IMG: The Life of a Home Mom

#1 Marco Polo- This is a fun one that doesn’t take many people, however over the years this one has different rules. One person is it and they must keep their eyes closed the entire time they venture around the pool shouting “Marco.” The rest of the players shout “Polo” quickly and hide. The person that gets tagged will be it. Some like to blindfold the Marco. Another way to play this is have the “it” person go under water and count to 10 by holding up his/her fingers. Once up they shout, “Marco” and everyone else is shouting “Polo” until someone is tagged.

#2 Shark- Once again this is a game that is played differently. One way is you choose one person to be it (the shark) and the rest are the fish. They must keep away from the shark or they’ll be ate, once tagged they are it. Another version is once tagged they are out of the game and sit outside.

#3 Diving- Toss rings and such inside the pool and have someone go in and get them. Some like to challenge others to see who will get it first, others like to do a timed challenge and see if they can beat a record.

#4 Whirlpool- This is simply as it sounds, everyone in the swimming pool (works best for round pools) goes the same direction until the current picks up and starts kicking in. Do be careful those that aren’t fast can get pulled into the whirlpool.

IMG: BrandsOnSale

#5 Playing sports- By this I mean you can play volleyball, basketball, frisbee and football all inside the pool and they even have the fun equipment for it.

For more swimming pool game ideas head on over to the links and find something new you haven’[t played before. Now that you’ve read what games there are, why don’t you head out and go swimming. Doesn’t it sound like fun?

Post from: Blisstree

Top 5 Swimming Pool Games

Image: sxc.hu

On family vacations, we often visited my aunt and uncle and spent a day or two at York Beach, Maine…my aunt’s favorite beach.  We had a taste of swimming in salt water and looked forward to this experience each summer.

I have photos to accompany these memories and should incorporate them with the stories in a journal, a scrapbook, or a digital scrapbook.

What memories do you have of beach and water fun?  What memories are you making with your children?

Write these down, combine them with photos, create scrapbooking pages.

Post from: Blisstree

Weekly Theme – Beach & Water Summer Fun

1. Bounce out that energy. Warehouses stuffed with bounce houses like Pump it Up offer open Pop-In Playtime, usually a two-hour period where you can let your child loose on all the bouncies. It’s a sure way to sweat out some energy!

2. Swimming and splashing! Is there really anything more exhausting than jumping in a pool for hours on end in the hot sun? If you don’t have your own pool or access to a community pool, then friend someone who has one. Perfect for these 100-degree days!

3. Slipping and sliding. I’ll admit it costs a fortune, but if you live close enough to a water park, then make plans to go. Some places have weekday discounts and/or offer coupons. Unless you’re loaded and enjoy really crappy food, I’d suggest bringing your own lunch.

4. Skating and falling down and getting back up again. Ice or roller, this is great exercise for adults, too! And I used to be quite a roller skater in my day. Trying not to fall down constantly uses a lot of muscles and can wear out little bodies quickly, I’ve found!

5. Running and tumbling around like crazy. Some gyms – especially those that cater to the young ones – offer open tumbling hours during the week to jump and tumble and roll around.

Photo, JWJourney

Post from: Blisstree

5 Ways to Exhaust Your Child This Summer

It was exhausting when he had just learned to walk and would charge toward the swimming pool with obvious glee while Rick and I raced to keep him from leaping in. He refused swimmies or any type of floating device from the beginning. And so it was no surprise that he learned to swim at the tender age of 3.

Last August, during the Olympic games in Beijing, Truman took the most interest in the sports that involved water. And naturally, he became a fan of Michael Phelps. We cheered together has he won each of his gold metals. (Truman loves a winner.)

I just learned that Phelps has released a children’s book titled “How to Train with a T. Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals.” I am so getting this book. I sent the link to Rick because not only does Rick know Truman’s love for water and the 14-time Olympic gold medalist, Rick’s nickname for Truman has always been T. Rex.

Oh, a little bit about the book – it features illustrations of Phelps, his bulldog Herman and his coach Bob Bowman. And best of all, Amazon has it on sale for just $12.23!

Source: AP
Book Image, Amazon
Pool photo, JWJourney

Post from: Blisstree

Michael Phelps Pens Children’s Book

We’ve had Chip since he was a puppy and know that he’s never swam before, so we carefully brought him in with us and let him paddle around for a minute. Though he’s not able to tell us what he thought of the experience, he was licking and wagging his tail when we held him, so I’d guess he didn’t mind too much! He also seemed to like following my husband around and swimming to him.

Honey, on the other hand, had a brief paddle before clinging to my husband before he lifted her back out to me. She’s never been crazy about getting wet — though she’ll put up with baths she hates going out when it’s raining, and avoids the yard altogether when we’re watering plants.

She doesn’t like the sound of water either — whether in a spray bottle or running from the kitchen faucet. We don’t know much about her history up until the time we got her so we don’t know what might have happened to her to make her so wary of water.

Since it’s an above-ground pool with a removable ladder, there’s no chance she’ll get into the pool by accident, otherwise we’d bring her in so we could teach her how to get herself out (swim to the steps). So my first instinct, since she gives no signs of enjoying it, is to not going to bring her into the pool anymore. But I wonder if bringing her in with us and helping her feel safe and secure might help her get over whatever issue she has with it. What do you think?

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Wary Water Dogs

As you can see, swimming at uncle Mike’s is just as fun as a day at the beach… and we don’t end up with sand in our bathing suits! Here is my recipe for burgers so tasty, they have caused many a fight over who gets the first one!

Kadi’s Cowpoke Burgers

ground beef

crumbled bacon

shredded cheddar cheese

buns

slices of beefsteak tomato

 arugula

 red bell pepper

  pearl onions

ranch dressing and BBQ sauce

1. Combine ground beef (or turkey) with bacon and shredded cheese.

2. Form patties big as a man’s hand and 1/2 in thick.

3. Grill 15 minutes over medium heat, or until cooked to your liking.

4. Brush the insides of buns with ranch dressing.

5. Grill buns 2 minutes.

6. While patties cook, saute red pepper and onion in olive oil, until tender.

7. Place patties, tomatoes, arugula and pepper mix on buns.

8. Top with BBQ sauce.

9. Enjoy!

Post from: Blisstree

The Best Things In Life Are Free And Barbecued!