Unfortunately, this creative bicycle flower planter only claimed a second place ribbon from the state fair judges.  I believe it was entered in the reuse / recycle category.

Summer Eye Candy: Pedaling for Petals!

If you love looking at gorgeous photos, check out our other eye candy here or specifically Summer eye candy here. Get more Wordless Wednesday at WordlessWednesday.com and 5 Minutes 4 Mom.

Summer Eye Candy: A Drink From the Hose, Anyone?

If you love looking at gorgeous photos, check out our other eye candy here or specifically Summer eye candy here. Get more Wordless Wednesday at WordlessWednesday.com and 5 Minutes 4 Mom.

9 Essential Activities for Your Kids’ Summer Vacation Plan

First, make sure you read the introduction:  Parents Take Control of Your Summer – Make the Kids a Summer Vacation Plan.  The summer vacation activities below are from most important to least important. 

1.  Bedtime, wake up time, and alarm clock.  Insist on a regular bedtime and wake up time for your kids, no matter if they’re 7 or 17, and make sure they set their alarm clock every night before bed.  If you let bedtime go, they’ll start waking up later and later.  Before you know it, your children are nocturnal and keep such odd hours that your family isn’t spending time together as a family anymore. 

No matter what else you leave out of your summer vacation plan, the most important thing is to make your kids keep regular bedtimes and waking times.

2.  Chores.  Chores not only help ease mom and dad’s workload in taking care of the household, but they help a child contribute to the everyday operation of the family.  As young as toddler age, kids can be given simple chores to do around the house.  As young as 6, kids can do their own laundry, sweep, clean their own rooms, and make simple meals like sandwiches. 

Remember that chores are teaching your children how to take care of themselves during their adult years.  Chores keep kids out of trouble, keep them productive and keep them from being bored.  Step it up during the summer and give your kids new chores that are at the next level.  For example, kids can learn to menu plan with you or learn more about childcare for a possible babysitting job later on.

3.  Eat meals as a family.  Mealtime as a family is a lost art.  Ever wonder why teenagers are so hard to communicate with and can barely make intelligent conversation with anyone other than other teens?  It all goes back to the decline of family mealtime in recent years.  Children learn the art of making conversation from their parents, who are supposed to be old pros at it by now. 

Meal time is a perfect opportunity to talk about your day and connect with your kids.  One of Jesus’ basic activities was to share a meal with people.  The time can be used to recall what we are grateful about from our day, or to talk about what’s going on in our lives that occurs outside of the house.  If we can’t take time to gather our whole family to the table to eat a meal, our priorities are seriously out of order.

4.  Spiritual time / character development.  Grab a kids’ devotional book and assign your kids a short writing assignment each day.  If you’re not religious, you may want to require them to do 30 minutes of journaling per day on a topic you provide.  Soul searching through writing is a great way for your child to get their thoughts out in the open in a way that they can make sense of them.  This will help you to connect with your kids on a deeper level, and hopefully help them work through some of the difficult thought processes that come with adolescence.

5.  Family outings / family time.  Board game nights, family drives, camping trips, adventure walks, and sight-seeing trips are examples of great family activities that you should make time for.  A major flaw of parents is planning kids’ solo activities for summer:  baseball, foreign exchange trips, cheerleading practice, drama practice, t-ball, etc.

I’m not saying sports and activities aren’t fun experiences, it’s just that it’s much more crucial for you to draw the line and table these activities during the summer.  Make your plans for the entire family, not just 1 or 2 family members.  Want closeness in your family that will rival the Brady Bunch?  Do things together as much as possible.

6.  Education.  Keep skills sharp by having review materials for the academics.  There are several online study sites that can help, like Time4Learning.com.  Or, step out of the box with some non-traditional education.  Keep chickens for the summer, or teach your kids a new skill like sewing or woodworking.  Keep the brain growing and expanding by continuing to learn over the summer, no matter what subjects you choose to work on.

7.  Exercise and play.  Remember “Go outside and play” from when we were kids?  It works!  Kids using imagination to keep themselves entertained (while getting fresh air and exercise) should not be something we just remember from bygone years. 

Keep your kids active and outside this summer by requiring them to have outside playtime at least once a day.  If the day is especially nice, pack up the kids and drive them to a park or school playground.  Even older kids can get outdoors and take a walk, help with yard work, skateboard, rollerblade, or ride bikes.

Rainy day exercise is easy too:  use Wii Fit for kids or pop in an exercise DVD made just for kids, like Tae Bo for Kids.

8.  Socialization.  Put together activities with other families.  Invite another family to go camping with you, on a fishing trip, out for breakfast, or something similar.  Your kids will benefit from having social time with kids other than their school mates and you will form a bond with your own children by doing fun things with another family.

9.  Free time.  This is where video games, computer time, talking on the phone, texting, and watching TV and movies fall.  I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to LIMIT the free time and media time your child gets every day.  Set a limit and stick to it. Try setting a “media hour”  during which kids can be plugged in while supervised.  Never allow your child to choose their own media without your approval.  EVER. 

Kids are actually better able to relate to real-world activities and other people when they are less plugged in and more engaged in real-life situations.  Setting a 1 hour or 2 hour max on media may seem different and strange at first, but you’ll be glad you did. 

Putting Your Summer Vacation Plan Together

Now it’s time to put together your wants and needs from the list of essentials above and put into play a summer vacation plan that works for your family.  Having some of the basics in writing is a great idea.  Post it in a high traffic area in your home, like on the refrigerator, so everyone can see the family’s goals for summer vacation.

Most importantly, go over the new plan as a family and make sure both parents have the same answers for your kids’ questions.  Explaining why you’re making these changes as a family, and that you want to put more quality activities into your family’s growth and development, will help kids to get on board and try something a little different.  Have a great summer!

If you’re filled with the dread of how to keep your kids entertained all summer vacation long, you’re not the first parent to feel that way. 

Maybe you get tired of your kids staying up late and sleeping in until the afternoon all summer long.  Maybe you’re disgusted by the disaster area your house becomes when the kids are home all day.  Maybe you just get irritated as they sit around watching TV or playing video games for hours on end. 

Long days and idle time are not a good mixture when it comes to kids and summer vacation if you aren’t prepared.  It’s time to get your summer vacation plan made and take control of your summer.

Make a Summer Vacation Plan for Your Kids

First, pretend you have all the time in the world with your kids each day.  In 24 hours a day with your kids, you’d have enough time to teach them anything you wanted, do any craft project with them, have them learn any subject or skill, or go on any outings you feel are fun or interesting. 

Next, realize that you DO have that much time (because school is out for summer break)!  You can completely design the day-to-day life you want your family to have and your kids to experience.  (Get more Works for me Wednesday here.)

Next, read the 9 essential activities for your kids’ summer vacation plan, where we teach you how to make a summer vacation plan for your kids. 

Home Ever AFTER was happy to have Oscar Mayer as the official sponsor of our Memorial Day BBQ Bash.  But like all things in Alaska, you just never know what is going to happen with our weather!  You may have already seen our midnight Alaska bbq we had with Oscar Mayer hotdogs.  Needless to say, things are pretty topsy turvy when you live in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Our Memorial Day Barbecue was scheduled for 4pm.  It was hot outside, upwards of 80 degrees and sunny.  We had planned to let the kids run through the sprinkler with their swimsuits on, even. Well, that didn’t happen…

We got rained out! At exactly 5 minutes to 4pm, as we started bringing out all the food to the picnic tables, the sky turned black.  Rain clouds rolled in and rained on our picnic!  We quickly moved all the tables and food under the awning against the neighbor’s window (shown at right). 

The food was safe, but we had to huddle on the sidewalk until the rain slowed to a drizzle.  Our barbecue food was as great as ever, even if my picnic tablescapes didn’t survive!  We had delicious Oscar Mayer hot dogs (including the new spicy jalapeño ones for my husband, and had great company with friends, family and neighbors!  Note the raindrops on our hot dog packages:

By the end, the rain stopped and the kids (even the big kids!) were able to run around an play with the hula hoops and frisbees.

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My hubby and I are always happy, no matter what unexpected circumstances we run into.  Here are some photos of pregnant me, Danelle Ice, and my hubby, Michael Simmons, on our rainy Alaska summer afternoon:

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We didn’t get many pictures because of the rain, but if you want to see a few more, check out these:

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Thanks again to Kraft and Oscar Mayer for being the official sponsor of our Alaska Memorial Day BBQ Bash (even though it was mostly rained out)!

No matter where your family vacation destination is, there are simple steps you can take to make the most out of your summer vacation. Follow the summer vacation tips below from this mom of four kids to eliminate stress and enjoy some quality family time during this summer’s annual trip.

Hotels and Food

When booking your accommodations, don’t overlook the benefits of staying in a hotel suite or condo rather than a regular hotel room. Though pricey, these home away from home settings are spacious and family friendly, and may well be worth the extra money spent.

Family suites are usually equipped with washing machines and dryers (or access to them), allowing you to pack lighter for your trip.

Family suites also offer full service kitchens complete with refrigerators, toasters and microwaves. By preparing breakfast in the room and packing a lunch, you will significantly reduce food costs associated with dining out for all 3 meals.

When visiting a popular destination such as Orlando, grocery prices tend to be higher than average. For added savings, buy the bulk of your groceries before leaving your home and store in a cooler, if you have the room in your car. This provides the additional bonus of healthy snacks during the drive and decreases the amount of rest area stops and drive-thrus to feed the aching bellies in the back seat. 

Keeping Kids Entertained While Traveling

Whether traveling by car or by plane, you will need to keep the children entertained. Even parents that have cars equipped with DVD players find that children will grow tired of movies during the drive.

Individual activity bags for each child work wonders in keeping the kids entertained. For younger children, fill individual backpacks with coloring books and crayons, favorite small toys, picture books, miniature family photo albums, snacks and juice.

Flying and Confirming Details

If you are flying, pack a small carry-on bag of essentials to have on hand.  (Print out our checklist How to Pack a Carry On Suitcase.)  Be sure to include band aids and first aid items, important documents and phone numbers, etc. This will come in handy should your luggage get delayed. Compile a list of all confirmation numbers (i.e.; rental car, hotel, theme parks admission, etc.) and include this in your carry on as well.

It is always good to spend some time before you leave confirming all aspects of the trip. Call the hotel and confirm check in dates and times. If flying, call airline and make sure flights are not delayed. To save time, print the boarding passes at home.

Check the weather for your destination online to make sure you have all appropriate clothing. I often visit Florida and the weather is inconsistent. Sometimes it’s sweaters and hats, other times it’s bathing suits and sunscreen. Better to be prepared before you arrive than to have to spend money on clothing when you get there. If you are traveling by car, be prepared with a road atlas and even a direct map-quest route. Automobile navigation systems have been known to go haywire, and should such a thing happen while in unfamiliar territory you will be glad you took such precautions.

Vacation Routines with Kids

While vacations are a time to relax and do away with rigid schedules, it is helpful to maintain somewhat of a routine while away from home. Children will not adapt as well as adults if their normal behavior patterns are disrupted. Try to maintain normal sleeping patterns by ensuring bedtime and naptime remain fairly consistent during the trip. The combination of disrupted sleep and over stimulation from a vacation environment are the key factors responsible for tantrums and meltdowns. Bring comforts from home such as personal pillows and favorite toys.

Have realistic expectations about what your children can tolerate and how they will behave on vacation. Children do not have the capacity to cope the same way adults do. They need to be entertained without being over stimulated. Finding the right balance is the biggest challenge of family vacations. A good rule of thumb is to keep adult-focused activities to a minimum and fit them in between family friendly activities. Bored children result in cranky children, which results in cranky parents. By planning in advance, you can do your part to provide a family friendly summer vacation that is enjoyed by everyone.

Family Friday: Time to Share!

Now it’s time for you to share your Family Friday post with the rest of us!  If you’re not sure how it works, read the directions and guidelines for Family Friday here.

Please add your family-related blog post below in the Mr. Linky. Remember, you MUST link your post back to HomeEverAfter.com. (If your link was deleted, email us.)

What are your plans to celebrate the first day of summer? The kids are out of school, it’s a beautiful summer solstice weekend, and the living’s easy! Just because the first day of summer is such a huge event here in my city, I have to tell you a little bit about what it’s like to be in Alaska on the longest day of the year.

In Alaska, summer solstice is one of the biggest holidays of the year. Not only is summer solstice the longest day of the year, but it’s also considered by most to be the first day of summer. Alaska is called “The Land of the Midnight Sun” for a reason; it really does stay light all day, all night, and then all the next day. It’s like three days in a row where it stays as sunny as if it’s noontime, even at 10 o’clock at night! What a great first day of summer!

They have a cool race called the Midnight Sun Run on the first day of summer which starts late at night and goes into the wee hours of the morning. Also, all the stores stay open past midnight with what they consider to be spectacular sales! The streets downtown are blocked off for a late-night street fair and festival with kids’ activities and musicians. All in all, summer solstice is a really fun holiday that people get very involved with here in Fairbanks.

My family has done all these first day of summer activities in years past to get into the spirit of summer solstice. All these things involve spending a moderate to a large amount of money, however, which is not very frugal and somewhat dampens the fun when you’re on a tight budget! The street fair has lots of expensive junk food, kids’ rides and vendors peddling their wares. The first day of summer shopping may offer great deals, but we’d still be spending money on things we don’t need (that would be better off in our savings account). Even the midnight race has an entrance fee of $25 per person!

This year to celebrate the first day of summer, I think we’re going to have the best summer solstice of all. We’ll fire up the barbecue at home later in the night, grill some hot dogs and burgers and probably see our neighbors wander over. My husband and I will break out the lawn chairs, sit outside in the bright summer sun (at midnight) with the kids in bed, hold hands, sip some coffee, blog on our laptops while enjoying the spectacular midnight view of our neighborhood, and marvel that the best things in life still don’t cost a penny!

What is your family planning for the first day of summer? Do you have any special traditions for summer solstice? Do you let your kids stay up extra late on the longest day of the year?

Happy summer solstice and first day of summer to you all!