Things To Do With The Kids In The Summer

Yesterday I caught myself longing for the fall and winter holidays to hurry up and arrive. Then I realized, incredulously, that I was actually wishing our beautiful summer away! What on Earth was I thinking?


Then it dawned on me... all of our special family events, that we look forward to most, happen in the later half of the year! We have a few occasions we celebrate in spring but nothing (NOTHING!!!) during the summer time! Yes, the summer could have simply drifted right by, without us making the most of it.

We needed to take some action and come up with a plan...and quickly! My husband and I gathered our boy and began to brainstorm ways to enrich our long summer days...

A Camping Weekend

As city folks, there is nothing like the satisfaction you glean from making a meal over a campfire that you built yourself. Add to that nature walks, roasting marshmallows and sleeping under the stars and you have yourself the perfect mini outdoor family adventure. We definitely have intentions to do more of this!

Star Gazing

Our city observatory holds public star gazing nights in the evenings throughout the summer months, during which time a group of amateur (and professional) astronomers bring their telescopes and set them up for all to come and gaze upon the heavens above. We ventured out there one night, on a whim, and had an amazing experience viewing the Moon, Saturn and Venus all close up! We now intend to make this a regular summer activity.

Beach and Park Picnics

Good friends, good food, great conversation and plenty of sunshine. Need I say more!

Summer Movie Night

Outdoor, indoor or at home, wherever we end up doing it we want to make it a really special event for us. A summer movie night where we pull out all the stops. Popcorn, blankets, cushions, a little Cab Sav (for the grown-ups), apple juice for the little one and a family movie.

Homemade Lemonade Weekends

We started doing this almost by accident. I made a few food recipes that required lemon peel as an ingredient. With plenty of lemons left over, I decided to make some traditional lemonade. Now the whole family is hooked on the stuff! It’s a sweet treat that takes a little time to make (and plenty of elbow work doing the squeezing!) so we save it just for the weekends.

Donation / Yard Sale Day

We always have a big clear out during the summer months. Any toys, games, shoes or clothes that don't fit, are no longer played with, or are not used, we donate, sell, throw out or recycle. Now we will have a specific day where we clear out our "trash" in the hopes that it will become "treasure" for someone else.

Flag Week

In our search for summer events we stumbled upon "Flag Day" a date celebrated on June 14th, where America shows respect for the American Flag. Now, here's a fabulous opportunity to teach our son about the country of his birth! But why not extend this and make it part of a larger, week long, celebration of our family's whole heritage and diverse culture?

Our family comes together as one big melting pot of nations... America, England, Ireland, Italy and Trinidad. That's five flags! What better way to learn more about each place, and their individual customs, than by assigning a day for each country, where we learn about its food, events, history and tradition. For example, the Queen's official birthday also falls around "Flag Week" (on the 1st or 2nd Saturday in June) so we could include a tip of the hat to Her Majesty on our English Day, raise the Union Jack, and celebrate with tea, scones and a walk around a rose garden.

Independence Day (4th July)

As a Brit living in America, it probably seems odd that I celebrate Independence Day (given that it was generated to commemorate the Americans being freed from the British). But having an American son and husband makes the date an important one for our family. We will probably spend our day doing the customary practice of hot dog eating, BBQ-ing, firework watching and spending quality time with family and friends. We hope that you will be doing much the same.

So that's it for our summer planning. May our days be long, lazy and filled with events we will remember and enjoy for years. Whatever you choose to do this summer, have fun, take care and enjoy!

MSTTF

Story telling in pictures

A construction worker is building a city.
He is connecting his digger to his stuck dump truck, so that he can tow it out of the mud.

My son’s pictures always have a narrative.

I had not noticed it myself, until a dear friend pointed this out to me. Now, I see it in every painting he does.

Passengers wait for the train by the train tracks, but the signal is broken and the train has derailed

He never draws just a train, or just a car. The train always has a tale. It’s either going to a station to pick up passengers for a vacation. Late to pick up some freight or, his favorite, derailed and needing a crane to lift it up.

Painting of a trip to the beach where the ocean is hungry and decides to eat up all the sandcastles

Perhaps he tells stories because both my husband and I are (by occupation) story tellers and he is exposed to it? Maybe it’s in his genes? Maybe all three year old kids do this? I have no idea. Whatever it is, his art of weaving a yarn into a picture is undeniable.

I love that his stories often reflect the places we’ve been to, or the activities we have been up too.

This is a picture of a recent camping trip we went on. Our tent is in the middle and then those red dots surrounding are the footprints of squirrels and birds creeping up to eat our food (this actually was not far from the truth!). The red line at the bottom is not a fence, but a railway track "used by the train that brought us here". In reality we actually drove... thankfully, I guess given his fondness towards derailment!

The world through a child's eyes is indeed a magical place.

MSTTF

Fathers Day Surprise Lucky Dip Gift Box

So, as usual, time caught up with me and I found myself dashing around today trying to come up with a creative, personal gift for my husband for Father’s Day. Just as I was starting to panic this idea came to me, in lightning bolt fashion, while I was taking a shower. Funny how that happens, eh?!

Say hello to my...
Fathers Day Surprise Lucky Dip Gift Box!

It’s bright, fun and interactive too!

You can make it as personal as you like, and fill it with whatever goodies that you think daddy's heart would desire. Just make sure that you can fit them in the opening of the box and get them out too! Here's a little look at what I stocked up my husband's Surprise Lucky Dip Box with....

Colorful lollipops, toys and trinkets from our local vintage store, as he just LOVES retro items

Color coordinated plastic eggs, with homemade heart shaped notes inside. Each note is a little gift token (e.g. on the back they say wishes like "a ten minute back massage", "five kisses," "one tickle"). Oh well, shucks, you get the idea!

For my own father I would obviously change these to be appropriate for him - most would inevitably read "a nice cup of tea" (what can I say - he's a Brit!). You could also include key rings and other small items that can fit inside the eggs.

I added little paper cards, made out of matching paper.
Each paper card holds a gift card. These don't have to be expensive.
A $5 gift card from your local ice-cream, or coffee, shop makes a great gift.

And don't forget to get your kids involved too. My son picked out some retro toys for his dad to include in the box. Check out the "realistic" lizard and rubber King Kong.

Before the big day arrives, we'll be adding movie tickets, drawings and a Fathers Day card all made by my son and probably some other bits and bobs too. On Father's Day, dad can just pull out surprise after surprise throughout the day. It really is the gift that keeps on giving!

Want to make one yourself? Click here to see how it's done.

So all that's left is to wish my own dear wonderful dad, my fantastic father-in-law and my amazingly brilliant husband a great day! I love you all dearly.

And to all you papa's out there...
Happy Fathers Day

MSTTF

My Sub Makes: Surprise Lucky Dip Gift Box

This idea is both a way to present gifts, and a gift itself!

It's a box that holds little surprises and hidden treats that are only revealed when you plunge in and pull one out.

I made one of these Surprise Lucky Dip Gift Boxes for my husband, for Father's Day, but you could potentially use this box for many different occasions and purposes. How about...

1) Redecorating the box for another occasion? (e.g. fill it with candy for Halloween, Valentine wishes, or Holiday family gift lists).

2) Make the weekly chores fun? Put your weekly to-do list on note cards and pop them in the box. Get the kids involved by making them responsible for the task on the card that they pull out.

3) Make a decision box? (fill it with lists of books you want to read, or ambitions you want to achieve - let the box decide which you'll tackle first).

Want to make your own Surprise Lucky Dip gift box?
Here's how....

First you'll need a box! Now, the size of this box is up to you. It will primarily depend on the size (and amount) of gifts you want to put inside the box. I went for this mid-sized diaper box.

Next, you will need an empty instant oatmeal tub. Put the tub in the center of the closed box and draw a circle around it, on to the box. Make sure you draw around the bottom of the oatmeal tub (not the top) as it is smaller at the bottom. The top of the oatmeal tub has a lip and cover that you will be using later on.

Carefully cut out the circle you have drawn on the box, leaving a hole. It is important that you don't make this hole any bigger than the circle you have drawn. Test it by sliding the oatmeal tub into it. It should slip into the hole and then the lip of the oatmeal tub should catch on to the rim of the hole (not fall through).

Ok, on to the next stage. You'll need something to line the inside of the box with. This lining is what holds the gifts snug inside. I literally took an old (clean) duvet cover out of our closet and cut it up. You can use any soft fabric (or even a plastic bag trash bag if you don't have anything else available).

Drape the cloth inside the box.
Then fix it in place by sticking it to the outside of the box lid with masking tape.

The aim here is to make sure it is securely attached. Yes, it looks a mess, but it will be covered up eventually, so don't worry about it. Do ensure that you keep the shape of the hole in the center of the box, while you are taping down the cloth though.

Take another rectangular piece of cloth and lay it across the top of the box, covering the hole.

Cut a new hole in the center of this piece of cloth, just slightly smaller than the one below it.
Set this aside for the moment.

Now take the oatmeal tub and measure roughly three inches from the lip at the top of the tub. Cut it straight across and discard the lower portion of the tub.

Wrap masking tape at the top (just under the lip of the tub) and along the bottom edge where you cut. (Note: The tape helps to hold the tub in place in the box and also covers up the rough edges at the bottom of the tub).

Now push the tub into the hole in the box. The lip on the tub should sit on top of the rim of the hole and hold the tub in place (see below).

Once the tub is in place you can pull the cloth taut and tape it down to the outside of the box.

Next you need to cover the box. Gift wrap is best for this. I used some brown wrapping paper I had stashed away. Start with the bottom of the box. Again I just used masking tape to hold it in place.


For the sides I took more care as I couldn't use tape because it would show. I opted for Mod Podge glue instead (my favorite!).

I liberally covered the sides with glue and then used paper until the whole box had been wrapped. With the outside complete all that was left was to decorate.

This is the part where you can personalize your gift box the most. Use paper, ribbons, paint, stickers.. whatever you like that will ensure a smile from the gift recipient.

I opted to use this circus decorative paper (mainly as it was what I had on hand). I coupled it with matching white and red ribbon.

I decorated the sides of the box and also the cover of the oatmeal tub (see above). I made a couple of tags to write the recipient's name on (in this case my husband) and wrote a message too. I attached them to the top of the box.

Then came the fun part of filling the box with surprises and treats. For ideas of what you can include in your gift box you can check out my Father's Day post .

But remember that YOUR gift box should be personal to YOU and your loved ones. So think about them when you consider the decor on the outside and the hidden treasures on the inside.

If you do try your hand at this project yourself, please send me photos! I would love to see what you come up with. Or let me know if you have any more cool ideas about what you would use your surprise lucky dip gift box for. Until then....

Happy crafting!
MSTTF

Outdoor Venture: Lake Shrine

I want to introduce you to a magical place. A quiet place. A place of peace and tranquility.

Come walk with me.
Let us stroll along the lake side and breathe in the delicately scented flowers.

Let us listen to the waterfalls as they cascade over slippery rocks

And let us wander the paths of sun kissed, rose gardens together.

Where is this place?
This calm and gentle corner.

Travel as far as you can west before you fall into the great Pacific ocean and you'll find this inspirational nook, hidden away from the street.

The name of this slice of heaven?
Lake Shrine

As the label suggests, it is a lake and a temple. A place of mediation for all to come and sit, imagine, think, reflect or pray.

It is assigned to no one religion, in fact it has iconography from many different religions dotted about its gardens. So whether you follow a particular faith, or none at all, this is a place where you can...

Be alone with your thoughts.
Be able to breathe.
Or simply just... be.

I'd like to say that I come here often, but I do not. My hectic life does not always allow me such pleasures. So when I need to escape the noise, the chaos and the bustle, I simply revisit this place in my photographs, my drawings and my dreams.

As a mother to a wonderful but very noisy and active toddler, this is a place whose serenity I can fully appreciate.
I hope now that you can too.

Happy Ventures!

MSTTF