What to do, what to do??

Sara and I really like to stay busy and get involved in different things.  This requires me to be creative in coming up with new things to do.  I've had several people ask me about what things you can do around town, so I've compiled a list of places we like to go or things we like to do. 

• Target - who doesn't love walking around the aisles of Target, especially if I let Sara push a little shopping cart from the toy department.  We could spend hours in there.
• Library - we like the library on Guadalupe and Greenfield (Southeast Regional).  They have story times during the week and you can see the schedule here.
• Mall - Superstition Springs has Kids Club on Thursdays at 10am with a little show and kids can ride the carousel for free between 11-1.  But we like to go in the late afternoon sometimes too when we're bored just to play at the play place.  We also LOVE the Fiesta Mall play area.  It's huge and there are a lot of fun things to do.  I was told once that mall is in the 'ghetto' and I shouldn't go there, but I like it and everyone there has always been pleasant.  If you feel like a drive, the mall in Scottsdale has an amazing play area just outside of Nordstrom;s.  It has 4 little houses with different themes and Sara loves it there.  They also have a really big fountain and lots of great places for lunch.  The mall at San Tan does have an outdoor play area, but it can get really crowded.
• Parks: Tumbleweed Park is our favorite off of McQueen and the 202.  It takes about 20 minutes to get there, but it's a blast and huge!  Sara loves it, but it does have wood chips, so we wear shoes with socks.  There's a ton of sidewalk for kids to ride bikes or scooters and the play structure is really fun.  It also has nice bathrooms.  Freestone Park is a little closer and fun, but the last couple of times we've gone, there's been a bunch of bees.  The Train Park is Scottsdale is also really fun if you want to make the drive.  It costs 10 dollars for 10 tickets and the kids can ride a train or carousel.  There is also a really fun park there.  There are several other smaller parks around, which are nice and convenient.
• Zoo: An annual zoo pass to the Phoenix Zoo is actually really affordable if you enjoy going.  It is about 25 minutes from where I live, but we always have a great time.  As a member, you can get in an hour earlier than other visitors, but sometimes the animals aren't out yet.  We usually go around 9 and walk around for a while, then go have a picnic in the kids area.  There is also a really fun splash pad if you're there and it's on.
• Toys 'R Us: I don't generally buy toys here, but it's sure fun to look and most of them have toys out they can play with or bikes they can ride around on.  Sara loves to just go and look at all the fun toys and show me what she likes.
• Barnes and Noble: I know they do story time, although we've never been.  The Barnes and Noble on Val Vista has a train table that Sara loves and tons of books she can look at.  There is also a little stage where she likes to sit and read to me.
• Ikea: Ikea has free lunch on Tuesdays and it's yummy!  The kids get free lunch and then we can walk around and look at fun stuff or just have lunch and then go to Pump it Up or Arizona Mills.

Those area the things I can think of for now, but I know we're always trying to think up other fun things to do, so let me know if you have anything you like to do with your kiddos.  And if you'd like more information on things to do, check out Active Moms Magazine (it's free at the library and online) or the iheartmesa blog here.