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Monday, September 5, 2011

Reflecting on My Summer

            As you all know, I am a nanny for two little girls, so I thought that I'd take a few minutes and share some of our summer fun in this post.   During the summer, I take the girls out of the house just about everyday, because their parents run a business out of the home.  For this reason, it tends to be a lot easier for everyone if I take the girls out and about to burn energy and have fun.
            One of the best things about living in the Indy area is that there is so much to do.  I try to occasionally share things on my blog that Matt and I do as a couple, but there are a ton of kid-friendly things to do in our area as well.  For starters, there are ton of great parks on the north side of Indy.  I can think of five or six nice ones within a ten minute drive from the house.  Two of my favorite parks to take the girls to are Brook School Park and Holland ParkBrook School Park has all knew equipment and the kids love it.  My absolute favorite park is Holland Park, because it is the most family-friendly park with two playgrounds, basketball courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, sand volley ball courts, walking paths, restrooms, and plenty of shade.  It's a great place to take kids for a picnic or bike ride, because there is always a breeze.  And of course, if it is too hot for a regular park, the local splash park is a great alternative to spending a hot summer day at the neighborhood pool.
            Now what would our summer be like without our local library, farmers markets, summer camps (Hamilton Sports Complex), summer fairs and....ice cream, yes lots and lots of ice cream.  We have so many great ice cream places close to our home, but one of the girl’s favorite places to get a cool treat this summer has been Orange Leaf.  I gotta tell ya that I don't mind that one bit, because it's actually the sugar free fat free chocolate frozen yogurt that the girls love.  And since Orange Leaf cost per ounce, I only give the girls a small portion of what I know they will eat. 
            When your looking to take your kids out for much more than a cool treat, Indy has really fun educational places to the kids that require a little more work on the parents part and little more from your wallet too.  Some of these places include  Conner Prairie, The Indianapolis Children's Museum, The Indianapolis Zoo and Carter Toy Museum.  These are all fantastic places to take kids, so check out the websites for more details.   I’ve lost track of how many times the girls have gone to these places this summer, and they never seem to get bored of it.  If you go to these places often, I recommend getting the yearly membership to save yourself a little bit of money.
            Of course there are those days when the kids need to burn energy, it's too hot be outside and you don’t want to break your wallet.  One of the many bounce zones in our area are perfect for days like that.  My favorite bounce zone is Monkey Joes near Castleton Square.  I think it's the most parent-friendly of all the bounce zones, but lately the girls have taken a liking to Snapperz located near Clay Terrace.  Snapperz has more than bounce houses, but they don't open till so plan your day wisely. 
            Other than bounce zones, kid-friendly arcades are a great place to take the kids when you don’t want the kids to get too hyper.  You can't go wrong with  Chuckee Cheese and you can always find coupons on the internet.  The girls also like Ben and Aris  for arcade fun and miniture golf.  Right next to Ben and Aris is Pinheads.  I personally love taking the girls to Pinheads, because they have their Play-A-Lot zone that has play centers, a huge play place and rock climbing wall that keeps the girls entertained for hours.  The best part is that Play-A-Lot only cost $2 for admission.  Pinheads also has an arcade and duckpin bowling to keep the kids  entertained. 
            On rainy days the movie theatre is a great place to take the kids. During the summer, our theatre has $1 movies playing every day at   You can't go wrong with that price.  The girls also like to get their toes painted at the local nail salon or spend their allowance at the local mall.  Castleton Square Mall is a great place to take them, because they have an indoor play area.
            So there ya have it.  This is how the girls and I have spent our summer.  We’ve had lots of fun at parks, pools, libraries, movies, bounce zones, play places, zoos and kid-friendly museums.  If you live in the Indy area and you’re looking to get out of the house with your kids, I’ve given you plenty of ideas. 
     




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