The First Week Of Summer Break Chaos

Is it just me or does the first week of summer break with the kids feel like utter chaos? As the school year lingers on in the last few months we all anticipate summer break. We prepare and plan our family vacation along with other fun summer activities. Although little do I always tend to remember the utter chaos during the first week of summer break.

What chaos is it that I am speaking of? Some of you may be sitting her nodding your heads with me. I think a lot of us go through this at first until we get back into swing of summer routine.

During the school year our oldest two Daughters attend full time. Our youngest is still home with me during the day with me while I home school her preschool.

Now onto the first week of that chaos that stormed through our house.

Bedtimes were lifted. Warm weather and sunshine anchored in. The sandbox was built. Sleeping in for the girls was not yet a thing. Days turned into nights making us lose track of time. Though really who cared because it was summer break and we just wanted to be free from strict structure. Before we knew it....it would be 9:00PM and the girls would be playing on their swing set while we sat on the patio enjoying the fresh summer breeze....

All turning into the first week of summer break chaos. The ever so moody Daughters from staying up later than usual. The dirt and sand on the floors tracked through out the house from the girls running in and out all day long. Neighborhood friends hanging out. Dirt faces and muddy feet bare feet because whatever happened to shoes during the summer? Toys scattered through out the house as if it is the girls new make shift toy room during the day hours. Lu
nch time is on the go as they run out the door. The craziness of summer has officially arrived.

Well that was what I encountered our first week of summer. It felt like chaos until our summer routine finally settled in. Now we are officially adjusted to summer break....yay!

We are all sleeping in with our lifted nightly bedtimes. I am once again reminded that summer break and my OCD don't mix well and I just learn to cope sit back and relax myself as a Mother. After all summer break is a great way to learn to deal with OCD....Ha ha! And when we get stir crazy or I do...we head out to my parents and visit the cows.

Pinch Me- Is It Already Summer Break?

As I lay in bed this morning listening to the wild turkeys gobbling, the sun shinning in the window and all three girls snuggled in bed with me I thought to myself..." pinch me is it already summer break?!"

You mean I don't have to rush and hear myself repeat the phrase three times every morning..." girls hurry you have 10 minutes before we have to walk out the door or we'll be late!" I can actually get a break from the UN so thrilling school drop-off and pick-up lanes? I don't have to be the strict warrior Mom about bedtimes for a few months?!

Here is to summer break with dirt covered toes, Popsicle covered faces and the neighborhood filled with the sound of children's voices coming from every which direction. Ah summer have I ever so missed you.

Here is to being able to enjoy my first hot cup of coffee on the comfort of my own front porch in the mornings. Along with late night bedtimes and hopes of sleeping in. That is if the early morning riser doesn't wake everyone up.

Lastly...here is to no schedule and to saying no less often and yes more often. Hello summer!

Don't get my wrong I enjoy the school year and think school is great for our Daughters...but I sure do love them being home with me and being able to spend quality time with our girls. 

What do you look forward to about summer break as a Mom, Dad or maybe not even as a parent? 

My Adult Summer Bucket List

Last summer I wasn't really able to enjoy it. I spent the good first half in pain and many Doctor appointments. Or literally crawling on our floor, in tears just wanting to be pain free so I could be the Mom and Wife I needed to be. If you follow Three Sisters and Us you already know the journey I have been through the past phew years. Here is a post where I speak a little about my journey; To The Mother In This Photo.

Since I have now been gluten free for about 8 week, pain free, the Mom I use to be and Wife...I came up with this brilliant idea to make myself an adult summer bucket list since I missed out last summer. I missed out on beach days with my family, camping trips, vacations, cook outs with friends, date nights with my Husband, going on walks with my Daughters, pretty much anything last summer I missed out on. Therefore this summer we are making up for it!

1. Take a family vacation. This one is already going to get checked off. We are taking a family vacation up to Mackinaw City. We are going to stay in a hotel on the beach over looking the great lake and Mackinaw Island. The girls have been counting down the days. So have I!
2. Take a weekend camping trip. Hopefully this year this will be in Gods plans. We just love camping so much. 
3. Multiple beach days. Since we live about 30 minutes from the beach it's not hard to have a fun beach day. Usually we get out to Lake Michigan a good handful of times through out the summer months. 
4. Date nights to the beach with my Husband. I am happy to say we already made this happen once this spring. But It was a tad chilly. I would like to go again when it is warmer. 
5. Learn to make my own sun tea. I have grown to love all kinds of tea now. We have a great front porch for this. 
6. Attend Grand Rapids, MI's Movie in the park. We never were able to go last summer. This would be neat for a date night and a family outing. Depending on which movie is playing.
7. Take the whole family to the drive in movie. West Michigan still have two around. Again I wanted to go to one last summer. And again...we never made it with my surgery and all.
8. Go on more picnics.  What is a better way than to spend as a family than on a picnic?! Just keep the ants away please. 
9. Go to the parades. Last summer I missed them due to the pain I was in and not being able to walk too much. And of course recovering from surgery. Boo! 
10. Get over my fear of thunderstorms and wind.  Ever since our tornado I am afraid of storms and wind. I would like to be able to enjoy them again. I shake like a little school girl. Of course I hide that from my Daughters since I know their afraid of them now too. I have to be that somehow brave Mom. 
11. Finish DIY projects. I am finally almost 100% pain free and can now help my Husband on our DIY home! 
12. Work in my Garden. Oh how I missed my garden last summer.
13. Visit a real big farm on a tour.
14. Take a crafting class. I want to learn to do more in depth knitting and crafts.
15. Attend some blog and writing conferences. I really want to grow my knowledge. 

What are on some of your summer bucket list?

 Are you headed some where for a family vacation?

Our Top Five (free) Favorite Summer Activities

It's officially the middle of summer and wow does it feel as if it's flying.

As a Mom I know first hand that the summer can get a tad bit pricey. We want to everything we possibly can with our kids and get out of the house any chance we get. Especially being a Michigander the last thing you want to have is cabin fever all over again during the nice spring and summer months after you have been cooped up all winter long. Even more so if you are me and your Daughters are not a fan of playing out in the cold snow.

That's when I thought I would share our top five favorite free things we enjoy doing during the summer.

Top Five Free Summer Activities

1. Going to a local parks splash pad. (My Daughters love the splash pads. They are like a giant sprinkler but ten times better.)

2. Going to the local library. (My Daughters love to go check out books for free. Ours even has story time and crafts. Check yours out!) 

3. The beach. (who doesn't love the beach? Check for a free beach near you. We are blessed with the great lakes.)

4. Local Parks. (Find a park with a playground near you. Or even a schools playground.) 

5. Playing with Friends. (My Daughters love their play dates and neighborhood friends. They enjoy campfires and just a good time with friends that involve summer fun.) 

What are some of your favorite summer activities to do with your kids?

Congratulations!!

The winner of the STICKY BELLIES giveaway is: Rachel @mywholesomehome 

You have 24 hours to Email me (Kaitlyn) @ kaitlynhoff3@gmail.com to claim your prize!

The Best Homemade Popsicles

One of the best parts of enjoying summer as a child are the Popsicles. Am I right?  As a Mom you know it's summer if you take your child with you grocery shopping and you hit the Popsicle isle. As a Mom I feel like I hit a jack pot if there on sale 2 for $5. 

That was till the other week. We decided we should make our own Popsicles. How hard could it possibly be. I have passed by those glamorized DIY ideas on pinterest because lets be honest, I like simple.

Therefore the girls and I headed out to the store and bought some fun character ice trays, Popsicle sticks, orange juice and our favorite strawberry pro biotic smoothie. The best part about these homemade Popsicles are...

• They are the perfect size for all ages. Even the youngsters like my 2 year old Daughter. 
• They are quick to make and simple.
• Cost effective
• You can pick out your choice of juice. May it be organic, a  pro biotic smoothie drink, you get my drift.
• You can make a lot of Popsicles if you prefer if you buy a bottle of juice. This is why it's cost effective. 

How To Make Homemade Popsicles

1. Buy all your supplies. Juice, ice tray, and Popsicle sticks.
2. Pour the juice into the ice tray and place into your freezer for about 5-10 minutes. Or until the juice is halfway hard.
3. Slowly and carefully place the Popsicle sticks into the middle of each halfway frozen Popsicles. 
4. Leave in freezer till they are completely frozen. I have noticed juice freezes quicker. They should be ready within an hour or two. 
5. Be careful removing the Popsicles. Remove them just as you would an ice cube. 
6. Most importantly...enjoy!

How To Throw A Summer Party!

What is better than to bring in the first day of summer with a "end of school year"/ "beginning of summer" party"?  Therefore that is exactly what we did for our oldest Daughter. It was a ton of fun and filled with so much excitement. She invited her close friends from her class at school. The party was like their, until next school year. 

With that being said here are some insider tips how to throw a summer party. I like to keep things simple and low cost. 

How To Throw A Summer Party

1.Plan: Plan out your guest list first. Next plan out what style party, food and the decorations. Remember your party can be simple and low cost and still look great, it just may take a few extra steps. Therefore plan ahead of time.

2. Food: Hot dogs are a great main course. Make it even more unique by roasting them over a fire. Each child roasted their own hot dog at the party. Watermelon is always a hit. You may cut them into triangles and simply add a Popsicle stick. Kids will love them. For dessert roast s'mores over the fire. It's fun and a great way to kick off summer and kids really love s'mores, who doesn't?

3.DIY: When I talk about keeping it low cost that is where I am talking about planning ahead. Make your own decorations. Visit your local Dollar Tree store. In the pictures below I made my own party banner. I purchased almost all my summer party supplies from our local Dollar Tree store. The Green bucket worked great to serve the chips in. I used the small purples buckets for the s'mores and silverware, which by the way came in a pack of 4/$1.  I already had the cups from my kitchen that I had recycled from the past. 

4.Games: Kids love playing games. At our Daughter Ev's age they pretty much entertained themselves though. Can't complain.  We played soccer in the backyard, the camp fire was a total hit and took up a lot of the time, at this age they enjoyed chatting with each other. On the other hand some fun games are...

Bing bang toss, Hanging a pinata from the tree, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, painting, crafts, etc. 

5: Do not over do yourself. Remember you do not have to prove anything. 

 The DIY party banner

 S'mores are great for a summer party or get together. 

Watermelon on sticks are perfect for little fingers and make less mess.

                                         

What are you doing to celebrate the your summer? 

50+ Sumer Bucket List For Family And Kids!

Summer break is officially here. School is out and soon enough our kids will be saying those famous words, "I'm bored." This summer as a SAHM I decided to come up with my own list with my two older Daughters help. Before we knew had already had over fifty ideas for all of us to do as a family and for them to do to keep busy.

Most of these ideas are pretty simple. A few would be great to maybe even make a weekend trip or a day trip. Some are education. A few may even get those smart brains rolling inside along with their creativeness. Of course You cannot forget to add in some kindness and volunteer. Feel free to print this off.[ I do not have a PDF of the bucket list yet.]

2014 Summer Bucket List For Family & Kids

1. Go to the beach
2. Visit your local library and check out books
3. Visit your local library for story time
4. Visit your local library for craft time
5. Go out for ice-cream with family
6. Go to the beach
7. Go to the local zoo
8. Go to the park
9. Go to a park you have not been to yet
10. Go to a water park
11. Go to a local pool.
12. Have a playdate with a friend
13. Have a sleepover with a best friend
14. Catch bufferflys
15. Make homemade ice-cream
16. Have a campfire in the backyard
17. Go camping
18. Go for a family walk
19. Visit with your cousins
20. Go to a 4TH of July parade
21. Go to a movie in a movie theater
22. Play outside with your neighbors
23. Go for a bike ride
24. Have a lemonade stand sale
25. Play chalk art
26. Make homemade bubbles and blow bubbles
27. Go on a nature hike
28. Go on a scavenge hunt
29. Paint rocks
30. Visit a farmers market
31. Plant a garden and watch it grow
32. Make a fairy garden
33. Go fishing with Dad or Mom
34. Fly a kite on a windy day
35. Have a cook out
36. Go geo-caching 
37. Have a water balloon fight
38. Go apple picking
39. Go blueberry picking
40. Go strawberry picking
41. Catch fireflies 
42. Go on a picnic
43. Have a movie in the backyard
44. Have a garage sale
45. Work as a family at your local kids food basket
46. Volenteer 
47. Have a family game night
48. Drive out to the country
49. Camp in your backyard
50. Play in the sprinkler
51. Read as a family
52. Dance in the rain
53. Make crafts
54. Paint
55. Build a sand castle
56. Attend a summer camp
57. Write a summer journal
58. Watch the sunset 
59. Attend a bible camp
60. Watch fireworks 
61. Take a walk on the beach
62. Look at the stars
63. Write a letter to a friend

What does your family love doing now that it is summer break? Is it something you do every summer?


                  

A Wonderful Weekend

What a wonderful weekend it was. I love with weekends that involve quality family time and the beach.

Friday Our oldest went to stay with Grandma and Grandpa D since they had my niece. They were able to have quality cousin time and get away from the little kids. Since older sissy was away for the night we took advantage and spent a special evening with the two young ones. We did one of our favorite things to do in summer; go out for ice cream. I decided to take them to the Jersey Junction for their first time. They loved it.
                                           

Saturday evening we meet up with my parents who had our oldest and niece, along with my grandpa and his significant other at Holland beach. Oh how I love going to the beach. Holland is along the coast of Lake Michigan; one of the great lakes. We enjoyed lovely cook out next to the sand dunes while the kids played in the soft sand. Although the beach is one of my favorite places, the sand is not my favorite with little kids. Once we finished our
cook out we trekked down to the lake. Helen our littlest one did not want to be carried. It took a short while to get down the beach he he he. I couldn't believe her little legs walked through all that sand. They did some swimming while we watched the sun set. perfect ending for our Saturday.

The first weekend of summer couldn't have been any better.