tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14904755103852096122024-02-21T04:58:03.774-08:00Ames Kids Summer CalendarLots of fun ideas and activities for kids and families this summer!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-74749786617229882042018-05-16T13:11:00.001-07:002018-05-16T16:58:33.059-07:00<span style="background-color: white; color: #09adc1; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.84px;">Okay, I've started to update the summer calendar for 2018 but still have many activities to include - it's a good start anyway!! Between the beautiful weather and looking up these fun activities, I'm getting so excited for summer!! I'll keep adding and updating events throughout the summer! Besides the events on the calendar, here are some more ideas for making memories with your kiddos! Enjoy!! :)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #09adc1; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.84px;">And I noticed that I can't see the full calendar on my phone - please try accessing this website with a computer and you should be able to see & navigate through the full calendar of events - I will try to figure out a fix for phones...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #09adc1; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.84px;">SUMMER CAMPS/DAY CAMPS:</span><br />
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Blank Park Zoo (Des Moines)</div>
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<span style="color: #09adc1; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.84px;">https://www.blankparkzoo.com/education/safari-camps/summer-safari-camp/</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.84px;">Camp Hantesa (Ames)</span></div>
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https://www.campfireiowa.org/programs/day-camp/</div>
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<span style="color: #09adc1; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.84px;">ISU Engineering Camps</span><br />
<span style="color: #09adc1; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.84px;">https://www.isek.iastate.edu/camp/camps-summer/</span></span></div>
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McFarland Park (near Ames/Gilbert)</div>
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https://www.storycountyiowa.gov/1002/Youth-Nature-Camps</div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.84px;">Octagon Center for the Arts (Ames)</span></div>
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https://www.octagonarts.org/en/classes/2018_summer_art_camps/</div>
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Parks & Rec - City of Ames (click on following link and scroll to page 19)</div>
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http://www.cityofames.org/home/showdocument?id=1034</div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.84px;">Riverside Bible Camp (near Story City)</span></div>
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http://www.riversidelbc.org/summer-camp</div>
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Robert Thomas Dance (319 South 17th St, Ames) </div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.84px;">Beauty & the Beast Dance Camp & crafts</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.84px;">June 25-28, 5-6:30pm, ages 3-7, $57.42+tax (includes snack & craft fee)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.84px;">Science Center of Iowa (Des Moines)</span></div>
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http://www.sciowa.org/learn/camps/directory/</div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.84px;">Succes Gymnastics (Ames)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #09adc1; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.84px;">https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/8306ee_812b5d54a0994628813f6c3dfdbec0ed.pdf</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.84px;">Sylvan Learning Center Summer Camps</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 15.84px;">https://cities.sylvanlearning.com/us/iowa/summer-camps-in-ames</span></div>
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YMCA (Ames & Boone)</div>
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http://y-camp.org/en/summer_camp/</div>
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RESTAURANT GUIDES:</div>
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Restaurant Guide to Free Kids Meals in Ames:</div>
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http://www.outtoeatwithkids.com/restaurantResults.php</div>
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A Great Restaurant Guide for Free Kids Meals in Central Iowa:</div>
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http://desmoinesparent.com/kids-eat-free-central-iowa/</div>
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ANYTIME:<br />
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Bulldog Ceramics - Ankeny<br />
Reiman Gardens - Ames<br />
Make your own Cy Ride Adventure<br />
Libraries<br />
Brookside Park Wading Pool - Ames<br />
Sky Zone - Grimes<br />
Playground for Kids - Ankeny<br />
Monkey Joes - Des Moines<br />
Pump It Up - Des Moines<br />
Mini Glow Golf - near Jordan Creek in Des Moines<br />
Perfect Games - Ames<br />
Get Air - Des Moines<br />
MB2 Raceway - Indoor Go Kart Racing - Grimes<br />
Science Center of Iowa - Des Moines<br />
Blank Park Zoo - Des Moines<br />
Living History Farms - Des Moines<br />
Adventureland - Des Moines<br />
Iowa Cubs games - Des Moines<br />
Story City Antique Carousel - Story City<br />
Berry Patch - Nevada<br />
Valle Drive In - Newton - gates open at 6:30pm, movies start at dusk, check their Facebook page or website for details<br />
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EXPLORE IOWA:<br />
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traveliowa.com has lots of great ideas!!<br />
Jester Park - near Polk City<br />
Big Creek Beach - near Polk City<br />
High Trestle Trail Bridge - near Madrid<br />
Big Treehouse (reservations required, best for kids ages 3 or 4 & up) - Marshaltown<br />
Boone Valley Scenic Railroad - Boone<br />
The Grotto of the Redemption - West Bend<br />
World's Largest Ball of Popcorn - Sac City<br />
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MAIL:</div>
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Mail Order Mystery - ages 7 & up</div>
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We did the pirate one last year, so fun! You get 6 weeks of clues and a treasure at the end!<br />
https://www.mailordermystery.com/</div>
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Kiwi Crate - monthly STEAM activities for ages 3-4, 5-8, 9-16</div>
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We just ordered our first subscription for ages 5-8<br />
http://www.kiwicrate.com/</div>
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Top Secret Adventures - Highlights Book Club - ages 7 & up</div>
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We have some of these but still haven't done them - maybe this summer! ;)<br />
https://www.highlights.com/store/puzzle-book-clubs/top-secret-adventures<br />
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Little Passports (ages 3-14)<br />
https://www.littlepassports.com/</div>
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FREE ONLINE/PRINTABLE WORKSHEETS:<br />
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XtraMath<br />
Easy Peasy<br />
Khan Academy<br />
Super Teacher Worksheets (some)<br />
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OTHER IDEAS:<br />
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Lemonade stand<br />
Canoeing/floating/boating<br />
Play in the rain<br />
Co camping, build a fort or stay in a cabin<br />
Go fishing<br />
Make homemade face/body paint with cornstarch, milk & food coloring<br />
Make homemade sidewalk chalk paint<br />
Mini car wash with matchbox cars & tooth brushes<br />
Sidewalk chalk<br />
Giant bubbles - ONE OF OUR FAVES! http://mamaot.com/how-to-make-giant-bubbles/<br />
Library reading challenge<br />
Water balloon fight<br />
Play in a sprinkler<br />
Bocce ball<br />
Croquet<br />
Play a game on a picnic blanket outside<br />
Read under a tree<br />
Play glow stick hide & seek<br />
Make s'mores<br />
Fly a kite<br />
Make paper airplanes - aim for a hula hoop, see who can go the furthest, etc<br />
Plant some flowers<br />
Make a butterfly garden<br />
Make a fairy garden<br />
Walk down Main Street and fill expired parking meters<br />
Volunteer - animal shelter, food pantry or Food at First<br />
Trade books at little free libraries<br />
Ride a bike<br />
Swim on rainy days at Country Inn & Suites on Dayton Ave or Ames Municipal pool<br />
Go ice skating at the Ames ice arena<br />
Make a tie dye shirt<br />
Make homemade play doh<br />
Make homemade rock candy (takes a couple of weeks)<br />
Paint rocks<br />
Paint on canvases<br />
Make cookies<br />
Make pudding or cupcakes with oreo dirt & gummy worms topping<br />
Make homemade pudding pops<br />
Freeze toys inside ice and dig them out<br />
Freeze ice in different shapes and stack them or play with them outside on a hot day<br />
Legos!!<br />
Play nature bingo - google free online printables<br />
Have a scavenger hunt<br />
Make your own fizzing dinosaur eggs! - http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/10/diy-bath-bombs-magic-hatching-dinosaur.html<br />
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I have more ideas coming but here's a good list to get you started anyway!!!</div>
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Enjoy & please let me know if you have more ideas I should add!</div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-70679100473232508362017-06-08T11:37:00.001-07:002017-07-11T11:06:43.269-07:00Ames Area Kids Meal Specials<h2>
<span style="color: purple;">Ames-Area Restaurants with Kids Meal Specials</span></h2>
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<span style="color: blue;">MONDAY:</span></h2>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Arcadia </b>(Ames)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">1 free kids Arcadia dog & cookie with the purchase of adult breakfast or Arcadia dog, through August</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Buffalo Wild Wings</b> (Ames)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">$1.99 kids meals (ages 12 & under) all day, dine in only</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Dairy Queen</b> (Ames, Story City, various)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">weekdays 2-5pm, $1 small iced coffees, $2 small ultimate frappes, $2 small premium fruit smoothies</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Fighting Burrito</b> (Ames, Ankeny)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Kids 13 and under eat free all day with adult meal purchase, through Labor Day</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>IHOP</b> (Ankeny)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">From 5 to 10pm, receive a free kids meal with every adult meal</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Lorry's Coffee</b> (Ames)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">1 free kids meal per adult meal purchase, all day</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Los Charros</b> (Ankeny)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Receive 1 free kids meal with every adult meal purchased and soft drink</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Pizza Pit</b> (Ames)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">1 free small kids pizza or 1/2 sandwich with medium or large pizza purchase, all day.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Sonic</b> (Ankeny)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d;">2-4pm, 1/2 price drinks and slushes</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d;">99 cent corn dogs</span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Village Inn</b> (Ames, Ankeny)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Kids 10 & under can eat free with the purchase of an adult meal</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Wendy's </b>(Ames, various)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">After 4pm kids meals are $1.99</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">TUESDAY:</span></h2>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>B Fabulous BBQ </b>(Slater)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Kids eat for $1</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Dairy Queen</b> (Ames, Story City, various)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">weekdays 2-5pm, $1 small iced coffees, $2 small ultimate frappes, $2 small premium fruit smoothies</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Fazolis </b>(Ames, Ankeny)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">5-8pm, kids 12 & under eat for 99 cents with an adult purchase (only 1 adult purchase required for multiple kids meals in Ames)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Godfather's</b> (Ankeny)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">5 to 7:30pm, kids 10 & under eat free at the buffet with adult buffet purchase</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>HyVee Market Grille</b> (various except Ames)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Kids 10 and under eat free with the purchase of an adult meal.</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Jethro's BBQ</b> (Ankeny)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Get 2 for 1 on traditional wings</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Mucky Duck Pub</b> (Ames)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">1 free kids meal per adult entree purchased. Includes kids cup milk/soda.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Perkins</b> (Ames, Ankeny)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Kids eat free all day with the purchase of an adult entree</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Pizza Ranch</b> (Ames, Boone, Story City)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Ames location - 4-9pm - 1 child (12 and under) eats free with each paying adult</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Ankeny & Story City locations - 4-9pm 1 child (10 and under) eats free with each paying adult</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Boone location - 5-8pm 1 child (12 and under) eats free with each paying adult</span><br />
<div>
<b><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Sonic</b> (Ankeny)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">2-4pm, 1/2 price drinks and slushes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">99 cent corn dogs</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Sports Page Grill</b> (note - Ankeny location)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Ankeny location - Kids eat free with the purchase of an adult meal</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Village Inn</b> (Ames, Ankeny)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Kids 10 & under can eat free with the purchase of an adult meal</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Wendy's </b>(Ames, various)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">After 4pm kids meals are $1.99</span><br />
<h2>
<span style="color: blue;"><br />WEDNESDAY:</span></h2>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Applebees </b>(Ames, Ankeny)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">From 6pm until close, receive a free kids meal with every adult meal</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b><br /></b>
<b>Ballard Golf & Country Club </b>(Huxley)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">5-9pm - Receive one 99 cent kids meal with each adult meal</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Dairy Queen</b> (Ames, Story City, various)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">weekdays 2-5pm, $1 small iced coffees, $2 small ultimate frappes, $2 small premium fruit smoothies</span><br />
<div>
<b><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Sonic</b> (Ankeny)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">2-4pm, 1/2 price drinks and slushes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">99 cent corn dogs</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Sports Page Grill & Bar</b> (note - Ames location)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Ames location - 1 free kids meal with any regular priced entree</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Wendy's </b>(Ames, various)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">After 4pm kids meals are $1.99</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Wig and Pen</b> (Ankeny)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Kids 12 and under can eat free, beverages not included</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: blue;">THURSDAY:</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Dairy Queen</b> (Ames, Story City, various)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">weekdays 2-5pm, $1 small iced coffees, $2 small ultimate frappes, $2 small premium fruit smoothies</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Sonic</b> (Ankeny)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">2-4pm, 1/2 price drinks and slushes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">99 cent corn dogs</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Wendy's </b>(Ames, various)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">After 4pm kids meals are $1.99</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>HyVee Market Grille</b> (West Ames)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">Kids 10 and under eat free with the purchase of an adult meal. Also, the West Ames location has free face painting from 5:30-7:30pm most Thursdays.</span></div>
<h2>
<span style="color: blue;">FRIDAY:</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Dairy Queen</b> (Ames, Story City, various)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">weekdays 2-5pm, $1 small iced coffees, $2 small ultimate frappes, $2 small premium fruit smoothies</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Sonic</b> (Ankeny)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">2-4pm, 1/2 price drinks and slushes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">99 cent corn dogs</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Wendy's </b>(Ames, various)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">After 4pm kids meals are $1.99</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="color: blue;">SATURDAY:</span></h2>
<div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Sonic</b> (Ankeny)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">2-4pm, 1/2 price drinks and slushes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">99 cent corn dogs</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Wendy's </b>(Ames, various)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">After 4pm kids meals are $1.99</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Z'Mariks</b> (Ankeny)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">Receive one free kids bowl with the purchase of an adult bowl</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: blue;">SUNDAY:</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Guadalajara's</b> (Ankeny)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">Kids eat free with an adult meal</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Qdoba</b> (Ames, Ankeny)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">Kids eat free with the purchase of an adult meal</span></div>
<div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Sonic</b> (Ankeny)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">2-4pm, 1/2 price drinks and slushes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">99 cent corn dogs</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Wendy's </b>(Ames, various)</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;">After 4pm kids meals are $1.99</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span>
</div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-11275133898754063082017-06-02T08:50:00.002-07:002017-07-11T11:10:48.670-07:00Ames Area Events Calendar<div>
<br /></div>
*** IF YOU AREN'T ABLE TO SEE THE CALENDAR ABOVE (SOMETIMES A PROBLEM WHEN USING PHONES), THEN PLEASE TRY ACCESSING WITH A COMPUTER *** <br />
(currently working on a fix for phones)<br />
<br />
SUMMER CAMPS/DAY CAMPS:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
YMCA (Ames & Boone)</div>
<div>
http://y-camp.org/en/summer_camp/</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Camp Hantesa (Ames)</div>
<div>
http://www.campfireiowa.org/summer-day-camps.html</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Octagon (Ames) - including a camp with Tim Read!</div>
<div>
https://www.octagonarts.org/en/classes/2017_summer_art_camps/</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Riverside Bible Camp (near Story City)</div>
<div>
http://www.riversidelbc.org/summer-camp<br />
<br />
ISU Engineering Camps<br />
https://www.isek.iastate.edu/camp/camps-summer/<br />
<br />
Sylvan Learning Center Summer Camps<br />
https://cities.sylvanlearning.com/us/iowa/summer-camps-in-ames</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Science Center of Iowa (Des Moines)</div>
<div>
http://www.sciowa.org/learn/camps/directory/</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Blank Park Zoo (Des Moines)</div>
<div>
https://www.blankparkzoo.com/education/safari-camps/</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
McFarland Park (near Ames/Gilbert)</div>
<div>
http://www.mycountyparks.com/county/story/Park/McFarland-Park/Events.aspx</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Parks & Rec - City of Ames (click on following link and scroll to page 19)</div>
<div>
http://www.cityofames.org/home/showdocument?id=1034</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Beauty & the Beast Dance Camp with crafts - Robert Thomas Dance (Ames) 319 South 17th St</div>
<div>
June 26-29, 5-6:30pm, ages 3-7, $57.42+tax</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
RESTAURANT GUIDES:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Restaurant Guide to Free Kids Meals in Ames:</div>
<div>
http://www.outtoeatwithkids.com/restaurantResults.php</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A Great Restaurant Guide for Free Kids Meals in Central Iowa:</div>
<div>
http://desmoinesparent.com/kids-eat-free-central-iowa/</div>
<div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
ANYTIME:<br />
<br />
Bulldog Ceramics - Ankeny<br />
Reiman Gardens - Ames<br />
Make your own Cy Ride Adventure<br />
Libraries<br />
Brookside Park Wading Pool - Ames<br />
Sky Zone - Grimes<br />
Playground for Kids - Ankeny<br />
Monkey Joes - Des Moines<br />
Pump It Up - Des Moines<br />
Mini Glow Golf - near Jordan Creek in Des Moines<br />
Perfect Games - Ames<br />
Get Air - Des Moines<br />
MB2 Raceway - Indoor Go Kart Racing - Grimes<br />
Science Center of Iowa - Des Moines<br />
Blank Park Zoo - Des Moines<br />
Living History Farms - Des Moines<br />
Adventureland - Des Moines<br />
Iowa Cubs games - Des Moines<br />
Story City Antique Carousel - Story City<br />
Berry Patch - Nevada<br />
Valle Drive In - Newton - gates open at 6:30pm, movies start at dusk, check their Facebook page or website for details<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
EXPLORE IOWA:<br />
<br />
traveliowa.com has lots of great ideas!!<br />
Jester Park - near Polk City<br />
Big Creek Beach - near Polk City<br />
High Trestle Trail Bridge - near Madrid<br />
Big Treehouse (reservations required, best for kids ages 3 or 4 & up) - Marshaltown<br />
Boone Valley Scenic Railroad - Boone<br />
The Grotto of the Redemption - West Bend<br />
World's Largest Ball of Popcorn - Sac City<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
MAIL:</div>
<div>
<br />
Mail Order Mystery - ages 7 & up</div>
<div>
We did the pirate one last year, so fun! You get 6 weeks of clues and a treasure at the end!<br />
https://www.mailordermystery.com/</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Kiwi Crate - monthly STEAM activities for ages 3-4, 5-8, 9-16</div>
<div>
We just ordered our first subscription for ages 5-8<br />
http://www.kiwicrate.com/</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Top Secret Adventures - Highlights Book Club - ages 7 & up</div>
<div>
We have some of these but still haven't done them - maybe this summer! ;)<br />
https://www.highlights.com/store/puzzle-book-clubs/top-secret-adventures<br />
<br />
Little Passports (ages 3-14)<br />
https://www.littlepassports.com/</div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
FREE ONLINE/PRINTABLE WORKSHEETS:<br />
<br />
XtraMath<br />
Easy Peasy<br />
Khan Academy<br />
Super Teacher Worksheets (some)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
OTHER IDEAS:<br />
<br />
Lemonade stand<br />
Canoeing/floating/boating<br />
Play in the rain<br />
Co camping, build a fort or stay in a cabin<br />
Go fishing<br />
Make homemade face/body paint with cornstarch, milk & food coloring<br />
Make homemade sidewalk chalk paint<br />
Mini car wash with matchbox cars & tooth brushes<br />
Sidewalk chalk<br />
Giant bubbles - ONE OF OUR FAVES! http://mamaot.com/how-to-make-giant-bubbles/<br />
Library reading challenge<br />
Water balloon fight<br />
Play in a sprinkler<br />
Bocce ball<br />
Croquet<br />
Play a game on a picnic blanket outside<br />
Read under a tree<br />
Play glow stick hide & seek<br />
Make s'mores<br />
Fly a kite<br />
Make paper airplanes - aim for a hula hoop, see who can go the furthest, etc<br />
Plant some flowers<br />
Make a butterfly garden<br />
Make a fairy garden<br />
Walk down Main Street and fill expired parking meters<br />
Volunteer - animal shelter, food pantry or Food at First<br />
Trade books at little free libraries<br />
Ride a bike<br />
Swim on rainy days at Country Inn & Suites on Dayton Ave or Ames Municipal pool<br />
Go ice skating at the ice arena<br />
Make a tie dye shirt<br />
Make homemade play doh<br />
Make homemade rock candy (takes a couple of weeks)<br />
Paint rocks<br />
Paint on canvases<br />
Make cookies<br />
Make pudding or cupcakes with oreo dirt & gummy worms topping<br />
Make homemade pudding pops<br />
Freeze toys inside ice and dig them out<br />
Freeze ice in different shapes and stack them or play with them outside on a hot day<br />
Legos!!<br />
Play nature bingo - google free online printables<br />
Have a scavenger hunt<br />
Make your own fizzing dinosaur eggs! - http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/10/diy-bath-bombs-magic-hatching-dinosaur.html<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
I have more ideas coming but here's a good list to get you started anyway!!!</div>
<div>
Enjoy & please let me know if you have more ideas I should add!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-87273697904524173642015-03-24T15:56:00.000-07:002015-03-24T15:56:37.526-07:00Easy, Healthy & Delicious Family Food - French Market SoupHappy Spring!!<br />
<br />
It's been a while since I've posted but I wanted to share about an easy, healthy delicious soup that can be enjoyed year-round. First of all, let me start by clarifying that I do not consider myself to be a wonderful cook/chef/baker and I don't aspire to be one. I am a mom to four kids ages seven and under and like most people, I like to eat! :) My main goal is to provide my family with mostly healthy meals and I'd like to think the most important ingredient in all of our meals is love. Whether it be frozen waffles or a rare made-from-scratch anything meal, I do a little prayer as I make the food and ask that the person/people eating the food will feel loved and nourished.<br />
<br />
My Grandma Wilson passed away a couple of years ago but one of my cherished memories is going to the tea room in Stratford called In Good Company with my her, my mom, and usually at least one or two of the kids. We would go at least once a month for as long as I can remember. Grandma's favorites were butterscotch pie and scalloped chicken (in that order). One of my favorites was a bowl of French Market Soup. The tea room closed in October 2014, but thankfully the owner, Janet, created a cookbook with a compilation of all of her delicious recipes. Excitedly, I flipped through the cookbook to find French Market Soup and was thrilled to see it but not so thrilled to see that it yielded 1 and 1/2 gallons of soup. That is a lot of soup for 2 adults and 4 kids ages 7 and under so I gave up on trying it for a while.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We sold our old home and moved into a new home in January and I started thinking about the soup again. Isaac was going to have a birthday in early March and we would have enough relatives over to possibly eat 1 and 1/2 gallons of soup!! I stopped by Story City Locker to pick up the meats and was greeted by the owners, Bobbie Jo and Ty Gustafson. This was the first time I had been in their store (I had been meaning to go for a while) and it was so clean and they had all sorts of goodies for sale. I left with a whole chicken (recipe calls for 2 chicken breasts), 2 packages of smoked andouille sausage, and a ham steak. I'm telling you, this soup is a complete meal in itself!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I love how the meats have the farms listed on the labels where the meat came from!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe44d0N_Je5g-Br4Pz8NqDHihYhyphenhyphen4CjNigHPYC7fiZu_x0s0VdRVyoJ3ot70QphzdKNEXToB5XUMSbcum2dSD1SC3FQWtNn6je0jggUbegwl7hhTUuF_Gg30PWzUlYD9xajGjS3ZjX4w/s1600/IMG_1693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe44d0N_Je5g-Br4Pz8NqDHihYhyphenhyphen4CjNigHPYC7fiZu_x0s0VdRVyoJ3ot70QphzdKNEXToB5XUMSbcum2dSD1SC3FQWtNn6je0jggUbegwl7hhTUuF_Gg30PWzUlYD9xajGjS3ZjX4w/s1600/IMG_1693.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here are the non-meat ingredients - since this recipe came from a cookbook, I can't share it exactly on a blog, but you can probably guess:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PDB-gtU5P2wBy8_L_6sH3yjIYDIGeMF4IlBXww4n3lr8Wp-MyeckhSl_4r15eGyWkNm_YMcz9_ja05nx0KiSXgbJW_-fTWuUq6kjKHuFt9TVOTzyAfDwcjlyUq3RQ3PioIEQNPtTUg/s1600/IMG_1682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PDB-gtU5P2wBy8_L_6sH3yjIYDIGeMF4IlBXww4n3lr8Wp-MyeckhSl_4r15eGyWkNm_YMcz9_ja05nx0KiSXgbJW_-fTWuUq6kjKHuFt9TVOTzyAfDwcjlyUq3RQ3PioIEQNPtTUg/s1600/IMG_1682.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1i3VOb49x5jLh8mrCns5sA8egxnLzExZhq_d0lJKfsAygQRdCbmvTJkQ42yL_p1sxTMV9Yx0u2uzhSRiaNCA0_mq90Ve5Gegtyxfc-Bci1LIKm2_Pt5TPpsqYodoGFYqaXAgz9BpAg/s1600/IMG_1683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1i3VOb49x5jLh8mrCns5sA8egxnLzExZhq_d0lJKfsAygQRdCbmvTJkQ42yL_p1sxTMV9Yx0u2uzhSRiaNCA0_mq90Ve5Gegtyxfc-Bci1LIKm2_Pt5TPpsqYodoGFYqaXAgz9BpAg/s1600/IMG_1683.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Also, all of the meats were cooked except the chicken. I got the chicken the afternoon before the party and it was completely frozen. Bobbie said I could just "crock it" and I'd never heard of this before, but I followed Bobbie's advice and put the chicken in my crockpot and turned it on high for a few hours, maybe about 4 or so, and then turned the heat down and continued to cook the chicken after it had thawed. My chicken was so big it didn't quite fit but I put aluminum foil all around the lid and crock pot to seal it up and it turned out great!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I had to take a picture of the dry beans in the pot - so pretty!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTPq3ObioDO0ZtrfDppLnDGhNmOLjsSk6suy0h9CboCtpFE_45o0kYyfoZ9P-dVnzb8BiebUuu3ygjwLOrNb3wQWamGMklM7_NN1VbV8MyoE7gHGv9yHvH6RiOFVFx6AB7iEA-ke-_Q/s1600/IMG_1684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTPq3ObioDO0ZtrfDppLnDGhNmOLjsSk6suy0h9CboCtpFE_45o0kYyfoZ9P-dVnzb8BiebUuu3ygjwLOrNb3wQWamGMklM7_NN1VbV8MyoE7gHGv9yHvH6RiOFVFx6AB7iEA-ke-_Q/s1600/IMG_1684.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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After I had cooked the beans for a while with the recommended amount of water, I added the tomatoes. I noticed some of the water had boiled off so I added some more hot water and decided to put a lid on the pot to help keep the moisture in (and I read that this is good when cooking beans for soups, makes the beans more tender).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKPnAug3tZFjDBeF9-2XjLCGPSwW4AN1V7k04SesvteOhtNj4qst8hOf1-vQNxLqhEzi47-CS2AFlyT_r30NNSkmm6OFgStYQK9d921e9hKI9MKjKYrHcl7X5mexElEHXzc08K5p5Iw/s1600/beans+and+tomatoes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKPnAug3tZFjDBeF9-2XjLCGPSwW4AN1V7k04SesvteOhtNj4qst8hOf1-vQNxLqhEzi47-CS2AFlyT_r30NNSkmm6OFgStYQK9d921e9hKI9MKjKYrHcl7X5mexElEHXzc08K5p5Iw/s1600/beans+and+tomatoes.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Meanwhile, this was happening in another pan (again, so pretty!):</div>
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And then we added the meats, the smoked andouille sausage was lean and the seasonings were wonderful, not too spicy but very flavorful:</div>
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And after a little more simmering, this is what the soup looked like - it smelled so delicious!!</div>
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I come from a mostly Norwegian family so I was a little concerned that the soup might be too spicy for my folks but everyone loved it and most people went back for more! I served it with two loaves of fresh bread, some crackers and cheese, a bunch of fresh cut fruit and I had bought mixed salad greens and in all of the chaos I forgot to serve them with the meal but I know they would have also been great with the soup. I loved making this special soup for some special people in my lives. This soup is all about the meats and even though there was 2-3 pounds of meat in this soup, I felt nourished and satisfied, but not too full. The meats were filling but not heavy and I loved it so much that I'm thinking of making it again and freezing half or sharing it with someone. Thank you, Story City Locker, for some wonderful local meats that made our special birthday even more special!</div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-73752304066828950062015-01-01T15:14:00.000-08:002015-01-01T15:14:17.012-08:00Homemade Kool Aid Play DohHomemade Kool Aid Play Doh<br />
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We officially have a new baby at our house and it's been a bitterly cold winter so we've been spending a lot of time inside. One of my favorite things to do with the kids lately is to make home made play doh with the bigger kids so I can also spend time with the newest member of our family. The kids enjoy making it almost as much as they like playing with it & only costs about $1-$1.50 a batch so we have made several colors/flavors!<br />
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Here is a wonderful recipe I got from a fellow mom and friend:<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><br /><br /> 2.5 cups of flour (probably closer to 3 or even 3.5)<br /> 1/2 cup salt<br /> 1 tablespoon Alum<br /> 3 tablespoons cooking oil<br /> 2 cups boiling water<br />packet of Kool Aid (or food coloring)<br /><br /> Combine flour, salt & alum. Add oil & Kool Aid to boiling water and stir, then pour over flour mixture and mix.<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> I used an electric mixer but you can also stir with a spoon and then knead with hands. If mixture is sticky, add small amounts of flour until you can use a cookie cutter and it comes out clean. I added about 1/2 cup of flour and it seemed to form a nice ball and sort of fell off the mixer attachment.</span></span><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span></span><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">One thing I love about this mixture is that if the play doh gets a little dried out, you can just add a little water and knead it with your hands and it springs right back. I have been storing it in gallon zip bags and they work great.</span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">I am such a fan of this play doh that I am even going to make a variety of colors/flavors and divide them to use as party favors for my son's birthday with preschool friends.</span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Here's a link to the Kool Aid website with an alternate recipe:</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show"><a href="https://fb.kraftapps.com/koolaidshake/Content/pdfs/Kool-Aid-Play-Dough.pdf">https://fb.kraftapps.com/koolaidshake/Content/pdfs/Kool-Aid-Play-Dough.pdf</a></span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">This recipe has more intensely colored play doh but makes about 1/3 of the recipe I posted. I have been wanting to try adding two packets of Kool Aid to my friend's recipe for more intense color but haven't tried it yet.</span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Color Guide:</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Red - Cherry, Fruit Punch</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Pink - Pink Lemonade</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Orange - Orange</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Yellow - Lemonade</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Green - Lemon Lime</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Pale Green - Green Apple</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Light Mint Green - Blue Raspberry Lemonade</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Blue - Mixed Berry</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Purple - Grape</span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-43711517658092023702015-01-01T15:12:00.000-08:002015-01-01T15:12:18.083-08:00Barbie beddingAfter a fairly extensive online search for Barbie (or similar sized doll) bedding, I found very little that I liked and thought I'd come up with my own instructions for fairly easy Barbie (or Monster High girls, Equestria Girls, Elsa, Anna, etc) bedding.<br />
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You will need:<br />
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2 pieces of coordinating (or same) fabric measuring 11" x 6" (for comforter)<br />
2 pieces of coordinating (or same) fabric measuring 3.5" x 6" (for pillow)<br />
a piece of some sort of batting (I used an old towel) measuring 11" x 6"<br />
some poly-fil stuffing for the pillow<br />
a needle<br />
thread<br />
scissors<br />
a sewing machine is optional but it does make things go much faster<br />
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For the pillow:<br />
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Need 2 pieces of fabric measuring 3.5" x 6" each<br />
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Stack rectangles with right sides of fabric facing each other<br />
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Pin and sew 1/4" from edges, leaving 1-1.5" open so you will be able to turn fabric inside out<br />
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Carefully cut corners of rectangle, this will help corners look nicer</div>
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Turn pillow inside out, can poke corners out with a stuffing tool, pencil, or chopsticks</div>
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Place stuffing in corners first, fill pillow to desired firmness</div>
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Using a needle and thread, sew the pillow shut</div>
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Now for the comforter! :)</div>
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Get 2 pieces of fabric measuring 11" x 6" and place right sides together and place piece of batting/towel underneath<br />
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Pin together and sew 1/4" seam around all layers, leaving about an inch and a half unsewn so you will be able to turn comforter inside out</div>
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Trim corners, careful not to cut the seams<br />
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Now this is a little tricky (but so cool!!), reach in between the two right sides of fabric and pull inside out<br />
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Poke corners using fingers or a stuffing tool<br />
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Using a needle and thread, sew the opening closed<br />
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Here are the completed reversible/matching pillow and comforter:<br />
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Here is the standard Barbie bedding that comes with the bunk bed<br />
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Here is the completed bedding!!<br />
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And bedding modeled with Barbie<br />
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And bedding reversed with Barbie<br />
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Enjoy!!! :)</div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-26371638869950347212014-01-21T19:31:00.000-08:002016-07-13T11:10:01.009-07:00Kid-Friendly Freezer Meal Recipes<div style="text-align: center;">
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January 2014 - Kid-Friendly Freezer Meals</div>
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I am going to have a baby in the next few weeks and once he arrives, I will have four kiddos age six and under. I have been getting things in order for our new arrival and in addition to cleaning out things and washing baby clothes, I thought it would be a good idea to make some meals in advance and have them ready in the freezer. I was first introduced to this idea when one of my good friends began selling Homemade Gourmet about five years ago when I was expecting my second child. Homemade Gourmet doesn't exist anymore, but I got in touch with one of the Homemade Gourmet superstars and she was generous enough to provide me with some of her freezer recipes.<br />
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So, it took me three days, but I was able to pick some recipes, put together a grocery list, and get 13 meals into the freezer that will be ready to be cooked in either the crock pot or oven once baby arrives. Some people were asking for the recipes so I thought I'd share them here. Please keep in mind that these are not entirely fresh foods and I was trying to choose meals that my kiddos would enjoy, too (I'm sure all mothers can relate to this)!<br />
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I made 2 meals of Asian pork chops/loins, 2 meals of honey & spice glazed pork, 2 chicken pot pies, lazy lasagna, taco soup, alfredo chicken with broccoli, World's Best Chicken, Asian chicken, cheese ravioli bake and margarita chicken.<br />
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Asian Pork Chops/Loins<br />
<ul>
<li>1 lb pork chops/loins</li>
<li>1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)</li>
<li>1/4 cup ketchup</li>
<li>1/4 cup brown sugar</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic (or garlic powder)</li>
<li>1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)</li>
</ul>
Write "Asian Pork" and today's date on a gallon-size freezer safe zip lock bag with a marker - sharpies work great - and then put a note about cooking in slow cooker for 6 hours on low.<br />
Add all ingredients except pork to the freezer bag and seal, then squish them around to mix.<br />
Once al ingredients are mixed, place the pork inside, push out as much air as possible and seal the bag & try to coat the pork with the mixture. I have read that people serve this over rice and some people use 1/2 cup measurements for the sauce instead of 1/4 cup measurements to have extra sauce for the rice so you may want to experiment a little.<br />
Place the bag in the freezer and just pull it out the night before and put it in the refrigerator. If you forget, you should also be able to get the frozen pork out the next morning and place in the crock pot for 6 hours. Enjoy!<br />
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Honey & Spice Glazed Pork<br />
<ul>
<li>1 lb pork chops/loin</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper</li>
<li>1/4 cup honey</li>
<li>2 tablespoons Dijon mustard</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon ground ginger</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon</li>
<li>1/8 teaspoon ground cloves</li>
</ul>
As above, write "Honey & Spice Glazed Pork" on a gallon-size freezer safe zip lock along with today's date and place in freezer. Once you are ready to cook, place in crock pot on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-5 hours or slightly longer if placing frozen pork directly into crockpot without thawing.<br />
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Chicken Pot Pie (recipe makes 2 pot pies or even a little more)<br />
<ul>
<li>2 cups cooked shredded chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breasts roasted for one hour @350 in oven covered) - could also use rotisserie chicken or the little packs of pre-cooked chicken near deli meat</li>
<li>homemade gravy made from homemade chicken stock (or could use 2 Campbells chicken/turkey gravy in jar)</li>
<li>2 top & bottom piece pie crust (so 4 crusts total) - I used the frozen pre-made ones but could make your own</li>
<li>frozen hash browns (diced) - 16 oz bag</li>
<li>frozen mixed vegetables or frozen peas/carrots or whatever vegetables you like - 12oz bag</li>
<li>onion, 1/4 cup diced small (optional)</li>
<li>salt & pepper to taste - if using Campbell's gravy, you may want to go lightly on the pepper</li>
</ul>
Take pie crusts out of package. If you have purchased the ones in the tis take one tin out and thaw on the counter. Turn the second tin upside down as it thaws.<br />
In a large bowl, mix the shredded chicken, hash browns, vegetables, onion (opt), gravy and salt & pepper.<br />
Add pot pie ingredients into pie tin with crust.<br />
Take the upside down pie crust and carefully place it on top of the pie. Spread it out and pinch the two pie crusts together on the seams.<br />
Poke a few holes with a knife or fork on top of pie.<br />
Label gallon-size freezer zip lock bag with "Chicken Pot Pie", instructions like "bake at 350 until top is golden brown, approx 45-60 min" and today's date. Place pie inside bag, seal, and put in freezer.<br />
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Chicken Broccoli Alfredo<br />
<ul>
<li>8oz (or more) chopped broccoli (I used frozen)</li>
<li>2 jars alfredo sauce</li>
<li>1 onion, diced</li>
<li>1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts</li>
</ul>
Place all ingredients in labeled freezer-safe gallon zip lock bag, push most of the air out and seal. Mix ingredients together by squishing bag between hands and place in freezer. Bake at 350 for approx an hour or put in crock pot for 4-6 hours and serve over noodles.<br />
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World's Best Chicken<br />
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I removed this recipe - it was really gross!!! :(<br />
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Cheese Ravioli Bake<br />
<ul>
<li>2 - 9oz packages of refrigerated ravioli (any kind you like) - I used a larger frozen package</li>
<li>1 jar spaghetti sauce</li>
<li>2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese</li>
</ul>
Place all ingredients in labeled freezer-safe gallon zip lock bag, push most of the air out and seal. Mix ingredients together by squishing bag between hands and place in freezer. Bake at 350 for approx an hour.<br />
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Taco Soup<br />
<ul>
<li>1 large can tomato juice</li>
<li>1 packet of taco seasoning</li>
<li>1 packet of ranch dressing</li>
<li>1 lb browned ground beef</li>
<li>1 onion</li>
<li>1 can each: corn, chili beans, black beans, & pinto beans</li>
</ul>
I took a "picky eaters" class with a registered dietician/personal trainer about 4 years ago that was designed to help parents with ideas that encouraged young kids to try new foods & be more mindful about their eating. One of the things I learned in the class is that the liquid in canned beans (not necessarily the beans themselves) can cause gastrointestinal problems (trying to figure out a nice way to put this)... So, one way to reduce the potential gas problems is to open the cans and dump as much of the liquid as possible. Our instructor even suggested filling the cans with water and rinsing the beans while still in the can so I did this with the black beans and pinto beans. If you like the extra juice or flavor then skip this but I thought I'd share this little tip since there are a lot of beans in this recipe. I didn't rinse the chili beans, though.<br />
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Okay, I was worried I would run out of room in the freezer bag so just placed all ingredients in labeled freezer-safe gallon zip lock bag EXCEPT for tomato juice and made a note on the freezer bag to add tomato juice in pantry. Push out as much air as possible, seal, mix with hands and place in freezer. When ready to make this, add ingredients to crock pot and add tomato juice, cook for 4-6 hours.<br />
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Lazy Lasagna<br />
<ul>
<li>1 container of cottage cheese</li>
<li>2/3 of a box of cooked pasta - I use bow tie pasta a lot</li>
<li>1 jar of spaghetti sauce</li>
<li>1 lb of browned ground beef (or turkey or sausage)</li>
<li>2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese</li>
</ul>
Place all ingredients in labeled freezer-safe gallon zip lock bag, push most of the air out and seal. Mix ingredients together by squishing bag between hands and place in freezer. Bake at 375 for approx 30-45 minutes or until bubbly or in crock pot for 4-6 hours. Probably can also bake at 350 until bubbly, too. When I make this when not putting into the freezer, I usually just add 1 cup of cheese and bake for about 30 min and then put the rest of the cheese on top and bake for another 5 minutes or so.<br />
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Margarita Chicken (one of my favorites)<br />
<ul>
<li>4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts</li>
<li>2 cups of margarita mix (non-alcoholic)</li>
<li>garlic powder - I probably use about 1 teaspoon</li>
<li>garlic salt - probably 1/4 teaspoon, I am not big on salt</li>
<li>onion powder - probably 1/2 teaspoon or so</li>
<li>update - I also like to add about 1-2 cups of water to ours now to tone down the sweet margarita taste. Could also do just 1 cup of margarita mix and 1 cup water.</li>
</ul>
Place all ingredients in labeled freezer-safe gallon zip lock bag, push most of the air out and seal. Mix ingredients together by squishing bag between hands and place in freezer. When ready to make, place contents in glass baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for an hour and check to make sure chicken is no longer pink.<br />
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Cooking times are approximate and some of the measurements are approximate but at least it will help you get started. You may also want to consider using the crock pot liners for easy clean up. While working on these recipes, I bought my ground beef in a bulk size so I just browned 3 pounds at one time and ended up freezing one pound of ground beef already browned so hopefully this will save a little time in a future recipe. I am also going to buy some frozen loaves of bread dough to have on hand that I can bake in the oven to serve with some of the meals. My mom uses Rhodes frozen dough and our family loves it. These are just a few recipe ideas but there are a ton of freezer recipes on Pinterest and I'm sure lots of other websites as well if you want to do a little searching.<br />
Will try to pick up the blogging again once school is out. Best wishes & stay warm!!<br />
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Emily<br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-77870420475085902812013-08-14T20:13:00.000-07:002013-08-15T08:16:11.443-07:00Activities for the week of August 12Okay, so I'm late posting this week but it's much slower than usual and I have to be honest - it takes me about an hour to do this and I'm not sure how many people are getting that much benefit from it so I am not going to spend an hour tonight, I'm going to keep it short & sweet but will still include some fun ideas for the rest of the week.<br />
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Of course, the Iowa State Fair is still going strong this week and this is the last week for the Brookside wading pool (last day is August 18).<br />
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Thursday, August 15 - 12:00PM - meal, 12:30PM - show - "Hot Dog Dinner Theater" - dig into the world of magic with our favorite magician, Rick Eugene! The entire family will enjoy this show but the meal beforehand is an added bonus. Come on in for a hot dog, chips, veggies, dessert, and a drink. I don't see any mention of price so not sure if this is free so may want to bring some money just in case. **UPDATE** - this is at BANDSHELL PARK<br />
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Thursday, August 15 - 2:00-3:00PM - Balloon Animals Workshop for 9 year-olds and up. Learn how to make balloon critters during this hour of hands-on activities. Space is limited so pre-registration is required - call 239-5644 to reserve a spot. Ames City Auditorium, 520 6th St.<br />
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Thursday, August 15 - 5:00PM - meal, 5:30PM - show - "Hot Dog Dinner Theater", see 12:00PM listing.<br />
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Thursday, August 15 - 5:30PM-7:30PM - Tune Into Main Street at Tom Evans Park on Main Street Ames. No balloon animals this week but there is live music and last month there was a bouncy house (free) and kids could wear their swimsuits and get splashed with water balloons. Also, Valentino's had pizza slices, cookies and drinks for sale.<br />
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Thursday, August 15 - 6:30PM - Searching for Shakespeare presents Macbeth. Free, bring chairs or blankets, show runs about 80 minutes. Moore Memorial Park (near Northridge). There is a nice playground here that is exactly like the one at Bandshell Park.<br />
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Friday, August 16 - 2:00PM - "The Rescuers Down Under" movie (rated G) showing at Ames City Auditorium, 520 6th St. No food or drink allowed.<br />
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Friday, August 16 - 6:30PM - Searching for Shakespeare presents Macbeth. See August 15 listing.<br />
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Saturday, August 17 - 8AM-noon - Farmer's Market on Main Street, look for fun kids activities and music in Tom Evans Park.<br />
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Saturday, August 17 - 1:00PM - Searching for Shakespeare presents Macbeth. See August 15 listing.<br />
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Sunday, August 18 - 2:00-5:00PM - Snus Hill Winery will have live music, thanks to Julie for the tip! I have never been but she tells me it is free and there is a sandbox for kids to play in so will have to try to make it before the end of their season. See website for details: <a href="http://snushillwine.com/events/">http://snushillwine.com/events/</a><br />
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Sunday, August 18 - 3:00-6:00PM - my ever-favorite place to go - Prairie Moon Winery will have live music, cost is $3 for adults 21 and over, kids are free. See their website for details: <a href="http://www.prairiemoonwinery.com/events.cfm">http://www.prairiemoonwinery.com/events.cfm</a><br />
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Furman Aquatic Center may begin to have shorter hours as summer winds down but I think they're open through Labor Day, weather permitting. Check their Facebook page for updates.<br />
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Also, the Story City Carousel will close after Labor Day so if you haven't made it over there yet or want to squeeze in a few more rides before the end of the season you have a couple of weeks left.<br />
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Sorry for the delay but hope you have a great rest of the week and find something fun to do to enjoy this wonderful weather!!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-90824248045896008172013-08-05T19:12:00.001-07:002013-08-05T19:12:13.399-07:00Activities for the week of August 5, 2013<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What beautiful weather lately, it's still hard for me to believe it's August already & just three weeks until school starts!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here is my list of fun & fairly low-cost Ames-area acitivies for the week of August 5, 2013:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Monday, August 5 - couldn't really find much of anything happening today so hope you were able to find something fun to do or just enjoy the day at home. A good day to save up your energy for all of Tuesdays activities!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">We also tried out another park we hadn't been to before last week. We went to Moore Memorial Park, just north of Veenker golf course, although you want to enter on the north side of the park, via Carver/24th St. It was a little tricky to find, but there are signs once you get close and we were stunned to see that the playground equipment was exactly the same as Bandshell Park, minus the little bumblebee! One thing that was very different, though, was the cool pond at Moore Park and the little viewing dock and walking/bike trail around the pond. Here are some of our pictures from Moore Park:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSawmwrW9vQ-Rzv93sNdoK3kHPJv65RVxA0y3EgSSh5nZazQSgpSeUnF506mXxIfpq9X08n9oPpuazLqPGQ4054nJRUIUux7uIQvp5gE2cnCq20XNR2OT3RAwg38S4FI0kiKX6782M8g/s1600/photo+(27).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSawmwrW9vQ-Rzv93sNdoK3kHPJv65RVxA0y3EgSSh5nZazQSgpSeUnF506mXxIfpq9X08n9oPpuazLqPGQ4054nJRUIUux7uIQvp5gE2cnCq20XNR2OT3RAwg38S4FI0kiKX6782M8g/s320/photo+(27).JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-MRJ61UfoKBG_TFL5cCXWrPrjxNfypIzk19bFTO5H4rvM35knoNxKH_lhM3Yn6MficzE-mGgJw6nwgIG_Fs3VWkZTuAAEpk-bM69g8kB-OYUvLB2rFtIngaVrguHyhXWUFif5Ol1mQ/s1600/photo+(30).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-MRJ61UfoKBG_TFL5cCXWrPrjxNfypIzk19bFTO5H4rvM35knoNxKH_lhM3Yn6MficzE-mGgJw6nwgIG_Fs3VWkZTuAAEpk-bM69g8kB-OYUvLB2rFtIngaVrguHyhXWUFif5Ol1mQ/s320/photo+(30).JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tuesday, August 6 - 10:00AM - $1 movie "Chimpanzee" at North Grand Theater (in the mall) in Ames.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tuesday, July 23 - 10:00AM - Reiman Gardens
Story Time, $4 for kids ages 4-17, $8 for adults, children under 3 free and free
if you have a family membership ($55 annual). When we did this a few years ago,
there were usually 2 stories and then a craft related to the stories. Sometimes
the crafts were inside and sometimes they were right in the gardens but once you
pay you get full access to the gardens, including the butterfly wing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tuesday, August 6 - 5:00-8:00PM - 99 cent kids meals at Fazolis in Ames & they usually have a fun activity for kids in addition to the usual crayons and activity sheets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tuesday, August 6 - 5:30-7:30PM - free face painting and kids eat free at Valentino's in Ames. Actually you get one free kids meal for each adult meal so if you have 3 kids and 2 adults then you will have to pay for one of the kids meals. Valentino's does this every Tuesday and kids get to make their own pizzas but face painting is only the first Tuesday of the month. The face painter is Pirates Princesses Lucinda, she does a great job and she is so fast, she is my kids' favorite!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tuesday, August 6 - 7:00PM - Watch What You Eat! - kids will learn all about how to keep the food you eat safe and healthy. Hands-on learning with produce harvested from our own garden! Free, located at the Squaw Creek Community Garden, Plot #1, 2 blocks south fo the S. 4th St. and S. Maple intersection in Ames.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wednesday, August 7 - 1:00PM - as far as I know, Art in the Park is still happening. It's hard to find any information on this so you may want to try to contact the Story City Parks & REc department if you're driving very far to get there. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Story City Park, cost is $3 per child. Antique Carousel is also in the
park and rides are $1 each, 6 for $5 or 20 for $12. Also, popcorn is 50 cents
and there is a vending machine with soda and water on the north side of the
Carousel building.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thursday, August 8 - the first day of the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. I found a fun website for 101 freebies at the Iowa State Fair: <a href="http://www.iowastatefair.org/upl/downloads/library/101-freebies.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.iowastatefair.org/<wbr></wbr>upl/downloads/library/101-<wbr></wbr>freebies.pdf</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">and here is the general website: <a href="http://www.iowastatefair.org/">http://www.iowastatefair.org/</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Friday, August 9 - day 2 of the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, see details on August 8 listing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Friday, August 9 - 2:00PM free movie, "James and the Giant Peach" (rated PG) at Ames City Auditorium, 520 6th St.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Saturday, August 10 - day 3 of the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, see details on August 8 listing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Saturday,
August 10 - 8AM-noon - Farmer's Market, Main Street Ames. There are usually
activities or crafts for kids and live music at Tom Evans Park. One week there
was a little petting zoo and sometimes there are face painters (for a small
fee), too.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sunday, August 10 - day 4 of the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, see details on August 8 listing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sunday,
August 10 - 3:00-6:00PM - Prairie Mooon Winery, $3 per adult (over 21), kids are
free. World Port (world view music from Des Moines) will be playing. <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Outside food is allowed so we bring all sorts of
snacks when we go but can't bring drinks in. $3 entry includes one drink ticket
that can be used for sangria or soda. They also have a big cooler of water and
cups (free) so people can help themselves and food is available for purchase. I took some pictures of the grapes yesterday and here are some pictures:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is another picture from Prairie Moon - my mom, my grandma, my grandma's sister & her husband visiting from Oregon:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sunday,
August 4 - 7:00PM until about 8:30PM - Roosevelt Summer Sundays Concert, The Parranderos Latin Combo will be performing.
Free, at old Roosevelt school in Ames, 9th St & Roosevelt Ave. Here is a picture of my mom, my aunt Bonnie, and me with the kiddos listening to the Sundogs last week:</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Brookside Wading
Pool is still open every day through August 18, weather permitting, from 11AM-4PM. Cost is $1 per
wader (no charge for parents).</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tot Time at Furman
Aquatic Center is every day from 11AM-1PM and the entire water park is open until 8PM
every day, weather permitting. Please check their Facebook page for updates.
Have a wonderful week!!</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></span></span></span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-29207688706046214362013-07-28T20:51:00.000-07:002013-07-29T18:44:36.045-07:00Activities for the week of July 29, 2013<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well, back-to-school sales, tax-free shopping, ISU students will be back in town soon and I can't believe Thursday is August 1!! The summer is going so fast! This is a much slower week than last week but there are still some fun things to do this week (and for the next 4 weeks - yes, I am counting the weeks - before school starts).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here is my list of fun & fairly low-cost family activities for the week of July 29, 2013:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Monday, July 29 - believe it or not, I can't find a single thing so probably a good day for checking out a park that you haven't been to before. We went to Daley Park in west Ames last Thursday and I was so impressed! We also like Brookside, Inis Grove, and also just discovered Hans Peter Christofferson Park just off Oakwood Road a few months ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here are some pictures from Daley Park:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Also, it's a bit of a drive, but the Indianola Hot Air Balloon Festival is happening all this week and runs through August 3. I have never been before, but we are planning to stop through Indianola on Wednesday and I am looking forward to it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tuesday, July 30 - 10:00AM - $1 movie "Rio" at North Grand Theater (at the mall) in Ames</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wednesday, July 31 - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">1:00PM - Art in the
Park, Story City Park, cost is $3 per child. Antique Carousel is also in the
park and rides are $1 each, 6 for $5 or 20 for $12. Also, popcorn is 50 cents
and there is a vending machine with soda and water on the north side of the
Carousel building.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wednesday, July 31 - 4:00PM - Teen Wednesdays (teens only) - this week it's at City Auditorium, 520 6th St - free movie, "The Hobbit"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thursday, August 1 - again, I can't find anything going on today so maybe a good day for a park or try out a new area pool. Or maybe a good day to stay home and just have some backyard fun with some water balloons and a sprinkler. Here's what we did last week when little sister was sick & napping:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday, August 2 - all day - not necessarily a family activity but worth mentioning - this is the first day of the tax-free shopping in Iowa, this applies to any clothing item under $100 and any shoes under $100.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday, August 2 - 2:00PM free movie, "Wreck it Ralph" at Ames City Auditorium, 520 6th St. Join Ronald McDonald's McDig'n It as a pre-show before the movie</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Saturday, August 3 - all day - this is the second (and final) day of the tax-free shopping in Iowa. Again, this applies to any item of clothing priced under $100 and any pair of shoes under $100.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Saturday, August 3 - 8AM-noon - Farmer's Market, Main Street Ames. There are usually activities
or crafts for kids and live music at Tom Evans Park. One week there was a
little petting zoo and sometimes there are face painters (for a small fee), too.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sunday, August 4 - 3:00-6:00PM - Prairie Mooon Winery, $3 per adult (over 21), kids are free. Trouble No More (blues) will be playing. <span style="font-family: Georgia;">Outside food is allowed so we bring all sorts
of snacks when we go but can't bring drinks in. $3 entry includes one drink
ticket that can be used for sangria or soda. They also have a big cooler of
water and cups (free) so people can help themselves and food is available for
purchase. The boys and I walked through the grape vines today and saw beautiful purple and green grapes. I would bet that they're almost ready to be harvested. If we go again this week, I will be sure to take some pictures of the grapes and post in next week's blog.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sunday, August 4 - 7:00PM until about 8:30PM - Roosevelt Summer Sundays Concert, also their Facebook page says this will be another Roosevelt Park Potluck Supper so this may be earlier than 7:00PM, may want to check with someone if you'd like to participate. The classic Ames band, The Sundogs (reggae), will be performing. At old Roosevelt school in Ames, 9th St & Roosevelt Ave.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Also, Brookside
Wading Pool is still open every day, weather permitting, from 11AM-4PM. Cost is
$1 per wader (no charge for parents)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tot Time at Furman
Aquatic Center is every day from 11AM-1PM and the water park is open until 8PM every day, weather permitting. Please check their Facebook page for
updates. Have a wonderful week!!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-76544164308730800152013-07-22T20:29:00.002-07:002013-07-23T11:55:05.727-07:00Activities for the week of July 22, 2013 (excluding Monday)<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I had to share this fun picture of my kiddos from Watermelon Days in Stanhope this past weekend, it was a great time and I highly recommend this to anyone who has not been before - so much fun! My oldest is hamming it up - being silly biting the rind! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is my list of fun & fairly low-cost family activities in the Ames area for the week of July 22 (excluding Monday, July 22 which is on my previous blog):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This is the last week for the library events in the Ames parks. The library theme for the week is "Diggin' for Treasure" - yo, ho, my hearties! Come to the park to do Pirate and Treasure themed activities, games, and crafts! Once again, I have denoted these with ** meaning that they are all the same so you may just want to pick one of the three different times to attend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">**Tuesday, July 23 - 10:00AM - "Diggin' for Treasure" at Inis Grove Park, Walnut Shelter, free - all sorts of fun activities for kids including crafts, stories, games, songs, pillowcase/potato sack races and three-legged races. Take note, when we did the paint craft/activites a few weeks ago, the paints were NOT washable so may want to plan accordingly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tuesday, July 23 - 10:00AM - $1 movie "Oceans" at North Grand Theater (at the mall) in Ames</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tuesday, July 23 - 10:00AM - Reiman Gardens Story Time, $4 for kids ages 4-17, $8 for adults, children under 3 free and free if you have a family membership ($55 annual). When we did this a few years ago, there were usually 2 stories and then a craft related to the stories. Sometimes the crafts were inside and sometimes they were right in the gardens but once you pay you get full access to the gardens, including the butterfly wing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">UPDATE: Tuesday, July 23 - 6:00PM - Hamilton County Fair Parade, Webster City. I know this is a bit of a drive from Ames, but some of you may be closer or may be able to make the drive. The parade marks the beginning of the Hamilton County Fair which begins Wednesday, July 24 and continues through Sunday. My dad graduated from Webster City so we have been going for many years and there are always lots of fun things for kiddos. See website for details: <a href="http://www.freemanjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/522205/Hamilton-County-Fair-is-this-week.html?nav=5006" target="_blank">http://www.freemanjournal.net/<wbr></wbr>page/content.detail/id/522205/<wbr></wbr>Hamilton-County-Fair-is-this-<wbr></wbr>week.html?nav=5006</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wednesday, July 24 - Hamilton County Fair, Webster City fairgrounds. See July 23 listing for details.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wednesday, July 24 - 1:00PM - Art in the Park, Story City Park, cost is $3 per child. Antique Carousel is also in the park and rides are $1 each, 6 for $5 or 20 for $12. Also, popcorn is 50 cents and there is a vending machine with soda and water on the north side of the Carousel building.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is a picture of two of my kiddos riding the dogs with Grandma:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are also pigs, roosters, rabbits, and the usual horses, too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And probably the boys' favorite thing of all, the spinning cup!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wednesday, July 24 - 2:00PM & 3:00PM - Dan Wardell from IPTV will be at Bandshell Park in Ames, 6th St & Duff Ave. He had a wonderful, interactive show a few weeks ago in Huxley and talked about healthy snacks and foods. The kids really got into the show and at the end, everyone got a cool LED flashlight. The show was about 45 minutes and of course, it was free.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is a picture of my boys with Dan after the show:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wednesday, July 24 - 4:00PM - Teen Wednesdays at Bandshell Park. (Teens only) Hobbit Party - join in a treasure/scavenger hunt while we attempt to retrieve our stolen treasure from Smaug the dragon. It won't be easy - obstacles will be in our way, including Smaug himself!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wednesday, July 24 - 6:30PM - Bookmobile Storytime - featuring books, music, and more, followed by a related craft activity, free, Fareway on Stange Rd</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thursday, July 25 - Hamilton County Fair, Webster City fairgrounds. See July 23 listing for details.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">**Thursday, July 25 - 10:00AM - "Diggin' for Treasure" at Daley Park, including the bookmobile. Same as July 23, just different location.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">UPDATE: Thursday, July 25 - 4:00-8:00PM - Story City's Carousel will be celebrating National Carousel Day along with its 100th birthday in the North Park. There will be inflatables from 4:00-7:00PM, Sweet Treats ice cream from 5:00-7:00PM and music from Stan Dahl (a fellow South Hamilton graduate) from 6:00-7:30PM. Free birthday cake will be served during the concert. Area residents are encouraged to bring their own picnic food or take out from area restaurants to enjoy in the park. The carousel will be open for rides from noon to 8:00PM. Thank you to Rachel, Laura's friend, for the reminder!! Here are the details: <a href="http://storycityherald.com/news/enjoy-music-and-fun-carousel%E2%80%99s-100th-birthday-bash.html">http://storycityherald.com/news/enjoy-music-and-fun-carousel%E2%80%99s-100th-birthday-bash.html</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I know it's a bit of a drive, but the Indianola Hot Air Balloon Festival starts on Friday, July 26. I have never been before, but we are planning a road trip with a stop through town on the 31st. I think it runs until August 3.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday, July 26 - Hamilton County Fair, Webster City fairgrounds. See July 23 listing for details.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">**Friday, July 26 - 10:00AM - "Diggin' for Treasure" at Bandshell Park. Same as July 23, just different location.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday, July 26 - 11:30AM-1:30PM - Bookends at Bandshell, free. "Peace, Love & Stuff" (rockabilly blues) will be playing at Bandshell Park in Ames. Come bring your lunch and enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday, July 26 - noon - "The Naturalist Lunchbox" sponsored by Story County Conservation, free - at McFarland Park, Ames. Not sure of details but thank you Jill for the heads up! Sorry I didn't get this included last week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday, July 26 - 2:00PM - movie, "Muppet Tresure Island" (rated G) at Ames City Auditorium, free (and air-conditioned)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday, July 26 - 5:00-8:00PM - Ames on the Half Shell - live music at Bandshell Park in Ames, free if you just play on playground and don't go in beer garden. Grand JCT is playing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday, July 26 - 6:30PM - last Bookmobile Storytime of the summer - featuring books, music, and more, followed by a related craft activity (free), University Village</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Saturday, July 27 - Hamilton County Fair, Webster City fairgrounds. See July 23 listing for details.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Saturday, July 27 - 8:00AM - noon - Farmer's Market on Main Street Ames. I have forgotten to mention in previous posts that there are usually activities or crafts for kids and live music at Tom Evans Park. One week there was a little petting zoo and sometimes there are face painters (for a small fee), too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sunday, July 28 - last day of Hamilton County Fair, Webster City fairgrounds. See July 23 listing for details.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sunday, July 28 - 3:00-6:00PM - Prairie Moon Winery, $3 per adult, kids are free. Come see Planet Passengers (jazz and other favorites). Jewell area people - this is Ray Burkhart & company's band. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Outside food is allowed so we bring all sorts of snacks when we go but can't bring drinks in. $3 entry includes one drink ticket that can be used for sangria or soda. They also have a big cooler of water and cups (free) so people can help themselves and food is available for purchase.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sunday, July 28 - 6:00PM - Bookends at Bandshell, special Sunday concert, free. This is the last Bookends at Bandshell of the summer, "Four Mile Creek Band" (bluegrass) will be playing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sunday, July 28 - 7:00PM until about 8:30PM - "The Java Jews" (highly caffeinated klezmer) - I don't make this stuff up and I have no idea what klezmer is, but it sounds interesting - are playing at the old Roosevelt school in Ames, 9th St & Roosevelt Ave</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Also, Brookside Wading Pool is still open every day, weather permitting, from 11AM-4PM. Cost is $1 per wader (no charge for parents)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tot Time at Furman Aquatic Center is every day from 11AM-1PM, please check their Facebook page for updates since it seems they've had a high amount of...ahem... "contamination" issues in the Splash Pool lately. Have an awesome week!!</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-84186170087614296872013-07-21T20:30:00.002-07:002013-07-21T20:32:06.080-07:00Activities for Monday, July 22Okay, so it's been a busy week and weekend and I am just posting activities for Monday right now since my oldest turned 6 and we have been busy having fun and celebrating his big day!<br />
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Here are a few things going on in the Ames area on Monday:<br />
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This is the last week for the library activities in the area parks and the theme for the week is "Diggin' for Treasure." Yo, ho, my hearties! Come to the park to do Pirate and Treasure themed activities, games, and crafts!<br />
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Monday, July 22, 10:00AM - Preschool Storytime at the Fire Station - preeschoolers and their parents and siblings will once again enjoy the book "Firefighters A to Z" with Todd and Smyles, see a fireman dressed in his gear and take a tour of the fire station. Station #2, 132 Welch Ave.<br />
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Monday, July 22, 2:00PM - "Diggin' for Treasure" - 2:00PM, Brookside Park, Maple Shelter - see description above<br />
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6:30PM - Bookmobile Story Time - featuring books, music, and more, followed by a related craft activity - Abbie Sawyer Elementary<br />
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I hope to get the rest of the week's activities posted tomorrow and thank you for your patience. I opted to make a Star Wars Lego spaceship with my boys tonight instead of taking time to do the blog. Please check back for more updates & I hope you have a great start to your week!! :)Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-45136721756873792382013-07-14T16:06:00.002-07:002013-07-23T16:10:30.267-07:00Activities for the week of July 15, 2013<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Okay, I'm starting to get the hang of this blogging thing! Thanks for your patience! :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is my list of fun & fairly low-cost family activities in the Ames area for the week of July 15:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The library theme for the week is "Tops and Bottoms" - vegetables everywhere! Test your knowledge and your taste buds with a variety of veggie activities. Once again, I have denoted these with ** meaning that they are all the same so you may just want to pick one of the four different times to attend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">**Monday, July 15 - 2:00PM - "Tops and Bottoms" at Brookside Park, Maple Shelter, free - all sorts of fun activities for kids including crafts, stories, games, songs, pillowcase/potato sack races and three-legged races. Take note, when we did the paint craft/activites a few weeks ago, the paints were NOT washable so may want to plan accordingly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Monday, July 15 - 6:30PM - Bookmobile Storytime - featuring books, music, and more, followed by a related craft activity, free, Abbie Sawyer Elementary</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tuesday, July 16 - 10:00AM - $1 movie "Happy Feet" at North Grand Theater (at the mall) in Ames</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">**Tuesday, July 16 - 10:00AM - "Tops and Bottoms" at Inis Grove Park, Walnut Shelter, free - same as July 15, just different location</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tuesday, July 16 - 7:00PM - "Bug Out at the Garden" - come meet Entomologist Joe and learn all about what bugs are good and bad for a garden and make some buggy crafts, free. Squaw Creek Community Garden, plot #1, 2 blocks south of the S 4th St & S Maple intersection in Ames.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wednesday, July 17 - 1:00PM - Art in the Park, Story City Park, cost is $3 per child. Antique Carousel is also in the park and rides are $1 each, 6 for $5 or 20 for $12. Also, popcorn is 50 cents and there is a vending machine with soda and water on the north side of the Carousel building.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is a picture from Art in the Park a few weeks ago - the kids made rolling stamps using part of a water noodle and foam stickers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wednesday, July 17 - 2:00PM - "Chasing 4Life" - free, sponsored by the library. Learn all about the people who help clean up after a weather phenomenon and about how you can be perpared for severe weather in your area. At Bandshell Park in Ames, 6th St & Duff Ave</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wednesday, July 17 - 6:30PM - Bookmobile Storytime - featuring books, music, and more, followed by a related craft activity, free, Fareway on Stange Rd</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">**Thursday, July 18 - 10:00AM - "Tops and Bottoms" at Daley Park, including the bookmobile. Same as July 15, just different location.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thursday, July 18 - 1:30PM & 2:30PM - Dan Wardell from IPTV will be a the Nevada library. He had a wonderful, interactive show a few weeks ago in Huxley and talked about healthy snacks and foods. The kids really got into the show and at the end, everyone got a cool LED flashlight. The show was about 45 minutes and of course, it was free. If you can't make it to Nevada, Dan Wardell will be coming to Ames next week, too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is a picture of my boys with Dan Wardell when he was in Huxley a few weeks ago:</span><br />
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The kiddos playing with their cool new "superhero" flashlights after the show...</div>
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We even took our picture with Dan's "sweet ride!" :)</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thursday, July 18 - 5:30-7:30PM - Tune Into Main Street, "Brewer Project" is playing (pop & jazz). This is a free event but Valentino's will be selling pizza by the slice in the parking lot. There are also some activities for kids, including a water balloon dunk tank and when I spoke with one of the sponsors last month, she said kids are welcome to wear their swimsuits and sit on the seat. They don't really get dunked, but if someone hits the target then a small water balloon falls on their head. And, more importantly, Becca Wemhoff, the local balloon artist, will be there making free balloon animals and things from 6:00-7:30PM.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is my oldest with all of his balloon loot after last month's Tune Into Main Street...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">**Friday, July 19 - 10:00AM - "Tops and Bottoms" at Bandshell Park. Same as July 15, just different location.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday, July 19 - 11:30AM-1:30PM - Bookends at Bandshell, free. "Trigger Fish" and "Stranger than Fiction" (Indie rock, rock/folk/blues) will be playing at Bandshell Park in Ames. Come bring your lunch and enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday, July 19 - 2:00PM - movie, "The Goonies" (rated PG) at Ames City Auditorium, free (and air-conditioned)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday, July 19 - 5:00-8:00PM - Ames on the Half Shell - live music at Bandshell Park in Ames, free if you just play on playground and don't go in beer garden. Box Brothers is playing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday, July 19 - 6:30PM - Bookmobile Storytime - featuring books, music, and more, followed by a related craft activity (free), University Village</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Saturday, July 20 - 8:00AM - noon - Farmer's Market on Main Street Ames</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Saturday, July 20 - 10:30AM - Watermelon Days Parade, Stanhope. All sorts of fun afterward at the Stanhope park including food, bingo, entertainment, ballgames, rides, games and all the free watermelon you can eat! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sunday, July 21 - 3:00-6:00PM - Prairie Moon Winery, $3 per adult, kids are free. Come see Abby Normal Band (classic rock coverband), website is <a href="http://www.abbynormalrockband.com/">www.abbynormalrockband.com</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Outside food is allowed so we bring all sorts of snacks when we go but can't bring drinks in. $3 entry includes one drink ticket that can be used for sangria or soda. They also have a big cooler of water and cups (free) so people can help themselves and food is available for purchase.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sunday, July 21 - 7:00PM until about 8:30PM - The Blue Moon Players (folk) and The Colt Walkers (roots, folk) are playing at the old Roosevelt school in Ames, 9th St & Roosevelt Ave</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Also, Brookside Wading Pool is open every day, weather permitting, from 11AM-4PM. Cost is $1 per wader (no charge for parents)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixolWaPRBB4HCuLHdEpMSwGWaKawEY1Yoovw5HOFH5sBfOAje8DNAeELE89f9xIDoM80pHEJPzSZEd7o2oO5Sv0ZoE85o_jjU3AERC5GocDaQWydbFWQKGiA3uET1CUWE4-dOih6cz_g/s1600/photo+(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixolWaPRBB4HCuLHdEpMSwGWaKawEY1Yoovw5HOFH5sBfOAje8DNAeELE89f9xIDoM80pHEJPzSZEd7o2oO5Sv0ZoE85o_jjU3AERC5GocDaQWydbFWQKGiA3uET1CUWE4-dOih6cz_g/s320/photo+(8).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tot Time at Furman Aquatic Center is every day from 11AM-1PM, please check their Facebook page for updates and have a wonderful week!!</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-20099050564040217412013-07-13T20:27:00.001-07:002013-07-13T20:27:48.588-07:00Activities for week of July 8, 2013<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;"></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;">It took me a little while to figure out how to do this blog so this week's post is pretty late but hopefully in the future I will post new ideas for each week on Sundays & I am hoping to post a new list of activities tomorrow.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;">Just to give you an idea of activities for a typical week, here is my list for fun and fairly low-cost things for
families in the Ames area for the week of July 8:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;">The library theme for the week is “Rock It!” – Tumble and roll to the parks for
some smashin’ fun while we take a closer look at rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have denoted these with ** meaning that
they are all the same so you may just want to pick one of the 4 different times
to attend.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia;">Here is a picture of my 4-year old doing a pillowcase race during the library activities in the park, there have been pillowcase races and three-legged races both times we have gone this summer...</span><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheamMQMUq6tkz1NktzmiMvxf9Gg9Jshpmc_MqMUUzUsAtuK-5vTqhfyLNR6zRl58qTdATKdhYU2vHlfJgEkVW0EULV3zcPmltFEUfB_S70gmIFfJ1BgA_6k7A0qBwPuddlPkOO5kZo7g/s1600/photo+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #76a5af;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheamMQMUq6tkz1NktzmiMvxf9Gg9Jshpmc_MqMUUzUsAtuK-5vTqhfyLNR6zRl58qTdATKdhYU2vHlfJgEkVW0EULV3zcPmltFEUfB_S70gmIFfJ1BgA_6k7A0qBwPuddlPkOO5kZo7g/s320/photo+(3).JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="color: #76a5af;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;">**Monday, July 8 – 2:00PM – “Rock It!” at Brookside Park,
Maple Shelter, free – all sorts of fun activities for kids including crafts,
stories, games, and songs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take note,
last time we did the paint craft, the paints were NOT washable so may want to
plan accordingly.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="color: #76a5af;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;">Tuesday, July 9 – 10:00AM - $1 movie “Dolphin Tale” at
North Grand Theater in Ames</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="color: #76a5af;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tuesday, July 9 – 10:00AM – Reiman Gardens Story Time, $4
for kids ages 4-17, $8 for adults, children under 3 free and free for all if
you have a family membership ($55 annual).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we did this a few years ago, there were usually 2 stories and</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;"> then a craft related to the stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes the crafts were inside and
sometimes they were right in the gardens but once you pay you get full access
to the gardens, including the butterfly wing.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="color: #76a5af;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;">**Tuesday, July 9 – 10:00AM – “Rock It!” at Inis Grove Park,
Walnut Shelter, free – same as July 8, just different location</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="color: #76a5af;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;"></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;">Wednesday, July 10 – 1:00PM - Art in the Park, Story City
Park, cost is $3 per child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Antique
Carousel is also in the park and rides are $1 each, 6 for $5 or 20 for
$12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Popcorn is 50 cents.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="color: #76a5af;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Wednesday, July 10 – 2:00PM - “Let Steve Entertain You!”,
free, sponsored by library.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come sing,
dance, and laugh along with performer Steve Couch and his partner – a TV! City<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #76a5af;">Auditorium, 520 6<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> St Ames.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia;">**Thursday, July 11 - 10:00AM - "Rock It!" at Daley Park, including the bookmobile. Same as July 8, just different location.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;">**Friday, July 12 – 10:00AM – “Rock It!” at Bandshell
Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Same as July 8, just different
location.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="color: #76a5af;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;">Friday, July 12 – 11:30-1:30PM – Bookends at Bandshell,
Bandshell Park – Jen McClung (folk), free</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="color: #76a5af;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;">Friday, July 12 – 2:00PM – movie, “Journey to the Center
of the Earth” (rated PG) at Ames City Auditorium, free</span></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;">Friday, July 12 – 5:00-8:00PM – Ames on the Half Shell –
live music at Bandshell Park in Ames, free if you just play on playground and
don’t go in beer garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obsidian’s
Dream is playing</span></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af;">Saturday, July 13 – 8AM-noon – Farmer’s Market on Main
Street Ames</span></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Saturday, July 13 – Midnight Madness Road Races, first
race is at 7:30PM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For more <span style="color: #76a5af;">details,
check out the website – </span></span></span><a href="http://www.amesmidnightmadness.com/"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.amesmidnightmadness.com/</span></span></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #76a5af;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Sunday, July 14 - 3:00-6:00PM - Prairie Moon Windery, $3 per adult, kids are free. El Dorados (rockabilly). Outside food is allowed so we bring all sorts of snacks when we go but can't bring drinks in. $3 entry includes one drink ticket that can be used for sangria or soda. They also have a big cooler of water and cups (free) so people can help themselves and food is available for purchase.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia;">We celebrated my grandma's 87th birthday at Prairie Moon a few weeks ago, here she is with my mom and baby girl. They have chairs there, but we did bring some of our own and a blanket to sit on.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WdjE3M3sGVRleiSYG3uTTi1Y4EzaG_dEMibLkBsk7R9DAhQIjtG_28kr3PWV8V9TDTIpOq8joENBAt59y_ynet5afofwbOXQ_GXpRsanHYV7WrYr4dCYgJMLmZZpPz3_PHgAkUddUQ/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #76a5af;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WdjE3M3sGVRleiSYG3uTTi1Y4EzaG_dEMibLkBsk7R9DAhQIjtG_28kr3PWV8V9TDTIpOq8joENBAt59y_ynet5afofwbOXQ_GXpRsanHYV7WrYr4dCYgJMLmZZpPz3_PHgAkUddUQ/s320/photo+(2).JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Sunday, July 14 – 7:00PM-about 8:30PM - old Roosevelt
school (9<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> St and Roosevelt Ave) in Ames– this week is The Jason
Danielson Quintet (jazz), free</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia;">Also, Brookside wading pool in Ames is open every day from 11AM-4PM, $1 per wader</span><br />
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<span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia;">Tot Time at Furman Aquatic Center every day from 11AM-1PM, check their Facebook page for updates</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1490475510385209612.post-50168559851967283822013-07-13T14:27:00.000-07:002013-07-23T16:10:04.567-07:00Welcome!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So glad you found my site and I hope you find it useful!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After some encouragement from one of my good friends, I have decided to start a blog. I should probably tell you a little about myself first. Don't worry, I'll try to keep it brief!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have three terrific (most of the time) kids under age 7. I became a stay-at-home mom in 2011 after the birth of my third child. I was raised in central Iowa, attended college in Missouri, and after a few moves, my husband and I moved back to central Iowa about 8 years ago to be close to our families. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here is a picture from last Halloween:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ytysMILv_Yb-fm6q5F1hY3pedHA85eKWtsOV7y5chbyNzvqiYZ6IFJHi_0vdRQQn6b4xTdXOGyt8X5LYNuUiEMgUKiUhN0y2jPzXtOroRVv2y8CnhkfNG9FFvG0DNr96Iq_oA4EJJg/s1600/Joint+debit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ytysMILv_Yb-fm6q5F1hY3pedHA85eKWtsOV7y5chbyNzvqiYZ6IFJHi_0vdRQQn6b4xTdXOGyt8X5LYNuUiEMgUKiUhN0y2jPzXtOroRVv2y8CnhkfNG9FFvG0DNr96Iq_oA4EJJg/s320/Joint+debit.JPG" width="319" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Although I was grateful to be able to choose to stay-at-home with my kids, the transition was extremely difficult for me. I had tremendous anxiety and had suffered periods of depression in the past and I think I spent the first couple of months in a haze. I struggled just to make it through the days and didn't feel like meeting other moms and making play dates with other kids, I was completely overwhelmed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In the past two years, I am happy to say that I have adjusted pretty well to being a stay-at-home mom. The days seem to fly by and I think it helps to stay busy, get outside whenever possible, and to have something for the kids to look forward to. I have constantly been on the search for fun, inexpensive, family-friendly activities to keep my kiddos busy, especially during the summer months when the kids are out of school and I want to share these ideas with you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It is my sincere hope that through my efforts I can help a mom, dad, grandma, or other caregiver find fun ways to make wonderful memories with their kiddos, even on a limited budget.</span><br />
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14217570192554441045noreply@blogger.com0