The weather’s getting warmer, the kids are out of school and the farmer’s markets are open — summer is here!

Now that the kids have been on break for a few weeks, the initial excitement of summer has worn off and we are all looking for some fun things to do.  

The goal parents:  to fight off the dreaded “I’m bored” comment and keep them away from the screen long enough to make a few memories.

And boy do we have a list for you — the Ultimate Kansas City Bucket List for summer fun!

We’re just back from our annual family vacation — and honestly, this one almost did me in!

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to travel! 

Exploring new places, seeing some AMAZING sights and being with my family — just us without all the day-to-day craziness that we leave behind — it’s something I look forward to each year.

When’s the last time your kid looked under a rock? 

Fall is the perfect time to head outdoors and enjoy the foliage, the weather and time with each other! 

Grab the kids and head out on a new fall adventure….

I’m so excited to introduce a new series this week —

The ABC’s of Family Field Trips!

This will be a 5 day series covering all kinds of tips and ideas for those fun family outings you want to plan this year. 

I really want to help you get prepared for some great family trips this year by offering resources to help get you ready, along with new ideas for some cool places to visit!

Fall is a great time to enjoy some seasonal activities and special events that help to create those wonderful childhood memoires — hunting for pumpkins, a crisp walk around an outdoor festival and dressing up for trick or treat events.

And boy, do we have a list for you —

Orchards, pumpkin patches, festivals and trick or treating galore — so much to do in Kansas City this Fall!

Have you ever thought about visiting a national park? 

We’ve visited quite a few local and state parks – all beautiful — but nothing compares to our visit at Rocky Mountain National Park this summer!

I was so enthralled with the beauty of the park, the abundance of wildlife and the amazing back-to-nature connection that our family experienced, I feel compelled to share our visit in the hopes that you too will consider a trip to one of our national parks!

I grew up back east where you could drive for an hour and reach the next big city.  That’s not the case in the Midwest; the cities are farther apart and a day trip definately takes a whole day. 

But boy are there some wonderful Midwest cities to visit!

With spring in the air and summer on it’s way, I thought I would ask some of my friends to share their favorite places around the Midwest. 

Learn about some of the great day trips & weekend jaunts from Kansas City!

In our house, planning for a family vacation is a full-family affair!  It is called a ‘family vacation’ so we have always involved the kids in trip planning and prep. 

It’s a great life skill for them to learn especially if you travel often (even if it’s only day trips or weekends away).  Plus, vacations always see to run a little smoothier if everyone is hands-on from the get-go.

My daughter and I took a day trip this past fall and headed to St. Joseph in Missouri. 

Not far from Kansas City (about an hour’s drive), St. Joseph has quite a few wonderful attractions that families will really enjoy!  During our day-long trip, we were able to visit three of the city’s museums.

This is the final post in our 5-part series of The ABC’s of Family Field Trips. 

If you missed the first posts in our series, you can review the tips, resources and ideas that were shared for family outings:

{Part 1}  Getting Ready, Using Books & Exploring

{Part 2}  Fun, Inspiriation & Hands-on Ideas

{Part 3}  Learning, New Places & Outdoor Fun

{Part 4}  Pretend Play, Reading, Science & Tours

Since we’re covering topics from A to Z, our final post will highlight tips for U – Z.