The Color Run!

Yesterday morning we (my 10 year old and I) got up at 6am and it was cold and pouring rain. We dressed up in white

and headed out to The Color Run in Tempe, AZ. When we got there it was still cold and pouring rain. We walked a mile to the start line found our blogger team the #AZColorBloggers and were off! We jogged/walked because it was so wet and I was worried about slipping and because our feet were so wet they were getting achy in our shoes. I got a FACE full of blue (they aren't supposed to throw it in our face but the blue section was pretty wild and crazy!)

We had lots of time to talk about how to get through things that weren't what we expected, how to have a good attitude when we are cold and wet, and how we are SO thankful for the things we have (like a car to walk back to) when others have so little. I took it as an opportunity to teach him to view the glass as half full and how to have a good attitude no matter what. How to not whine when we might want to and how to find and have fun when others might not be able to or want to.

In the end we decided that we had a blast! Many people chose not to come out because of the rain but we made the commitment to ourselves that we'd do it so we did and had SO much fun! The color sticks much more when it's raining and it was funny to see the colored rivers when you were coming up to each color station!

If you get a chance to do a run with your kids (especially The Color Run) I encourage you to do it! Not only is it great physically but it gives you chance to talk and teach some lessons along the way!

Here's our group before

and after

the #AZColorBloggers were:

• Sara from http://MomEndeavors.com
• Heather from http://briebrieblooms.com/
• Sara from http://cleverpinkpirate.com
• Becca from OurCrazyBoys.com
• Heather from http://KustomKissers.com
• Karen from http://DesertChicaRamblings.com
• Jessi from http://www.shuggilippo.com/
• Courtney from http://wilhelmfam.com
• Michelle from http://thethomasfamilypeas.blogspot.com/

We have a fun non wet and rainy but creepy and crawly craft for you tomorrow!

Disclosure: We were given race bibs but were not required to give anything in return. All opinions are my own!

Stick-lets!

We shared Stick-lets on a Fort Friday post almost one year ago and I am SO excited that they are now readily available! Stick-lets are stretchy little connectors that allow kids to create amazing forts and play spaces using sticks and other found objects.

I loved this idea when I first saw the prototype so jumped on the chance to play when Christina asked if she could send us some.

Apparently we have a shortage of good sticks here in this part of the desert but my boys found some store bought ones we had for another project and got to work. Sometimes I'll show them how something works but these I let them have the bag without saying anything. 

They played outside for hours and I popped out here and there when they asked me to take a picture

The great thing about these is that there is no real wrong or right way to use them. You manipulate and maneuver them until it works for you.

They made multiple configurations and I heard them talking about making sure we had them with us next time we go camping. 

Such a fun, inexpensive way to get the kids outside and using their imagination! 

Metropolismag.com has a fantastic article about Christina and Stick-lets that explains it so much better than I ever could (I'm good at showing but not explaining) 

You can buy your own Stick-lets on their site.

Disclosure: I was given a set of Stick-lets for free but all opinions are strictly my own and was not compensated in any other way. I never post a review of a product I wouldn't buy myself. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Pumpkin Patching

I think our "Pumpkin Patch" looks quite a bit different than a lot of yours and was thinking maybe you'd like to see how we do it here in Phoenix/Scottsdale. Last weekend we visited McDonalds Ranch. They have some ranch activities and you take a hayride out to the "pumpkin patch" (I use that term lightly lol!). The boys had a great time!

Happy Fall from Phoenix (where it's still in the 90's)!

A New "Fall" Tradition

As some of you might know we live in the desert so while the weather man says it's "Fall" we don't see a big change in weather quite yet. It still is in the 100's (F) here and swimming is still on our list of activities. However I thought this seemed like a good year to start a new family Fall tradition of apple picking. About an hour north of us we can drive to a little ranch and pick our own apples and a few pears.

The crop was pretty low this year and they weren't even charging people when we got up there because of it. We weren't going to let that stop us though! We found some good ones still hidden in the leaves. The boys' favorite part was the animals I think. Both warm and cold blooded animals. I swear my boys could find the tiniest most camouflage bugs anywhere!

(a treat for the road)

For those in the Phoenix area we went to Date Creek Ranch just north of Wickenburg. Unfortunately they only had one apple picking weekend and are now sold out (we only heard about it the morning of) but definitely keep an eye on it for next year.

We'll go to a "pumpkin patch" here in a few weeks but that's about all I have planned. I'd love to add some new ones though. What are your family's Fall traditions?

Bow & Arrows

DIY BOW & ARROW

I'm sure my son is not the only one hit with the bow & arrow craze lately. I saw this and wanted to make it instantly. 

It's a DIY PVC Bow and Arrow from Skip to my Lou

There is a great tutorial over at her site. Go learn how to make one and let me know how you like it! We'll be trying it out as soon as we can run to the hardware store. I'm beginning to think PVC is one of those things I should keep on hand!

DIY Sprinklers!

It's been around 113F here lately so if we're playing outside you can bet it has something to do with water. We're lucky that we have a dry (except during monsoon season) heat so water on our skin evaporates and cools us off quickly! 

I found some fun DIY Sprinkler ideas because why buy a cheapy plastic one when you can just make your own. Or better yet - have your kids make it!

A big fun sprinkler and slip n slide set up from Diary of a Preppy Mom

A whole backyard sprinkler park from Event Horizons

Waterfall from Crafty Sisters

A super easy sprinkler from Making Memories with Your Kids

A large surface area sprinkler from Home Spun Threads

A kid wash from Familylicious

Stay Cool!

Real Life Fruit Ninja

I am addicted to Fruit Ninja. I love that game! I was so excited when Love Them Madly emailed me her blog post for Real Life Fruit Ninja! We've seen Angry Birds - now this! I love that we can take a favorite video game and turn it into something active!

Using water balloons of course - my kind of outdoor summer game!

Is that brilliant or what? See her post for the how to and inspiration.

Messy Play Date

Posting for us today is Amber from Click Pray Love - you all have LOVED her toddler play ideas in the past so we had to have her back to share again! Take it away Amber!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few months ago I was introduced to Crystal and her blog Growing a Jeweled Rose (which I highly recommend visiting if you are looking for toddler activities).  I was very intrigued with the messy play dates she hosts in her home.

A few weeks passed and Crystal posted "Tips For Hosting A Messy Play Date."  After reading her post, I was convinced I could host a messy play date.  I prepared and sent an email to several friends gauging their interest in attending.  A few things I included in the email (based on Crystal's tips):

• I will gladly gather the supplies and set up the stations (along with a place to rinse off once the fun has ended)
• Each family will be asked to give $10 to cover the cost of the supplies and a small lunch for the children
• I need at least 10 people to commit before moving forward

On May 30th, I hosted my first messy play date and it was a BLAST!!!!!!!  Including my son, there were 14 children (plus 4 little ones) and 12 moms.  

There were 5 stations:

• Creature Catch-Digging in soil to find plastic insects, bugs, lizards, snakes, etc.
• Paint a Rock-Self explanatory :)
• Barnyard Sensory Play-Rice filled pool with Little People Barn, plastic animals, containers to fill, handkerchiefs, and cowboy hats
• Bubble Bazaar-Pan full of bubble solution with various wands
• Marker Madness- Paper hung with available markers and stickers

The kids absolutely loved the Barnyard Sensory Play.  They enjoyed filling the watering cans/cowboy hats with rice and pouring it into the farm.  They also enjoyed dumping it out onto the ground, which we tried to prevent as much as possible.  This was probably the most popular station.

Kids simply love bubbles, especially toddlers.  To keep my first messy play date set up more simple, I decided to fill a tub with bubbles and allow the kids to be as messy as the wanted.  They are more used to their moms (me included) trying to prevent them from spilling the bubbles, being annoyed because they aren't using the wand correctly, etc.  

Not this time.......They were allowed to play to their hearts content and make as big of a mess as they wanted.

Kids love dirt and while some kids don't love bugs most of them enjoyed digging for them.  Plus, it didn't take long before those who weren't interested in the bugs to begin using the various instruments (shovels, looking glass, nets, etc.) to simply dig the dirt.

Great catch!!

When brainstorming activities I thought about the things my son loves to do.  One of those activities is play with stickers.  He doesn't love markers as much, but several of his buddies do.  I knew it would be easy to couple the two together and have a wall where the kids could stick and mark as they please.

Of course, this is where my son spent most of his time.

I did not anticipate how big of a mess the "Paint A Rock" station would be, but it didn't seem to bother anyone.  I know it was a messy play date, but even this kind of grossed me out (keep scrolling to see the aftermath).

The play date began around 9:45 a.m. with lunch served around 11:15 a.m.  Following lunch, some played a little longer, but several had to go home for nap time.

We live in South Florida, so it was HOT, but you can't keep your kids inside all summer.  Crystal hosts her messy play dates in her basement, which is another great option if you don't have carpet.

There was a lot of set up, but I will definitely do it again.  It was totally worth the time, as the kids had a BLAST and it was great to chat with some of the mothers.


I am now planning a water based messy play date for July.

You can see more photos from our messy play date over on my blog Click.Pray.Love. and explore more messy play date ideas at Growing a Jeweled Rose.  

If you have any questions about hosting your own messy play date, feel free to email me at amboleslie{at}gmail{dot}com

Now, I'll leave you with my little cowboy!!