Fun Sunday: Kids Activities

One fun part about having kids involved in activities is getting to do special events because of those. Both of my older kids are in scouts (surprise!), and this week had some fun activities for both of them.

 My son got to attend the Blue and Gold banquet (which is the birthday party for Boy Scouts) and my daughter got to attend the Father Daughter dance.

I love being able to go to these events with them. For my son, it was a chance to show him that we were excited about his accomplishments and wanted to take an evening as a family to celebrate him. For my daughter, it was a chance to build her relationship with her father. I love that he is an involved dad and will take her to a dance (and even dress up!).

It's one reason why I try to limit the extracurricular activities to one per kid. We have so much going on with both sets of scouts that if they were in a sport or other activity, managing the schedule would be difficult. I also think that it can teach a good lesson about dedication. They may miss out on other things (such as birthday parties, etc) but they made a commitment to their troop/pack and it's a good lesson to learn from.

I also know that, for me, having too much going on would be problematic. I already feel the stress of working all day, being involved in scouts, and being a parent. If I were to have to take them to more activities, I would feel even more flustered. I see how it works for others though- so do what you are comfortable with :)

Fun Sundays: The Children's Museum

This week was wonderful for us. We got to spend Monday together as family, because the kids and I were off of school and my husband was able to take a personal day. Even though we have a lot of work going on right now, my husband really wanted to do something fun with the kids, he decided to do the Children's Museum, and when he checked to see what their hours were found out even better news: It was FREE.

This was one of the special Free days at our museum! That pretty much made the decision for us to go so much easier. I know not everyone would be happy at the thought of a free day (not because of the price, but because of the crowds), but I have a few tips on how to survive if you plan to brave it.

1. Go early. So the free day lasts from 10-4? Get there at 10. The closer to 10 the better. People arrive constantly throughout the day, getting there early ensures you'll be able to walk in and see a few things before it gets completely packed and you can't even maneuver around the crowds or keep track of your kids. Best bet is to arrive with a list of 3-4 things you want to see and plan the best way to work them in.

2. Don't bring a stroller. Just don't. Normally they are helpful with holding things you need and are a place to put the toddler at the end of the day. On free day they are constantly stuck in one place as people walk around you and cut you off from your family. There are fewer places to park the stroller so you have to choose to stay with it or leave it and wonder if you'll come back to it later. Honestly, you won't be there long enough to really need it.

3. Leave early. Yes, the museum is open until 4, but as you arrived at 10am the steady stream of people hasn't stopped. Lines begin to form, parents get grouchy, and your stroller is stuck. Just because you can stay, doesn't mean that you'll enjoy the time you have. This is why making sure to visit the few exhibits you really wanted to check out helps. You've done the stuff you came for, quit while you're ahead.

4. Eat before. Eat after. Don't plan to eat at the museum on the free day. Not only is the food not part of the free admission, but you're wasting time in a big crowd eating overpriced food while you could be going to a restaurant or having a picnic lunch somewhere else. If you eat before you get there, and plan to eat after you leave, it'll work out perfectly.

5. Have fun. You'll see kids crying (they may be your own). You'll see parents losing their cool (they may be you). You may not get to do everything you planned. You'll swear you will never come to a free day again. Then your kids will thank you and talk nonstop about all the fun they had that day. You'll know that not only were you able to do something fun, but that it was of little to no expense. And you'll do it again if you get the chance :)

Fun Sunday: Date Nights

This week was Valentine's Day, and though my husband surprised me the day after with generous gifts, we didn't get to get out just the two of us (due to work and kids).

SO we brought date night home. We got take out and rented a movie to watch together, sent the kids up to play, and had a moment to reconnect. We had interruptions, it wasn't fancy, but it felt good because we both saw the need to have time as a couple and found a way to.

I love the little reminders that I love this man and want to spend time with him.

Fun Sunday: Movie Nights

My husband was selected by CrowdTap to host a Hotel Transylvania screening party. He invited some friends + their kids to watch the movie, and it was such a nice time.

It was a much cheaper way to enjoy a movie (and if the toddlers wander off, no big deal). We just had some popcorn and light snacks and it was a really great time.

It helped that I got to hang out with my friends at the same time :)

I love Movie Nights in general. They are low-key, inexpensive, and I get to be around my favorite people :)

Fun Sunday: Game Nights

This Fun Sunday is brought to you by the fact that I just got home from a game night with friends. I absolutely love them (the games and my friends). We love to go out, shop, and do other stuff- but some of the best times have been when we've gotten together and played a few games.

I think the best kinds of games to play with a group involve a lot of interaction and participation. If you have to make up funny phrases, guess something someone said/did, or act something out- the better.

Some of the best ones are:

• Quelf (this game is crazy- you never know what you'll have to do next)
• The Game of Things (this game can get pretty interesting depending on who is playing it :) ) 
• Mad Gab (Hilarious trying to figure out what is really being said)

What games do you like to play? Do you do a game night with friends? 

Fun Sunday: Lazy Days In

This is probably a cop out, but there are some days that I just need a lazy day in. Working all week is great, being involved in scouts, blogging daily,  having friends and hobbies- all of that is wonderful, but there are days when I need to have nothing on the agenda. That is how I spent my day yesterday. I had friends over for coffee and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing and avoiding anything that required effort.

I saw that quote on Pinterest and loved it. I find myself falling into the mindset that if I don't have a million things to do that I'm not doing enough. That's just not true. Some of the best days and memories have come from downtime and without going anywhere. It's also so easy to get burnt out by always having something on the list to do.

Some of my favorite ways to enjoy downtime:

• Watching a well-loved movie. Not a new one, but one I know every word to because then I don't even need the effort of following the plot. 
• Painting. This can be a mixed bag, if I'm too focused on making something awesome it can be less relaxing. If I just paint, it is. 
• Grazing. I like to have days I don't have to cook. Having leftovers, easy to grab snacks, and putting off even the freezer meals for a day feels good.
• Napping. Really, why did we have to get too old for a nap? Sleep is important.
• Coffee. It's nice to be able to savor a cup rather than down it on my way to work. I may even have a second :) 

How to you spend your downtime? Do you ever make a point to have a destress day? 

Fun Sunday: Geocaching

If you know me, you probably know that my family goes Geocaching. If you don't already know, Geocaching is like going on a treasure hunt (if you think finding tupperware in the middle of the woods treasure ;) ) You use Geocaching.com and look up the coordinates for a cache (a hidden container). You use a GPS enabled device (your smartphone, a handheld GPS, etc) to find it, sign the log, and put it back. Then log online that you found it. It's really a fun activity that we can all do as a family, and isn't too expensive. It can be, but it doesn't have to be.

If you've never been Geocaching, here's all about it in 2 minutes:

My suggestion is to pack a bag when you head out to find these treasures. Include:

• Water/Snacks (especially if geocaching with children)
• a PEN (you'd hate to track one down and not be able to sign the log!)
• First aid kit (when exploring the great outdoors, anything can happen)

Also bring your camera because there are many photo ops along the way!

My kids love it and have said that the love to find the treasure, trade for toys, and play outside. This has let us explore a lot more of the area around us, but even in other states as well. Geocaching is worldwide so it's really neat to think of people all over the world having the same hobby.

I hope you check it out, you may find something really neat!

Fun Sunday: Kitchen Science

This week's Fun Sunday is what we spents a snowy day working on: Kitchen Science!

We used the kit my son got from his Aunt for Christmas:

(You can find it here on Amazon, SMARTLAB: Extreme Secret Formula Lab
 but I'm sure if you google you'd be able to find projects to do without buying a kit!)

The fun of Kitchen Science is that you test out stuff that you usually have just around the house! The kit was cool because it came with a book of instructions as well as the cool beakers and instruments. Cole was so excited that he yelled "Mom! I got SCIENCE!" when he opened it.

We picked 2 experiments to do that morning. The first was his favorite- we make glow in the dark slime! We had to have cornstarch, water, food coloring, and the glow in the dark powder from the kit.

The second experiment was to make water that smelled like bread. We used yeast, warm water, and sugar (and found that I need to replace my yeast! Yay science...)

Guess I should invest in a lab coat for future experiments :)





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Fun Sunday- Struck by Lightning

Since this is Fun Sunday, I'm going to take this time to be a fangirl (and if you don't know what a fangirl is, run. Far away.).

Or don't.

I'm a big fan of Glee, otherwise known as a Gleek, and this summer one of my favorite stars of Glee (Chris Colfer) went on a book tour for his children's book The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell. I got to go on a trip with one of my best friends to go meet him. It was really awesome :) I also really liked his book and my kids liked it when I read it to them.

He also has a movie out that he wrote and starred in, in his free time ;) It's received good reviews and you're able to rent on iTunes and Amazon. It's called Struck by Lightning and was one that made my husband and I crack up a lot while watching.

Carson Phillips is dead set on getting out of his city. His dedication to making something of himself makes him an outsider and he uses that rejection to feed his drive. Only, the saying "life's what happens when you're busy making plans" really comes to play in this movie.

I liked it and I never get to see movies so I was happy that this was available on Amazon and on iTunes to rent. It made having a movie night with the husband really easy (and it helps that he liked the movie too :) ). I'd follow the movie ratings on this, and save it for after the kids go to bed :)

Have you seen any great movies this week? I'd love to hear about them!


Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are my own because I am a fan. I wasn't compensated or asked to promote this. The links used are my referral links, you can read more about that at my disclosure policy.