Tyler, TX blogger - parenting, cooking, DIY-ing, crafting, sports, and life with three boys!
This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/P&G. All opinions are mine.
You know when the days get hot and the days get longer, it is time to head to the pool! For those of us who have kids who could swim all day long if we would let them, we need some effortless preparation to make our time by the pool enjoyable and luxurious. Savor this time relaxing by the pool this summer!
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When I think back on my childhood, I remember good food. My mom is an amazing cook and thankfully, she taught me how to cook! One treat that she taught me how to make was a milkshake in the blender. No cooking required, but it does take skill to get it the perfect consistency. I think my brother and I perfected the cookie milkshake back in the day!
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MeAndMyTea #CollectiveBias
Being from Texas, iced tea has always been one of my favorite drinks. I drink at least one glass of iced tea daily, sweetened with honey. Tea is always my go to beverage of choice at family gatherings, potlucks, and parties. I broke up with soda a few years ago and have not looked back, because tea is just, so so good and has many health benefits, too. Iced tea always seems to quench my thirst like soda never could. It's the perfect drink to enjoy by the pool or park with my family.
I wanted to jazz up my iced tea with a fun, summery design, so I made a DIY iced tea glass with an oil based paint marker. I think it turned out pretty cute, and I'm on the very low end of being artistically gifted. Imagine what you could do!! I also repurposed a pickle jar as an iced tea "pitcher" to match. My tea of choice was Bigelow Half Iced Tea & Half Lemonade!
Supplies Needed:
Directions:
1. Decide on your design. You can cut something out of contact paper to ensure precision, or you can freehand it, it's up to you! If using contact paper, peel off backing and press to stick on the glass.
2. Clean the side of your glass/jar that you will be using with rubbing alcohol or vinegar and let dry completely. (Don't touch the cleaned areas or oil will transfer from your hands to the glass.)
3. Use the oil based paint markers to create your design on the glass. (You can use rubbing alcohol to clean off and start over.)
4. When satisfied with your design, peel off contact paper and let your design dry for about 20 minutes.
5. Place glass items into a COLD oven and turn on to 350°.
6. Open a window because there will be fumes and let the design "cook" on the glass for about 40 minutes.
7. Turn off oven off and let glass cool completely before removing.
8. Hand wash for best results, but wash them in the dishwasher if you like to live dangerously.
I realized after the cooking process that I should have used more paint on my jar. Oh well, I'll know next time!
The boys were impressed with Mommy's super crafting powers, but they were much more impressed with the delicious Bigelow Half Iced Tea & Half Lemonade. They are all tea lovers like their mommy, and lemonade lovers like their daddy, so this was such a special treat for them. And that's the great thing about Bigelow tea is that I feel good about serving it to my little ones because it's healthy and 100% American made by an American family. They have so many different flavors, too. I bought my Bigelow tea at Walmart, in the beverage aisle.
Bigelow Tea is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year! Bigelow began in a New York City townhouse, where Ruth Campbell Bigelow developed the iconic "Constant Comment"® tea, (which is delicious, by the way!) Bigelow Tea now has a worldwide market offering more than 130 varieties of flavored, green, organic, herbal, decaffeinated and iced teas. There's definitely something for everyone. They also use a special foil pouch to ensure freshness and protect the tea from the air, moisture, and surrounding aromas.
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This #SummerGoodies shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser.
I have always wanted a grilled pizza, but have never been brave enough to try it. After a very busy week, I just wanted to relax, but of course the boys wanted to play in the water and do "something special." I quickly sold them on the idea of having a "Backyard Pizza Party" and I went to Walmart to pick up some food. I saw that Jack's frozen pizza has grilling directions right on the package – that's right, you can grill it! Sold!
I bought two Jack's pizzas from the frozen foods aisle – pepperoni and also pepperoni and sausage..our favorites! And on the same aisle, I picked up some Nestlé Drumstick cones in the new Peanut Butter Variety for after dinner.
Preparation for our party was pretty easy, which is just what I was hoping for. All we had to do was turn on the gas grill and get to grilling our pizzas. Okay, Daddy did all of the grilling while I sat inside and took care of Baby Brother, but I got the plates ready. 
I LOVE how the grilled pizza turned out! Hubby is an awesome griller, but the grilling instructions were so simple, so you really don't have to be a professional to grill a mean pizza, but I am thankful that he does have mad grilling skills, anyway. The Jack's pizza turned out to be perfection. The crust was crispy, the cheese and meats were the perfect temperature, and of course the pizza had nice looking grill marks, too:
We all enjoyed the pizza and after dinner, we enjoyed the Nestlé Drumstick Cones. They were a huge hit! I bought the peanut butter variety, which included vanilla, vanilla with peanut butter, and my favorite, peanut butter!
The Captain's absolute favorite part is the unique chocolate nugget at the bottom of each Drumstick cone. He's like me, we like our chocolate!
And don't forget the backyard water fun! The boys were able to burn off all their energy with our DIY backyard splash pad, making our Summer Grilled Pizza party extra fun! I hope to make this a tradition in our house because it was so easy and fun to share each other's company!
Two years ago, when we first moved to the house we are in now, the boys were sick all of the time. It was either allergies, a cold, ear infections, or strep. Oh man, a 2 1/2 year old with strep is NOT fun. Nor is a hubby with strep fun, by the way! I don’t know what was going on that Summer, but it was miserable. I’m not sure if the kids’ immune systems were just becoming stronger during that time or what, but I’ve started doing a few different things with them to help them stay healthy. It’s easy to assume that kids are usually healthy during the summer, but colds and viruses still survive in the summer, and my personal theory is that with so much daylight and excitement, it is sometimes harder for kids to get the rest they need.
Here is what we do to help keep the kids healthy during the summer. I’m sure there is much more to be done, but so far, these have seemed to really help!
This family playdates post was brought to you by Merck Consumer Care and SheSpeaks. All opinions are mine.
I'm admittedly not a huge fan of summer, but this summer has been different. The boys are both at an age (four and two) where getting outdoors with them is enjoyable, even though I am pregnant! We love heading outdoors and doing things together as a family. Our top five favorite things to do include:
1. Playing in the water. We have a small, inflatable pool in the backyard, but it does the trick. The boys love to splash and play and they burn off so much energy while playing! Sometimes, Daddy or I spray them with the hose or make them roar with laughter by jumping in the pool ourselves! We are always nearby though, regardless if we're in the pool or not. Daddy also built a huge sprinkler that they play in. Running through that thing is awesome, no matter what age you are!
It’s in the 90’s and hot here, so Daddy and a family friend built this awesome sprinkler and we pulled out the old slip ‘n slide-ish thing! Such fun!!!!
Happy Memorial Day, everyone! Stay safe and say a prayer for those who have served our country!
It’s already 91 degrees here in Texas. It’s HOT, and since it’s only May, it’s definitely guaranteed to get much hotter. We have a kiddie pool, but we don’t keep it filled up because it’s not safe for either the Captain, who is three, or Baby D, who is one. If they go outside alone, they could easily drown. AND since Baby D is still pretty young, we have to be rightthere to make sure he doesn’t get hurt or get water in his ears (he has tubes). So what other options do we have? I’ve compiled a list of fun, cheap, safe things for preschoolers to do when it’s HOT!
Play in the Sprinklers. You water the lawn and the kids get their water time, all at the same time! It’s safe for the kids, as long as there are no sticks or sharp objects in your yard and they’re not playing on concrete. AND, you don’t have to turn it up very high to have loads of fun! If you don’t have a sprinkler, check out these awesome homemade sprinklers:
MojoSavings.com
HereComesTheSun-Kelly.blogspot.com
“Paint” with water. Anything goes. Get a bowl or cup of water, a foam paintbrush, and tell the kids they can “paint” the house! They love it! (unfortunately this usually ends with dumping the cup of water on themselves or their sibling, but that’s okay, too!)
Splash Pads. Check to see if there is a free Splash Pad in your area. They’re becoming more popular and this is a great, toddler friendly alternative to high priced water parks that toddlers aren’t old enough to enjoy, anyway!
Water Table – Either purchased or homemade like this one:
Confessions of a (non)Supermom
(kids still need to be closely watched because drownings DO happen in only a little bit of water!)
Make and eat homemade popsicles! What better way to cool off than with a popsicle? But if you don’t want the added food dyes, high fructose corn syrup, or cost, make your own with ice cube trays or cups and popsicle sticks or bought popsicle forms! You can make popsicles with ANYTHING…..watered down juice, yogurt, milk, pureed fruit, anything!
Do you have any fun, safe activities for preschoolers to do to keep COOL in the hot weather?
