Outdoor Summer Activities for Kids
September 29, 2008
Here are some great outdoor summer activities for kids that will come in handy during summer break
when your kids start to get bored and are looking for something fun to do.
6 Ways you Can Get the Kids Outdoors This Summer
Summer is time for outdoor fun with your children. However, sometimes the days are long and your ideas are short. Here are some ideas to help you make sure your active ones are busy and getting lots of fresh air this summer.
Garden
Your child will learn science, responsibility and have fun by planting a garden and maintaining it. In fact, if you have the time or inclination, you can make the entire landscape edible. How fun would it be to be able to just wander around the yard snacking? Blueberry bushes, strawberries, herbs, and fruit trees are all easy to maintain. Some vegetables, like tomatoes require nothing but a lot of water and sunshine to grow like weeds. Start small and see what happens.
Flat You
Lay on the sidewalk and take turns outlining each other. Decorate your flat selves by drawing clothing and funny faces. To make this project educational, you can read the book “Flat Stanley” as well.
Hopscotch
Teach your kids how to play hopscotch. Let them draw their own hopscotch patterns. If they are like I was as a kid, they’ll make hundreds of squares and hop around all day.
Hoola Hoops
Has your child ever tried to hoola-hoop? Show him how. Then, take hoola hoops and make a pretend circus in the yard or try to get your dog to jump through one. You are only limited by your imagination.
Bubbles
Bubbles are always a favorite. Take turns chasing and popping them. Blow bubbles with various bubble wands to see how their shapes and sizes differ.
Turn on the Sprinklers
There’s no need to buy a pool when the old-fashioned sprinklers are just as much fun. There is definitely something special about running around in the front yard through the sprinklers, especially when the neighbor kids see you having fun and join in.
Be sure to print out this list and keep it handy for the next time your children say “MOMMMMMM – we’re bored!”
Potty Training Tips
Potty Training Advice and Tips From Moms & Dads Like You.
Nicole Dean invites you to www.ShowKidstheFun.com — a free website filled with activities to make memories with your children and www.ShowMomtheMoney.com – a fun and informative resource for moms who want to make money from home.
Last Minute Mother’s Day Gift Ideas
September 29, 2008
The Perfect Last Minute Mother’s Day Gift
Make Dinner Easier For Mom With A Menu Mailer Subscription
Mother’s Day Gift Ideas
With Mother’s Day only a week away, it can be hard to come up with something unique to make Mom feel special on her day. You might consider some of our ideas!
Twists on classic gifts:
Instead of giving Mom a bouquet of flowers, buy her seeds or bulbs (of a favorite or seasonal flower) and a pretty pot to plant them in. You two can plant the seeds or bulbs together and she will get to enjoy her flowers for much longer than she could enjoy a cut bouquet.
Instead of giving her spa treatments in the form of lotion, bath salts or perfumes, buy her a gift certificate to use with a service that you’ll do with her. For instance, buy a pedicure for two – and go with her. She will certainly enjoy the gift, but she’s bound to enjoy your company more.
Instead of taking Mom to a restaurant for dinner, cook for her. You’re bound to know her favorite dish – but if not, cook YOUR favorite dish from her recipe collection that you remember from your childhood. She will cherish the extra time and effort you put in to cook for her, and she will be delighted by the memories that will arise from sharing a childhood meal together again.
What if Mom lives far away?
Instead of giving her a framed school or other professional picture of your kids, give her a frame with a hand-written note inside that promises to mail her updated pictures of your family every month (or however often you can do it). And do it! Mail her candid and fun pictures of every day things that you and your children do. She’ll enjoy looking at the pictures and will undoubtedly be anxious each month to see what wonderful new picture will arrive.
Instead of sending gourmet chocolates or other candies through the mail, send her a box of classic candies from her childhood. Vintage candies are back in, and you can find them many places. I sent my Mom a box of Chuckles jellies, BlackJack gum, candy cigarettes, etc one time. It was a total surprise and she LOVED it!
Instead of buying her plain jewelry, look for something with the birthstones of you and your children. Get a charm bracelet or pendent with your birthstone and your children’s birthstones in it. She will love the combination of generations!
Above all, remember that any gift should be a gift from the heart. You don’t have to spend a fortune in money to make her day – just spend a fortune in thought.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Heather is the founder of WAHMWannabe.com, the one-stop online WAHM
shop. The site compares home businesses and offers business tools,
message boards, a marketplace and simply fun stuff for WAHMs.
Mother’s Day Gift Basket Idea
September 29, 2008
Gift baskets make great gifts for mom on Mother’s Day. You can make some beautiful baskets yourself with these great Mother’s Day gift basket ideas.
Potty Training Tips
Potty Training Advice and Tips From Moms & Dads Like You.
Mother’s Day Gift Basket Ideas
Mother’s Day baskets are a great way to show off your creative talents while also showing your mom, mother-in-law, grandma, or another special mom how much you care.
I’ve put together some theme ideas to get you started. I’ve included several easy recipes, and also some links to give you some more ideas and to help you put it all together.
Most of these ideas you can make yourself from the following recipes. I’ve never made biscotti before, but there’s a great hazelnut biscotti recipe included that I think I’m going to try when I make my Mother’s Day baskets this year. Have fun! Your mom will be so impressed.
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Garden Basket:
Garden seeds, gardening tools, gardening gloves, peat pots, kneeling pad, iced tea mix.
Coffee Basket:
Chocolate-covered coffee spoons, coffee syrups, chocolate-dipped pretzels, biscotti, flavored coffees, instant cappuccinos.
Tea Basket:
Herbal and fruit teas, flavored honeys, tea bread, tea infuser, tea cups, inspirational book.
Bath Basket:
Bath salts, massage oil, natural soaps, bath powder, bath sponge, hand towel, massage roller, fragrant candle.
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Chocolate Covered Pretzels:
Pretzel rings
Wax paper
1 (16-oz.) bag semisweet chocolate chips
Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, stopping every 15 seconds to stir the chocolate. Dip each pretzel, one at a time, into the melted chocolate. Lay the pretzels on wax paper and let cool.
Chocolate Covered Spoons:
20-24 plastic spoons
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Wax paper
Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, stopping every 15 seconds to stir the chocolate. Dip spoons into chocolate. Place spoons on wax paper and refrigerate until chocolate hardens. Wrap each spoon separately and store in a cool dry place.
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Tea Bread Recipes:
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/teabreads.html
20+ Biscotti Recipes:
http://www.allrecipes.com/directory/2641.asp
Flavored Coffee Mixes:
http://members.tripod.com/~MaryMae/jarlinks.htm
Make Massage Oil, Bath Salts:
http://www.dewcosmetics.com/recipes.html
Putting the Basket Together:
http://www.hercraftideas.com/crafts/baskets/a-basket01_gift-basket.shtml
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Article by:
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at www.creativehomemaking.com.
