Ideas For A Fun July

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We’re in the heart of summer and there are so many ways to enjoy it. Below are some of the special events that are celebrated during the month of July.  First the month starts out with a bang on The 4th of July.  Then there’s National Hot Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month, National Watermelon Month, and even National Baked Bean Month. You would think that all we do is eat during this month!

Well, below are links with information and recipes to celebrate these events. If you have children or grandchildren pick a date and plan on a festival to enjoy their favorite foods.  Get them involved in picking out the recipes and then making them.  It will be a fun time for all! 

 

Fourth of July:

If you are planning to set off fireworks here is some information you’ll want to read first.  Every year around the 4th of July the emergency rooms are filled with burn injuries. Learn how to prevent them before you set off those fireworks.

http://www.fireworksafety.com/

 

National Hot Dog Month:

All those summer BBQ’s seem to include the little (or not so little) red dog, grilled to perfection.  But there are lots of other ways to cook those hot dogs.  If your up to experimenting with recipes here are a couple of links to get you started.

http://www.recipe4living.com/articles/national_hot_dog_month.htm

 

National Ice Cream Month:

 

Is it any surprise that National Ice Cream Month would be in the middle of summer?  The 3rd Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day but pick any day to celebrate with your family.  Make homemade ice cream with or without an ice cream maker.  The links below have recipes and instructions on how to do it.  Oh, the simple pleasures of life don’t have to cost much.  Just a little planning ahead can make a memorable sweet experience.

http://www.ice-cream-recipes.com/ice_cream_month.htm

http://www.southernliving.com/food/entertaining/ice-cream-desserts-00417000074424/

 

National Watermelon Month:

What would summer be without a cold juicy watermelon to bite into?  July is also National Watermelon Month.  Now is the time to buy those big red fruits and experiment with different ways of eating them.  Find a couple of recipes from the link below that look good. On a day when it’s too hot for the children to play outside just pull out a recipe for all of you to make together.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/watermelon/index.html

 

National Baked Bean Month:

                                                                                                                                                                       Beans go great with those hot dogs and hamburgers.  Check out some of the links below for recipes to make them special.

 

 

http://www.classbrain.com/artholiday/publish/article_355.shtml

http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotbeans/r/bl15c11.htm

 

July can be a long boring month if you have children at home with nothing to do.  It’s not too late to make this a fun and active summer.  Check it this post for lots of ideas. “Vacation In Your Own Home Town”

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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July 4th Foods–Yum!

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Many holidays are celebrated with a meal or two that have lots of special foods. Looking forward to eating those foods is part of what makes the holiday fun.

The Fourth of July is no different.  All the summer vegetables and fruits are at their best.  Their cool refreshing taste in the heat of the summer help balance out all those heavy hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, and baked beans that are a part of the meal.

If your not sure what to cook or want some new ideas I’ve listed below plenty of links with mouth watering recipes.  Don’t forget the decorations to complete the festive celebration.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/4th-of-july/package/index.html

http://www.watermelon.org/Recipes/Default.aspx

http://recipes.familyeducation.com/slideshow/recipes/51053.html

http://familyfun.go.com/4th-of-july/4th-of-july-recipes/

http://www.cookinglight.com/entertaining/holidays-occasions/4th-july-recipes-00412000071753/page24.html

http://www.bhg.com/holidays/july-4th/recipes/

 

Happy eating!

Janice

Website:  https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

Facebook Page:  http://facebook.com/CutClutterWithScissors

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Are Your Children Already Bored With Summer?

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Today is the official first day of summer.  However, for most families summer started around Memorial Day or shortly after.  If your children aren’t going to camp or summer school most likely they are already looking for things to do.

Below are some ideas to help you get organized and come up with ways to keep your children busy.  These ideas are great ways to keep them from spending hours and hours in front of the TV or computer.  That may keep them out of your hair but it isn’t healthy for them.  Check out these links now and have a plan in place before you hear those dreaded words, (if you haven’t already) “Mom, we’re bored.  What can we do?”

Organize Your Summer

These sites are filled with ideas to help you organize your schedules.

http://www.bhg.com/videos/m/32064133/organize-your-summer.htm

http://www.bhg.com/health-family/parenting-skills/family-relationships/family-tips-for-a-successful-summer/

Summer Game Ideas

Here are some ideas for backyard games. Create a simple notebook with the instructions so it’s easy to help your children get started playing.

http://www.bhg.com/health-family/activities/games/backyard-games/#page=1

http://familyfun.go.com/summer/summer-games/1/

Vacation in Your Own Home Town

Last year I wrote a blog post after the 4th of July filled with ideas and links to websites about vacationing close to home. This year I’m giving you the link to that post now so you can plan ahead and take advantage of some great things to do before, during, and after the holiday. There are also some links for ideas for the 4th of July.

http://organizebythemonth.com/vacation-in-your-own-hometown/

http://fun.familyeducation.com/fourth-of-july/holidays/32874.html

http://holidays.kaboose.com/july-4/

 

It’s not to late to set up a Summer Planner filled with ideas to make this summer an organized and fun one.

Janice

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Father’s Day Gift Ideas

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Fathers Day Graphics

When you’re trying to control the clutter, gift giving holiday’s can be a real challenge.  We want to honor and show our gratitude with some kind of purchased or homemade gift. We want to give something the recipient will like and use. We don’t want to give them something that will become clutter.

Father’s Day can sometimes be very challenging.  We are lead to believe that most men would like to have new tools, or tickets to a sporting event, or some new electronic equipment.  Of course there is the old standby tie but many men just don’t wear ties that much anymore.

Some of the above will make great gifts if the Dad is interested in those things. Sometimes those kinds of gifts are just too expensive.  That doesn’t mean you should settle for just giving him something that may end up in a drawer or gather dust.  It’s time to get creative.

Fathers love the attention on Father’s Day just as much as mothers do on Mother’s Day.

Here are some ideas that don’t have to cost a lot or become clutter.

  1. If you can’t afford those tickets to a sporting event consider taking Dad to a movie. Or you can buy his favorite movie on DVD and plan a special afternoon at the Movies in your own home. Make popcorn, buy his favorite candy or snack, turn off the phones, and enjoy an afternoon together.
  2. Plan a dinner where you and/or the children cook everything and wait on Dad like he is a king.
  3. If you have younger children they can plan for games, activities, and even decorations.  See the links below for some ideas.
  4. If Dad has a hobby then some sort of new tool or equipment for that hobby would be appreciated. Most hobbies have a lot of items in a wide range of prices. You can create a gift bag of several lower price items instead of one large, expensive one.

These two links have lots of other ideas for Father’s Day.

http://family.go.com/disney/disney-fathers-day-crafts-recipes-photo-gallery-pg/

http://holidays.kaboose.com/fathers-day/

Happy Father’s Day!

Janice

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An Experiment in Clothes Closet Clutter

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I was reading a blog post from “Be More With Less” where she talked about doing experiments on how to live with fewer things.  She said to look at these experiments as temporary.

This seemed to hit a cord with me.  The definition of experiment is: a test, trial, or an act or procedure for the purpose of discovering something unknown.

The unknown can be learning to live without clutter.  Of course everyone’s definition of clutter is different.  Most of the time it’s the fear of having nothing left after we clear out the clutter keeps us from taking actions. A temporary experiment with decluttering might just be the way to discover those fears are unfounded.

Experiment – Step 1

I decided to give it a try.  Somehow my clothes closet has grown smaller over the past several years. I figured that is a good place to set up an experiment. Tackling one section at a time should help to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

I started by taking everything off the 3 foot rod where most of my tops are hanging.

When I piled them on the bed I separated them by winter, summer, and all those T-shirts that have accumulated from special events or vacations.

 

I packed away the winter clothes in under-the-bed boxes. Since it’s summer, I’ll deal with those clothes this fall.

After all the extra hangers were put in another closet, I hung the summer clothes back in my closet. I easily got rid of six summer tops, but I know I need to declutter more.

After putting the summer tops back in the closet I realized I had 13 more clean tops hanging in the laundry room. They are not in the photo above so needless to say my closet will still be crowded.

Experiment – Step 2

In this step comes the real “experiment”.  All the vacation/event T-shirts (the ones laying on the bed in the above picture) were hung up in a closet in another room. I always think I’ll wear them to work out in the yard but I never do.

The next thing is to mark a calendar or desk planner for a date in September. Summer will be winding down so that will be a good time to make a decision on whether to keep those T-shirts or not. Maybe by then I’ll discover I can live without them and give them away.

Summer is the time we naturally “lighten up”. Take advantage of this time to experiment with different areas that are cluttered in your home.  Pack away books, trinkets, and other items on your shelves. Live with the uncluttered summer cottage look for several months. Then decide if you miss all those things.

Remember, the experiments are temporary. You’re preforming the experiment to see if you can live without many things that clutter up your home. You don’t have to get rid of anything just yet.

Of course if there are things you’re ready to let go of now, then go for it! That will be less to deal with later.

If you’ve preformed an experiment like I described above I would love to hear about it.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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