Today we’re combining a snack-time staple (popcorn!) with a summer-time favorite (s’mores!) to make the ultimate crowd-pleasing treat. Bonus that it’s easier to make and less messy than its fire roasted counterpart. Can’t wait to make it for our next family movie night or get together. The ingredients and how-to are below if you want to do the same!
Having the right tools makes all the difference! Love this giant enamel bowl and air popper (for under $20!) we purchased right before summer break. Being able to make big batches of homemade popcorn this time of year especially, might be the best mom-hack I know.
graham crackers, broken into chunks (or teddy grahams would be fun!)
butter + salt to taste
lunch bags for serving (optional)
Here’s How:
Spread popcorn into a large rimmed baking dish. Toss with melted butter and salt to taste.
Add graham crackers and marshmallows and toss again.
Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 20-30 seconds until fully melted. Using a fork, drizzle chocolate over the popcorn.
Let sit long enough for chocolate to harden. Serve from baking dish or scoop into individual lunch bags (I trimmed our lunch bags to make it easier to snack) or bowls. Popcorn mix can also be stored and enjoyed later!
YUM! If it wasn’t 7am in the morning right now, I would go make some :)
Always a little chaotic in the kitchen when the kids are involved. Although, even if they aren’t helping, they always end up hanging out with me in the kitchen, playing with slime, chatting my ear off, snacking on anything they can get their hands on, throwing paper airplanes or driving around remote control objects. Either way, I wouldn’t change it. Even though there are definitely days when it gets to be a little much and I send them outside or turn on go noodle or maybe even yell a little, lol (I’m not a yeller).
Would you guys be interested in tips for cooking with kids???
Hope you’re able to make this yummy snack-treat for your next family movie night!! Maybe tonight?
What’s your go-to movie night snack?
xo, Rae
P.S. – If you’re worried about chocolate fingers on your couch, set up a fun little indoor picnic area
I love when summer arrives and our daily routine gets turned upside down, breakfast get’s eaten anytime before noon and our laundry room (but really any flat surface) get’s piled with wet towels and swimsuits. That being said, there is a fine line between easy summer living and a total free-for-all. One allows for spontaneous trips to the pool or park and the other has me pulling my hair out while the kids complain of boredom and have death grips on their iPads. One of the things that helps keep the latter at bay is to add a dose of structure with a healthy helping of wiggle room. More important than anything though is being really clear with expectations and then sticking to them!
I’ve spent the last several weeks working on a chart that makes it easy to do both and I’m excited to share it with you today as a printable download (below!)! You can of course make it your own (the last few pages of the PDF are blank!) but I’ll explain a little more how we use it. Here’s to finding your summer sweet spot between buzz-kill mom and frazzled mom!
THE EVERYDAY STUFF, like getting ready, making their bed and contributing to keeping our home somewhat tidy-ish (with an assigned cleaning zone) allows them to earn an allowance but also frees them up to play with friends or get a craft or activity out to play with! So if at 10am a friend comes to the door, they want to build a fort or they have sea shells that they’re dying to paint, when they ask permission I’ll say, “Are you dressed and brushed? Did you do your chore? Is your bed made?” This is where checking their work is important (but not always convenient). They’re pretty good about it now, but I used to have to give an extra chore to any kid that fudges the truth :) Luckily they’re quick learners.
Regarding the cleaning zones; At the beginning of each week the kids pick an area to be in charge of. This is something I stole from a friend that homeschools and have been doing it for about a year now and I love it. So simple and keeps negotiations to one day a week, lol. Our current zones (it can change with the seasons!) are: organize shoes, sweep downstairs, tidy playroom, empty dishwasher, tidy bathrooms and tidy back yard and water plants. Again, super simple (and maybe a little wimpy compared to what others have their kids do!) but it works for us and is also very helpful because there’s very little micromanaging.
Poppy’s still a little young to complete most of those chores without help so she usually teams up with one of her sibs to help them or she can pick a zone and I’ll help her.
EARNING PRIVILEGES, which for our kids is screen time and friend time (I mentioned above). Again, this will be different for different ages and situations, but for us the kids have to read for 20 mins before they can have screen time starting at 7pm. If for some reason the kids read more than 20 mins one day, they can mark it off on their chart but that doesn’t carry over for screen time the next day — instead they can read more or do one of the other 20 minute activities. What usually ends up happening is that 7:30pm rolls around and they haven’t read yet so they get ready for bed and then cozy up to read and before you know it, it’s almost 9 and they’re sleepy so they either go to bed or get 30-ish mins to play before we tuck them in, lol. Which is the best case scenario if you ask me! Also before you think I’m running a tight ship, I’m wayyyy more lenient with screen time in the mornings while I work, especially for the early risers! Wigggggle room is my friend!!!
*SIDE-NOTE: 20 mins might seem like a lot to some and nothing to others but for us it works — it’s easy to enforce, no one complains and even Poppy can look at books that long if no ones available to read to her. However, if reading is a battle, start with 5 mins! Or cross it off the list… the intention is always to help and not discourage and there really is no wrong way to “summer”.
MAKE IT FUN, with stamps or stickers and of course a reward at the end of the week! I mentioned above that they have to read and or code (we love the Bitsbox subscription!), play the piano or do some watercoloring before they have screen time in the evening (usually not before 7pm) but giving them stamps or stickers to load up their chart keeps them motivated and engaged (small wins, FTW!) while they continue the week and work towards earning an allowance. Then for their reward we chose to do an allowance with the potential for bonus money because it works for all of our different age groups and is the easiest to keep track of. In the past we’ve also given prizes or planned outings (like ice cream dates!) as a reward.
*PARENTING HACK: Do yourself a solid and get 100 $1 bills in an envelope from the bank. It’s the only way we’ve been able to make this work because we don’t ever have cash hanging out in our wallets. Now that the kids are earning money they’re able to spend it on the ice cream truck or concession stands at games, but before we started this little system we used our envelope of $1 for stuff like that or fro-yo/popcorn days at school. It’s a true lifesaver!
(Did you see our stories last night of the kids coding with bitsbox? So much silly fun! We just got their second box so they’ve been trying out all the new project cards.)
ACTIVITIES THAT KEEP THEIR MINDS SHARP + HAPPY, I have honestly never been successful or consistent at this over summer break and I always regret it when back to school season arrives. This year instead of trying workbooks and learning/quizzing web sites I opted for more hands on activities and it’s been working so well! For coding we enjoy Bitsbox. For piano we’ve been using Jamzone (thank you to Phillip for sharing via DM!). And as another option I signed the kids up for my friend’s online watercolor class, too! All have been so fun and entertaining!
Last but not least is practicing gratitude! Depending on our schedule the kids can write their thoughts down in a journal or they can verbally tell me 5 specific things and then earn a stamp on their chart. Again, so simple but also effective! We did this last summer with one of the kids who had struggled with anxiety during the school year and by the end of summer they were a new person. Highly recommend!
EARNING BONUSES, isn’t something we’ve done much of in the past but because this is the first summer in a few years that we haven’t had a regular babysitter I figured it would be a good way to use the “leftover” budget :) If they do all their reading and fill up the other activities (coding and piano or watercolor) to the “yay” they can earn an extra dollar or two by doing more chores or activities. It’s again, another way for them to contribute and help with family life, but I also love how it can transfer over to adult life, too!
Ok you guys, that was a lot of info but if I missed anything please comment and I’ll be sure to respond.
And be sure to scroll to the last few pages if you want a blank one. Also, I’m happy to make minor edits if there’s enough need for it so leave a comment with your requests.
Johan and I enjoyed 24 hours over the weekend without kids while also being at home (so we could hangout but also catch up on things!) and it was a nice break after such a crazy start to summer… finally feel like I’ve caught my breath a little! All that to say, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t feel guilty about asking for help, trading kid duty with friends or actually paying (gasp!) a babysitter for a couple hours while you run errands, meet a friend for coffee or catch up on other things.
Hoping this meal plan helps a little too :) And actually, there’s lots of food related post in store this week since cooking, baking and playing in the kitchen is one of my favorite summer boredom busters!
FRIDAY + SATURDAY | We’ll be gone for a baseball tournament in Portland so will most likely be filling up on continental breakfast, subway and chipotle, hence the full week of dinners — if you have any Portland food recommendations tho, please share!
Sometime during the last week of school I asked the kids to tell me two things they want to do this summer while I typed their answers into the notes section of my phone. Figured I should make it official with a blog post… and probably a paper list that lives on the fridge too :)
Here’s what everyone picked.
OZZIE | our annual whidbey camping trip + play more baseball!
ESPEN | go to the wave pool as much as possible + see my gig harbor buddies
GRIFFIN | sleepover on the trampoline + swim at my gigi’s lake (sorry papa, lol)
TILLY | horseback riding + go camping
POPPY | lemonade stand + buy a pool (def my child)
YODER | trip to seabrook + tent camping
ME | day trip to roche harbor + an outdoor (grownup tunes) concert
(pics from free slurpee day yesterday!)
I’m not usually one to skimp when it comes to making lists but we’ve taken similar approaches for bucket lists before and they always seem to workout better this way. Everyone’s happy when their most important activity get’s checked off AND they even get excited to check things off for each other too!
Bucket list maker or not, I’d love to hear how you keep things fun and laidback during the summer and what you’re most looking forward to?
I think this year I’m most excited about celebrating all the Birthdays! 4 total, (eek)! All of which aren’t listed on our list, lol. Yet another reason to keep things simple I guess!!!
If you’re looking for a fun activity to do with the kids this summer that gets you outside, would be easy to do over and over again and is all around low-maintenance then you’ve come to the right place! I was planning on making these simple floral crowns for a midsummer celebration, but it didn’t workout so instead I brought all the supplies over to our friend’s house (they’re renovating an old farm!) and asked Tilly and Londan to help me put together a tutorial.
Details and supply list below!
Kid’s ages will defiantly determine how much hands-on help they’ll need. Regardless though there are enough kid-friendly steps to make it fun for all ages and would be a great activity at a party or playdate too!
For reference before you start ordering all the things, the girls are 10 years old and were able to make their crowns with very little help.
flowers (wild, from a yard or store-bought — we used wild daisies)
Here’s How:
Measure head with wire twine and double it (so the wire will go around their heads twice). Add an extra inch or so to the length and cut. Fold wire twine in half and twist, leaving a loop on the folded end. Shape into a crown/circle.
Collect and/or trim flowers, leaving at least a couple inches of the stems.
Cut approx. 12-inches of floral tape. Starting a couple inches to the left of your folded/looped end, start arranging flowers, wrapping and securing their stems using the floral tape as you continue to layer until half of your wire crown is covered with flowers.
Trim flower stems as needed and secure onto head!
Aren’t these friends cute in their little crowns!?
Can’t wait to make more… maybe at Poppy’s birthday party later this summer!
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions…
I hope everyone had a good 4th of July and was able to continue the fun over the weekend! After all the festivities on Thursday, Oz and I went home, packed up and hopped on a plane to Pullman for orientation at WSU. Needless to say the last week has been non-stop, full of feels and a bit of a blur, but also loads of fun. Happy to be home in our own beds with the rest of the crew and thought I’d flip through and share pics from 4th!
We kicked things off Thursday morning with the fishing derby and I’m proud to report that after years of wanting to decorate the boat beforehand I finally got my stuff together and brought balloons (lol) and some paper buntings. Neither of which was all that noticeable or impressive, but I think added a nice touch!
After fishing, we spent the rest of the day filling up on yard games, yummy food, watching all the kids swim and spending time with friends and family. Even though the weather wasn’t all that warm I love so much that we were able to spend the entire day (15 hours!) outside. Thankful for kids that are willing to swim without the sunshine… wish I was still that tough and cool!
A summer version of the snow angel :)
(Johan and our friend, Collin getting ready for the blind boat race above!)
Our friends and their 5 kids joined us for the morning activities and community potluck which meant all the kids and our hubbies had a partner for the games and everyone had a blast.
Having buddies is the best and it’s always so cute listening to the conversations.
(The mamas! Kendra has a blog you should definitely follow!)
I participated in the three-legged race with Johan per usual (my fave!) and the rest of the time cheered everyone on, snapped pics and did damage control (i.e. wiped egg from the egg toss off of Griffin’s face and hair, lol).
After all that work it was time for cotton candy! Every year after this BBQ potluck, I’m tempted to purchase a cotton candy machine for all the summer birthdays and parties. If you have any experience (good or bad) let me know!
That group pic hustle, below. Always seems kinda impossible to wrangle everyone without making a scene, but is also always worth it and usually produces some pretty funny outtakes if nothing else. Love all these kids so much!
After the community event I put the camera away so I could be a more attentive hostess while we continued the party at my parents house and welcomed more of our friends and their babes over.
It’s always kinda nice to not be distracted by picture duty but then it bums me out not to have pics from the whole day. How do you guys balance documenting memories while also being a participant in those memories?
Being more intentional about group pics (vs. all the in-between shots) might be a good way to do it but it also helps that Johan doesn’t mind taking turns with the camera too… tag-teaming anything when you’re raising a family is always a good approach I think!
Did you guys know that if you get your hair wet before cannon balling into the pool, it’ll absorb wayyyyyy less chlorine? Just one of the most helpful tips I’ve learned from my hairstylist after spending months trying to get the chemically smell, greenish tint and constant tangles out of my kids’ hair last summer. So today I thought I’d pass on that summertime wisdom along with a simple pool ready DIY using essential oils.
One of the things I love most about using oils is the freedom to make homemade sprays, scents, rollers and ointments for my family to use that work so good, smell delicious and are all natural. One of the best DIY’s for healthy hair is a MERMAID HAIR MIST so I figured a diluted version would be just the thing to pack up for the pool and spray on before we all go for a dip!
You can download the cute labels below and follow the recipe or play around with oil combos on your own! Typically mermaid hair is a mix of lavender, rosemary and cederwood, but I used geranium, peppermint and coconut oil to strengthen hair AND make it smell sweet and summery. Of course you can just stick the label onto a spray bottle full of water, but I encourage you 100% to add oils (comment below or email me if you have any questions!). Oh and don’t forget to use the mist on your boys too!
1 tablespoon of witch hazel (target also carries it — helps the oil mix with water)
10 drops of each lavender, cedarwood, + rosemary (rosemary isn’t my favorite scent so I usually skimp on it a bit!)
Here’s How:
Add witch hazel and oils into glass bottle and top off with distilled (or tap) water. Wipe bottle dry and apply label. Shake gently and spraying all over hair before hopping in the pool.
My leggings tan-line just above my ankles is pretty cute, huh? Ha!
One day these kids will know just how lucky they are to call Johan DAD, DADDY, DADA + DAAAAAAD! He’s the greatest gift we’ve all ever been given (other than Jesus and each other). Not to mention their amazing and fun Papa too so it’s like a big fat double whammy of blessing in their lives. It’s only been a couple weeks since we celebrated Father’s Day but it feels like months ago to me… anyone else!? Had to share a few pics from the two hours we spent at the Redwood driving range that day before if feels like forever ago!
Despite the fact that we chose to swing from the top deck (only had a few hundred mini heart attacks, lol) we had the best time celebrating the dads in our lives!
Golf is probably the one thing Johan wishes he did more of so my mom and I figured we’d send him and my dad to the golf course on Father’s Day morning. However they opted for a kid friendly version instead which made entertaining the kids for half the day so. much. easier. Thanks guys!
Now that things have settled down a bit, we should probably have them reschedule!
Miss Tilly working through a litlte bit of frustration… Its hard to hit that little ball! So proud of her!
Stealing all the snuggle time with Gigi!
Gahhhh!
Griffin might have a future as a golf pro… or maybe a coach of any kind. I shared a few videos on Stories of him “helping” Poppy and then standing back with his hands on his hips to see how she did. It was so sweet and cute and also, I couldn’t believe that Pop-Tart was up for it, ha! It’s not easy being coached by an older sibling!
Luckily Papa stepped in for a bit before she got too annoyed :)
A patterned rug? Yes, please!
Missing Ozzie who was on a trip and of course my Father-in-law too!
We’ve finished fixing up and listing our rental, the graduation chaos has ended (for the most part) and everyone seems to be picking up summer right where we left it… what can I say, we’re naturals. LOL. More importantly though, I’m excited to be picking up the blog right where I left off too! So much fun stuff ahead but first lets start with one of the more practical posts — a meal plan!
M | Going to try this Thai coconut ramen with chicken. Looks so yummy and easy to adapt for kids that aren’t into cabbage or mushrooms.
W | PIZZA! It’s become an unofficial tradition to eat pizza on just about every holiday eve (or eve, eve :) and the 4th of July is no exception. We’ll be hunting down a pizza truck in our area (hopefully) but if you’d rather stay in try making Pioneer Woman’s yummy french bread pizza.
TH | HAPPY 4th OF JULY! Gimme all the salads, fruit and grilled meat!
F | We have salmon in the freezer that’s been calling my name and this soy honey salmon recipe looks good!
SA | I’ll be at college orientation with Oz at WSU (ahhhhh! I think I just died) so will be enjoying all my favorite college grub (here I come Daily Grind!)… make something nostalgic! Or better yet, go out! (HINT: calzones, pasta, burgers, tuna melts and canned chili were always in our rotation, lol)
SU | Your favorite stuffed pepper recipe or better yet, grab them from costco!
BREAKKIE | Omelets, dutch babies + banana split parfaits. Shared the DIY on stories yesterday and saved to the “eat” highlight. Griffin has been requesting made to order omelets which is always fun especially if Johan is home because he’s so good at making them! A little tip: grab and prep enough toppings and fillers for a couple mornings then make a big scramble, egg bake or hash on the third morning with whatever is left!
LUNCH + SNACK | These two always seem to mesh together during the summer since we’re either out and about or the kids are coming and going with friends so I’ll be stocking up on frozen fruit (in popsicle form too), popcorn, peanut butter pretzels, salami, turkey, cheese, yogurt, crackers, loads of fruits and veggies and anything else I can throw out onto a charcuterie tray!
How do you guys structure mealtimes during the summer? The last couple years we’ve made breakfast around 10am (with early risers grabbing a snack before then if they’re hungry — this usually allows me to work for a couple hours first thing too), lunch slash snack around 1 or 2pm and happy hour slash dinner around 5 or 6pm depending on what we have going on. Somedays it works great this way and others I feel like I’m in the kitchen all the live long day (LOL).
I guess that’s just how summer goes… some days are fun and easy and others end up feeling like SO! MUCH! WORK! Just going to expect it and embrace it!
One of the most pivotal moments in my parenting career happened when I came to the realization that my job as a mom was less about keeping all my ducks in a row and more about developing relationships with said ducks :) If that makes sense. Setting aside a little bit of one on one time (or even one on two) with our kids, away from the hustle and bustle of family life to fill their love tanks and just enjoy each other’s company has been a really good way to do just that.
Over the weekend Tilly and I planned a park date but then had to adjust our plan after Poppy came down with a stomach bug and fever. So we ended up grabbing treats from Starbuck’s and then posing for silly pictures on the couch. Even though we didn’t leave the house for long, the 30 minutes of time spent getting a special treat and being silly together did the trick!
Sharing 25 more simple date ideas to do with your minis, below!
25 REALLY SIMPLE KID DATE IDEAS
Head to the park to PLAYYYYYY. Bring a soccer ball, have a cartwheel contest, lay on a blanket and make pictures out of clouds, etc.
Plan something together! A special meal, end of the year party, outdoor movie night, or weekend getaway. Head to your favorite coffee or smoothie shop with your trusty notebook and pinterest account. You’ll not only be teaching life skills but also have another outlet for quality time!
Go for a bike or scooter ride (just make sure you hop on a scooter or bike too)
Kid’s choice! just be sure to set up some guidelines so things don’t get too extra. pretty sure 75% of my kids would choose a trip to Target with a $5 budget, lol.
Attend a High school sporting event
Take a class together
Visit a climbing wall (or a YMCA date if you have a membership)
Volunteer together
Play catch
Fly a kite
Plan a random act of kindness to do together
Go putt-putt
Go to the batting cages (ask if they have a tee for younger kids!)
Go on a nature walk
Go for a run
Get slurpees
Go to the library
Have a picnic and make up a secret handshake
Visit a you-pick farm
Pick wild flowers to do a craft with later
Pick out each others outfits and then go split an appetizer
Visit a farmer’s market
Learn a new skill together like making balloon animals
Leave notes on the sidewalk for people using sidewalk chalk
Play a board-game
Another parenting tidbit I’ve learned over the years is to focus on THE BIG 3 — touch, listen and look — when with the kids and it definitely helps keep those bonds and connections strong! What I find so ironic (or not so much) is that those are all things that came naturally to me during their first year of my kids’ life. They’re also things that can easily take a backseat as they get older and more independent. A good reminder that eventhough our kids’ needs evolve, they stay the same in many ways. Also another good reason to put the phone down and away whenever possible!
Tell me she’s not the cutest little date there ever was!?
I don’t want to imply that it’s more important to do this with certain kids over others and of course there will always be seasons where planning dates just isn’t in the cards — — but for the kids that challenge me the most, I would say spending one on one time has saved me from hitting burnout status and made it easier to fall in love with who they are instead of just focusing on their current behavior challenges.
Also a little footnote, sometimes all it takes is letting one kid stay up past bedtime or help you make dinner or even help you pick out your outfit (my dad used to wake me up in the mornings to help him pick out a tie for work and it is still one of my favorite memories!).
Here’s to building strong relationships — it’s something we all crave and were created for! Amen!
Ready for a fun (and easy) breakfast recipe to try!? It only takes 5 minutes (5!!!) and a few measuring cups to throw together. But what I love most about this yummy dish (other than the sprinkles) is that it keeps oatmeal in the breakfast rotation all summer since it can be served cold.
Just a quick disclaimer before we jump ahead to the recipe. Only my kids that already eat oatmeal, enjoyed this yummy dish. Secretly I was hoping it would convert my non-oatmeal eating kids… I mean, not even sprinkles and yogurt did the trick. Of course it doesn’t mean it’ll be the same for your kids but just thought I’d share that little tidbit.
(not sure how these pics turned out so orangey-pink but we’re rolling with it, ha!?)
OVERNIGHT FUNFETTI OATS RECIPE
You’ll Need:
1 cup old fashioned oats (like quaker)
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
1/2 to 1-1/2 tablespoons of stevia or 2 to 6 single serve packets (depending on how sweet your protein powder is — we used 1-tablespoon/4-packets)
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other favorite milk)
1/2 cup plain yogurt, any kind (or mashed banana)
sprinkles for topping (optional)
Here’s How:
1a. In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate overnight or atleast 2 hours so oats soften.
1b. OR divide mixture into smaller bowls or mason jars, cover and refrigerate.
2. Top with sprinkles, serve and enjoy. Warm in microwave if preferred :)
See what I mean about the 5 minutes part!? Literally just throwing it together.
Pretty sure I’ll always want to remember the way he slicked his hair with his special combover style, along with those chicken legs and the tongue action that happens when he’s in full concentration mode.
Thankful for my kids who are (almost) always up for taste testing and quick pics!
Have you guys tried overnight oats before? I’m a huge fan and once you find the right liquid to dry ingredient ratio, the combinations are endless… my favorite recipes involve chocolate of course :)
