Parade

There are a lot of parades coming up. Each city out my way, has a parade at some point this summer. We were able to participate in the South Jordan parade. We were in my sister's entry for her business (Hair & Bodyworks Salon, to see more check out this post). It was fun to be able to help and participate. Nora loves to wave, so she loved being able to wave to all the people we were passing. It was a good time, and we can't wait to go watch a parade.

Recommendations? Find a parade in your area. Enjoy the time to see the creativity of people for the floats. Enjoy!

Mrs. Fields Cookie Factory

The cookie factory was fun. They do tours there for free. Schedule the tour in advance, and they have several restrictions. They are not as strict in their restrictions. They allowed wedding rings and strollers. Everyone had to wear a hairnet or a "cookie maker" hat. It was fun to see, but this is not a facility where they make the dough. The get the frozen dough, and cook it there, package the cookies in gift boxes. They weren't very busy the day we went, so we didn't get to see any cooking. They said during November and December, they are much more busy. I think we may go back then to see everything up and going.

They have free parking, and the tour starts in the gift shop. It is on the south side, with a red door. We all went to the wrong door first. Enjoy!

Sweet's Candy Factory

This is one of the most fun things we've done so far. The best part is that it's free. Call in advance to set up a tour. They are very strict about what you can take, and what to wear, so check out their rules. It says you can't take any bags, cameras or cell phones, but the will let you check some things in at their desk. They don't allow strollers, but they have several umbrella strollers available for use. They take you all through the working factory to see how their candies are made. It takes about 45 minutes or so. There is a little store at the end that you can buy treats if you want. Everyone has to wear a hairnet. Some kids may not like it, but they can't go in without one. So it might be helpful to prepare kids for that. They call them "candy maker" hats. Nora loved hers.
There is free parking and it's really easy to find. I highly recommend going here. It was really fun, and there were kids of all ages, and they all found something that was fun. Here's the website for the tour http://www.sweetcandy.com/factorytour. Enjoy!

Utah's Hogle Zoo

We were able to go to the Zoo on the first Saturday of nice weather. It was fun, but very crowded. The Zoo is a fun place for kids of all ages. It was great to be out and see all the animals.
The Zoo is not too large (compared to other ones we've been to), but it has a lot of different animals and is well maintained. There are several show with the animals, so be sure to check the times for the day your are there. We could spend anywhere from a couple of hours to several hours there. We rode the train. It is an extra $1.50, and not worth it (in my opinion). It was really short, and we went too fast to really see any of the things they were telling us about. It was fun for Nora to be on the train, and that's all she told people about when they asked about the Zoo.

Recommendations? Check for parking, but earlier will be the best way to find parking. There is a parking lot at the back, with an entrance, but I was told it wasn't always open. Bring lunch, or plan on buying lunch there, there are plenty of places to eat. Remember sunscreen and hats if it's a sunny day. Enjoy!

Anne Frank Exhibit

This week we went to the Anne Frank exhibit at the Main City Library. It was mostly banners, like this one, and a timeline of the rise of Hitler, Anne's life, and what happened to get her diary published. There were pictures and other informational things to look at. It was interesting, and I learned a lot. It is a temporary exhibit, and not here for long.

Recommendations?: Check dates of exhibit. Not really exciting for kids, but they can look at the pictures and understand a little bit. Reading the book before would probably make this particular exhibit more interesting. See parking for the Library.

City Library

For our activity this week, we went to the City Library in Salt Lake City. It has a great children's section. There were fun displays to look at when we first arrived. The kids could have played on this bag chair for an hour or more. Ahh... the simple joys.This is one of the two play caves that are built into the walls of the children's section. This is the what we called the snow cave. It's all white inside, and has several nooks for reading and climbing. Nora liked it. This is the other cave. It has mostly wood, and several places to sit and read or climb.

The children's area at the main library is a good, free place to do something different with kids. There are lots of books to read together, a waterfall wall that is fun to see in good weather. The caves help to get the wiggles out, especially when trying to be quite in the library. There are several individual reading nooks, and a cave with computers, reserved for children under 12.

Recommendations?: There is parking under the library, but you have to pay. There is some street parking, and some metered parking. There is a cafe in the entrance to the library, but no food in the rest of the facility.

First Hair Cut...

So, I've been busy this week, so I decided our new thing for this week was going to the salon. Since my sister was able to cut Nora's hair, it was an inexpensive outing... and it turned out to be fun for both of us.
My sister's salon is called Hair and Bodyworks, in South Jordan. She always does my own hair, so I didn't dream of taking Nora anywhere else to get her first haircut. Nora sat really well in the "big chair" and had a "big bib." She told everyone about it the rest of the day. Nora loved looking in the mirror and seeing herself.

Here's the end result. Not a lot of difference, but it looks better.

Recommendations? Find a friend or someone who can do a pedicure, manicure or something similar for you. It's always fun to just paint toenails or fingernails. I know my nieces love that too. If you go too a friend's house, it a good, inexpensive way to get out and look good in the process.