Our Little Guy is 10 Months Today!

Where does the time go?  Hard to believe the little guy is 10 months old already!  Stay tuned for some great ideas of what you can do with a 9-12 month old.  It is always the "non-toy" items they love the best!  Enjoy the day!

Got junk? Create an Invention Box for the Kids!

It is a beautiful Saturday morning to get out our Invention Box.  Ava LOVES this box!  The next time you think about throwing something away, decide if that junk would be a good addition for your Invention Box.  Just make sure all the containers are cleaned and washed out! 
It could be anything…here are just a few things that are in our box:  spray pump from an empty bottle, paper towel tube, rubber bands, sponges, empty coffee can, endless covers from containers, old stickers,  small cardboard boxes, anything that is shiny and sparkly, old wires, etc.  You can also go around your house and see if there are any extra things you might want to add like Q-tips, straws, cotton balls, etc.   
The only extras that I provide are a pair of scissors, glue bottle and a few drops of paint that she can jazz her project up with! Take a look at the pictures to give you a little idea.  When I pulled the box out today, Ava decided that she was going to make a giraffe.  It then turned into being an elephant. Love how the mind of a 3 year old works!   A few hours later you can see what her version of an elephant looks like!  Enjoy! 

Summer Must-Take Photo Checklist

I love photography and can spend endless hours looking at tips, techniques and ideas!  The summer flies by way too fast and wanted to capture every moment of summer.  Here are a few ideas of photos to capture throughout the summer with your family:

à        Playing in the sand at the beach

à        Doing a summer craft

à        Swinging

à        Eating sweet corn and watermelon

à        Watering the garden

à        Picking fresh food from the garden

à        Picking strawberries

à        Drinking lemonade or selling it at your lemonade stand

à        Flying a kite

à        Roasting a marshmallow

à        Water balloon fight

à        A summer picnic

If you would like a copy of the list, click here to like me on FACEBOOK and then I can provide you with the checklist.  You can find the full list of ideas here in my Must-Take Summer Photo Checklist. Download it and put it in your camera bag!  Now get out there and soak up this beautiful day!  What are some of your favorite moments to capture throughout the summer?

If you like what you see, check out my FACEBOOK page and hit like to be notified about new ideas.

Summer Bucket List

The summer seems to fly by and all the best laid out plans sometimes get forgotten.  At the beginning of the summer, I created a Summer Bucket List to keep us focused on all the fun things we wanted to accomplish over the summer.  Summer isn't over yet and still getting things checked off the list! There are a lot of great ideas out there on how to make a bucket list, but I simply made it on a sheet of paper. I kept it hanging in a place that we could see it all the time.  You can also cut out each idea and put it in a jar.  When you need a last minute idea of something to do, draw one from the jar.  Feel free to download the Summer Bucket List and add items for your bucket list next summer.  Keep your eyes open for my Fall Bucket List!  Enjoy!  What was on your bucket list?

Welcome!

Thank you for stopping by!  My name is Emily, founder and editor of Simple Side of Life.  I am also a mom to Ava & Owen and wife to Michael.  I love to discover, create, celebrate, explore and share all the things that help keep life simple so you can soak up every moment!  I live in Minnesota where the summers are hot and winters are incredible.  I hope you stick around to find useful tools and fun ways to be creative, live your fullest and celebrate each and every day! 

Hang in there as I get all of the tweaks out of this blog!