Everyone wants to be outside enjoying summer, but all play and no work makes for a huge mess. And a crazy mommy, too. The key to surviving the summer without being stuck indoors is to create a few simple summer systems. 1. Toy Lock Out As in, try a toy closet or put most of […] Read more…
35 Minutes to Making a Summer Bucket List With Your Kids {@Homemaker’s Challenge}
Has 1/3 of summer passed you by and you can’t even believe it? So it’s not just me then! Ha! Over at Homemaker’s Challenge, I posted about creating a summer bucket list. I LOVE summer. You couldn’t even begin to imagine how much I love it. After a week or two of 50 degree […] Read more…
Best Day Hikes in GT County
***This article originally appeared in the Summer 2013 issue of Traverse Bay Family Magazine. It has been reprinted with permission.*** While I haven’t been able to carve out time to hike as much as I like (one of the downfalls of being self-employed — something always has to take a backseat), there are several places […] Read more…
Super Summer Celebrations
Are you already bored? Kids sick of summer? Need a way to redeem a rainy or cold (or overly hot) day? I came up with a list of fun summer holidays that are super easy to spontaneously celebrate. Enjoy! June National Candy Month And National Fruit & Vegetable Month 6/1 – National Flip a Coin […] Read more…
A Summer Bucket List from A-Z
A few years ago I created a list of 100 things to do in summer. This year I decided to do it a little differently. Here are 26 prompts for things to do this summer with your family from A to Z. Art. Messy art. Take your little artists outside to paint or use glitter […] Read more…
{Almost} Spontaneous Summer Fun
*** This article first appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of Traverse Bay Family Magazine. It is reprinted with permission.*** With school out & summer activities (or just plain boredom) taking its toll on your time, it’s good to have a bit of a plan to have some ALMOST spontaneous fun. I’ve created a […] Read more…
Super Summer Schooling {Guest Post}
It has been my experience that we do well when we continue to school over the summer. At the beginning years of our homeschooling, I tried to take the summer off and keep a regular school schedule. But I found that the kids were bored in the summer. We live in an area that is […] Read more…
5 Days of Summer Picnics
I had so much fun sharing my 5 Days of Summer Picnics series this week. If you want to bookmark or pin them all in one spot, here they are again: Picnic Destinations Picnic Basket Options Picnic Packing List Spur-of-the-Moment Menu Picnic Recipe Round-Up Enjoy! Read more…
Picnic Destinations {5 Days of Summer Picnics}
When I was growing up my family wasn’t big on family time or vacations or anything like that. The one thing we DID do, however, was go on picnics. My mom would spend all day prepping hamburgers, tuna noodle salad, and getting chips & pop and other treats for the picnic. We would enjoy our […] Read more…
Busy Summer Baby Gear
*** This article originally appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of Traverse Bay Family Magazine. It is reprinted with permission. *** While my youngest is more of a toddler than a baby at this point, it seems like only yesterday that we were carting a little 6 month old all over hill and dale […] Read more…