Sidewalk Chalk Paint that costs $1

I originally wrote this post last summer, but now that summer has seemed to find Montana, my kids and I decided to try this again. If you are interested in the original post, you can find it here.

We live in Northwest Montana where the pleasant summer weather is limited to just a few months, so when a good day comes along we try to find activities that we can enjoy outside as much as possible. One day I saw a picture my friend posted of her daughter painting outside and I asked her what she was using, to which she replied “sidewalk chalk paint.” I’ve seen many recipes for sidewalk chalk paint on Pinterest, but they’ve all required artificial dye, an ingredient that I no longer keep in my house. With this in mind I was apprehensive about asking how she made it, but I asked anyway. I was pleasantly surprised when she told me that all she used was chalk dust and water! I already had a ton of chalk on hand, and I can always find more at the dollar stores when I run out, so I gathered my supplies and got started

C is for Construction Site Sensory Bin

While I was planning our study of the letter C, for school, I started to think about what I could do for sensory bin. I came up with with Construction site bin. Now, I am sure if you search pinterest for sensory bins you can find some for construction sites but this is the one I came up with that cost me nothing. I already had everything I needed here in my house!

Kid approved home made Apple Sauce.

One of my favorite memories from my childhood is standing on a chair at the counter in my grandmas kitchen watching the apples bubble on the stove. I remember the sweet smell that would fill the house. There is something comforting about that smell. So, when we got a bunch of apples at the farmers market last weekend I decided that I wanted to introduce my kids to that smell. I wanted them to have the experience of making apple sauce and knowing what it is supposed to taste like, not the store-bought taste.

How to Enjoy a Rodeo with a noise sensitive kid.

What is the first thing you think of when you hear Montana? Is it the mountains? Big sky? Glacier National Park? Cowboys? Well, whatever it is I am sure I have thought it. Then I moved here. I can tell you, Montana are all of those things. I will say that we do have a lot of cowboys. With cowboys comes rodeos. Now, before I moved here I never really understood what the big deal was about rodeos. Then I went to one my first summer here. I loved it and have gone to one every summer since. It has become a tradition for our family. The trick is attending them with a kid that doesn’t like loud noises. This summer we tried a few different things and think we have finally figured out how to enjoy the rodeo as a family!

Banana Popsicles: So easy a 5 yr old can do it!

When I was growing up, my sister and I would spend at least a week every summer at my grandparents house in Missouri. It was so much fun for us. Spending time with my grandparents, helping in the garden and just playing on their farm land. One of my memories is that we didn’t get ‘normal’ Popsicles. We got frozen bananas on Popsicle sticks. We called them Banana pops. If we were really lucky she would dip them in chocolate. They were the perfect treat on hot summer afternoons. So, I am passing that tradition on to my kids. Today, the firefighter had the chance to do the entire process on his own.