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Quick and Easy Fourth of July Appetizers Done Three Ways

Friday, June 30, 2017

The Fourth of July is right around the corner. Don’t be scrambling last minute for a dish to bring to your family barbecue. I’ve got you covered with three simple ideas that are easy to throw together and a bit festive too!

First up, meat and cheese tray. An easy way to spice up your typical variety is to get some good quality meats and cheeses. Most grocery store delis will offer a lot to choose from. I always add gouda because it’s a bit smoky and different. People love it!

As far as crackers go, there are several gluten free options for those who may have allergies. Like I mentioned in this post, always look at the ingredients first. Stick to crackers with the least amount of ingredients.

When looking for meat, realize that most cured meats are full of nitrates and nitrites, which I avoid for my family. There are natural options that taste delicious and you can feel good about sharing with others!

Every good Fourth of July party needs some fresh fruit! I always load up on the fruit salads in the summer because everything tastes better. I am a big proponent of eating things in their season, so during berry and melon season, you better believe I’m taking full advantage!

Keeping with the theme, choosing red, white, and blue fruit for your spread add a nice festive flair to the table. It’s easy for kids to help with, and looks great. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, apples, and bananas are some options.

Here is a quick tip for keeping your apples nice and white:

Add 1/8 tsp of salt to warm water in a bowl. After slicing your apples, soak them in the water. Rinse in cold water, and prepare to see them last all day long!

I have tried all the tricks. The salt doesn’t change the apples’ taste, plus it keeps them nice and bright for a long time.

During the summer months I love to keep veggie trays on hand. Whether that means grabbing one at Costco or making my own each week, having easy access to cut up veggies helps my entire family stay on track amidst all the fun treats summer has to offer.

For the holiday parties, I like to stay in the flag theme. It’s a little ironic because I am Canadian, not American, but you can alter to fit either flag! Food that looks fun gets eaten more readily by little ones.

If you’re looking for a great veggie dip, I have you covered there. Head to my site for a tasty “throw together last minute” dip.

I hope you grab one of these ideas and take the stress off of yourself this summer. No one has fun if mom is stressed. Give yourself a break, and have a wonderful Fourth of July!

Pineapple Lemonade Popsicles

Friday, June 23, 2017

These 3 ingredient Pineapple Lemonade Popsicles are a refreshing and incredibly delicious sweet summer treat recipe.

Hello there. It’s Katie from The Casual Craftlete blog. Now that it is officially summer, I am sharing a tasty and cooling summer treat recipe. These Pineapple Lemonade Popsicles are so super easy to make and take like the tropics. Not only do kids love this popsicle recipe, but adults crave them too.

I love summertime because of the delicious fruit that is available. We drink a lot of lemonade in our house and I thought I would create an easy to make popsicle recipe with our favorite drink. This Pineapple Lemonade Popsicle recipe is made with frozen pineapple chunks, honey, and lemonade (store-bought or freshly squeezed. All you need to do is combine the ingredients into a large high-speed blender and pulse until smooth.

Once you have pureed the popsicle mixture, pour into a popsicle mold. THIS POPSICLE MOLD (affiliate link) on Amazon is my favorite. It is heavy duty and holds up to 10 freezer pops at a time, which is exactly what this Pineapple Lemonade Popsicles recipe makes. With this popsicle mold, I put the plastic barrier on top, then insert the popsicle sticks and let freeze overnight. These are icy popsicles that taste great and will cool you off on a hot summer day.

After you make this Pineapple Lemonade Popsicles, make sure to check out my Fresh Peach Mango Popsicle Recipe here.

Pineapple Lemonade Popsicles

3 ingredient popsicle recipe that is a refreshing and delicious sweet summer treat.

Serves: 10

Ingredients

2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
4 cups lemonade
2 tablespoons honey

Instructions

Combine all ingredients into a large high speed blender and pulse until smooth.
Pour popsicle mixture into popsicle mold.
Freeze overnight.
To release the popsicles from the mold, run the mold under hot water until you can pull on the popsicle sticks and the popsicles release.

Simplify Playtime: Create Space For The Task of Childhood

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

How do we simplify playtime? What a wonderful gift we can give our kids by creating space for the task of childhood.

This post is from Ralphie Jacobs of Simply on Purpose. Please connect with her on Facebook and Instagram – she has so much inspiration to share!

Have you ever felt like the threshold to a child’s playroom seems like the border to a far away land? Unlike the rest of the house it’s covered from floor to ceiling with dolls, blocks, cars, legos, posters, pen marks, and on and on. The entire room is filled with ways to stimulate and educate children. And yet, often enough they stand on the threshold looking in and not knowing quite what to do.

So many of those toys, at the time we purchased them, seemed fun, engaging, even necessary. Certainly something that loving parents would purchase for their child. But what lies just beneath the surface of all that STUFF is the unspoken struggle that all of those choices give our children.

We forget how easily too much stuff leads to a sense of entitlement and a raced-through childhood. As our world’s pace quickens and we drag our children along, we’ll sometimes question, “Why is my child behaving like this? It’s so out of character.” But in truth, it is her character, only amplified because of fragmentation and overload.

A child needs time to become him/herself, through slow purposeful play. If you overwhelm them with stuff (choices and more choices) before they are ready, they will only conclude that the way to really be happy is to have MORE. These feelings welcome in tantrums, whining, sibling rivalry, and all the other behaviors that drive us crazy.

Don’t worry though, there is hope! There’s a superhero who can solve all of these problems. Any guesses?

That’s right. It’s you.

We are the protectors in our children’s lives. We are the grown-ups. We can say no to entitlement and overwhelming options. We can say yes to protecting their environment, their true sense of identity and value. We can say yes to simplifying.

Creating Space For The Task of Childhood

So, here is the paradigm shift that I am suggesting for playtime: Less is more.

No special toy, or number of toys is necessary to develop a child’s imagination. Children use and grow their imaginations quite naturally. The number of toys your child sees and has access to should be greatly reduced. Think of cutting the number that you have right now in half, and then doing it again. What is so counter intuitive for adults is that the fewer the toys, the deeper the learning and creativity.

What toys should get the boot? Here’s a short checklist that should help define what goes into the trash and donation piles:

Broken toys
High-stimulation toys
Toys that encourage fighting in your home
Toy multiples
Toys that take up a lot of room

What toys should you keep?

Truly, you are the best judge on what delights and engages your child. You know what toys fit them developmentally, which ones they cherish. Keep those. Most often the toys that endure in our memories are the simplest. The less they do, the more they can become, in play.

Give it a try. Take my word for it. It’s wonderful to watch your child being able to live deeply in the “now” of her play. What a gift it is to create a space for the task of childhood.

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Woodland Creature Pet Rocks Tutorial

Monday, June 19, 2017

Hey everyone, this is Jennie here, and I’m excited to share these cute little Woodland Creature Pet Rocks, a fun and simple little activity to keep yourself and the kids busy this summer.

These little pet rocks made for some great one on one time with my daughter, allowing us to slow down and really enjoy creating together. Isn’t that what summer is really for?

When I was a kid I used to love collecting rocks, it was one of the things I loved best. When my favorite childhood babysitter suggested we paint some stones and make them into pet rocks, I was thrilled with the idea and immediately set out to find the perfect rocks for the project.

My little lady is much the same way, she loves collecting rocks, naming each one Freddy and placing it in her little treasure box. When I told her we should find some stones to paint, she was thrilled and immediately put on her boots to go rock hunting.

We selected some beautifully smooth rocks to make into our pets and brought them inside to wash and dry them, I think this was her favorite part!

Next, we gathered all of our supplies for our Woodland Creature Pet Rocks.

Supplies:

Acrylic Paint
Paint brushes
Clean rocks
Pens or markers for details
Clear sealer

1. Paint all of the rocks in the colors you have chosen for your woodland creatures.

We applied a few coats since our rocks were quite dark.

2. Add the white parts with either paint or a white permanent marker (my personal favorite, so much easier!). After that’s all dry, go to town drawing all of the little details you want to include, I used a thin permanent marker and some metallic pens. If you struggle with ideas, you can always find some nice round stones and use the outlines provided in my previous post about painting wooden spoon puppets.

After everything is all dry, you can spray them with a clear sealer or coat them in Modge Podge to extend the life of the paint. Your kids will now have some beautiful new treasures to excitedly add to their collection. Enjoy getting creative with the kids, I know I did!

Stop Looking For Perfect and Embrace What Is

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Life is messy.

We create weekly rhythms and chore charts, financial goal sheets and healthy menus that take into account everyone’s preferences. We do date nights and declutter and determinedly decline 80% of the invitations that come our way. All in the hopes of creating orderly, simple, tidy lives.

And still it’s all messy.

We tip into discouragement, especially when we compare our lives to the celebrity blogger or simple living guru. We wonder what we’ve done wrong, what else we can let go of. Maybe if we move into a tiny home with a compost toilet and cloth wipes, life will finally feel simple and easy.

Or what if we simply accept that it’s all messy, we stop looking for perfect, and embrace what is?

Photos courtesy of Barefoot Photography

Mostly you get real food on the table and sometimes you don’t. But you give thanks and gather together regularly and enjoy chatting and laughing about the day.

You maintain decent order in your home but hope people don’t look too closely at the kitchen floor which hasn’t been mopped in weeks. Instead of constant cleaning you’re doing work that lights you up, making real food, and going for walks so you are able to show up for your family with love.

Dates nights often consist of driving to Costco together or a quick walk holding hands. But those snippets of time matter and maybe this is what growing old together looks like anyways.

Everything seems to be breaking at once and dipping into your emergency fund to repair the fridge and fix the roof totally stresses you out, making you feel like life is always one step forward and two steps back. But at least you built up that emergency fund to begin with.

You’ve been really tired lately so instead of making Pinterest-worthy crafts, you and your child snuggle on the couch, nestled deep under the fraying quilt, enjoying a Netflix series together. She lays her head on your lap and you know that soon this season will be over; she’s growing up too fast.

None of us live perfect lives, do we? Yet it’s so easy to only see where we’ve dropped the ball, don’t measure up, cannot keep up.

We overlook all the hugs and packed lunches, the showing up and tucking little people into bed. The doing our best even through seasons of grief or pain or uncertainty. The helping our college aged son buy groceries when he is broke and helping our daughter fly the nest when it’s hard and feels like just yesterday that she was learning to read. The messy, ordinary stuff of real life that doesn’t photograph well.

Our pain and discomfort grow roots, I believe, when we spend too much time comparing, thinking about what was or what might be, instead of embracing what is.

Today is a gift in all its ordinary, messy, imperfect glory.

What if we accept that it’s all messy, stop looking for perfect, and embrace what is?

We could stop watching TV and reading magazines or unsubscribe from social media that makes us feel “less than.”
Take periodic breaks from all social media or consumption – time to unplug and just live in our messy, beautiful, real lives.
Speak to ourselves with kindness and forgive ourselves for not living up to our too high standards.
Remind ourselves that there is incredible beauty in imperfection.
We could stop comparing ourselves to some imaginary story about what a good mom looks like.
Love our husbands as they are and stop trying to mold them into someone they’re not.
Embrace our imperfect bodies, our graying hair, the beautiful crinkles at the corners of our eyes that speak of a full life, well-lived.
We could celebrate each child for who they are and stop worrying that they don’t fit the mold of the girl next door.
Choose to see the beauty, embedded deep in each scruffy soul we meet.
Spend more time appreciating what we do have than pining for what we don’t.

It all goes by so fast. And if we spend the handful of years we get waiting for someday to be happy, never quite feeling satisfied, forgetting to slow down and breathe and notice –we will miss the incredible gift we have been handed.

Life is all messy: Let’s stop looking for perfect and embrace what is.

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My Best Travel Tips with Tweens and Teens

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

My Best Travel Tips with Tweens and Teens – tips and tricks and some advice for making the most out of traveling with older kids.

We are about to take a 2.5 week Italian and Greek vacation with our three kids – ages 13, 11, and 9. And then move to Germany for the next few years. We have a ton of travel planned and want to use this opportunity to the best of our ability. Our goal is to hit as many countries as we possibly can.

We have traveled quite a bit already with our kids. We took some smaller trips to get them used to what travel is like and to teach them about being open-minded and flexible. In truth, my kids handle the pitfalls of travel better than their parents do. Kids are a lot more adaptable and easy-going then we tend to give them credit for. I love traveling with my kids and it is something that I will look back on happily for the rest of my life.

Over the years, I’ve picked up a few tips that make life on the road a little easier.

Pack light – I can’t stress this one enough. You really don’t need as much stuff as you think you do. Each family member gets one carry-on bag. My husband and I have Away bags, and the kids use hiking backpacks. That’s it. Everyone needs to carry their own bags and take care of their own stuff. No matter where you are, you can always do laundry if you need to, and you can pick things up along the way if you find yourself really needing something.

Have a plan – Plan – but not too much. Trying to pack everything there is to see or do in a city in a day or two is unreasonable and will make for exhausted kids that are less than eager to want to hit day 2 or day 3. We like to plan one activity per day (we really like a family tour) and then spend the rest of the time wandering and exploring without an agenda. You will get a good feel for the culture and people. When asked, my kids always tell me this is their favorite thing we did on a trip.

Keep track of your bags – There is nothing worse than lost luggage. It happens. I’ve started putting a Tile in each of our bags so that I can track them myself. I also have one in our wallets and one in my camera bag. To help find our luggage in the carousel (we rarely ever check bags, but sometimes they get checked by the airline) buy a brightly colored bag. Red, bright blue, purple, or a pattern really stands out from the sea of black luggage. I also tie a brightly colored ribbon to the handle to also help identify them.

Give your kids a camera – One of the best ways to get my kids invested in sightseeing and playing tourist is to give them a camera. It doesn’t have to be a fancy camera by any means, but it gives them a reason to pay attention and are more invested in the experience. I also love that on occasion, I’m actually in the pictures! ANd my kids are becoming really good photographers.

Let them be part of the planning process – My kids seem to like to the planning and research part almost as much as they like the traveling. Encourage them to do some research about the area and what the culture is like. Let them decide parts of the itinerary and things they would like to do and see. What are the local delicacies? My kids have discovered some of the most funs to do and see, and they did it from home while planning.

What are your best travel tips with teens and tweens?

The one reusable accessory you need to make your baby photos look stunning (tutorial)

Monday, June 12, 2017

Want to take stunning baby photos on-the-go?

This ongoing warm and blooming season offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor photo sessions with your baby. I find myself snapping way too many pictures (is there such a thing as too many?) of my adorable baby and I have all these ideas of photo-shoots I want to do with my baby girl dressed up in cute clothes, with flowers in her hair, sitting in the long summer grass.

This all sounds very romantic, but all mamas know that taking staged photos of your little ones in all sorts of outfits with cute accessories takes time and planning. We might be able to plan around our baby, but if baby gets upset or fussy in time for the photoshoot, you may just have lost precious time. I call it precious time, cause when we plan for something and don’t succeed at it, it add to our mama stress level. We want to do so much for and with our little ones and that include capturing all those beautiful moments of our way to fast-growing babies. We don’t want our life as mothers being an endless list of to do’s and miss out on what’s most important, so we need to spend our precious time wisely.

“Easy and quick, on-the-go solutions are our success”

I believe in setting yourself up for success and as a mama, practical, easy and quick, on-the-go solutions are our success. Am I right? So that’s exactly what we are going to do today. Setting yourself up for success.

HOW TO TAKE STUNNING PHOTOS ON THE GO

“You only need one simple accessory to take stunning photos”

Think about all the times you take your baby for a stroll around the park or to the beach. These places have so many photo opportunities and are beautiful settings for taking gorgeous pictures. I know you might be thinking, that bringing loads of outfits and accessories to the park for a photoshoot is not your idea of doable with a baby. Well, we will not be doing that. Basically, you only need one simple accessory to take stunning photos and that’s flowers. Flowers will make any scenery light up with both color and warmth, and that goes for baby photos, too.THE FLOWER CROWN

Today I’m going to show you how to create a reusable headband for a flower crown. The headband will be your on-the-go accessory for photo shoots, and you can use it wherever you are, on your walks and adventures with your baby. It’s reusable and will easily fit in your bag.

“It only takes 5 minutes to create a flower crown”

You have probably made a flower crown or two before and therefore know how time-consuming they are, let alone how quickly the flowers get soft and loose their crispness. When you make this headband base first, the flowers can be picked and inserted right away into the headband for your on-the-go photo shoot and afterward you just toss the flowers and keep the headband for your next session. This way it only takes 5 minutes to create a flower crown and that is something that is doable when you have a baby.

WHAT YOU NEED (for your on-the-go photo-session)

Besides your beautiful baby, you’ll need to bring a few things on your walk – but I’m almost certain they are already in your bag or pram.

– Camera (mobile or DSLR)
– Blanket/small pillow to place your baby on.
– Outfit (the one your baby is wearing)
– Headband (the one we are making today)

That’s it.

THE HEADBAND

We are going to create a braided headband from a leather cord. Leather cord can be purchased at any hobby store like Michaels and Hobby Lobby. I used a leather string with a 2-3 mm thickness. When you braid with leather, you can make the braid a bit loose, which will give you a braid that has little holes along the headband. We insert the flowers in these holes to create our flower crown.

You’ll need three pieces of leather cord with the following measurement:
Measure your baby’s head (circumference – where you would place a headband) and add 2.5 inches to that number.

Follow the step by step tutorial and use the images below for reference to create your headband.

Braid the 3 leather strings loosely, so the pattern creates openings/holes along the braid. Leave 1 inch unbraided at each end.
Braid in the ends at opposite ends to form a circle.
You should now have a braided circle with holes, where flowers can be inserted around the headband.

These are the simple steps to creating a reusable headband.
CHOOSING FLOWERS.

Most of the flowers I used for the images in this post were either simply flowering weeds or from bushes. A few flowers will go a long way, you absolutely don’t have to go pick a whole field. You can, of course, attain great results with cut flowers from a shop, too, but to keep things simple, I suggest you go see what nature will offer you on your walks. You’ll be surprised at how many different wildflowers you’ll find along roadsides. If you are the lucky owner of a garden, you are more than likely to find something there, that will work well for you flower crown.

Take a handful of flower heads with short stems and start inserting them through your braid. Pull through until flower feels a bit stuck. Move on to next flower head. (see image below for alternative way of securing flower with long thin stems)
Finish off your flower crown by pinching of excess stems on the back of your headband.

Keep in mind that when filling in the crown with flowers, you don’t have to fill it up all around. Filling up the front of the headband can be plenty when taking pictures of your baby’s face.

Now go have fun with your baby and shoot some adorable photos.

Go see the beautiful photos I got from this (above picture) photo-session with my baby girl wearing a lilac flower crown. There are also some extra tips on how to achieve beautiful images with your baby.

Here is a tutorial on how to make an adjustable reusable headband.

I hope you had fun creating the headband and that you look forward to trying out some on-the-go photo-sessions with your baby.
Let me know if you have any questions.

Have a beautiful summer 🙂
Annika

Introducing Simplify Magazine

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

I’m excited to announce a very special project I’ve been working on in collaboration with Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist, Tsh Oxenreider of The Art of Simple, and Brian Gardner of No Sidebar.

Simplify Magazine is a new, quarterly publication designed to help families focus on the things that matter most.

The first issue is available now for FREE and is centered around happiness, and how we can design a life of joy for our families. Upcoming issues will cover health and wellness, stress and overwhelm, decluttering, finances and debt, gratitude and more.

By signing up today, the only commitment you are making is to receive our first issue free of charge. That’s it—nothing more, nothing less. It’s amazing and I know you will love it!

Click here to receive our first issue for free.

New issues will be available September 1st, December 1st, and March 1st. Individual issues will be $6, and yearly subscriptions will be $20 – that’s a 20% savings.

But we’ve got a very special offer for you…

You can sign up for a lifetime membership to Simplify Magazine for just $20!

Click here to take advantage of this limited time offer.

Mediterranean Chickpea and Arugula Salad

Monday, June 5, 2017

Mediterranean Chickpea and Arugula Salad is a crisp and easy to make salad full of fresh flavors. This salad is perfect for summer!

Hello there! It’s Katie from The Casual Craftlete blog. Today, I am excited to share a refreshing Mediterranean Chickpea and Arugula Salad with a homemade dressing. This salad recipe is very easy to make and there is no cooking involved. This light salad would be perfect for summer picnics, bbqs, and get-togethers.

Last week my husband and I had a couple from church over for dinner. I like to make a meal plan ahead of time and decided to do a Mediterranean/Italian menu. I made chicken, parmesan garlic butter pasta (recipe here), and this Mediterranean Chickpea and Arugula Salad. The salad was light and crisp and paired well with the rest of dinner. This salad will definitely be on repeat this summer.

This salad is made with a can of chickpeas also known as garbanzo beans, fresh arugula, parsley, cherry tomatoes, olives, red onion, feta cheese, and a homemade dressing. I love recipes like this one where you just open up a can and chop some veggies. There is no cooking involved and I don’t know about you, but in the summer I try not to use my stove because of the heat. This Mediterranean Chickpea and Arugula Salad makes enough for eight and is great for dinners at home, picnics. bbq’s, and get-togethers.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Mediterranean Chickpea and Arugula Salad

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups baby arugula
⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, finely chopped
½ cup sliced kalamata olives
1 cup crumbled feta
Dressing:
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
Combine all salad ingredients in a large serving bowl.
Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine.
Allow salad to sit for at least 10 minutes in the refrigerator for the flavors to come together. Serve cold.

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Trade Screen Time for Green Time

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Time spent in nature is essential for our children’s health. More on why we should trade screen time for green time –

Photo courtesy of Auleen Kerzan Photography

Like most parents, I find myself in a constant love hate relationship with screens. Sometimes, an episode or two of Curious George buys me a much needed break in our day. But, inevitably I feel guilty. Am I melting my son’s brain? Am I failing him?

The American Academy of Pediatrics report that children spend an average of seven hours a day on screens, including television, devices, computers and phones. I’m sure you’ve read these statistics before. After all you’d be hard pressed to find a parent who is unaware of the countless negative consequences associated with screen time.

As parents striving to promote simplicity, screens seem like an obvious enemy. Equally, the last thing we need is another layer of guilt. So, rather than focus on reducing screen time, I’ve found it more helpful in our family to focus on increasing green time.

Do you crave simplifying your child’s life but don’t know where to start? Claim your FREE GUIDE today for Four Simple and Actionable Tips to start simplifying childhood TODAY. Take back control of your time, freedom and happiness.

Photo courtesy of Erin Barkel Photography

Because, one of the most concerning issues surrounding the time our children spend on screens is what they’re missing out on while they’re glued to the television. What could they be spending their time doing rather than watching screens?

The flip side of this statistic is that the average American child spends only five minutes playing freely outside. Five minutes. How has it come to this? When 75% of children spend less time outside than prison inmates alarm bells should be ringing.

Our children are facing a genuine crisis. Rates of obesity, mental and emotional health issues and chronic disease are soaring and crippling our kids. Richard Louv, author of The Last Child in the Woods, believes, as do I, that many of our children’s mental and physical health issues are due to a lack of time spent outside. He famously refers to a lack of time spent immersed in nature as nature-deficit disorder.

Time spent outside arguably provides the greatest canvas for free play to take place. Unsurprisingly, with a reduction in time spent outside, free play is also on the decline. Studies have shown a correlation between a deficiency of free play and a lack of sense of control. Free play is the best arena for kids to exert their control. To make the rules. To create their own worlds. To problem solve and practice emotional regulation.

So, how can we promote green time over screen time this summer?

There are so many different ways to experience the outdoors with our kids and it doesn’t always have to be a grand adventure. Here’s a dozen ideas to get you started:

Create a veggie patch in your backyard with your child
Play at your local park
Grab some saucepans, cups and jugs from your kitchen. Take them outside. Give your child some water and watch them make their own fun. If you’re game, add some child-safe food dye for a fantastic science experiment.
Climb trees
Go for a hike and wear your baby or child if they can’t walk yet. There are mama and baby hiking groups, like Hike It Baby, to help mums get outside on a regular basis with their kids
Light a campfire in your own backyard and roast marshmallows under the night sky while peeking at the stars
Go for a swim in the ocean or a lake
If your child is ready consider enrolling them in a Forest School instead of regular school so they can spend time outside every day
Fly a kite – so much fun for kids and adults alike.
Blow and chase bubbles on your deck (one of our favourite things lately)
Ride bikes
Wash the car together – our little guy absolutely loves washing the car, it usually gets done twice!

Claim your FREE GUIDE today for Four Simple and Actionable Tips to start simplifying childhood TODAY. And connect with Tracy of Raised Good on Facebook and Instagram.

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Here is a quick tip for keeping your apples nice and white:

Creating Space For The Task of Childhood

What toys should you keep?

If you liked this post you might also enjoy…

Hey everyone, this is Jennie here, and I’m excited to share these cute little Woodland Creature Pet Rocks, a fun and simple little activity to keep yourself and the kids busy this summer.

Supplies:

What if we accept that it’s all messy, stop looking for perfect, and embrace what is?

If you liked this post you might also enjoy…

What are your best travel tips with teens and tweens?

HOW TO TAKE STUNNING PHOTOS ON THE GO

WHAT YOU NEED (for your on-the-go photo-session)

THE HEADBAND

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So, how can we promote green time over screen time this summer?

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