Summertime is like one big holiday, isn’t it? Swimming, cook outs, picnics, parks and zoos. Then, you cram in trips to the beach, camping, hiking and water balloon wars. Despite the fact that the school supply lists are already up at my local Walgreen’s (Are you kidding me? There’s a month of summer left here!) I am convinced that the holiday stretches endlessly ahead of me.
After all, I have more trips to the zoo, the park and maybe the Herr’s factory planned. Then there’s the aquarium, the…wait a second. I do believe I’ve overbooked summer. Looks like we’d better plan …read more

Summer’s here and kids are all home from school so what’s that phrase you are about to wish your kids never learned? “Mooommm, I’m bored. What can we do?” Yes, moms and dads…you’ve entered the land of no return. See you can’t send them back to school and you can’t pawn them off on the neighbor because they are all dealing with the same thing.
For now, you have been designated the anti-boredom police and you better figure something out before they drive you insane. Sure, you can pull out that box of arts and crafts, paper and crayons but honestly …read more

My teenagers – Bailey and her boyfriend, Greg - are already bored with Summer Vacation. Their break began on Friday, it’s now Sunday evening.
They are actually saying “I’m bored,” I’m not just guessing here. Bay and Greg need to find some activities, some things to do with kids their own age, because while having a board game tournament is a fun idea, it does lead to statements like, “It’s just an &^%$in’ board game, Greg!”
So far, I’ve suggested calling friends for a sleepover, but “everyone” is either out of town or sick.
Taking a walk, also not met with much enthusiasm. They …read more

As summer starts to heat up, grown ups pull out fans, crank up the AC and flop down in a chair. Kids? They figure out how to have fun, even when it is hot. After all, this is their summer vacation we’re talking about! So, how do they stay cool?

Water balloon fights – I hate picking up balloon bits everywhere and worry a bird will eat a missed bit by accident, but kids love water balloons.
Sponge fights – Most of the time, I convince the kids to have a sponge fight instead. They soak small sponge squares in cold water …read more

Today, Havre de Grace, Maryland had its annual art crawl. It is fun to see all the different artists, hear the musicians and feel all that creativity. An art crawl, art fair, or open studio tour is pretty common if there is an active arts council in an area, so you probably have something similar near you.
We got to enjoy a nice walk through a very charming little downtown, stopped off at our favorite bakery for some delicious donuts and enjoyed some awesome music and street performances. The whole outing came to about $10 and that was because we wanted …read more

Summer. To me, it starts with the Memorial Day picnic and the first swim in the pool. Then, there’s picking and eating strawberries still warm from the sun and knowing fresh watermelons are on their way. Bike riding, water balloon fights…Then there are the indoor activities, like library reading clubs and fun programs or watching free movies at the local movie theater on kids’ days. No wonder it is hard for me to choose a favorite summer activity!
So, is it just me or is summer the absolutely best season of the year?
Anyway, if you are looking for free or cheap …read more

Kids are out of school here, sooner or later yours will be too. Are you prepared for the summer? Some of you may already have everything planned right down to the first day of school, or maybe your child is doing summer school or vacation bible school but this still doesn’t cover the whole summer. Some of you will still need to figure out what to do with them all day and how to keep the house clean with them being home. I have a solution.
Char, from Casual Keystrokes made a summer chore chart just for her kids one year …read more

For my family the summer is just around the corner and I mean that literally. The kids are out of school, errr their last day of school is May 27th, 2009. So what does that mean for me and my household? It means trying to scramble to come up with some educational but fun summer activities.
A few things are givens, I’m sure there will be plenty of riding bikes, running up and down the street, basketball and other sports and swimming. But that isn’t educational, we’ll stop by the Kansas City Zoo this summer and learn which animals hibernate and …read more

Looking for ways to entertain your kids this summer without breaking the bank? Bowling centers across the U.S. have pulled together for the first ever “Kids Bowl Free” program.It is designed to give back to the community and provide a safe, secure and fun way for kids to spend time this summer.
All you have to do is go online to KidsBowlFree.com and select a bowling center near you – there are dozens listed by state and more are added daily. Just follow the instructions, and you will be e-mailed coupons for two free games per day all summer long. My …read more

Theme Day at the b5 media Health & Wellness channel centers around the topic of Summer Fun. Hosted by Lib at Healthbolt, the round-up offers some last minute, end -of-summer suggestions. 
Check out what our bloggers have to say:

At Healthbolt Lib and Liz believe you should be able to laugh a little about your health, and thus, would like to introduce you to the Laryngospasms. Enjoy.
While it’s often difficult for Alzheimer’s caregivers to plan for summer fun, Mary Emma Allen has some ideas at Alzheimer’s Notes.
At Mental Health Notes, Alicia tells us how to find free mood boosters to manage depression …read more