mind.

Five Things To Know About School Zones

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The local schools will be back in session soon, and that means that school zones are active again. Rusty Fincher, Retired Captain in Precinct 1 of the Montgomery County Constable's Office, has five simple tips for drivers who find themselves driving up to a school zone.

1. Don't exceed your limit - Typically, a school zone is 20 miles per hour in a residential area, and can be as high as 35 or 40 mph in a highway area. Fincher warns that these are maximum speeds, and most law enforcement officers don't have a "buffer" zone of a few miles per hour over the limit. "By the time you reach the sign marking a school zone, you should be at or under the speed listed on it," said Fincher. "The difference between, say, 20 and 25 miles per hour may not amount to much on the open roads, but it can spell the difference between life and death when youngsters are running about."

Our evening at The Learning Zoo! (Plus tickets to their SUMMER BASH!)

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Eeek!! The kids held a python!

It was part of our hands-on learning experience at The Learning Zoo right here in Conroe off FM 1488. Two moms and our 4 kids ranging in age from 4-11 got up close and personal with a variety of animals during our private VIP Tour. We saw snake and other reptiles, chickens, goats, pigs, a cow, parrot, and more! Feeding fresh veggies to the farm animals and tortoises was a huge hit with the kids! The grounds are perfect - spacious enough with many animal habitats, but not so huge to where it's overwhelming for kiddos.

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The Learning Zoo is owned and operated by Drew Schulz, a professional zookeeper, and the facility is currently open by appointment only. Our tour was conducted very efficiently. There were no long, drawn-out introductions; the kids grabbed their feeding cups and we got to the action right away! Drew shared so many fun facts about the animals we were seeing, and he moved along quickly so we never got bored.

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Check out The Learning Zoo for VIP Tours (like the one we did), homeschool classes, summer camps, weekend workshops, and more! Your child can even have a birthday party at the zoo, OR The Learning Zoo can bring out some of the animals to YOU!

On Saturday, August 14, The Learning Zoo is having a Summer Bash that's open to the public. The event is open to the public and is a convenient opportunity for you to experience the zoo without assembling a small group for a private tour. Tickets are only $12 and free for children under 3. More info can be found here.

Small Business Spotlight: Nutmaste

Meet Rachel Cabrera:

Attend a Fun Family Campout at Space Center Houston!

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Are you looking for an out-of-this world adventure for your family this season? Experience an overnight experience at Space Center Houston located just an hour away from The Woodlands! You and your family will navigate your own space exploration journey while engaging in science, technology, and engineering activities. You'll also build rockets and explore robots!

Bring your camping gear out and setup a tent in a 10ft x 10ft space reserved for you!

Please note: All campers must be at least 5 years old.

Cost is $69.95 per person, meals included (or save 10% if you're a Space Center Houston member).