beat the heat playdate.

You know sometimes I don't feel like going on adventures. Sometimes my kids don't feel like it either. There have been a lot of days this Summer we have pulled out the slip and slide, or filled up the pool and just played in the backyard. I feel like we have had a good mix of adventure and chillaxin'.

I love when you are texting with a friend, and she is just as unmotivated as you are. But you know you both have to do something with the kids, or everyone is going to go crazy.

So maybe Leisha was a little more motivated than I was, because she actually planned something for us to do. 

She was telling me she wanted to do ice cream cookie sandwiches, and let the kids build toothpick/marshmallow creations. Sounded like the perfect afternoon. She ran to the store for supplies, and I just showed up...I am so niiiiice. I did tell her to go to Smith's for the cookies, because some of them have these itty bitty cookies for $1 for 10ish cookies. They have been a staple in our splash pad snack/treat bag this Summer. Some Mom's are willing to heat up their kitchens to bake their own cookies, I buy these. 

We started the kids on the marshmallow/tooth pick creations first. Leisha's kids were clearly pros at this, they had some serious building skills. Bina liked eating the marshmallows more than building anything with them, and Devin started off unsure but got the hang of it from watching his friends. We are going to need a redo of this activity!

The ice cream cookie sandwiches were a hit, and not just with the kids either. Yummo! The kids had so much fun mixing and matching cookie flavors with ice cream flavors. It was the perfect little activity and treat!

I am lucky that our friends will invite us to have some fun, because we all know it wouldn't have ended well staying in the house all day.

Amphitheater Park - Splash Pad

This Summer has really been all about visiting more places we have never been. Of course there is risk in this, because we sometimes have adventure flops. We haven't had many flops this year, thankfully. 

While talking to my friend Stephanie, she asked if we had ever been to the Amphitheater Park/splash pad. This one is a fairly new park {maybe 2 years?}, and we had never been. 

You should click on the link to see how fun this splash pad is! I would have taken pictures, but it was packed with little people...and to be honest I was pretty comfortable with Drake under the canopy.

Things that I really did love about Amphitheater Park...

Even though it is new, they have some bigger trees that have a little bit of shade. Nowadays you better just plan on bringing shade if you want it, because these new parks don't have anywhere to sit out of the heat. They also have the shade that stretches over parts of the splash pad, and a large pavilion to sit under as well. We didn't go early enough, so a lot of this space was spoken for...but still an option.

I loved the different water features that I haven't seen at other splash pads, like the wall of water falls. 

I love that there is lots of space that you can sit and see both the park and splash pad clearly. My kids like to go back and forth from one to the other, so this is important to me.

You know what the best part of our visit? The company. Emily is one of our favorites, and it turns out our kids liked playing together too. When we were leaving my kids asked if we could play with them again...{warm fuzzies}. I love when people come with us on adventures, because between watching kids/listening to kids/feeding kids you can get an adult conversation in...and I always need that.

PS All photo cred goes to Emily too. I wasn't joking when I said I didn't leave that shade for much. 

Name: Amphitheater Park
Address: 9400 S 1300 E Sandy, UT

Jump Around Utah

I love when my friend Christy buys a Groupon, and then tells me to buy the same Groupon so that we can go on an adventure together. That is the definition of having my back. Hahaha.

So, we planned a day to go to Jump Around Utah, which was our first visit! 

It is a lot smaller than the bounce place that is closer to our home. This meant the older kids seem to get bored faster. It does have a play land type structure, and one of those big pillows you jump on in the middle...which was definitely a favorite amongst all of the kids.

Devin found a basketball hoop with a ball, and hasn't stopped talking about that. Savannah and her cute friend tried all sorts of tricks on the pillow. Bina was content to sit next to the Mom's eating snacks. 

And I won't soon forget that Drake was in rare form, and was AWFUL the entire time we were there. 

Name: Jump Around Utah
Address: 1519 S 700 W SLC, UT
Admission/Cost: $10 for 3 yrs+

Oquirrh Shadows Park - Splash Pad

Oquirrh Shadows Park splash pad is another new one for us this Summer. A few of the neighbors invited us to go with them, and we were so happy they introduced us to this splash pad!

From the pictures I looked at originally online, I was a little skeptical that it would be fun for all of my kids. It is getting harder to find things that the almost 12 year old thinks is cool, and the littles too!

Our first trip I told the kids to bring a soccer ball, glove and baseball, and frisbee...just in case they ended up getting bored. This park has a large grassy area that is perfect for this kind of stuff. They had so much fun, we never pulled any of this stuff out.

Our second trip, we still brought all the extra stuff...and they did end up using it. I will say this, they started up a game of soccer with a few of the kids that were at the splash pad too. Warmed my little heart to see it, and they all had blast! 

We have lots of squirt guns and such, the kids always love when the splash pad has a little stream in it so it is easy to fill up all of the water weapons!  This splash pad has a pretty good little stream! And don't forget the buckets that dump on your head, those a favorite too!

This splash pad is in our rotation this Summer, and it has been a nice change of scenery for all of us!

Name: Oquirrh Shadows Park
Address: 4150 W. South Jordan Parkway South Jordan, UT

FlipaZoo - Our Review.

This is a sponsored post. All the opinions belong to me, and the kids that reviewed it.

Let me just start off by saying, my kids have been fighting over the one FlipaZoo we got to review. We got this ^ unicorn/dragon, and it is even more adorable in person. We were ecstatic to finally see them in WalMart, because the kids wanted to pick out their very own.

We basically have been passing this soft pillow around from kid to kid. I even once told the kids that the dragon side belonged to Devin, and the unicorn side belonged to Bina. 

I don't know if your kids are the same way as mine, but they go absolutely nuts over this kind of stuff. I know some people can't stand to have one more stuffed animal, but I can't help caving in because they actually play and use them. 

I think we finally have found the perfect home for this guy, in the car. When the kids take their car naps, they use this soft guy as the pillow they always need. 

We are definitely fans of the FlipaZoo.

Home Depot Kid Workshop - Bowling Alley Edition

We had never been to one of Home Depot's free build workshops for kids. I don't know what got into me, but I decided to brave it with 4 kids by myself.

Since it is a first come, first serve basis, we decided to get there super early. It was not busy at all, and so the kids felt like they weren't rushed to complete the project.

It was a little difficult juggling Drake, and trying to help the kids using a hammer. It definitely took ample amounts of patience to help the 4 year old, while she screamed she didn't need it. All the kids chose to also paint the project, which was nice to do somewhere I didn't have to worry about any mess.

We definitely had a fantastic time, and it was something we will do again. It still amazes me it was completely free!