These are a few of my favorite {Summer} things...

I LOVE summer.

I am a teacher, so you can imagine why I especially love summer.

No bed times for my kids.

Playing board games and eating popcorn every night.

Staying out and playing tag or baseball until it is really dark.

Lazy mornings with big breakfasts.

Swim classes and park play dates.

And lots and lots of fun little trips.

There is a huge conflict, however, between doing a ton of fun things and a teacher's summer salary.

Yup, you guessed it.

There is no summer salary.

I never realized that having an exciting summer could be so expensive, but I refuse to stay at home and do nothing because I can't do everything, so I started researching.

There are so many awesome activities ad amazing places to go that are virtually free.

Yes, I did say {almost} FREE.

It took me a while to compile our summer list, and it would take me even longer to post it.

So, I will post a few things here and there.

Venice Beach Bike Ride - Venice Beach is such an interesting place. You can rent a bike for as little as $5 an hour. They have baby trailers and tandem bikes specifically designed for your littles. It takes just about an hour to ride all the way to the Santa Monica Pier and back. You may even have time to stop off at the pier for a couple of games, a ride on their new spiffy ferris wheel, or some funnel cake. Along the way, you will get a glimpse of some insanely interesting street performers, shops, and people just strolling along like you. I am a serious people watcher, and Venice is one of my favorite places to go to take in all of the scenery.

Grunion Run- I have been doing this since high school. {It all started as a extra credit assignment for Biology.} It is just a fascinating experience, and my kids love it. Plus, you get to spend the evening at the beach. If you go early, maybe you could have a little bonfire, make some s'mores, and catch the sunset. If not, stop off at Starbucks, get a couple of hot chocolates, and head over to one of the beaches nearby to catch the grunion action.

kidsbowlfree.com - My awesome friend Cathy passed along this amazing information, and I have already signed my kiddos up. You get 2 free games of bowling every single day of the summer for each of your children. All you have to worry about is shoe rentals, but those aren't very expensive. It can be as little as $3 for each child. It is available in every state for those of you who were getting tired of my ramblings of summer fun in only California that did not include you.

Powell's Sweet Shoppe- This is the cutest, most amazingly stocked sweet shop I have ever been too. They have gourmet chocolates, gelato, cupcakes, and a huge array of our old school candy favorites. We love to spend the evening on 2nd Street in Belmont Shores, and a stop at Powell's is the sweet ending to a fun-filled evening. While you are in Belmont Shores, stop off at Frosted Cupcakery.Their Royal White and Vanilla Buttercream is simply out of this world. Also, ask for their Strawberry Lemonade cupcake. I can't even think about it without my mouth beginning to water. Their cupcakes are $2.95, and I would recommend ordering a couple cupcakes and sharing. Their cupcakes are quite decadent.

Seal Beach Pier Playground- It is just steps away from the beach, it is enclosed by a wall covered in beautifully hand painted tiles, and it is a great little playground appropriate for both my six year old and my two year old. You can definitely make a day of it. Pack a lunch or snack, hang out on the beach, let the kiddos play at the playground, and take a walk down Main Street. There are some fabulous little shops and some delish food. Make sure to stop off for two slices of thin crust pizza {huge slices} and a soda for $6 at Slice of New York Pizza. They don't have a web page, so I will provide you with a bit of info. Their address is 142 Main Street Seal Beach, California 90740. My hubby is Italian, so I have been thoroughly groomed in my pizza critiquing and this pizza definitely makes the cut. Don't forget a little bit of sweet at Sweet Jill's. Try their cinnamon roll. It is sharable, gooey, and delicious. One of my favorite stops on Main Street is Raspberry & Sage. It is filled with gorgeous goodies for the littles from clothing to hair accessories to gifts for mom.

I hope this helps.

I hope this gives you a few more ideas on what to do with your littles for the next couple of months.

I will be posting a few more fun-filled activities later this week.

I'm off to go play Sorry, bake cookies, and snuggle with my summer lovies.

I hope you all are having lots of fun in the sun.

{Hopefully, this June gloom will go away and we'll have a little more sun to have fun in.}