Ahhh, summer. How I love thee. Warm days, cool nights and three glorious months off. Here's a list of Tips and Tricks that can help this summer- or anytime you need em!
1. Emergency Contact Information Stickers for Car Seats. I pin alot of stuff- hey a girls got to do SOMETHING during nap time- with the intention of getting to it. This I did right away. With summer coming, I know we'll be traveling quite a bit and in case something happens where I cant communicate I want them to know how to get ahold of family ASAP so someone can come take care of Grayson. Its pretty simple, print out all of the important info (name, birthday, address, phone number, allergies, etc) on a piece of paper and use a nice piece of packing tape to adhere it to the car seat. This idea came curteosy of the super funny blog Dont Pat the Belly. Momma G keeps me in stitches with the posts $#*! My Three Year Old Says. If you need a good laugh, check her out!
Image Via Dont Pat The Belly
2. Sparkler Shield! Hello, genius!! Shauna from over at Love 2 Dream, Do You came up with the perfect solution for little ones who love to hold sparklers. The answer- a simple Red Solo Cup. Simply poke a hole through the bottom and feed the sparkler through-no burns! You can bend the wire if you're worried about little ones pulling the sparkler through. And dont worry, Shauna tested the cup and as long as the lit sparkler is not placed inside the cup it will not melt!
3. Gwen from over at Gwenny Penny gave me an idea for Grayson Boy's birthday party- and one that we can all use all summer long. Reuse a laundry detergent container for that handy dandy bubble refill station. No having to go out and buy a new container and it keeps the bubbles going all summer long!
Via Gwenny Penny
4. Kim over at All Things Simple shares some valuable info for traveling with kiddos. One of the best things on the list is for packing their clothes. Pack one complete outfit, clothes, socks, undies, hat, hair accessories, etc. in a zip lock baggie. Then when you get to your destination you can put them in a drawer and pull one out per day- no more rummaging around in a suitcase! This would work well whenever kids are going anywhere- esp if you are not going to be with them and they need everything in one place to get ready quickly!
5. If you remember back to my post on Fathers Day I said we went hiking. Well I used all of the bug spray on the boys and missed a leg- biiggg mistake because my right leg came home COVERED in red, itchy bug bites. Michelle over at One Ordinary Day said to try rubbing a bar of dried soap on them- and that worked great! The pharmacist I talked to also said to try some Preparation H on them. Apparently whatever is in there works wonders and kept those babies itch free all night long. If you dont want to be seen buying hemorrhoid cream, Id try the soap first. Lucky for me, I got a tube in my hospital goodie bag and it was just hanging out in the bathroom cabinet.
6. Summer is the time to clean out the closets around our house- and this year I will definitely be using Erica's tip from her home design blog Tart House. I tend to have alot of purses...like a whole lot. Its bad. Currently my purses are all in their cloth bags sitting on some shelves in my closet- but as of next week they will all be hanging up nice and pretty with shower hooks! (PS- how amazing is that shoe organization as well? I only wish my closet looked this nice!)
via Tart House
7. One of my fave things to bring back from any trip is booze. A good bottle of wine, a bottle of tequila from Mexico, delish new vodka- Im really not biased. However I do want to avoid looking like a raging alcoholic on an air plane by having it break in my suitcase and having to do the walk of shame through Pgh International smelling like hooch. So when I saw this from Real Simple I was super excited- wrap bottles or breakable objects with kiddos inflatable pool floaties!
via Real Simple
8. Another summer travel must is the umbrella stroller. Sometimes its just not practical to drag the Travel System somewhere, and that lightweight little stroller is just what the doctor ordered. However, the absolute worst is the fact that the stroller is so light that if you try to hang your diaper bag on the back without the baby weight in it- it falls right over. Well, not anymore. Courtesy of Real Simple- wrap those ankle weights we all have lying around to the front bars right above the wheels.
9. If you're like me, sometimes your hair gets greasy in the summer. Its lovely mix of sweat, sun screen, bug spray and salt in the air that gives me this pretty sheen- which is not always as attractive on me as it is on the Victoria's Secret Model 'beach' hair ads. Whatev. Before I dare to spend 10 bucks plus on some dry shampoo I reach for my $3 bottle of baby powder. Sprinkle a little on your roots and brush through and woosh- good as new. Also good for those new Mommas who can't remember the last time they showered, but still want to appear as if they have it together when unexpected company shows up. Hey, we've all been there!
10. This one is everywhere on-line, but I can tell you from personal recent experience- it works like mad. When your cell phone decides its too hot and needs a dip in the swimming pool (or your sweet little boy chucks it into the toilet like mine did), fill a container with some dry white rice. Remove the SIM card and place the phone into the rice for 24-48 hours. Hopefully this will do the trick and save you big bucks at the Verizon store!
Happy Summer, Lovelies!
Happy Summer, Lovelies!
These are great! I especially love the emergency contact numbers and the bubble refilling station!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love all these ideas...thanks so much for sharing! Cute blog! :)
ReplyDeleteThese are great ideas. I like the sparkle shield that is a great idea.
ReplyDelete