fireworks

If you can believe, we have less than four weeks before the first day of the 2013-2014 school year! Being completely honest, there is a solid 50% of me that dreads it and another 50% of me that can’t wait! These kids are bored, but I know darn well that three weeks in we’ll feel busier that we’d like.

Since we’re officially on a countdown, there are a  few things we haven’t yet done that I want too before the summer’s end.

1. Attend a Myrtle Beach State Park program. I’ve professed my love for the state park time and time again. While we’ve been there to enjoy the beach for the day, we haven’t spent time in the nature and activity centers since the spring and I miss it! It’s been an annual tradition for my children to earn a patch for attending programs each summer.

2. Attend a race at the Myrtle Beach Speedway. It’s another tradition and, like the Myrtle Beach State Park, we haven’t been since the spring. Something noteworthy to mention is the new admission pricing for Thursday night races. Instead of charging individual admission, they’re simply charging a $15 parking fee. While children have been free for quite some time, adults were previously $12. When we’d go, we’d pay $12 for my ticket and another $12 for my husband’s. This $15 fee takes that price down considerably for our family!

3. Hit a water park. Both Myrtle Waves and Wild Water and Wheels offer discounts on specific evenings. Myrtle Waves has Fun Family Wednesday for $12 admission and a Sunday discount for $19.85 if you purchase your tickets online. Wild Water and Wheels has both a Sunday coupon discount for $19.95 admission and a Friday night discounted admission for $9.95.  Those evening price cuts work great for a family with older kids because you can beat the extreme heat of the afternoons and save money.

4. See fireworks after a Myrtle Beach Pelicans game. If fireworks are important to you, this is where you want to be. Before the display you get to see a great game with fun activities between innings, good concessions, and an adorable dog, Deuce. The kids love the playground and Splash, the Pelican. Then when the game is over, hang tight in your seat and enjoy. There is not crazy crowd like over at Broadway at the Beach. You won’t spend an hour leaving the parking lot. There are bathrooms readily available before you leave. We love it! Here is a link to a schedule that indicates which dates have fireworks.

5. Start testing new lunch recipes. Okay, okay…this one makes me think of school more than living up every last drop of summer, but I have the pickiest kids ever when it comes to what I put in their lunch box. Towards the end of each summer, I try to pull together a few new options and workshop them. I asked a group of friends online and they referred me to lunch box recipe pins and boards on Pinterest. I’m now overloaded, but plan to get the kids to help me sort through them and decide on a few recipes they’d like to try.

What’s on your summer 2013 bucket list yet to be checked off?

Photo credit: Flickr

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