summer | The Angel Forever

Category Archives summer

Keeping Cool During the Summer

Posted on July 13, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

The weather around the country and beyond has been strange over the last year. Crazy storms, flooding rains last spring/summer, warmer than usual winter, and now unbelievable heat and fires in many regions. It has been very warm here, but for the most part it has not been too humid (YET). With fans and AC units, we can keep the house where we are much more comfortable than being outside.

When the temperatures are so warm, I wish we had a pool. We have a little kiddie pool I can toss it in the backyard for the kids to cool off for a bit.

The reality is that the kids are getting too big for this and the adults in the family can not really use it for more than dipping feet in. I miss my Nana and Papa’s pool where the entire family could splash, play, and laugh together more. It was also a place where we could learn to swim and practice.

Since we have no family pools to go to now, we have to look for alternatives. Thank goodness parks in the area have put a lot of spray grounds in. We have tried a few of them and definitely have a favorite now. Just the other day, TechyDad came home from work and went to cool off for about an hour before dinner with the boys. Here they are in “water jail” while enjoying the time there.

So my question to you this week is inspired by the photo above:

Do your kids like going to a spray ground or do they prefer pools? If you have any other suggestions on staying cool with the kids outside, I would love to hear them.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #211

Categories:
Aloha Friday fun photos summer weather

Making Wind Chimes

Posted on July 7, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL & JSL,

This week we went to the library for one of their summer projects. They were going to make wind chimes and it was a two part project. We had to sign up for it since they only had supplies for so many people.

When we arrived, all of the supplies for the painting day were set out for project. You had paint brushes and small terra cotta pots. The librarian explained that you would be painting these on the first day. Lots of paint options were set out for people to select from. NHL, you wanted all warm colors. Your selections were red, orange, and yellow. JSL, you immediately wanted blue and then gold. The gold was not working right, so you opted for green and yellow.

It was fun watching your techniques. JSL, you wanted to cover the entire pot in one color and then add some stripes and dots of another. NHL, you were going for a more bold tie-dye effect. Both of you were done rather quickly, so we brought the clay pots to the room for them to dry over the holiday.

Since the next step was VERY time consuming, the librarians helped you out. They had baggies set up with fishing line attached to a bead and the chimes at the end. There were five of these, the clapper (which was missing a string), key ring circle, and latch to hang up your creation.

Both of you had a lot of fun creating all of your beaded sections. While you worked on those, I tied them onto the key ring.

We had to leave the clapper off since it was getting knotted up with the string they had left. Not a big deal since the chimes and beads were producing a nice sound on their own.

Now we just need to figure out where to put the wind chimes. I think we may get some hot glue to make the key ring stay in place. It was a lot of fun to make a new craft with both of you during a summer fun event at our library. I can’t wait to see what we do next time.

Love,

Categories:
arts and crafts Dear Kid Saturday fun jsl local event nhl photos summer

Favorite Summer Ice Cream

Posted on July 6, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Yes, I am one of those people that will sit under a blanket or two in the winter eating some ice cream. Of course, in the summer ice cream is a splurge and fantastic treat on a warm day. Most of the places around here have soft serve in the summer months, but also hard ice cream.

For me, the choice is a no brainer. There is nothing like soft serve vanilla and chocolate twist ice cream with rainbow sprinkles in a cone. This takes me back to my childhood when my parents would take me to the local Carvel store. On our anniversary, I told TechyDad that I wanted to get ice cream for lunch. It was late, warm, and nobody felt like eating anything extreme. We went to a local place and my lunch is seen below.

So my question to you this week is inspired by the photo above:

What type of ice cream is your favorite in the summer? Do you prefer soft serve or hard ice cream? Be sure to let me know if there is a certain flavor that you prefer (there are so many these days) and splurge and let me know sprinkle or dip preference as well.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #210

Categories:
Aloha Friday food glorious food me moments photos summer yummy

Faux Tattoo Fun

Posted on June 30, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL and JSL,

The summer of 2012 may be dubbed the season of faux tattoos in our house. We have bought some in the past, but neither of you were really interested in them. The Avengers ones that I bought you for Chanukah sat for months unopened. Last week, one of you asked to buy some Toy Story tattoos from Michaels while we were there for an event. I said sure. The next thing I knew, you each had three tattoos, while I had one.

I am not sure what changed your interest in them. I have a feeling it may be thanks to seeing your cousins wearing them at JSL’s pirate party. It has been fun watching the two of you debate between Toy Story, Avengers, and other random tattoos that we have around the house from over the years.

No matter what tattoo you pick, I will love you both to infinity and beyond!

Love,

Categories:
Dear Kid Saturday Disney fun jsl nhl photos summer

Michaels Passport to Imagination Surprise

Posted on June 23, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL and JSL,

Last summer, we traveled to many different countries. We had craft filled adventures to Canada, Australia, India, Russia, France, Mexico, China, and Brazil. There were other countries, but we just could not make it to all of them and the programs at the library. It was a great time thanks to Michaels and their sponsors. This year, they are doing the same program.

Since it was a half day of school on Thursday, I decided to surprise both of you and take you to the Mexico event. JSL loved making a stingray on Tuesday, so I knew it would be a nice change and break in the heat. When we arrived, the table was set up in the front of the store with the items being made.

Just like last year, the people at our local Michaels store have been so wonderful, helpful, and patient. They quickly showed both of you how to get started making monarch butterfly. Both of you had a great time trying out some new items like the paint pen.

When your monarchs were finished, it was time to make some gecko lizard pins. NHL, I loved how you wanted your gecko to have an extra long tongue. JSL, then you asked to have two different colored eyes on yours.

I know we will reference the passport book for more ideas to create over the summer and to learn about the places that we “travel” to together.

Today is the first official day of your summer vacation. I am sure we will have many more days at Michaels and other locations exploring all that is out there together. Watching your faces and smiles makes this time even more special.

Love,

Mommy