Plan for an Active Summer

Used with permission by Leigh Kaiser

Summer is a great time of year to be active with your family and friends. There are lots of ways to get your heart rate up, burn calories AND have fun at the same time. Yes- you can have FUN while being active! Leisure activities are fun for all ages and help bring people together. Instead of playing video games, napping, or watching TV, why not go for a hike, paddle a kayak, play badminton, toss a Frisbee, peddle a bike, dive for toys in the pool, or walk around the neighborhood? You'll be able to talk with the people who are with you, laugh, enjoy the outdoors, and create memories.

Leisure activities are a great way to bring your family together, but you should also consider adding 2-3 days of a focused, intentional workouts into your weekly routine. What do I mean by focused and intentional? I mean to set out with purpose to raise your heart rate and keep it up for a sustained amount of time, and also use your entire body to build muscle and stamina which will increase your joint-strength (ankles, knees, and hips), your muscle mass, decrease your body fat, and build heart and lung endurance. You can do this by going for a walk or jog through a hilly neighborhood, lifting weights, doing core work, or combining all of these things in an interval workout.

Interval workouts are typically short - yet intense - so you get a lot of bang for your buck. You don't have to work out very long (anywhere between 10-45 minutes) to get in a great workout with interval training.. It's also proven to be one of the best ways to increase muscle mass, decrease fat, improve heart rate, and give overall body wellness.

An example of interval training is this:
Do 1 min of each of the following (Within the minute, do as many quality movements as you can. Don't get sloppy! As you get tired, slow down (don't quit) and keep the quality of your moves as a priority):
 

1. Squats or Jump Squats
2. Push-Ups 
3. Lunges or Jumping Lunges 
4. Jumping Jax 
5. Hold Plank
    

Repeat this series 3 times for a 15 minute workout or 4 times for a 20 minute workout. Within this workout, you've taken care of lower body, upper body, core, and cardio. Like I said, a lotta bang for your buck! It's supposed to be difficult, so by round #3 you'll probably be pretty tired. That's a good thing! Remember: If we're not challenged, we're not changing. To make a workout worth the time, it needs to challenge your muscles, heart, and strength

My last challenge to you is to set a few simple goals that you will gladly work towards this summer. You can set them as a family and/or an individual. Here are some ideas: 
 

• Plan 5 Group Leisure Activities a month (as a family)
• Do 2 days of Interval Training a week (grab a buddy)
• Walk/Jog 2-3 days/week (explore different neighborhoods each time)
• Eat leafy greens every day (spinach, broccoli, kale, etc.)
• Pray and give thanks and praise to God before, during and after each workout/activity. (This helps remind me Who gives us the strength to move, why we should desire to be healthy, and reminds me that health is a gift from the Lord.)  

If you're interested in learning more about health and wellness or interval workouts, please see: Teamconquerit.weebly.com. Contact me with questions, comments, or general inquiries. Have a wonderful, active summer!

Boredom Busters

by Lois Breneman - Heart to Heart - 2013
If your children or grandchildren are already bored this summer, the following newsletter from the Heart to Heart archives will provide plenty of ideas of good things for your kids to do - a resource to help you be intentional in having a fun and productive summer. 

You will find activities on the list not only for children, teens, and families, but also for singles, couples before children, empty-nesters, and retirees.  There's something for everybody!  Learn some new skills, have fun, and share with others this summer!

175 Things to Do with Your Family, Photos, Proverbs Book

Summertime Fun Ideas

by Betty Benson Robertson - Used by permission

  

Bike Scavenger Hunt: Prepare a question sheet ahead of time, with scavenger hunt locations and questions, such as: How many links are in the swing chain at Fremont Elementary School? How many owls are on display in the front window of the gift shop? What two credit cards are displayed on the window of Smith Construction Company? Ride together to the places listed, record answers and then return to place of origin.

 

Crazy Challenges: Work together in setting up various events such as: discus throw using paper plates; javelin throw using straws; shot-put using marshmallows; diving with each person tossing jelly beans into a container of water; one-yard dash by pushing Trix cereal across the floor with their nose, and standing high jump using a donut suspended from the ceiling about four inches above their mouth - one bite wins.

 

Cupcake Decorating Contest: Make cupcakes and divide them among the children. Provide creative supplies such as icing, sprinkles, M & M's, raisins, and nuts. Each child decorates cupcakes. Pour glasses of milk and eat the cupcakes!

 

Frisbee Golf: Frisbee Golf is played like miniature golf except Frisbees are used instead of balls and clubs. Find an area with several trees. Attach a large number to each tree. Each child tosses a Frisbee to the first number, keeping track of how many tries it takes. Continue through the course until the last number is reached.

 

Gigantic Scavenger Hunt: Each child takes a large trash sack to a heavily littered area and hunts for trash. Encourage your children to continue being "Trash Detectives" to help care for God's beautiful world.
H. O. P. Day: "H. O. P." stands for "Help Other People." Make a list of things the children can do for neighbors or friends. This might include mowing lawns, washing cars, washing windows, or writing a letter for an elderly person.

 

It's A Secret: Select a place your children will enjoy visiting such as the zoo, a museum or a restaurant. For added fun, let each child guess the secret destination.
 

Paper Airplane Mania: Create airplanes from leftover school notebook paper or scrap paper of some kind. Hold a contest to see who wins the highest in flight and farthest in flight.

Note from Lois: For the "Gigantic Scavenger Hunt," because unknown trash items may be involved, it would be a good idea to wear gloves.  We never know what is out there.

175 Things to Do Together as a Family

 A Valuable Resource for This Summer and All Year 'Round!

This is not "homework, ladies, but very soon as summer vacation begins for your children, many of you will hear these dreaded words echoing through your home, "Mom!  I'm bored!  There isn't anything to do!"   If you're like most families, you sometimes run out of creative activities to do together as a family, so here are a few ideas. I enjoyed making this list, thinking back to the many fun times we had together as a couple and with our three children. We haven't done every single one of these activities through the years, but almost. Your family may already have a head start on this list!

Many of these activities are appropriate for couples before children, with children of all ages including teens, and even after you have an empty nest.  Babysitters, take note of some activities you might be able to use with the children under your care, with their parents' permission, of course.  Although quite a few are good ideas for singles while dating, married couples will be able to draw from this list for ideas of date nights as well.  Many ideas are for families with small children, but would also be fantastic activities for grandparents to use with their grandchildren during a Grandparents' Day!  It might be fun for your family to go down the list together and check the activities you have already done, and then to find some new ones to do together. Now when your children say, "Mom, I'm bored!  What can I do?" ~ you will have this valuable resource!

175 THINGS TO DO TOGETHER AS A FAMILY

by Lois Breneman, Copyright 2003

Close your eyes and try to remember the most fun your family has ever had. Now tell me, was your family busy doing something together or were you all gathered around the television set? With the ever increasing demands of school, career and church, Christian families need to relearn how to be together and have fun. When your children are grown, they will remember the special times of family togetherness. Great memories have to be created. A little effort and imagination will fill your family's free time and enrich the lives of those you love most. Here are some simple, inexpensive (or free!) activities that can be enjoyed by almost everyone. Turn off the tube and tune in to family fun.

1. Take a bicycle trip.
2. Make homemade ice cream or visit an ice cream parlor.
3. Bake a double batch of cookies and deliver one to a needy family.
4. Visit an airport and watch the planes take off and land, or go to a lake and watch the boats, while you have a picnic.
5. Go on a breakfast picnic.
6. Go to a park and hike or climb trees.
7. Make popcorn, maybe even caramel corn.
8. Enjoy the snow together by building a snowman, snow bears, a huge turtle or other animals, making a snow fort or throwing snowballs. How about making snow ice cream?
9. Go swimming or water skiing.
10. Plan a scavenger hunt for outside. Or plan one for in the house using every letter of the alphabet.
11. Bake plain sugar cookies and let each member of the family take part in decorating them.
12. Make playdough and sculpt objects or people (even from Bible stories).
13. Read a good book aloud. (C.S. Lewis' "Tales of Narnia" appeals to children and adults alike.
14. Look through photo albums or view family slides, movies, or videos.
15. Play miniature golf or croquet.
16. Make a tape recording of the most recent news and send it to a close friend or relative whom you seldom see.
17. Make a "birthday flag" for the next upcoming birthday.
18. Go fishing.
19. Play a board game that all can enjoy---Monopoly, Sorry, Scrabble.
20. Work on a jigsaw puzzle.
21. Go roller skating or ice skating.
22. Make family silhouettes. Use a slide projector or a bright lamp to project the head profile on a blank wall. Hold paper against the wall and trace the silhouette. Cut out and glue it on a contrasting sheet of paper or poster board.
23. Have a candy treasure hunt.
24. Work on a crossword puzzle.
25. Play "Start a Story." One person starts the story and talks for three minutes (use timer). The next person must continue the story, and so on. After going around the family circle two or three times, the youngest child gets to end the tale.
26. Provide old magazines, scissors and glue. Pick a theme for your collage (families, God's creations, things to be thankful for, etc.).  Everyone cuts out pictures and glues them onto a large piece of paper or poster board.
27. Go to the flea market or bright and early one Saturday morning visit 10 garage sales and see who can come home with the best bargain for a dollar.
28. Sing favorite choruses, hymns or nursery rhymes around the piano or guitar. You could even use a tape or CD to follow along.
29. Make plaster of Paris hand prints. Put name, year and age on the back.
30. Make a family banner. The banner should be made of felt or the flag fabric found in fabric stores. Decorate with pictures that illustrate interests of family members.
31. Go to the zoo.
32. Go bowling.
33. Make your own homemade pizza. Add mushrooms, peppers, onions, black olives and crushed pineapple to the pizza sauce and cheese.
34. Invite another family over for a game of charades or "Guesstures."
35. Listen to recordings of your favorite music.
36. One sunny Saturday morning, get out the gardening tools and find someone (a shut-in, perhaps) who could use some free yard work. Everyone can pitch in and help.
37. Make a collage using seeds, rice, cereal, old buttons and sewing scraps.
38. Catch fireflies together, put them in a jar and watch them light up. Let them go.
39. Do needlework: cross-stitch, crewel, candle wicking, rug-hooking, smocking.
40. String popcorn and place on a tree for the birds.
41. Write the words and music to a chorus together.
42. Make puppets out of lunch bags, old socks, felt, wooden clothespins. Put on a puppet show.
43. Have a bonfire outdoors or in your fireplace and roast hot dogs and marshmallows.
44. Go to your nearest hospital and look at the babies in the maternity nursery. (Visiting hours only).
45. Visit a shut-in or an elderly friend or relative in a nursing home.
46. Pick wildflowers and press some of them to save.
47. Read a Psalm together. Then write a psalm of praise for your own family.
48. Play "I think you're nice because..." Someone thinks of a quality he likes in the person who's "it." Other family members try to guess by asking, "Does it begin with an "A?" and so forth.
49. Listen to a tape of a Bible story. You can tape good stories from Christian radio stations. 50..Share prayer requests that affect and concern the whole family, then pray about them.
50. Make a mobile. Gather special treasures (shells, nature objects, hollow, decorated eggs, valentines). Tie thread or yarn of varying lengths to the end of each and attach to a hanger.
51. Ask your children about their greatest fear, and talk about them.
52. Encourage little ones to color a picture to send to grandparents.
53. Make a list together of all the things in your house that use electricity. You might do this when you lose power sometime.
54. Build a village using blocks, Lincoln logs or Legos. Get out the matchbox cars!
55. Enjoy a shopping trip for something little, but fun---a jar of bubbles, stickers, paper dolls, a matchbox car.
56. Play "20 Questions." One person chooses a Bible character or object to be guessed. The other members of the family take turns guessing what the secret object or person might be. No more than 20 questions can be asked and each one must be able to be answered with a simple yes or no. Whoever guesses first becomes "It" for the next round. Good for car trips too.
57. Visit a farm. Milk a cow, help to feed the animals. Take pictures.
58. Play badminton, volleyball, tennis, Frisbee, yard darts or ping pong.
59. Take the kids on a tour of where Dad works.
60. Play hide-and-seek (inside or outside).
61. Play "Bible Verse Scramble." One person chooses a favorite Bible verse and writes each word on a separate piece of paper. Scramble the order of the words and challenge each member of the family to see who can put it together the fastest. It could be one the family has memorized together.
62. Go camping in the backyard. Cook breakfast on the grill.
63. Draw a family tree on paper and complete it as a family. Add old photographs if available.
64. Go jogging or take a walk together.
65. Give each person a large piece of paper and take turns tracing the outlines of their bodies on it. Color in the outlines to look like you.
66. Using white shelf paper or the inside of brown grocery bags, design your own wrapping paper with crayons, magic markers or paints--even potato prints.
67. Go to the library. Check out books, records, tapes and art reproductions. Check out books showing how to make crafts with children.
68. Gather a variety of leaves and identify them.
69. Write a letter to a missionary family. Your children could write to a missionary's child his own age.
70. If you have a computer, create a family newspaper. Each child can write a story, Dad and Mom can write a column, and an older child or parent can edit and type. Send copies to the grandparents.
71. Make candy or caramel apples.
72. Fly a kite!
73. Jump rope.
74. Take pictures of all the houses in your neighborhood, then arrange the houses on a large poster board and identify the people living in the houses. Write their addresses and phone numbers at each house too.
75. Visit a friend.
76. Dig out a flower bed and give each family member his own "plot." Plant seeds, bedding plants, vegetables or bulbs and watch God's creations grow!
77. Read favorite poems aloud.
78. Put together a scrapbook describing a favorite vacation or any special event (pictures, writing, souvenirs).
79. Rake up a big pile of leaves to jump and play in. If it's warm outside, turn on the water sprinkler and run through it.
80. Write and act out a play centered on a specific holiday, a Bible story or a character quality. Mom, Dad or one child could be the production manager.
81. Pick apples and make apple sauce together.
82. Gather seashells. Mount and identify.
83. Make snowflakes out of lightweight white paper and hang from the ceiling with thread.
84. Create a traveling friendship basket. Fill an inexpensive basket with baked goodies, crafts, coupons, and so forth. Pass it on to a friend. Leave a note in the basket, directing it to be passed on (within the week) to someone else who could use some cheer.
85. Go to a ball game or play one---football, kickball, softball, baseball, basketball, soccer.
86. Finger paint on glazed paper (shelf paper, freezer paper) with chocolate pudding.
87. Go sledding.
88. Go skiing.
89. Take a trip to an amusement park, a museum or a planetarium.
90. Use fabric crayons to design individual T-shirts.
91. Set a Bible verse to a familiar tune and learn both the verse and song as a family.
92. Write and record an interview with a Bible character.
93. Build a tree house or fort.
94. Go horseback riding.
95. Write and illustrate a short story about an imaginary animal.
96. Build a robot out of empty boxes of all shapes and sizes. oatmeal and salt boxes work well.
97. Work together on a model kit.
98. Work on a stamp collection together.
99. Play with sand toys and trucks in a sandbox.
100. Using construction paper, write out and illustrate favorite proverbs. Join the pages to make a book.
101. Collect rocks, mount and identify, using books from the library.
102. Catch butterflies with a butterfly net.
103. Collect insects and mount with straight pins on a foam board.
104. Identify the insects using books from the library.
105. Go bird watching. Learn to identify various birds. Learn to identify them just by hearing them also. Make a bird book together.
106. Build a birdhouse and read about how to attract birds to your yard.
107. Tell your children how you first met and some of the things you did together before you married.
108. Plan and cook a meal together, where you invite the grandparents or other family or friends.
109. Play leapfrog.
110. Play jacks.
111. Have a water balloon toss.
112. Learn about safety together.
113. Have a fire drill. Discuss what to do in case of a fire.
114. Read jokes to each other.
115. Have Grandma and Grandpa tell how they met and how life was for them as children. Have them tell about their favorite toys and how they compare with today's toys.
116. Make "smores" in the fireplace or outdoors.
117. Get a book out of the library about science experiments. Do them and try to think up an application to life.
118. Learn to juggle.
119. Learn to use a yoyo.
120. Carve an animal out of a bar of Ivory soap.
121. Do origami, using books from the library.
122. Make your own card to send to grandparents.
123. Make a simple pinwheel and make it blow in the wind.
124. Make thumbprint animals. Make cards, using thumbprints.
125. Sail toy boats in a stream.
126. Wear old tennis shoes and go wading in a stream.
127. Make an inside tent, using sheets or blankets over a card table.
128. Visit an orchard and see how apple cider is made.
129. Watch a parade together.
130. Feed ducks at a duck pond.
131. Visit an antique shop with grandparents, and listen to their stories of how it was when they were growing up. Have them explain how the various antiques were used.
132. See what you can buy at a dollar store, where everything is $1.
133. Visit a fire station.
134. Go to the city market together some Saturday morning.
135. Whistle with a blade of grass between your thumbs.
136. Make banana splits together.
137. Make homemade vegetable soup together.
138. Make a Birthday cake for Jesus.
139. Make hand shadows on the wall look like various animals. Make them talk to each other.
140. Catch frogs at a pond.
141. Clean the house together.
142. Make a playhouse out of several big boxes. Decorate.
143. Share miles of smiles by making and washing doll clothes with your girls.
144. Make a water slide, using garbage bags cut to lay out flat. Place on a bank or hill, run a slow stream of water down the hill with a hose, and slide!
145. Using a big box of odds and ends and some art supplies, see what each person can create.
146. Go on a photography walk. Take pictures of each person, against a backdrop of flowers or nice scenery.
147. Take a ride on a bus, train or subway.
148. Call your local newspaper. Ask for a tour of the layout area and printing press.
149. Go to the tallest building in your area and see what landmarks you can spot.
150. Have a taffy pull.
151. Buy herb plants at the market and grow an herb garden together. Learn how to use the herbs in cooking, potpourri and decorations.
152. Draw roads in your driveway with chalk, designating your house, a school, church, hospital, railroad tracks, train station, etc. Ride tricycles and Big Wheels all around the town.
153. Have your children draw beautiful colored pictures on your driveway with colored chalk. It will wash off with the next good rain.
154. Paint your house with big paint brushes and a bucket of water.
155. Buy dress-up clothes at yard sales or Goodwill and have fun.
156. Make yeast bread together - or sticky buns.
157. Line up the kitchen chairs, one behind the other, and form a "train," and go on a trip somewhere.
158. Play "Follow the Leader."
159. Make an airplane instrument panel out of a large box. Glue on lids of all sizes and colors for the control buttons.
160. Play "Simon Says."
161. Play hop scotch.
162. Cover empty salt boxes with colored contact paper and use for building.
163. Make a walkie talkie, using two empty juice cans with string between them (15-20').
164. Make a long list of opposites and make a game out of it.
165. Make a long list of homonyms and make a game out of it.
166. Make a long list of synonyms and make a game out of it.
167. Watch bean seeds sprout in a jar with two wet paper towels and a little water.
168. Grow an indoor garden of carrot, onion, sweet potato sprouts, by cutting off part of the vegetables with sprouts, and putting them in a dish of shallow water.
169. Make an ant farm together.
170. Have a blindfolded sniffing game, using various items in custard cups or on small plates. Use such things as an onion, cinnamon, vanilla, soap, rubbing alcohol, bleach, chocolate, an orange, banana, cheese, toothpaste, garlic, etc.
171. Make drums out of oatmeal boxes, kazoos out of combs and waxed paper and cymbals out of lids. Then put them into action!
172. Make rock creatures by finding small smooth rocks, then gluing and painting them to look like animals.
173. Make a train out of shoe boxes. Paint and decorate.
174. Play grocery store, using cans and boxes from the kitchen.
175. Last but not least, go to Sunday school and church together each Sunday.

Front Porch Fix-It

by Monica Resinger - www.homemakersjournal.com  - Used by permission

Having a nice pretty front porch will make you feel good about your home and is a nice way to welcome guests.  The first thing to do is clear away any clutter that doesn’t belong so you can have a clean canvas to work with.  Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

~ Consider the time of year.  Since summer’s on it’s way, maybe you can decorate your porch with a summer theme like sunflowers.  Grow mini sunflowers in pots, make or buy a wreath or straw hat that includes silk or dried sunflowers, put up a welcome sign with painted sunflowers, get a sunflower welcome mat or paint rocks as sunflowers.  You can use these same ideas with any other summer themes -- sail boating, the sun, the beach, shells -- the sky’s the limit.

~ Attach thin strips (6-10” or so) of lattice to the roof of your porch lengthwise with nails, then intertwine silk or real vines, leaves and flowers for a cute cottage look border. 

~ To save money and also look for creative ideas, shop thrift stores and yard sales.  You’ll find all sorts of neat stuff like baskets, old cans, silk flowers, plants, welcome signs, wreaths and other odds and ends that you can use in your porch fix-up.  When shopping, keep in mind how you could fix up some of the things you find.  For example, maybe you see a plain grapevine wreath you could attach your own silk flowers or pretty ribbon to later, or maybe you see a basket you like the shape of, but it needs a paint job so you could spray paint it later.  This kind of thinking will save you money and can give you some unique decorations. 

I hope these ideas will give you inspiration to fix-up your front porch.

Beach in a Bag

© Shannon Hengeveld, a teacher at Boys and Girls Club of JC/WC in Tennessee - Used by permission

Objectives:
Teaches children about the beach and its inhabitants; can also serve to refresh children in a stressful situation or as an imaginary field trip during a summer program. 

What You Need:
Ziploc® bag for each child
sand
shaving cream
blue food coloring
seashells
small plastic crabs, fish, seagulls, or any other beach inhabitant

What You Do: 
1.  Allow each child to pour enough sand (but not too much)to cover the bottom of the Ziploc® bag.
2. Add seashells and beach inhabitants so that they can be seen from the outside of the bag.
3. Squirt some shaving cream into the bag.
4. Add a few drops of blue food coloring.
5. Close the bag.
6. Allow the children to rub their fingers over the outside of the bag to mix the food coloring and shaving cream to create foamy waves.
7. The bag can then be reopened to add fish and other sea creatures into the "water," if desired. I would suggest sealing the bag with blue or clear packing tape so the children cannot get into the shaving cream.

This is a great way to teach the students about the beach using most of the senses. They can smell the shaving cream, feel the sand, see the blue food coloring mix with the shaving cream, and hear the rough sand rub against the plastic bag, as well as hear the shaving cream squirt into the bag. You could use gummie sea creatures to get taste in there, too! This is loads of fun for me and the kids. I have found that children can use their beach in a bag to calm themselves or to help with separation. They can hold their bags and imagine they are at the beach listening to the ocean. I have kept one handy specifically for that purpose, even when I am not doing a beach unit! The kids really respond to it.

When doing this as an activity with your children, you can incorporate math (using measuring cups to pour the sand), visual perception (what colors/shapes do you see?), language arts (sharing beach experiences, reading beach stories), science (what animals live at the beach? what kind of weather do beaches have?), and much more. This activity covers about everything, and on top of that, it is super fun!!

Fun and Fast Art Ideas / Games Kids Play

Copyright 2005 Deborah Shelton - All rights reserved - Used by permission

http://fiveminuteparent.com/

When boredom strikes, introduce these fun and fast art activities to get their creative juices flowing:

"Circle Art"
Materials: paper, pencil
On a sheet of paper, draw a picture using only circles -- no straight lines or other shapes. Everything in the paper should be drawn with a series of circles. It's actually harder than it sounds. Give it a try! The results are often hilarious!

"Dot Art"
Materials: paper, pencil
Draw a random series of dots on a sheet of paper. Connect the dots to create a unique picture. Give your picture a title.

"No-Peeking Pictures"
Materials: pencil, paper
Choose an object to draw (a tree, a car, a stuffed animal, etc.). Draw the object while looking at it, but not looking at the paper while drawing. Keep your eyes on the object.

"Chalky Salt"
Materials: bowls, salt, colored sidewalk chalk
Instead of buying bags of colored sand for projects, make your own with salt and chalk. Pour a handful of salt into separate bowls -- one for each color. Rub the salt with colored chalk until the salt turns the same color.

"Color Folds"
Materials: white paper, crayons
Fold a sheet of white paper several times in different directions. Unfold the paper to reveal the unusual shapes. Use a crayon to outline each shape on the folds. Fill in the shapes with different colors.

--Deborah Shelton is the author of 'The Five Minute Parent: Fun & Fast Activities for You and Your Little Ones'. Visit Deborah online at:  www.fiveminuteparent.com/

GAMES KIDS PLAY

http://www.gameskidsplay.net/

        Moms, if you want to help your children have real fun like we used to have as kids, before the days of computers, use this link to bring fun memories.  The games shown here will certainly keep your kids occupied for hours this summer!  This site gives rules and "how to play" information for hundreds of games, many of which you have probably enjoyed playing yourself as a child.  Remember good old fashioned games like Tag, Kick the Can, Annie Annie Over? You'll find Four Square, Duck Duck Goose Goose, car games,  jump rope games, clapping rhymes and games, chasing games, ball games, jacks, thumb wrestling, marbles, 

mental games, sensing games, strength games, international games, and the list continues on and on!

        With most of these games, your kids will be having fun, as well as exercising.  Most of these games are appropriate for "Family Fun Night" and many are perfect for youth groups, reunions, and birthday parties.  You can even find some that are lots of fun with adults.

Repelling Mosquitoes

Author unknown - Thanks to Karen Coughlin in Florida for sending this!

It's about that time folks!  Okay mosquitoes ...  prepare to be repelled!

Use Bounce Fabric Softener Sheets Best thing ever used in Louisiana ... just wipe on and go ... Great for Babies.

Bob, a fisherman, takes one vitamin B-1 tablet a day April through October . He said it works. He was right. Hasn't had a mosquito bite in 33 years. Try it. Every one he has talked into trying it works on them. Vitamin B-1( Thiamine Hydrochloride 100 mg.)

If you eat bananas, the mosquitoes like you!  It's something about the banana oil as your body processes it.  Stop eating bananas for the summer and the mosquitoes will be much less interested.

This is going to floor you, but one of the best insect repellents someone found (who is in the woods every day), is Vick's Vaporub.

Plant marigolds around the yard, the flowers give off a smell that bugs do not like, so plant some in that garden also to help ward off bugs without using insecticides.

"Tough guy" Marines who spend a great deal of time "camping out" say that the very best mosquito repellent you can use is Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil mixed about half and half with alcohol.

When all else fails, get a frog!

Knockout Roses / Keep Cool While Mowing the Lawn

KNOCKOUT ROSES 

I asked my good friend, Carol Miller, who is a landscape designer in Pennsylvania, if she could recommend a carefree rose plant that was disease resistant, yet colorful.  She said the Knockout Rose would be what I'm looking for, so I did an Internet search and ordered a few.  I just thought I'd pass along this bit of information in case you like roses but not the upkeep.  I've seen them in hot pink, red and tropicana with yellow centers.  Some are even double roses.

KEEPING COOL WHILE MOWING THE LAWN

(2008)
Today as my husband was mowing the lawn on this hot, humid day, I was trying to think of something I could do to help keep him a little cooler.  He was already given an ice cold glass of orange juice and a pitcher full of ice water.  Then I remembered how a wet washcloth on the neck or wrists can help cool off a person, and went to work on a solution.  Laying out an absorbent kitchen towel, I placed ice cubes on the towel lengthwise.  The lengthwise sides of the towel were folded over the ice.  A rubber band on each end kept the ice from slipping out, and a large safety pin in the center held it in as well.  I slipped the ice cold towel around my husband's neck and safety pinned it in the front of his neck.  When he was finished he said it really helped him feel cooler and he sweat less.  The only thing is the ice melted and dripped down his back.  The next time I would use a bread bag full of ice, wrapped inside the towel!

Money-Saving Tips

from www.momysavers.com with Kim Danger - Used by permission

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program  Kids can earn a free book by reading 8 books between now and September. They fill out a reading journal and then select one of the books from the approved list to get their free book. Homemade Father's Day Gifts  Simply take a photo of your child wearing Daddy's clothes, and print it out in black and white. Mount on black matting or frame with the saying, "Even when I'm all grown up I'll always love you" or "When I grow up I want to be just like you!"   Baby Powder & Shampoo: Other Uses  Mix equal parts of baby shampoo and water for eye makeup remover. -- Posted by 2kidz4me Grease Spots  Put some baby powder in your laundry room. If you have a grease spot on a shirt - especially a silk or rayon shirt - just lay the shirt down, sprinkle baby powder on the greasy spot, and let the powder absorb the grease. Saves me a lot of washing or dry cleaning on DH's silk shirts. -- Posted by Calimari

Avoiding Mommy Meltdown

Hearts at Home - by Jill Savage - dollars@yahoo.com - © 2008 - Used by permission - Jill Savage is the founder and director of Hearts at Home http://www.hearts-at-home.org.

It happens to me every summer. I talk with moms about it and I think about it throughout the spring as I anticipate the transition from the school year to the summer. And yet, I hit July and find myself facing the emotions of mommy meltdown.

Why do I find myself feeling drained and exhausted during the best season of the year? It's because I do kids 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And if I don't arrange for a break or find some time for myself, no one is going to give it to me.

Don't get me wrong. I love my job. I wouldn't want to do anything but motherhood. Yet I'm ineffective if I don't learn how to find resources that encourage me along the way.

Moms need to recharge their batteries. They need fresh vision, new ideas, and encouragement for the journey of motherhood. Knowing where to find those resources is the first place to begin taking care of yourself. Once you know what is available, the next step is maximizing the  resources to meet your needs.

During the school year, there are over a dozen moms groups in the area where I live. However, during the summer those groups often take a break and we have to find encouragement in other ways. What's available to you right now? Check out some of these resources:

SUMMER STRUCTURE.
If you have school age children, your time to yourself is built into the day while the children attend school. However, during the summer everyone is home for every meal and looking to you to be the Director of Summer Activities. Several years ago I  discovered that some regular structure in our day built in a break for all of us. Each afternoon we take one hour of room time. This is their time to read, listen to music, or play in their bedroom. It's time for me to read a book, phone a friend, or complete a job without interruption.

INTERNET.
Moms need support from other moms. They need a place to find new ideas. They need encouragement. The Internet can be a wonderful place to meet all of those needs. There are hundreds of websites to help moms do their job well. Need encouragement in staying home?

Check out <http://www.hearts-at-home.org>. Need help with home organization and general housekeeping? You won't want to miss <http://www.flylady.net>! How about marriage? Take a peek at www.marriagepartnership.com . If you don't have the Internet at home, you can find access to the web at the local libraries.

BOOKS.
Visit the library or local bookstore and pick up a book to encourage you in your mothering. You might want to check out Hearts at Home's Becoming A Chief Home Officer. If you haven't read Professionalizing Motherhood, pick it up at your local bookstore. Both books can also be ordered by calling 309-888-MOMS.

OTHER MOMS.
One of the best resources available is other mothers. Ask a neighbor or friend to trade days off with you. Offer to watch her children one day a week in exchange for watching your children one day a week. The kids have someone to play with and the moms have some time off! It's a win-win for everyone!

Elisa Morgan writes in her book What Every Mom Needs: "We have to learn to help ourselves. We have to learn to ask. Directly, by using words. No one can read your mind. No one is going to waltz in, recognize your predicament, and save you."

You and I have an abundance of resources available to us; we simply need to maximize the opportunities. Rather than recovering from mommy meltdown, we can learn to avoid it all together!

How to Make Summertime Activities Count

by Lois Breneman ~ © 2008 ~ Heart to Heart

(New skills can be taught throughout the year, of course, but most parents and children often have more concentrated time during the summer months, when the children are not in school.  Whatever time works best for your family, seize the moment!)

Now is the time to be intentional in planning fun, yet beneficial activities for your children to do during the summer, if you haven't already done so.  Taking the time to teach your children how to work will pay off for everyone involved - even their future spouses.  This quote from R.D. Clyde is so true:  "Getting things done is not always what is most important.  There is value in allowing others to learn, even if the task is not accomplished as quickly, efficiently or effectively." 

You and your husband could make a list together of skills your children need to be able to master before leaving home.  Then get additional input from your children.  They may come up with things you never thought of.  These are just a few ideas to get you started: wash and vacuum a car, change a tire, put air in the tires, cook a variety of meals well (not only bake cookies from a refrigerated roll), start a recipe collection (your sons too), clean a bathroom, dust, vacuum, mop a floor, sweep a porch, sew on a button, hand sew a hem in pants or a skirt, mend a ripped seam (by hand or machine), plant and manage a garden, dress modestly and know why, know which colors they look best wearing, how to shop for their own clothes and save money, how to plan meals and buy groceries, make and follow a budget, write a check, know money saving tips, and a multitude of other practical skills they will need in life.

Summer is a perfect time to help your children learn these new skills.  Make an intentional plan. Don't forget to teach forgotten skills like cooking, crafting, woodworking, and sewing.  These skills will go a long way in helping your sons and daughters - even before they get married.  Then when they have children of their own, these skills can make it more possible to help them save on expenses so the mother is able to stay at home to raise the children.  Those skills can also be helpful in making gifts as well.  Teach your sons how to cook, along with your daughters.  Both of our sons enjoy cooking and used that skill when they were living on their own, and now help their wives by pitching in with the cooking.  

Probably most children already know how to use a computer, but what about other basic equipment for life?  Consider teaching your children at the appropriate age how to use various appliances and equipment, such as a slow cooker, grill, stove top, oven, microwave, dishwasher, washer, dryer, lawn mower, weed eater, sewing machine, and vacuum cleaner.

It may be beneficial to have your child take a speed reading class during the summer.  One mother told me that is what they insisted their son do before heading off to college.  He griped and complained, but he followed through with his parents' wish.  Later he told his parents that was one of the best things they could have ever done for him, because all through college he was able to speed read through his thick text books and comprehend what he read, and not have to cram before exams.  Today he is very capable on the computer and is high up in the business world - doing computer work!  He and his family also love and serve the Lord in their lives.  So taking a class or two is another way to make the summer count.

During the summer months many young people and adults go on missions trips to minister in various parts of the world.  They always come home on fire for the Lord.

Other skills that your children might choose to learn are photography, drawing, painting, calligraphy, making jewelry, quilting, crocheting, knitting, making crafts, gardening, landscaping, woodworking, wood carving and writing stories or poems.  In many cases, going to the library and finding information on the subject of interest is a good place to begin. 

Talking to those who are able to do these skills well is another starting point.  You may find that your parents would be just thrilled to teach their grandchild a new skill.  I know I would!  One of the Heart to Heart grandmothers teaches her granddaughters how to quilt as they each spend several weeks with their grandparents each summer.  What a time of bonding and learning a skill that will be used the rest of their lives!

A mother could help a daughter find books on interior decorating and study up on how they could redecorate her bedroom together as a summer project.  Or organization could be taught in small steps as you and your children tackle organizational projects around the house. If you still have the newsletter full of organizational tips, that would keep you plenty busy!

One mother could teach her daughter and her daughter's friend how to do a particular skill.  Later that friend's mother might want to teach them both a different skill. 

Summer is a good time to begin learning how to play an instrument or take voice lessons.  It's also a good time to learn athletic skills, as long as athletic activities aren't all your children do.

Encourage your children to help a neighbor or friend and not expect or accept payment in return.  If cooking is one of their skills, a home cooked meal or even one dish would be so much appreciated!

Help your children to continue with math, science, reading and writing all summer long.  For math go to http://www.coolmath4kids.com/ and do the two math puzzles below.   For science experiments, go Robert Krampf's Science Education Company at www.krampf.com.   For writing, try short stories or poems.  Write to a military soldier that you know.  For reading, choose biographies and the Bible for starters. 

Encourage a daily devotional or quiet time by providing appropriate devotionals that match the ages of your children.  Our goal and prayer for our children is that they have a genuine heart change, not to simply go through the motions.  Help your teenagers get grounded before they leave home.  Several outstanding books for your teens are:

• A Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
• Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell
• Life on the Edge by James Dobson
• Lies Young Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

A special newsletter that I send to all new Heart to Heart subscribers is entitled, "175 Things You Can Do Together with Your Family."   If you use that list, your children won't have a chance to say, "I'm bored, Mom!  What can I do?" 

You will find that complete newsletter on the "Favorites" page (at the top of this blog).

Miscellaneous Household Tips

From: The Dollar Stretcher ~ gary@stretcher.com
Used by permission

Burritos ~ Better Than Store Bought ~ My daughter loves those frozen meat/bean/cheese burritos you buy at the supermarket. I noticed that they seemed to be mostly tortilla with little filling and were expensive.  At the health food store, I buy whole wheat tortillas (which have a rich flavor and are more nutritious) and generously fill them with mashed black beans, brown rice, different shredded cheeses, browned ground turkey or beef, salsa, etc. I then fold the ends and put them in an inexpensive sandwich bag and freeze them.  They are more filling than the store-bought kind, and I control the quality. The preparation and assembly takes about an hour to make enough to last several weeks. They can be heated in the microwave in one minute and 45 seconds, or brown bagged in the morning and ready to eat by lunchtime. ~ Dorinda
 

A Little of This, A Little of That ~ When I have some raw veggies and fruit that I don't think I will be able to use up, or even scraps of raw veggies and fruit, I shred them and make a slaw out of them. Last night, I used up a 1/4 head of lettuce, about 1/4 head of cabbage, a half of a red onion that didn't have much life left, and an apple by shredding them and putting them all together in a bowl with some mayonnaise, a capful of white vinegar, salt, and pepper. Then I chilled the mixture.  It was delicious. We had it as a cold side dish with our grilled burgers last night. We ended up with almost two pounds of coleslaw for pennies and it tasted much better than the deli version. You can add many more types of veggies to this like chopped cucumbers, any kind of onion, chopped celery, etc. ~ CM

One Cool Cat ~ This is a tip for pet owners. I put half a bowl of ice cubes in my cats' water dish each morning and then I fill the remainder with water. The melting ice cubes fascinate them and they stay cool. ~ Sean

Cooler Kitchen ~ I have a 6.5-quart crockpot that I use many days out of the week in the summertime. The main reason is so I don't have to use my oven. ~ Debbie K

Summer Drinks ~ Go to a dollar store and buy about 10 inexpensive rugged plastic drink cups. Eight ounces is a good size.  Using a Sharpie marker, draw a different design on each one.  Make one for each of your children and the neighborhood kids as well.  Keep some extra for new friends.  Cups are washed once a day and used over and over.  Nothing thrown away.  Mark a couple "special guest".   Fill an insulated jug (with a spigot) with cool water for the kids to use as often as they like. ~ BB

Kids' Camp Supplies ~ Getting three kids ready for summer camp can be expensive so I have devised a plan to make it a bit cheaper. For toiletries, I hit myfree.com and got free samples of toothpaste (just right for a week at camp). I also got shampoo, dental floss, bath wash, and sun block this way. All it cost was a little time.  After the holidays, I purchased holiday towels (they never come home anyway!) for $1.50 each and wash cloths for 35 cents each. Instead of plastic soap dishes, toothbrush boxes, and toiletry bags, I put everything in its own zipper sandwich baggie and then used a gallon-sized bag for the toiletries (throwing in a few extras, just in case). I purchased a package of cheap toothbrushes from the dollar store (they were 6 for $1) and packed two for each child (if they don't come home, oh well!). I got sample packets of Skin-So-Soft wipes from the Avon lady for bug protection and packed a handful for each child. Now all we have left is their clothing and we have a month to go! Thus far, I have spent under $10! ~ Brenda H  (Note from Lois: Avon now has Bug Guard that protects even better than Skin-So-Soft.)

Just a Swipe ~ I keep a couple of damp washcloths in a zipper bag in the fridge. When I am too hot and sweaty, I take one out and rub my face and wrists with it. This is a real quick, easy way to cool off. Be sure to put a clean damp cloth back in the bag.  As a side note, this works for the occasional hot flash too, ladies. ~ Carolyn  (Note from Lois: Teething babies love to chew on frozen baby washcloths too!  Just wet them, wring them out and freeze in a baggie.  You may want to keep several frozen.)

Small Tear Equals Big Savings ~ When my husband shops for fertilizer, soil, all the things sold in plastic  bags, etc., he goes in to the larger stores with garden departments and asks if  they want to sell the ones with ripped or torn bags. They always do and  they practically give them away to him just to get rid of them. It's really  a big savings. ~ Emily in Houston, TX  

(Dollar Stretcher Editor's note: remember that it's not fair to tear the bags yourself!)

Free Artwork Decorations ~ During a recent visit to our local craft store, I was able to bring home a variety of flowers, leaves, and berries for free. Theses are the ones that fall off from people picking over them, knocking them off, etc.  I asked the clerk what they did  with all those that were on the floor and stands and she informed me that they just swept them up at the end of the day and threw them out. After asking if I could have them, we left the store with a variety that have since been turned into some beautiful artwork decorations. They were free for the asking. ~ Denise D.

No Pesticide Ant Solution ~ We have been having an ant problem in our house ever since we moved in about 17 years ago. I have always hesitated using chemicals to kill them because of small grandchildren and pets. However, recently I found out that ants don't like chalk. I got some colored sidewalk chalk, chose the color closest to my linoleum, and rubbed a chalk line where the ants had to cross, and within a couple of days, no more ants! ~ BC

Custom Borders ~ I am doing my kitchen in an Italian theme and could not find any border at any of the home stores or paint stores that I liked at any price. So I took the post cards I got in Italy along with the street maps and tickets to places I had seen and put them along the top of the kitchen wall. With the postcards, I had to soak them first in plain water to get the pictures off because they were too heavy to stay on the wall with the wallpaper paste.  I bought  wallpaper paste for $4, and then I positioned my pictures ahead of time, cutting them to make an attractive border. Now I can look at my walls and remember my trip, but best of all, this only cost $4 and some time. Now my postcards are not in some box in the attic. ~ S.

Sun Spots ~ For stubborn stains, I put lemon juice on the stain and put it out in the sun. 99% of the time the stain will disappear. Sometimes, but not often, a second application is  needed. ~ Sandy in Calgary, Canada

Perfect Patio Furniture ~ I tried power washing my white outdoor furniture that had black mold marks on it from the winter. That did a decent job, but it wasn't entirely clean. I then decided to try Tilex. It was extremely quick and effortless and I just hosed it off. You can bet I'll do this every year. My patio furniture looks brand new. ~ Mary Ann
 

Teen Girl's Party ~ My 13 year old daughter wanted a birthday party with all of her friends. What I did to save money was bring the girls to our local cosmetology school where they were all treated to manicures for which I only paid $1 each. Afterward, we had pizza at home (which I got at the grocery store on sale using coupons).  I made a cake and small gift bags which I made up from items purchased in bulk at a local novelty shop.  The girls loved it! ~ Sherrie

Gift Bag Filler ~ While trying to come up with filler to add to a gift bag, I found an easy answer! I took pieces of wrapping paper I had saved that were too small to use and put them through the paper shredder. What an easy way to come up with colorful filler for the gift bag! ~ S. M. of Kearney, MO

Summertime Tips

SUMMERTIME TIPS 

The first three tips come from www.stretcher.com with their permission.

Summer Cookouts ~ Cover a cotton ball or swab with a light coating of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and use as a fire starter in your open fire or fire range. This is much cheaper than traditional fire starters. And they hold their flame for about five minutes, which is plenty of time to add that dry wood. - Ang

Summer Dreams ~ My husband and I spend a lot of time on our veranda in the hot summer nights. We used to live in home with a deck and had tiki torches lit for bug control. When we moved into our 1926 Victorian home, we wanted to keep the feel of the home with wicker furniture, but we were eaten alive by mosquitoes. I purchased small hurricane lamps at Big Lots for around $4 each and filled them with citronella oil. It keeps the bugs away and throws off a beautiful glow. ~ Tressa M. in Tamaqua, PA

 

Basement "Air Conditioning" ~ Our basement is very cool in the summer. The temperature
generally runs in the sixties. So we opened a panel of the heating duct leaving a clear passage between the basement and our living room via the intake air vent. On top of the grate (on the living room floor), we placed a regular fan flat over the grate so that it will pull the air up into the living room. Within minutes, the temperature drops in the living room and eventually circulates into other parts of the house. During the day, we keep our insulated curtains pulled on the south side of the house to keep the heat out. Finally, I do most of my cooking in the early morning. ~ Sarah C.

 

Natural Ice Cones ~ Freeze 100% juices with no sugar added in ice cube trays - orange, grape, pineapple, apple, cranberry, grapefruit or a combination of juices.  You could also blend strawberries with pineapple juice and freeze that combination.  For a special treat with no sugar, crush the juice cubes in the blender and spoon into small paper cups - the cups many of us use in the bathroom.  Both kids and grownups love these cool refreshing naturally sweet treats!

 

Easy Way to Clean Your Grill ~ Layer soaking wet newspapers on a hot grill after using it, making sure it is turned OFF.  Close the grill, leaving the wet newspapers on several hours or overnight to allow the wet newspapers to loosen the grilled-on food.  Lift the lid and clean with a wire brush. - This idea came from Ruth Ann A. in Virginia a long time ago and it works!

 

 

Homemade Summertime Fun - Water Table and Water Slide

by Lois Breneman, © 2007, Heart to Heart Newsletter

 

You and your children will enjoy these "cool" money-saving summertime tips!

Make a water table for your children.  Use a clear plastic under-the-bed storage box and place it on a table or several cinder blocks to raise it up.  Fill it half full of water.  Give your children kitchen gadgets you no longer use or find some at yard sales - funnels, measuring cups, wooden spoons, empty containers from Cool Whip, clean empty plastic bottles that spray or squirt, whisks and plastic tubing, which can be found at a hardware store.  Save the colorful lids from laundry detergent bottles for endless fun - fitting the lids together, learning colors and pouring water from one lid to another.  Near the end of their playtime as they are getting bored, extend their attention span by squirting a few drops of dishwashing liquid into the water and letting your children have more fun, whisking and stirring as the bubbles multiply!

 

Make a water slide by cutting the sides of a couple heavy duty garbage bags apart into a long single layer.  Sew two or three bags together in a longer strip, depending on how long your hill may be.  Lay the bags on a hill and drizzle water down the plastic and you've created a water slide for hours of fun!  Only one child at a time to prevent collisions!

Ideas for a Fun and Productive Summer with Your Children

by Lois Breneman, © 2000, Revised 2009, Heart to Heart 

Read ~ Go to the library and check out a bagful of books for each child and read to them every day.  This is a special time of closeness and it will help instill the joy of reading in their own lives.  If your child struggles with reading, get a good phonics program, and help him develop good reading skills during break.  Give a small spiral notebook to each child to record each book he reads by himself (maybe just the thicker ones), along with the date.  He will be glad someday that he did.

Develop Abilities ~ Learn a New Skill ~ Help your children develop their abilities and find their talents.  Ask each child to choose at least one creative skill (with your assistance) to learn this summer.  It may be sewing, cross-stitch, making mirrors, pillows or other crafts, wood working, wood carving (if old enough to handle a knife), drawing, painting, singing, playing a musical instrument, typing, writing poetry, writing short children's stories, rubber stamping, or a variety of skills.  Help your child find books on the subject and read up on it.  Many skills can be learned simply by following instructions in books. Or if you or your husband can teach that skill--great!  If not, find a teacher for him or even learn the skill with your child.  Another possibility is to swap skills with a friend---maybe she or her husband could teach your child how to do wood carving and you could teach her child how to do cross-stitch.  If your children are very young, give them an art lesson at least one day each week, and possibly a simple cooking lesson another day (maybe with a friend).

Cooking ~ Cooking is something that everyone should learn, whether young or old, male or female.  Our two sons were glad they knew how to cook when they living and working together out of state for the summer.  Now that they are each married, their wives can count on them to cook when necessary.  Check out some cookbooks specifically for children or use the ones you have, and give your children cooking lessons.  Start with the basics.  Give them a small notebook to list all the things they make during the summer. (It could be a section in the notebook mentioned above.)  After they learn some basics, teach them how to plan and cook a family meal.  A child of 10 - 12 should be able to make a complete simple meal, with a little help.  Start with scrambled eggs, baked potatoes, hamburgers, rice, cooked fresh vegetables, muffins, quick bread, cookies, simple sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, deviled eggs, French toast, pizza, etc.  Then go to omelets, cakes with icing, casseroles, scalloped potatoes, waffles, yeast bread, and planning an entire meal.  If you enjoy crafts, cooking, and children, want to earn a little money for the summer and are able to handle it, pass the word around that you are going to give children's craft or cooking lessons during the summer for a fee.  Many mothers would jump at the chance to have their child learn cooking from someone other than herself, which is a shame, but that would be better than not learning at all.  Keep the classes small.  If summer time is too busy, you may want to teach classes after school hours one day a week or just once a month.

Summer Chart ~ Make up a chart for each child, and include a quiet time, several jobs in the home, as well as reading, creative things, and a service for someone else.  Plan a reward system.  If your child cannot read, draw a picture chart and give him stars or happy faces to paste when he does a job.  For making the bed, draw a bed, etc., and don't expect a perfect job.

Quiet Time ~ Have an hour of quiet for all of the children and for mom, possibly just after lunch, no matter what their ages.  This can be time spent reading the Bible and praying, as well as reading other books, doing cross-stitch, or napping, but everyone must be quiet.  Elisabeth Elliot's daughter, Valerie Shepherd, said how she requires this of her eight children every day.  When our children gave up naps, I also required them to be quiet in their bedrooms, reading or resting for an hour.  It was good for the children and it helped my sanity, if nothing else!

Good Manners ~ This summer is a good time to review manners with your children, teaching them conversational manners as well as telephone, mealtime, neighborhood, church, shopping, company and car manners and writing thank you notes.  The book of Proverbs, plus the rest of the Bible as well as good common sense and a good book on manners are good guides.  Get them involved with little skits, demonstrating the wrong way, as well as the right way for various situations.  If you are doing this during family devotions, cover only one topic in a session.  Of course, parents need to be on their toes as they teach and model good manners all day long, not just in a sit-down session.  However, this has its place too, where both the mother and the father sit down with the children and talk about the proper way to act in specific situations.

 

By carrying out some of these ideas, you will be helping and encouraging your child to take another step toward the goal of developing into the person God wants him or her to be in order to bring glory to His name.

Create Care Packages to Streamline Your Summertime Outings

by Debbie Williams - www.Debbie@organizedtimes.com - Copyright 2006 - Used by permission

Always Be Prepared: It's not just for the Boy Scouts anymore. Being prepared, and having items assembled in a kit or Care Package format, saves me a tremendous amount of time at home and in the office. 

Below are a few Care Packages you can prepare for your troops:

Mess Kit - Anyone who spends more than half an hour away from home realizes the importance of carrying snacks and drinks with them. Sales people driving in a car need coffee or a cup of water with a snack to keep them energized during those unending days of cold calling. Professional speakers wouldn't be without a snack and bottled water in their carry-on bag for long waits in an airport. And if you are pregnant, have low blood sugar, or have children, you need a granola bar and bottled water in your tote bag for emergency snacks on the go. Pack these in a zippered plastic bag or softsided lunch bag, and you're ready for just about anything your mobile life has to throw at you.

First Aid - Pack a simple first aid kit in a shaving kit, makeup bag, or zippered bag. The presentation really won't make any difference as long as you have it safe and dry and at the ready when you need it. Toss in a few bandaids, gauze with tape, fingernail clippers which will double as scissors, antibacterial cream, anti-itch cream, and sunscreen. 

Picnic to Go - If you're fortunate enough to have a pretty wicker hamper, just keep it packed full of your favorite picnic items and grab and go to your favorite hideaway with your family for a restful picnic. Or use an under-bed storage box or plastic tub to contain the nonperishable items your family uses on a regular basis when picnicking in the great outdoors: A plastic tablecloth, tablecloth clips, paper plates, plate holders, napkins, cups, wipes or hand cleaner, bug spray & sunscreen (or a combination of the two), can or bottle opener, plastic grocery bag or gallon zippered bag for trash, take out samples of salt & pepper. 

This is the bare essential version of an all-purpose picnic kit, but feel free to add other items your family needs to ensure a safe and fun outing. 

Diaper Bags for Big Kids - Once children are potty-trained, parents often don't feel the need to carry underwear or a change of clothes any longer. But long days away from home can invite all sorts of accidents into the lives of an otherwise fun day for you and your family.

Face these surprises head on with a bag filled with clean underwear, change of clothes, socks, and wipes. Roll or fold flat and stuff into a gallon zippered bag, then store discreetly in the trunk of your car so as not to embarrass your "big kid" or even bigger spouse. There's nothing wrong with taking extra clothes to prepare for a soccer game that turns muddy, or a favorite blouse that is christened with baby's spit-up. Diaper bags aren't just for babies any more.

Entertainment Kits - I fondly refer this to The Restaurant Bag, but feel free to use it for movies, church, theater, or any other quiet place you take your young child. Keep a canvas book bag or small backpack stocked with food and toys that your kids can use to entertainment themselves with quietly as you wait for food, watch a show, or listen to an aria. 

A snack of peanut butter and crackers, juice box, crayons and paper, toy car, and small books provide quite a few minutes of entertainment for your little one, and buy you some time before they get fidgety once again. Toss in a cup of milk or water, and Junior has dinner to go while you wait for your gourmet meal in a grownup restaurant. 

Spending time with your friends and family doesn't have to be hot and tiring all summer long. By having a few emergency kits ready for action, you will be prepared for just about anything that comes your way this summer. And before you know it, school will start up again and the kids will leave you with an empty house once again. (Now how many days is that, or are you counting?

Debbie Williams is an author and teacher who offers tools and training to help you put your life in order. Learn more practical tips like these in her book for home managers, Put Your House in Order.

A Fun and Productive Summer

by Lois Breneman
 
If you're looking for lots of activities of things to do with your family, check out "Children - Activities" in the Category List.  It includes lots of ideas.  Just because school lessons are over for the school year, doesn't mean the learning should come to a halt.  And remember that life is more than sports.  Use this summer for teaching your children how to save money, by using some of the money saving tips given in the preliminary newsletters.  Or do an Internet search to learn a new skill.  Prepare your children for life.  Other than teaching them how to have a close relationship with the Lord, teach them how to handle money, how to work, how to organize, and how to make things.  How about woodworking, auto mechanics, sewing, quilting, knitting or crocheting?  Sewing is one of my favorite things to do, and in recent years more young ladies are deciding to learn this and similar skills.  Enjoy your children this summer, and teach them skills they can use the rest of their lives.  Grandparents, invest time in your grandchildren as much as possible.  They grow up far too fast!