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35 Summer Fun Activities for Kids
We are already 2 weeks into summer here, I know some schools are still going but we are well into our summer plans. Devin spent the first week training for his lifeguard position, then helped with Special Olympics. He stopped at home for one day to wash clothes and work the opening day at the park before leaving for Boys State last week. He is now back home and back to work and football practice which will take up most of his summer. Shaylee and I have spent a lot of time cleaning the house and started getting ready for a yard sale. She had a sleep over with her…
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How to Paint a Mural
When my daughter was ready to move from a toddler bed to a big girl bed we decided to redo her entire room. We bought her a new twin size bed and I found some Tinkerbell border and a mural. We cleaned out her room, put up the border and got ready to put up the mural. I found out when I opened it that it wasn’t a real mural, it was a plastic one that was meant to be hung up temporarily for a party. I didn’t have enough border to finish the entire room and I had purchased it on clearance so I couldn’t go back and buy…
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How to Make Sweet Tea
If you grew up in the south like I did, you know that sweet tea is the most common drink. Whether you are at a potluck, restaurant or a friends house you are usually offered sweet tea as a drink option. Until the last few years, it was the only option at some banquets or parties I have attended, now water is also offered and sometimes unsweet tea. My family loves sweet tea and we have went through a gallon each day in the past. This was before my husband started trying to drink more water. He doesn’t care for water and really prefers to drink tea, he will drink…
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Laundry Done – My Way
Is laundry hard for you? I know getting laundry done is hard for a lot of people. I have had some trouble here and there, but I usually keep up with mine pretty well. When we were first married, we lived in a studio apartment and didn’t have a washer or dryer. We went together one night a week to do our laundry at a local laundromat. This only lasted about 8 months before we moved into a small house with a laundry room. It was a large laundry room considering the size of the house was only about 900 sq ft total. We hung up a shelf at one…
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Pancakes Made Your Way
Last night I had a big supper planned but when I went in the kitchen the water wouldn’t work. We called the water department and they had shut it off to work on the lines. By the time the water came back on it was too late to cook what I had planned, so I had to come up with a different plan. I don’t know about you, but we love pancakes. We usually have them at least once a month, sometimes more often especially in the summer when we are home more and trying to avoid heating up the house with the oven. Pancakes for supper are one of…
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Creative Family Vacations
Everyone needs to take some time to relax and spend time with their family. We need to do this everyday, but some of our best memories have been made on family vacations. We have lots of fun when we go on vacations, but we can’t always afford to take the vacations that we would like. Sometimes we have to get creative so we can still enjoy time with our family and make memories that last. We have taken all kinds of vacations over the years, with just our immediate family, extended family, the church, youth group, and friends. Many years ago, we were told by an older couple to make…
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Should Kids Do Chores?
I think that everyone in the house should do chores or help to maintain the household. We have tried all kinds of systems over the last 20+ years. Our oldest is 24 and I am not sure exactly when he started helping out around the house, but do remember that our first formal chore chart with allowance tied to completion and behavior was at 5 years old. We gave him a quarter for each activity he completed up to $5 per week ($1 per year of age), but we also withheld a quarter if he misbehaved. I made a chore chart with simple tasks such as brushing his teeth, helping…
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Little Hamburgers in Gravy
This is an easy 3 ingredient main dish. We have been making them for years. I don’t remember where we got the recipe, but it is a family favorite. We make it every month or so. I don’t know what the real name should be, but we call it little hamburgers in gravy because that is what they look like. I assume one of the kids probably gave them the name and it stuck. It can even be made ahead of time and just finished off quickly when you are ready by making the gravy and heating the little hamburgers before serving. If making ahead of time, spread the patties…
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How to Plan a Tween Birthday Party
My daughter just turned 12 on Saturday. It was hard for her to decide how she wanted to celebrate her birthday this year. She is too old for the traditional kiddie birthday party, but still young enough to want to make it a big deal. She thought about going to the trampoline park or skating rink, but she also wanted all the family to be there. Since she is one of the youngest of her cousins most of them would not participate for jumping or skating. She thought about having a family party at a restaurant, but couldn’t decide on a restaurant and wanted to be able to invite friends…
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Prom Time – Why is it so Crazy These Days?
Why is Prom so crazy these days? It just gets worse every year. I remember when I went to Prom. We had our prom in our cafeteria at school. We decorated it, ate supper there and then danced and had fun until it was over. There was a photographer at the prom, we all lined up and took our pictures in front of the themed background. Everyone’s pictures were basically the same. The main cost for prom was either your dress or tuxedo. There were no limos, no fancy dinners, no professional photographers, we even painted our own nails, applied our own makeup and fixed our own hair. Now it…
Organizing, Crafts, Cooking, Saving Money, and Traveling
