Day Out: Ballast Pointe Park

For those of you in the Tampa area, I have to share my adventures to Ballast Pointe Park this week.

I highly recommend this awesome park if you have kids, love fishing, or just want a simple lunch in a beautiful water-front setting.

Parker and I ventured down to this park with two of my girlfriends and their two little boys who happen to all be very close in age. Ballast Pointe Park is located in South Tampa where Bayshore Drive dead ends. Literally.

When you pull into the parking lot, you will first see the fun water splash park area. This kept the kiddos happy for quite a while!

Of course my son found a mud puddle and decided it was much more fun to fill his bucket with water from the shower and then make mud with it.

"Is there something on my face?"

Hopefully the dirt will come out from under his nails by next week.

But then, once the boys' gazes went beyond the water, they realized there was a huge park right behind them. And then they immediately went running for the slides, swings and massive playground equipment.

Parker's friend Nathaniel (with Parker photo-bombing in the background)

All of that running around really built up their appetites so we sat down at the cute kid-sized picnic benches and had some lunch.

And then they were off again!

After a couple hours, we decided to take a break from the park and walk down the LONG fishing pier to look at the pelicans and gaze at the amazing bay views.

 

Why yes, that is an Easter egg in his hand. It was filled with M&M's.

My beautiful friend Claudia and her son, Nathaniel.

Me & the peanut.

On our way back, we checked out the little waterfront cafe where they serve amazing-smelling lobster bisque and lobster rolls. I'm definitely going to have to grab a bite to eat there next time we come. Oh, and I'm bringing some fishing poles too!

Let's just say that by the time we pulled out of the parking lot, this is what the backseat looked like:

 A great time was had by all!

A Couple "Kid" Ideas

As a mom of two small children, I'm always looking for good ideas to help keep them entertained, create special moments for them, and contain their mess! :)

I thought these ideas were worth sharing, and I hope you find them useful too!

Food On The Go

I don't know about your family, but my boys always seem to want to eat in the car.

It's usually a snack, but there are the occasional drive-thru meals as well.

Once a week, my little guy goes to the sweetest woman's house for an in-home daycare. I pick him up at 12 and when I get there, he's not only ready for lunch, he's tired! It's pretty common for him to go directly from the car to the crib on those days. So getting him to eat lunch before his nap meant eating on the way home.

I found these little bins in the Target Dollar Spot a couple weeks ago.

I'm sure the original purpose was for art supplies or something, but they are perfect for meals on the go!

 Each compartment holds it's own food item and nothing is left to spill over the sides.

I also tried this with a Happy Meal last week and the burger, fries, apples & drink fit perfectly in here! Plus the handle makes it easy for little hands to hold on to.

Create Something Special

About once a month, I bake chocolate chip cookies for the boys while Parker is napping. He usually wakes up right before Payton gets home from school, so often times the cookies are still warm when they both first spot them.

We have a 1-cookie rule in this house (I know, sinful!) but when it's fresh-baked cookies, I always let them have 2... or 3.

I am hoping that this simple act of baking cookies creates a happy memory for both of them.

Then I spotted this idea...

Skillet Cookies!

 

Head on over to this blog for the recipe and details.

I can't WAIT to try this recipe this week.

I recently picked up these "Hugs & Kisses" Coupons from the Target Dollar bin a couple weeks ago.

I realize they are probably a seasonal Valentine's product, but you could easily make your own on the computer. The idea behind them is so cute. You just tear out the coupon and put it somewhere special for your child (or spouse for that matter).

Here are a couple of examples:

Some other ideas are:

• 1 Movie Date
• A 5-minute Back Scratch
• A Staring Contest Win
• 1 Morning Stroll (or Moon-light Stroll would also be fun)
• Ice cream outing

Another "special moment" that I love to do is to take 1 child out with a few books, a blanket and a snack and make a little "picnic" by one of our ponds.

I often bring a few pieces of bread with us as well to feed the fish or ducks.

There's something about being outside (e.g. away from technology) and being alone with your child that creates special moments.

My last tip is to take advantage of free activities in your community.

For example, our library is a treasure trove of activities ranging from LEGO classes to art classes to toddler "Mommy & Me" classes. Some are really great, some leave a little to be desired. But they're free!
Also, never discount your local community center - a lot of them have play grounds, spray-grounds, after-school programs, and seasonal activities that are really great.

And if you're looking for something really, really cheap (e.g. FREE) for your toddler...
take em to Lowe's and hang out in the fountain garden area.

I swear, this kid would stay there all day!

 And you can enjoy this beautiful view while they play...

 

 

I hope you are inspired to take a moment today and think of something special you can do with your kids.
If you have any great ideas for containing their mess, please, please, please share them with me!
I'm always looking for great ideas!

But for now... it's time for me to tuck my big boy into bed.
We're reading C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe." I get so excited to read it with him every night. Speaking of creating special moments... :)