How did you celebrate the 4th of July? Do you have any 4th of July traditions?

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Anyway, enough lamenting about what is to come, let’s talk about the fun that we had this weekend! We spent the weekend in the Poconos and even though the weather wasn’t great, we still managed to spend a bunch of time outdoors and have some fun.

On Saturday night, we went to the West End Fair. Growing up in NYC, the West End Fair is the only real country fair I’ve ever been to, and this was our second year going.

Alex got to go on the rides, eat cotton candy and feed the animals in the petting zoo. We also got to check out lawn mowers, tractors and headstones. As soon as we saw flyers for the fair, Tommy started joking that this year was going to be the year he buys his, but we left empty handed, thank goodness. Can anyone explain to me why headstones are sold at the fair? I just don’t get it!

On Sunday we did some shopping and spent some time walking around Main Street. We walked over the the dam, which makes a really pretty waterfall on the river.

On Monday, it poured almost all day, but we got to spend some time outdoors between downpours. I found some roller blades in the garage, so I strapped on the little guy’s skates and we roller skated for a bit.

We also put the dehydrator to good use and made pineapple and mango chips. Alex isn’t a huge fan of pineapple, but he ate almost a whole dehydrated pineapple! We brought the dehydrator home from PA and I plan on making some more dried goodies while I’m off from school this week.

And that was our weekend. Nothing too crazy, but just the right mix of active and rest.  We are going away next weekend for my birthday (woohoo!) and I cannot wait!

What did you do over Labor Day weekend?

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The only time I spent away from the pool, other than sleeping was for my workouts. Tommy’s parents have a slab of concrete that is perfect for working out, and it happens to be where Tommy’s brother keeps his tires. If you know me, you know I love tire flips and I go out of my way to do them.

On Saturiday I created a WOD for myself. AMRAP 15 min – 50 jump ropes, 10 tire flips, 5 pushups. I got through 7 round and all the tire flips.

On Sunday, I jump roped pool side while the little man swam.

We also didn’t skimp on the treats! We has cinnamon bun waffles for breakfast on Sunday, and no Saturday is complete without a trip for some fro yo. I love the fro yo place, Yo Fun, in the Poconos that we go to. It is so colorful and happy on the inside, you can’t help but get a huge smile on your face when you walk in!

I’m so happy that this week is a short one because come Thursday, we will be poolside once again!

What did you do this weekend? Do you have any plans for the 4th?

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We decided on Big Pocono State Park, which has 8.5 miles of trails and is located just past Camelback Ski Resort. Since this was the little man’s first hike, we chose the shortest trail, the Indian Trail. The trail itself is a 2km loop, but we ended up doing more than that with our hike to and from the parking lot.

The trail started off pretty easy looking, but as we got deeper, the trail got a bit more difficult with steep slopes and lots of rocks to climb up.

Even though I was scared for him, Alex didn’t have a worry in the world. He kept moving forward, asking for a sip of water when he got thirsty, and not letting the rocks or scratchy branches intimidate him. About halfway, we stopped on a rock to rest for a few minutes. Check out that smile!

After some more walking, we came to an opening in the trees where we got to see take in a gorgeous view of the Poconos.

When we were done, Alex told me he had a lot of fun and wanted to come back soon. As soon as I got him clipped into his car seat, he was out cold.

I wasn’t sure if we would be able to complete the whole hike, but I went for it and was pleasantly surprised by my little guy’s strength. If you want to start hiking with children, I highly recommend it. It is a great way to get a workout in and spend time together.

Do you go hiking? Have you ever gone with children? Share your experiences!

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Since I wasn’t able to post last week, I wasn’t able to announce the winner of the Bestowed Box giveaway.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope, send me an e-mail at frolicthroughlife@gmail.com so I can pass along your info and get you your box! If you didn’t win and still want to try a Bestowed box, use code 5OFFBSTOWED01 for $5 off your first box!

Now that business is taken care of, lets talk about the good stuff – Memorial Day Weekend! We spent the weekend in the Poconos and split our time between my parents and Tommy’s parents house. Before we left on Friday, we checked the weather and the forecast was showing it was going to be cold and rainy, but we woke up to this!

While it was chilly on Saturday, the sun never left the sky and it made for a beautiful weekend. Munchkin and I played soccer and flipped tires while Tommy did some landscaping work. I also got to practice my newest obsession – HANDSTANDS! I discovered on Wednesday at Crossfit that I am strong enough to do handstands and I’m kind of hooked and trying to do them everywhere now.

We also did some shopping at the outlets. A lot of stores had 50% off the entire store deals, so I got a bunch of great deals on summer clothes, like these amazing neon shorts. I am LOVING the neon trend and I can’t wait to rock these bad boys!

On Sunday it was in the mid 70s so we braved the chilly pool water to dip our feet. Tommy’s brother actually jumped in

and went for a swim, but I am not that brave a soul.

Overall, the weekend was a success and I had a blast. Only four days until next weekend!

What did you do this weekend?

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When we got to the ski rental shop, I told myself that if we get the boots and skis on him, I would write the day off as a success, no matter if he got any real skiing done, because after all, he is only 3. When we got his little boots on in the store, I was relieved and felt like we were over the first hurdle. Next up, getting in the snow. We trekked out to the magic carpet, put on our skis and the tears started flowing. He couldn’t stand or walk and he wasn’t feeling it. We asked him to give it one try and he did. Tommy pulled him up the little hill and by the time they reached the bottom, he was yelling “Try again!”

After a few runs at the bottom, we were ready to get on the carpet. We got to the top of the hill and headed over to the practice area, where he basically killed it and shocked us in the process. He doesn’t have the concept of stopping down yet, but he has incredible balance and only fell once or twice throughout the whole day.

The main reason I wanted to get him on skis at three is the lack of fear at this

age. Fear is the number one thing that holds me back when we’re skiing and I wanted him to have a chance to try before his awareness kicked in and kept him from trying.

We are already planning another trip back, preferably on a less crowded day, to let the little man give it another go this season. I could not be more excited that he loves skiing and hopefully in a few years he’ll be zooming past me on the slopes calling me a slow poke!

Do you ski/snowboard? At what age did you learn?

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The zip line is something that I have wanted to do since it popped up in the Poconos.

I wimped out and went for the 1000 foot zip line instead of the new 4000 foot one, but had a blast anyway. Tommy and I were feeling pretty confident about the smaller zip line until we stepped up to the edge of the platform.

I had this grand plan of jumping off the platform, but yea, that didn’t happen.

We slowly stepped off the platform and held on tight as we zoomed through the air. After getting off, we wanted to run back to the ticket booth and sign up for the 4000 footer, but we had other plans for the afternoon…kayaking!

We did a three mile course on the Delaware River. Since we didn’t get there until the afternoon, the only course we could do was the three mile one, but it was waaay too short. Going for the longest course next time.

The weather was absolutely perfect for a trip down the river. The sun was high in the sky and we meandered down the river, taking in the last rays of sun.

As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one day, we decided that Munchkin and my parents needed to get out of the house too. When we got home we announced that they had one hour to be ready and off we went to mini golf.

It was Munchkin’s first time playing golf and even though he kept calling it baseball, I’m pretty sure he had a good time.

Once we finished our 18 holes, more like 30 for Munchkin because he kept replaying the hole in which you have to hit the ball into a tunnel and have it come out on the other side, we packed back into the car to head home. On our drive, we noticed a Ferris Wheel in the distance, and decided to check it out.

Little did we know, we stumbled upon our first real country fair – The West End Fair. Coming from NYC, it was strange and interesting at the same time. You could literally buy anything you could need there, from tractors to hunting gear to headstones, yes headstones. There were actually two headstone vendors at the fair, which I found to be soo strange. We also got to peek into the tractor pull and Munchkin got to go on a few rides.

Overall, our day was a blast. We definitely took advantage of the weather, because the next two days of the weekend, we were cooped up inside because of the rain. Thank you, Issac…not!

How did you celebrate the last weekend of summer?

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Drivin’

Climbin’

Sprinklerin’

Explorin’

Drivin’ some more

Flyin’

Today’s children spend way too much time indoors and in front of the TV or computer screen. The average kid only spends less than 10 minutes of unstructured playtime outdoors, which I find to be first of all crazy(!) and second of all, really sad. There is nothing like running around, free as a bird and exploring the world around you.

Hope your weekend was just as great!

What did you do this weekend?

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