Big Adventures!

Whew summer is tough in a new place when the only people we know are ourselves!

Lucky for us there is NO END of stuff to do.

We joined a meetup group and had a playdate with them at the park which was cool for my kids even though the group kids were all way too young for Carly and Bree and Katie didn't care. They were just happy to explore somewhere new. And I've decided that we're going to try a new park at least once per week and do a review of it to keep track.

Playground #1: Evesham (EEV-sham) Township Rec Park

Ages: great for older kids (as shown) big rad slides and cool climbing stuff in back as well as a toddler-appropriate structure (not shown). Pirate-themed big climbing stuff  behind structure.

Surface: rubber mat         Baby swings: yes          Shade: zero      Sight-lines: good

Seating: under picnic shelter close by        Restrooms: yes       Fenced: yes, no gate

Pros: BIG AWESOME structure perfect for older kids! Great mixed-age playground, mat didn't get too hot (85 degree morning), close restrooms, set back from road, good visibility

Cons: Zero shade! Stair access to huge structure makes it too easy for littles to get up to the scary stuff (and big drops), nearby community center hosts camps all summer and after school programs during the school year, so crowding with undersupervised crazy children happens. No seating for parents inside the playground (maybe this is on purpose?).

The girls and I had gone to the park about an hour earlier than the scheduled playdate, so by the time it got really hot around 10:30, we were ready to do something else. We say this u-pick farm, Johnson's Corner, on our way out and stopped by. It was what Mike's Farm in NC wants to be. It was like a little amusement park, but not chintzy or tacky at all. Of course there is admission charged for everything, including the hay ride to get to the fields for picking, but it's a cute place. We'll go back again Monday night when military ID-holders get access to the splash pad, playground, barnyard, rope maze and hay rides for free.

We've been spoiled by southern strawberry farms who plant their rows in raised beds. Searching for strawberries in the dirt isn't as fun! Especially when I've got a 25-lb baby strapped to my chest and it's 90 degrees outside. The girls just ate the clean ones right off the plants - we didn't have any at all when it was time to hop on the hay ride for our trip to the blueberry patch!