07/16

How To Plan A Family Staycation

Planning a vacation doesn’t always have to mean spending tons of money or traveling far away. Sometimes the most relaxing weekends are the ones spent at home.

Plan a weekend where the only thing on the agenda is…well, whatever you want on the agenda. That’s the best part! Visit your local attractions, plan a fun day of activities in the backyard, or even sleep in and stay in your PJ’s.

Here’s how Brooks and Scarlett spent their recent backyard staycation:

1. Visit Your Local Farmer’s Market: As a family, we love going to the farmer’s market for fresh produce—especially during the summertime. For a fun activity, have your kids pick up their favorite ingredients and help cook a dinner at home. These outings are also a great time to learn about new fruits and veggies and why they are so good for growing bodies!

2. Set Up A Backyard Waterpark: For an inexpensive fun day in the sun, set up some sprinklers, baby pools, water buckets, bubbles, and hoses for a DIY waterpark. To avoid wasting water, try to reuse water if at all possible and keep the playtime to an appropriate amount.

3. Create A DIY Art Station: As you know, we love crafts at our house. Set up blankets and art supplies in the backyard and let the kids get creative! The best part about an outdoor DIY station is that it leaves more room for messy paint. Let the kids go wild! They can wash off later—that’s what summer is for.

4. Make Your Own Healthy Popsicles: We make our own popsicles every summer and it’s now a tradition.When you make them at home, you can customize the flavors in fun ways and use fresh, healthy ingredients. Here’s one of our favorite recipes to try out:

Cherry Pomegranate Popsicles:

• 1 cup pitted and chopped fresh cherries
• 2 cups Pomegranate juice

Quick Tip: Freeze your popsicles in layers in order to get the fresh cherries pieces throughout. Fill popsicle molds about 1/3 of the way full and freeze for 30 minutes before pouring the next layer.  Repeat until filled.

5. Camping Under The Stars: On a warm summer night, read your bedtime stories under the stars before settling the kids down for bed. If you’re really adventurous—pitch a tent for the night!

Do you plan family staycations? I’d love to hear your ideas. Comment below!