R is for...

... rugrats running rampant! Just kidding; I have never actually called my children rugrats. I happen to love them even when I'm at my wit's end. ;)

Places to go that start with R:
*nearby towns/cities
*restaurants (your pick! or choose from the following selections...)
*Raccoon River Brewing Company (more child-friendly than it sounds)
*Raquel's Pastry
*Red Lobster
*Red Robin Gourmet Burgers
*Ritual Cafe
*Rock Bottom Brewery (again, a family restaurant)
*Ruby Tuesday
*Raccoon River Park
*Radiant Church (my high school classmate & friend, Jon Wiest is the pastor there - he rocks!)
*radio stations (most will give tours for young fans)
*Lake Red Rock
*Reiman Gardens on the ISU campus in Ames
*Renaissance Park (walking trails, pond for fishing)
*Rieman Music (to show your little ones super fancy pianos)
*Ronald McDonald House (take a game or some snacks for the families staying there)

Things to do that begin with R:
*RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) - it's coming through Des Moines this year, so you could at least take the kids to watch all the cyclists go by
*count railroad crossings
*play in the rain (wearing raincoats and rubber boots)
*color rainbows (or make them with the garden hose on a sunny day)
*watch children's TV shows like "Rainbow Brite" or "Reading Rainbow" (which now has its own app)
*watch movies starting with R (Ratatouille, The Rescuers, or Roving Mars)
*family read-aloud (Rainbow Fish, Ramona series, The Relatives Came, Ribsy, Rumpelstiltskin, The Runaway Bunny)
*read jokes in the Reader's Digest
*IPTv Reading Roadtrip (local PBS station celeb visits libraries statewide)
*have a red day (all red clothing, foods, etc.)
*listen to groups like R.E.M., Red, Red Grammer, Remedy Drive, or songs like "Recess," "Ruth 1:16-17," "Rocketship," and "Rub a Dub a Dub Dub," all by Justin Roberts, or "Revelation Song," by Phillips, Craig, & Dean
*play games like Red Rover, Risk, Rock-Paper-Scissors
*reduce, reuse, recycle
*find a Renaissance Faire
*ride a roller coaster (or two or three)
*road trip!
*roast hot dogs & marshmallows
*watch a roller derby bout
*roller skate (or blade)
*stop and smell the roses
*play dates with Reagan, Reid, Reece, Riley, Ross, Ryan, etc.
*use rulers to draw rectangles and color them red, robin's egg blue, rose, royal blue, ruby, russet, or rust
*have running races (they could even be relays if you have enough participants!)

Foods that start with R:
radishes
raisins
Ramen noodles
ranch dressing
raspberries
ravioli
red bell peppers
red cabbage
red potatoes
Reese's Pieces
rhubarb
rib eye steak
ribs
rice
Rice Krispies
rigatoni
risotto
Ritz crackers
roast beef
rocky road ice cream
Rolos candy
rolls
rotini
Ruffles

Favorite R Bible Verses:
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Psalms 51:10
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." Romans 13:1
"But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently." Romans 8:25

I did not think the letter R would be difficult to find during L's ABC photography summer. I was wrong. The only one we found was in a piece of nature artwork at Jester Park.

Stay posted... Letter S will likely be a big post! :)

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*