trampoline water park

Trampoline Water Park… A Cool Way to Beat the Heat! (she: Jamie)

ByJamie S.

Hi, it’s Jamie, stopping by from Prepared Housewives to tell you about our trampoline water park project that will make you a super-hero in your kid’s eyes 😉

It’s hot, really hot (at least in Texas)! Which means sending the kids out to play only lasts a few minutes before they need drinks, Popsicles, & Band-Aids for their boo-boos.

I would love to fill our days with outings and fun trips to Disney, but the fact is bills need paid and laundry needs done.
Luckily, my husband saved my sanity by deciding to turn our trampoline into our own personal water park. He still won’t admit he stole the idea from Pinterest, but it doesn’t matter – it has entertained our kids, the neighborhood kids, and even some adults for hours.

It’s super simple, and with just a little PVC pipe you can survive the heat and save your sanity too..

father's day treat
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Easy Father’s Day Treat {Mustache & Tie Edition} (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

Hello everyone! How are you all? It’s Brooke from Blissful Roots. Are you in the full-swing of summer vacation mode? We sure are, and I’m loving every minute of it! My four-year-old, and I, are thrilled to have my twins home all day. It’s so fun to plan different activities, or just spend some relaxing playtime at home. I’m just hoping all of our summer vacation weeks go this smoothly!
So, today’s post. I was in my favorite local scrapbook store (Pebbles in My Pocket) a few weeks ago, and they had this adorable Father’s Day treat put together. Mustaches are everywhere these days, aren’t they? And while my husband doesn’t have a mustache, and I don’t know that ties are his favorite, I absolutely loved how they dressed up a simple bag of candy (which my husband does love).

Strawberry Pretzel Popsicles | Baking a Moment
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Strawberry Pretzel Popsicles (she: Allie)

ByAllie

Hello again, friends! Allie here, from Baking a Moment, to share this really fun, easy, and delicious recipe for summertime!

Promise me you won’t think I’m weird, or like a big food dummy, but honestly? I never even heard of that Strawberry Pretzel Salad thing until a year or two ago. I do not know how I made it through (ahem) thirty-mumble-mumble years without this ever crossing my radar. Especially considering food is my life. For reals. Like, sometimes I feel like it’s all I think about.

And, when I first started seeing it on Pinterest and stuff I thought it sounded kinda gross. I mean, sweet cream cheese and strawberries, yes. But pretzels? Not so sure. But here’s how the idea for strawberry pretzel popsicles was born:

family games
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Entertaining Kids Without Electronics: 8 Family Games They Will Love (she: Jamie)

ByJamie S.

It’s easy to overdose kids with TV, video games, and catapulting Angry Birds around (everything my kids are currently doing right now 🙂 – but I encourage you to try to disconnect from electronics a few times this Summer and teach your kids they can actually survive without them. Entertaining kids without electronics doesn’t have to be a lot of work!

Many families pass down photos, memories, & names – well our family passes down GAMES! I decided to share our absolute favorite ones with you! Each time we play these I can’t help but think of going to Grandma’s and having some good ol’ family fun!

favorite garden books for kids
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Favorite Garden Books for Kids (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

Hey! It’s Brooke from Blissful Roots. Summertime means garden time for our family. My husband and I both grew up in families that planted a garden every summer (which I am very grateful for!). I guess you can say it’s in our blood. Do you garden? I don’t want to spend this entire post on a gardening soap box, but I can’t tell you the number of benefits that come from having your own garden. My boys (and myself) have learned work, patience, you reap what you sow, the miracle of a tiny seed, the beauty of nature, enjoying the fruits of your labor, living off the land, being self-sufficient, and much, much more. It’s work, but magical!

Okay, enough of my gardening soap box! What I’d really like to share today are some of our favorite garden books for kids. I can’t say I really plan out themes for my boys all summer long, but I do like to build upon what we’re already doing. I love having great books to go along with the summer activities we do. And let me tell you, gardening takes the whole summer. Not all day, every day, but once again, you reap what you sow.

play time with toddlers
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Tips for Surviving Play Time With Toddlers (she: Heather)

ByHeather

Happy Mother’s Day to you, and to all the special moms in your life. It’s Heather, back to share a few ideas to help you as you play with your young children.

Spend a few minutes with your little ones and you realize how much they love to play. Play is vital to their emotional, physical, and social growth. It helps them build confidence, self esteem, and even teaches them to control their emotions. But… their games and activities can start to grate on moms. The next time you wonder if you can spend one more minute playing kitchen or Candy Land, remember all the benefits that come to kids from playing. And use the following suggestions to make things a little easier during play time with toddlers. Remember, you are not alone. These feelings are very normal.

Fun Easter Egg Spelling Scramble for #Easter morning. www.orsoshesays.com #games
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Easter Egg Word Scramble – A Spelling Game for Kids! (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

Happy spring Or So She Says readers! It’s Brooke again and I’m happy to be visiting you today from Blissful Roots. Don’t you love this beautiful, refreshing time of year? It’s one of my favorite seasons. Come to think of it, I say that at the beginning of every season, and then by the end of some seasons I’m complaining a bit. But never with spring! Spring could last forever in my book!
Today I have a fun, easy educational holiday game for you to do- an Easter egg word scramble.
When I taught first grade, we did a lot of great activities for our literacy centers. This was always a hit with my students during the weeks leading up to Easter. When I taught, we didn’t use Easter words, we used our spelling and/or high frequency words, but since Easter is just around the corner I think Easter words are perfect for this activity!

Family Night – Teaching Kids Their Words Matter! (she: Tonii)
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Family Night – Teaching Kids Their Words Matter! (she: Tonii)

ByTonii

Hello everyone, it’s Tonii again and I am so glad to be back with another fun and simple Family Night! This month, I felt inspired to talk to my kids all about the importance of WORDS. The words that we use, and the way that we use them. It’s so important to spend time teaching kids their words matter.

To get started I whipped up a simple printable with the words I say to my kids every day before they head off to school… Check it out!

toilet training

Toilet Training: Is Your Child Ready? (she: Heather)

ByHeather

Toilet training our children can be one of the most challenging things we have to do. One of the reasons it is so hard, is because we often start training our children before they are ready. Regardless of the method you choose to use when you train, knowing if your child is ready is the first step.
Remember, our goal shouldn’t just be to get our children to go to the bathroom in the toilet and not in their pants, but to teach our children to go to the bathroom in the toilet by themselves. Here are a few simple tests that can help you gauge if your child is ready to be toilet trained. Most children 20 months and older are capable of being toilet trained. But remember, every child will be different. Three simple tests (Bladder Control, Physical Development, and Instructional Readiness) can help you assess if your child is ready.

Products to prevent and treat lice
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Products to Prevent and Treat Lice (she: Rebecca)

ByRebecca

So, this is a post I thought I would never be qualified to write … at least I hoped I’d never become an expert at dealing with dreaded lice! But, I’m coming to you now as a seasoned veteran of the war against these horrible, nasty, persistent little pests.

Let me start from the beginning. I have a first grader with long, thick, thick, thick (Did I mention her hair is thick?!?) gorgeous hair. At the end of the Christmas break, she started complaining about her head itching, so I casually checked her head only to find the tell-tale white nits buried deep in there. I was horrified! I cancelled all our plans, called any friends we’d been in recent contact with, loaded the three kids in the car and headed straight for the drug store. I bought everything I could find, spent a fortune and went home to begin the war!

spaghetti sauce recipe
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Killer Spaghetti Sauce Recipe (Make a Lot, Freeze the Rest) (she: Jamie)

ByJamie S.

This spaghetti sauce recipe kills the competition!

I know that’s a bold statement since I’m sure your Grandma has a great recipe too, but this is beyond delicious and has been known to turn people into spaghetti addicts! It’s one of the reasons I added this spaghetti sauce to my Food Storage Plan first, because if I had live on it for a year that wouldn’t bother me one bit!

The best part is this recipe makes a ton – so you can freeze the extra, can it for storage, give some to neighbors, or eat spaghetti sauce for a straight week (or a year, depending on how much you make)!

10 Workout Routines ~ No Equipment Needed! www.orsoshesays.com
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No Equipment Needed Post-Baby Workouts ~ From My Personal Trainer!

ByMariel

I don’t know if it was baby #6 or just being older, but I never had as hard of a time losing the baby weight and getting back into shape. I did my usual low-carb diet and moderate exercise, no luck. I switched to low carb/low calorie, no luck. The weight seemed to be going nowhere. All my old tricks weren’t working! Now, I don’t have to have the perfect body or anything, but gosh darn-it… I sure would like to fit back into my pants! I had my thyroid checked. Normal. I was at a loss and my yoga pants were getting pretty shabby. So, I enlisted the help of a pro. We’ve been working out together for several months now and I’ve convinced her to share some of her knowledge and workouts with you! Come check it out and find out how to get a free hour of training with her.