Happy Thursday! Hope everyone is staying cool wherever you are. Here it has been HOT... temperatures in the low 90s but high humidity and just heat. Today we actually are under a heat advisory for most of the day. They say we could see heat indexes of 103-105 degrees! Ughh.
I have been trying to come up with activities to do with the kids that are a little different but will keep them engaged. Tuesday we made a little field trip out to Honey Run Waterfall and the kids swam and played in the water for about 2 hours. We went early and got there around 9:15. That was the perfect time to go as there was no one there for the first 45 minutes or so. By the time we left at 11:40 it was very busy.
When we first arrived, we walked down the path to get to the falls and were greeted by a huge falcon diving through the trees. We think it was hunting or trying to get to some baby birds as it was being chased by 2 small birds that were squawking and going crazy. It was really neat to see though.
The kids had so much fun climbing the rocks near the falls and playing in the creek that the falls run into.
We met up with my friend and her daughter. The kids had a blast!
Around 11:30 the kids were hungry and we were originally going to picnic near the falls, but a bunch of young adults were there being loud and smoking (even though it is a no smoking park) so we decided to take a short drive to the bike path and eat at a picnic shelter there. The kids liked that idea as they were also able to play on the playground there.
Do you have local watering holes or waterfalls that you can swim/splash around in?
Overall, it was a very fun day!
Today, we are probably doing a movie/game day due to the heat advisory. I also have some catchup house cleaning to do. I have more energy than usual because I actually got to sleep in until almost 7 this morning versus the 4:50AM that I usually get up. My mom has to have a colonoscopy today so dropped my niece and nephew off at 7:20 this morning versus the 5:10 that she does when she has to be at work. Before we do anything though, we need to go pick up Rebecca's friend who is going to spend the day with us (do you still call it a playdate if they are teenagers?). I hope everyone has a good day and is keeping cool!
You look like you had so much fun. Your energy and devotion to getting those kids up and out leaves me in awe. (I confess to setting up the sprinklers and shooing them outside several times/week.) No waterfalls within an easy drive now that I live in the PNW, but growing up in MA, there were several near me--not really sanctioned by parents as they required driving, and were not bona fide parks--more like word of mouth places, whereas the lake was a quick walk, and had both park police and lifeguards. Where we are now, there is a really neat State Park nearby, on the water, where I used to take the kids when they were younger. Not sure how they could stand swimming in the cold waters of the Puget Sound, but they seemed to love it. Now that they are older, they won't even dip a toe in the water!
ReplyDeleteMeg, I think my energy is just because I would rather keep them busy than let them sit in front of the TV. LOL It allows for structure and makes me get out of the house too.
DeleteI swear you are the best mama! I hope someday those kids and nieces/nephews appreciate what you did for them. I agree with Meg that your energy/devotion is awesome. I had 3 kids but I think I enjoyed them more when they were babies/toddlers and I didn't have to plan days. Our elementary/middle school summer days were spent going to the community swimming pool.
ReplyDeleteI am a nervous wreck with these kids around a pool. Didn't have to even have that discussion this year as our pools are closed. I am enjoying this stage because I don't have to be right on top of them instructing how to do things. And they are content with discovering nature.
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