**This post was sponsored by the J.M. Smucker Company. However, all opinions are my own**

We set off to have this Epic Summer Adventure as a way to say goodbye to the summer of 2015. Well, as with many things about life with kids, it was not epic in the way we had planned. We still had an adventure for the most part and I learned that sometimes the plan is really a rough draft.

We left early in the morning to go spend an awesome day at the zoo. I had it all planned out down to which animals we would see first. The kiddos woke up a little cranky but I still had high hopes for a day full of family fun. We packed our snacks and lunches from our “Snackation” shopping trip and headed to the zoo.

With our new plan of action ready, we made it to the park and the kids went bananas. What small child doesn’t love the park? It was seriously warmer than the forecast so we had to take lots and lots of water breaks. The kiddos played really well together and they were nicer than they had been in a very long time. Monster made new friends and proved he was brave enough for the big slide. We climbed and spent tons of time on the swings.

We had planned to have a nice picnic but it was just so too hot. We took our packed lunch and readjusted our plans yet again. We turned it into a car picnic and ate our uncrustables (a new family favorite) in the car with the air conditioner blasting. Good thing they’re portable!

That night (after a very long nap) we decided we were going to end our adventure day with a bang, literally. There were local fireworks and we decided to give it a shot and see if we could stay up and watch them. We packed some snacks and went to pick out our spot. I enjoyed some Jiff To-Go Dippers with pretzels while the kids rolled around and played (grown ups need snacks too). As I watched my children play, I realized this day had taught me so much about myself as a mom.

I learned to let go and let the kids be kids. I can plan for these amazing memory making experiences and as much as I want them to happen, they may not. I can’t control the moods the kiddos will wake up in or the weather. I can plan and hope for the best. It’s not always about the destination. It’s about the journey and the memories we make along the way.

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