Family Fun in Utah at the Tracy Aviary & Giveaway of family 4 pack #review #giveaway #Utah #familyfun

We are always looking for fun inexpensive things to do in Utah as a family. We visit parks, splash pads, libraries, museums, and much more. So when I got the chance to check out Tracy Aviary I was so excited. I love birds and always have since I was little. So I couldn't wait to so my kids all the beautiful birds.

This is a gorgeous bird aviary in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is all outdoors but there was a lot of shaded areas. This place has so many different birds or all sizes, colors, and ages from all over the world. Some of our favorite parts were feeding the Sun Conures and the bird show. My kids had never feed birds before so this was a blast. We got to go inside the cage and each hold a cup of berries and granola and the birds come and sit on your hand and eat it. The Green Magpie was so much fun as we fed the conures he was attracted to my daughters bow and shiny sandals and kept sitting on her foot. I definitely recommend feeding the birds when you go.

The bird show they introduce a few birds as they swoop down over your heads and your have birds walked right next to you. People can also volunteer to come up and be part of the show. This was so much fun. It is about 30 minute or more show but definitely worth seeing especially outside. You will learn so much about these amazing birds and the kids will love seeing them up close.

The park is a decent size and takes a few hours to see it all. There was a brand new rainforest exhibit put in just a few months ago and you go inside and see different birds that would live in the rain forest as well as learn stuff about them with some hands on interactive information boards. Such a cool exhibit. It is very humid in it and it is 80s all year round in it.

So if you are looking for something fun to do this summer with your family and you live near the Salt Lake area you have to check out The Tracy Aviary. It is only $5 for kids $10 for adults and if you have Pass of all passes Tuesdays are only $1 for all members. Also check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

I am giving away a Family 4 Pack of passes for one lucky family to visit this awesome park. Just Enter Below!

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Post update on the #GETMESSYGETCLEAN family event #madetomatter

So I posted a little bit ago about the #GETMESSYGETCLEAN family event at Thanksgiving point. It was a free event that had tons of fun earth friendly and organic activities and products. It was so much fun on a beautiful Utah day. If you made it I am sure you and your kids had a blast and if you missed it you really did miss out on a awesome event.

So why was it so much fun you ask? Well when me and my girls showed up we got front row parking. Then we walked in and got a amazing reusable bag to carry all our samples of amazing products. We first decided to paint some cute flower pots. We got the pots, some stickers, some plastic toys to decorate it, and some organic soil and seeds. My kids chose popcorn seeds, pepper seeds, cucumber seeds, and squash seeds. So now we got some awesome organic veggies growing.

After that my girls enjoyed the bounce houses and playing with bubbles. They got to see some fun and cute animals like dogs, kittens, parrot, turtle and more dogs. We definitely got messy and had to clean up at the cleaning stations around the festival with some amazing smelling hand soap by Mrs. Meyers. We also colored fun pictures and tried some yummy samples from Annie's , Justin's, Kind and Yes to. My girls had so much fun. there were all kids of yummy food trucks there as well. It really was a blast and we learned about some fun activities we can enjoy outside getting messy and safe ways to get clean without hurting our Earth and ourselves. I hope you guys got to go and check it out!

100 Glow Stick Bracelets #review

I am always looking for something different and fun for the kids as they get older to celebrate different holidays. So this Easter I was thinking of doing night egg hunt. So when I got the chance to do a review on 100 glow sticks I jumped at the chance because my kids love glow sticks and they will be perfect for the night egg hunt. Also my daughters birthday is coming up and we can't wait to pass some of these out for the kids to enjoy and play with.

The glow sticks arrived quickly after I ordered them on Amazon. They were packaged awesomely. I loved the patriotic tube they came in. My kids were in awe and couldn't wait to get their hands on them lol. There are about 4 or 5 different color stick that you just snap and shake and they immediately start to glow. They lasted for a long time and my kids loved them.

So for Easter I am gonna fill plastic eggs with treats and a glow stick. Then I will hide them and when it gets dark send the kids out to find them. My kids love a little challenge so this should be fun for them to fnd all over them yard. If you know of some more fun little glow stick activities and crafts let us know because we always love new ideas. So check out these amazing 100 glow sticks today and order yours!

I got these free for my honest opinion and review. I didn't get paid other than the free product. These are my opinions and yours may differ.

Gemstone Dig Kit - Excavate 3 Real Gems #Review #discoverwithdrcool

My kids this summer have gotten realy into finding cool rocks, gems, fossils and etc. So for birthdays and Christmas I have gotten them a few of the kits that have gems, dinosaurs and fossils in them that they get to excavate. My kids love them. So when I got to try out this Gemstone Dig Kit I had to for my kids

Excavate 3 real gemstone specimens with this incredible hands-on excavation kit. Buried within a gemstone-shaped digging brick, your treasure hunter will dig out a real amethyst crystal, a quartz crystal point and a tiger's eye specimen! This hands-on adventure science kit is a great way to start a rock and mineral collection and includes an excavation tool, brush, and magnifying glass. There’s also a wonderful full-color information guide (written by teachers) so that you can identify and learn about each gemstone. Plus there’s an activity booklet with 10 fun games, puzzles, and challenges to complete. This is a must-have gift for the rock hound or treasure hunter in your family!

 AWARDS WON: Preferred Choice Award - Creative Child Magazine 2012 and Seal of Excellence - Creative Child Magazine 2012

 * Excavate real quartz, tiger’s eye, and amethyst gemstones with this hands-on digging kit
* Kit includes digging tool, brush and magnifying glass and is a great way to start a rock and mineral collection
* Perfect gift for any kid aged 6-12 that is interested in rocks, science, geology, or paleontology
* The 12-page info guide is filled with cool science facts about gemstones and was written by teachers
* Activity booklet contains 10 wonderful puzzles and games for hours of extra fun and learning

My kids can't get enough of these awesome kits. They will be getting alot of them for Christmas. It is a little messy but so fun and they get real gems that they will treasure forever. It is fun for all ages. I even love helping them. So if you have a rock collector in your home this will be the best present that they will love. Check it out today!

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

#Snackeez the all in one #snack and #drink cup

About Snackeez:

Snackeez is the all-in-one, go anywhere snacking solution! The clever design of Snackeez allows you to hold a 16 oz. drink AND your favorite snack – all in one hand! The hinged, flip-top lid snaps securely in place. Now your snacks can stay fresh and in the cup. The Snackeez comes with a straw that has a conveniently tethered cap to prevent drink spills.

The Snackeez is a great for snacking in the car, at home, at parties and much, much more. Snackeez is dishwasher safe and it can be ordered online at the official Snackeez website.

My Opinion:

We go out alot during the summer on long drives, picnics, parades and more. The kids always have to have a drink and snack to make it through these activities. It can be a pain sometimes to pack all this around. Now with the Snackeez are kids can have their drink and snack all in one easy to carry around cup. This makes it easier for them to carry both on their own and makes them happy. That makes me happy as well because I dont have to carry everything around for them. The cups are cute and handy. This is a summer fun product that everyone can enjoy! You can get them at Walmart, Walgreens, Target, Online and many more places. So pick yours up today!

#Fun Friday #Thanksgiving craft

Thankful hand Turkey

Supplies:
paper ( white, construction or whatever)
Crayons or markers or colored pencils
Pen or pencil to trace with
Scissors if you want to cut the turkey out

Directions:
1. Chose a piece of paper then place childs hand on paper and trace the outline of the hand.

2. now decorate your turkey add a eye and a gobbler and even legs

3. on each finger/feather write something you thankful for. Ask your child what 4 things he or she is thankful for.

Then you are done and you made such a adorable and meaningful Thanksgiving decoration and do it every year and after thanksgiving place in album then you can look back and see how much the child grew physically and emotionally.

Chuck E. Cheese Family Fun Center for the whole family- Giveaway ends 11-1

What do when you kids have off of school or how about something fun to do as a family or for a birthday party? This is us! We never know what to do that is reasonably priced. Things in Utah can get expensive especially when you have 6 kids. So that's why we absolutely love Chuck E Cheese.

Chuck E. Cheese’s features musical and comic robotic entertainment, games, rides and play areas, as well as a variety of dining options including pizzas, sandwiches, wings, appetizers, a salad bar and desserts. The best part is the stamp procedure when you enter the building there is a greeter that stamps your kids hands along with your own hand with a special number so the kids can't leave the building without the adult withthe same number stamp. So now you can just let the kids be kids and run around and enjoy playing the games and rides without worrying if someone gonna steal them or they leave without permission.

 We also love the food. The pizza is always so cheesy and tasty and cooked perfectly to perfection. I absolutely love the salad bar. There is so many variety to choose from and I love the freshness of the food on the salad bar. The wings and fries and sandwiches are always a great option too.

Then there are the games and rides. My kids all love playing the games and winning tickets for awesome prizes. Actually so do me, my mom, and my husband. I mean who can resist a little Skee-Ball and our favorite the Wheel of fortune coing drop. The little kids love the tunnels and slide and that it is free to play in that area so it keeps them busy when they are out of tokens.

Best of all though is the price. One thing you can always get coupons online on the website plus there are reward calendars to get your kids free 10 tokens. You can even play online games on the site and win actual tickets that they can redeem at the ticket counter the next time you visit Chuck E Cheese. For a family of 8 I spend around $50 total for a large pizza, 4 large drinks and around 100+ tokens. Which is awesome! We usually go to Chuck E Cheese every couple months. We always have so much fun and even my teens love it there which is great because they are usually the hardest to please!

The family dining and entertainment center opened a brand-new, 15,902-square-foot restaurant, gaming and party center in Salt Lake City. This is great for me that just means there is another one to visit close by.  As the first Chuck E. Cheese’s in the area, the new store will introduce local families to the organization’s promise to parents of a clean, open environment, wholesome family fun for all ages, food made fresh and that every family who comes together leaves together. So if you haven't been to Chuck E Cheese or haven't been in a while it's definitely worth trying out. I am sure your whole family will love it!

We are giving 2 lucky readers a fabulous gift card to use at your local Chuck E Cheese Worth : 1 Large Pizza, 4 large drinks and 40 tokens. Yay!

To Enter:
Fill out Form below

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Fun Friday Crafts- No carve Pumpkin Decorating

It's that time of year to decorate Pumpkins. I really hate cutting into the pumpkins and dealing with the mess and then a couple days later the pumpkins are beginning to wilt and rot. So we now decorate them without cutting them and I can use them for Halloween decor and Thanksgiving.

Supplies:
Pumpkins
paint, crayons, ribbon, duct tape, buttons, stickers,etc.
Hot glue gun
Modge Podge

Directions:
Give kids their pumpkins and set all the craft decor on a table or where ever and let them decorate. You will be surprised at what they come up with.

1. the crayons are a fun new way to decorate. you take and tape the crayons to stem or on something above pumpkin then get your blowdryer and blow the crayons until they start to melt all over the pumpkin. So Cool if you use red crayons it gives it a dripping blood look..

2. stickers, gems, ribbon and a hot glue gun and you can creative some pretty glammed up pumpkins.

3. chalkboard paint is fun too just spray pumpkin with the chalkboard paint then give kids chalk and let them have fun!

4. My girls love to take glue and make designs and polka dots then sprinkle or roll in glitter and then let dry so cute.

5. new thing is duct tape there are so many different designs of duct tape so you can get really creative and fun with it.

6. Modge podge is great get some tissue paper or ribbon and design patterns you like with them then paint modge podge over the paper or ribbon and let dry. it turns out adorable.

7. Easiest ever is the new Mustache fad. You can buy the fuzzy mustaches at Dollar tree and stick it to the pumpkin or print off a mustache stencil and paint it on the pumpkin. So fun!

Fun Friday Craft- Toliet Paper Bats

Toliet Paper Bats

Supplies:
toilet paper roll (or other cardboard tube)
old paper bag or thick paper
glue
black and white paint
scissors
bat template (for an easier, faster option!)

Directions:
Cut the cardboard tube down to the size you want (you can use old paper towel or toilet paper rolls). Paint the tube with black craft acrylic paint. While the paint is drying, cut out some bat wing shapes from your bag/paper. Be sure to leave a little extra room where the wing will be attached to the cardboard, as that part will be folded over and attached to the roll.

Cut two small black triangles for the bat ears. Once the tube is dry, paint a simple bat face using white craft acrylic paint.

 After the bat face is dry, adhere the bat wings to the body of the bat by folding over a bit of the wing and placing adhesive on the folded tab (I used glue dots for this, but you could use simple white glue). Place a dot of adhesive on each bat ear and stick them to the inside of the tube wherever you want the ears.

Once the glue is dry, you're all done! The real magic happens when you decide just what to do with these little bats. You could use them as finger puppets and put on a spooky show or use them as napkin holders for a haunted feast. You can also stick bags of candy inside for a cool school treat, and of course, you can always just set them out for decoration.

Fun Friday crafts- DIY Chalkboard Mason Jar candle

Supplies:

1 Mason Jar
1 Baby Food Jar – yes, baby food. It’s a jar and super cute!
Painter’s Tape
Sharp knife
Black Chalkboard Spray Paint
Chalk
Baker’s Twine or other rustic twine
Candles

Directions:
1.Place a strip of the painter’s tape on the jars and draw a heart. Using your knife, cut around the heart and remove the excess tape, leaving the heart taped to the jar.

2.Take your jar and your spray paint to a well ventilated area (meaning outside) and spray the jar(s) evenly. Let the jars dry. It won’t take long. Once dry, take the sharp point of your knife and carefully remove the painter’s tape heart.

3.Once thoroughly dry, use the chalk to trace little dotted lines around the heart. Take the baker’s twine and wrap around the top part of the jar and you’re done!! Now you can place candles in the jars, or, an even better idea are those flameless candles that will last all night and be safe too!

Fun Friday- Playdough recipes

So if your kids are like mine they love playing with play dough but I hate the smell of play dough and clay so we make our own using these yummy recipes. They are edible and safe for little ones and they smell awesome! They are easy to make and if you keep them in air tight containers or bags they will last a long time!

Fun Friday Craft- Flip Flop Fun

Fun Flip Flops

Supplies:
cheap pair of Flip Flop ( I got mine at Dollar tree)
Scrap fabric, Tulle, ribbon, etc
Scissors

Directions:
Select a fabric and use scissors to cut a series of 1- by 6-inch strips (the number of strips you'll need depends upon the size of your child's feet; the ones we made required 28 strips).

Using single knots, tie the strips around the flip-flop straps, pushing the knots close together as you go.

Keep adding pieces until your new flip flops are sufficiently fluffy and stylish the way you want them! This is a awesome craft to do at a birthday party or sleepover!

Fun Friday Crafts

Summer time my kids get so bored so we do alot of fun and easy crafts. Now crafts dont have to cost alot I mean you can use what you already have in your house. This week we made bugs out of egg cartons. So fun and easy!

Egg Carton Bugs

Supplies:
Egg carton
markers, crayons, color pencils (anything to decorate with)
Pipe cleaners, yarn, paper ( anything you can make antennas and legs with)
Scissors

Directions:
cut up egg carton into sizes you like.
caterpillars we cut them up with 3 segments
ants, lady bugs, beetles, spiders, etc cut into 1 segment

Then give to kids to decorate. They can make eyes, mouths or whatever.

Then attach antennas and legs and your done.

My kids played with their bugs for hours afterwards. They had so much fun.

Hide 'Em and Hatch 'Em Eggs- Perfect activities for spring

Spring is here and school is almost out so we are all looking for fun things to do with our kids. I love doing nature stuff. We went on a nature scavenger hunt grabbing things like flowers, leaves and etc from nature then went to Art museum then when we got home we took our nature stuff and made a art project. We had so much fun! It was free and easy and fun!

Another fun thing is we visit local farms and petting zoos and duck ponds and feed the animals and learn about them. We write about them or make a picture about them. Then when we were all done I gave each of them a Hide 'EM and Hatch 'EM Egg to grow and hatch their own cute little animal. There is 3 cute little animals, a bunny, a chick, and a duck. My kids had so much fun putting their egg in water and waiting a couple days to see which animal they were gonna get. I was so adorable seeing my kids as anxious new parents waiting for the arrival of their new little baby animal lol. They named them and it was such a fun learning experience especially for Spring. These are a cute way to bring Spring into your home and your kids will love them! Check them out and pick up some Hide 'EM and Hatch 'EM Egg today for a great price!

There are so many different easy and fun activities to do with your kids to bring in Spring and soon Summer. So many new products to have fun with and learn with too. What are some things you do?