Family Fun

This summer the kids need to get out of the house at least once a day – we usually know it’s time when they start chasing each other around the house, aggravating each other, or get hurt because they’re spinning in circles and bump heads or starting jumping off furniture. That’s when my husband usually turns to me and says we need to go do something – outside.

Some days we have things planned in advance like a trip to Chick-fil-A followed by the library and maybe a walk at the local Riverwalk. Other days, we just kind of decide at the spur of the moment when wildness breaks out, and we’ll do something like take the kids to McDonald’s for ice cream or walk to Walgreens.

I will tell you that we’ve never had a summer like this before where I feel like we need to LEAVE the house every day at least for a little while. Maybe it’s because the kids have gotten older? Maybe it’s because 3 of our 4 kids are BOYS. It’s probably a little of both.

Either way, it’s been interesting and challenging.

There’s one place that we’ve visited a few times this summer that’s been particularly fun for the kids. Our membership to the “big” zoo expired at the end of June, so we decided to visit a local zoo in our area that’s free for everyone.

The first time we went this summer, I was impressed with the changes they had made since the last time we’d visited. Just look at how close you can get to that tortoise.

And the new reptile house is so cool! There’s a huge Burmese python and lots of other slimy friends.

There are even a couple of alligators that actually move! The ones at the big zoo wouldn’t even flinch when we visited. These guys are pretty active and you can get a close up look at them because of how their habitat is set up.

There are lots of other animals, too – like this turkey who was asking for a close up. And there are wolves, owls, a mountain lion, a bald eagle, a goat, chickens, a llama, and lots of other animals. Gone are the animals that were there when I was a kid….the bears, mountain goats, and monkeys. 🙁

But overall, I’m glad that we can take the kids to the zoo – the same zoo Ruben and I visited when we were kids – for free. It’s been a nice way to spend time together as a family, and it allows the kids to use up some of that energy outside walking instead of inside jumping off the beds or the couch or the t.v. stand…..

I’m not quite sure how to begin this post. I know I’ve been “gone” for almost a month, and while I’ve been wanting to jump back in and start blogging again….I just wasn’t sure where to start. Should I talk about where I’ve been? Should I just start blogging again as if I hadn’t been gone? I wasn’t sure.

But then I started doing a bit of design work again. I was able to help a few friends with some minor things they needed done on their blogs. A spark was lit. Then a couple of jobs came in, and there are possibly a couple more jobs around the corner from those. That was it. Working on other people’s blogs made me remember my own wee, little, neglected blog and how much I really do enjoy blogging. So here I am.

I’m back, and I’m ready to start sharing life, deals, and ideas with you again. I’ll try not to disappear again, either.

On a different subject, for anyone who has been wondering, my pregnancy is going pretty well. I’m now 4 months pregnant, and feeling worlds better than I did just a month or so ago. The only thing that has been of concern to me is my weight. I’m really trying to keep my weight under control with this pregnancy, and I think I’m doing okay, but I just hate to see that scale moving UP, UP, UP. So far, I’ve gained 12 pounds. And lately the pounds seem to be coming on faster than before. I’m not really happy about this, but as long as I’m trying to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, I’m hoping I’ll be fine.

I’ll get an ultrasound in just under 4 weeks, and we can’t wait to find out whether this baby is a boy or girl! We are not the type of parents who like to be surprised! 🙂 I’ll be sure to share the news with you guys when we find out!

That’s all for now friends! Til tomorrow!

It’s hard to believe, but our oldest son just turned 11 years old. Eleven! Time sure does fly. Altogether, Nathan had a great birthday. It started with opening his gifts from us. We got him a Mr. Men book that he had requested. We also got him some character shirts we found on sale a couple of months ago that we’ve kept hidden in the closet.

And finally, we got him a Lego watch and some Lego sets that we found for 40-50% off at Walmart. I was thrilled to find the Lego watch and Lego sets marked down because it’s hard to find a good deal on Legos. They’re SO expensive. The 3 older kids are really into Legos right now and were all very happy to have new Legos to play with.

Later, we ended up at Chuck E. Cheese for games and pizza. I’m glad that even though Nathan is 11 years old, he still likes going there, and we went there at his request.

I’m pretty good at maximizing coupons at Chuck E. Cheese, so, going there doesn’t feel like a huge strain on the finances. We ended up paying about $36 for a pizza, 5 drinks, and about 235 tokens. Plus the kids all left with little toys and fun stuff from redeeming our tickets. All in all, it was a great day.

Happy birthday, Nathan!

Isn’t the zoo one of the best places on earth to visit with your family? I mean, you can create such wonderful memories there, and even though we’ll visit a few times a month now that the weather is warmer, every time is different. We’ll take new pictures, we’ll visit exhibits we didn’t visit the last time we went, we’ll eat lunch in a different spot, or we’ll see an animal doing something we’ve never seen before.

We have a zoo membership that has definitely paid for itself long, long ago. And there are many other reasons I like the zoo:

:: Free exercise. Hello walking for 2.5 hours!

:: It’s educational. The last time we went Nathan thought I was so smart because I knew all the animal names. Um, Mommy was simply reading the signs, son. I need to encourage this more the next time we go. 🙂 But it’s a great home schooling field trip!

:: Pictures, pictures, pictures.

:: The zoo is open 365 days a year, so, you can bundle up and go when it’s cold or enjoy the zoo in warmer weather.

:: They sell those over-priced plastic animals that the kids love.

:: Since we are members, we get discounts!

:: Zoo picnic lunches. The best. I love lunch time at the zoo. We eat outside on nice days and inside on colder days. We always pack our lunches which makes lunch time more fun and memorable.

:: It’s free whenever we go. No extra money out of pocket for tickets with a membership. Even parking is free! Except for the gas. 🙁

The only part I don’t like about the zoo is visiting the monkey/ape house. I’ve watched Animal Planet and the stories about the monkeys/apes that go crazy and mutilate human beings. Scary. I get a little nervous about these creatures whenever we visit the ape house. I don’t like them looking at me. At all. Stop it!

And now for some more friendly zoo pics:

 

What’s your favorite part about the zoo?