5.18.2013

Summer Camp At Home



I love Summer with my kids!! So each summer I try to come up with creative, active ways for my children to have a great time!! I was searching around on Pinterest and I read this post about Summer Camp At Home, it was such a fun idea so I decided to run with it. You can see the original post I read here

Our Summer Camp is broken down into themes and weeks. We have a few friends & family who will be joining us (here and there) for some of our activities and we are very excited about that!! Summer Camp will run from Monday, June 3rd - Thursday, July 25th (Mainly on Monday's - Thursday's) with breaks for vacations, special trips, holidays, birthday parties, Bible School and much more!! Starting after our first week I will begin blogging about our Summer Camp and give you a weekly breakdown! Below is a list of our themes along with a few ideas! Hope you enjoy!!


Week 1 - OUTDOOR FUN!
Sun melted crayon art, visit a local playground, picnic, grilling,
bike riding, swimming, making garden stones, hiking,
cupcakes, frozen finger paint, mud kitchen, 
giant bubbles, flashlight tag

Week 2 - GOD'S CREATURES!
Noah's 6th Birthday, trip to the zoo, create an animal world, 
underwater scope, animal tracks, catch lighting bugs, 
worm hotel

Week 3 - WATER PLAY!
water guns, super soaker ball, pool party, 
slip-n-slide, summer slushies, paint ice blocks,
bubble snakes, picnic, water pinatas

Week 4 - THE GREAT OUTDOORS!
camping, fishing, nature paint, 
scavenger hunt, smores

Week 5 - AMERICA, THE BEAUTIFUL!
4th of July, fireworks, cookout with games,
tie-dyed shirts, play rockets, 
windsock, fizzing fireworks, yard sale

Week 6 - SOARING INTO FLIGHT!
kites, visit airport, build a rocket,
hot air balloon, science experiments, 
catapults

Week 7 - BE CREATIVE!
tie dyed shirts with glue, make sidewalk chalk,
rainbow pour paint, leaf prints,
gummy bear pops, vegetable dye, candy necklaces, 
homemade lava lamp, pottery making, 
trip to the art center

Week 8 - ROCK ON!
treasure rocks, rock painting, fossil rocks,
rock hunting and collecting, fun at the park,
rock monsters, crayon hot rocks,
visit the caverns


I know we are going to have so much fun!!!! 

You can see some of our ideas on my pinterest boards here!

5.16.2013

Goodbye Cleaning Day!!

I have always been one of those people who like structure... neatness... I loved having a clean house.. I needed to have a clean house. So each week came the dread of that lingering day hanging over my head...... Cleaning Day! One day during the week (Monday was my chosen day) I would spend the majority of my day cleaning my house. After I started homeschooling my boys it had became such a rigorous chore that I started to look for other options. Not a house cleaner... even though that would have been nice, lol! I started to search and talk to others about how they keep their home clean. I'm happy to say after 10 years of marriage I have FINALLY found an easier way to keep my own sanity and my home looking great!!! 

Being the obsessive "schedule/list" woman that I am (and with much needed help from pinterest, lol!) I have came up with a great daily/weekly schedule for our home! So I thought I would share!

~ Note to readers:: Please don't misunderstand, my home is not show room perfect by no means... but it's close and I'm happy!! My floors are clean, toys get picked up at the end of the day, books get put away, kids and husband are happy and taken care of, dishes are washed, beds are made and most importantly it only takes me around 30 minutes a day to complete my chores!! And if I skip a day... so be it, I tried... the imperfections can take their proper place.

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Daily

Morning - Make Beds (My children make their own)
               Empty dishwasher
               Wipe down bathroom sink/toilet 

Night - Load dishwasher
           Wipe down kitchen counter
           Take out trash (chore for the kids)
           Quick sweep of kitchen/living room
           Quick mop (if needed)
           Declutter living areas (Pick up basket, place objects inside and everyone puts them in their proper place sometime soon!)
           Chore of the day (see below)

Weekly

MONDAY - Deep vacuum/mop floors
TUESDAY - Clean mirrors/windows, change sheets
WEDNESDAY - Dust furniture
THURSDAY - Scrub toilets, sinks, tubs
FRIDAY - Swing Day (see below)

Swing Days

(1) Wipe down all cabinets, disinfect doorknobs and waste baskets
(2) Scrub oven, microwave and fridge
(3) Wipe down all walls, moldings and doors (if needed)
(4) Wash bathroom and living room rugs 

~I also have a monthly and yearly list made for bigger projects~

Hope this helps someone out there and didn't bore readers too much, lol!!


Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things