Enjoying Summer On Our Patio

 

We love our patio, as I told you a little while ago. It's been hotter than usual this summer so we've spent a lot of time with our water gear. It's a great way to get everyone outside without dying of heat exhaustion. Because being outside is magic, remember? Hardly no fighting and lots of energy expelled. (Chalk up two wins for mommy!) As you can see, Caden loves dumping full buckets of water on his head. This happened to be a bucket full of cold water. Oops... I forgot to fill the pool ahead of time so it could warm up. He didn't seem to mind. "Here, Porter, let me help you." Porter doesn't like the ice cold water. But, he does love his water table. And Caden thinks it's perfect for reloading his water gun.

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Backyard Summer Escape

Is it just me or are children happier when they're outside? My boys have started fighting and bickering a lot - I have a feeling this is the next 18 years of my life. (Help me!) When we're outside, the fighting almost goes away. It's magical and pure bliss. Needless to say, we've been spending a lot of time outside this summer.

I've been working hard on transforming our backyard patio into a summer escape. And by working hard, I mean buying a patio set and lots of water toys. Because, really, that's all we need to be happy. A comfy chair for me to kick my feet up while the boys run around getting wet.

We also eat outside quite a bit. Not only because Caden loves it, but when Porter decided to see how far he can launch his plate of food, it's a lot easier to clean up outside.

A few must-have pieces on our backyard:

• Water table


• Basketball hoop


• BBQ


• Sprinkler


• Water guns


• Patio table

This list is by no means all-inclusive, but they are some of our favorites. Do you spend a lot of time in your backyard during the summer? I would love to know what you have done to transform your backyard into a summer escape. Comment below to be entered to win a $25 Sears gift card!

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|This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sears. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.|

Simple Play: Fabric Wipe Toy

Porter (13 months) loves taking anything that belongs in a box out.  Ziploc bags can go from orderly to a quilted mess all over the floor in a matter of seconds.  Wet wipes can be taken out by the handfuls leaving a trail so he can remember from whence he came.  It's really an amazing talent.  "Here, mom, you clean up the Ziploc bags while I tackle the wet wipes."

My solution: make a fabric wipe toy that I'm okay cleaning up over and over.  I took an empty Clorox wipe dispenser, washed it and rolled up scrap fabrics.  He loved it and once all the fabric was out of the container, he wanted to put it back in.



Caden (3.5 yo) had fun with the fabric too.  Every piece Porter would take out, Caden would get ready to do a magic trick.  Or make a pie.  It would change every time he laid a piece of fabric down.



"What is it, Caden?"



"It's a pumpkin pie.  Let me cut you a piece!"

Simple Play: Soda Bottle

The simplest tasks like blow drying my hair or fixing dinner have increasingly become difficult since Porter is a walking machine.  If he's not tearing something apart, he's falling on his head or playing in the toilet water.  My solution: place him in his highchair and find something that will keep his attention for a 5-10 minutes.



This simple soda bottle filled with warm soap water did the trick yesterday.  He loved flipping the pop bottle over and over to look at the bubbles.  Then he would put the bottle to his cheek and notice how warm it was.  I wonder what will keep his attention today.  If you have any ideas, please let me know!

How To Make Colored Rice

Over the weekend we made colored rice.  It's provided endless amount of fun around here so I thought you might like to know how to make it.  It's really, really easy.

Ingredients:
-Rice
-Food coloring
-Rubbing alcohol
-Ziploc bags

1. Dump 2 cups of uncooked rice into ziploc bag
2. Add a capful of rubbing alcohol
3. Add food coloring (I added about 20 drops)
4. Mix together. (If you can't tell Caden loved this step.  "Wow, Mom look at it turning blue!")

It was even more fun for him when we started mixing different colors.  "What will happen when we mix blue and red mixed together?"

5. After your done mixing, spread out on a cookie sheet to dry overnight.  I sped up the process and put them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes.
6. Lay out a blanket on the floor and start playing.  There will be a little bit of a mess so have a vacuum handy, but I promise it will be worth it.  The boys spent about an hour easy playing with the rice and now Caden begs me to "play rice."

Caden also started getting creative and making the green rice as grass.  "Mom, we need to feed the bugs."

Note: In hindsight I would have doubled or tripled the recipe.  2 cups isn't quite enough for 2 boys to share.  4-6 cups would be more appropriate.

Lightbox Watercoloring

We spiced things up a bit when Caden wanted to watercolor the other day.  I pulled out my lightbox, turned it on and placed a plain piece of printer paper on top for him to paint on.  He loved it and it kept him busy for quite awhile.

I'm gearing up for winter around here and trying to fill my brain with all sorts of good indoor activities.  My friend Jess turned me onto a site called Play at Home Mom.  It's full of great ideas and very focused on learning through playing.  I'm no education expert, but I've found Caden really enjoys learning this way rather than the "sit down and let's work on our letters."  Which totally makes sense.  I don't like to study either.... I'd rather research and learn more about what interests me.

I'd love to hear your ideas on indoor play.  What do your children like play inside when the weather gets bad?  Or are there websites you like to turn to when you need ideas?

I hope you have a great weekend!  xoxo