Hey, Moms. Has it been warm enough for everyone? Seems like summer has found us in a big way. Hopefully unlike me, you all are fortunate enough to have air conditioning in your homes. Us...not so much. So its been pretty nasty but we are surviving. What all this warm weather has done besides make us hot and sweaty and a wee bit crabby at times.. is sort of inspired us to switch gears. The warm weather tends to get us all in to vacation mode, or slow down mode. It seems the days get a little lazier and each one feels like an opportunity to go out and do something.This column is all about our favorite things to do when the weather turns to warm.
May, warm or not, is the beginning of my favorite season, garage sale season. Now I never used to be much in to garage sales, mind you, but being a mom on a very small budget I have grown to love them. Now I don't go over board and am not one of those people that plans days in advance which sales to hit up in which order and that sort of thing, but I do usually choose a select couple and check them out. One of these days I will write a whole column on garage saling, as I pretty much have it down to an art. Today is not that day. However, I will share that every Thursday and Friday morning I admit I have woken up a little giddy. I look forward to going and venturing out. I have found some great things for the kids at very reasonable prices. And the kids love it, too! They are getting new things and they don't know I didn't pay top dollar for them. Not paying top dollar and being able to then get the kids things like games and books we otherwise couldn't afford makes mom happy.
With the warm weather has also come digging in the dirt. I love to plant flowers and dig in the dirt but nerve issues in my arms don't allow me to do much of it. Enter the kids. Its become a whole family affair. Ella fills up a bucket with dirt, Matthew helps me dig my holes and I can stick the flowers where I want them. It isn't as relaxing and solitude of a venture as I usually like it to be but its been great for the three of us to spend time together and has taught me family time is more important than things being just in their place or done perfectly.
The School House Scoop ice cream shop has also been one of our favorite spots to visit. Albeit a bit early in the season to be hitting up icecream on a regular basis, the staff there is great and the kids love to go. They get to get up on the little bench so they can see all the different kinds and colors and undoubtably always choose the blue kinds. Birthday cake waffle cones happen to be my thing, but whichever we choose, we all leave very happy (and sticky, and the kids - blue. Caution on the Superman icecream!) It never fails we run in to people we know there and it feels like sort of a fun place to get together. At least once a week, you will find us there.
And on to our favorite parks and beaches. This past weekend we went down to the Prescott beach. Now river and Lake swimming aren't my thing, but they have a decent beach and the kids had great fun. Our very favorite swimming hole is at Lake Elmo Park Reserve. They have a fabulous man made swimming hole that has the appearance of a small lake, but isn't, is rather a well filtered fabulous place for a dip. We will definitely be there a LOT this summer. And if its rainy out, as it was on Saturday when our plans to hit up Como park were sort of put the cabosh on, try the Central Park indoor park in Woodbury. There they have this fabulous indoor play facility for the kids. Its five bucks a kid to get in (moms and dads are free) and my kids were content for hours there. If you are brave like I was, and choose to climb and venture with your kids beware: you will definitely want to shower afterwords as you watch all the kids wiping their runny noses and the like with their hands.. However, it was a great place to go on a rainy day and well worth the price to get in. And speaking of Como park, next week the new Polar Bear exhibit opens, which we are so very excited for, and mid June the butterflies are back as well. That's an experience all in its own. So while not local, be sure to hit up Como Park as well. Its free and really has come a long way in the past few years. On a final local note, the aquatic center in town will undoubtably get our business as well this year. There is a great play area for the smaller kids and a big ole slide for us big people. Its clean, well kept, and close to home. Gotta love it.
Well I doubt we will be firing up the grill today, but undboutably the strawberries and sweet corn will be back on the docket for dinner tonight. All of them summer favorites as well.
While miserable feeling at times, I hope you are all enjoying the warm weather and that you have a safe and fun holiday weekend. I hope you will check out some of our favorite spots and don't be afraid to say hi if we should be there at the same time.
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