Picnic at the Park

This past weekend, we took the younger three kids for a picnic at the park. We had food, drinks, a nice spot under a tree, and the perfect sunny day! Phoenix, Tyler, and Elijah are really into soccer lately, so afterwards, they kicked the soccer ball around for awhile. Poor Elijah ran around so much, his little legs were hurting and, I was truly enjoying the moment so much that I hardly took any photos.

Although a trip to the beach would have been nice, we opted to stay in the area this Memorial Day weekend. As I mentioned before, our Summer goal is to collect memories, not stuff. We do have plans to get to the beach this Summer but, we want to see just how much fun we are capable of having for little to no money, other than the gas to get where we are going. We've discovered that if we really do some searching, there are parks, festivals, museums, and all kinds of events in our area that we can attend and that won't cost us anything.

Here are just a few of the other activities we are planning this Summer: 

• Swimming at Falls River Dam
• Picnic at Pullen Park
• The Natural Science Museum
• The NC History Museum
• Hiking at Umstead Park
• Fishing at Creedmoor Dam
• The Farmer's Market
• The JC Raulston Arboretum

Be sure to check all of these places out if you live in the Raleigh, NC area! And if you do, what are some things that I can add to my list that you know about?


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Running as a Family + Discount for the Sparkle Me Wild Color Run for My NC Peeps

Thank you to USFamilyGuide.com and Sparkle Me Wild Color Run for sponsoring this post. I was not financially compensated for this post. Free registration to the Sparkle Me Wild Color Run was provided in exchange. I genuinely love running so all opinions are definitely my own!

Ever since Jason and I ran the Color Me Rad 5k, we have been wanting to participate in more running events. My goal at the beginning of 2014 was to participate in at least 2-3 runs this year. Quite honestly, I would participate in more if my budget and time would allow it, and we have definitely been checking out all of the 5k events in our area, trying to decide which ones we would like to do.

Up until I actually started doing a little research, I had no idea just how often events like this take place.  For my NC peeps, the website for Endurance Magazine has a list of upcoming running events. I am pretty excited about the Bull City Race Fest and Food Truck Rodeo this October. It's a 1/2 marathon, 5 mile fun, and 1 miler, so there is definitely something for everyone.

Jason and I also want to share our love for fitness and running with our children, so we were excited to hear about the local Sparkle Me Wild Color Run. Although, we just participated in the Color Me Rad, a similar event, Jason and I enjoyed it so much, we knew this would be a perfect event for all of us to do as a family. We are so excited to get out there and have a blast!

Sparkle Me Wild Color Run will be held at the Wake Med Soccer Park in Raleigh, NC on May 10. Sparkle Me Wild is all about freedom, family, fun, being healthy, and most importantly, a beautiful life. Every once in a while we all need to let our inhibitions run free and get wild! Each step along the 5k will lead to color stations, sparkling glitter stations, and bright bling at the finish.

That's right,  everyone who crosses the finish line will receive a medal! How awesome is that?

Big, small, short, tall, all are encouraged to be a part of the sparkle parade! You can walk, skip, cart-wheel, jog (and yes, run!) or dance or way through the course and at the end, you will not be awarded on time, but rather your sparkling, carefree self as you cross the finish line!

And guess what?

All Six Cherries on Top readers get 30% off Adult Registration and Kids 10 and under are FREE! Simply use the code SPARKLE when you register!


REGISTER NOW!

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We Went Geocaching

We have been going Geocaching with our children for quite a few years now. Not only is a fun activity for us to do as a family, it's totally free! I wrote about one of our first Geocaching adventures back in 2010, and we have been doing it off and on since, usually during the warmer months. And, since it was an unusually nice and warm weekend, we decided to go out and hunt for a few of them.

If you have never been Geocaching, I seriously recommend checking out the website, downloading the app, and getting yourself out there with your family and getting involved. Being a big family, we can't always afford the most lavish things in life, but thankfully, I am such a minimalist when it comes to having "stuff" and believe the best things in life can't be bought. Some of the best times we have had as a family have been doing things that cost us absolutely nothing, except maybe the gas to get us there. 

What are some free or inexpensive things that you enjoy doing with your family?

                    

sponge balls

last summer i saw these on summer's blog, crosbie crew during her boys of summer series. i had it in the back of my head to pick up sponges every time we went to the store, but every time i got sidetracked and forgot.

this year, i finally added them to our 2012 spring and summer bucket list and picked up two packs of sponges at target for just a dollar each the other day.

let me just say that these have been a big hit around our house. several times now, the kids have gone outside to have sponge ball water fights.

here is summer's quick sponge ball tutorial. be sure to check out all of her other boy's of summer activities as well.

joni - sixcherriesontop (at) gmail (dot) com | twitter | facebook | pinterest | instagram: mamacherry

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