Summer Fun

We found a beautiful little
waterfall while exploring
a local park

Summer break is finally upon us!  Now the hard part begins.  How to keep the kids from saying the dreaded "B" word - BORED! 

I have spent years wracking my brain to figure out how to keep them entertained and not spend a fortune, so I'd like to share a couple of my ideas.

■  The pool.  A lot of neighborhoods have them, the YMCA is a good place to go, but if you don't have access to either of those, a simple backyard inflatable will do the trick.  (Of course there are safety procedures that should be followed if you get your own, so please be aware!)  This idea does have some cost, but I think it more than pays for itself!

■  Rainy day fort making.  The classic blanket/pillow fort is always a hit with my kids!

■  Geocaching.  This is a relatively new activity for my family, but it's so fun!  It's like a scavenger hunt, and the kids love it.  There are apps that will help you locate the caches, some are free, but all have a "premium" feature that you have to pay for.  We use the free apps, and have a ton of fun with it.  There's a ton of information about it online, if you're interested!

■  Rainy day movies.  My kids and I like to spread a blanket on the floor and watch movies.  We pop some popcorn and make some hot chocolate  (yes, even when it's scorching hot outside we enjoy hot chocolate) and binge watch movies.

■  Make juice or Kool-aid popsicles.  These can be done in a variety of low cost ways.  We have used ice cube trays and toothpicks, small plastic cups and popsicle sticks, and the store bought molds.  The method is up to you. 

■  Free parks.  Of course there's always the free local parks.  There are some in my area that have waterworks for the kids to play.

■  Field trips.  The kids can stay busy and learn about the area in which they live.  There's a field trip app that works off of your GPS location, and will bring up all kinds of facts and places to visit.  It's called 'Field Trip'.

How do you beat back the boredom during the summer? 

Pinterest Project Sunday - Braided Fabric Bracelets

Hello!  So, I'm seriously excited about this week's Pinterest Project Sunday.  I found these little braided fabric bracelets at Home Heart Craft.

Again, I had all the supplies already (I'm seeing a theme...).  I went on a little buying frenzy when Marine Parents sold some of her scraps.  You don't even need to have fabric.  For these, you can use ribbon, scraps, whatever.

I even added a little charm to personalize them.  Hubby said they look very Punky Brewster.  I'll take it.  :)

See ya next week!

~Amanda~

Pinterest Project Sunday - Painted Bottles

Hi there! I hope everyone had had a great week. Mine has been spent with a sick child, but overall, not too bad.  I'm glad I got this project done last weekend so it could be ready for today, or there wouldn't be a Pinterest Project Sunday!

This one was super easy (again), and I had all the items at home already. Bonus!

I found a tutorial for it here.  It's not in English, but I think there is a translate button (I found it once, but then when I went back to the website it wasn't there. Probably something I did.)

Even if you can't get it to translate, there is a picture tutorial that is very easy to understand.

Here is my finished product:

I wanted to get a better picture, but I had to wait till nightfall because the pictures kept coming out too dark. 

These bottles used to be Yoohoo bottles, and the one in the center is a mason jar.  I used some Crayola paint and just poured enough in to coat the jars. 

Because I used Crayola, the paint isn't water proof, so they can't be used as vases, but if you use something oil based (I guess) then it should have no problem. 

I hope you liked my project.   Check back next week for a new one... If I can get Pinterest to work right.  Someone hacked my account!  It doesn't look like any of my pins have been messed with, but they changed my website and the city.  Apparently for little while I pretend lived in Paris.

I think I've gotten everything back on track, so I'll get to work tomorrow on another project.

If you guys have any suggestions for a project, please let me know! It doesn't have to come directly from Pinterest, it can be from Tip Junkie or Indulgy (both of which I can get lost in), or any other site. 

I love to hear some suggestions! You can comment here or on Instagram or Twitter (@littlebeachbird for both).

See ya next week!

~Amanda ~

Pinterest Project Sunday - DIY Lip Scrub

For my first Pinterest Project Sunday I decided to go small.  Well, it wasn't that I decided as much as I was kind of forced.  I had a great project all lined up, but I didn't get to explore it in depth, so I didn't want to post something that I've done half way.  I'm more of an all or nothing type of person.

This, though, is awesome.  It's a DIY Lip Scrub found at Kouture Kiss.  

This winter has been harsh, and I'm subject to dry lips and skin, even during the summer, so I figured it was time to give this pin a whirl (I'm not going to post the how-to, I don't want to take credit for the stuff that someone else does, so you'll have to check out the website above for the deets).

Let me tell you, It may look like some funky goop, but this stuff is awesome!  I had all the ingredients on hand, so that made it even better.  The picture below isn't very glamorous, but it's what the goop looks like.

I slapped this stuff on my lips, followed the directions on the website, and LOVED it!!  My lips were so smooth!  They were so smooth that I decided to try it on my hands, too.  My hands hurt, they get so chapped.  I work with paper a lot, and I wash dishes and my hands constantly, so I desperately needed something to help.

The result:  Smooth hands and lips!  I think this is something that can be done every night when I shower, then add lotion and Chapstick to keep the moisture.  Oooh, maybe try it on my feet for the summer!  Yeah!

Well, I am going to explore some other pins to try out for next week, so I'll see you guys later!  I hope you enjoyed this post.  I know it wasn't a huge project (some of them won't be, being a working mom can really leave little time for crafts), but I'll try to get some done that are more in-depth.

Check back with me on Wednesday, I'll have a post on the 365 TCL Crochet-A-Long Blanket!

See ya!

~Amanda~