personal blog
Have you seen all the pinecone ornaments on the internet lately?
I really like this paper pinecone I found on Pinterest.
You can find the paper pinecone tutorial here.
Over in the KOA Community we are discussing nature inspired ornaments so if you have a great idea or tutorial make sure you share it in the community!
If you love camping or road trips you’ll want to visit the KOA Campfire Community tonight at 10pm EST to win some great prizes and discuss road trips during the holidays!
We usually take at least two road trips a year and I love exchanging ideas for meals, keeping the kids occupied, safety, pitstops and more.
You can also win some fabulous prizes including:
A $150 Gift Certificate to Cabela’s and 10 backpacks filled with:
– A copy of the Camping Mama game (Nintendo DS)
– A Camping Mama branded backpack
– A Camping Mama branded water bottle
– A kit to make smores
– Camping Mama branded binoculars
– A Camping Mama branded 22-piece first aid kit
– A Camping Mama branded foldable and reusable spork
– A Camping Mama branded miniature flashlight (AAA batteries included)
Join me and the other KOA Campfire Community leaders as we discuss holiday road trips and giveaway some great prizes!
My family loves Frisbee Golf. If you aren’t familiar with the sport it is kind of like golf, except you play with frisbees and you don’t ride in a cart or wear funny looking pants. 😉
We like it because it is fun, and you don’t have to be very good to play- so my younger kids are not excluded from the activity. When we camp, we always try to find a campground that is close to a Frisbee Golf course. We’ve been to several in the mid-Atlantic but haven’t found any in the southeast yet.
Do you have any recommendations? We’ll be camping in a few weeks and would love to add Frisbee Golf to our list of activities.
Cora’s crib is sitting in the garage because I just can’t throw it away. I’m sure I can find a great way to recycle it on Pinterest.
Are you on Pinterest? If so follow me here? Need an invite? Let me know in the comments.
Don’t forget if you see something you “pin worthy” here on The Happy Housewife you can use the red “pin it” below.
According to the CDC, 17% of children are now considered obese, a statistic that has tripled in just one generation! Getting children outside and off the computer and television is one way to combat childhood obesity. I’m excited that my family has joined the GoGo Gang in an effort to encourage families to get outside and enjoy some outdoor fun!
When I was a child I played outside almost every single day. I remember looking forward to summer because the rule in my house was you had to come in when the street light came on. During the summer months the street light didn’t come on until close to 9pm! Summer meant extra time outside playing with friends.
While there were many fun games I played with my neighborhood friends, my favorite was “Olympics.” Growing up in Florida ice skating was not something we did very often, if ever, so we were all fascinated by the winter Olympic Games. After watching we would put on our roller skates (yes skates, not blades I’m old) and set up courses to race and work on our “figure skating” routines.
I can remember getting those red plastic cups from the pantry so we could use them to skate around and practice our moves. We would bring my dad’s clock radio on the front porch and listen to the radio, hoping one of our favorite songs would be played.
As an adult I always hoped my children would have a similar childhood experience when it came to imaginative outdoor play. While my kids have not grown up in Florida, they’ve moved around quite a bit, I’m excited that they enjoy playing outside until dark and coming up with fun games to play with siblings and friends.
Since I have boys, many of their outdoor games were not suitable to share on the site, since I didn’t want to be liable for broken bones or sprains. (My boys play rough). But they do have a few games that are great for large families, parties, or gatherings.
One of their favorites is called AirBorn. Here is a peek.
If your children are younger you can play this game with those inexpensive beach balls instead of frisbees. We’ve even played this game with beanie babies! This is a great game to play while you are at the park or beach, or even in your front yard if you want to continually stop traffic, like we did while filming. 🙂
The folks at GoGo squeeZ want to encourage families to get outside and have fun this summer! GoGo squeeZ is 100% fruit, gluten free, dairy free, and kosher with no refined sugar! It’s packaged in convenient re-sealable pouches with a built-in straw and requires no refrigeration. It’s perfect for road trips, field trips, beach trips or anytime you are on the go. My kids’ favorite flavor is applesauce, which is no surprise considering that’s their fruit of choice most days!
I’ll be back next month with a fun giveaway from GoGo squeeZ plus information on how GoGo squeez is helping local communities get outside and have fun!
Disclosure: I was provided a stipend for my time and materials used in this post.
Summertime means hitting the road for many families each year. My family has seen its share of I-95 over the years as we traveled back and forth to visit extended family. We’ve had some great trips and some not-so-great trips, but our successes usually start with good planning. I’ve teamed up with Allstate to provide you a few simple tips for a smooth road trip this summer.
If you are driving for more than one day set daily driving goals with places to stop along the way. Don’t overestimate your distance, especially if you are driving with kids. Remember to account for bathroom stops and other “emergencies.” Even if you have a GPS in your vehicle it is a good idea to plan your trip ahead of time and find stopping points throughout the drive. You don’t want to end up on that 40 mile section of interstate with no rest stops or restaurants at noon.
No one wants to break down on a road trip, especially with temperatures hitting 100 degrees in many parts of the country. Getting an oil change, checking wipers, tires, and other basic maintenance can prevent having to make repairs on the road. We’ve all seen the people with their entire car unpacked (to get to the spare tire) on the side of the interstate. While sometimes this is inevitable, checking these things before you go can prevent problems.
Even if you are planning on stopping at restaurants for meals, consider packing a special container of snacks for each child. It helps keep them occupied during the trip and sometimes holds them off a little longer between meals.
As for eating at restaurants I always found that after sitting in the car for three or four hours my kids need to get out and play. Going from car to restaurant does not bode well for good restaurant behavior. We usually bring a cooler and pack one or two meals. We are able to stop at rest areas (provided it isn’t too hot) and let the kids run around for 30 minutes while the parents eat lunch. After the kids have burned off some energy we let them eat in the car after we’ve gotten back on the road.
On our trips each child gets a bag with activities for the road. We pack things like stickers, small toys, travel games, colored pencils, notepads, and more. This helps keep the kids occupied while in the car.
My kids watch almost no television, but we have a DVD player in our car. On road trips the kids take turns picking out movies. If a child doesn’t want to watch a particular movie they still have the activity bag to keep them occupied. We also use things like ipods, Leapsters, books on tape, audio books, and play lists (with the kids favorite songs) to help pass the time. While I definitely think electronics should be limited on a daily basis, using them for a road trip can make the time fly by for the kids, especially when using them is a special treat.
This tip can make all the difference in the world for a long road trip. If you are driving over a few days pack an overnight bag with a change of clothes and toiletries for the entire family. When you stop for the night you don’t need to unload the entire car, just the overnight bag. This makes getting back on the road the next morning much simpler.
Make sure a first aid kit and medicine bag is easily accessible. We keep ours in the front seat so if we need a bandaid or allergy medicine we don’t have to pull over and unpack the entire car to get to it.
Keep a roll of paper towels and a bag for garbage in the front seat too. This makes cleaning up messes and taking care of the trash easier. Dump your trash at each stop to keep the car cleaner on the road.
If you are traveling with electronics make sure all chargers, batteries and extra games are in the same place. We have a small bag that holds these items and one of the kids is in charge of the bag during the trip.
Getting there is half the fun, right? I know road trips can be long, tiring, and stressful. Spending 8, 15, or 20 hours in car, even with people you love, can present challenges. Try to find fun at every stop, sing songs, play games, and remind yourself that the kids will remember the road trip long after the vacation is over.
It’s not just about getting from point A to point B, it’s what happens along the way that creates lifelong memories.
For the next three days the Summer Survival Guide is on sale for only $5!
Released earlier this summer, this 200+ page ebook is packed with ideas, frugal tips, printable worksheets, schedules, calendars and more to help get you through the summer. Even if you homeschool your kids throughout the summer the Summer Survival Guide is an excellent resource that will provide you with fun ideas to add to your homeschool day!
Included in this book:
37 customizable planning pages, calendars, and worksheets for kids
- a summer calendar
- summertime checklists
- home management worksheets
- bookmarks for everyone
- tshirt transfer artwork
- scavenger hunts
- scrapbook pages
- and then some!
:: 100+ family-friendly book and movie suggestions
:: inspiration for home management during the summer months, addressing
- meal planning
- daily schedules
- emergency preparedness
- road trips
- and more…
:: inspiration for family nights and summer reading
:: 16 Summertime learning themes looking at everything from Art to Zebras through
- crafts
- games
- books
- movies
- outings
- family fun
Summer Survival Guide is on sale for the next three days for only $5! This is a great deal so take advantage of the sale!
Meal total before cow costumes = $45
Total after cow costumes = $0
Thanks Chick-Fil-A for a fun evening. We are already looking forward to Dress Like a Cow Day 2012!
We live on an island. At least they call it an island. Anyway, there is water everywhere in our neighborhood and we live a short walk from a large lake. Tonight we headed out to the dock and were pleasantly surprised by this guy.
Not only was this manatee swimming within arms reach, he brought about 15 of his manatee friends with him. I was so upset with myself that I didn’t bring my camera with me (like I always do). I did catch this short video with my phone.
Ignore my shhh’ing the kids. For some reason I thought they would swim away with the noise, but they didn’t. They swam closer. Go figure….
For our homeschooling family summer tends to blur into the rest of the year, but for many families summer is a whole different ball game. The kids are home from school, routine is thrown out the window, and many moms are looking for ways to entertain their kids that doesn’t involve the words Nintendo, Game Cube, or Disney Channel.
Life As Mom just released a 200+ page ebook packed with ideas, frugal tips, printable worksheets, schedules, calendars and more to help get you through the summer. Even if you homeschool your kids throughout the summer the Summer Survival Guide is an excellent resource that will provide you with fun ideas to add to your homeschool day!
Usually the Summer Survival Guide sells for $9 (which is a bargain) but this weekend you can get $2 off when you use the code 39BDAY during checkout.
Included in this book:
37 customizable planning pages, calendars, and worksheets for kids
- a summer calendar
- summertime checklists
- home management worksheets
- bookmarks for everyone
- tshirt transfer artwork
- scavenger hunts
- scrapbook pages
- and then some!
:: 100+ family-friendly book and movie suggestions
:: inspiration for home management during the summer months, addressing
- meal planning
- daily schedules
- emergency preparedness
- road trips
- and more…
:: inspiration for family nights and summer reading
:: 16 Summertime learning themes looking at everything from Art to Zebras through
- crafts
- games
- books
- movies
- outings
- family fun
Don’t miss your chance to save $2 on the Summer Survival Guide!