Cheap Fun - Play Tourist

So everyone is always talking about playing tourist in your own town but have you ever done it??

This is part of our Summer Bucket List this year!

We live in an area where a very large part of our economy is based on TOURISM!! So tourists we will be! 

We took a nice hike up Sugarloaf Mountain! A long hike but not too difficulty. M1 made it all the way up and down (and slept wonderfully that night!)

It was a beautiful way to get in our exercise for the day and a lot more fun than just the normal stroller run for the girls!

M1 even worked on her picture taking skills, by taking a few pictures of Mom and Dad together! I think she did a great job!

Of course Sierra (our golden retriever) had to come up to! She enjoys running through the woods!

Standing on one of the rock ledges. She is not as close as she appears to be!! But still was making me nervous!

M2 has a great time in the backpack.... But... She never stops moving!! I literally need a walking stick or hand rails just to keep my balance! I am pretty sure she thinks it is a jumperoo seat!

Of course if M2 is going to jump then M1 had to get in on the action too!

 ANd a funny face!

Have you played tourist in your hometown! What other fun things have you tried!

We have a fun list planned for this summer! Stay tuned! FOllow us by email 

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ART ON THE ROCKS

So we have this neat thing locally called art on the rocks!! It is wonderful to see all the great artists each year! But when you say "Art on the Rocks" to a 3 year old they think literally and go outside and start hauling in your gravel driveway by the bucketful.... :) Literally we had rocks everywhere!! 

So after a few size parameters were set we have been on the hunt lately for large rocks that we can paint and add to our flower gardens!! We finally have collected quite a few! And hubby was getting pretty tired of the rocks everywhere! After he asked me for about the 10th time where to put the rocks I figured we probably should get going on them!

So we painted rocks!

I used acrylic paint (thank goodness for Ikea paint bibs) 

because we wanted them to be able to be in the garden

and not have the paint wash off!

I set up the paints in an old egg carton that we have used for sensory bins (its on its last leg anyways)

And we painted!

I gave M1 a cookie sheet to paint on! Quick easy clean up : I AM ALL FOR THAT!

Here are a few of our creations!

My stick people may be lacking... But I never claimed to be a GREAT artist!

He is Risen INDEED!!

So there you have it our own form of ART ON THE ROCKS!

Want to see more great ideas check out our interest boards

Water Bead Pool

I am so excited to Post this! 

We were playing on our deck with family today and my hubby (so smart) suggested we dump the water beads in the pool! This was on our summer bucket list and it was a perfect day. Although our sad little kiddie pool has holes in 2 of the 3 rings around the outside! But it still works!! One ring is enough!

Originally I had planned on just adding water bead and no extra water but we already had the pool filled so I just dumped them in! It is so neat! They disappear!! There really is no good way to describe this. You can see all these colors but no beads. You run your hands through and you can feel them but there is no obvious beads!! 

Ok so maybe you can see what I mean in this picture... You cannot really identify the beads in the water specifically..???

They are obviously there but not easy to pick out! If you don't have colored beads you cannot see them at all!

M2 was pretty crazy leaning over the side of the pool! She mostly was after the toys in the pool, but suddenly she discovered the feel of the water beads and she was after them from that point on! 

Just a quick reminder... Don't let your kids eat them! We very carefully watch our kids when they are playing with these (although they say nontoxic) and we do not let them go in there mouths... just a little FYI! 

Longingly looking for these water beads. She couldn't figure out why they kept disappearing??!

Have you tried water beads in a pool yet? I think next we are going to add some to our water blob!! Maybe for M2's birthday party!! 

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Fizzing Experiment

Baking Soda + Vinegar = the oldest experiment 

BUT.... I realized my kids have never seen it! 

So it was amazing to them!

We spread out baking soda in a large pan. Added some drops of food coloring!

Then sprayed with vinegar in a squirt bottle!

 What is it doing MOM?

Coloring Fizzing Mountains!

Then Daddy decided we needed to add a volcano to the center so we added an empty bottle with baking soda!

She wanted Orange... So orange food coloring was next!

Add vinegar and...

 WOW!!! I love the look on her face!

 It just keeps getting better!

 AND BETTER!

Then we had to remove the white sweater to feel the fizzing concoction!

SO simple yet so fun! Such a great reminder that kids love the same things we did when we were kids! What science experiments have you tried? Or what did you do as a kid??

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