National Wildlife Federation and #BeOutThere summer project

When I was young, in elementary school a tornado blew through my small hometown in northwest Indiana. We were spared any severe damage to our home, but a tiny tree-filled uninhabited lot, surrounded by many homes was demolished. The wind tore up the trees leaving them in a shamble in the center of uncut weeds and grass. The neighborhood kids took this as a sign to create forts and climb the trees, nestling ourselves amidst the tangled branches, staking claims on certain sections to make our own. Sort of a make-shift Lord of the Flies on a dead-end street in the 1980's, without all the fighting and such. But one day, the city came in and took all the trees away, leaving us with an empty, grassy lot. It just wasn't the same, but we found our fun. Lots of it, all summer long.

And now, as a parent I try to get my kids outside as much as I can. I'm a stinker when it's too hot outside, but the new big kid pool and swing set helps me lure my kids away from the video games and tv, giving us the opportunity to enjoy our own backyard, and soak up some vitamin D from the sun. I try to give them creative ways to play in the backyard, but truthfully, my favorite times are when they create a game on their own and spend hours enjoying each other while having fun.

The National Wildlife Federation wants to get kids outside to play too! They want you to "Be Out There" by getting parents to pledge to spend time outside, and as a whole for all of us to get 10 million kids outside, running and playing this summer.

The whole concept behind the Be Out There campaign is something I hold near and dear to my heart. Here is a list on Fast Facts I found on the NWF site that really inspired me and opened my eyes to just how different today's children's summers are compared to mine of many years ago.

Fast Facts About Outdoor Time and Children

• Children are spending half as much time outdoors as they did 20 years ago. (Juster et al 2004); (Burdette & Whitaker 2005); (Kuo & Sullivan 2001)
• Today, kids 8-18 years old devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes using entertainment media in a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). (Kaiser Family Foundation)
• In a typical week, only 6% of children ages 9-13 play outside on their own. (Children & Nature Network, 2008)
• Children who play outside are more physically active, more creative in their play, less aggressive and show better concentration. (Burdette and Whitaker, 2005; Ginsburg et al., 2007)
• Sixty minutes of daily unstructured free play is essential to children’s physical and mental health. (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2008)
• The most direct route to caring for the environment as an adult is participating in “wild nature activities” before the age of 11. (Wells and Lekies, 2006)

My kids won't be riding their bikes off until the street lights come on, and they won't be walking or riding their bikes to school like I did, but that doesn't mean we can't incorporate free play and outdoor time into our daily summer schedules.

For example, the research for my recent post about Nature Based Outdoor Play inspired me to get my hands on some "Tree Cookies". My step-dad was on a trip down to his hunt club and they were cutting down some trees. I asked if he could make up a few of these for us and the kids have had a ball playing with them. Making up games and activities out of them really stretches their brains and forces them to be creative, which i LOVE.

This summer, the NWF will be publishing an e-book pertaining to the Be Out There campaign and I was asked to be a contributing author. I couldn't be more excited!

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

So my question to you is, what are your favorite ways to get your kids outside to play? What entices them to put down the controller and have some fun in the sun?

*This is a sponsored post. All words are my own. 

This post is part of a compensated 

project from The Motherhood and NWF.*

Cascade Platinum Pacs Review and Contest

*This is a sponsored post. All words are my own.*

It's totally normal to see me running scalding hot water over my dirty dishes before placing them in my dishwasher. I do the pre-rinse thing because frankly I can't stand to see another crusty, still dirty plate or utensil make its way OUT of the dishwasher after being washed. But once I was given the chance to try out the new Cascade Platinum Pacs I held my breath while I placed dishes i the dishwasher after they sat overnight in the kitchen sink after a messy dinner. I'll tell you, I didn't have high hopes, but I must tell you, I was pleasantly surprised!

Did I mention how pretty the Platinum Pac is? It kinda reminds me of Mardi Gras! It also smells amazing. The lovely lemon scent is divine, it makes piling the dishes in the dishwasher slightly more pleasant just with the smell. All those wonderful colors have a purpose too. Combined they deliver exceptional shine AND help keep the dishwasher sparkling!

GAIL SIMMONS and CASCADE
Gail Simmons, Top Chef judge and editor of Food and Wine magazine has partnered up with Cascade to promote prep to plating with the use of Cascade Platinum.

"The easiest recipes pop with unexpected, gourmet presentations. Drizzle bright sauces on sparkling white plates or layer desserts in crystal-clean glassware. Keep your presentation sparkling with Cascade Platinum, which keeps dishes perfect for anytime entertaining and impromptu guests."

~Gail Simmons

YOU COULD WIN!

Cascade is launching a #MyPlatinum Instagram contest! Enter for a chance to win a KitchenAid^® Kitchen Makeover and a 1-year supply of Cascade^®! Weekly entries have a chance to win a KitchenAid^® Dishwasher and six-month supply of Cascade^®too! It's super easy to enter, so go do it! Just be sure to register AND submit your photo with the #MyPlatinum hashtag in order to qualify!

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and compensation as a thank you for participating.”

Bubble Bum Review

*this is a product review. the product was provided to me in exchange for my honest review. all words are my own,*

As my kids have gotten older we have been able to graduate from the infant car seats, to convertible car seats, and now on to booster seats. The booster seats give my 4 and 6 year old a bit more feeling of an older kid, without the straps and bells and whistles of a "baby seat" as they call it. But the debate now ensues, do we go with a backless booster or a high back booster?

Now frankly, I am not totally comfortable with the backless booster seats, for a few reasons. First, most aren't physically attached to the seat, they just sort of jiggle around and slip and slide while the kids try to get into it. Secondly, I feel like they like the head and body protection of a high back booster. And third, if the kid falls asleep in the car, which mine tend to do sometimes, it's just a hot mess of crying/whining and all around being totally uncomfortable for them, and in turn, ME.

Now, I was recently given the opportunity to review the Bubble Bum booster seat.

Now, I know my readers come to my blog for an honest review, and that is what you will get from me now.

Do I love the Bubble Bum? No. I don't. And by reading the paragraph above you can understand why. I am clearly not a fan of backless boosters, and that is exactly what the Bubble Bum is. 

Is it convenient? Heck yeah. Since it is literally blown up with your own mouth, it is the lightest weight booster seat you'll ever find. But I don't like to trust my kids safety to convenience. And it's super narrow, so if you desperately need to fit a third seat in to your back seat, it is possible and the size of the Bubble Bum does help with that.

Is it comfortable for the child? Not my kids, they kinda hate it truthfully. Since it is so light weight it moves around a lot. Not just when they are trying to situate themselves on it upon getting in the car, but even WHEN they are riding on it. There are these red strap holders on the sides that are supposed to keep them from moving around but they do not do a very good job.

So all in all, the Bubble Bum is convenient, and we only use it in my husbands car, for short trips to the store or school drop-off/pick-up. And yes, if i HAD to squeeze a third child into the back seat of my car I would probably wedge this between my two high back booster seats in the middle. I would maybe even consider using it on an airplane if I didn't already have two high-back boosters (that CAN convert to backless boosters if I wanted to). But frankly, if I need a car seat on a plane, I will need a car seat at my destination, so what's the point? 

But yes, it does fit a need, but I wouldn't ever use it as the one and only booster seat for my kids, nor would I recommend it to others.

My rating: 2 stars out of 5 stars

Summer Schedules

We are in the homestretch of the school year now, only 5 days left, and boy is my 6 year old counting. Yet, I'm unsure of why he is so excited. He loves school and the repetition of the school day is good for his soul, even if he doesn't realize it yet (or ever). But I know him, better than he knows himself, so I am getting a head of the game and starting to compile my own "Summer Routine" for him, his little sister, and I. I have found that if we follow a pretty structured day we are more likely to keep the peace and sanity in the house and between the three of us. Sometimes the interactions between Lily and Jonah can get pretty heated, which in turn fries my nerves. Therefore, anything to make our days run smoother are being put into place ASAP.

First of all, research shows that kids lose over 2 months of educational knowledge over the summer. Well, I'm not letting that happen and if that makes me a strict or mean mom, then I will gladly take the title. I have already printed and bound a variety of worksheets, as well as correlating activities, "field trips", reading blocks, and journals to take up certain parts of the day. I have spent the last few weeks creating these summer lesson plans for the kids, and it gives me one more reason to have the utmost respect for teachers who do this on a yearly basis and parents who homeschool.

Now, as far as the scheduling goes, I have to do my best to have a good combination of structure along with spontaneity, because I know what you're thinking, that I'm taking all the fun out of the summertime! But that is simply not true! I don't schedule every little thing, I like to think of it as a "soft structure", more so that "this comes after that" instead of the more militant approach of scheduling potty breaks and such (although I could see certain instances where those may need to be scheduled too). I do plug in times for certain things too, to keep the flow moving. Here is a sample:

Summer Routine

Breakfast

7:30am ~ Get dressed and brush teeth/hair

Make bed/Do Daily Chores

8am ~ schoolwork

(when done with schoolwork) ~ PLAY! (inside/outside)

sight word activity/daily summer bucket list project

12pm ~ lunch

1pm ~ Quiet/Naptime

(after nap/quiet time) ~ Writing Journal

5:30pm ~ Dinner

6:30pm ~ Baths

7:30pm-7:50pm ~ Reading

8pm ~ Bedtime

Realistically, I know this isn't totally going to go off without a hitch, and there will probably be some adjusting, to the schedule AND to our lives, but I feel like if we start this right away, it will become more habit than a nuisance. But once the kids know what to expect I feel like it will be second nature, as well as keep us from falling into a lazy frump.

What about you? Do you run on a schedule over the summer? Or do you go with the flow? Or a combination of both? Tell me how it works for you and your family!