Summer Fun and Gift Ideas

We just went to the Texas coast

for the fist trip of the summer season.

We like to go to Rockport several times every summer,

not just because my parents,

Lala and Pops, live there,

but also because they have

the perfect bay beach for little ones.

 

No beach trip is made around here without

our hooded towels.

Mike is now 8, Adelyn is 5 and Molly is 19 months...

All three still love their towels!

 

Recently I was inspired to design

 a few new towels for friends...

Check out this one for my Lego lovers!

This is the perfect gift for the kid

 who has too many Legos,

but still wants Lego stuff for their birthday.

Yes, I speak from experience here!

I am so in love with this classy,

yet adorable Barbie inspired towel.

The bow embellishment really adds a special detail!

Have a little super hero on you gift list?

ME too... several.

Bigs and littles!!

Here is one I made for a tween...

you know those hard to please kids!

Well, this Harry Potter inspired towel was a hit!

She even let her mom share it on Face Book!

I saved the best for last...

our Mermaid towel.

My favorite part about this one,

well aside from the bow embellishment,

is that I can make her hair any color!

Yup, working on a little redhead next!

 

We just love these towels and take them to

the water park, swim lessons,

and they are even the first towel

my kids go to after a bath.

A special shout out to my models...

Adelyn was nervous about modeling the "boy towel"

for my Etsy photos...

I assured her I wouldn't show her face

 on the shop photos...

but this is the blog!

(wink, wink)

Come on by my Etsy shop and see what all the other unique gifts

I have for your favorite little people!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Planning

I thought I would share a short series

 on how we plan for our summer.

As most of you know I am big on planning

and with three kids,

I guess I kind of have to be.

Let me start by explaining my summer motto.

"Summer is a journey, not a race"

Last summer it was a race for me...

you see, we had spent all winter and spring

locked up with a newborn who wouldn't sleep..

I had some mommy guilt and felt the pressure

to cram as many fun things into the summer as I could,

 because #3 was more mobile and

 her schedule was more flexible.

But this year, I want to slow time down...

I want the kind of summer I remember growing up...

long, fun, and full of memories.

a Mommy Friendly

Memory Making

kind of summer.

The first step I do is get my calendar going...

I start with a free printable calendar and a pencil.

Nothing is in the planner or in pen until the dust settles!

I start this at the end of April.

First I mark off our big events,

 like swim lessons,

Vacation Bible School, and our vacation.

Also, here is where the camps come in...

Mikey loves going to Lego camp

 and I try to get Adelyn into a dance or art camp. 

Next I plug in road trips or events that

 I need to coordinate with other people.

My parents live on the coast, and we like to

do two or three long weekends with them.

They also, have "cousin camp" and

those dates I have to coordinate with my sister.

Next up, is our family bucket list.

What are the small things we want to do?

This year we listed everything by category...

stuff to do, places to go, things to make, what to eat, etc.

The kids love to look at my summer Pinterest board HERE

and pick out their favorite things to try.

The bucket list then gets plugged into our weekly plan...

I like to stick with the above plan.

It is cheesey but it keeps me accountable

and the kids look forward to it.

It has really helped my stick to my motto,

as I plan one small thing a day and

do not feel the pressure to plan something

 big and entertaining!

On Mondays we "Make Something"

So far we have made slime,

this yummy S'more snack,

and a craft.

On Too Wet Tuesday we

 pull out the water slide,

fill up the water guns,

head to the river, or the splash pad.

Wednesday is "Wild about Reading"

or "What Cha Reading?"

We head to the library for new books.

I will not lie, this is hard...

I'm usually the crazy mom with three kids

running around yelling my name

as they are all enjoying different sections

of the kids area these days,

but we are there...

making memories and

reading some good stuff!

Thinking Thursdays is one of my favorite days so far.

Our neighborhood pool is cleaned on Wednesday,

so the cleanest it will ever be is Thursday mornings...

clearly my favorite time to go.

We try to hit the pool from 9:30 to 11ish.

And even though we try to do

 some kind of learning everyday for 30 minutes,

(I will post more on this soon) 

 Thursday afternoons Molly takes a good long nap...

you know the kind you love after a morning in the sun.

This allows me to spend extra time with the kids

working in their workbooks, writing, and reading.

On Friday we head somewhere fun...

the list is long this summer, but includes things like...

museums, the zoo, the park, going for ice cream,

playdates, berry picking, visiting cousins,

the jump house, or a movie.

This is where I plan each week...

this little planner was from WalMart,

but any weekly printable will work.

I usually split the days into am and pm.

I keep it very simple, as you can see.

 

Does you family enjoy fun filled summers

 or long lazy summers?

What are your summer planning tips?

I would love to hear your ideas!

 

Come back soon to see how we learn all summer

and how we are doing summer chores!

 

Summer Coupon Code

Welcome Summer Fun!

For the past three years I have put together

 these Summer Fun Buckets for my kids.

I set them out on our breakfast table

for the first "true" day of summer vacation!

You know, the Monday it really starts,

not the Saturday!

What a big hit these are!

Not only are kids thrilled,

but mama is pretty strategic about

 what goes in them because

 it is my summer, too!

And I love the LAZY days of summer!

So What do I put them in them...

 

*guilty pleasure breakfasts like PopTarts

or the sugary cereal they always beg me for!

Something the can fix themselves while I sleep in!

 

*Water balloons for our big neighborhood war

 

*New Crayons and markers

 

*Simple water toys from the dollar store

 

*Flip flops and sunglasses also from the dollar store

 

*Goggles and swim shoes.

Things I would buy even if we did not to the buckets.

 

*A note book or coloring book

 

*A guilty pleasure snack (or two)

 

*A new board game (not in the bucket, but one to share)

and a book or two!

 

 

New for this summer is going to be a chore chart!!

Bahaha!  I can't wait!

Like I said, it's my summer, too!

Now that these kiddos are a year older

 we will be adding a few chores to earn screen time!

Brilliant, right?

The first ones are from Bekah at Pinch A Little Save A Lot

This edit-able one is from Southern Melle!

I really like the idea of adding

scripture and manners to the chart!

I will be posting an update on our Summer Chore System

as soon as we nail one down!

 

I know I sound like the kids...

but I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!!

Mainly the LAZY part,

but the sun and fun too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beach Decor

I do not have a mantel in this house (sigh) 

I really only miss it when it is time to hang stocking,

because I kinda think of our entryway buffet

 as a mantel to decorate with the seasons.

This summer we have been to the beach three times already

 and hope to make four before school starts. 

 The beach has always been one of my very favorite places,

so I wanted to decorate with some of my

beachy treasures and and favorite photos!

My sweet neighbor gave me this old frame...

at part of my design team work for Front Porch Kits

 I made these canvas tags. 

You can see them better HERE.

I absolutely love how this turned out...

the sand was brought home for one of our trips...

 and yes my hubs thought I was crazy! 

On the inside, I used sea shells I have

 collected over the years and some beach glass. 

Growing up my Aunt and Uncle had a beach house,

one of my very favorite memories it combing

the beach for glass with my Aunt Loretta and my mom.

When I look at the center of this display

 I get such a sweet rush of memories...

kind of like when you first step onto the beach, smell the salty air,

 feel the warm breeze, and hear the waves rolling...

 ahh, I just love it!

This project has been in the works for a long time. 

My mom found a memory jar similar to this online and

 we set out to find the perfect jars. 

 I really wanted mine to hold two pictures,

 so I picked up this glass block for $7

and this to die for burlap ribbon!

On the inside is more sand for our beach,

 some shells (I bought) and a bit of the beads for my Just Add Water Kit. 

The pictures our of Mike and Addy

 when they were both around 18months...

having the time of their little life at the beach. 

Even now at 5 and 2, you will find

 Mike in the water and Adelyn digging in the sand!

This is a chipboard display I made, again from my design team kit.

The pictures just don't do it justice...

the colors and details are perfect for

displaying such found summer memories

of this years beach trips!

I set on this darling little cake plate

 I bought at my new favorite local shop.

I also have a large photo of Adam and I,

 from way back in the day,

before we were even married walking on the beach...

such sweet memories!

If you are interested in a great line of crafting kits

 for scrapbooking, home decor, and mixed media...

 be sure to check out Front Porch Kits

and if you are in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area

 go visit The Little Blue House for lots of

 classes, supplies, and inspiration!

Beachy Canvas Tags

One of my Front Porch Kit: Just Add Water projects

 was to create something from a canvas bag.

 After a big fat fail on painting chevron stripes on the bag

 I had to go to plan B... cut it up into tags!

These were so many beautiful embellishments in the kit,

 it made it easy to add all the details!

Take a look HERE to see the entire kit!

This really is a one stop shop for all

 of your end of summer scrapin' needs.

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Just Add Water

 As most of you know I am lucky enough

to be a designer for Front Porch Kits,

This kits are special because, not only are they made for

 the scrap- booker and card maker,

but even the sewer, mixed media artist,

 and diy crafter!

This month's kit is Called Just Add Water...

Trust me when I say it is FULL of paper, textures, embellishments,

and much more!  What I loved the most this month is the colors...

what I would say the most perfect combination of tropical colors!

 Here are a few peaks at what I made

with my Just Add Water Front Porch Kit...

Head over HERE to get yours ordered today and

please come back and see all the great projects I made!

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