Our playgroup had a killer schedule of fun, educational and inexpensive dates each week this fall. One of our favorites was a tour of Boise City Fire Station No. 8 on Overland Road on the Boise Bench, which happens to be the second busiest station in the city. Most local fire stations offer free tours to kids and groups as a public service and let me tell you, they did a super job.
Of course, the kids all got a turn sitting in the drivers seat of the firetruck, which was a huge thrill and a great photo op for the moms.
And they learned about all the gear the truck holds, including how the hoses work.
A surprise highlight was a tour inside an Ada County Paramedics ambulance. We learned that there is an ambulance at each Boise fire station and that they go out on all calls with the fire truck. The paramedic showed the kids how the equipment and the gurney works and explained it all in kid-friendly, non-scary language. What a unique experience to be inside an ambulance in a non-emergency situation first.
The firefighters also dressed up in their full fighting gear to show the kids what they may look like should they ever see one in the case of a fire. This was such a great thing for the kids, I thought, because the guys in gear can be scary and intimidating, especially if you encounter one through smoke and fire.
Of course, we all loved watching them slide from the upper level where they sleep down the fire pole to the garage.
Besides their bedrooms and bathrooms, the upper level also contains a full workout room, so they can stay all firm and fit for their duties (and for the 2010 Idaho Firefighters Calendar which you can purchase now at all Boise and Meridian fire stations - OF COURSE WE ASKED.)In addition, we saw their kitchen and learned about their unusual shifts, the types of trucks they use for each fire and interesting little tidbits like the fact that firetrucks do not require keys to start. The guys were full of helpful information and gave the kids bookmarks, stickers and bracelets at the end of the tour promoting fire safety at home. We were there a little over an hour and I have to say, I enjoyed it as much as the kids, and not only because the firefighters were cute. It was an educational and important experience for us all.
For these skirts I cut out the middle portion of the pant leg of another pair of women's PJs. They bunch up around the waist and you can fold them over to make them as long or short as you like. Therefore, the only stitching required on this one was the sewing on of the patch. Of course, these skirts are kind of one size fits all, and only if you are a girl under the age of six. These fun skirts were "sew" easy and fun and really cost next to nothing to make, and I loved the collaboration of two artists working with recycled materials!
These are such a deliciously simple snack I almost feel silly posting about them. We often make our own french fries or home fries with baking potatoes, but it wasn't until the girls were born that we discovered making our own sweet potato fries. Like most babies, our girls' favorite first baby food was sweet potatoes. When they made the transition to more solid foods, we got the tip from a friend to make our own sweet potato fries, a delicacy that we'd only had at a few restaurants before.
So we bought a few sweet potatoes, sliced them into strips, coated with olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, pop them in for about, oh, 15 minutes, turning once. And voila! We learned this "trick" about 5 years ago and have made them ever since. My beloved 
The largest dome not only acted as an event space for us, with large tables and a fridge, but was also sleeping quarters for about 15 of my relatives.
Miracle Hot Springs has two fabulous hot springs pools that are attached, one hotter than the other. They are open until 11pm, and night swimming was a hoot. There are also around 20 private hot tub rooms that surround the larger pools which you can rent by the hour for around $6. This is a real treat, and my stepmom and I spent a great evening in one chatting over a bottle of red wine. 
We played lots of games, including frisbee, softball and a strange strength pulling game with a broom handle. My aunt Dana also brought lots of fun family-friendly activities, including this cute alligator pinata, which was a big hit. 
We bought the matching dresser to the crib at IKEA, as well as the changing table attachment to go on top (about $100). It can be removed when we no longer need it and function as a regular dresser. The blue door hangers ($15.99 each) came from Babies-R-Us and hold esentials like diapers, wipes and burp clothes. The darling felt animal mobile also came from IKEA ($4.99).
We bought the lampshade and hanging contraption at IKEA to create a little story nook in the bedroom ($20 for both). The pink rocker was a garage sale steal at $3. Eric painted it bright pink to match and my stepmom recovered the chair pads in a matching blue and white gingham fabric. There is also a large closet in this room that we built shelves into for blankets and toys. I think it is a fun and funky example of converting a teeny space into a whimsical and lovely little room.
We all love Papa and Yaya's (our kids' names for Eric's parents) country home in Idaho Falls, and the first thing we did was check out the new baby chickens and rummaged their enormous garden for strawberries and sweet peas to munch on.
We did save these yummies (steamed artichokes) for dinner that night. What a treat!
We happened to make it there just in time for the Tuesday morning Zoo Tales storytime. The children's librarian from 
The next day we headed to 
The hot pools are further into the city on the Portneuf River and are really well kept. The numerous pools have pebble bottoms and holy hell are THEY HOT. We had to take several breaks and were thrilled to find out that they sold all sorts of ice cream bars at the admissions desk to cool us down.
As we wandered downtown to grab a bite to eat, we saw slews of people making their way with bright colored tubes and rafts to float the rapids of the Portneuf River. It looked like loads of fun, and we are excited to go back when the girls are older to give it a try.
We spent the majority of our time at the olympic sized pool, where a bridge to two really long, steep waterslides acts as a welcoming archway into the city proper. The pool is also noted for their three levels of high platforms to dive off of, but, again, with tiny girls we spent our time on the smaller waterslides (of which there are four) and playing on the gigantic plastic water snake toy that bobs in the center of the pool.
