Summer Kid/Family Fun Boise and Meridian

We can't fit them all in but we're sure going to try.

Here's the fun summer list we came up with:

Free

Hike Camel’s Back/Hull’s Gulch - Boise

Hike Table Rock - Boise

Swan Falls Park and Recreation Area – 45 minute drive

MK Nature Center – Boise Greenbelt

Play in the fountain at Ann Morrison Park

Play in the fountain near the Grove Hotel in Boise – Boise Centre 

on the Grove

Float the Boise River

Feed the ducks at a park

Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial – Greenbelt

Public Market at the Village – Sat 10-2

Capital City Public Market – 802 W. Bannock St. Boise Saturdays 

9:30-1:30

Meridian Youth Farmers Market (looking for vendors) – June 24^th 

– Sept 24^th 9-12 Meridian City Hall Plaza

Take a walk down Freak Alley - 210 N. 9^th St. Boise

Go geocaching

Fishing – Boise River, Settlers Park Pond, McDevitt Pond, Merrill 

Pond, Riverside Pond, Veteran’s Park Pond, Quinn’s Pond, Park 

Center Pond,  and Arrowrock Reservoir

Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park – near Mountain Home

Play disc golf at Ann Morrison Park

Kuna Caves – 1795 W. Deerflat Rd. Kuna

Free kids workshops - Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Michael’s

Go to a park or local school track and have family Olympics

Visit a retirement center and read stories or perform songs

Visit the library – so many great activities!!!!

Jump Creek – SW of Marsing

Kleiner Park Live Concert Series – Thursdays – pre-concert 5:30 – 

music begins 6:30

Outside Activities

Ivy Wild Pool in Boise – fun slides – 2250 S. Leadville Ave. Boise

Babby Farms (exotic animal petting zoo) – 5900 El Paso Rd, 

Caldwell, ID 83607

Paddle Boats at Julia Davis Park

Terrace Drive-In Theatre – 4011 S. Lake Ave Caldwell

Parma Motor Vu Drive-In Theatre – 29522 US 95 Parma

The World Center for Birds of Prey – children under 4 are free – 

5668 W. Flying Hawk Ln. Boise

Zoo Boise – get $1 off on Thursdays - 2 and under free

Botanical Gardens – 2355 Old Penitentiary Rd. Boise - 4 and under free

Indoor Activites

Cable One Movie Night @ Settlers Park – Fridays at dusk

Movies Under the Stars – various parks in Boise – Fridays @ 7 

with free games for kids. Movie begins at dusk.

$1 Summer Movie Express – Edwards 21 Theatres – Tuesdays @ 10

Overland Park Cinemas $1 Tuesdays

Attend a play – Boise Little Theater, Stage Coach Theater, Idaho 

Shakespeare Festival, Starlight Mountain Theater, Meridian Little 

Theater, and Treasure Valley Children’s Theater

Get ice cream in the Hyde Park Historic District – N. 13^th St. Boise

Kids Bowl Free – just pay for shoe rental – Big Al’s, Meridian 

Bowling Lanes, Pinz Bowling

Grinkers Grand Palace ($.25 arcade) – 228 E. Plaza St. Eagle

Aquarium of Boise – 64 N. Cole Rd. – 2 and under free

The Front Climbing Club – 3235 W. Chinden Blvd. – Kids climb 

free on Saturdays 10-2

Big Al’s $1 bowling games – Mondays 6 to close

Ice World – $5 Wednesdays 6:30-8:30

Givens Hot Springs – 11309-ID 78 Melba –

Museums – Basque Museum and Cultural Center, Idaho State 

Historical Museum, Discovery Center of Idaho, Idaho Military History Museum, Boise Depot, Warhawk Air Museum, and the Old Idaho Penitentiary

Nampa Rollerdrome – kidsskatefree.com - 19 10^th Ave. South in Nampa

From Home

Jump on the trampoline while a sprinkler is running underneath

Use sidewalk chalk to create art on your trampoline

Have a lemonade stand

Craft day

Baking day

Bake cookies for ice cream sandwiches

Make a summer family photo journal

Dance party

Go for a walk and then make a collage from nature objects you find along the way

Make Gak/Play-do

Make a music video

Board game day

Set up a bike wash to earn money

Spa day at home (do hair and nails)

Have a read-in (make a fort, cuddle up in blankets, grab some 

snacks, and read all day)

Set up a tent in the backyard for a family campout

Decorate brown paper bags and put on a puppet show

Make your own hard to pop bubbles with 1 cup of distilled water, 2 

tablespoons of Dawn dish soap, and 1 tablespoon of glycerin

Create unusual s’mores by experimenting with ingredients like 

bananas, cookies, and white chocolate

Collect rocks and paint them

Make a birdhouse out of Popsicle sticks

Illustory Make-a-book-kit - Write a book and have it published into an actual hardcover. $14 Amazon

Stage an A-Z scavenger hunt

Food

Summer Meal Program – June 8^th – Aug 5^th M-F 12:30 – Free for ages 1-18 Adult $3 - Desert Sage Elementary, Gateway Elementary, Chateau Park, Frontier Elementary, Lewis and Clark Middle, Fuller Park, Tully Park, and Storey Park

TCBY - Waffle Cone Wednesday ($1.49-$1.99)

Sonic - happy hour ½ price drinks 2-4 and ½ price shakes after 8 

p.m.

Applebees – Tuesdays kids eat for $.99 all day – limited to 4 kids per adult

McDonald’s – Tuesdays $1 off happy meals

Marie Callendar’s – Tuesdays and Saturdays kids eat free with purchase of adult meal

Rockies Diner – Mondays 1 free kid’s meal per adult entrée purchased. After 5 p.m.

Café Ole – Mondays kids eat free after 4:30 p.m. Limit 2 kids per adult entrée purchased.

Tucanos – Everyday children 5 and under eat free.

Black Bear Diner – Tuesdays receive one free kids meal per adult entrée purchased if a child brings in a teddy bear.

Louie’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant – Wednesdays kids eat for $.99 with the purchase of an adult entrée.

Denny’s Restaurant – Tuesdays kids eat free from 4-10 p.m. Two free kids meals per adult entrée.

Rumbi Island Grill – Kids eat free Monday and Tuesdays after 4 

p.m. One free kid meal per adult entrée purchased.

Johnny Carino’s – half price family platters on Monday night 4-11 p.m.

Food Trucks in the Park @ Settlers Park – Wednesdays evenings

I Believe in Naps

            “Wake me up when the light turns green,” my mom would say as she cruised to a stop at the red light and promptly shifted the car into park. This was my normal. I have a dedicated, loving mother who unfortunately fell asleep everywhere. During my piano lessons her head would fall back gently on the couch, smooshing up her blonde hair like a peacock, as she slumbered. Her red pen would then slip from her over worked fingers, landing atop the pile of college papers she was grading.

In the evenings, my mother would deliver glorious renditions of character’s voices while reading us bedtime stories. Dutifully, my older sister and I made sure to sit on either side of her, taking turns gently elbowing her awake when she began napping amid sentences.  Her voice pattern went something like this, “Mary had a little (voice would slur) lammmmbbbbb…,” head would bob down and then lights out. Being the offspring of this glorious woman, and having a pre-genetic disposition to be borderline narcoleptic, I believe in naps.

            Nap-less Cammy, mixed with visiting teaching, equals the “you’re-bound-to-fall-asleep” danger zone for me. When I find myself lounging comfortably on their soft couches, I instantly begin to feel the onslaught of my eyelids begging to close. Oh, and it aches something fierce. It’s one of those, “it’s not you, it’s me” scenarios, where I’m apologizing to these sweet women, trying to convince them they really are interesting, intriguing Daughters of God! I’m the one at fault for not being remarkable at the moment; AKA: super boring, but mostly sleepy.

            I’m what the National Sleep Foundation refers to as a, “planned” napper. They define this as, “… taking a nap before you actually get sleepy. You may use this technique when you know that you will be up later than your normal bed time or as a mechanism to ward off getting tired earlier.” I pencil in a time to snooze every day.  All this requires is a 20-30 minute catnap and the rewards are significant.

            Naps enable me to be recognized as the “nice mom” by my children, and not the “crazy, you –freak- me -out, sleep deprived mom”.  The National Sleep Foundation says napping improves, “mood, alertness, and performance.”  Resting allows me to be brilliantly awake during red lights, saves me from awkwardly getting lost in dreamland on the plush recliners of those I visit teach, and assists in my mostly conscious state while reading bedtime stories. I believe in naps.

An Aunt Shauna - Everybody Needs One.

The Beloved's Aunt Shauna is very dear to our hearts and she paid us a special visit a few months back.

This woman. She entertained my children for HOURS. Literally. 

Aunt Shauna played at least 8 different games with my boys, one of them being Monopoly. They taught her how to play "Oh Heckity Toot". She resolved arguments and listened intently to whatever conversational pieces my little people had to offer.

She's not a night person, but she stayed up late into the evening to have great chats with The Beloved and myself. 

Shauna's arms were always open to hold my newborn infant. 

What a break that was for this mother. 

We love Aunt Shauna!

Thanks for the wonderful memories.

See? Resolving conflict, playing a game, and holding a baby all at the same time.

We took Aunt Shauna and Lou's Flat Stanley to the Art Museum. 

And ended our day at Tucanos with full bellies.

Surrounded by Good Men.

Who aren't afraid to love.

Pictures of the baby with some of her biggest male fans:

Little C 

Ruckus

Moo

The Beloved

Papa

Shower time with Daddy

Moo 

All that love makes a girl tired.

And this little one likes to fall asleep on the floor, in the middle of the chaos. She doesn't want to miss a moment of fun.

Sweet baby.

Lou is completely a big sucker for his youngest sister, but I couldn't find a photo to share. Instead, here's one of him teasing (which is a love language) another female family favorite. 

Lou sitting on Sweetrotten

Movie Fans

We're a movie family.

The Finding Dory movie is coming out this summer and I may be more excited than my children. Hurrah! 

For Moo and Ruckus' birthdays we took them to Captain America: The Winter Solider. (yes, we're those parents)Ruckus went pee three times so that was pretty fantastic, but overall, we were entertained. The offspring were completely sucked in. If no kiddie drama occurs during a flick, it receives a big two thumbs up from these thankful parents.

Ruckus awaiting Captain America: The Winter Soldier to begin.

Moo and Ruckus posing with some of their favorite action stars.

The birthday boys - and Sweetrotten off to the L.

Moo posing before the film starts.

What's your favorite movie of all time?

Mine used to be the Notebook, but as I get older I'm like, "Oh my word, those kids needs to put some clothes on!" They're just babies. So young. Not married. And, The Notebook may be The Beloved's least favorite movie. He detests how inconsiderate the heroine is to her new fiance. 

In the chick-flick genre I am a sucker for New in Town. Can't get enough of the Minnesotan accent. 

The Beloved's favorite movie series is Karate Kid, and I think you can't go wrong with Harry Potter or Pride and Prejudice. Yes!

Do you quote movie lines in your family?

In the Craner Fam we quote Lady Hawk and Willow the most. These are some of my favorites:

"Get out of the way peck!" (yep, say that to my kids :) When someone uses the bathroom at my home I say, "You feel better! You've done the right thing!" If someone asks me a questions about where another person went, I almost always want to respond, "she flew away" - but I don't, unless it's my family, because that's super weird.

I've been known to shout out, "Hello Washington" from Black Sheep or, "I got dibs on top bunk". My sister Shannon and I find great joy in the line, "I love lamp" from Anchor Man. The Beloved probably quotes lines from Aladdin the most, which is the best because it typically involves a little ditty.

And just so you know which movies I'm looking forward to THE MOST in 2016, besides Finding Dory, they are: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiars' and the BFG!!! Because we also love to read around here yo. (Disclaimer: The Beloved's 2016 movies faves probably vary greatly from mine.)

General Conference with Kids -

Usually when we go to Grandma and Grandpa Patton's a million (or maybe just 21) grand-kids under the age of 13 are taking over the joint.  But, our last visit to UT was during General Conference weekend and look at the attentiveness of these little spirits; hearkening to the words delivered from modern day prophets. 

It was a lovely sight.

P.S. the General Conference BINGO cards my mom gave me may have helped. :)

Either way, I have some awfully impressive nieces, nephews, and offspring.  

Aunt Amy!

(Sorry the pictures are hard to see)

Aunt Amy with Sweetrotten and Mackenzie

Our baby and Mackenzie getting acquainted.

Mackenzie going after Moo's hair.

We have to put an exclamation point after Aunt Amy's name, because that's how we feel when she and her little family visit.
Amy and baby Mackenzie are in town!
That's the best news ever!
Mackenzie is super animated and loved everyone except The Beloved. His beard was not to be tolerated and she gave it the stink eye for a good thirty minutes. I was impressed with her 
stick-to-itiveness. 
I always tell The Beloved's brother, Jordon, he couldn't have picked a better wife. They truly are a celestial family.
We love you guys!

Thanks for Taking Care of my Babies

(Do you feel this way about inanimate objects? :) 

Dear Fisher- Price Newborn Sleeper Cradle,

Hi there, my dependable old friend. It’s an hour till midnight and you are cuddling my sweet, five month old little girl. Though she is not the first baby of mine you’ve held, she will be the last, and this thought makes my mom heart weep. It is difficult to comprehend that this is the last season you’ll be my ever present companion.

Having you in my life has added an extra measure of convenience and peace. You hold your head high when covered in mustard colored baby-blowout; making life easier with your removable, washable cover. You are off- white and have a gender-neutral pattern of shaded circles, which has welcomed both my sons and daughters. I see dirty little hand prints littering the edges of your frame, left from older siblings leaning in for support, while peeking in at our newest heavenly gift. Some may think you appear unclean, but you are really sprinkled with markings of love and curiosity.  As I stare at you now I never want to wash your cover again; too afraid to launder away those irreplaceable moments.

You are a portable cradle which means my babies have felt at home even when they are not. You fold together so compactly, and stow away nicely amidst the other hordes of cargo shoved into the back of our Ford Expedition. You have never abandoned us for a moment and I can’t applaud you enough for enduring the lengthy road trips and dusty, sweaty camp outs.

You’re not afraid of a little hard work and sometimes your shift lasts 24/7. In the dead of night I’ve reached out to you from my bedside, grabbing hold of your frigid metal leg. We’ve worked as a team as I’ve sleepily rocked you back and forth, back and forth, until no more cries from your infant passenger could be heard. You have comforted every tiny child I’ve entrusted to your care; snuggling them in tight as they sway tranquilly in your lap.

            My newborn isn’t such a newborn anymore and this is probably the final month I’ll have you by my side. I wanted to tell you thank you, thank you for taking extraordinary care of my delicate babies time and time again. Your presence will be sorely missed.

Much Love,

Cammy

The Zoo - It Never Gets Old

L-R
Cousin Brandon covering up the new hole he ripped in the back of his pants. Whoopsies! Cousin Hyrum is holding Ruckus on his shoulders and that's no easy task. Cousin Max is holding Sweetrotten's hand; catering to her every demand - and she has many. Can I just tell you that older cousins are the coolest? I love these boys. I love watching them love and nurture my kiddos. 

 

Moo is taking notes of the various animals as he walks.

Front L-R
Sweetrotten, Moo, Lou, Gwen
Back L-R
Max, Angie, Me, Hyrum holding Ruckus.... still, and Brandon

 How fun it was to go to the zoo with my sister and her offspring! Finally, another adult to ogle at the  anteaters with me. We may or may not have whispered our rendition of anteater "bad lip" reading segments into each other's ears. 

But mostly, she was smitten - because how could you not be?

I will admit we watched YouTube anteater videos afterward.

It's a serious party over here.

Always.

The Ageless Slip N' Slide

I love me some Slip N' Slide memories!

You can collide and it's still the best thing ever:

Sweetrotten and Ruckus

 The spouting water is magical:

Sweetrotten and Moo

 It entertains ages 2 to infinity:

Sweetrotten

 You don't have to conform to the sliding method:

Ruckus

 Gives you the adrenaline of  extreme sports but way less terrifying:

Lou

 Water in the face - bring it on:

Lou

 You can practice the perfect running stride:

Moo

Honored

It's an honor to be the daughter of the most special mom alive, and an honor to be the mother to the coolest kids around. 

And I know.... blah blah blah - everyday should be Mother's Day - but it's not. So you better believe I whispered in my kid's ears as they were walking up toward the church pulpit to sing some songs, "Hurry your buns up there and sing your heart out to me. It's Mother's Day." And after our lovely family neighborhood walk I had guilted my teenager into, I made all my kiddos sit down and take a picture with their Mama, then proclaimed, "Okay, I love you. Thank you for the walk and making my day special. Now, go inside and play the X-box.  I better not see you for one hour while I take a nap." BECAUSE IT'S MOTHER'S DAY folks - and I take full advantage of every spoilage they have to offer.

Family Stroll:

Safe on her daddy's shoulders

Lou taking a moment to pause with Kathy the dog.

Later in the evening we headed to my parent's house to honor this elect lady:

My Mama

My dad waving from the coach; still recovering from knee surgery.

The Beloved. 

I really like this guy.

He grilled kebabs to die for - they were lined with steaks wrapped in bacon, green peppers, smoked chicken, and zucchinis. Delicious.

Plus he was on dish duty all day. There's almost nothing sexier than that. 

 Fun pictures on the swing:

Fabulous selfies:

My Mom. My Pal.

My six greatest accomplishments:

Feeling exhausted after being on both Mommy and Daddy duty all day long.