Mom approved snack at the beach

We have had one of the most gorgeous summers this year in the Seattle area. We are breaking heat records left and right and it's shocking how little rain we have had this year.

This is a huge shift from our normally very mild weather.  The folks in the Pacific Northwest like it best when it's overcast and in the 60's. Not me...I love the sun, but the sun brings the heat and since only around 1% of the homes in our area have air conditioning {ours not being one of them!}, we all escape to the water when it gets hot. Because when it gets hot, with no air conditioning it's sort of unbearable.

No one likes to be cranky, so we do our best to cool down. Sometimes that means a jump in the Puget Sound, other times that means snacking on a Fruttare® frozen fruit bar...or both!

Tie Dye party with 6 different tie dye shirt restyle creations

This post is brought to you by Tulip and Blueprint Social. All opinions are 100% my own.

The weather is getting warmer, the sun is shining and the friends are coming over in droves! We are always looking for fun {electronic free} activities for the kids, especially as they get older.  My 13 year old daughter Isabella is very much like I was at that age.  She is drawn to anything creative where she can express herself.  Her friends are very much the same way. So one afternoon, a half a dozen girls gathered around my patio table for some tie-dye fun!  But the fun didn't stop there!  We created six different ways {most of them no sew} to restyle their t-shirts!

Gifts to make for Mother's day {no macaroni included!}

Mother's day is the perfect day to sit down with your kids and make something for their Grandma or Nana. I love to get and give handmade gifts, so I put together a collection of my favorite Mother's day handmade gifts to give and I have divided them into easy to find categories with links directly to their tutorials.

Great new tween girl show

Life was easier when my kids all liked watching the same TV show. Arthur on PBS was quite captivating to all three of them far longer than my older son {who is now 16} would probably like to admit.  We were a one TV family, and haven't had cable for decades {though we do have Netflix streaming now and absolutely love it!}.  You can check out this post on how we are able to survive life without cable. My husband and I are quite strict about television viewing {garbage in, garbage out} and we do our best to monitor our children's TV watching.  Netflix streaming makes this really easy with custom profiles for each member of the family.  Plus, sometimes the kids watch a show that we hadn't discussed and Netflix does a great job of ratting them out with their recently watched episodes! My tween daughter Isabella has recently stared venturing out of the public broadcast shows and has been looking for a series that will keep her interest.  There are lots of shows out there, but my husband and I like the ones that are clean and don't have story lines that deal with more mature content than we are ready for just yet!

Isabella recently discovered Mako Mermaids.  A second season of this Netflix original series was just released a few weeks ago.  Isabella has been watching episode after episode and the series has captivated her attention.  But don't take my word for it!  Let me take a second to introduce to you my daughter Isabella with her review.

Popcorn snack mix

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Universal Pictures, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BoxtrollsFamilyNite http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
One of our family's favorite things to do during our long wet winter is to cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie together.  It's the only time the kids are able to eat in the living room and they take full advantage of it!
The Boxtrolls was just released so while I was out shopping at WalMart , I picked up the DVD {while supplies last!} and got some goodies to create the perfect family movie night.

Free Superbowl bingo printable

The big game is coming up! If you are anything like me, I half pay attention to the game and mostly pay attention to the food.  The commercials are the thing that usually draws my attention, so I thought it would be fun to make a Superbowl commercial bingo game.

What to watch this month

It's been a busy month for us. We got off of the high of the holidays, and pretty much all of us hit a wall. It's been hard to get back into a routine. The older kids have finals and the oldest is not only cramming for finals, he's also studying for the SAT's that are conveniently on the weekend following finals week. We are all looking forward to a long weekend {the kids have Monday off to celebrate the end of the semester} so we can recharge. I fully expect lots of snuggle time with the littles and some down time with some Netflix. I haven't watched a Netflix original series that I didn't like yet {Orange is the New Black and House of Cards are both amazing!}, so I can only imagine what's in store for us with Puss in Boots.

Netflix year long subscription giveaway

About twelve years ago our family got rid of cable in an effort to save money.

A little over a year ago, I joined the Netflix stream team and our family has enjoyed having Netflix at home immensely.

My husband watches his "stories" {House and Psych} on his lunch break,

my kids have found some new favorite shows {Sweet Life of Zach and Cody} 

and I can stream good TV and movies on my iPad while I am sewing or crafting.

At night, after the kids are in bed, my husband and I enjoy watching a new series that we haven't seen.

As a family, we love streaming movies or old series {Saved by the Bell} that we used to love when we were kids.

I love that we can set up five different profiles in our Netflix account and each family member has their own favorites saved.  There are no commercials to watch, no ads to wade through.

I was just asking on my Facebook account the other day if people had gift ideas for people who didn't have a "thing".

You know, people who aren't golfers or cat lovers.

It's hard to shop for those people some times, but I think I found the perfect gift.

I can't think of someone who wouldn't love receiving a year long subscription to Netflix.

It's a great gift for those people in your life who have everything.

You can find Netflix subscriptions at your local stores or by using this store locator.

I'm giving one lucky reader a year long subscription to Netflix. 

You can use it yourself or give it as a gift.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What to watch

I am smack dab in the middle of holiday bazaar season.

This means that as I craft I have been running Netflix pretty much anytime I sit down to mindlessly glue gun whatever glittered thing a ma bob I can find.

I love that I have commercial free TV on demand to keep me entertained as I make one more book page wreath or snowman head.

Here's what I have been watching.

Big Cat Diary

I'm hooked.

Ever since I got back from safari in the Masai Mara where this was filmed I can't get enough.

I had only wished I watched this before I went on safari,

but now, it's fun to share it with my family

and with the dog...

she's kind of a big fan too!

Watching Property Brothers makes me want to move out of my nearly new home and find a house to remodel.

And the number one show I have currently been binging on...

drum roll please...

Gilmore Girls.

If you want to know what the kids and I will be snuggling to over Thanksgiving break, you better believe we will be streaming the new VeggieTales available today!

So what are you watching?

Elf on the Shelf planning calendar

When Elf on the Shelf hit the stores, my kids were just hitting the cusp of being too old to really enjoy this Christmas tradition.

However, I think it's such a fun tradition and families every where are embracing their Elf.

I actually love seeing my instagram or facebook feed in the mornings in December to see what creative ways my friends and family have moved their Elf.

I know that the hardest part for parents is coming up with new and creative ideas 

{that don't take a lot of time and planning}

for their Elf each day.

I'm pretty sure with my track record with the tooth fairy, the ball would be dropped more than once 

and the Elf wouldn't move, 

or he would move from the shelf, to the tree, from the tree, to the shelf, and well...you get the idea!

For all of you families that have an Elf, I created a little printable calendar for you to use the whole month of December that has ideas that are fairly simple to use each and every day.

You probably have the supplies for most of the items in your home already.

This calendar is just a guide.

Feel free to be as creative as you like.

This calendar is for those days that you get stuck on, 

or if you are like me, you like the tradition, but you don't want to spend hours surfing Pinterest for new ideas for your Elf.

 I'm not pointing any fingers but my guess is more than one of you has a Pinterest board of Elf ideas!

Not judging.

Certainly not judging.

In fact, pin this handy little Elf on the Shelf planner on your Pinterest board now.

To print this planner, right click on it, save it to your documents and print.

For personal use only.

And before you forget, put an alarm on your phone to ring every night just before you head to bed as a reminder to move your Elf. Do it now. You will thank me later. I promise.

Making unforgettable memories with your family

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gulf County, Florida. All opinions are 100% mine.

Growing up in Indiana we used to joke that there was a pipeline that existed between Indiana and Florida.  It seemed like everyone in the area vacationed in Florida.  I've actually been to Florida more than I have been to the states that surround my current home. Shocking, I know!

While it would seem like since the mass exodus of people travel to Florida to escape the harsh winters of their homes, that you would just be chasing the crowds.  That is true in some areas of Florida, but it's not true of Gulf County.

Gulf Country is located in Northwest Florida and it is a hidden family {and pet} friendly gem.

GCFL is surrounded by 43 miles of natural shoreline.  You won't find a high rise or busy highway running through the area, but you will find an overabundance of white-sand beaches and amazing sunsets.

This past summer, we took our first family vacation to Hawaii.  One of our favorite things to do on the island was snorkeling.  My eight year old turned into a fish every time he stepped in the water.



Some of my favorite family memories from my childhood were all made on family vacations. As a mom of three now, I am doing my best to help my children see the world and have that shared experience of a family vacation.

Taking a trip with your family is one of the best ways to create lifelong family memories that your children will cherish well into their adulthood. The first question is always, where should we go.  My best advice is to seek out family friendly vacation destinations that have activities everyone will enjoy.

I've zeroed in on Gulf County, Florida since it seems to have a little bit of everything that we look for on family vacations.

We are always looking for family friendly vacation rentals like this one found at No Worries Vacation Rentals to make our stay more enjoyable.  Can you even imagine the stories that the kids would whisper late into the night in this bunk room?

My ideal day at GCFL would start with a sunrise kayak on the legendary Dead Lakes.

We would spend the morning walking on the beach, building sand castles and playing in the surf.

In the afternoon we would snorkel for scallops that would be our dinner that evening.

And we would cap off our day while watching an amazing sunset. Because sunsets are probably my favorite thing ever.

GCFL is your own outdoor playground!  It's the perfect place to create unforgettable family memories.

What kind of family memories do you want to create?
Come visit GCFL

Documentaries that will open your mind and empower change

I just spent two weeks away from my family having some amazing life changing experiences. First, I spent time in rural Uganda with World Vision where we had the opportunity to see the good work that is happening in the community that our church has partnered with on the other side of the world.
Then, some of the team flew to Kenya to the Masai Mara where we spent time on safari. You can read and see pictures from my safari here and here.
Both of these experiences were opportunities that I have dreamed about my whole life and I was thankful to have the chance to get to actually experience them in the most wonderful way. When you go on a trip of a lifetime, the only thing that would make it better would be if you had the people that you love there with you experiencing the same thing that you are experiencing.
Thanks to the wonders of video and Netflix {thank you baby Jesus for Netflix} I have the opportunity to give a glimpse into some of the culture and wildlife  that I was able to experience while on my trip and I am able to dig deeper into some of the issues that are facing the people that I grew to love.
Netflix offers an Animal Planet series called Safari that takes an inside look at South Africa's diverse animal species.  And while it isn't the same as being on that Land Cruiser with me in the Mara, it does a pretty good job of painting the picture of what safari really looks like.

I had some amazing experiences getting to see how the people in Uganda live and my heart will never be the same.
The following titles are available on Netflix and I am looking forward to seeing some inside glimpses into other people's experiences in Uganda and what they are doing to spread the love of Jesus.

Women around the world lack basic health care and nutrition and it places not only the mother in danger, it places the newborn in danger as well.

No Woman No Cry is a documentary that looks at maternal mortality around the world.

These were issues we saw being addressed by World Vision in Buliisa, Uganda, and while things aren't perfect, there is hope.

I added Madonna's documentary I Am Because We Are to my cue because many of the same problems the African country of Malawi faces are similar to those facing millions of children, including the precious children  from Buliisa, whose faces will be forever ingrained in my mind.

Half the Sky is a documentary filmed in 10 countries that introduces us to women who are struggling in the most difficult circumstances imaginable.

It is only by the grace of God that I was born a woman in America, but I long to know how I can relate and take a moment to walk a mile in another woman's shoes.

Netflix offers many more documentaries that will empower and change you, these are just a few of the titles that I put at the top of my list to watch so that I don't forget about the needs half way around the world.

Have you ever watched a documentary that has changed you?

disclaimer: I am part of Netflix stream team and receive free streaming. My opinions are 100% my own.

Have a staycation with your kids (shhh, they might learn something too!)

We are deep into summer and I have three kids at home. I'm hearing rumblings of "I'm bored" nearly every day. Regardless of how many times I mention cleaning as an option,  that just doesn't seem to snap the boredom out of them! I'm doing my best to regulate screen time and appreciate the beautiful weather that we are having, but there are times when we all need to just zone out and relax on the couch together. I love being able to incorporate some sneaky learning time in when I can too. Not being from the great state of Washington, I didn't have the opportunity to learn much Washington State history as a kid.  My kids know a thing or two about Lewis and Clark, though I am sure to learn something myself watching this Lewis and Clark documentary with them.  It's always fun seeing places we have been and learn the history behind them.

I've had several friends road trip with their families to Yellowstone.  While we won't be making it this year, I would love to learn more about America's oldest and most visited park.

Having just returned from a family vacation to Maui where my kids snorkeled and played in the water, I'm sure my kids would love to watch The Blue Planet.

I've also been meaning to watch Blackfish.  

I hear it's a fascinating documentary.

I love to travel and have been laughing out loud as I watch An Idiot Abroad.

My sister in law says that she uses Netflix when she prepares to go on a trip with her two girls.

 Last year before they went to The Big Island, they watched several documentaries on Volcanoes of Hawaii.

Even if you don't have the opportunity to travel this summer, you can spend an afternoon traveling from the comfort of your own home.

I follow up our at home learning with a trip to the library where we stock up on books on the same subject. 

Do you have any tips to keep your kids learning throughout the summer?

What are your boredom busters?

Maui with kids-my top picks for things to do on a budget!

I've had a few requests for me to recap our recent family trip to Maui. We took all three of our kids {15, 12, and nearly 9} for 8 days on one of my favorite islands.
I'm no stranger to Maui. This was my third visit in 18 months, however, I don't usually bring the family with me! I was excited to take them and show them around.

My favorite part of the island would have to be Wailea. Probably because I know it the best.
When I was only 17, my parents took my brother and me to Hawaii and we spent three weeks hopping from island to island.  I remember loving Maui then!  One of my favorite memories is when my brother {who was 14 at the time} and I wandered down from the beach that we were sitting at {it's now home to the Four Seasons-though there was nothing there on our visit} and stumbled on one of the most amazing resorts that I had ever seen. We rode the water elevator, went down water slides and floated through the lazy river. That is, until we got stopped for not having guest bracelets! That resort was The Grand Wailea and though the resort has grown a bit, it really hasn't changed too much in nearly 20 years.
Staying at The Grand Wailea was top priority for me, but the prices are crazy expensive! We felt like one night was more than enough and really all the budget would allow. And quite honestly, after all the fun we had in 24 hours, one night was plenty. The kids will even tell you that.
A few tips if you are staying at The Grand: 1. Bring your own floaties and water toys. The resort charges a ridiculous amount and doesn't provide any floats, even for the lazy river, which for some reason is sort of shocking to me. 2. Ask the bell hop if any boogie boards have been left behind. Sometimes they have and you are free to use them for your stay. 3. Have on hand lots of $1's. I've stayed at a lot of upscale resorts and I expect to tip for service, though on this visit, I felt like the valet, bell hops and service staff lingered longer than they should have for a tip. Long enough that my husband literally felt uncomfortable. 4. Use the free bikes for the most amazing bike ride through Wailea and Makena. This has been one of my favorite things to do in Wailea, though a resort that caters to families doesn't offer bikes for kids, which is sort of unfortunate. 5. Be prepared for sticker shock! Fruity drinks from the super fun swim up bar can run you around $22.
If you are staying in Wailea, don't miss out on walking the coastal nature trail. It's a gorgeous walk along the beach and by the resorts. I've seen some amazing things while walking this trail. Some of my favorite were the huge stingrays playing by the rocks for hours. They looked like sharks in the water.
Take a drive to the black sand beach {Naupaka beach} and play in the tide pools. Spend some time at turtle town

Take some time to explore Keawala'i chruch built in 1832.

Drive through the lava fields to La Perouse Bay

There is some great snorkeling at Ahihi-Kinau reserve though the parking isn't great.
There is a super delicious Jawz fish taco truck almost always parked outside of Big Beach. I recommend the fish tacos, but if you are visiting Maui with kids, I don't recommend swimming or using Big Beach.  It's fun to look at, but the waves break incredibly hard on the shore and people get hurt there nearly every day.

We always make it a habit to stop at Lapart's ice cream at the Shops at Wailea.

And you can't go to Hawaii with out getting shave ice.

I recommend Ululani's in Kihea.

The final week of our trip was spent at a condo in Ka'anapali with my parents. In true frugal form, I found a large suitcase in the free box at a garage sale, and loaded it up with 50 pounds of food and not enough bottles of sunscreen  {our family of five went through a bottle of sunscreen a day}. We paid the $25 check bag fee, but left the bag at the resort for our return trip home. The savings we got from packing food justified $25, but not $50 had we brought the bag there and back.
Some of the food I brought were bagels, english muffins, peanut butter, jelly, pizza sauce, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce,  cream cheese, crackers, block of cheese, shredded cheese, tortillas, and lots of snack foods like beef jerky, nuts, chips. The ice packs I packed with the cheese worked great on our 6 hour flight to the island. And while at the resort on the first night, our small hotel mini fridge held the cheese that we brought just fine.
I have stayed in Ka'anapali before and remembered a few things from my stay. One thing was how much wetter this side of the island is than the south side. There was rain nearly every day, but it was quick rain usually. The longest it rained was a half an hour and it was still fairly warm. I also remembered how much I loved Kapalua bay.
We spent at least four of our days at Kapalua and snorkeled with turtles every single time. I liked that the bay was protected by two reefs on the ends forming a cove. It was very calm for the kids. There were shady spots, and lots of sand too.

We also tried Napili bay

and black rock beach, 

Napili bay is another coved bay like Kapalua perfect for first time snorkelers and kids. When we snorkeled at black rock beach, we had to watch out for cliff jumpers and if was far too crowded for my liking, though we did see some pretty awesome fish and sea turtles.
It is fun to head to black rock beach just before sunset and watch the cliff dive ceremony. I love the Kapalua coastal trail!

 It's an easy trail with amazing ocean views along the way.

You can start at Kapalua bay and end at the Ritz Carlton.

It's a great place to watch the sunset.

And weddings.

In a single night we saw four weddings!

You can also find a few great places off of the bay for cliff jumping.

Though jump at your own risk!

There are a lot of coral reefs and the swims to a place to get out of the water can be long.

When the evening cools, I would recommend going into Lahaina to shop around.

Visit the banayan tree

and make sure to grab a window seat at the Lahaina pizza company. You can watch the surfers and boats at sunset. You can also pick up your shave ice at Ululani's.
Since we had a condo, we didn't eat out much. Though I would recommend trying Ono tacos. We also picked up the most delicious fresh guacamole at The Farmer's Market.
We had a fairly low key vacation in Maui. We didn't plan any excursions or activities and every day, we played it by ear. I think one of the biggest mistakes you can make when traveling with your kids to Maui is over scheduling. There are lots of activities you could do, but while you are busy doing those, you may be missing out on the amazing little things, like building a sand castle on the beach, or snorkeling with sea turtles. And those activities don't cost you a dime!
Did I miss anything?
Would you add any tips for traveling to Maui? I would love to hear them!

It's a trip not a vacation when traveling with kids

We just got back from eight lovely days in Maui.

We took all three of the kids and met up with my parents from Arizona.
You see, while we were trying to find the sun and some warm weather, they were trying to find some cooler weather.
Years ago after traveling with three checked bags, two backpacks, one pack and play, a full size car seat, and only one child we decided that we would refer to vacations with kids as trips.

A vacation makes you think that there will be relaxing involved.   There will be drinks on the beach served to you by waiters in tropical shirts and shorts.   When you tire of reading a fantastic book you can nap poolside while you listen to your favorite music on your iPod.  You can eat fancy dinners after sunset, dress up, and take your time at the restaurant while you chat {uninterrupted} about nothing in particular.
A vacation is adults only.  
You are accompanied by people who don't need anything from you.   {which is why it's called a work trip and not a work vacation!} You aren't required to be anywhere, or do anything. At least anything that you don't want to do. A trip is just the opposite of a vacation in pretty much every way. On a trip, your family travels to a different location that is not your home, sleeps in different beds, usually in close quarters where no one gets any sleep and sometimes you even jump through time zones.
While everyone is sufficiently sleep deprived, you then take your overly tired humans to every local tourist attraction or to every relatives house in a 100 mile radius, trying to squeeze every ounce of fun that you can into a day even if no one is actually having any of the aforementioned fun. You then feed your whole family different foods {usually from a restaurant with a drive through},  shake up their whole schedule and expect everyone to be on their best behavior, have fun and relax. Oh, and not die. I have taken a few girls getaways over the past few years. I come back refreshed, renewed and relaxed. I've had time to spend with my toes in the sand and the sun has warmed my body. My youngest son and my husband swimming back through the bay after cliff jumping When I took my family to Maui,  I had this gut wrenching feeling any time the kids were near water that I wouldn't come back with one of them.  There was no relaxing, only worrying.

that's deep enough boys!

I bring my bathing suit with me on vacations and sometimes I float around the pool like a pool princess, but I don't tend to make it a habit to jump waves or get splashed or generally even getting my hair wet. On our trip, I spent 90% of my time in the water. Swimming, splashing and ready for any lifeguarding that needed to take place. And speaking of water, I never appreciated adults only pools the way that I should. This year, I had two very different experiences at the same resort. In February, I traveled {on vacation} with two of my good friends to Maui and we stayed at the Grand Wailea.

 from my beach chair at the adults only pool

I sat by the adults only pool, sipping a cold drink, eating fresh pineapple and watching the whales play in the ocean.  I read a book, chatted with my friends and sat there. Doing nothing. I would occasionally glance over at the families playing in the resorts water slides and smile. I didn't have to worry about sunscreening children, or making sure they were drinking water, or escorting them to the bathroom or making sure they didn't drown. I didn't need to wrangle pool floaties or make sure everyone got a turn on the "pink one". All I had to do was sit there and smile as these families made memories.

After spending a full day with my family at this same resort, diving under waterfalls, swinging on the rope swing, sliding down water slides, floating down the lazy river and jumping waves in the ocean we walked as a family of five with our towels draped around our sun kissed exhausted bodies through the adults only pool area. I took a second to stand there. I glanced over at the group of women sitting together obviously on a girls only vacation like I was just a few months prior and I smiled. Because this time, I was making the family memories. It's a trip, not a vacation, and I wouldn't have it any other way!