Weekend Planner

Pictures from 3 years ago

What We're Doing:

• Hiking. I need a good dose of nature and a long hike is perfect for getting away from every day life.
• Birthday party
• Picket Fence Creamery Sample Sunday. The minis were talking about this the other day and I was thrilled to see a Sample Sunday on the calendar for this weekend! We'll be stocking up on local produce, meats, ice cream, and wines.
• Yard work. Yay.

Other Things To Do:

• Iowa Barnstormers at Wells Fargo Arena
• Fun Home at the Civic Center
• Meet The Easter Bunny at the Theatrical Shop in Valley Junction
• Ledges State Park
• Lunch or dinner at Gilroy's. They have the best patio to enjoy one of their amazing moscow mules. Plus the patio is great and open for the kids
• Pick up the book The Best Easy Day Hikes Des Moines. It gives maps of the trail systems in Des Moines (and surrounding areas) and great places to hike
• Not an outdoorsy person/family? There's some great family friendly movies in theaters currently: Boss Baby, Beauty and the Beast, Power Rangers. We love going to Flix Brewhouse for a fun movie showing

Weekend Planner

Looking at Christmas lights two years ago (2014)

What We're Doing:

• Harry Potter Holiday party at Barnes and Noble
• Cutting down our Christmas tree and decorating
• Birthday party. A grown up's birthday party. I haven't been to one of those in....I can't really say
• Christmas present shopping

Things To Do: 

• Make Christmas cards. You can create your own easily via Shutterfly or you can make cards. I love these I spotted for kids to do.
• Look at Christmas lights
• Watch Christmas movies. Our must watch list every year includes: Rudolph, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty The Snowman, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Elf, A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, and Bad Santa (the last few for adults only)
• Make Santa pancakes for breakfast one morning. We made these last year and the kids thought they were "so cool" they didn't eat them....
• Make and decorate sugar cookies. We make a few dozen batches and give them out each year to people who have helped us throughout the year (read more about what we do here)

Happenings in Central Iowa:

• Santa at the Zoo
• $5 Family Night at the Science Center (Friday 5 - 8 p.m.)
• Live Nativity at West Des Moines Christian Church
• Celebrate Iowa Gala (State Historical Building, Friday night)
• Breakfast with Santa at Raccoon River Nature Lodge (Saturday morning)
• Light Up Urbandale Luminary Display

Weekend Planner

Seeing Santa at the Zoo three years ago (2013)

What We're Doing:

• Seeing Santa
• Family pictures
• Science Center (possibly). We're trying to fit in one more visit before our family pass expires at the end of the year
• Resting. One sick kiddo means we'll be making time for naps, movies, and resting

Things To Do:

• Make a paper chain for Days Until Christmas. We made these all of the time when I was a kid. There's something so exhilarating and satisfying about ripping one of those suckers off each day
• Decorate the house.We're a big fan of snowmen items here because those can be left out through January and not look ridiculous (yes, I'm one of those people who will have decorations up long past the holiday(s) because I fail at putting them away)
• Make holiday ornaments. The possibilities are endless with this one. Make salt dough ornaments and paint them, buy ball ornaments and have kids decorate them, and/or my favorite are hand print ornaments using Model Magic (find out how to make them here). These are such great keepsakes.
• Visit Santa
• Look at Christmas lights. We love packing up the car with popcorn and M & M's, hot chocolates (in cups with lids), blankets, and endless Christmas music. We then spend a couple of hours driving around, looking at Christmas lights

Things To Do In Central Iowa:

• Christkindlmarket Des Moines at Cowles Commons. This looks so much fun!
• Home for the Holidays at the Jordan House and Bennett School (Sunday)
• Santa Express (Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad). We did this two years ago and loved it!
• The Polar Express in IMAX (at the Science Center)
• Family Christmas at Living History Farms. We did this the first year it opened and had a great time!
• Willy Wonka at the Des Moines Community Playhouse
• Jolly Holiday Lights (tip: go early)
• Home Grown Holidays at Iowa Arboretum
• Triple Espresso. Great date night play!

Weekend Planner

Last year's Toys For Tots donations

What We're Doing:

• Holiday Promenade in the East Village (Des Moines)
• Toys For Tots shopping 
• 2 birthday parties
• Seeing the Trolls movie (the kids have been dying to see it and with the weather starting to seem more like November, I felt it would be okay to sit in a movie theater)

Things To Do:

• Holiday shopping. Start before the crowds....kind of, since the stores seem to already be bustling
• Go through clothes, toys, shoes, etc. for donating
• Grocery shopping for canned goods, diapers, formula, etc. for local food pantries
• Make a turkey crafts (here's some ideas that the kiddos love)
• Play at a park. I love parks when it's a little bit chilly outside because that usually means we have the park to ourselves

Things To Do In Central Iowa:

• Downtown Winter Market
• The Boxcar Children at the Des Moines Community Playhouse
• 3rd Annual Warm Kids Campaign at Bass Pro Shops
• World Food Prize Hall of Laureates Open House. We went last weekend and loved it!

Weekend Planner

This weekend three years ago

What We're Doing:

• Indie Author Book Expo
• The Boxcar Children Sneak Preview at Franklin Avenue Library
• Blank Park Zoo to see the baby rhino! The minis are ecstatic! 
• A hike, a movie, ??? We've got Sunday open with a few things we'd like to do. We'll see what wins out

Things To Do:

• Make thank you trees or leaves
• Trolls movie comes out this weekend. Make it a family movie afternoon
• Family movie night. We've had a few of these lately and the minis look forward to them (and often request them!). We do something special for dinner (ordering pizza or chinese food, making our own pizzas, a dinner of our fave appetizers, etc.) and eat while we watch the movie. Now that it's getting darker earlier, we can start a movie earlier and finish up just around bedtime
• Make Christmas lists. Our families start Christmas shopping early so we have to have our lists ready. It also makes shopping a bit easier on us if the kid's lists are already done. You can make it interesting and have kids make Christmas Tree Christmas Lists

Happenings Around Central Iowa:

• Children and Families of Iowa's Princess Party at Jordan Creek Town Center
• The Boxcar Children at Des Moi nes Community Playhouse
• Iowa Wild game at Wells Fargo Arena
• Grab a bagel Saturday morning at 5 Borough Bagels in Clive, Ia. My favorite bagels around the metro
• Check out the Science Center's new Music exhibit

Weekend Planner

Night Eyes at the BPZ 2015

What We're Doing:

• A special Mom and Minis Day. We had a three day weekend and we're using one day to explore around Central Iowa
• Spooky Science at the Science Center of Iowa
• Jester Park Equestrian Center's Halloween and spooky hike
• A birthday party
• Trick or Treating around the 'hood 

Other Things To Do:

• Do Halloween art projects (toilet paper roll ghosts and/or bats are easy and make cute decorations)
• Make and/or decorate Halloween cookies. Sugar cookie cut outs (using these Halloween cookie cutters) and then decorate with frosting and sprinkles
• Tell jokes. There's some great joke websites for kids or this is my kid's favorite joke book
• Watch Halloween movies. It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Halloweentown, Room On The Broom (book and movie), Curious George Boo Fest are at the top of the kid's list. We enjoy classics such as Halloween, Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream (just to name a few)

Things To Do In Central Iowa:

• Family Halloween at Living History Farms
• Nights Eyes at the Blank Park Zoo
• Great Pumpkin Celebration at Bass Pro Shops (Altoona, Ia)
• Mysteries of the Castle at Salisbury House & Gardens
• Scare Us Hill Pumpkin Ball
• Dowling Catholic Pancake Breakfast (Iowa State Fairgrounds)

Weekend Planner

At LHF's Family Halloween three years ago

What We're Doing:

• Haunted House (for the boys)
• Naps! Because naps are important for mom...uhhh, I mean kids
• Night Eyes at the Blank Park Zoo

Things To Do This Weekend:

• Plan a Halloween party! Halloween is just a couple of weeks away so start planning now. We've done a Pre-Trick or Treat Party the past two years (we're skipping this year) and kids and adults have been pleased with it. Get some ideas here.
• Paint pumpkins. We carve pumpkins closer to Halloween so the pumpkins don't rot, but it's the perfect time to paint pumpkins! Use acryllic paint or Crayola washable paint (once dry, slather a layer of Vaseline over it to keep it from peeling).
• Make pumpkin pancakes for breakfast one morning

Things Happening In Central Iowa:

• Fall colors are finally here! Take a hike (we love Jester Park or Walnut Woods) or take a drive
• Enjoy the downtown farmer's market for only two more weekends. Fall veggies are in full swing and you can pick up excellent squashes
• Haunted Houses are open! Linn's Supermarket and Sleepy Hallow are two good ones. Last year, Hubs took the middle mini to Linn's (at the mini's request) and they loved it!
• Berry Patch Farms has awesome deals on their pumpkins plus apples and more to pick!
• Reggie's Sleepout
• Family Halloween at Living History Farms
• Great Iowa Pet Expo
• Superhero/Princess 5K & Kids Fun Run
• Scare Us Hill

Weekend Planner

At Geisler Farms, 2015

What We're Doing:

• Dog sitting. The minis have their first dog sitting job and of course, I'm helping them out with it.
• Geisler Farms. It's feeling like fall lately here and I'm ready to adorn our home with all shapes, sizes, and colors of pumpkins, so we're headed to a pumpkin patch Sunday afternoon. We went to Geisler Farms last year on our Tour of Pumpkin Patches and were impressed with the wide varieties of pumpkins and fall decor they offered (read more here)

Other Things To Do:

• Check out a haunted house near you
• Nobbie Family Friendly Haunt Fair at all locations. Then check out ALL of the costumes and decorations they have for the season!
• Bonfires this time of year are fantastic (disclaimer: only do this if you are in an area that allows them and you can safely do one)
• Go on a fall nature hike and collect colorful leaves, nuts, sticks, seeds, etc. You can make them into a collage like this

Things To Do In Central Iowa:

• Corn Harvest at Living History Farms
• Des Moines Zombie Walk
• Planned Parenthood book sale
• Pumpkin Express in Boone
• Star Party at Ewing Park
• Family Day at Prairie Meadows
• Madison County Covered Bridge Festival
• World Food Prize Hall of Laureates 5th Anniversary Open House. We went for their open house during Christmas last year (read about it here) and even the kids found it fascinating.

Weekend Planner

What We're Doing:

• Road trip!!! We'll be spending a day at Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, a night at the water park, and then Sunday hiking in the Loess Hills

Other Things To Do:

• Have a mom's night out. Get a group of moms/friends/etc. and take a painting class (there seem to be tons of wine and canvas painting nights everywhere)
• Invite friends over for a chili cook off. Each friend/couple makes a different chili recipe and then vote on the best one. We love doing this, especially with other families with kids. Everyone is entertained for the entire day!
• Go mini golfing. With the weather cooler and the air crisper, it's the perfect time to get outdoors
• Make your Halloween costume. I know this isn't for everyone, but sometimes, nothing beats a box robot or a white sheet ghost
• Take a remote control boat (or car) for a spin. This thing is awesome!
• Make your own fall paints (you can make fall scented paints, pumpkin paint or apple paint) and have your child(ren) paint. They could paint paper, use it as sidewalk paint, paint a cut out shape (I love leaf shapes at the moment)

Happening In Central-ish Iowa:

• Pumpkinfest in Anamosa, Iowa. This festival and Maquoketa Caves State Park was my second choice for the week (first was Itasca, as mentioned above) but obviously I got outvoted. This looks like a very fun festival and Eastern Iowa is absolutely gorgeous
• Downtown Farmer's Market. This is the last month for the downtown farmer's market until spring. Be sure to get in a visit or two for fabulous fall veggies, apples, and pupusas
• Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day at Grandview Park
• Iowa Author Fair at the Central Library
• Berry Patch Farms
• Visit Picket Fence Creamery for amazing local goods!
• Ledges State Park. It is gorgeous this time of year

Weekend Planner

Riding the Pumpkin Express October 2013

What We're Doing:

• Family movie night at the boy's school
• Adventureland. We're taking advantage of the last open weekend for the year
• Architects of Air's Luminarium at Cowles Commons. I just can't pass this up the opportunity to see this inflatable art display

Other Things To Do:

• Shop for Halloween costumes. Go to Halloween stores in your area or look online to get ideas and get a start on creating your trick or treat look
• Go to an apple orchard and/or pumpkin patch
• Break out a telescope and examine the stars at night
• Camp in the backyard (or go camping). With the night's finally cooling off, now's the perfect time to do it

Things To Do In Central Iowa:

• Iowa's Latino Heritage Festival
• Applefest at Living History Farms. We've been to this twice (read about one visit here) and love it. I'm really disappointed we won't be able to attend this year
• Color Vibe 5K at Principal Park
• Death of a Salesman at Des Moines Social Club. Have dinner at Malo first to round out a date night
• Des Moines' Annual Oktoberfest
• Food Truck 5K at Valley View Aquatic Center
• Iowa Outdoor Expo at Water Works Park. We went last year and LOVED it (read about that here)
• Monarch tagging at Water Works Park and Ewing Park
• Day Out With Thomas (Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad). While I liked our ride on the Pumpkin Express much better, it's great if you have a Thomas fanatic in your house
• Annual harvest at Summerset Winery. This makes for a fun afternoon with girlfriends or even a day date

Weekend Planner

Fall Fest three years ago.

What We're Doing:

• Beaverdale Fall Fest
• World Food Festival
• Pizza and movie night

Other Things To Do:

• Go to an apple orchard and pick apples
• Play hide n seek outside. Make it even more fun and wait until after dark and play outside with flashlights! 
• Visit your local zoo
• A trip to your local library or book store. With all of the great things kiddos are learning in school, mine LOVE to go to the book store to find more books about what they're learning in school

Happenings Around Central Iowa:

• Beaverdale Fall Festival
• Walk To End Alzheimers
• Monarch Festival at the Blank Park Zoo. We went last year and the kids had a blast tagging butterflies!
• Go apple picking at Happy Apple Orchard, Center Grover Orchard, or Iowa Orchard.

Weekend Planner

At Howell's Pumpkin Patch last year. I can't believe it's already pumpkin patch season!

What We're Doing:

• A trip to the zoo
• Apple picking

Other Things To Do:

• Make a fall sensory bin to keep the kids busy all season long. Dried corn makes for a great starting point. You can get more ideas here.
• Head to an archery range. We took the kids last year and had a great time during our archery lessons
• Make cinnamon apple muffins and eat warm with apple cider to drink. My minis call it a Apple Cider Party
• College football and the NFL season has begun. We don't have much time to watch all of the games, but sometimes we'll put them on....and then go out throw a football around with the kids

Happenings Around Central Iowa:

• Go to the 9/11 Memorial outside of the Urbandale Firestation. You can read about our visits here and here. It was a great intro for the kiddos
• Geisler Farms and many other local pumpkin patches open for the season! We've got some great patches to choose from. Last year we did a Tour of Pumpkin Patches. You can read about them here, here, here, here, and here.
• Dog Show at the Iowa State Fair Grounds
• Ledges State Park
• Iowa vs. Iowa State game 

Weekend Planner

What We're Doing:

• ROAD TRIP!!! Originally we had planned on going to Hot Springs National Park during our summer road trip to Tennessee (and various other places. You can read about it here, here, here, here, here, here. Our trip was well captured), but we nixed it so we could spend some time in Louisville. But the minis and I have been disappointed about missing it so we decided to squeeze it in this weekend!

Things To Do:

• Find a local, homemade donut shop and give a try (or any cafe/restaurant). We tried a new to us (it's been around a long while, we're just slow at trying it) donut shop and ate a breakfast there one Saturday. We loved it. I especially enjoyed speaking with the owner and chatting with his entire family as we ate. It made it feel like a family breakfast with extra family around
• Take a creek or stream hike. We've hiked many trails but last weekend we hiked a creek in our favorite State Park. It felt like an entirely new place with entirely new experiences. The minis loved it!
• Stock up on fall goodies (aka go shopping. Maybe a mom's afternoon out??). Candles, apples, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, fall crafts (check out Michael's), fall decor (I love Gordman's for fall decorations for the house....not that we have those with young kids around, but I admire other people's houses who have them!), books, and more.

Things To Do In Central Iowa:

• Renaissance Fair at Sleepy Hollow
• Des Moines Jazz Festival at the Des Moines Social Club. This would make a fun date night!
• Geisler Farms opens for the season. We loved going to their pumpkin patch and playing last year. Read about it here
• Harvest Wagon Rides at Living History Farms
• Music in the Park at Jester Park Amphitheater 
• Glow Wild at Jester Park. This looks like so much fun! If we were in town this would a must for us!
• Mini Maker Faire at the Science Center

Weekend Planner

Fishing this past spring.

What We're Doing:

• Celebrating Hubs birthday
• A Sunday hike. I haven't decided where yet, but we're long overdue for a local hiking trip

Other Things To Do:

• Go swimming: fill up a kiddie pool, head to a public pool, or hit up a wading pool. I'm not sure about your area but all of the pools around here are closing for the year. Get the swimming in before the fall weather heads your way
• Make a Fall Fun To Do List. Maybe you've had all the fun you can for the summer season. Start thinking about all the fun you can have this summer. Get some ideas of how to get started on your's here
• Bake banana bread (find a healthier version that the kiddos love here). Let the kids help and then get it when it's still warm. Take it to a park for a mid-morning snack or have a picnic on your patio/deck
• Kubo and Pete's Dragon are in theaters
• Give mini golfing a try

Happenings Around Central Iowa:

• Des Moines Restaurant Week
• Hollywood Backstories with Cloris Leachman at the Historical Museum
• Ingersoll Live
• Monarch Tagging at Gray's Lake Park. We did this last year at the Blank Park Zoo. The kids thought it was very interesting and learned a lot.

Weekend Planner

What We're Doing:

• Swimming. The minis are in the middle of their summer swimming lessons. We'll be practicing all weekend long too
• BBQ and Slip N Slide with family

Other Things To Do:

• Go on a night walk/hike. Take flash lights and/or head lamps and explore the night. The minis love it when we do this...mostly because it means they're up past bedtime, but it's also really cool to see night creatures
• Make your own pizza. Use refrigerated pizza dough, tortillas, biscuits, or make your own dough, open a jar of pizza sauce (or make your own), and fill bowls with all of the toppings you can think of. Kids love it plus it's cheaper than ordering a pizza and healthier too! Try baking it on the grill and/or making a dessert pizza too!
• Take in a local baseball or soccer game

Things To Do In Central Iowa:

• Grain Harvest & Historic Baseball Game at Living History Farms (Saturday)
• National Balloon Classic
• Family movie night (Waukee Community Center)
• Clowns at the Carousel

Weekend Planner

What We're Doing:

• 5 Borough Bagels. A new bagel place in Clive, Iowa and it looks delicious!
• 31 Parks in 31 Days. I figure we might as well give it a try even though we're at the end of July. If nothing else, we'll give the minis a memory of "remember that time our insane parents took us to 31 parks in a matter of days??"

Other Things To Do:

• Set up an obstacle course in the backyard. The neighborhood kids will love your house. Get some ideas here
• Make Watermelon Popsicles. I made these for daycare this week and the kids thought they were amazing! Use cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the watermelon. Put the watermelon shape on a stick, lay on a baking sheet (with wax paper on the baking sheet), and put in the freezer. Eat when frozen. It's a great way to keep the kids hydrated too
• Have a water balloon and/or a squirt gun fight
• Swim in a swimming hole. On vacation in the Smoky Mountains, we swam in so many swimming holes. It was a blast!

Happenings In Des Moines:

• Clive Fest
• Clive Fire Department slip n' slide. Massive slip n' slide near the Clive Aquatic Center (Free, Saturday 1 - 5 p.m.)
• 515 Alive Music Festival (Friday afternoon - Saturday)
• Adventure Days at the Blank Park Zoo (Saturday)
• Beauty and The Beast at Urbandale High School
• AHeinz57 Charity Event on the patio at Mickey's Irish Pub Waukee (Sunday 4 - 6 p.m.)

Weekend Planner

At the Curious George exhibit in the Blank Park Zoo the night it opened

What We're Doing:

• Relaxing. The kids need to catch up on some much needed sleep from vacation.
• Lunch with family
• Horse, camel, zebra, and ostrich races at Prairie Meadows. Last week when we went to Churchill Downs in Louisville, the kids were very disappointed that we didn't get to see a horse race. I was pretty thrilled to see that this was taking place this weekend!

Other Things To Do:

• Too hot or raining in your area? Head to a book store and browse books and attend a Story Time
• Fill up a kiddie pool and put marbles in the bottom. Have kids pick them up with their toes and drop them in a bowl. Great for kids 5+, great coordination activity, and keeps them busy for a nice long time (and keeps them cool)! Great busy time if you have yard or house work to get done
• Make banana ice cream (bananas, milk, and anything else you want to throw in a blender--we've thrown in berries, yogurt, or protein powder. Blend until smooth. Put in the freezer until frozen. Serve in bowls or in ice cream cones). We make big batches to last us throughout the week for hot summer nights
• Make homemade donuts for breakfast one morning (biscuits (homemade dough or the refrigerated variety) with the middle cut out, fry in 1 inch of oil (they cook fast so don't let them get too brown), then coat with cinnamon and sugar)
• Have a family yard game night (even more fun if you invite the neighborhood families to play too. Think lawn darts type games)

Happenings Around Des Moines:

• Visit the Curious George exhibit at the Blank Park Zoo if you haven't yet
• Jazz In July at Waveland Golf Course
• Ioway Culture Day at Living History Farms
• Tour Des Moines Parks: Visit 31 Parks in 31 Days

Weekend Planner

What We're Doing:

• ROAD TRIP!!! It's finally vacation time! All of those months of planning and talking are happening! Be sure to follow along on Instagram, Twitter, and/or Facebook. I'm not sure how often the blog will be updated while we're gone, but I'll be sure to share our experiences and my thoughts on social media.

Other Things To Do:

• 4th of July weekend! Have a cook out with friends, go to a beach, watch fireworks, play with sparklers. Kids of all ages love this weekend
• Go camping over the long weekend
• Have a water balloon fight
• See National Parks Adventure. We absolutely loved this documentary (the kids included). Check to see if it's playing near you.
• Create a scavenger hunt for the kids. Make it outdoorsy or easy objects found in the city or simple things the kids can find in your backyard. Any way you do it, kids have a blast with this.

Happenings Around Central Iowa:

• Ashworth/Greenwood Park spray pad. We tried it out last weekend and the kids gave it two thumbs up. Here's a video the middle mini took of him playing in the water
• Family Summer Camp at Bass Pro Shop (Altoona, Iowa)
• Fireworks at the Fairgrounds (Saturday)
• Urbandale 4th of July carnival
• All Iowa Bash (Valley Junction, Sunday July 3)
• Live At The Creek concert series (Jordan Creek Amphitheater, Sunday July 3)
• Music Under the Stars (West Capitol Grounds)

Weekend Planner

What We're Doing:

• Celebrating Max's birthday at the zoo
• Brunch at Americana (Max's choice)
• Lots of family time! We'll be celebrating my grandpa's 80th birthday and all of the family will be there to celebrate

Other Things To Do:

• If you haven't seen Finding Dory do it! It's adorable and great for the whole family
• Have some sprinkler fun! We tried out a Sprinkler Day a couple of years ago. Younger kids may not particularly enjoy sprinklers, but older kids seem to love them. Our favorite sprinkler is the Little Tikes Ball. The big kids recently mastered jumping over the ball as it sprayed them
• Take a walk or a hike and catch butterflies. My kids have spent a good majority of their summer so far catching fireflies, ladybugs, and butterflies
• Visit the closest National Park near you. It's the 100th Anniversary of the National Parks (in case you haven't heard). National Parks have been all the talk among my kids since seeing an IMAX on the subject. Great hiking and history in the Parks

Things To Do In Des Moines:

• Adventure Bay. Another hot weekend calls for a fun water park
• The Des Moines Arts Festival. By far my favorite festival in Des Moines each year
• Head to Gilroy's patio for a family lunch or dinner or go for a date night. Hubs and I tried it out last Friday night and found quite a few families dining on the patio. Seems like a great way to end the week!
• The new splash pad opened at Ashworth/Greenwood Park

Weekend Planner

Elizabeth's first movie going experience last summer

What We're Doing:

• Seeing Finding Dory
• Adventureland
• Strawberry picking
• Date night. We haven't decided where to go yet, but the minis are off with grandparents for the night and we have a night (and the house) to ourselves!

Other Things To Do:

• Go fishing, boating, or simply to the beach for a day of fun
• Orange Is The New Black premiers on Netflix. Not that I'm a fan of sitting in front of the TV binge watching a show....nope, just kidding. I totally am. For parents only!
• Find a book series (Harry Potter, Judy Blume's Fudge books, Magic Tree House, etc.) and read it as a family
• Take dad for brunch or make a spread for Father's Day breakfast

Happening in Des Moines:

• Johnston Green Days
• Movie in the Park (Minions, Colby Park in Windsor Heights)
• Head to the nearest swimming pool! It's a hot one again this weekend. Cascade Falls (Ankeny) is a favorite here