2014 Summer Bucket List

It is getting to be that time of year again.  The kids are finishing up with school and if you are like me, you’re wondering what am I going to do with them all day long?  Last year my family started a new tradition of doing a summer bucket list.  I came up with it by myself and told the kids what we were going to do each day.  While my kids enjoyed this I could tell that they wanted to be involved more.  This year I decided to let help pick what to put on this list. Each day they are going to take turns choosing what we are going to do.  They loved this idea so much and cannot wait to start working on checking things of our list.  Below is the list that my kids and I came up with.  Hope you enjoy and find some inspiration for your own family.

SUMMER BUCKET LIST 2014

1.     GO TO THE ZOO

2.     GO TO AN AMUSEMENT PARK

3.     HAVE A PICNIC

4.     PLAY RED LIGHT/ GREEN LIGHT

5.     PLAY HORSE OR PIG

6.     HOPSCOTCH

7.     WATCH THE SUNSET

8.     EAT ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST OR DINNER

9.     MAKE PLAY DOUGH  recipes are from Motherhood on a Dime

10.                          MAKE HOMEMADE POPSICLE recipes from tipnut

11.                          FLY A KITE

12.                        CATCH LIGHTENING BUGS

13.                         GO STAR GAZING

14.                         PLAY IN THE RAIN

15.                         SPOT SHAPES IN THE CLOUDS

16.                         MAKE CAMPFIRE FRUIT AND SMORES CONES from kids activities Blog

17.                         GO CAMPING IN OUR BACKYARD

18.                         BUILD A SAND CASTLE

19.                         HAVE A WATER BALLOON FIGHT

20.                         GO TO A BASEBALL GAME

21.                         GO BERRY PICKING

22.                         GO ON A HIKE

23.                         VISIT A FARMERS MARKET

24.                         DIET COKE AND MENTOS ERUPTION found at Science Kids

25.                         DIY SLIP AND SLIDE from Inner Child Fun

26.                         DIY BUBBLES from Homemade Bubble Solutions

27.                         HAVE AN OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT

28.                         MAKE HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

29.                         MAKE LIQUID SIDEWALK CHALK from smashed peas and carrots

30.                         HAVE A FAMILY GAME NIGHT

31.                         GO ON A TREASURE HUNT

32.                         RUN THROUGH THE SPRINKLER

33.                         MAKE SOLAR SMORES from Spoonful

34.                         GO SEE FIREWORKS

35.                         DIY WATER BLOB from Clumsy Crafter

36.                         GO TO THE MOVIES

37.                         MAKE TRIPLE BERRY NO-DRIP POPS from Kraft Recipes

38.                         MAKE A TOILET PAPER BIRD FEEDER from Homeschool Antics

39.                         GO ON A SCAVENGER HUNT

40.                         MAKE A MILK JUG BALL CATCHER found on Lakeshore Learning

41.                         DO AN ICE EXCAVATION ACTIVITY found on Gluesticks

42.                         GO BOWLING

43.                         WATCH THE SUNRISE

44.                         MAKE AN OUTDOOR TENT FORT

45.                         MAKE A BACKYARD WATER PARK

46.                         MAKE TRAIL MIX

47.                         GO TO THE PARK

48.                         PLAY MINI GOLF

49.                         VISIT A CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

50.                         SWING IN A HAMMOCK

What are you doing this summer?

Thanks for stopping by!

Christina

thredUP

 

Are you a thrifty mom or dad?  Do you have a hard time paying $10, $20, or $30 for something your kid is only going to outgrow in a few months?

 

Would you like to earn money by selling your kids gentle used clothes?

 

If you answered yes to any of these questions then I might have the sight for you.  I am in love with this site called thredUP.  They buy and sell gently used kid's clothes.  I fell in love with this company about a year ago.  And to me they have only gotten better with time.  They just recently also started buying and selling gently used or new Women's clothes.  I know right it does not get better than that.  I am not embarrassed to say that I buy gently used clothes for my kids and myself all the time.  And it works out great.  I am always so proud of my finds and always seem to get so many complements on them.  I highly recommend thredUP.com they have been a true blessing to me.  You can check them out by clicking on the picture below.  Do you have any stores that you really like?  I would love to hear from you!

 

Christina

 

 

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.  By clicking on the link and purchasing from the site, I will receive a small commission.

Stocking Up for Summer at the Dollar Store

    Summer is quickly approaching and the kids will be done school soon.  Princess finished school last week.  Depending on what you have planned to do with your kids this summer, it can become quite expensive.  That is when I turn to my trusty Dollar Tree.  Now you may not be able to get everything, but you can still get a decent amount of stuff.   They have everything from picnic supplies to pool noodles, and arts and crafts supplies.    A lot of what I got coincides with my Summer Bucket list here.  Here is what I was able to get on my trip on Sunday to the Dollar Tree.

                          Water Balls - these are great for in the pool or for water fights.

                                                Water Guns - another fun item for water fights.

                   Water Blasters - These are like water guns, but much easier for little ones.

Water Catchers

             Fishing Fun - I plan on putting the fish in our baby pool and letting the kids have fun with it.

Kites - I know there is only 1 in the picture, but the package came with 2 kites.

Bug Kits

Craft Sticks - The package says craft sticks they are actually just popsicle sticks.

Safety Scissors

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Pooh's Number Match

Crayons

Scribble Pad

Glow Sticks - These came in fun shapes, but they have regular glow sticks there also.

 

That is what I got on my most recent trip to the Dollar store.  Where do you go to stock up for summer?  I would love to hear from you!

 

 

 

Christina

 

Swagbucks

 I have written before about different sites that you can earn a little something extra from. Well today I have another one for you.  Swagbucks is a site that you can earn points for doing things like answering surveys, answering poll questions, watching videos, surfing the internet, and even shopping.  The points you earn can be redeemed for merchandise and gift cards.  So far I have earned 4 or 5 gift cards from them.  So if you want to earn a little something extra, go ahead and check them out.  You can check them out by clicking the link here.

 

Happy Earning!

 

Christina


Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link. By clicking on the link and purchasing from the site, I will receive a small commission.

Recyclebank

 

If you are someone who is about living green and want to earn a little for doing it. Then I would recommend Recyclebank. It is a site where they teach you about different areas of going green. You can earn points for pledging to do different green actions. Once you earn enough points you can redeem them for magazine subscriptions, gift cards, and coupons. I have been doing it a little over a year and have already earned numerous magazine subscriptions, coupons, and a gift card. You can check them out here.

15 Uses for Diaper Cloths

You ever wonder what to do with cloth diapers after your kids are too old for them? I have a ton of diaper cloths that I received as hand me downs, or on my baby shower cloth diaper cake.  I never knew what to do with them. So one day I was racking my brain of what I could do with them. That is when I started to come up with all sorts of things to do with them.  Below is a list I have compiled of different uses for diaper cloths.

1. Fold one in half and use it as a hot pad for setting hot dishes on.

2. For the rectangle ones. You can let your kids color on them with permanent marker. Then turn them in to cloth place mats. Or if you are feeling really creative make your own art creation on them and use them as place mats.

3. Use them as a dish rag and dry dishes with them.

4. For that matter you could use them to wipe down the counters

5. Wipe up spills. I use them all the time for cleaning up after my kids spill stuff.

6. Wipe out your microwave.

7. Wash windows with them.

8. Wash mirrors with them.

9. Wipe down your sinks with them.

10. Use them as dust cloths

11. Use them for art project cleanup

12. Wipe down your toilets with them.

13. Wipe down your kids toys with them.

14. Use them for blotting stains out of laundry.

15. Turn them into hand towels for your kids.

These are just some uses that I came up with for diaper cloths. I am sure there endless possibilities with just a little creative thinking.

15 Uses for White Vinegar

  I love cleaning with White Vinegar.  There are so many things you can clean with it.  I mainly use a solution of equal parts vinegar and water.  But there are things that you can clean with just White Vinegar as well.  I decided though that I was going to come up with a list of 15 things that can be cleaned with White Vinegar.

Water and Vinegar
1. Clean your window blinds
2. Clean your kitchen counters
3. Clean the top of your stove
4. Clean your fridge inside and out.
5. Steam clean your microwave.
6. Clean your mirrors
7. Clean windows
8. Clean the inside and outside of your washer
9. Clean the outside of your dryer
10. Spray it on stains when doing laundry
11. Clean a coffee maker
12. Clean your sink

Vinegar
13. Use it to deodorize things such as plastic containers, laundry, and shoes.
14. Spray it on weeds to kill them.
15. Use it to remove the glue from stickers or decals.

There are many more uses for White Vinegar.  These are just some of the ones I could come up with off of the top of my head.

Living on less

   In a time were a lot of people are living on such tight budgets.  I find myself constantly reminding myself to stick to the budget.  Which means sticking to the necessities.  While most of the time this is not a problem.  I do find myself at times wishing for more.  Wanting more then we have.  When in reality I should just feel blessed for what we do have. Below is a link to a video from Comcast of a family of 4 that lives on $14,000 a year.  And they are happy.  I find this family to be truly inspirational.  In teaching me how to live within my families means and be truly happy with it.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/family-of-4-lives-comfortably-on-14000-per-year/21126723945/?cid=hero_sf

Tip of the Day

  As I have said before I love free products. I also love coupons, and that feeling you get when you watch your grocery bill come down. If you are anything like me, you may want to check out the P & G site here.  They have nice articles to read.  They offer coupons to print.  They also have quarterly free samples, and coupons that you can receive in the mail.  The quarterly offer is usually about 5 or 6 free sample plus a coupon book.  I love this site and have been able to save a lot on groceries through it. So go ahead check it our here.  If you like them, and you want to be able to get even more coupons in the mail.  Or just want to read more articles.  Then I would also recommend checking out Home made simple.  Which is a part of the P & G family.



I was going to include a picture of my coupon books, but I am having camera difficulties.  If  you just bare with me, more photos will be coming soon.  My camera was stolen and I can not seem to figure out how to use my web cam.  I thank you for your patience.  Since I could not take a picture of my coupon books.  I am instead including a picture of Princess.  Hope you enjoy!

Christina

Free Stuff

     So you know that saying, "The best things and life are free".   I used to say that nothing was ever free.   That everything comes at a cost.  Well I now have come to realize that I was wrong.  Some of the best things in life really are free.  For example in the North East where I am at, in the summer time certain parks have free movies in the evenings.  Some of the parks have free concerts.  Last year I stumbled upon a website called My Free Product Samples (you can check it our here). Since that day when I stumbled across this site I have gotten tons of free stuff.  I have gotten anything from free shampoo samples, and bath products, too free food.  That is right I said free food.  This site in a way changed my life.  It is not easy trying to get by on one income, and every little bit helps. So if you are curious make sure you check out the site myfreeproductsamples.com

Here are some pictures of some of the samples that I have recieved.  These are mainly just beauty product ones.  The food ones do not last long in my house.