{Tuesday's Tip} Be Active

I am not a runner.  In fact, I used to hate running.  But over the past few years some of my family members have really gotten into running and they've motivated me to be a little more active.  In fact, this summer we signed up for a couple of races together.  Although they made me nervous and weren't all easy, it was worth it to say that I tried.

To start training for my first 5K, I completed the "Couch to 5K" program.  There's probably more than one out there, but this is the one I tried.  And I felt like it did a good job getting me ready.  I also had a friend that started the program the same time I did and we ran together once a week.  That helped A LOT to make myself accountable for my runs and to have someone there for moral support. 

We did a pretty good job following this running program.  But by the end, I had to push myself to just get out and run.  I'm not fast enough to run a 5K in 30 minutes, I run (or jog, really) at a 12 mph pace.  But the Couch to 5K program helped me to run an entire 5K...like, actually run the entire distance without stopping to walk.  That was a first for me!

I also completed 2 other races during the summer.  The first race was the 5K Foam Fest and it was so fun!  The race included a combination of foam, mud, and water along with other obstacles.  There are lots of different types of races out there, some with mud, obstacles, water, color, night runs, etc.  I'd recommend doing these fun races with a friend or as a team--the more the merrier! 

The second race was the Rivalry Relay--a 60 mile relay race with my family.  This was a challenge for all of us...but we did it!  It was also a good bonding experience and something I can cross off my bucket list!

The best part for me about running and doing this training is that my body feels healthier (especially my heart and lungs).  And more importantly, I just feel better about myself for being active! (Let me tell you, that feels so much better than the guilt I feel when I'm lazy or go on a food binge.)

We all need to find a fun way to be and stay active.  I understand that it's hard to get started and even harder to find the time.  Just like most rewarding things in life, it is definitely challenging.  But that's what makes it even more worth it, right? (Ha, I'm starting to sound like a health-nut!)

Do you want to find a race in your area? 

Here are some local and national running websites:

Runner's World

Running in the USA

Utah Running Guide

Utah Running

So, I want to find more ways that me and my family and stay active together.  What do you like to do as a family to stay active?  Please share your suggestions.

Happy Tuesday!

Zucchini Boats

Ever wonder what to do with all that zucchini from your garden? If your garden is anything like mine, the zucchini grows like crazy (and the cucumbers too)! We try to eat as much as we can by cooking, baking, and freezing it. I've even given some zucchini away to neighbors, friends, and co-workers. But even then, I still have left overs.  So the Zucchini Boats were born.

To make a zucchini boat, all you will need is 1 large zucchini (or cucumbers work great too), a sharp knife, a spoon, and any materials you want to use to decorate your boat.  I used a skewer stick and scrapbook paper.

We had enough zucchini and cucumbers for everyone in our family to have one.

First, we cut a hole in the top large enough for Barbie dolls to sit in.  You can skip this first step if you don't have any dolls or toys that you want to ride on your boat.

Next, carve out the zucchini out like you would carvie a pumpkin.  Use the spoon to remove the seeds.  Then we used skewer sticks and scrapbook paper to make a mast.  You can decorate your boats any way you want.

When our boats were ready, we took them up a nearby canyon and raced them down a little stream to see whose was the fastest.  The barbies made the boats a little top heavy so we raced them again without the dolls.

The kids had fun watching their boats float in the stream, fixing them when they go stuck and wading in the stream.  I packed a light picnic dinner which we ate on the bank of the stream.

If you did not want to go to the mountains you could use a kiddie pool, a gutter filled with water, or even a bathtub to watch your boats float or race.

Enjoy being creative!

Water Party Games

This summer I helped organize a couple of water kid parties.  I decided to compile a list of the water games we played.  It took a little bit of searching and brainstorming to come up with some of these water games, and some we improvised as we went along.

So, as a quick reference, here's some fun and easy water games your kids are sure to love:

{1. Drip, Drip, SPLASH!}

This game is played just like "Duck Duck Goose" except the person who is "it" is holding a wet sponge.  Instead of saying "duck, duck..." the "it" person says "drip, drip..." as they walk by everyone holding a wet sponge over their heads and literally drip water on them.  When the "it" person chooses someone to chase, he/she yells "Splash!" while squeezing all the water out of the sponge on top of the other player's head. If the "it" person makes it around the circle before being tagged, then the other player is now "it"; otherwise, if the person is tagged, then he'she is still "it" for the next round.  When we played this, all the kids wanted to be picked to be "splashed" on--it was so fun!

{2. Water Balloon Toss}

 Each player needs a partner and 1 water balloon.  Each set of partners starts by standing 1 step apart and 1 partner tosses the balloon to the other.  If the other partner catches the balloon, then both players take 1 step backwards (away from each other) and toss the balloon again.  Repeat until the water balloon pops, then both players are out. Play until there is only one partnership remaining, and they win!

The water balloon toss can be played in teams.  Each team forms a line, standing shoulder to shoulder, and 1 balloon is passed from person to person starting at one end of the line and ending at the other end.  If the balloon doesn't pop, then all the players take 1 step away from each other (lengthen the line because now there are gaps between the players).  Repeat until the balloon pops and a team wins.

{3. Water Crab Soccer}

Crab soccer is played like regular soccer except that all the players are doing the "crab walk."  Usually the goals aren't as far apart as regular soccer because walking like a crab is kinda slow and not always easy.  To make crab soccer even more exciting, someone follows the ball on the playing field and squirts it with a hose.  This way, any players that go after the ball are also getting soaked!

{4. Over-Under Sponge Relay}

For this game you will need 2 buckets of water and 1 sponge for every team.  The players need to stand in a single-file line with a bucket filled with water at the front of the line and an empty bucket at the back of the line.  The first person in line dips the sponge in the bucket of water and then passes it over his/her head to the next person; the next person passes the sponge under his/her legs; then the sponge is passed over head; then the sponge is passed under legs; etc. ...until the last person in line has the sponge and squeezes out whatever water is left into the empty bucket.  Then the last person takes the sponge to the front of the line and is now the "first" person and the relay starts over.  Players keep passing the sponge until the bucket at the end of the line is filled with water.  This game was fun to do with teams so that each team was competing to fill up their bucket the fastest.

{5. Water Balloon Relays}

For both of these water balloon relays, each team member needs a water balloon.  Divide into teams and get in a single-file line.  For the first relay, each team member has to run down the field, sit on their water balloon (and make it pop), and then run back and tag the next team member.  The fastest team to complete this relay wins.

For the second relay, each team member has to walk (or jump) down the field with a water balloon between their knees, drop their balloon (without popping it), and then run back and tag the next team member.  If the water balloon pops, that player is out.  If the water balloon drops but doesn't break, the player can stop and pick it back up and then keep walking down the field.  The team with the most unpopped balloons at the opposite end of the field wins.

{6. Ice cube down your back}

This is a game of endurance.  Each player has 1 ice cube.  On the signal, each player drops the ice cube down the back of their shirt and try to get the ice cube to melt the fastest.  This game can be cool and refreshing but can also be fun to watch everyone squirm!

When you have your water party, remember to remind everyone to wear, sunscreen, clothes that they can get wet in (like swimsuits), and to bring their own towels and maybe a change of clothes depending on what other activities you have planned.

{7. Water Gun Draw}

Give each player a small water gun filled with water, then have them stand back to back with a partner.  On the count of the 3, each  player walks and takes 3-5 steps away from each other. Then the players turn around quickly, "draw" their water guns, and shoot at each other.  When we played this game, it pretty much turned into a free-for-all water gun fight until we had the kids line up with their partners and start over.  Just make sure that you have an easy way to keep refilling the water guns so that the players and quickly refill and keep shooting at the other players.

{8. Free-For-All Water Balloon Fight}

For our free-for-all water balloon fight we made sure that everyone started with at least one balloon and then yelled, "ready, set,...go!" We also tried to get everyone to stay in a certain area to make clean-up easier. 

This may require that you fill up A LOT of water balloons, so I suggest you get some help.  Also, most water balloons come with a hose nossel to make it easier to fill, and some even come with a balloon-tie piece so that your fingers don't get raw from tying water balloons. 

{9. Slip 'N' Slide Kickball}

This water game is played just like regular kickball (which is baseball but with a kickball).  However, for the bases, you use buckets or pools of water that the kids have to stand in to be "safe."  For home base, it is best if you can use a slip 'n' slide.  Our kids LOVED the slip 'n' slide into home base.  In fact, after the kick ball game, they kept taking turns over and over on the slip 'n' slide--it was a hit!

For refreshments, we prefer to have something like Otter Pops or Creamies, something quick and easy that will help the kids to cool off and relax after playing in the water and sun.

Lemonade In A Bag

Adding a little variety to your dinnertime meal doesn't need to be difficult.


This idea is very simple and delicious! Here's what you'll need:

Lemonade Supplies
lemons
sugar
water
ziplock bags

Place a lemon and ziplock bag on everyone's plate before dinner.  Also set out some sugar and water on the dinner table.

Cut your lemon in fourths and place 1/4 in the ziplock bag.  Seal the bag and squish the lemon until you get all the juice out.  This is the fun part, you're kids will love it--even those that are more sensitive to textures because they are able to participate and feel the textures without getting messy.

When you have squeezed out all the juice from the lemon slice, add the same amount of water as you have lemon juice and add sugar to taste.  You can either add a straw and sip your lemonade straight from the bag or pour your lemonade into a cup.  Either way the lemonade is fresh and delicious and is perfect for any summer or fall dinner.

What a great refreshing summer treat! 

Rewarding Summer Homework

This summer I had the kids doing homework so they did not get too far behind for school in fall by forgetting everything they had been learning.  I didn't assign a lot of homework.  The math, reading, and handwriting worksheets only took them about 30 minutes to complete.  But it was still good to keep them in learning mode.

For the math portion, I used the Khanacademy.com website which is a great online resource for learning and practicing math skills because the problems progressively get a little harder as you improve.  This website also provides hints and solutions to make sure that your kids understand the answers.  It is also a great way for your school kids to practice their computer skills.  Just click on "Practice" at the top of the page and you'll lots of different math topics to choose from.  I also included my own timed math tests as part of the homework.

For reading, I had my kids choose a book and read it out loud with me.  Then to practice their handwriting, they had lined paper to practice.  We're working on cursive letters, so I gave them a writing sample they had to copy to have them practice the different letters.

As an incentive for completing all of their summer homework, my kids earned a tickets.  

I made my own tickets by putting stickers on some small rectangular pieces of card stock.  You can also purchase a large amount of tickets at Michaels or other general store.

Then the weekend before school started they were able to "cash in" their tickets at our own homemade movie theater.  I simple displayed some movies that we already had (because, let's me honest, we have quite a few that we don't watch very often).  I also made a "Show Times" schedule to make our movie theater more realistic.

I had a small concession stand available where they could use their to purchase Pizza, candy, popcorn, drinks, and cotton candy.  I made sure to get my kids' favorite treats and drinks for them to buy at the concession stand.

You can decide how many tickets each movie or treat is worth, you can see my "prices" for the concessions in the picture above. 

Even though school has just started for many school-aged kids, you can still reward them for a summer of hard work.  Or, now as they complete their real homework, this could be a good reward/incentive to work towards--a fun movie night with the family!

{Tuesday's Tip} Climb Every Mountain

All summer I've been wanting to go on a local hike.  Yesterday, I finally did it!  It was just me my baby yesterday with no other appointments, so I packed us up and off we went.

I used a hiking backpack for the trip to carry my baby on my back.  The backpack I used has a shade canopy and a pouch to carry other essential items.  In the pouch I carried some water and snacks for both of us along with my camera and extra baby clothes in case the lake area was cold.

There are lots of different styles of hiking backpacks out there.  These backpacks are great for both the carrier and the baby because: 1) the carrier has the advantage of using his/her hips (and legs) to carry the bulk of the weight instead of it resting all on your back and shoulders, and 2) the baby gets to sit comfortably and either enjoy the view or take a nap.

We are blessed to live so close to beautiful mountains where I live.  I picked a hike up a local canyon that I had never done before and one that I thought would challenge me, but not take all day.  I chose to hike up to White Pine Lake.

Being in nature all by yourself gives you a lot of time to think.  To be honest, I kept asking myself on the way to the lake, "Are you sure you can make it all the way with a baby on your back?!"  But each time I just kept hiking and, eventually, we made it!

We didn't stay at the lake for very long.  Just long enough to rest, stretch our legs, and have lunch.  But it was still so much fun!

If you want to find out about hiking trails--easy or hard--you can purchase brochures and books online or at your local bookstore or town visitor's center.

You can also find several hikes available online.  Here are some websites I found helpful:

1. http://www.utah.com/hike/
This website is for all of Utah, although it does not include


2. http://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/uwcnf/recreation
This website is for the Unita-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.  There is a list of other ranger districts in Utah on the right column of this page.


3. http://www.tourcachevalley.com/outdoor/hiking.php
This website is for Cache Valley only.  But you can go to your own city or county website and search for hiking trail information.

4. http://www.trails.com/
This website was very helpful.  However, my search was limited because I don't have a login.

5. http://www.localhikes.com/Default.asp
This website shows a list of hiking trails near U.S. metropolitan areas in every state.


6. http://logancanyonhiking.com/
This website is specific to hiking trails in Logan Canyon, UT.


It's such a great feeling to finish something you started and to achieve one of your goals.  Good luck finding a hiking trail near you.  Now is the perfect time of year for hiking, so go out and enjoy!

{Tuesday Tip} Happy Harvesting

One of my favorite things about summer is being able to harvest fresh produce from the garden!

Early in the spring we posted about gardening and how gardens not only promote good well-being and health, but they are also a great way to create family bonding time. 

This is my first year gardening in my own backyard and it has been a bit of an adventure.  Our garden is far from perfect.  Our soil is mostly hard clay and super rocky.  Plus we almost planted (or transplanted) too late in the spring.  But miraculously, despite these odds, our garden has started to produce, and it's fabulous!

This year we were able to plant a few onions,

squash and zucchini,

peas, tomatoes, bell peppers, 2 cucumber plants, and 1 bean plant (that's all that survived).  We also planted a few marigolds along the front (they seem like a traditional garden flower) and we were lucky enough to inherit a raspberry bush from the previous owners. 

We haven't harvested everything, and we have yet to find out if all of our plants will continue growing and producing.  But so far we have harvested lots of squash and zucchini plus some cheery tomatoes, peas, and...

 raspberries (my favorite!).

Even if we don't yield as much as we anticipated, harvesting is still so rewarding because you have a great feeling of accomplishment AND you get to enjoy the fruits of your labors, literally! Yum!

Even if you don't have your own garden, you may know friends or neighbors that are willing to share their abundant produce with you.  Or you can always stop by the local gardeners market.  

A couple other fun ways to create the "harvesting" feel for you and your family is to find a local farm that allows you to pick your own fresh produce before you buy it, like this local U-Pick farm.  It's a great way to get the kids involved, and is way more yummy than buying produce from the grocery store!

Another way to get your fresh produce is to find out about local co-ops in your area.  One great website is Bountiful Baskets.  This organization is largely volunteer-based and seems to keep growing and adding new locations.

Whichever way you get your fresh produce, we wish you a Happy Harvest!

"Minute to Win It" Competition

We have a lot of summer birthdays in our family so we decided to have a combined 4th of July/Birthday party this year.  For the party, I was in charge of the games and I decided to host a mini Minute To Win It competition, and it was a blast!

I'm assuming that most of you are familiar with the game show Minute to Win It.  But if not, the main idea is that contestants win a cash prize if they complete a given challenge in 1 minute or less.  I didn't include time limits or even play for prizes (although that would be fun too), we just had fun playing together!

So, the first thing I did was come up with the challenges.  I browsed a list of Minute to Win It challenges on Wikipedia and chose six that I liked.  There are a lot of challenges to choose from on this list, but each one rated on the level of difficulty which makes the list easier to sort through.

Below is the list of the six challenges I chose along with a brief explanation for each.  I ended up tweaking some of them a little to fit with our own resources and abilities.  So be aware that some of the explanations vary from the actual game show.

Minute To Win It Challenges:

{Card Ninja} The contestants must throw a playing card into a watermelon from 2 feet away.  We used one deck of card and split it between to players.  We allowed the players to move closer/father depending on how easy/hard this challenge was for them.

{Face the Cookie} The contestants, using only their face, must move an Oreo cookie from their forehead to their mouth.

{Spare Me} The contestant must drop marbles down a pool noodle to knock over ten upright markers from 3 feet away.

{Wet Ball} The contestant must use a spray bottle of water to move a balloon across the ground into a hula hoop 6 feet away.  We had three contestants do it each round and we used little squirt guns instead of spray bottles.  Afterwards, we let the kids take a squirt gun home as a party favor.

{At the Market} The contestant must place an orange (or small ball) in-between their knees and then, without using their hands, walk/hop around and over different obstacles and deposit them in a hula hoop on the ground.  Our obstacle included going around a chair and hopping over two foam noodles while moving from one end of the yard to the other.  We had four contestants go at a time and used balls instead of oranges.

{Blow Up} The contestant must blow bubbles through a hula hoop from 3 feet away.  We had three contestants do it each round and afterwards, we let the kids take a small bottle of bubbles home as a party favor.

All of these challenges were easy and fun to do for both the kids and adults.  Plus, most of the supplies we had on-hand.  For most of the challenges we took turns instead of everyone doing it at once, except for the "Face the Cookie" challenge.

Now you're all set to have your own competition.  Let the games begin!

{Tuesday's Tip} Make a Splash & Cool Off

We have been having one HOT summer this year where we live.  You literally start melting as soon as you step out the door.  So we've been trying to come up with some activities that can help us keep cool without spending a lot of money.  

One great way to cool off on hot summer days is to find a park with lots of shade or...a splash pad!

If you've never been to a splash pad park, you need to go!  The one closest to where we live is about 15 minutes away.  But it is great for kids of all ages and it's actually a really popular spot!

Each splash pad is a little different.  Some have sprinklers that spray up from the ground, others have pipes that spray like a shower.  Our splash pad is located at a park, so it has all the typical park amenities: nearby parking, playground, grassy area, covered pavilion, and bathrooms.  There are also a couple benches on the perimeter of the splash pad to help parents keep a close eye on their kids.  The sprinklers are activated by pressing a button.  There are several sprinklers in a circular, cement area that spray in different patterns.

It's the same idea as running through the sprinklers at home...but tons more fun!  Dress your kids in swimsuits or clothes that can get wet in (and you too!).  We make sure to pack towels, sunscreen, and snacks so that we can play as long as we'd like. 

If you don't know if there is a splash pad near you, here is a list of local splash pads from EnjoyUtah!.org. 

So, go on and make a splash!

Pressed Flower Bookmarks

Before I get started with today's post, I wanted to remind you that today is Free Slurpee Day at 7-Eleven (because the date is 7/11). So, go and get yourself a free, refreshing slurpee!!

Now onto today's post...pressed flower bookmarks!

Last week I posted about our family picking wildflowers (read about it here).  Well, I saved the wildflowers we picked and made them into pressed flower bookmarks! They turned out so cute! Here's what we did.

First, to press the flowers we wrapped them in plastic wrap and set them under a heavy book for an entire day.

{Wildflowers being pressed in plastic wrap}

The next day I cut out pieces of card stock for the bookmarks.  You can make the bookmarks pretty much any size you would like.  I made enough for everyone to make their own pressed flower bookmark.  To decorate and label the bookmarks we used regular, washable markers.  Then we carefully placed the flowers on the card stock and laminated them.  You could use a little piece of glue or adhesive to keep the flowers in place if needed, but I recommend only using a little. 

This was an easy and educational craft.  And now it is a fun momento from our summer vacation.  We had enough flowers to make a few extra to give as gifts to grandparents.  Homemade gifts can be some of the most precious.

Trip to Hawaii

If you remember last week my daughter and I "flew" to Scotland.  You can read all about it here.  Well, my daughter liked it so much that she wanted us to fly somewhere else.  So this week we are going to Hawaii as a family.

 
Similar to our Scotland trip, I printed boarding passes for the flight and set up the living room like an airplane.  We boarded the plane and watched video clips of hula dancing and listened to Hawaiian music.  When our plane "landed" we put on our flower leis and headed off to "Honolulu" to go shopping, of course!

In case you've never been, there's a big outdoor market/swap meet held frequently near Honolulu city.  In our town they were having an outdoor arts festival for local artists and craftsman to sell their merchandise, so that's where we went shopping.  It was fun to have our own little "outdoor market and swap meet" nearby.  Be sure to check out any upcoming arts festivals in your community, they are so much fun!

We enjoyed our shopping trip and made some fun purchases.  We relaxed and watched the music performances.  When it was time for dinner, we headed back home for a Hawaiian meal of Teriyaki  chicken, Kailua pig, macaroni salad, and sticky rice with soy sauce.  We also made tropical smoothies with fresh mango's, banana's, pineapple, and nectarines.

While we ate dinner we enjoyed watching Lilo and Stitch together.  What a wonderful day we had in Hawaii!

If you want to take your own "trip to Hawaii" but don't want to go shopping, another fun alternative would be to set a swimming pool or sprinklers in your own backyard! 

Slushies

Slushies...

They are perfect for the hot summer days we've been having!!

To make these simply scrumptious summer treats, you'll need the following:

Ingredients 

Kool Aid

Sugar

Ice cubes

Water

Blender

 Add a Kool Aid packet and 1 Cup of sugar to a quart jar.  Fill the quart jar with water and stir.  (You don't need the full amount of water shown on the Kool Aid instructions because there'll be additional liquid from the ice cubes.)  

Then add the Kool Aid liquid to the blender, add a tray of ice cubes, and blend to your desired slushie consistency.  And, voila!  Your slushies are ready to pour and enjoy!  It's really that easy!

This is one of my favorite treats to make with my husband once the kids have gone to bed.  Slushies and games makes a quick and easy date night. ;)

{Tuesday's Tip} Stop & Smell the Wildflowers

On the way home from our vacation a couple weeks ago, we were driving through a canyon and we kept seeing lots of wildflowers.  Finally we had to stop and take a closer look at the beauty around us.  We went on a short walk and examined the flowers and wildlife.

Later, when we got home, I pulled out our book on wildflowers so we could discover more about our flowers.  I like using everyday events as teaching opportunities, especially during the summer when school is out.  It makes learning fun and interesting for me and my kids!  What have you been learning about this summer?

While we walking around seeing the wildflowers,  I had everyone pick a few and saved them in a bag for another little craft I'll be sharing with you. Here's a sneak peek:

Outdoor Snacks

My family just took a camping trip to Yellowstone. It was so fun and a much needed break. An important part of any outdoor activity is having good food and water that will keep you and your kids energized and happy.

 

 Here are a couple easy snacks ideas for when you pack for your own hiking or camping trips. Plus, most of these you can have your kids help you pack or prepared. 

{Homemade Trail Mix} Trail Mix is a great outdoor snack. It is easy to put in separate baggies and lightweight to carry. It doesn't require any utensils and usually isn't very messy.  Plus you can get some much needed protein and nutrients to keep your energy up while your enjoying the outdoors. The other fun part is that you can make it however you want!

I was able to use a lot of things that I already had on hand except for the nuts.  I had mixed nuts, craisins, raisins, dried strawberries, and M&M's. I put each of the items in a separate bowl and let everyone make their own bag of trail mix.



{Water & Apple} Whenever you're playing outside, you should bring water with you. We invested in a Camelbak for everyone in our family because we use them so much.  But any water bottle will do. Then grab an apple and your set! The other nice thing about the Camelbak is that you also store your apples and trail mix in the bag so your hands are free for hiking.

{Hot Cocoa & Popcorn} Another one of our favorite snack is hot cocoa and popcorn. After a long day of hiking, this is a fun bedtime snack to help your body relax. We have used campfire and a camp stove to heat the water for the hot cocoa (or hot apple cider) and cook the popcorn.

 

On our last camping trip we used the Jiffy Pop and it was so yummy! You have to be careful when holding it over the fire, if you get to close you could burn yourself. But it was fun to watch the popcorn grow and was so good to have a warm treat.

What are some of your favorite camping snacks?