September brings numerous fall activities. Participating in a daily photo challenge can help you focus on the world around you.
Here are some prompts for daily inspiration:
Selfie
Harvest
Labor Day
Back to School
Softness
Favorite Book
Pet or Animal
Bonfire
Favorite Quote
Favorite Beverage
Landscape/Skyscape
View Out Your Window
Favorite Color
Nature
Close-up
Collection
Food
Black and White
Upside Down
Football
Silhouette
Something Vintage
Patterns
Natural Light
What’s on Your Feet?
Clouds
Quiet Time/Relaxation
Fall Leaves
Guilty Pleasures
Something New
After you finish the month of September, print your photos and place them in an album for instant inspiration. For added fun, have your family or friends participate in the photo challenge. Cell phone use makes the challenge easy for everyone to join in the fun. Write a description under each photo. Years down the road, you may find the descriptions interesting, especially from younger children. Gathering the photos at the end of the month will bring a unique perspective on how each person views the world.
For fans of the beloved J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series, September 1st represents going back to Hogwarts. Celebrating the return to Hogwarts can be fun with the following activities for you, your family and friends to enjoy.
Host a Craft and Activity Day
Gather your family or friends and enjoy a craft day. Creating Harry Potter inspired crafts is easy with the help of Pinterest or Internet search.
Searching for activities, you can make a wide range of crafts including:
Make a wand with wooden craft sticks, hot glue, and paint.
Make a wand
Holiday ornaments
Coloring pages
Owl crafts
Create potions
Suncatchers
Melt pony beads on old pizza pans to create large Harry Potter inspired sun catchers.
Harry Potter Inspired Recipes
Create a Harry Potter inspired meal, beverage, or snack. Search Pinterest, some of the recipes include:
Butterbeer
Pumpkin Pasties
Pumpkin Juice
Chocolate Frogs
Listen or Read Harry Potter
Simply spend the day relaxing. Spending a day immersed in the Wizarding World, listen or read your favorite Harry Potter book.
Host a Movie Marathon
Call your friends to watch your favorite Harry Potter movie or host a family movie marathon.
For Harry Potter fans, celebrating the day is like visiting an old friend. Consider doing one or combination of activities to enjoy the day.
Today, June 10th is National Iced Tea Day. Enjoying a tall glass of iced tea on a summer day is a great way to quench your thirst. Cold, plain tea by itself is a perfectly fine beverage. But if you want to try something new, adding different flavors may be a surprising twist to an old classic.
Experimenting with diverse flavoring is the best way to find a perfect match for you. Do not be afraid to try something new. Who knows, you may find the best combination to serve at your next family gathering.
Mint
Adding fresh mint from your garden provides a refreshing taste to your iced tea. Simply wash, chop leaves to the desired size, and add to your tea. Or chop mint leaves into smaller pieces and freeze in your ice cubes. Later add the frozen cubes to your tea.
Berries
Experiment by adding different fruits to your iced tea. Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and other types of berries are a wonderful addition to your beverage. By experimenting you are able to find the perfect one to quench your taste buds.
Citrus
Along with berries, lemons, oranges, and grapefruit are another perfect addition to your iced tea. Simple wash and cut the citrus into slices to add to your tea.
Sweet
Of course, along with the healthier alternatives to add to your iced tea, you may add a sweetener. Many individuals prefer a sweet tea as an extra pick me up on a warm summer day.
So are you ready to add something new to your iced tea? Or are you happy drinking the tea without any new additions? Honestly, the choice is completely up to you. Just take the time to relax and enjoy an ice cold glass of tea on hot summer’s day.
Time marches by quickly. Embrace the daily triumphs. Ending a school year is a milestone in your child’s life. Not to mention, you deserve recognition for last minute school snacks, homework help, field trips, and on some days simply getting your child to school on time.
As the last day of school arrives, take the time to celebrate. Scheduling conflicts may not allow your celebration to occur exactly on the last day, still take the time to recognize the accomplishment. The celebration can be a simple family dinner with a special dessert to a large party with your child’s friends.
End of the School Year Party Ideas
If you are uncertain how to celebrate, ask your child for input. Often your child’s idea may be something you would have never thought about as a fun way to celebrate. Or you can consider any of the following:
Special family dinner
Family game night
Trip to the local bookstore to purchase books for summer reading
Attend a major or minor league baseball game or other sporting events
Water balloon “fight” or other water-related activities
The possibilities on how to celebrate the end of a school year are endless. Surprisingly, a simple ice cream pie to celebrate the end of the school year may easily become a lasting memory.
Editor’s note: This blog is an updated version from one on my other site.
Today, November 13, 2017,* is National Indian Pudding Day. Is your reaction the same as mine? What exactly is Indian Pudding? Or perhaps, you have heard of the old fashion recipe. For myself, when I first read this, I had no clue what to expect from the recipe or even how to create the dessert.
So, like most things, I had to start with some research. The recipe is actually well known in the New England area. The history of the tasty dish goes back to the early 17th century. The dessert was mainly served during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
Prior to making the new dessert, I searched for different recipes. For the people who know me well, they are fully aware I am not the best baker. I basically do not have the patience to bake. For the most part, I do know how to bake and cook. But my skills are not top notch in the kitchen department. We all weaknesses. Admittedly, I do enjoy canning and making homemade jam.
After reading the recipe, I knew I was in over my head. I never even heard of the term “temper the egg” before reading the instructions. So, I did what I normally do when I cannot understand a recipe: I called my mother. Of course, she came over to help me. (By the way tempering an egg means slowly adding the hot liquid to the egg mixture to bring the two different temperatures together).
Most of the recipes called for cornmeal, molasses, sugar, milk, and spices. So, my mom and I picked the one, we thought would be the simplest to try for the first time. The recipe was an older one, but the sugar amount was reduced. I did not want or need a lot of sugar in my dish.
The main ingredients for Indian Pudding plus flour and sugar.
The ingredients start by cooking on the stove top.
The mixture coming together.
The next step requires baking. As the Indian Pudding begins to bake, the wonderful smell filled the house.
Baking in the oven.
The final product was finished. I will admit the look of the pudding was not what I had expected.
The finished product straight out of the oven.
The wonderful smell matched the deliciousness of the Indian Pudding. The recipe suggests topping with vanilla ice cream or heavy whipped cream. Well, I used the store bought-brand but the final product was still “yummy” good. I am glad I was able to try something new. As an extra bonus, my mom was able to help share this blogging experience.
*Note: This blog was originally written on November 13, 2015, for my other site.
Are you old enough to remember the Pet Rock craze? Well, I am. When I was in grade school, I remember a classmate owning a Pet Rock. During Show and Tell, she explained all the different things the Pet Rock could do. For example, she fully believed the rock felt heavier during sleeping hours. Of course, I was skeptical. But my overactive imagination could relate the rock as a living creature.
Today, September 3, 2017, is Pet Rock Day. Originated in 1975 by Gary Dahl, the Pet Rock fad was an instant hit. Smooth stones were put in a pet carrier for the home for the Pet Rock. In fact, you still can buy Pet Rocks today at www.PetRock.com.
Celebrating Pet Rock Day
Today, you can either purchase a Pet Rock or craft one. Actually crafting the rock into different creatures may be a fun activity for the entire family.
Supplies You May Need:
Rocks (Gather some out your drive or purchase a bag at your local dollar store)
Paint
Googly eyes
features
Glue
Pipe cleaners
Pom-poms
Glitter, if you are brave
The only limit to the type of craft supplies needed is your imagination.
Have fun creating your own type of rock creature. In fact, consider creating an entire rock family.
Many Americans use the long Labor Day weekend as a chance to hit the road to their favorite travel destination. More and more individuals are opting to forego the hustle and bustle of holiday travel. Keep in mind, staying at home does not have to be boring. Use the time to relax or enjoy activities close to home. The simplistic nature of staying at home may be the best decision for you and your loved ones.
Tips for Enjoying a Stay at Home Weekend
Unplug
Make the decision to spend time away from the computer. Everyday work, school or personal commitments keep you online. Even though you are staying home, act like you are on vacation.
Set your email message to out of town or out of the office.
Put your cell phone on vibrate.
Check your cell phone sparingly.
Stay off social media.
Leave your work at the office.
Go Outdoors
Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end of summer. Use the time to go outdoors for activities other than lawn maintenance.
Go for a walk.
Go for a hike.
Go for a bike ride.
Go canoeing or kayaking.
Soak up the sun.
Lay in the hammock.
Watch the sunset while enjoying your favorite beverage
Be a Local Tourist
When many people think of tourists, images of far off places come to mind. Be a local tourist. Holiday weekends usually bring special events. Using a little research of your hometown area, you may find enough activities to keep you busy all weekend.
Go to an art gallery.
Visit a museum.
Attend an outdoor concert.
Watch a parade.
Go to the local, state or federal park.
Attend a local fair or festival.
Family Night
Hosting a family night is a great way to relax and spend time with your loved ones. Family nights can be a quiet evening with a movie or night out. Involving everyone in the final decision helps make the evening more fun.
Backyard camping
Pizza night
Movie marathon night
Special dinner night
Game night
Music night
Special activity night, for example, laser tag or bowling
Slumber party night
Complete a family project
Volunteer as a family
Using your imitation, the types of family nights are endless.
Host a Party
Impromptu parties or barbeques create a last minute event. You are not alone in staying close to home on a holiday weekend. Ask family and friends to come over. Due to the last minute planning, go old school with the menu. Ask everyone to bring a dish to pass. The variety will be a refreshing break from a themed or planned menus.
Lack of funds, family commitments, or just a desire to relax without worrying about packing and driving, everyone has a different reason for staying home on a holiday weekend. Whether you decide to go out or simply relax on the couch all weekend, enjoy your decision to stay home.
I am a full believer in celebrating life. Small celebrations bring lasting memories. Every day our daily schedules and commitments keep us busy. Enjoying little moments is a necessity. For fans of the Harry Potter series, myself included, today, July 31st represents the fictional character, Harry Potter’s birthday. Along with Harry, J.K. Rowling celebrates her birthday today too.
In the book, Rubeus Hagrid provides Harry with a birthday cake on his 11th birthday. The simple scene from the Keeper of the Keys immediately ushers us into the magical world of Harry Potter. Why not incorporate his birthday into a family fun night? Or invite your friends for some magical fun.
Consider making a quick birthday cake as a special dessert treat.
Gather the family or friends around to watch the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Make wands.
Eat chocolate frogs.
Create your own owl, cat, or toad.
Have special snacks or cook an entire meal based on the Wizarding World’s cuisine.
Make magical themed crafts.
Melt pony beads on old pizza pans to create large Harry Potter inspired sun catchers.
Need a quieter activity, reread the Harry Potter series or listen to the audio versions.
In a couple weeks, school, homework, sports and enforced bedtime routines will be part of your already full schedule. Take a moment to enjoy the little things and celebrate “The Boy Who Lived”.
Reference:
Rowling, J. K., Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. London: Bloomsbury Children’s, 1997.
Time marches by quickly. Embrace the daily triumphs. Ending a school year is a milestone in your child’s life. Not to mention, you deserve recognition for last minute school snacks, homework help, field trips, and on some days simply getting your child to school on time. As the last day of school arrives, take the time to celebrate. The celebration can be a simple family dinner to a large party with your child’s friends.
End of the School Year Party Ideas
If you are uncertain how to celebrate, ask your child for input. Often your child’s idea may be something you would have never thought about as a fun way to celebrate. Or you can consider any of the following:
Special family dinner
Family game night
Trip to the local bookstore to purchase books for summer reading
Backyard BBQ
Pool party (if the weather permits)
Backyard beach party
Comic book, princess or other theme parties
End of the school year theme party
Trip to the local ice cream shop
Dinner out at your child’s favorite restaurant
Pizza party
Video game night
Arts and crafts party
Outdoor games party
Trip to the park, zoo or other local attraction
Scavenger hunt
Movie night
Picnic in the park or your own backyard
Knowing your child’s likes and dislikes, the possibilities are endless. A simple ice cream pie to celebrate the end of the school year may easily become a lasting memory.
