IMG_3324

 

IMG_3429

 

IMG_3462

 

DSC_0837

 

 

DSC_0723

 

 

IMG_3240

 

IMG_3284

 

IMG_3283

 

DSC_0769

 

DSC_0777

This post is totally overdue but it has been a busy summer filled with time spent with our family. That’s the best excuse for falling behind in my blogging! Plus, I am writing and producing a new book with a professional athlete. It’s been a fun project to focus on and the book will come out April 2016!


Road Trip Fun: The kids and I go up north every summer. We visit my college roommate at her place in Bellaire on Torch Lake. This summer we also went to Glen Arbor, Elk Rapids and Charlevoix. I love everything about our trips to Northern Michigan. Here’s how I get the kids ready for the 4+ hour car ride without relying on screens the entire time. We have a minivan equipped with a dvd player but I am firm about limiting their screen time and this goes for the car too. We never turn it on for our day-to-day rides. Only for adventures that are over an hour long.

So to start, each child got a bucket from the dollar store filled with goodies: Boogie Boards, books, workbooks, paper, stickers, crayons, markers and snacks.

 

IMG_3179

 

I especially LOVE the blank writing books from The Target Dollar Spot. I stock up every time I see them. The girls turn them into summer scrapbooks with memories from our backyard adventures!

IMG_3180 IMG_3181

I get really bored driving so I prepare with a book on cd to listen (I listened to Amy Poehler’s Yes, Please) to and I also love playing the State License Plate Game. I did pretty good this year!

IMG_3195

This was a fun idea I found somewhere on the internet. Make a snack necklace. These kept the kids entertained in the car. 

IMG_3286

 

I love creating these summer memories that will last a lifetime. Next up is sending my oldest to school, her first time full day, starting next week. But for now, we will continue to enjoy the last days of summer—we are experiencing a heat wave this week!