Somerset Dam

I was lucky enough to have a day off on the weekend, so we decided to have a drive somewhere localish and have a BBQ picnic. We decided on Somerser Dam, we had not been as a family and neither one of us could remember going more than once as a kid (a loooooooooong, looooong time ago).
We went to the Lake Somerset The Spit day use area - we really didn't know where exactly we wanted to go so just drove there and picked somewhere!
There were lots and lots of undercover tables and chairs, there were lots of BBQs (some were a set of two to share between a few of the covered areas). They were all very clean and well maintained. There was an area to swim, a boat ramp, a play ground, lots of open space to run around. There was a food van/truck there also (cash only).
Now to the serious stuff. The amenities.
There is 1 block of toilets. Lumpy, at the age of 6.5, had her first encounter with long drop/pit toilets. She was not happy "MUM, these toilets are broken! they go down a long way" then afterwards she walks out and says "I prefer electricity and running water"!!!
We had a small play/splash around in the water however it was a little too cold to go all in.
A great day was had by all, we stopped at the Somerset General Store on the way out to have an ice cream on the deck (they take card and cash). The blisters I got from doing the monkey bars and climbing wall with the girls have now settled.

Glow sticks and balloons!

My girls are obsessed with balloons and glow sticks at the moment. 2.0 especially has been playing with balloons every day - Balloon play is fantastic for gross motor skill development (kicking, throwing, catching) and I have noticed they also helping with colour recognition. While glow sticks are fun but I haven't found any benefits developmental benefits, I did find a heap of uses for doomsday prepping though, that's a whole new blog though. Anyway, we had some friends over for a play date and decided to try putting the glow sticks inside the balloons (let me tell you, it's easier in theory than in practise!). It's safe to say the kids enjoyed themselves. and once the balloons popped, we used the glow sticks in the bubble bath.
Photographing balloons with glow stick, in the dark, is very tricky. I apologise for the poor quality photos.

Supplies needed -
Ballons
glow sticks (we used both the thin and thick ones, the thin were easier to slip in after the balloon was inflated, the thick ones were brighter though)
A dark room or night time :)

Water and ice play

Temperatures in the high 30°c range make it very unpleasant for the small people.
Before work I make some coloured water in a dinosaur mould and put in the freezer. Thinking the girls. Would love a play after school / daycare to cool down.
Lumpy loved playing with (and eating) coloured ice dinosaurs, 2.0 was not so sure! She was fine with just the water but not the added ice. After playing with the water and ice Lumpy went off to play on the swings and 2.0 played with some shaving foam.

(I just found this draft from March 2015! so will publish now!)