Kids Staycation

Even in rough economies, summer fun doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate. A pup tent & a back yard is all you need for a night of memory making.

My brother invited us over to "Camp Lopez" on Sunday night. We had a bonfire (notice a trend w/ us & fires? lol) and roasted our standard bonfire fare: hot dogs & marshmallows! We set up the accommodations: aka tents. My middles, my brother, his wife & their 2 boys all 'camped out' over night. 

We cheered on a race between my oldest & uncle & auntie to see who could set up their tent the fastest.  The kids ran around, K had a grand time shouting "Look! Look!" every 10 minutes, to be sure we all could see him climb on the tire swing himself & get it moving. We snacked on fresh fruit topped with plain yogurt and granola.  Once we started the bonfire, the roasting foods started. My sister-in-love also invited her nieces which was a nice surprise for Birdy since she is usually the only girl between her cousins and brothers.

Once it got dark, we even caught glimpses of nearby city fireworks shows. The Mr. & I went home to our own comfortable beds while the middles stayed up late giggling the night away. The next day the 'cool' uncle & auntie took the whole crew to the park for some major tree climbing and bike riding.

We all already owned tents so that didn't cost us any extra. I also had the giant marshmallows left over from the last bonfire but my sil provided more s'more making supplies & the hot dog dinner fixings & wood for the fire. Over all, the costs were pretty low for a priceless night of back yard adventures.

FUN with water ideas for Summer!

Sure you can go buy water guns from Target, super soakers are NOT cheap though. OR you can save your dish soap bottles! Seriously, they work great as 'water shooters'. They are also the perfect size for small hands to grip & squeeze. It's simple: save your empty dish soap bottle, rinse well, remove the label (optional), fill w/ water, make sure the cap/spout is on, then SQUEEZE! You'll get a great stream of water AND save some plastic from the land fill.

To save water & your sanity when kids are running in & out to refill the bottles, just place a bucket of water outside for *refills*. 

OF COURSE, it goes w/o saying to use extra supervision w/ little ones around bucket of water: they tend to be top heavy & can flip into a bucket in an instant.

As an alternative to 'water bombs', you know those round, cloth balls or football shapes, sold by the water toys? Well, you can purchase giant sized sponges at any $.99 cents store or Dollar Tree and have the kids toss those around. These also make great replacements for water balloons.  Water balloons leave a bunch of tiny bits of rubber/latex all over your lawn--not fun & not good for your lawn or birds that might pick them up. Forget the mess and toss a soaking wet sponge back and forth instead! This way you also have a product you can reuse around the house when everyone is done 'playing'. Again, keep a bucket of water *outside* for instant 'refills'.

If you're feeling really crafty you can sew a nifty cloth cover over your sponge, like the brand name 'water bombs' have...OR....check out these super crafty & adorable 'wet water sponges' (aka: DIY water bombs).

Aren't these the cutest water toys you've ever seen? Don't you want to run out *right now* & buy some fresh sponges to make these? ME TOO!

One last tip for outside fun with water...a friend said she sends her kidlets outside w/ a small bucket of water & paint brushes to 'paint' the sidewalk. Great! Call it secret, invisible spy art, when it dries & you're set!