Frozen Water Balloons

Summer Fun - Tie Dye

The boys on the ends thought it was funny to not open their eyes for a single picture! OK it is kind of funny.

Sprinkler to Tent

Remember this post? I mentioned that the woman who I got this idea from made her kids sprinkler into a tent. Well, we finally got around to doing that. I had to let the sprinkler dry out before I was willing to bring it in the house. Our kids loved it. They sat under it to watch TV and then had a sleepover in it that night. I didn't cleverly sew a cute cover for it. I just used a king size bed sheet off my bed. I used four safety pins, one on each corner, to hold it in place. It was perfect.




They are really good at faking sleep. They giggled for a while before finally falling asleep.

I am so sad to see the summer end. Our daughter already started preschool again and our son begins the first grade on the 29th. What are your last minute end of Summer fun plans? 

Household Hint

My husbands family owns a farm in Green River, Utah.  It’s not a farm in the sense of cows, horses, chickens etc., they grow pumpkins and the ever famous Green River Melons.  One of my favorite things to do in September is to go to the farm once the fields have all been harvested and bust open the remaining watermelons to eat the hearts out and leave the rest.  Once a field is harvested for the last time in the season, there are still so many melons leftover, especially cantaloupe.  It is just fun to eat the best part and move on until you’re full!

Here are some helpful hints that will guide you in the right direction when choosing a watermelon this summer:

·         The best time to buy a watermelon is towards the middle of August and into September.   They’ll also less expensive at this time

·         A watermelon should sound hollow when you tap on it.

·         It should be heavy.  When you pick it up you should think, “There is no way something this size should weigh this much.”

·         A yellow spot on the rind means it is ripe.

·         The brown scabs on the rind mean it is sweet.

Stay Cool This Summer

If I haven't said it before, I LOVE SUMMER! I love doing fun things you can only do when it's warm outside with my kids. This week we decided on a new sprinkler and slip n slide. I found an awesome tutorial here. Be sure to check out the rest of her blog, she shows how you turn this sprinkler into a tent. Yeah, I'm all over that! Also, she compares the price of this to other toy sprinklers you buy. I couldn't agree with her more. Those things never last longer than a week at our house and this only cost $17. This will last so long. That is if the pieces don't get lost. (I'm considering gluing some of the pieces together.)


Even our dog got in on the action!

I'm not going to do a tutorial here, because hers is great. However, here are some hints:

• I used 1/2 inch pipe instead of 3/4. I thought it would be better for our water pressure.
• Be careful about how many holes you drill. I got a little overzealous and drilled a lot. I had to use a new piece of pipe; the water wouldn't make it to the top!
• Trust her when she says use a 1/16 inch drill bit. It really is big enough. I had my doubts.
• You can make the side pieces 3 feet instead of 2.5 if you buy 10 foot lengths of pvc.
• If you buy 10 foot lengths you only need three or four depending on how tall you want it. (If you do taller than three feet, drill a lot less holes to start. You can always add more.)

This is my boy. Isn't he the cutest thing?

For our slip n slide I simply used leftover black plastic weed barrier from our garden. The entire roll cost $11. I rolled a nice length out, cut it off from the rest and turned the water on. I didn't have any stakes handy so we had to straighten it out a lot, but no on seemed to mind. We just moved the sprinkler down when the end dried out.

Look at this kids dimples!

This was so fun for us! It was 90 degrees when my son, the neighbor, and I played, so the cold water felt good. Want to be a hero? Slip n Slide with your kids! Show them how a pro does it. They'll worship you!

Yes, that's me. I may have had more fun than the boys!



Frog Eye Salad

This is a summertime favorite for my family. My husband and dad both love it. I like that this recipe makes a huge bowl full. I have never tried to half the recipe, there is never a need. What doesn’t get eaten the first round is divided up for anyone who wants it for lunch the next day! It’s perfect for potlucks and BBQs. The hard thing about this salad is that it has to be made in two steps with at least 8 hours between each. If you do the first part before bed, you can get up and finish in the morning.

What you need:

1 Box Acini de Pepe (You’ll find this in the pasta section)

3 cans Mandarin Oranges-drained

2 can Pineapple Tidbits-save the juice

1 can Crushed Pineapple-save the juice

1 Regular Size Cool Whip

10 Maraschino Cherries-halved Optional

1 c Mini Marshmallows (White or Colored)

1 c Sugar

2 T Flour

1 t Salt

1 ¾ c Pineapple Juice

2 Eggs-beaten

1 T Lemon Juice

• Drain juice from fruit. Remember to save the pineapple juice. Leave fruit in strainer and put in refrigerator. You want to drain as much juice from the fruit as possible. The juice makes the salad runny.
• Cook pasta according to package directions
• Drain, put in large bowl and set aside
• Mix sugar, flour and salt
• Gradually add eggs and pineapple juice
• Cook on medium heat until thick almost like pudding
• Stir in lemon juice
• Mix sauce and pasta together. Refrigerate covered overnight, at least 8 hours.
• Stir in Cool Whip, fruit and marshmallows. Mix until well combined.

Summer Reading

I love reading in the summer.  If you are like me it is hard to find time to read.  Every year my husband and I go with my family to Oceanside, California and stay in a beach house.  Last year I spent the whole time reading on the beach and doing nothing.  This year I plan on doing the exact same thing.  We leave on July 8th and I already have a stack of books ready to go.  Today I thought I would share with you 10 of my favorite books as well as a few that I want to try.

The Hunger Games - Catching Fire - Mockingjay
by Suzanne Collins

I realize that the first book is actually three books, but I dare you to just read the first one without reading the rest.  If you haven't jumped on The Hunger Games band wagon yet you better get going.  They are making a movie that comes out sometime next year.  These books are so intense, I think I finished all three of them in a week and a half.

A Vision of Light
by Judith Merkle Riley

I am a total sucker for historical fiction novels.  A Vision of Light was written in 1988, by Judith Merkle Riley.  When I was in high school I needed a new book to read and my mom brought me this one.  I immediately loved it.  This book is about a woman in the 1300s named Margaret Kendall, a voice tells her to write a book about her life.  Since she is illiterate she goes in search of someone to write it for her.  The story goes back and forth between her telling her past story and her 'present day' story.  There is also a sequel to this book that is amazing as well. 

The Last Song
by Nicholas Sparks

I have read a few other Nicholas Sparks books and overall I haven't liked his writing style.  For some reason, I really enjoyed The Last Song.  I saw the movie first and liked it.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to give this author another try but in the end gave in.  The book is so much better than the movie, obviously right?  The book is always better.


Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!
by Fannie Flagg

I am sure most of you have seen the movie Fried Green Tomatoes.  I love the scene where Kathy Bates hauls off and smashes a car that cut her off.  Anyway Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! was written by the same author.  I have read a lot of Fannie Flagg's books but this one is my favorite by far.  It is about this news reporter in the 70s who is trying to find out about her past, while still trying to get ahead in her career.

Rebecca
by Daphne duMaurier

If you haven't read this classic you need to.  Rebecca was originally published in 1938.  I read this book back in high school, but it is on the list to read again.  It is all about this woman who is married quickly and whisked away to a beautiful and haunting estate called Manderley.  Once she arrives there she finds her husband changed and there is a secret in the house.

Water for Elephants
by Sara Gruen

I just finished Water for Elephants a few weeks ago.  I haven't seen the movie yet, I will have to get it from Red box.  I really enjoyed this book.  I love the story telling, and point of view.  My only problem with this book was there were about three scenes that really weren't necessary, but other than those I really liked it. 



Girls in Trucks
by Katie Crouch

Girls in Trucks is a new book that I picked up for super cheap (notice the price tag!)  It looks really good and I am excited to try it out.  It is about a girl who was raised in the south as a debutante.  She struggles with this society and ends up going to New York and tries to find herself.  I hope this book is good but we will see.


Matched
by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie is amazing.  I know I have raved about a lot of different books today but this one is my new favorite.  It is kind of a combination of The Hunger Games and The Giver.  The writing in this book is so beautiful.  It kept me captivated from the very beginning, even though it isn't 'action' packed, I was still engrossed the whole time.  It is going to be part of a trilogy.  The second book comes out November 1st.


A Girl of the Limberlost
by Gene Stratton-Porter

A Girl of the Limberlost is a wonderful story about a girl, Elnora Comstock, and her relationship with nature.  The descriptions in this book are gorgeous.  There is also a movie that I used to watch all the time when I was little.  I always thought she was so cool because she worked hard for what she wanted.


The Host
by Stephenie Meyer

Yes, I am one of  those people who really liked the Twilight series.  I am going to be totally honest in saying that I actually liked The Host better.  I felt like it was geared towards a little older age group.  Plus it is a really cute romance novel. 

Well now that I have rambled on about some of my favorite books and intended reads this summer, what are you reading?  I am always up for new recommendations.  I hope this has inspired you to forget about your to do list and spend some time curled up in your favorite reading spot!



Summer Chore Chart

A friend of mine shared with me her darling chore chart idea while we were on a walk. She said she thought it would be great to have a Candy Land chore chart with rewards along the way. I decided to take her idea and run with it.

A Summer Chore Chart:

Every time my girl does a chore she moves ahead one space; every time she disobeys a family rule she moves backward one space and gets a two minute time out. 

Our family rules are: 

• No yelling
• No fits
• Talk nice to each other
• No food out of the kitchen 

My Two almost Three year old's chores are:

• Clean bedroom
• Take all toys to the toy room
• Clean play kitchen
• Help Mom when asked
• Work on flashcards

As she moves along on the board, she is working toward the closest fun stop. Her last fun stop was the local zoo, and now she is working on a ice-cream date night with just Mom and Dad.

I can't believe the results! She is working super hard and she asks every day if it is time to do her chores. I also threaten that she will have to move backwards and she will rethink the fit she is about to have.

Some of the other reward stops are:

• Popcorn movie night in the playhouse
• Help Mom make your favorite treat
• Go to the store and pick one toy
• Go to Michaels and pick out new paint
• Pick out some new earrings

I think this chart would be great to have a group of siblings working together on. You could have them encouraging each other to do their chores and maybe treating each other better because they don't want to move backwards for each person in the argument. 

The friend with the idea, Jodee, made her chart shortly after I did. She designed her chart to last the summer where mine is to last the month. She had some great ideas that I thought I would share with you. 

Look how cute her little guy's moving marker is!

She did her chart so that her boy has one big chore each day. Every day is a different chore. If he did his job for the day he gets to move forward one space. She also has an 'extra jobs' section where he earns stickers by doing extra things that aren't required. If he earns two rows of stickers he moves ahead one space. 

I loved some of Jodee's reward stops:

• Date night with Grandpa and Grandma
• Pick a toy at the dollar store
• Sleep over with cousins
• Pick the menu for the day
• Extra Wii time
• Go to the museum
• Get a frosty

I was hoping this would get you thinking about a fun chore chart for the summer that will help you and your little ones. Thanks Jodee for coming up with a wonderfully effective chore and family rules idea!