I am the type of person who loves schedules, routines and for everything to fall into place. When summertime arrives, those comforts can easily be thrown out the window! Keeping the kids entertained and my household running smoothly is my number one priority.

As a parent, I know that summertime can be a great time to reconnect with you kids. However, with the daily obstacles of life, this summer vacation can easily become a havoc of disorganization instead!
 
As the years go by, it seems summers get warmer and we are more and more concerned with the hazards of the outdoors (sun protection, bug bites, chemicals, and more (how did we ever survive?). Finding a balance that is fitting for your family can make summers much easier for everyone in the household.
 
Finding a summertime routine has worked tremendously for my family, as well as others that we know. Sitting down once a week to make a plan works like a charm. Everyone gets to voice their opinions and we all get to do what we love.

For example, at my house, Mondays and Wednesdays are swimming days. We have a BBQ every other weekend. Arts and crafts are on Tuesdays. Church is on Sundays, followed by a family picnic. The schedule changes from week to week, depending on everyone's input. If someone wants to visit the zoo or go see a new movie, we find a way to  make it fit on the schedule. Just making sure not to get overloaded- it is still summer!
 
Using a system like this has worked great in my house. Everyone always has something to look forward to, I get to stay organized, and everyone is less stressed and happier for the summer!
 
If you are looking for things to do, try searching for local activities. You would be amazed by how much fun my family has had at the local farmers market, museums, craft fairs, and parades. Most local events are free or cost next to nothing. Something as small as starting your own garden, putting together a soccer team or just holding a garage sale as a family can open up a huge window of opportunities!
 
By guest blogger Jennifer Isaacks, http://onefrugallady.blogspot.com

By guest blogger Jenna Gaskill

Summer is just around the corner, which means warmer weather and more time to spend outdoors with the kids! There are, however, those days when we're not able to play outside due to weather. On days like this, it's easy for kids to get bored. That's why I have found that having clever activities planned as a back-up is a must! Coming up with savvy approaches to handling a rainy day is easy with a little creativity. When kids are unable to be outside, the next best thing is bringing the outdoors inside. The following are some fun and creative ideas of how you can bring the joy of being outside in with you.

At Home:
1. Sensory activities are a fun way to encourage learning. When you can't be outside playing in the sandbox or pool, create your own sensory activity indoors. With a tub, raw rice/sand toys or water and bubbles/different items to create bubbles like whisks, etc...your child can have fun discovering new concepts.

2. Build a fort or set up a 'campsite' inside. Get creative and bring out blankets and pillows. Pretend you're roasting marshmallows and sleeping under the stars. It may be raining outside, but that doesn't mean you can't pretend you're camping out and having fun.

3. One of the best parts about outdoor play is being able to be active. When you're stuck inside, try putting in children's movement CD's that encourage children to follow along with different actions. Whether they're doing different hand motions or are acting like a different animal as part of the song...it's a great way to keep your kids active and having fun!

Outside of the Home:
1. Go to the library and read/check out books (fiction or non fiction) about things dealing with the outdoors. Whether it be the things we do outside (going to the beach, camping) or things we find outdoors (insects, animals)...the options are endless. It's a fun way to learn more about the world around us.

2. When you're unable to enjoy a day at the pool, or time outside playing with balls, bikes etc...take the kids to the nearest YMCA or Rec Center. There are so many ways to bring the activities you would normally do outside in. You can go swimming, play with balls, climb the rock wall, tumble on mats, and more!

3. Take the kids to the grocery store and have them pick out a new fruit or vegetable they've never had before. You can talk about where they might find it outdoors (on a tree or in a garden for example) as well as the color, texture, taste, etc. It's a great way for them to learn more about their senses, colors, and where different foods come from.

Whether in the house or away from home, having a backup plan when you're unable to be outside always helps. Finding clever ways to bring the fun of the outdoors in with us is our savvy approach to handling rainy days.

-Jenna Gaskill

www.momsbalancingact.com

Our family has worked hard to earn our title as the Crazy House and with Summer in full swing, it’s been crazier than ever!  Keeping our 4 kids active is often a challenge but we definitely take advantage of their love for the outdoors! With everything we know now about how damaging the Sun can be to our skin, especially children’s, I have been trying to come up with more creative ways to keep my kids cool and protected this Summer!  Since our baby is only 4 months old, we avoid Sun exposure all together by keeping most of his skin covered in lightweight clothing. We also try to keep him in the shade and he always wears a wide brim hat! As for our 5, 7 and 8 year olds, they moan and groan every time I make them take a break to reapply Sunblock so we found a super savvy solution to this problem!

I bought a couple bottles of Sunblock from our local drug store and poured them into an inexpensive plastic container. With the help of a couple small makeup brushes, the kids have a blast “painting” each other with sunblock! Now not only do they not whine when it’s time to reapply but they beg me to let them paint sunblock on!  We have even found a couple different types of colored sunscreen so the older kids take turns painting designs and pictures on each other with the sunscreen.   It’s a very creative and fun way to keep kids protected from the Sun’s dangerous rays!

We also invested in several inexpensive spray bottles from our local dollar store to help keep the kids cool this Summer.  They love filling them with water and using them as squirt guns!  I have found that the spray bottles are much more durable than the cheap made plastic squirt guns and they take much longer to spray all of the water out of saving me from having to refill them every 2 minutes!  Each kid has their own color so they aren’t constantly fighting over them. 

Hopefully these easy ideas will help keep our Summer a little less crazy and a lot more fun!

- By guest blogger Sarah Lewis, http://lewiscrazyhouse.blogspot.com