My Favorite Things: Kids & Summer Edition: Part 1 (Bargains!)

Well, hello there. :-)

It has been a while. I'm not making any promises, but I'm contemplating the blog again.

A couple of housekeeping items:

Please forgive the appearance. My previous blog template apparently stopped working, so the blog is undergoing a minor facelift. Unfortunately, I can't get the HTML to work on the iPad, an my laptop is being uncooperative, so until I can get to technical support, this is what I will have to deal with for now.

Also, I changed the blog address. The jennings4 name came about before Jennings #5 came along. I debated whether or not to change the address, but my inner OCD voice won. If you followed the blog back in the day when I actually wrote stuff, you might want to update your bookmark. If not, you can just disregard this. :-)

Anyway, it's summer, which means I am home with the kids...which means we need stuff to do...because that "I'm bo-red!!!" declaration makes me want to pack all three kids in one small box and ship them to Siberia.

No offense to Siberians. I'm sure it's lovely there, but it is also far away from here. :-)

I had to do some research for stuff to do in the Anderson area, and although it is mid-summer, I thought some of you might be looking for things to do here and there, so here we go:

1) The local library. You probably expect that from an English teacher, but seriously... it's quiet  and cool and peaceful... well, except when my kids are there. :-) We love story time at the public library. I haven't been to the main branch yet this summer, but we have had a blast at the local branch events. You will have to check to see what activities your branch offers (and what times), but our branch usually has a story and a craft or exhibit (like live bunnies!).

AND who doesn't love the bookmobile?!? It is my plan to drive the bookmobile when I retire. In a world where everything is digital and fast-paced, the bookmobile is a fun step back in time. My kids think it is awesome - a library on wheels! It also makes stops all over Anderson County. You can visit http://www.andersonlibrary.org to find the schedule under the "Mobile Library" tab. 

2) Our local Bruster's ice cream shop has .99 kids' sundaes on Tuesdays AND double punch days, which means my ice cream is free almost every time. (You can get a punch card that the ice cream girl will hole-punch for every purchase. After so many purchases, you get a free ice cream. Double  punch day means you get two hole-punches for every purchase.) It's my treat to myself for not shipping the kids  to Siberia.

We make this a weekly Tuesday activity - storytime and ice cream sundaes. 

3) The waterparks in Greenville, as well as The Children's Museum and the Greenville Zoo, have all been running specials. I bought a couple of playcation packages through the Greenville Drive that included 4 tickets to a Drive game, 4 passes to a waterpark, 4 passes to the Children's Museum, and 4 passes to the Greenville Zoo... for $35. What?! That's 4 days of entertainment for less than what the dollar movies end up costing us!

They are running another playcation special tomorrow night but are sold out of the presale  packages. They will  have a limited number available when the box office opens at 5 pm. Check the  Drive's or the museum's Facebook page or http://www.greenvilledrive.com for more information. 

4) I've also been finding great stuff on Kidding Around Greenville, SC's Facebook page. This morning, there was a post about the Greenville Shakespeare Company's current production, The Comedy of Errors. Tickets are only $6, and they sell cupcakes at intermission! My kids love a play, and the post this morning said her 4 year old loved it, so I'm going to attempt to give my kids a dose of culture. You'll probably want to check back for a good Sam story related to this cultural experience. 

5) Never underestimate the power of a QT. We don't do this often (because my kids don't really need any extra help in the energy department), but you can't beat QT's prices for  slushies and plain vanilla cones (both are under a dollar)... and what kid doesn't love a monster row of slushie machines from which to choose?! 

Growing up, it was a treat in the summer to go to McAdam's Grocery for a glass bottle coke and candy bar. (I didnt grow up in Mayberry, even though it sounds like it.) I remember sitting on the front porch with my mom and brother during the hottest part of the day when it was too stifling to breathe, much less do something active. I have such great memories of laughing and talking and just spending time together. 

These days, we are fortunate to live near a fabulous shady park (Barrett's Place), so on days when I  have things to do around the house, a couple of hours with slushies and a trip to the park in the late afternoon (so they can run all that sugar off!) provides a cheap, easy way to make summer memories.

These are my Top 5 favorite summer bargains. We do a lot of the regular summer stuff like  swimming and visiting the Farmer's Market and hiking and going to the movies (thank you to Hollywood for putting out an assortment of great kid flicks this year!), but I'm always on the lookout for something new and fun and relatively cheap so we can enjoy an activity almost every day.

Another day, I will post about our other summer entertainment experiments that don't involve going anywhere. For now, please share your ideas for fun things to do in the area. Summer isn't over yet!