Summertime Fun Archives - The Mom Initiative

20 Memory Making Ideas for Summertime Fun

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1 I love the summer! How about you? Everything is alive and lively. The days are longer, the air smells sweeter, the kids are out of school and it’s time to play! Unfortunately, when my children were young, I often found school was knocking on the door of our summer fun before we really got to enjoy the season that seemed to all-too-quickly slip through our fingers. Making memories with our kids means we have to intentionally plan our days; purposely putting some things on …

Water Safety

It is nearly Summer. School is out and temperatures are beginning to soar. That can only mean that swimming pools, lakes, creeks, and oceans are calling our name. Most of us think we know what drowning looks like. We’ve seen it on T.V. or in a movie. Right? Someone is wildly flailing their arms and crying for help. That is how we know someone is in trouble. But is that reality? According to Dr. Frank Pia – over 20 years experience as a life guard – there is an instinctive drowning response that looks less like the movies and more like …

For Moms ~ When Spring Is in the Air (with FREE Printables)

JUST a couple weeks away! Yes…I’m counting days! Thirteen more days until Daylight Savings Time and twenty-two until Spring… and I. Can’t. Wait! The thought of the warm weather puts a pep in my step and a smile on my heart! It’s a time for sunshine, lemonade, Spring cleaning, garage sales, play days at the park, sand castles on the beach, tubing in the river, little league, snow cones, and countless creative things to do with the fam! Soooo…I was just wondering… Does this time of year make your momma heart as happy as it does mine? FOR MOMS: Today, I …

Slow… Children at Play

Slow…children at play. Best. Sign. Ever. May is winding down. (Yahoo! Craziest month next to December-don’t you think?) Summer is rounding the corner. Yes! I want to hurry up and get through May so I can slow down. Moms, summer is the only season that is just a little less structured than the rest of the school year. Here are some fun slow going activities you can do with your kids over the summer. 1.Go to the Library. Yes, actually physically go. Look at the books, pick out a few, some for the kids to read alone, some to read …

Playdough

Out of playdough? No problem! Here is an easy, fun recipe the kids can help with! Make sure to keep this one handy! 1-cup salt, 2-cups flour, 2-cups water, 1/4-cup vegetable oil, 1-tablespoon cream of tartar Place ingredients in pan, add your favorite food coloring, stir over low heat until dough is not sticky, looks and feels like playdough. Enjoy playing with your kids! Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of your hand. Enjoy your weekend! Tara Dovenbarger, …

Summer: Season of Friendship

Growing a friendship makes me a better mom. Toddler moms may be tempted to think they will never have time for a friend again, unless they happen to be named Dora and wear a backpack. Teen moms may be tempted to think they’ll only have time for friends who cross paths on sign up sheets at sports meetings. But our children and our husbands can not meet all our relational needs, and it’s unfair and unrealistic to expect they will. Even a mommy, especially a mommy, is meant to have a friend. Mom-friends grow in summer In addition to the …

Summer Reader Guarantee

It doesn’t matter the age of your child; every mom hopes her child will spend more of the summer reading than channel surfing. On the same day school ended in our city, an email arrived from the Superintendent of schools. “Please remember that reading is a great way to keep engaged and learning over the summer. I encourage you to sign up for a Summer Reading Program at one of our local branch libraries – it’s free and for all ages. I invite our students to read consistently each day, and for our parents of younger children to make sure …

10 Summertime Safety Tips

I’ve always loved the fun in the sun that defines summer. But it’s also a time when children experience more injuries and make more visits to the emergency room than any other time of year. Before the last bell of the 2011-2012 school year ushers in the approaching summer season and before a momma starts filling her days with a plethora of plans for the kiddos, it’s wise to consider safety first. The M.O.M. Initiative wants to help your summertime be filled with fun and accident free, so we’re offering 10 summertime safety tips to help you have the best …