Summer Bucket List update! #3

July is almost over already! Summer will be over before you know it. Where did all the time go? Why does winter always last so much longer? Well, despite it all we are still chugging along with Javon's Summer Bucket List, and we have a big update to share today! Let's jump right in!

 

 

5. Have a picnic

We had a relaxed day back the at the Splash pad a few weeks ago, and we packed a lunch and it made for a fun afternoon!

 

 

7. Get ice cream from the ice cream truck.

This one proved a challenge this year. I have not heard the ice cream truck come through our neighborhood at all this summer! So we had to compromise with this one. When we are on the beach in Atlantic City, there are always a few men pushing large coolers with big wheels through the crowds of people as they yell "ICE CREAM!" For 2-3$ you can get a popsicle of your choice from the dry ice filled freezer. Javon loves it, and is always the first to spot the coolers rolling down the beach. I wish I had a picture of the ice cream carts, I searched Google high and low and sadly could not find one, and I did not have a picture. But I do have one of the yummy treats that came from him!

 

8. Have a sleepover

Javon received a treat this weekend by having one of his favorite people in the whole wide world tag along on our beach trip! Mason spent the night at our home before we left and then spent 2 nights with us at the beach!

 

20. Make homemade popsicles

Javon LOVES popsicles. He would eat them all day every day if we let him! I had picked up a popsicle maker at the dollar store and we had juice at the house. We poured juice into the slot before bedtime and in the morning we had popsicles!

 

25. Ride bikes on the boardwalk

On our last day in AC during our most recent trip, we packed up and headed to Ocean City to spend our last day. It is my favorite little town, I love all the sights and sounds. Renting a bike to ride the boards in the morning is the best way to experience it all! We rent our bikes from Ocean City Bicycle Center on 8th & Atlantic. They have any kind of bike you may need from Surreys to trike's! We rented 2 normal bikes and a tandem bike for Javon and I which actually worked out better then I thought it would!  

 

30. Go to the batting cages

Our go-to mini golf spot, locally is The Meadows on 22. Not only is it fun, its clean and well maintained. Recently they added batting cages and bumper cars to add even more fun! What started as a simple ice cream shop is really turning into something great that our area really needed!

 

55. Ride Go-Carts

With Groupon from Adventure Sports, we were able to enjoy a lot a round go mini-golf and some arcade time plus a go-cart ride about 2 weeks ago for only 18$

 

 

56. Visit a new town

We visited Avalon while at the Shore this weekend. We stopped in the evening and played a round of Mini Golf. It was a ritzy little shore town. I felt out of place, it was quite fancy as were the people. The Hampton's of New Jersey maybe?

 

63. Sidewalk chalk tic-tac-toe

Javon loves tic-tac-toe. We play it a lot at restaurant's while waiting for our food, so this was right up his alley. Just be warned if you ever play with him, he likes cheat!

 

 

66. Sunset on the Bay

This trip to the beach we did not stay on the boardwalk as we usually do. This time we stayed at Harrah's resort on The bay. It was awesome! I think it was my favorite stay in AC ever. We had a room in the newer Waterfront Tower, which offered stunning views! I will be reviewing our stay here soon. I didn't get a picture of an actually sunset, but this is close enough as it was beginning to set!

 

69. Play at a new playground

Last time we visited the splash pad we had no time to enjoy the playground, it was a new experience on our most recent visit!

 

72. Sidewalk chalk hopscotch

 

77. Hot Wheels painting.

See my previous post for details!

 

78. Ride a new rollercoaster

We have HersheyPark season passes. We always have and always will! We are there a lot! Prior to this year, Javon could only ride the Trailblazer. This year though, he is finally a Reese's and can ride bigger rides! He has now concurred both the comet and the super doper looper, and he loves them both!

 

82. Go to an Outdoor famers market.

When I was younger, I loved going to the small famers market at the Farm Show complex with my Mom, Aunt and Grandma. We would get fresh corn on the cob and baked goods from the Amish and then get French fries and sandwiches' for lunch. Javon and I stopped by on my way to work one day and we shared some of the delicious fresh French fries and Javon also had his first Whoopie Pie!

 

91. Play baseball in the yard

 

 

97. Glow Stick bubble bath

I saw this idea on Pintrest and figured Javon would get a kick out of it. I bought 2 packs of 5 glow sticks at the dollar store and tossed them into a bubble bath and turned off the lights. The only thing I wish I would of done differently was add more glow sticks!

 

 

 

98. Boogie board at the beach

Boogie boarding was always my favorite thing to do at the beach as a kid. Javon is still young, but he already is catching on and getting out there to catch some waves!

 

 

 

As much as I wish that I could glue a camera to my hand and have it there at all the right times, there has been some items checked off with no photos to go with.

 

On Saturday Javon attended a Lancaster Barnstormers baseball game with his Pop-Pop and they saw fireworks after the game.

4. Watch Fireworks

62. Go to a baseball game

 

Whenever we are in the car on long drives and sometime when we are just relaxing outside we will play I-Spy with my little eye!

22. Play I-Spy outside

 

Javon is the pickiest eater I have ever came across! He eats maybe 10 different foods. When ever he tries something new it's a big deal. The most recent thing he tried was Pork BBQ. We had to tell him it was chicken and I still didn't think he would go near the stuff since it had sauce on it. He did try it, and guess what? He loved it! He couldn't stop eating it!

27. Try a new food

 

I work a full time job with unconventional hours. I don't get home most nights till 9pm. It is not unsual for Javon to stay up with me till close to 11. This Saturday he was so excited that Mason was staying the night with us he was up well back Midnight!

37. Stay up late

 

Javon loves to go along when his MiMi takes our Dog Gucci for a walk. It is summer so naturally they have been on many walks recently!

45. Walk the dog 

 

This summer has been full of adventure and Javon is getting quite brave! He rode 2 different big water slides at HersheyPark this year since he is now tall enough. Last weekend he also rode Tidal Force for the first time and loved it!

80. Ride a big water slide

 

  

If your still counting with you, that is 45 down, 55 to go! Almost half way there!

 

 

Liked it, Pinned it, Tried it! Hot Wheels painting & Water Balloon piñata's

 I love Pintrest! Is there anyone out there who doesn't? It's like a guilty pleasure, when ever I am bored, I can spend hours  scanning through thousands of pins. From birthday party ideas to recipes, work outs and diets, and anything else your creative brain desires, you will find it there. Pintrest is like an encyclopedia of children's activites. You could spend years pinning activites to try with your little ones! Recently Javon and I tried 2 easy pins with success! 

The first one we tried was painting with Hot Wheels. I mean, what could go wrong here? My kid is obsessed with hot wheels. They are pretty much the only things he plays with on a daily basis. I picked up some simple finger paint (it was actually the only kind of paint they had) at the dollar store. We already had what seems like millions of hot wheels scattered through out every corner of our home. We were set! The only thing I wish we had done differently is to have bigger paper. We just used basic computer paper, but poster board would be more ideal. I laid the paper out, poured some of the paint onto paper plates, and provided a few cars to Javon and he ran with it! 

What little boy wouldn't love making tire tracks with hot wheels? Javon had a ton of fun with this. We will do this again for sure, with larger paper of course! 

The other activity we tried was water balloon piñata's. I won't lie, I saw this and thought it looked cool but didn't think we would try it. Where would I tie the balloons? How would I fill the balloons enough and still be able to tie them? Turns out my dollar store water balloons worked just fine! I tied the balloons to the old clothes line in our backyard. I filled each one, carried them to the line and quickly tied them. The weight of the balloons did cause 2 of them to break before the fun could begin, leaving 5 out of 7 for whacking. Armed with a plastic baseball bat and decked in his swim trucks, Javon went to work swinging the bat until all the balloons popped. 

 

This was another fun activity that is great for hot summer days! 

Hopefully you can try these ideas too! 

We will be back soon with an update on The summer bucket list progress. We hope everyone's week is filled with tons of summer fun! 

Middlesex Township Splash Pad

When I started our quest to have "the best summer ever" and started preparing Javon's summer bucket list, I searched the four corners of Pintrest to help me fill the list with the best ideas I could find. I read more then 100 other families summer bucket lists, some with only 20 ideas others with 250 or more. Although different, many had a lot of the same ideas. One I noticed repeated on more then half, was to visit a splash pad. I don't know about you, but I had never heard of a splash pad before. I figured it had something to do with water, seemed it would be kid friendly and the name sounded fun. So, without any research or hesitation, I blindly added "visit a splash pad" to the list. I didn't even know if there was a local splash pad, but I was determined I would find one and Javon would like it!

Fast forward to this past Sunday, Javon had been away for the weekend. I was excited to have him back and was ready to jump into some fun. After doing some research online, I was able to locate a splash pad about 20 minutes from our home. It looked pretty cool on the website but I didn't had pretty much no clue what to expect. 

The Middlesex Township splash pad is located in Carlise. From I-81 we took the same exit as The Sports Emporium. The splash pad is in a township park that goes by the name of Main Park. When we arrived Sunday evening around 5, the park was pretty busy. Along with the splash pad, this park also had a playground, basketball court, baseball fields a picnic pavillion and charcoal grills. From the parking lot I could see that the only 2 benches located near the splash pad were taken, but that other parents had made spots for themselves in the surrounding grassy areas. I was thankful that I still had chairs in my trunk leftover from the weekends events. We found a close spot in the grass and Javon headed in to play. 

So what is a splash pad exactly? It's pretty much a glorified sprinkler. This one is a 30x30' slab of concrete that is painted bright blue. There are about 10 different holes where water shoots up from the ground at different hights and angles. The water constantly drains so there is no standing water. It's a great little place to cool off on a hot summer day. The fun was not only for the little ones though, I witnessed 2 dads and at least one mom joining in and they looked to be having just as much fun as the kids.  I would like to point out that I was alittle nervous that Javon would not enjoy this much because he is not a fan of water spraying anywhere near his face. I was pleasantly surprised when after a few moments of getting used to it all, he was running head first through the streams of water. I think it was because the features were so gentle, he was able to fully enjoy the splash pad. I think a splash pad could make a great addition to most local parks here in the Harrisburg area. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a park closer to home with catch on to the trend and install a splash pad soon! 

 

If you go:

1. The Splash Pad is located at 50 Beagle Club Road in Carlise. 

2. The Splash pad is open from 10:30am to 7pm everyday, Memorial Day - Labor Day. 

3. It's free!!! 

4. Make a day or a half day out of it! Pack a lunch or cook out on one of the provided grills! Bring a chair for yourself and a book or magazine and relax while the kids enjoy! 

  

For more information visit http://middlesextwp.com

Summer bucket list update! #2

Happy 4th of July week!

 

Summer is officially in full swing, and my household could not be happier. It's our favorite season! It's been awhile since I posted our last bucket list update. So a new one is well overdue! This is gonna be a big one folks. We are slashing through this list left and right! When we last left off, we had 6 crossed off, with 94 to go!

 

2. Play in the rain/ 48. Jump in puddles

Summer evening downpour = perfect puddles for jumping!

 

9. Catch lighting bugs

I'm sure this will be an ongoing event

  12. Feed Ducks

 

16. Make tie-dye Shirts

This will be perfect for July 4th!

 

  29. Find a rainbow

53. Go to HersheyPark with a friend.

This is actually J's little sister, but she's still his friend so we are going to count it!

 

54. Eat on a restaurants patio

We love Cheesecake Factory, and we love to sit outside on nice days!

  

64. See a movie at the Drive-In

Nothing is better in the summer then a movie under the stars. We saw How to Train Your Dragon 2!

  71. Ride Thomas at Strasburg

If you haven't already, be sure to read my review of this trip!

 

 

73. Go to a carnival

Worst carnival I've been to in a long, long time, but hey it was still a carnival!

 

 

74. Visit a Smithsonian Museum

 We visited the Air and Space Museum in Va.

Again, if you haven't already, check out my review of this trip!

 

94. Jump in a moon bounce

 

 

96. Visit at least 3 states.

So far, we have been to Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey.

 

 

If your still counting, that's 20 down, 80 to go!

20! I cannot believe we have done so much already!

How many do you think we can do before the next update?

 

We hope everyone's independence day weekend is filled with lots of fun!