Things to Do/ Places to Go - 10 Days of Summer Fun (the Countdown)

To be honest, the summer did not start off with a bang. For the first two weeks I had to work everyday and I assumed the kids could mostly entertain themselves (the first week P had basketball camp and the second week F had sleep away camp, but T was here). I was wrong. At first, they loved the unstructured lazy days, but then boredom set in. And trying to edit while bored kids complained in the background was a NIGHTMARE!

Luckily, last week their grandparents picked them up and took them to Smith Mountain Lake (yay!!) and I worked crazy hours trying to get all my editing done (I'm 90% there). This break from parenting allowed me to regroup and come up with a plan (as you've all probably realized, I love a plan). So here goes . . .

DAY 1 - MON - Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in the morning (according to Kidfriendly DC the flowers are in peak bloom and look amazing), the pool in the afternoon. (rain plan - switch to day 3).

DAY 2 - TUESDAY - Apple Camp in Clarendon in the morning (it's free!), pool in the afternoon, and the King and I at the Kennedy Center at night (when I was a kid, my grandmother took me to see this play and I still remember loving it, so now it's my turn to take my kids).

DAY 3 - WEDNESDAY - Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (including butterflies and the IMAX Amazon movie at 11:20).

DAY 4 - THURSDAY - Apple Camp in Clarendon in the morning (it's free!), followed by Nicecream, which everyone says is phenomenal. Ice skating at Kettler in the afternoon (public skate is 3:40 to 4:40 on weekdays).

DAY 5 - FRIDAY - Apple Camp in the morning (it's free!) followed by chores to earn spending money for vacation. At night if everyone is motivated, drive to the Lincoln Memorial for a picnic.

DAY 6 - SATURDAY - Flag Ponds Nature Park and/or hiking at Potomac Overlook Park (rain plan - switch with day 8).

DAY 7 - SUNDAY - Spiderman in the theaters in the morning, pool in the afternoon. If everyone is motivated, at night drive to the Jefferson Memorial and watch the sunset.

DAY 8 - MONDAY - Newseum. Kids are free in the summer.

DAY 9 - TUESDAY - Apple Camp in Pentagon City (it's free!) with lunch/shakes at Shake Shack and the pool in the afternoon.

DAY 10 - WEDNESDAY - Tour the Mansion on O Street (thank you KidFriendly DC for the suggestion).

THURSDAY and FRIDAY - Get ready for vacation . . .

Things to Watch - 10 Summer Movies on Netflix Streaming

1. Grease - For better or worse, this is pretty much the classic summer movie. How many times have I heard "Summer Loving" in my life? Probably too many. (Rating PG; common sense media rating 12+)



2. Jurassic Park - Netflix just added the whole Jurassic trilogy to streaming. And summer movies are often over-the-top blockbusters, so cuddle in your couch and prepare to hide under blankets. (Rating PG-13; common sense media rating 12+)



3. Holes - Because summer is about digging for (maybe finding?) buried treasure (PG; common sense media rating 10+).

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4. The 7 Year Itch - Every summer needs a classic. And Marilyn Monroe. (NR; common sense media rating 11+)



5. Adventureland - This is probably my favorite summer movie ever. It's about a group of kids working at a low-tier amusement park together. And there's a love story. And it's funny. But some scenes are a little risqué for kids. (R; common sense media rating 16+)



6. What's Eating Gilbert Grape - Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio star in this small town coming of age film, which will make you cry (but in a good way). (PG-13; common sense media rating 14+).



7. Back to the Future - Because Marty McFly is awesome and he just arrived on Netflix streaming. (PG; common sense media rating 10+)



8. 50 First Dates - Watch Drew Barrymore fall in love over and over again. (PG-13; common sense media rating 14+)



9. Addams Family Values - Wednesday goes to camp. (PG-13; common sense media rating 14+).



10. The Endless Summer - Because surfing. Lots and lots of surfing. (NR; no common sense media rating).



[Disclaimer- I receive compensation for posting about Netflix, but I decide what I want to write about and what I want to say.]

Things to Do - 15 Cures for Summer Boredom

1. Giant unicorn pool float. Because unicorns. (Though I must warn you THIS THING IS HUGE, we can't even fit it in our car, it has to sit on the roof).

2. Flamingo pool float. To keep the unicorn company.

3. Ogosport Disc Game. Somehow this game is both tricky and addictive at the same time.

4. Tangle Art and Drawing Games for Kids - I read about this on Flash Bug Studio's blog and it sounded perfect for summer vacation.

5. Ms. Marvel, Volume 1. Just like Squirrel Girl, these books feature a female superhero (yay progress!) who is apparently awesome.

6. Car in a can. A remote control car for under $10? How cool is that?

7. Rad American Women A-Z. Because feminism.

8. Kan Jam - My kids play this at school and insist that it's crazy fun, so we bought our own set for the summer.



9. Sphero. Kids need to code. So let's make it fun.

10. Banish Boredom - My friend Rebecca, from Not-So-SAHM, wrote a book that sounds amazing, I can't wait to read it!!

11. Walkie Talkies. The only way to make children think it's cool that you know where they are.

12. Bunch of balloons. So many balloons so fast. Call their friends, it's time for battle.

13. The Ruth Badar Ginsburg coloring book. Because feminism.

14. Stratos Spheres Board Game - Three Dimensional tic-tac-toe. Awesomeness.

15. The Forest Feast for Kids - P keeps saying how she wants to learn to cook this summer, so this seemed like the perfect book (ha! I rhyme).