Summer is here! And while the kids are excited to be out of school, it can sometimes be daunting as parents on what to do with all this free time. While we love going on trips, we often plan a day of activities so that we have something to look forward to as a family. When we were growing up, we often couldn’t go on a trip very long, because we had sports camps and tournaments. We would take turns picking activities to do within our hometown. And now, with little ones it can sometimes be easier to do a staycation or a handful of activities versus a week-long vacation. We share some fun ideas for your family to do whether you are on summer break or just looking for something fun to do over the weekend.
Paint the Town Red!
Like most parents, when our kids ask to paint, we have a tendency to cringe. But at the same time we want to encourage our little ones in their artistic endeavors. CeramiCafe is a great option if you have children that want to do an art project. This can be fun too if a relative wants to take them out for a family date or even with their nanny. Everyone picks out an item to paint. From plates to piggy banks, coffee mugs and more, there are so many options to choose from. Our little guys picked out an ice cream bowl and car piggy bank. The moms picked out a pineapple serving dish and a plate. Next, we selected our paints and then we got painting. It’s important to remember each of your kid’s attention spans. Our little guys did a great job painting. They needed some assistance from us with switching brushes and getting new colors AND making sure they didn’t paint each other. It was fun to see how each person transformed their blank canvas. I took my plate and made it into a colorful plate that we can use for birthdays and special events. Kelli added “Aloha” to her pineapple serving plate. Joshua wanted to use red because it is his favorite color, so we made “strawberry” ice cream and Kyle loved using red to paint his car.
We chose our pieces we wanted to paint. Then we selected our colors and went to work!
We love CeramiCafe and other art studio concepts like this for several reasons. First, we don’t have to buy all of the supplies. Think about all the paint and brushes you would have to buy to do an art project like this. Second, there is always help on hand. They can give you ideas or suggestions to make your project look amazing. And the most obvious reason, is that you leave the paint and mess behind. As much as we love our little Picassos, it was nice to know that our walls and tables weren’t going to have any accidental paint on them. We can’t wait to use the items that we made!
(left-our pieces before they went into the kiln. Right-our finished pieces!)
Be a Super Hero!
There are always so many great family movies that come out during the summer. The movie theater is also a great option too on a very hot day or coming off a lot of activities. We surprised the boys and took them to go see Incredibles 2 at Cinepolis. They were so excited. We love Cinepolis because you can reserve your seats, which means I don’t have to worry about showing up at the theater and wondering if my family is going to have to sit apart or all the way in the front. It is so nice to be able to watch the movie in a reclining chair and if you move the arm rest up it is like a couch. There were also lots of time options to chose from so it made scheduling it around naps and activities a breeze. We ordered our favorite caramel popcorn and some other snacks. The boys loved the movie and of course asked to go see it again.
left-Laser focused during the movie. right-Talking about who their favorite super hero was after the movie.
We always try to make a movie interactive by asking them what they thought about the movie and trying to draw out some of the important themes and messages. In the case of the Incredibles 2, we talked about helping out our family when they are in trouble, why people make bad choices, and how we can be super heroes by helping others out.
Cool off!
Who doesn’t love ice cream?! Whether it is a warm summer night or an afternoon treat, it can be fun to take the family out for dessert. We loved the gelato at Pappalecco. There are several flavors to chose from. The moms chose Nutella and Coffee while the boys opted for Nutella and Strawberry. Each of us got a little bit of Nutella on top too. The flavors were so yummy. It was the perfect way to end our fun-filled day. We will definitely be going back for more. Pappalecco also has lots of options for coffee and food too including pizza and paninis.
left-the boys checking out Nutella gelato. Right-enjoying their gelato
Grabbing dessert like gelato can be a fun way to catch up and see how children are doing. It can also be a great destination to celebrate after a sports victory or musical recital.
Make sure to check out the Del Mar Highlands events calendar as they have lots of fun concerts like Hullaballo and more coming up.
We were treated to CeramiCafe, Cinepolis and Pappaleco by the Del Mar Highlands. All of our thoughts and opinions are our own.
