Summer Lovin' With Hilary

Sweet Liv asked me to blogsit for her today while she's off on a summer vacation adventure with her 

family, and I couldn't be more pleased to make myself at home in her online space!  I blog over 

at BabyMooHoo, mostly about my chubby-cheeked toddler and the challenges and joys of being

 her parent.  Feel free to stop by and say hi! 

Liv suggested that the joys of summertime be a guide in writing a little something for her readers, so I 

thought I'd share some of the things on our lengthy summer bucket list that might inspire some hot 

weather fun in your own families.  I'm recently unemployed (but don't cry for me, Argentina--I'm 

totally soaking up every second of this sudden gift of a summer vacation with my teacher-husband

 and daughter), so we're planning a lot of our upcoming activities on a very limited budget.  I've tried 

to organize them here based on what's free to do at home, what's cheap to do in the community, and 

what we feel is worth the occasional splurge.  I've linked back to lots of other blogs (mostly found

 via Pinterest!  Find me under MooHooVille!) to give credit to all the creative mamas who have inspired

 my ideas, and to hopefully provide you with even more resources for your summer planning. 

First things first:  Stuff to do in your own backyard!

- Have fun with water at any opportunity.  Our summer fun is pretty much based around all forms of 

water (we're lucky to live on the coast, so the beach is an easy morning outing), including something 

as simple as a sprinkler or an oversized plastic storage container or cheapie kiddie pool filled to 

overflowing.  Throw some cut-up sponges in and make a water fight of it.  Use warm water and bubbles

 and treat your kid to an outdoor bath time as the sun goes down.  If a rainy day has you down, shake 

off the crankies by embracing the wet:  put you and your kiddo in wellies and count how many puddles 

you can jump in.  Make a game of tracking down the biggest ones you can find, and award applause 

& points for the person who creates the biggest splash.

- Dust off your camping gear and set up a tent in the backyard.  We have never taken Natalie 

camping (shhh, don't tell our fellow Mainers!), and are going to do a test-run in the backyard this 

summer.  We plan on going big, and so should you:  campfire dinner, flashlight shadow puppets, the 

whole nine.  Plus, if it's a disaster we can always just cry uncle and make our way inside to the comfort

 of our own beds.

- Encourage your child's inner explorer and artist.  The best toy we have probably ever bought Natalie is

 a magnifying glass, and we have loved it even more now that the weather is warm enough to explore 

with it outside.  A little cheap one can provide tons of entertainment as you investigate your yard, looking 

for flowers or hunting for bugs or discovering what lives underneath rocks.  If your kid loves to draw, 

make your own sidewalk chalk and unleash your little artist on the pavement to create illustrations or just

 to play games.

No or Low Cost Fun:

- Take advantage of what your community has going on for free.  Parades, weekly story hour at the

 library, public pools and beaches, hiking trails, school playgrounds, or searching out geocaches make 

really easy, free, fun days with your kids.  Check out your community calendar for information on 

when otherwise pricey places (children's museums, zoos, science centers, etc.) offer special free 

events, which happens pretty frequently in our area.

- Be a tourist for a day or a weekend, and visit the historical and socially significant stuff you otherwise

 don't really notice in your community.  For us, that's lighthouses, for you it might be forts or battlefields. 

 If a nearby town has an annual festival (we'll be lucky enough to hit up Lobster Festival,

  Blues Festival, Summer Solstice, and Potato Blossom Festival this year!), pack up the kids and go. 

 Most festivals of this type are either free to get in, or offer lowered admission rates for families 

on certain days.

- Give each of your kids a small amount of cash and visit a local Farmer's Market together.  They 

can each spend their allotment and then you can all take it on a picnic or back home to cook together.

- Some other low-cost stuff on our summer bucket list this year includes taking Natalie to her first movie

 at the theater, going mini-golfing (under $10 for our family of three), bowling, and berry picking. 

Stuff that's Worth the Splurge:

I think it's worth budgeting for a couple of special, pricey summer activities, even if the rest of your 

summer is on the cheap.  For us, paying to get into a National Park or go to a concert or hitting up a 

special kids' show like Yo Gabba Gabba live, would be worth the splurge.  Other things that might be

 worth the extra cost for your family would be sporting events (even the minor league or triple A teams), 

a unique museum exhibit, a water park on a hot day, and more.  Having something extra special to 

look forward to in the summer is super fun, so take the time to pick out a "splurge!"

And if it rains...

- Crafts, crafts, crafts.  Make bird feeders to hang later, create hand-print or thumb-print art, or make 

your own playdough.

- Build a fort out of sheets and stay in your pj's all day while you watch movies and eat the special 

snacks your kids only get to have once in a while.  A full summer of rainy days would make this one get 

old, quick, but a special snuggly day in front of the television can make some of the best

 memories ever.

- Use it as a chance to do some community service:  bake cookies for your local soup kitchen to 

serve at dessert, felt some cat toys for the animal shelter, make cards or tissue paper flower centerpieces

 for an area nursing home.

I hope some of these ideas have inspired a bit of summer bucket list planning for your families!  I couldn't 

be more excited that the sunshine has finally made its way to the Northeast, and I plan on cramming as 

much fun into our days as possible before the Maine winter has us hibernating again.  Please share some 

of your own favorite summer activities & vacation ideas!

Summer Lovin' With Caitlin

Hi everyone!  My name is Caitlin and I blog over at To Make Love Stay. I live in New Mexico with

 my wildland firefighter husband Rob and our beastie, Cypress.  I work from home as a software 

consultant (with some intermittent traveling) and I also blog about our life, marriage, fire season, anxiety 

and depression, tattoos, photography, and other random fun things I come across.

Summer is my absolute favorite season and for that reason I am always down to write about it, so thanks 

to Liv for giving me this opportunity.

For my guest post today I'm going to talk about how summer and what it means to me has really 

changed over the past year.

Rob and I grew up in eastern Maine and aside from various months spent in Wisconsin, Alaska, Iraq,

 and Moscow between the two of us, we spent most of our summers there.  Summers in Maine 

meant mosquitoes, badass July 4th celebrations, swimming, barbecues, bonfires, ice cream, and lots 

of lobster.

When we moved into our first apartment together four years ago, we lived in Western Maine; same 

number of bugs, less ocean, basically.  We'd spend our days by the river with our dog, getting 

sunburned and swatting at deer flies.

Last October, Rob informed me that he wanted to become a Hotshot, or a Wildland Firefighter, out 

west.  My job is (fortunately) pretty flexible, requiring only an airport for the aforementioned traveling, 

so I told him that I'd go wherever he went.  He applied and by February of this year we found ourselves

 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

For this reason, summer is totally different this year.  Not bad different, just...different. Whereas I've 

always looked forward to summer as a time to spend with Rob and my family and enjoy the

 beautiful weather, this year we probably won't see too much of each other until September or 

October when the fires die down and I'm 3600 miles away from any family. As a result I find myself 

having to find new and different ways to enjoy myself in a vastly different culture and climate.

I've also always associated summer with swimming, but in a place where water is hard to come by

 (and cactuses are not) I don't find myself in the water nearly as often as I'd like. And did you notice all

 that beautiful green in the photos above?  We don't see a ton of that here.

On the plus side, though, we have some kickass sunsets, no bugs (minus the giant-ass tarantulas 

I'm expecting to find in my bed), and near-constant sunshine.  Most importantly, I'm living out an 

exciting new chapter in our lives with my husband absent, but still always by my side, and for that I 

can't really complain.  

So though I find myself trying to speed summer along so I can get to winter (when Rob has 6 months off 

until next fire season) I'm really trying to stop and enjoy just how unique and different this summer 

is juxtaposed against all the other summers I've had.  I hope you get time to do the same thing over the 

next few months.

Thanks for having me, Liv! I hope you all have a great summer!

Summer Lovin' With Jessica

Hello Soul Singing Liv readers!  My name is Jessica, and I write a little blog called Sweet Green 

Tangerine.  It's mainly about my life as a music loving bookworm raising two boys in the south with my 

Army man.  Liv has asked me to share a post about summer, and I really don't know how to write 

about anything other than books and music so I thought I'd share some summer favorites of ours.

To many, summer time means relaxation and freedom.  Us moms of school-aged kids know 

differently.  Teachers are off the hook, and now it's up to us to entertain our kiddos for the next 3

 months.  That's not a bad thing, of course. This is the time of year when my 6 year old son and I have

 the most fun together.

Jonathan, our little dinosaur boy.

One of the ways we bond is over books and music...naturally.  Normally, I don't really censor my

 music around the kids, (I don't generally listen to anything violent or inappropriate) but since we 

are spending so much time together in the car, I try to pick music that they can also enjoy.  Turns out 

my kids don't appreciate Bon Iver and Radiohead the way I do. Whatever, kids.  Like most 

mini-people, they love music with a quick tempo and repetitive sounds.  And thankfully, kids music has

 really come a long way.  I'm not one of those moms that can sit through Barney and Raffi, so I love 

finding music that I can enjoy along with them.  There's nothing better than singing along at the top of 

our lungs as a family.  That's bonding as it's finest.

Here are a few that we love to listen to on those long summer car trips.

The Beatles

Can't go wrong with The Beatles.  Our favorites: Hey Jude (duh), Get Together, 

Yellow Submarine

Aquabats

For kids who love rock

They Might be Giants

They have a whole album about science. Our favorite: I am a 

Paleontologist

Movie soundtracks

Our favorites: Across the Universe and The Muppets

Todd McHatton - I Think I'm a Bunny

My kids' current favorite and I have to admit...it grows on you.

Bob Marley - B is for Bob

It doesn't get any better than Three Little Birds

Jude, our little free spirit

As for books, without that school-night bedtime routine, reading together tends to get thrown to 

wayside.  We have to make a conscious effort to make the time to read either together or quietly.

 This is when library trips are the most beneficial.  Most libraries have story times and summer

 reading programs during this time anyway, and hey, they're free!  We also keep a bag of books in the 

car for road trips and our current chapter book in my purse to read while we're out and waiting or being

 lazy in the park.

This summer, we're going to be reading these books together:

I'm very excited. 

Well, that's how we bond during the summertime.  Do you find time to read with your kids during 

the chaos of summer?  Do you have special music you listen to as a family?

 If you happen to be a lover of books like I am, I would love it if you could join us some time for our 

weekly book chat link up.  We discuss everything from our favorite love stories to our favorite endings.

I hope you enjoyed my guest post and I want to thank Liv for thinking of me!

Summer Lovin' With Summer

Hi everyone!  My name is Summer and I blog over at the Crosbie Crew.  My blog is all about the daily 

life of my family of four.  I also like to share funny stories, DIYs, my photography and a few recipes.  I

 hope you stop by sometime to say hi! Today I will be showing you something from my 

"Boys of Summer" series I did last year called sponge balls. Now, water balloons are a fun 

summertime activity but here's the problem, we as parents take forever filling them up and they're 

gone in seconds.  Our kids look at us like that's it?  Fill me up some more mom!  Here is where sponge 

balls come in handy! What you need: -cheap (colorful) sponges, no rough side -scissors -string 

-pen (optional) Take a new sponge and use a pen to mark 4 lines lengthwise down the sponge about 

1/2 inch apart. Cut the strips with your scissors.  Repeat with other sponges. Now make a layer of 4 

strips on your counter. Stack four more on top and again, 4 more on top of those. Take a piece of string 

and carefully tie around the center (to make it a bundle). Pull it pretty tight and you will notice that the

 strips flair out to become a sphere!  It's a sponge ball!

I like to fill up a couple of buckets with water and place them around where they will be playing as a 

"fill" station.  One of the best things about these is that they don't hurt when they are thrown at you.  

They also hold a ton of water!

When your kids are all done playing, just make sure to squeeze out the extra water and store them 

some place where they can easily dry.  They will be ready for the next day.

I hope you liked this easy DIY and I hope you all have a fun summer!

Summer Lovin' With Deanna

Hi! I'm Deanna and I blog over at delirious rhapsody. I am a stay at home mama of two crazy little boys. 

While my days are busy playing hot wheels and changing dirty diapers, my evenings are spent crafting, 

baking, and blogging. I'm a bit sarcastic and a lot quirky. I love meeting new people, so stop by and say 

hello sometime!

I was excited when Liv asked me to guest post while she and her family are off on a trip to Arizona. I'm 

here today to share some pictures of one of my very favorite vacations. Enjoy!

When you become a parent, there are many (many) times that you'd just like to get away. But then when 

you finally get the chance, it can be a little bit harder than you anticipated. Well, at least for me it was. 

The Christmas that our oldest son, Gage, was two and a half, my in-laws were nice enough to give me and 

my husband a five day cruise to Cozumel as our gift. We were so stoked. The last time we had gone on a 

real trip together (another cruise) was when I had been four months pregnant with Gage. 

We were so excited! A chance to get away! Our first adventure alone since becoming parents! And then 

my panic set in. Was I really ready to leave our son for a week? He had only been away from us a handful

 of times, and never over 24 hours. And never, ever had we been out of the country! Or on a ship in the middle

of the ocean. What if there was an emergency and they couldn't get in touch with us? What if Gage thought

 we were gone for good and were never coming back? What if I forgot to back something that he 

desperately needed? What if I forgot to tell my parents something important? What if this? What if

 that? Ahhhhhhh! 

Enter an extreme anxiety attack. I'm being honest with you when I tell you I had to pop a couple klonopin 

the night we dropped him off with my parents. I knew he was in more than capable hands, but still, I felt like

 part of my heart was being left behind. This was a really big step for us. 

After the initial pain of leaving Gage, I forced myself to suck it up. We deserved this trip! We had earned this

 time to spend as a married couple. Who knew how long it would be before we got another chance to be 

alone like this. 

And guess what? 

We had a blast! (And so did Gage, for that matter.) I think every parent needs a chance to get away from 

their kids for a while. We ate good food, slept in, and had many wonderful conversations. Alone. We came 

back feeling rested and refreshed. Oh, and I can't tell you how amazing it was not having to be responsible for 

a few days. 

I am so glad we took that trip, because the next month I got pregnant with our second son. Must have 

been something in the water. It's been two and a half years since that trip, and hopefully we can earn some 

more alone parent time sometime soon!

Thanks for letting me take over your blog for the day, Liv! I hope you and your family and having 

awesome adventures and creating wonderful memories together!

Summer Lovin' With Gretchen

I'm thrilled to be popping in while Olivia and her family live it up in Arizona! I'm sure they are having 

a blast in the summer sunshine :) Speaking of summer, something about it literally makes my mouth 

water for Mexican food. Especially salsa. 

This recipe is from my dear friend, Charissa, and is hands-down the ultimate salsa. 

May I introduce ... BLACK BEAN SALSA! Here's what you'll need:

• 2-15 oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1-15 oz can of corn, drained
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup lime juice, start with that, but you usually need more especially if it sits for awhile
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 chopped red pepper 
• 1 small chopped red onion

Mix everything together in a large bowl and I promise you won't be disappointed! I highly recommend 

eating it with those bright green guacamole chips if you're going the dipping route or it is also fabulous 

atop burrito bowls or on nachos!

 

Gretchen blogs over at That Mama Gretchen where she 

shares about her days with a toddler and a bun in the

 oven sprinkled with memos about her attachment 

parenting experience, thrifty finds, crafty projects, and her 

goal of becoming more green. Stop by for a visit! You can also

 find Gretchen on Twitter, Facebook, and her 

favorite, PINTEREST!

Summer Lovin' With Randalin

I probably leave at least four comments a week on Liv's blog asking to join her family and move in. I 

mean, c'mon - it's always warm there, her family is always having these amazing cajun cookouts, and

 her kids are over the top adorable. So when I saw her name pop up in my email box, I thought for sure

 it was going to be a "ok, you're starting to creep me out, please stop with the comments" kind of

 message. But NO! She asked me to guest blog - talk about a kind-hearted woman.

So here I am - Randalin from Harvesting Kale.  My son is two and his name is - you got it - Kale! We 

live in Canada, where it's almost always cold, the closest thing we get to a "cook out" is lighting up the 

BBQ, and my kid is - well, he's over the top adorable too. Something else Liv and I have in common?

 A love of camping!

FACT: My parents took me camping as a newborn. Like, straight from the hospital to a boat to an island

 to a tent.

FACT: I would never, ever attempt this. But I did take my 14 month old camping and lived to blog

 about it.

So here we are - hot tips for camping with a toddler.

Embrace the dirt. 

All the wet wipes in the world will not help you keep a toddler clean when camping in the woods. For a 

few days, forget the bugs, the dirt, the mud, the sand, etc. and just let them get dirty.

Let them be naked. 

Allowing your toddler to embrace the dirt while wearing clothes is just asking to go home with a mountain 

of laundry. Who wants to return from vacation and face that? Instead, make sure you get a campsite 

that's shaded, layer on the sunscreen, and let them be free.

Items to bring when camping with a toddler. 

We got one of those high chairs seats you can clip on to a table, which was perfect for Kale to sit at

 the picnic table with us. We also brought a toddler sized camping chair so he could take a break for

 3.4 seconds, and an inflatable swimming pool so he could cool off and play without having to spend 

the entire day at the beach, chasing him away from the deep waters.

Let them explore so you can relax. 

I know, hard to believe - but it is possible to relax while vacationing with a toddler. Camping was perfect

 for this - there was so much for Kale to explore and take in, that we were actually able to kick our feet

 up and relax.

We had the best time camping with Kale and are so excited to do it again this summer. It's amazing to 

do something that was such a big part of my childhood with my own son and watch him love it as much as

 I did. The great part about camping is that everyone can do it - it doesn't cost a lot (you can always 

borrow equipment from a friend or purchase second hand at a garage sale) and there is a style of

 camping out there for everyone - from cabins to the outback. Don't let having a toddler stop you - 

instead, let it inspire you!

Summer Lovin' With Vanessa

15 Things to Do in the Summer Hi there. It's Vanessa of Little Gray Pixel, stepping in for Liv while 

she's taking a well-deserved summer vacay. If we've never met before, it might help you to visualize me, 

the gorgeous gal in pink on the beach below. The one in the middle holding the 16-month-old. Alexa.

 And then there's H, who's not pictured because he's taking the picture. The three of us live in Los 

Angeles, where everything is way too expensive and commuting takes too long. But hey, the weather. 

The weather is nice! 

 

Speaking of the weather, things are heating up right now. I'm typing this with the window open, a fan 

blowing directly at me and wearing nothing but my birthday suit. I jest. I'm wearing clothes. I'm told this

 is a family blog, wink wink. Anyway, here are 15 things I try to do every summer to commemorate 

my favorite season. Most of them are free or easy or both, so you should try them, too! 

It'll be fun, promise. 

1. Make a summer mix. I'm talking about some Seals & Crofts. Some Beach Boys. Some 

Bob Marley. How about going old school and including some Montel Jordans? Every year since 2007

 I have created a playlist in iTunes of the songs I'm feeling for the summer. I have several years' worth 

of material, so if you are drawing a blank, hit me up. I'll let you know where it's at. 

 

2. Eat ice cream before it melts. Just do it. 

3. Play miniature golf. It's not summer until you spend 

an evening sweating it out with the putt-putt crowd. Don't keep score. That's lame! 

 

4. Dig your toes in the sand. If you're brave, you could have someone bury you. 

5. Do a handstand in a pool. 

6. Drink a cold, sweaty beverage in the shade. 

 

7. Lie on a grassy knoll and watch the clouds. I see an elephant wearing a tutu. 

8. Start a game of frisbee. Did you know I couldn't throw a frisbee to save my life until just recently? 

I used to send my recipient on a wild goose chase with the trajectories of my tosses. It's amazing I ever 

got asked to play frisbee with a handicap like that. Tip: It's all in the wrist, friends.

 9. Wear flowers in your hair. Weeds, even. 

10. Put some food on the grill and invite people over. 

11. Watch "Independence Day" on the Fourth of July. Only Will Smith can yell at an 

alien like that. 

 

12. Pack a picnic. 

13. Light up the sparklers. 

 

14. Get your feet wet.

15. Watch "Dirty Dancing." You carried a watermelon? It's OK. Johnny Castle loves you, 

anyway. What do you think? Anything else we should add to the bucket list?