outdoor activity – Small Fry

vivofit jr. 2 by garmin

My kids have been asking me for a activity tracking watch for a couple of years now. After researching up I found that the vivofit jr. 2 by Garmin was the most affordable for the features we wanted. Happy to partner up with them today to share the details!

First and foremost the watches are comfortable, my kids sleep in them without any irritation which is saying something as Hayes won’t even wear jeans. 😉 You can swim in it as well which I feel like the less reasons we need to take it off, the less likely to lose it! It tracks their activity, reminds them to get moving if they’re still for too long, tracks steps, and sleep patterns and both watches report it all onto one an app I can control. They can unlock games and adventures and incentives which has been fun for them and me! I’ll never forget when the watches first arrived they ran out the driveway and started running in circles. Gotta get those steps in!!This watch retails for $69 and comes in all these fun Disney and Star Wars patterns as well as well other solids and unbranded patterns! It’s funny how I use the watches for Hayes and Cal for different reasons. Cal is skinny as a rail and doesn’t need to burn calories but he does get super hyperactive if he doesn’t get some of that energy out! He’ll drive us all mad with his energy levels if we don’t wear him out outside, ha! We found a great job for him that he really loves and that is cooping the chickens at night and letting them out in the morning, and collecting eggs. Watching him catch the chickens tires me out, but is also hilairous!

Hayes is just like his mom in the sense that he loves food and will eat himself sick! We talk about how our body balances the energy (calories) we get from food and it doesn’t know what to do with the extra energy we don’t use so it just gets stuck. I’m glad to have things like this to help him value an active lifestyle from an early age and the understanding of getting enough energy from the food we eat, but not overdoing it.This watch lasts a whole year without recharging which sold me completely. Such an easy addition to our lives, which was just what I needed! You can check it out here!

pickleball summer

This post has been sponsored by Danone Waters of America. All thoughts and
opinions are my own.

So my husband is weirdly good at tennis and LOVES playing in the warm months. Trouble is, I am not so good! He’s asked for years and years for us to spend time playing, but I never seem to get better– ha! A few years ago we tried out Pickleball, have you played? It’s essentially a mix of tennis + ping pong, and it is so fun! I feel like I was able to pick it up and improve so much faster! The differences are: it’s a smaller court, and it takes a lot less force and skill to hit the ball where you want it to go. Let’s just say there’s no such thing as Pickleball elbow 😉 You know you’re in the right place when the other couples on the court are all grey-haired and possibly retired! It is such a great workout and we’re both winded, chugging water and so sweaty after! Since I can actually keep up with him and get a good game going, it’s been such a great way for us to be active together! We’ve even made it a part of our vacations with friends — making sure a court is nearby or on the property where we’re staying — and the boys are getting on the action, too!evian® is packed with natural electrolytes If you buy this evian six pack at any Kroger Store, you’ll see there are sweepstakes to win two tickets to the U.S. Open! You can also just text ‘winevian’ to 24587! This is basically Russ’ dream so we’re guzzling evian like crazy. He watches every year, how fun would it be to go?! We get these at Kroger which is the very closest grocery store to our home. Kroger is my go-to, so it’s been fun to team up with them so much over the past year or so!What do you guys do to be active with your significant other? Always looking for new ways!

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guardian bikes

Get $20 off your Guardian bike order with “smallfry” at checkout!

I remember when I was 11 of 12 going mountain biking with my family in Moab and doing an end-over onto the rocks. It was awful. It made me sort of scared to ride my bike after that and so when I did it again in front of my 9th grade crush (die inside) bikes were dead to me. 😉 When I saw the Guardian Bikes crew on Shark Tank I knew I wanted to check this out! (Spoiler alert: they landed a deal with Mark Cuban, go Guardian!) Screen Shot 2017-07-16 at 9.41.50 PM \So they created this Sure Stop technology to prevent this very accident from happening and then also started making bikes for kids since the industry is seriously lacking and who needs this safety measure more than kids?! Guardian Bikes The pad slides that back wheel to a halt keeping the decrease in momentum even through both wheels. Genius! Hayes is outgrowing his bikes like every year so I am stoked to have this big kid bike for him to grow into! Look at this face?! He’s so grown up but his baby face flashes through sometimes. Heartbreaking to be honest. 😉 You guys know I have been wildly enabled by my husband to the point that I don’t do anything hard or hands-on when it comes to building things or home stuff. But I put this bike together by myself and it’s still in one piece. Go me!

Disclosure: Guardian sent us this bike to review, which we are so grateful for!

hiking with belVita

Now it’s Summer we’ve been loving taking time each day to just go explore. Drive to a new park, head up into the mountains. Today we’re teaming up with belVita Protein Soft Biscuits to share how we hike to make it fun every step of the way!Lately we’ve been snacking on belVita Protein Biscuits since they’re a good source of protein: 10 grams and they taste like dessert!! If you’ve tried as many protein snacks out there as I have you know it’s hard to find that combo! I knew this would be the perfect hiking food because it’s pre-packaged (easy to grab and store!) Here’s what we like to take on our hikes: water of course, snacks, sunscreen sticks for easy reapplication, an instant camera so the kids can grab memories along the way and little jars for their collections.You can find the jars in glass or plastic so they’re easy to transfer, but we love that they don’t damage whatever they find and we can easily display them after to remember the adventure!What snacks do you like to bring along on your outings? The belVita Protein Oats, Honey & Chocolate flavor we snagged is sure to be a hit. Sometimes when you eat something high in protein the taste is off. This is delicious!! Other positives to note: the cookie still has a little softness and crunch, so it you’re not gnawing on a stale cracker, it has a very distinct cookie slash biscuit vibe happening! Best Local Hikes for Kids We’ve officially stocked the hiking backpack with these babies and for your pinning or screen-shotting pleasure, keep scrolling our favorite local hikes for kids! You can buy belVita at any store and we LOVE the blueberry almond flavor as well if you want a chocolate free option!

Find the belVita Protein Soft Baked Biscuits here and at your local grocery store!

Locals if you need some good hikes for any ages here are some favorites around town!

1. Rocky Mouth Waterfall: Rocky Mouth Waterfall is a very short and sweet hike to a nice sized waterfall. Kids can get right under the falls or play in the shallow pools just below the falls. The trailhead starts in a residential neighborhood. As you walk keep your eye out for the two tiny caves the kids will have fun crawling in. Although its short its at a steady incline so take your time. Info here.

2. Big Springs Hollow: The Big Spring Hollow trail near Provo is so scenic! So good for toddlers! This trail is located up the South Fork branch off of Provo Canyon. Info here.

3. Grotto Falls: This is a fan favorite! So much to see and do and it will keep your kids excited the whole way! Info here.

4. Battle Creek Falls: This hike might be the hardest on the list as the end gets pretty steep. But the waterfall is tall and powerful and theres a stream to trek along the way. Totally doable for your smaller kids! Info here.

5. Scout Falls: This hike is harder and longer then some for sure, but still only about 40 minutes up. So beautiful! We’ve heard there’s still snow there so be sure to get some good tread shoes on! Info here.

This post is sponsored by belVita through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated to write a post about belVita, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Spring Break at Home

By Emily.

Spring Break is just around the corner for us and in Utah it’s a good 9 days long! Today’s post is in case you can’t skip town this year, we’ve been there and it can get tough. But with a little preparation you can have an amazing Spring Break at home! Here’s some favorites:

Zoku Molds — Mini perfect for baby and Original Size. These are so clever well thought out. We’ve tried loads of at-home popsicle kits and this is by far the easiest to use. The Mini version is perfect for baby.

You’ve for sure earned something nice for yourself for entertaining your crew for days on end. Luxomo to the rescue! We recently discovered this site and thought for sure they must be fakes because everything is below any prices we’ve seen elsewhere, but NOPE! All genuine and they buy up last season’s (or the season before that) stock and sell them for 60-70% off or more! All of these Tom Fords for $100? That is unheard of. The pictured ones are this Prada pair.

We’re addicted to two new-ish games and even better they’re a blast for adults or kids or both! Spikeball — this is a must. For the beach, for the yard, we’ve played this with friends for days on end and never grown tired of it. Two more great options: Jumbo Checkers // Kubb!

These Roasters are a must have for every family. They are compact and extend out with ease. They hold heavy foods and light and have heat resistant handles. Pack them up small and keep them in the car.

Have you been converted to the Hooded Towel Poncho? Yes it has to be the poncho. Hear me out. When you’re packing up to leave the pool or beach how many things are you carrying. All the things. Don’t make your kids discarded towels one of them. Don’t get the hooded open towel because that falls off, the poncho is key. They put their towel on and walk on out. No extra hands needed. These are the two cutest I’ve found, there are some hideous ones out there. Hooded Girls Towel & Hooded Boys Towel

You don’t have to invest in something crazy to entertain your kids. I bought these colorful Cones and the boys have been outside everyday doing something new with them. Making courses and tracks mostly, but whatever promotes them to get that fresh air and exercise right?

Of course you’ll need sunscreen. I swear by Babyganics Sunscreen stick! Super easy application and more precise so my kids don’t freak out as much thinking I’m gonna get it in their eye. 😉

And last but not cheapest, this Instax printer is a new favorite. We’ve had the regular Instax camera for years but this combines that nostalgic, instant fun with the technology you already use. Plug it into your phone and print off the photos you like the best!

MORE SPRING BREAK IDEAS:

Summer MVPs // Still Chilly MVPs // Hot Weather MVPs // Educational Games // Learning Board Games // Activity Books for the car or plane //

so young inc.

We have so many wonderful readers from up in Canada (hi guys!!) so we are always keeping our eyes peeled for brands to share with you that hail from the country that puts out some of the nicest people we know! Toronto based So Young Inc. teamed up with us for today’s post and we were so pleasantly surprised by the quality of the items we reviewed! Check them out:

The packs are a beautiful eco-linen, but when you get your hands on them they’re actually coated! This means they wipe clean and can take a real beating, they look brand new after lots of use already! We never thought we’d see the day where we’d let our kids take a linen backpack on an adventure outside, so we are thinking the So Young Inc. team is a bunch of geniuses!Here are some of our favorite designs which come on all three of their packs, the lunch pack, the lunch cooler, and the school sized back pack. We love that you can mix and match or get the whole line for each kid so they know which is theirs. With Summer approaching we don’t put our backpacks away for one second, we love to pack them with snacks and binoculars and sunscreen and take them on our day trips!

We thought it would be fun this time instead of just mentioning adventuring, to actually share some of our favorite quick day-trip adventures from around where (most) of Small Fry is stationed in central Utah! We get so many questions from locals so if this is you, keep reading to hear about some of our favorites!

CONNECT WITH SO YOUNG INC.: Facebook // Pinterest // Instagram // Twitter

FAVORITE UTAH COUNTY ADVENTURES – SMALL KIDDO APPROVED (most under an hour!)

HIKES:

SilverLake – a beautiful lake-side walk with a wood boardwalk trail in Salt Lake City. Great for strollers!

The Grotto – A 15-30 minute hike/walk into a waterfall! Perfect for kids and super pretty.

Cascade Springs – a Provo Canyon boardwalk through babbling Spring water!

Donut Falls – another SLC (Big Cottonwood) water fall hike! Gorgeous and the kids love that the waterfall is circular like a donut.

Bridal Veil Falls – easy drive up and park access or you can take the short paved trail. Provo Canyon. Another great stroller hike.

Escalante Trail – Spanish Fork walking hike with amazing views!

Battle Creek Falls – Another waterfall trail in Pleasant Grove, a moderately steep hike in parts but totally doable by even our two year olds last Summer!

MUSEUMS:

Museum of Natural Curiosity, Monte L. Bean Museum (free!), Gateway Discovery Museum, The Leonardo, Museum of Natural History, The Dinosaur Museum all have amazing programs all year round with lots to do an experience! All in Utah or Salt Lake Counties.

ACTIVE PLAY:

Jump On It, Kangaroo Zoo, Lowe’s Extreme Air, Momentum Indoor Climbing (haven’t been but the video tour looks amazing!), Hang Time.

Locals, what would you add to our list for places to head when you want to learn and experience more about this beautiful place we live!

Road Rally 2014 Recap

Photos by Chelsey Searle.

We had our 2nd Annual Road Rally this past week and have a whole slew of pictures if you’d like to see! This year we co-hosted the event with Freshly Picked, Little Hip Squeaks and ChatBooks! You can check out last year’s event here, but we wanted to share some new things we added that were a huge hit!

Road Rally 2014

First up, was the Bike Washing Station! We all kept wondering why we don’t set our kids up with a bucket and a sponge more often! They all scrubbed their bikes and scooters until they shined. This was such a cute pre-race activity, some kids stayed for an hour!

Bike Washing Station | Road Rally 2014

Last year we held this event mid-day and it was blazing hot. So this year we moved it to the evening and it was … still blazing hot! But, not AS bad and we were definitely cooled off by Lick’D Pops! They’re a local gourmet popsicle vendor that sells at Farmers Markets and local events and full-time at Harmon’s Grocery! With flavors like Plum Basil, Key Lime Pie, you can’t go wrong! They were so generous to donate all those pops!

A Temporary Tattoo Station || People Water‘s Hydration Station

Riding a Madsen bucket bike || The Road Rally tattoo in action!

The Chatbooks Winners Lounge (everyone got a medal, so it wasn’t THAT exclusive.) Chatbooks is a new app for printing photos, right from your Instagram account! 60 photos for $6. So awesome! Chatbooks Lounge Racers Ready! Road Rally 2014 Perhaps the best part about the event was looking across the track and seeing families genuinely having a wonderful time together. The interactions were priceless!

Road Rally 2014

And of course it’s always all for the kids!

Attendees: We have all these photos and a BUNCH more in right here for you to view and download! Photo Credit goes to Chelsey Searle!

bikes and things

This post is brought to you by Monkey Bar Storage. Storage options for every hobby and every garage. Locals visit here.

Our favorite outdoor family-time activity would have to be on our bikes. We all joke that the happiest (and most quiet) our grumpy two-year-olds can be is riding in their bike seat or in the trailer. There’s nothing like taking in your city or town with the wind in your hair and the sun on your face! Here are some favorite bike and accessories we’ve been loving:

must have bike items!

1. Kids bikes are like lots of gear for kids… You get what you pay for. It can either be a one-time investment that you can pass down to each of your kids and their siblings, or it can be something you find yourself buying and upgrading each season. There are a lot of great high-quality bikes out there, but we just can’t get over the look and feel of Linus Bikes. They are gorgeous! So high quality with a density, sturdiness and weight that you don’t find often anymore. This is the Lil’ Roadster, in midnight blue with leather handlebars and seats, and a sweet little bell. All of Linus’ bikes and accessories are stellar, check them out here!

2. Is there anything cuter than a bike basket? The classic woven baskets are darling, but we love the bright pop of color on this metal basket from Hayneedle. Pack your basket with lunch, a good book, and head to the park!

3. Do you live a bike-friendly city? There is something so charming about seeing bikes all over town. For our boys, this Kikkerland “This Bike Is My Car” bell couldn’t be more true.

4. Adding a quick accessory like this rear rack opens up a whole new world of things you can bring along on your bike rides! These portable roll up blankets are perfect for on-the-go activities. Just strap it down with the velcro and head to a picnic, or throw it around your kiddo if temperatures drop suddenly.

5. Bike seats are getting better and better! The ones we rode in as kids were uprightly stiff and uncomfortable, but iBert’s Front Mounted Bike Seat is anything but. This seat mounts without any tools, gives kids full range views, and has a little padding for the bumpier rides.

6. If you buy one thing this Summer make it the Ivation Bullet. It’s a portable Bluetooth speaker that attaches right onto your handle bar, and works with pretty much any device you can think of. How far we’ve come from the portable boom-box!

7. We are such long-time Nutcase helmets fans. They’re adorable but not bulky and come in the most fun patterns. Polka-dots, Union Jack, Evil Knievel and Melon Head for the win!

8. Bike Trailers are such a good time when you have little ones. Burley Bee Bike Trailer is compact, safe, and has lots of options for sun, wind, rain shade.

9. To make your trailer or kids’ bike extra safe, we love the retro look of this Avenir Safety Flag. So even if they’re view is restricted, everyone else can see them coming!

10. Add a little flair to your bike brigade with this Burger Bell!

11. When it’s time for the fun to stop we can’t recommend the Monkey Bar Storage bike rack enough! It’s the only rack we’ve found that holds up to six bikes while only taking up 4 feet of space in your garage or shed. They have storage options for just about every sport, gardening, and tools you have lying around – see them all here!

DIY Glowing Star Glasses

This post is brought to you by ElectroDash – The 5K Dance Party.

By Nicole.

My house is getting so excited for warmer months ahead! Yesterday it was just warm enough to ride bikes outside without hats and gloves, and my mind started racing toward BBQs, days at the pool, and taking advantage of Utah’s amazing Summer! We’ve got just the thing to help kick-off an amazing Summer, and it even comes with a killer discount code! For you locals, on April 26th, the ElectroDash the 5k race is coming to Utah Valley University! It is a race unlike any other. It’s a glow-in-the-dark, neon lights dance party and it looks like an absolute blast. We’ll be there hosting a bounce house and other kid-friendly activities, and even better, kids 7 and under are free! Even if Dash runs two steps and is ready for the jogger, no money is wasted. To get the boys extra excited, I wanted to make an easy DIY for them to sport at the race.

Here’s what you’ll need:

I was ready to show you how to make your own glow-in-the-dark glitter, but guess what? You can buy it pre-made at the craft store! Buy it online here, too. If you’re feeling extra crafty, you can make it by taking glow-in-the-dark spray paint to regular glitter, pre-made is sounding extra nice right about now.

I found these cute star shaped sunglasses at about $.50 each, a can of spray adhesive, and the glow-in-the-dark glitter and then you’ll want to find a nice well-ventilated area to spray. Outside it best. Then use a plate or shallow tupperware and fill it with the glitter and you’re ready to start! You’ll want to put the glasses in the bottom of an open cardboard box and then spray them evenly with the adhesive. Once they’re coated, dip them in the tray of glitter, or use your hands to sprinkle them letting the excess fall to the plate. Sprinkling is a great kid-friendly step, Dash was the best helper. Let it dry completely and you’ve got yourself the perfect race accessory! Check them out in action:

And now for that discount code! Any racers you locals want to bring that are over 7 years old can get 20% of their ticket by entering “ELECTROFRY” at check-out. Buy your ticket now and you will get early bird ticket prices until March 7th, so those tickets are only $39.00!

ElectroDash glow in the dark gear

With each ticket (for kids as well) it includes an ElectroDash t-shirt, neon bracelets, sunglasses and other neon accessories. Register for the Utah Valley Race right here, it will be held at UVU Campus and the Small Fry boys are already so pumped! I on the other hand better get off the couch and attempt to break my running shoes in.

Here’s a taste of the course. You have glowing arches, the Galaxy, Floating Jellyfish, Glowing trees, a Cactus forest, and a Laser Show at the end. Talk about magical!

We hope you locals will join us! We’re thinking of starting a stroller brigade you know, just to make it extra fun for all the college kids. 😉

midway ice castles

If you live near Midway Utah or Breckenridge Colorado or Lincoln New Hampshire, you are in for a real treat. Ice Castles is a man-made dream world and we took the boys to check it out! They’ve all been enjoying the movie and soundtrack to Frozen (who hasn’t?) so our trip was perfectly timed. We’ve got some tips we learned to make your experience even better, let’s go!

Wear boots. With so much foot traffic the ground is loose and you’ll find yourself stepping in foot deep snow at times!

Buy tickets in advance. The line to purchase is long, but there’s a separate line for people with pre-purchased tickets. It will save you a lot of time! Either way it’s worth the wait.

Midway Ice Castles

Ditch the stroller. There are narrow hallways, and lots of people around, and you’ll wish you didn’t have it. Bring a child carrier or enough arms to hold your non-walkers. Luckily, Midway’s has stroller parking at the entrance.

You’ll want to see the castles in perfect daylight and at night when they start lighting them from the inside with colored lights. Either get your hand stamped and come back, or go around sunset so you can get the best of both worlds. It was truly magical for every age!

Find out more about Ice Castles, purchase tickets, and see glorious photos all on their website here. If you’re going to Midway, check out our favorite spots from our Tiny Tour post here.

First photo credit Helen Richardson for the Denver Post, the rest are from our phones!