It may not be a typical Fourth of July, but that is no reason you can’t enjoy it to the fullest! Here are four fun things to do for the 4th of July that are perfect for 2020 (even with COVID concerns) as well as any other year! Enjoy a Backyard Bash This might not be the year you have a huge backyard party, but a great 4th of July idea for adults or the kids is to throw yourself a backyard bash. Invite a few friends, or just enjoy the day with your immediate family. Create some yummy snacks and a delicious dinner on the grill (be sure to add this tasty Mexican Street Corn to the menu). Play fun yard games such as cornhole, life-sized Jenga, or even just throwing a frisbee around. If you have a fire pit, roast marshmallows for s’mores. End the evening with some of your own fireworks. Kids of all ages love to set off fireworks and there are so many great ones available these days. Insider tip: Be careful when setting off fireworks, they can be dangerous. We also always keep a bucket of water handy and once the firework has cooled off, we throw it in the water – that way we’ve cleaned up our mess and don’t have to worry about something catching on fire later. Create Your Own Scavenger Hunt or Themed Trivia Game Make a 4th of July themed scavenger hunt a fun family event by dividing your group into two teams and seeing who can check off the items on the list first. Looking for a...
Date night doesn’t have to be your typical dinner & a movie (although you can make that special by visiting a unique theater!). Why not make this Valentine’s Day different by giving one of these three awesome date night ideas a try? Bonus if you schedule date nights for the next two weeks with the other two ideas! How about a Progressive Dinner? Idea #1: Create your own progressive dinner. We accidentally did this for our anniversary last year. Our first course was chips & guacamole and margarita’s during soccer practice and then we moved on to a much nicer restaurant for salads, wine, and dessert after we took our soccer player home. It was actually really fun and memorable so I decided to upgrade it this year for a unique night out. Start your evening with an appetizer or salad and a drink at one local restaurant, move on to another for entrees (or we did sushi since we aren’t big eaters) and finally end the night with coffee and dessert. If you have an area of town with several restaurants within walking distance of each other this can be a really fun experience! This works best with just two people because even if the restaurant is full you can often sit at the bar and be served pretty quickly at each stop. If you are on a tight budget this year, you could even do this with counter service restaurants – it’ll be a fun and inexpensive adventure. Get out and explore Idea #2: Skip the big night out and go exploring in a nearby town instead....
It’s that time of the year. The time when we start racking our brains to figure out what in the heck we should get for all our loved ones. I thought I’d start early this year and scout out the BEST gift ideas for every traveler (and non-traveler) on your list. For the Gals: Travel Yoga Mat – I’ve mentioned this one several times but it’s just that awesome! This is such a great thing to take on vacations even if you aren’t a big-time yogi. I use mine for morning Pilates and just general stretching. It’s lightweight, pretty and cleans easily. A membership to The Sisterhood. This pilates program is the one I enjoy every morning. I use the ap on my phone and each morning I get a new workout (10 to 30 minutes). It’s perfect for at home or when I’m traveling. I really can’t recommend it enough if you are looking for a low impact daily workout that can be done from anywhere. Even if I just head out for a quick overnight, I ALWAYS pack my travel diffuser and a few oils. Diffusing lavender or thieves in my room makes such a difference in how well I rest. I get rid of that stuffy smell and feel and it’s just such a simple way to improve my stay. As a bonus, these small diffusers are super affordable. A lovely gift would be one of these along with a bottle of essential oils. Speaking of heading out overnight, the Vera Bradley Grand Weekender is the bag I always use. It’s perfect for a quick weekend...
Everyone knows how much I love everyday adventures, and Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to enjoy and create one of your own. Although you could go with the standard fancy dinner out, why not try something new this year – I bet you’ll remember it much longer than just another dinner at a restaurant. Looking for ideas? I’ve got you covered: Visit a winery. Enjoy a wine tasting and then a delicious glass of wine. You might even get lucky and stumble upon some live music. It’s fun to try different varieties and share what you think of each one. This is also a great choice if you are short on time or money. It would be very doable to sneak in a tasting and conversation on a busy school night for $20 or less. Local suggestions: My two current favorite local wineries are Urban Vines and Sugar Creek Winery. Urban Vines has delicious charcuterie platters and they also serve beer, cider, and even sparkling wine, so if your partner doesn’t like wine they have alternatives. Sugar Creek Winery doesn’t carry food, but you are welcome to bring in whatever you want, so why not put together your own cheese plate and enjoy it with a glass of their delicious wine. Urban Vines, 303 E 161st Street, Westfield, IN 317-763-0678; Sugar Creek Winery, 1111 West Main Street; Carmel, IN Check out a museum. Although most museums might be closed in the evening, perhaps you can meet for lunch and walk through your local art museum? Or present tickets as a gift with plans to visit on the weekend. It’s fun to look...
Merry Christmas! If are reading this on the day I post it, I’m sure Christmas is on your mind as it’s Christmas Eve! So, I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite holiday or holiday related posts: Gift Guides: From the Modern Mrs. Darcy: The Minimalist’s Guide to Stocking Stuffers My favorite gift ideas From MomAdvice.com 9 Great Gifts for Someone Living with Chronic Pain From Jessie on a Journey 28 Unique Gifts for Backpackers and Adventurers Helping Others/ Building Relationships: Spread some holiday cheer Random Acts of Kindness Website All-Fun No-Stress Holiday Connections Inexpensive Winter Activities – Get Fit for Less From Consistently Curious – 25 Date Night Ideas in Cincinnati – plan something for the new year now, some of these ideas could be done in places other than Cincinnati Fun Projects: How about making something fun today as a family? The Perfect Hostess Gift – Flavored Butters Make Ice Cream from Hip2Save – Homemade Peppermint Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Rolled Paper Christmas Ornaments from Positively Splendid Make your own Sugar Scrub to share with everyone you know! From Make and Takes – Watercolor Bookmarks Any other ideas to share? I’d love to hear about them in the comments! Want to remember these ideas? Pin for later: ...
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., Abreva, Breathe Right, Clorox, Robitussin and Theraflu. All opinions are mine alone. #SoothesOfTheSeason #CollectiveBias It may be cold outside, but as long as you are feeling healthy, you can still have fun! It’s a rough time of the year for colds, coughs and the flu – if you don’t have a bug, I bet you know someone who does. It can definitely be hard to keep your family healthy, but by stocking up now and being prepared, you can truly enjoy all the season has to offer. After all, the last thing you want to do is run out in the middle of the night or miss something fun because you’re feeling awful. Early in the season, I hit my local Noblesville Kroger to stock up on my list of cold, cough and flu must-haves including: Abreva® Pump Cold Sore and Fever Blister Treatment – easy to apply Abreva is not for temporary relief, but healing. As soon as you feel a cold sore coming on, apply it immediately for best results. Breathe® Right Extra Clear Nasal Strips – when colds settle in your nose, I love these strips to provide relief for congestion. I’m also a big fan of the fact that it’s drug-free and safe to use with any sleep medication. They have a flexible, “spring-like” band within each strip, and when you place them on your nose using the special adhesive, they gently lift the sides of the nose and open the nasal passages as the band tries to straighten back to its original shape. Pretty clever,...
Hi! I’m Pam. I’m a busy mom of two teens who loves to travel and enjoy each and every day. My hope is to inspire other busy moms to create family memories and discover everyday adventures wherever they are! Check out my About Pam page for more details.
