This post is sponsored by the J.M. Smucker company through a campaign with Sverve. All opinions expressed are 100% my own. If you haven't figured out from my Instagram feed, my family has been spending a TON of time on our boat this summer. It's our first year getting a slip at a marina vs trailering it and we have not regretted the decision. This year, in addition to every weekend, we spent two full weeks on our boat on the river. The first week was at the beginning of the summer where we camped on an island for 3 days, the second week was two weeks ago where we traveled up and down the river. More to come on that later... So how do I prepare for all this time on the river? I head to Walmart! It has become my SNACKATION Destination! Walmart, along with the J.M. Smucker company have some great options for snacks that aren't your usual chips and cookies (which my girls get easily tired of). On our list of SNACKATION snacks we include Jif To Go Dippers and Jif Chocolate … [Read more...]
Floating Ball Activity
I saw this floating ball activity on Pinterest a few months ago and thought my girls might think it was fun. The instructions on how to make/do this activity can be found on All For The Boys. For our circle we traced a CD and for our ball we used tin foil. To be honest, my girls were not as impressed with the floating ball activity as I thought they would be. Playing with it lasted all of maybe 10 minutes before they got bored with it and gave up. I'm not sure if they just plain ole didn't like it or if they thought it was too hard. I gave it a try and it is DEFINITELY harder than it looks! Unless you have a strong yet steady breath, the ball ends up either falling out of the cone more often than staying in or it just moved around inside the cone instead of hovering over it. I'm guessing that's really the whole point of the floating ball activity but my girls thought it was "lame". Maybe had it been bit easier we would have gotten more positive feedback. Oh … [Read more...]
10 Back To School Planning Tips
If you haven't figured it out from the signs and supplies in the stores, commercials all over TV, and ads plastered everywhere, we've started back-to-school time. In honor of this time of year, I've come up with 10 back to school planning tips. These aren't your normal back to school planning tips though...hint, buy a bottle of wine! 1) Assess the clothes situation Go through all your kids clothes to see what they have for this coming school year. Learn that one or more of your children has had a growth spurt sometime this summer and you have to buy an entirely new wardrobe. 2) Drink a glass of wine 3) Assess the supply situation Go through the school supply list you received from your child's teacher and assess what you can reuse and what you have to buy. Argue with your child that their backpack and lunch box from last year ARE good enough to use again this year. Realize that you have to buy the rest of the school supplies. Go to multiple stores looking for yellow folders only … [Read more...]
Then & Now: Kemps State Fair Photo Contest
I received compensation for help in promoting this contest. The Minnesota State Fair, aka The Great Minnesota Get Together, has been part of Minnesota tradition since 1859 (a year after Minnesota was granted statehood). In it's present location since 1885, the Minnesota State Fair now features 320 acres of food and fun; and is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance boasting upwards of 200,00 attendees a day! Just like the state fair, Kemps has also been a Minnesota tradition for generations. From it's beginnings as a small creamery in Southeastern Minnesota in 1914, to operating six manufacturing facilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin with over 1,200 employees, Kemps delights families with their milk, ice cream and milk products. To celebrate special family memories and to create memories that will stick with families for years to come, Kemps has come up with the ‘Then & Now: Kemps State Fair Photo Contest’. Rich in history and the … [Read more...]
DIY CD Spinning “Tops”
I saw these DIY CD spinning "tops" on Pinterest a while ago and thought they'd be fun for my girls to make. Unfortunately, the pin did not lead to the site from which the photo came, so I can't credit the original idea. My girls' first response when I told them what we were going to do, was "um, lame mom." I told the girls to give these tops a chance, they just might like them... Not only did the girls like these CD spinning tops, they each made TWO of them! You can see their reactions in the video below. To make your own DIY CD spinning tops, you'll need: Old cds bottle tops (from things such as water bottles) marbles paint hot glue gun with glue 1) Start by painting one side of the CD. You can paint them however you want but bigger designs, such as chunks of color, work better. 2) Once the paint is dry, glue the bottle top onto the center of the cd on the painted side. 3) Flip the CD over to the unpainted side and glue the marble into the center … [Read more...]
6 Tips for Bath Time Made Easy #ad
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sterling for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. With two kids and two dogs my bathtub gets a lot of use! The girls take baths every other day (or daily depending on what we've done) and the dogs are bathed at least once a week in the summer because we spend time at the river. My girls still need a little help with shampoo and conditioner and obviously my dogs can't bathe themselves. That means I spend a lot of time leaning over the bathtub. Ugh. Not only it is uncomfortable for my back to be leaning over the tub, it's also uncomfortable for my arms. Hard shower door tracks hurt my arms and leave marks that take a while to go away. Sterling knows that's an issue for more than just me so they came up with Sterling shower doors with ComforTrack technology. ComforTrack’s flexible bottom track supports the shower door’s glide while the cushioned threshold bends under pressure, allowing the user to kneel, sit, or lean on the track … [Read more...]
