Summer Daily Schedule

Everyone has different thoughts on keeping their children on a schedule for the summer. For me personally, it makes my day run smoother if we create a schedule and try to stick to it. Today I’m going to be sharing with you our daily schedule that will start next week. (We have drama class every day this week so excuse the lack of posts coming up this week.)

This schedule will be for days that we stay at home the whole day. There are a few days here and there where we will be going swimming, going to the movies, or attending a free activity around town.

7:00 – 8:00 – Wake up & Eat Breakfast – My kids like to watch TV or have their tablets during this time. I also use this time to get them dressed, face washed, teeth brushed, & hair fixed. Sometimes our mornings get sidetracked by what we see outside.

8:00 – 9:30 – Play outside – We live where it gets very hot during the summer so if we are going to play outside at all during the summer it has to be in the morning. We usually use this outside time to play in our driveway and on our street so that my kids can ride bikes and scooters.

@familyfunology

These scooters are a hit!!!! Find the link to these scooters by going to my instagrsm. #affiliatemarketing #momlife #lifewithkids #lifesithkids #outside #summer

♬ Better Days – Animal Island

9:30 – 10:00 – Lesson/Table Activity – I plan to use this time to have my kids work on some skills they learned during the school year so that they don’t lose it. We will also use this time to play slime or playdough.

10:00 – 11:00 – Playtime – This could be us playing some games together, playing Legos, creating art pieces, just whatever my kids want to do. Somedays I will play with them and other days I will use this time to get some work or housework done.

11:00 – 12:00 – Prep Lunch & Eat

12:00 – 12:30 – Reading time – I’m sure that you have heard that we are trying to read 1,000 books this summer, so I use this time to read to my children or to have my 6-year-old read to me.

@familyfunology

Some of my favorite interactive kids books. Links to these csn be found by going to my instagram. #affiliatemarketing #childrensbooks #lifesithkids #momlife #books #family

♬ original sound – Family Funology

12:30 – 1:30 – Quiet Time – I plan to use this time to work on anything I need to work on. My kids are past the ages of taking a nap, but I do want to encourage them to rest during the day. During this time, they can choose to lay down, play quietly in their rooms, read books, color, etc….

1:30 – 2:30 – Tablet/TV Time – Looking for some guilt free tablet ideas? I plan on making a post about my favorite Apps on Friday so stay tuned

2:30 – 4:00 – Water Play Outside depending on the temperature. I like for my kids to spend as much time outside but if it’s super-hot we will play inside again.

4:00 – 5:00 – Clean up from the day and prep for dinner

Weekly Recap May 29th – June 2nd

This has the been the busiest week of summer break. I feel like we were hardly at home. We left the house everyday this week and it’s got me feeling tired today.

Monday

Monday was Memorial Day and so we ended up going swimming at my Dads house. This was the first time we had gone swimming this summer and they LOVED it.

Tuesday

Tuesday we spent all day running errands. we went to Chic-fil-a and ate breakfast and played at the play thing for a hit before we had to run into a couple stores. My kids got to pick out a $10 item from the store and they both picked out these diamond digging gems (they love them).

Wednesday

We did some small activities around the house before heading to the pool again.

This spray bottle paint activity was a blast!!!

Thursday and Friday

We spent both of these days at my moms helping her around the house . My kids hung out and helped us when we had something they could help with.

This weeks was so busy and I feel like we didn’t really have a lot of free time to just hang out and chill. We did read a few books but not very many. We have 41/1000 read for the summer. I’m thinking we may not hit our goal but we will see. Hope everyone has a great week coming up.

Money Saving/Making Apps or websites

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

We are going to switch things up today. I have recently taken a break from working to stay home with my kids during the summer, so I am looking for all the ways to make or save a little money. I have been on the hunt for different things I can do from my phone, and I’m going to share my favorite ones with you.

Ibotta

Ibotta is an app that allows you to get paid for stuff you are already buying. Before you go shopping open the app and add all the offers you know you are going to be purchasing. If you shop curbside pickup your offers should be added to your account automatically if you shop in store, then you scan a copy of your receipt after you are done.

Hey! Thought you’d like to save money with Ibotta! It’s a free app that gets you cash back on the stuff you buy every day. Just use my referral code ‘ihkojsb’ at registration. Sign up at → https://ibotta.onelink.me/iUfE/1005cd3f?friend_code=ihkojsb

Fetch

Fetch is very similar to Ibotta but you don’t have to add offers, you just scan receipts, and it checks your receipts for you. It even scans your email if you link to check for online orders. So easy to use and when you get ready to cash out there is a good selection of gift cards to choose from.

Come save money on Fetch with me! Sign up w/ code CJFE7 & get 250 pts: https://referral.fetch.com/vvv3/referralsocial?code=CJFE7. See you there!

Yotta

Yotta is an online bank that gives you tickets every night for a drawing. I’ve had an account since January, and I haven’t won a ton, but I have won about $15 for just having my money in the account. I love that it feels like you are playing the lottery but you aren’t losing any money.

Hey – Join me on Yotta using my username FF23 and we’ll both get a Loot Box with up to $100 and 1 MILLION tickets into daily number drawings with prizes up to $1m. Yotta is an app featured in Bloomberg and Forbes with over 700k users. https://join.withyotta.com/FF23

Kashkick

Kashkick pays you to play games and take surveys. I have just started out but so far it’s a lot of fun and the idea that I can make money just playing mobile games is cool.

https://kashkick.com?ref=jn5liwyrrymt

CreditKarma

I love this app to keep track of all my accounts. It looks at all the accounts you have open and how much you have left to pay them off. It’s easy to see which accounts you should be paying off first and it also keeps track of your credit score for you. Such a great app for seeing where your money is going.

How do you save or make money? The links above are referral links.

Bubble Foam

Get ready for some fun!!

This bubble foam is so simple to make and is so much fun to play with. As you can see in the picture above I usually just put it in bowls and let my kids play with it however they want to as long as it stays on the table cloth. I have also let them use it in my shower, a tile shower is best because it doesn’t get as slippery. If you have a tub I would be careful because this stuff can make it very slick. My favorite place to play with it is outside! I have made this for my kids several different times and each time I do they have a blast and the best part is you only need a few things to make it.

  • Children’s Soap
  • Water
  • food coloring
  • mixer

Take 1/4 cup of soap and 1/2 cup of water and mix them together with whatever type of mixer you have.

I used a kitchen aid mixer, but any kind of mixer will work. (Ignore my fingernails we tie dyed the day before and I did not wear gloves)


For this day I just dumped it on my driveway and let my kids play with it however they wanted, and it was a blast. They loved it even more this way than anytime we played with it inside.

@familyfunology

Sometimes a job turns into something fun! This bubble foam is a blast. #summer #kidsactivities #summerfun #momhacks #momlife #lifewithkids

♬ CJ’s Van – WILLIS

This bubble foam is so easy to make and I’m sure your kids will have a blast playing with it. If you try it let me know what you think.

All links above are affiliate links.

Rainbow Rice

A few years ago, we made this rainbow rice, and it is still going strong. It’s super easy to make and your kids will LOVE it. I have added some little dinosaurs for sorting but now that my kids are older they really just cover them up and try and get the other one to guess where they are. You can add different stuff just depending on what your kids are into. I also have some measuring spoons and tongs in there just for fun.

To make this Rainbow Rice you will need:

    • White Rice
    • Vinegar
    • Liquid Food Coloring
    • Zip Lock Bags
    • somewhere for the rice to dry

    Put some rice and vinegar into a zip lock bag, I don’t measure the vinegar I usually just do a splash of it and add in a few drops of whatever color you are wanting to start with. Shake it around until all the rice is coated with the color. Then just lay it out flat to dry. When all the colors you made are dry add them into a big bin with whatever accessories you want to add in.

    Here is a quick video of me making some new rice the other day.

    @familyfunology

    Rainbow rice is alwayd a favorite of ours. #sensorybin #momlife #lifewithkids #kidsactivities

    ♬ Sunshine – WIRA
    Rainbow Rice Idea List

    Above is a link to a list that will have all the items needed to make your own set of rainbow rice.

    Link above is an affiliate link.

    Weekly Recap May 22

    With my kids being out of school for the summer I am going to be posting what me and my kids did during the week and how each activity went. If you like seeing content like this let me know. Also don’t forget to subscribe so that you will know when I post new content.

    Monday & Tuesday

    My kiddos attended school these two days, so I spent the days getting ready for the summer. I cleaned the house and went through the kitchen cabinets and closets decluttering.

    Wednesday

    My kids went to school for half a day this day. I spent the morning decorating the house for a summer celebration.

    @familyfunology

    Last day of school for my kiddos. Getting the house ready for then when they get home. #lastdayofschool #summer #momlife #schoolsoutforsummer

    ♬ Happy Summer – Vin Music

    After my kiddos got home, we kicked off our summer by having a dance party and tie dying some shirts. We used this tie dye kit that had everything you need except for the items you are tie dying. It was great.

    @familyfunology

    Such a great start to summer!! This tie dye kit comes with everything but the shirts. My kids had a blast! For the link to this head over to my instagram. #affiliatemarketing #tiedye #momlife #kidsactivities

    ♬ Fresh Start – Phello

    Thursday

    We really just spent the day hanging out and getting into the summer groove. We finished up are tie dye shirts and they turned out great.

    Mom Hack: On days that my kids are home I notice that they snack ALL DAY LONG! Here is how I save some money on snacks and teach my children that instant gratification has it’s downfalls.

    I put all their snacks for the day in these little containers; they can choose to eat them all before 11:00 but then they will not have any snacks later in the day. I do keep a fruit and veggie tray in the fridge that they can help themselves to anytime of the day. If you are interested in these containers, I will link them below.

    We spent a lot of the day today playing with the balloons from yesterday and reading some books. We read 10 books towards are 1,000 books challange.

    Friday

    Spent a good portion of the day outside washing the car and making bubble foam.

    @familyfunology

    Sometimes a job turns into something fun! This bubble foam is a blast. #summer #kidsactivities #summerfun #momhacks #momlife #lifewithkids

    ♬ CJ’s Van – WILLIS

    We also read a few more books towards our 1,000 book challenge and ended the week with 18 books read.

    What kind of fun did you and your family have this week? Any links that lead to a product are affiliate links. Hope everyone has a great week coming up. We have some fun posts coming up so be sure to subsribe to my blog.

    Shows for Younger Kids

    Finding shows for your younger child to watch can be hard and frustrating. I know that have children watch TV at a young age is controversial, for me personally I used TV when I needed to and made sure they things that my kids were watching were shows that I felt were age appropriate and had value Here are some of my favorites that my kids watched when they were younger.

    The Wiggles

    https://amzn.to/43jLd7w

    The Wiggles were popular when my younger brother was little, so I remember him watching them years ago. My kids both loved watching the Wiggles when they were 2-3 years old. The songs are cute and catchy and the show doesn’t feel overstimulated like some song compilation shows.

    Team Umi Zoomi

    https://amzn.to/3qaSdoH

    Such a fun and cute older TV show that teaches your child all about math. Each episode follows a bother and sister who have “Mighty Math Powers”. they also have a robot named Bot who my kids thought was the best character. You child will learn patterning, counting, adding, subtracting, and so much more watching this show.

    Blaze and the Monster Machines

    https://amzn.to/3oqJ8YC

    A very cute show teaching your kid all about science. This show will teach you science stuff you totally forgot about. One day when my son was about three and half we were talking about something (I don’t remember what) and he started talking about centripetal force and I was shocked. Some seasons are free with an amazon prime subscription. If you don’t have one you can click the link below to sign up.

    Join Amazon Prime – Watch Thousands of Movies & TV Shows Anytime – Start Free Trial Now

    Blue’s Clues (And Blue’s Clues & You)

    https://amzn.to/434Nbce

    I’m sure you have heard of this one already but its too good not to share. Any of the Blue’s Clues shows are a great let your younger kids watch. They are cute and funny, and they teach great problem-solving skills.

    Octonauts

    https://www.netflix.com/Kids?jbv=81009671

    My kids didn’t get into Oconauts until they were almost 4 but they loved learning about all the different animals that get saved in each episode.

    What shows do you like to let your younger child watch? These are just a few of our favorites but there are so many more out there.

    Some of the links above are affiliate links.

    Pretend Play Food Favs

    Pretend play is so important for children to participate in! There is one company in my opinion that excels in making the best pretend play toys; and that’s Melissa and Doug. Their toys are some of the best quality toys I have ever purchased. My daughter loves playing pretend and so we have a ton of these toys around our house.

    What we have already

    My daughter loves to cook with me so for Christmas she got these two pretend cooking sets. One is a bakery, and one is a barista set. I love that both her and my son can set one up and I’ll buy the food/coffee that they make.

    This little coffee set is so cute! it comes with everything your child will need to open their own coffee shop. The front has a magnetic piece where your child can post the menu and a magnadoodle screen for paying. On the back of the set there is a coffee maker, tea and lemonade dispenser, and a space to store pastries. Such a great fun set!

    This bakery set has it all!! a spot for a mixer, a menu, an oven for baking all your goodies. My daughter loves bringing us the menu throughout the day and asking us which baked good we would like to buy. She does however charge a very steep delivery fee :-).

    We also have several of their smaller sets. You can play with this with the other sets or by themselves also. My daughter will use the mixer from the bakery set but will “cook” the birthday cake.

    On My To Buy List

    These are some of the sets that I know my 6- & 4-year-old would love so they are on my list to buy over the next year. These sets are such a great way to expose your child to the idea of new foods they might not normally eat.

    More Options

    Melissa and Doug have so many different pretend play sets that they will have something for your kiddo. Check out some of these below.

    All links above are affiliate links.

    Summer Fun – Music Mondays

    One way to keep you kids busy throughout the summer is to have themed days. We are going to be doing Music Mondays this summer. Here are some fun ideas we already do and some that we plan on doing on Mondays during our summer break.

    Have a Dance Party

    Make a playlist of your kids’ favorite music, turn off the lights, and turn on your party lights. We always have a blast doing this and it burns some energy. We have Amazon Echos throughout the house. It’s great because it makes it easy to play the same music throughout the house.

    Learn a new song or Dance

    I typically don’t let my children browse YouTube without me or my husband in control of the device. One thing I do love about YouTube is that you can use it as a resource. Search how dance ballet, hip hop, jazz, or whatever you are feeling that day and learn the dance together. You can also help your kids learn the lyrics to a new song or how to play the song on an instrument they may have. We have an electric pad drum set, electric pad piano, 2 harmonicas, and a kid’s guitar, when they start a band, it may not sound great, but their laughter sounds beautiful. Don’t have any instruments at your house? Why not make some from recycled materials. Old container is now a drum, empty shampoo bottle and a little rice make a maraca, or anything else you can think of.

    Let your kids put on a show

    We have a karaoke machine that we use for singing and for putting on shows. My kids take turns picking songs that they perform for me and my husband. It’s always interesting to see what they come up with; here lately they have been passing out pretend money and gold when they perform. They really know how to work the crowd. You could make a real production out of this if you wanted. Have your kids pick some songs, play instruments, act out plays, etc.… and invite your friends and family to their show. We plan on doing this during our summer break.

    Check out your Community

    Around where we live our public library has musical events throughout the summer, we will most definitely be attending these. You can also check for any concerts or musicals that are happening in your area that you could attend. You could also check around to see if any of your local parks nave musical instruments.

    Music Mondays may not stick around the whole summer break but it’s what we are starting out with, and I know my kids are going to love it! I think I will be adding more theme days into our schedule this summer. Check back for updates to see what other things we plan for this summer break.

    Links above are affiliate links.

    School Day Morning Routine

    I know summer break is a few days away, but I wanted to share what our school day morning routine looks like before school is out. This is the timing and products that work best for my family. Let me know some of the things that makes your morning run smoothly.

    6:30 – We get up and start our day. We have our kids pick out their clothes the night before so that they don’t have to decide in the morning. My 6-year-old dresses himself and I help my 4-year-old with the stuff she needs assistance with.

    6:40 – I start the coffee and get my kids some breakfast. I also turn the tv on for my kids so that they can watch TV while they eat and me and my husband get ready. They have been really into Magic School Bus Rides Again on Netflix lately so unless they ask for something else, I put that on. My kids got these desks a few years ago and they eat breakfast at these; it helps keep the mess off the couch.

    6:50 – I make my son’s lunch and snack that he takes every day. My 4-year-old is in Preschool, and they don’t take a lunch or snack. If I’m packing my son a hot lunch I love to use these Omie lunchboxes. They have a thermos to help keep whatever I am packing nice and hot.

    For his snack I use these 4 compartment snack boxes. He loves that I can pack several different things in one container.

    He also takes a water bottle every day. We love the simple modern brand; we have several of their water cups and bottles.

    7:05 – I get myself ready and gather up anything I need for the day. I typically shower at night so that it doesn’t take me very long to get ready. I am usually just fixing my hair, putting makeup on (if i feel like it), and getting dressed.

    7:15 – I fix my daughters hair and have the kids brush their teeth. We love the Hum toothbrush by Colgate. It’s great because my kids can brush their teeth on their own using mine or my husbands phone and it will tell us which teeth we need to help them with.

    7:25 – I have my kids put their socks and shoes on and gather up their backpacks and anything else they need for the day. For this year we used these simple modern backpacks. My kids loved them. It was a great fit for kindergarten and preschool. We will probably upgrade to a little bit of a bigger bag for my son for 1st grade next year.

    7:30 – Head to school for drop off.

    Mornings can be hectic and obviously this isn’t every morning. We try and keep it as close to this as possible even with the crazy things that come up in the mornings. What does your morning routine look like?

    Links in this post are affiliate links.

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