Tuesday was our first official day of summer. All three of my kids are finished with the school year and are home with me for the next 10 weeks! I try my best to balance activities, family time, play dates and even allow for quite a bit of unscheduled, unstructured free time.
Did you hear that people, FREE TIME!?!?!
Wouldn’t you love to just have a bit more of that in your life?
I would!
My kids, not so much…
It seems that it’s during their free time that sibling squabbles, major mess making, or the “I’m bored” complaints occur.
When the first day of summer began with lots of coloring (on themselves)
and LOTS of mess making,
{This is what my children will be using to wipe with for the next month}
I knew it was time to pull out a couple of my summer tools….
The first is the “I’m Bored Jar.” After scouring the Internet and racking my brain, I managed to come up with over 50 activities that do not require my time or attention. Yes, everything in this jar can be completed INDEPENDENTLY! Here is the catch, each child can pick from the jar only once per day. They MUST DO whatever it is that they pull out of the jar. If I hear, “I’m bored”, after they have already done their I’m bored activity, it’s an automatic chore.
Hey, I’m always in need of some extra help around here and I would hate for my sweet kiddos to have NOTHING to do.
My second summer tool is Dessert! Yes, a little something sweet keeps me and the kids happy :) I bake with my kids and I bake often during the summer months. There is always a barbecue or a potluck that NEEDS a good dessert at the table. These Gooey Oreo Cake Bars are the perfect treat to bring because they are soooo EASY and take no time at all. You should definitely put them on your “Must Make” list for this summer!
Gooey Oreo Cake Bars
1 box Devils Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
16 Oreo Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with foil and grease with butter.
Place cake mix, butter and egg into a large bowl, and mix until well combined.
Press cake mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.
Top with Oreo cookie pieces.
Pour sweetened condensed milk over cookies.
Sprinkle milk chocolate chips over the top.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Allow to cool for about 10 minutes then run a knife along the edges to loosen from the foil.
Once cooled completely, remove foil from pan and cut into squares.
Enjoy!
And there you have it, two of my best Summer Survival tips, just in time to kick off your summer :)
source: I’m Bored Jar inspired by Shabby Beach Nest
Oreo Cake Bars adapted from Picky Palate
Not hoping they get bored, but if they do I hope they choose the “call a grandparent” and I would be the lucky one :)!
I love talking to my grandbabes!
The Oreo Cake Bars sound yummy!