12 fun Beach Day Activities

1. Fill a bucket relay- Set up a bucket a few feet from the water. Have each child race to the water and fill their hands with water and race back to the bucket to dump it in. Time them to see how fast they can fill the bucket up with water using only their hands!

2.Go on an archiological dig- Dig deep into the sand to find rocks and trinkets. Discuss how each item looks, feels, and even smells. Explain how the smooth rocks got their feel from the waves crashing over them and buffing them smooth. Tell them how the sharp and jagged rocks may not have been in the water very long and they haven't been smoothed by the water.

3. Look for sea glass- Did you know that glass is smooth after it has been in the water for some time? Mason jar glass often takes a blue color to it when it has been buffed by the waves and shore. Brown glass is usually from root(beer) bottles and red sea glass is considered one of the rarest colors! See if you can collect enough sea glass to make a mosaic picture frame.

4. Collect sea shells- If you live near the ocean or a large body of water try and find a shell large enough to hold up to their ear. Have them listen to the sound inside. Ask them what they think the sound is: is it the ocean, is it an animal, is it the toilet (yes, my kids say this!).

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5. Bury more than your feet!- Have them cover mom or dad completely in sand. Leave your head out though (and remind yourself that you are getting a free exfoliation out of the deal). When they are done have them put funny glasses on you, a silly hat and snap a photo!

6.Build a sandman- Just like you do in the winter with snow except use sand and beach toys for the face. It is a blast!

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7. Make jewelery- Collect seashells along the beach and string them onto yarn or a piece of string and make necklaces and bracelets out of them. A fun keepsake, free jewelery and a great story.

8. Silent pictures- Sit across from each other in the sand, smooth out the sand in between you and draw pictures in the sand. The person drawing can only say yes or no.

9. Make a city- Forget the sandcastle making! Make a city. Include skyscrapers, landmarks, roads and vehicles. This keeps them busy for hours.

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10. Finger soccer- Smooth out a section of sand, make goals on each end. Find a small seashell and use that as your soccer ball. You can only use your fingers to flick the seashell to the goal.

11. Make sand angels- Just like in the winter except with sand! So fun! Afterwards run and jump in the water to rinse off.

12. Treasure hunt- Just like the pirates from long ago....bury a treasure and mark it with an X. Search high and low for the best treasure hiding spot.

I'm a #DontSweatMom! You can be one too--Giveaway

A few weeks ago I (Jamie) decided to join the campaign to become a Don't Sweat Mom.  What is the Don't Sweat Mom campaign?  It is based on the book "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff For Moms" by Kristine Carlson. The campaign is creating a community of moms that are coming together to stress less and choose happiness more. It’s about finding our joy in everyday parenting.

As Colorado Mountain Mom said in her book review, I too had a little blogger regret after I signed up for this campaign.  Like her, I didn't think I was going to have time to read the book.  I quickly discovered, however, that the book was broken up into short, easy to read chapters.  It doesn't have any particular flow, so it's convenient to simply pick the chapters that you want to read and skip around.  In fact, this blog post has taken me MUCH longer to write than actually reading the book!

There were many chapters in "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff For Moms" that struck a cord with me.  "Make Special Mommy & Me Time" became clear when I finally got my first large chunk of time alone with my 5 year old (Nutty) since my 3 year old (Tottie) was born.  As the book states, "Sometimes our kids don't know how to verbalize that all they really want is some of our attention."  Since Nutty has been in preschool and now Kindergarten, it's been easy to spend alone time with Tottie, and because Tottie is more demanding than Nutty, I often forget that Nutty needs one-on-one time too.  Nutty and I got some great, and much needed Mommy & Me time when Hubby took Tottie to his parent's house for a few days.  The "Don't Sweat..." book reminded me that I don't need to wait for Hubby to take Tottie away for a few days, I could easily take 10 minutes a day to pull Nutty aside and spend time with just her.

"Keep The Lines Of Communication Open" along with the chapter "Practice Breathing Before You Speak" made me realize that I am in desperate need of a communication revamp with my girls!   I often react rather than respond to situations, and I end up yelling a little too much.  I need to remember to breathe before I speak allowing me to "access [my] inner wisdom and bring [myself] into a calm resolve that is conducive to healthy responses.  Keeping in mind the 12 factors for effective communication that Kristine shares will hopefully improve the way I relate to my girls and in turn, I hope, strengthen our relationships.

"Don't Sweat The Small Stuff For Moms" doesn't tell you how to be a good mom, it makes you think about the type of mom you are now and gives you ideas for how to improve by focusing on who you are as a person.  You are first a woman, and second a mom.  By improving who you are as a woman, you improve who you are as a mom.  

Want to be a #DontSweatMom too?  Enter to win a copy of "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff For Moms" below (or buy your own copy) then join the community on Twitter and Facebook or check out the website.  

You can get the first chapter of the book for FREE here! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway I received a free copy of the book "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff For Moms" for the purpose of this review post.  I received no other compensation.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Amazing chocolate and salt bars

 Are you ready for the most amazing blondies in the world?

Ingredients:
2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks of butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
3/4 C brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
2-3 tablespoons kosher salt

Mix all but kosher salt together and spread into a square baking pan. Sprinkle the kosher salt on top of the brownies before baking. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. Grab a HUGE glass of milk and enjoy! HEAVEN!

Happy Memorial Day

We hope each and everyone of you take time to remember those loved ones in your life. Enjoy this Memorial Day.

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We're guest posting over at 5 Minutes for Mom today!  Check out our post Playing In The Rain!

Finances and Children--Guest Post

Today we have the pleasure of having Dr. Deanna Cole, a a licensed psychologist with a broad background in neuropsychological and psychological assessment, therapy and psychoeducation share her thoughts on finances and children: