Earlier this summer we embarked on an epic 14-hour road trip to Kentucky and had a lot of together time in the car! On the way, we asked the girls what they were excited to do with their time in the suburbs. Matilda said “play!”, and Mabel was able to name at least a dozen things! We wrote out a summer bucket list together, and have spent the past 3 weeks checking things off our to-do list of FUN!

1. Swim in Nana’s pool: The girls love to put on their puddle jumpers and float for hours. It’s the perfect way to stay cool and wear the little girls out!

2. Plan an epic obstacle course: Ride down the hill in the red wagon, run across the yard, climb the ladder to the slide, slide into the wading pool, jump out and run back across the yard, drag the red wagon back up the hill… and REPEAT!

3. Eat picnic lunches outside: In the suburbs, the great outdoors are simply a walk out the back door! Our Bentgo Kids Lunch Boxes are the perfect containers for picnic snacks!

4. Do arts and crafts projects: We love discovering creative art supplies and our new favorite is Wonder Stix. These amazing markers work on wood, cardboard, whiteboards, poster boards, paper, glass and even windows! To beat the summer heat the girls colored on the inside of the backdoor window! Check out the Wonder Stix (and lots more!) at thepencilgrip.com and use our promo code TIDYDAD10 to save 10% off your order!

5. Go to the splash park: Louisville has an amazing park system and we loved visiting the parks that have splash pads! The girls each have a pair of Saltwater Sandals that can get wet, and are perfect for running on the playground and then jumping right through fountains!

6. Eat popsicles in the sprinkler: Water play was near the top of the summer list! This year a new splash play mat was added to our water play repertoire which made the experience even more exciting! We’ve learned that popsicles are always the perfect compliment to water play!

7. Make homemade ice cream: Our KitchenAid stand mixer has an ice cream maker attachment that we store in the freezer, and then it can be used to mix up delicious frozen treats. This year we blended fresh peaches directly into the ice cream! Follow Tidy Dad on Pinterest to find the recipe on my Summer Recipes board!

8. Learn to ride a bike: The girls each have balance bikes, which are an awesome way to learn to balance on 2 wheels before transitioning to a pedal bike. No training wheels needed! Matilda’s toddler balance bike is designed for ages 18+ months, while Mabel’s balance bike is a bit taller and perfect for preschool-age kids.

9. Go to a local fair: Mabel and Matilda experienced their first fair rides together, and loved the mini rollercoaster, ferris wheel, and driving the airplanes around and around and around! One of the most exciting moments was when Mabel’s baseball cap flew off as she soared down the giant slide!

10. Have a water balloon fight: Water balloon fights are an exciting way to cool down on a summer night, but they can take forever to fill up with water. Our friends introduced us to a new method to fill and tie 35 balloons at one time, and it is a total game changer for water balloon fights!

11. Wash the car: We don’t have access to a hose in NYC, so washing the car in the driveway is something we only get to do in Kentucky. The girls scrubbed the car with sponges and a bucket of soapy water, rinsed it down, and I scrubbed the interior with leather care wipes.

12. Go to the Kentucky Science Center: We love our Hall of Science membership in NYC, and it gives us reciprocal membership to other science museums across the country, including the one in Louisville! The girls loved running through mirror mazes, weighing wooden shapes on a scale, putting translucent shapes onto a light table, and building a giant marble track. We are putting this marble run set on their wish list!

13. Play dress up: Mabel and her cousin Brooklynn have a special relationship. They were due only 2 days apart, and they share the same middle name! They both love to dress up, and this summer we took them to Glamour Shots to have fairy photos taken together. They dressed up in fancy necklaces and even a fancy tiara to drive to the photography studio.

14. Go to the zoo: We love to give experiential gifts, so this year for Christmas my sisters and I gifted my mom a membership to the Louisville Zoo! This summer we enjoyed going as a family for FREE as part of the membership!

15. Spend time with family: We had lots of family gatherings this summer and enjoyed spending time with so many people we love. We saw countless friends and reconnected over good meals and time spent playing together!

We’re heading back to New York a little more tired than when we arrived here, but our family and friend summer buckets have been filled to the brim! As we drive back home, we’re going to reverse the bucket list process and ask the girls what they’d like to do with our remaining weeks of summer in NYC! I have a feeling that a trip to the bagel shop is going to be first on the list!

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