6.30.2009

100 Things To Do In the Summer With Your Family

I got this list from the Studio Calico Blog. It is a scrapbooking blog for a scrapbook kit company. I wanted to remember this list of great thigns to do with your family in the summer! (Edited to fit KS.)
100 Things to do with your Kids this Summer by Joy Madison:

1. make Dixie cup popsicles
2. make a hopscotch game & play along with the kids
3. find summer constellations
4. make indoor s'mores
5. dress up like fancy ladies & gentlemen and have tea.
6. Make bubbles
7. Blow bubbles
8. go camping
9. make up a musical & perform for the neighbors
10. walk to DQ, McD's, or Basikin Robbins for a cone
11. make a weather chart & chart the weather for a month, graph the results
12. string up a laundry line & everyone helps put out the laundry
13. grow a sustainable container garden
14. make a chalk masterpiece for your neighborhood to enjoy
15. find a pen pal family & write to them weekly
16. make cards for hereos
17. go to an assisted care facility & visit with the residents
18. set up the sprinkler and EVERYBODY play
19. go to the park & do a photo scavenger hunt
20. scrapbook your scavenger hunt photos...get the kids involved with the page.
21. make butter by hand, make muffins to spread it on, enjoy!
22. buy some binoculars & hunt for local birds
23. pick strawberries, freeze the leftovers for smoothies
24. make sun prints
25. make clackers for your bikes
26. ride yours bikes around the neighborhood, gather your friends and have a parade
27. set up a lemonade stand
28. make daisy chain jewelry
29. take books to the park & have a restful afternoon
30. stay up late, make popcorn, & watch movies
31. take a picnic to the park
32. grow your own tomatoes in pots
33. go to your local farmer's market & make dinner ONLY with what you find there.
34. take art supplies into the yard & paint each others portraits...outside=easy clean up
35. find out when your local art museum is free...and go
36. take a picnic to to daddy's or mommy's work....eat there
37. take the train somwhere JUST FOR FUN
38. if you don't live near water, make a beach in the backyard
39. put on a luau
40. find a water play park
41. make virgin daquari's for the whole family....include umbrellas
42. make homemade ice cream (even without an ice cream maker)
43. walk to the library...bring a wagon to haul books!
44. make a fort in the living room & let the kids sleep there
45. organize a block party
46. pick a topic to learn more about AS A FAMILY...go learn about it
47. pop your tent in the backyard, or if its a nice night, just set up the sleeping bags.
48. take a roadtrip to a close-ish place you've never been before.
49. let the kids map out a trip, mom & dad NO CHEATING
50. eat dinner backwards
51. find a new family hobby
52. let the kids make dinner
53. go to a drive-in theater
54. research geo caching & go do it
55. pick blueberries! they are easy, fun and DELICIOUS
56. volunteer at a soup kitchen
57. make pottery that dries in the sun.
58. make a bird bath
59. do a fashion show for daddy, complete with paparazzi
60. stay up till midnight on the summer solstice and celebrate the longest day of the year
61. make a ghetto slip & slide with lawn bags
62. light some sparklers & take photos writing with light (flashlight works too)
63. do a roadtrip scavenger hunt, give a prize for the first person to finish
64. go on a media fast & plan a week of tv/dvd/internet/iphone free activities
65. face paint each other with non-toxic tempera paint
66. pick a book series for the whole family to enjoy & read it every night this summer
67. take fast food and a blanket to a park...a picnic without all the prep work
68. learn to make boondoggles or bead animals
69. find & wear the biggest weirdest sunglassses you can
70. dress up like tourists & tour your OWN town
71. buy a baby pool and spend the afternoon cooling everyone off
72. pick a lazy day & watch all of the Lord of the Rings Triology OR Sponge Bob Seasons 1-7 on DVD
73. make an ice cream sundae bar....invite your friends to dessert
74. join your library's summer reading program
75. decorate flip flops
76. hang your flag for 4th of July (or Canada Day) and talk about what the flag means
77. drill some old pots, pans, and metal ware to a tree or trellis & let the kids bang away
78. challenge yourself: eat a raw meal
79. bicycle to the grocery as a family & only buy what fits in back packs
80. find a pool hook up
81. fly a kite
82. sit and watch airplanes take off & land at a local airport
83. buy a treat from the ice cream man, even if he's only driving a mini-van
84. decorate a family flag & fly it
85. visit a farm and see all the new baby farm animals
86. buy everyone big round lolly pops, TAKE PHOTOS
87. go to an amusement park
88. wash the car together (but only like once a summer, b/c it wastes a LOT of water!)
89. give the kids sketch books & go on a nature walk.
90. make a family newspaper, print it & send it to far flung family members
91. buy 4th of july shirts and take a family photo
92. make playdough
93. make gak
94. make a junkyard band with things around the house, SING TOGETHER
95. have a yard sale
96. go to a free concert in the park
97. take advantage of free movie AIR CONDITIONING! most theaters have free/cheap kids movies in the summer, see if yours does
98. when it rains...everyone go out and splash around
99. have the kids invent a board game....then play it
100. CHILL OUT!

6.01.2009

An Evening of Smiles

This past Saturday I stopped in at the two clubs and met several new faces at stop number one. Actually, it was crazy because I did not know a single person. I met a new bouncer, bartneder, and two ladies that I had not yet met. The gift for this month had not come together, so I punted the first option and went with a sweet treat instead--popcorn snack mix and some mini cans of pop. The bouncer/dj looked perplexed, but buzzed me in and I headed straight for the dressing room where I chatted for a bit with the ladies getting ready. I got the same question I usually do when meeting new people. "What is this for?" I explained that I am from a church in Gardner and that my husband is the pastor. I said that we decided a long time ago thatwe wanted to do something to show God's love in a different way than normal. I appreciated the smile on their faces. I told them about the cards with our information inside and let them know that truely, if they needed help with anything to let us know.
At stop number two, there were lots of familiar smiling faces as well. At the bar, lots of guys were interested in the snacks, but the ladies made sure to tell them that they weren't for them. I liked the fact that they were aware that they didn't have to share. :)