Family Friendly Activities

The new Disney movie, Luca, has been a huge hit in our home!  My kids think they are part sea animals, I swear, as we go swimming almost every single day in the summer!  That is no joke.  We are super blessed to have good friends who have a pool and are very gracious in letting us come swim frequently.  We drive by the Tuscola pool almost every day, though and B and B keep asking to try out the public “water park” as they call it!  So we decided to go one day!  

It was a BALL!  They loved going down the tube slide - I think Brayson went down it at least 20 times, and the diving boards were a magnificent hit!  B and B both went off of them too many times to count!  They are both excellent swimmers - we have a swim teacher we have been going to for 3 or 4 summers now, and I swear she has magic pixie dust as after one day my kids could swim across the pool no problem.  Now, a few summers in, they have different strokes they can easily switch between, they can dive off the diving board and retrieve things from 10-12 feet deep water, and I have comfort in knowing they are okay in the water.  They just do one week of swim lessons each summer and we’re done!

Back to the “water park”…. There is a massive tree that offers great shade in the southwest corner of the pool deck! If you can, snag a spot there so you have shade from the sun, when you want it! There is also a shade umbrella on the north side of the pool/baby pool that offers shade as well! Speaking of the baby pool! It is perfect for littles!!! Bring water toys for your little ones to splash and play with and you can sit in the pool, or on the side, as they sit and splash and play!

On a totally random, “Mom note” - I have special shampoo I have purchased to use for Bronwyn's hair as the first summer we swam so much, her hair felt like straw by the end of the summer, just due to the normal pool chemicals!  Check out Swimmers Wellness Shampoo & Conditioner - it has been a lifesaver for us, and Bronwyn only uses it on the days (which is essentially every single day) we go swimming and her hair feels so soft and healthy!

Nooooow on to t-sno. We frequent t-sno multiple times a week! A fantastic feature of t-sno is that it has a window for both the pool and the public! If you’re at the pool, you do not have to exit to get t-sno and you can eat it in the concession area of the pool (they have some vending machines), but if you aren’t at the pool, you can walk up to the outside window and enjoy it too.

I just had Brayson and one of his buddies at Ervin Park this week (that is the park where the pool and t-sno is located) and I saw there was a day camp from Champaign that drove down for t-sno! I got to chatting with one of the counselors and she said they drive their mini-bus down to get the kids t-sno as it’s such a great deal….t-sno doesn’t “upcharge” for anything like the spill stoppers or vanilla cream, and it saves them money in the long run! How neat is that - people driving from far away for greatness in our town!!!

Speaking of the spill stoppers. They are a life saver! Holy heavens! These little magnificent wonders go around the cup and offer a large “lip” to stop any ice or syrup or spillage! T-sno also offers gift cards (https://squareup.com/gift/11B9Z97HW5HB1/order) so you can gift someone t-sno for a birthday, or if you have a family member in town and want to surprise them, you can do it this way!

A few ideas to make to your day run smoothly….

• Purchase a “punch card” for the pool in advance to save lots of money!! (https://tuscola.org/parks-dept/profile/swimming-pool)! I asked about this as I was confused - j purchase 10 entrances for $30…. Is this just for me or for anyone with me?? It’s for anyone with me!!! So since we always have extra kiddos with us (which I LOVE!!), I can use this entrance card for anyone with me! I hold it - it has 10 entrances, I have 6 people, including me, I use 6 of the entrances! Instead of paying $5 a person, it’s only $3 a person then!!

• Pack water. Lots of water. Keep your people hydrated!

• I saw lots of people with blow up water toys - they were having a ball with them, so bring them along!

• Bring a straw for t-sno! My kids love drinking the syrupy goodness as it melts/gets to the bottom and they do not have straws there, so be sure to bring them!

• Wet. Wipes. If you do t-sno as you leave, plan for stickiness! Better yet, do it before you leave and have the kids jump back in the pool to rinse off :) 

Have fun, sunscreen yourselves, and plan for a few hours of greatness!