Ever heard of it?  I hadn’t until last December/January.  I don’t recall exactly when, but I can tell you that I read about it in a “What I’ve Learned About Blogging” post on I Heart Naptime.  She gave ten tips and this was numero uno.  Good call, Jamielyn, good call.  My favorite feature?  It has basic photo editing features built right in.  Watermarking, cropping, rotating all with the single click of a button.  Check out all the options:

I also LOVE that it saves a local copy of all your posts.  Remember when Blogger freaked out a couple weeks ago and was down.  That was annoying… even more annoying… I lost a few posts, supposedly temporarily… but I still haven’t seen them.  With Windows Live Writer, it was super easy to just republish my posts. 

There are some pretty cool, awesome add-ons as well.  Auto tag…  check.  Facebook photos… check.  Bookmarking tags… check.  Facebook Like button… check.

It’s really easy to set tags and publish dates.  AND every font on my computer is an option.  Not just the six that Blogger has available.  Woot, WOOT! 

Ok, that’s a basic run down on Windows Live Writer… too bad I’m not being paid for this post… Yeah, all opinions are my own.  Just wanted to share a cool program with you.  Now… download it! 

Krista

Welcome to the Summer Daze Giveaways, hosted by While He Was Napping!  It’ll be a fantastic week of amazing giveaways!  What better way to get all ready for summer than with a chance at some really cool, free stuff?!  Each day, from June 6-11, three new giveaways will open.  Giveaways will be open for four days, so make sure you get your entries in before they close.  You will need to visit the host blog to enter.  Entry requirements vary per host. 

Let’s get this party started!  Today’s giveaways are courtesy of:

Mindie @ Bacon Time With the Hungry, Hungry Hypo.  She has a wonderful fabric rosette bracelet and matching summer scarf up for grabs!  The bracelet has an adjustable stainless steel band with “follow your dreams” engraved on both sides.  A single pearl adorns the bracelet for a light, yet sophisticated feel.

And Delina @ Dew This has a super cool, year round countdown calendar kit. Choose your preferred holiday (Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving or Easter), spend a little quality time with your crafty self and get your countdown on.

These giveaways will close on Friday, June 10, so head over to these blogs and get your entries in for both of these fantastic prizes.  And come back for tomorrow’s giveaways!

Summer is amazing.  I’ve touted my love affair with Summer more than once here.  The sunshine, the flip flop, swimsuits, fresh fruit, lemonade, beach trips, BBQ’s, camping, s’mores… I could go on and on, but I won’t.  Summer is awesome.  Unless you have bored kids that let you know just how bored they really are… every three minutes seconds.

Here is a list of things to do with your kids this summer:
Out & About:
1.  Go to the park.  This is a great morning or evening activity.  Be careful with how much sun exposure your little ones are getting.

2.  Go to the zoo.
3.  Go to the lake or beach, if you live near one.
4.  Go to the public library.  Join story time.
5.  Go camping.  Or just set the tent up in the back yard.
6.  Take a nature walk around your neighborhood.  Take an empty egg carton or a zippy bag to collect treasures in. 
7.  Go walk around the mall.  Make a treasure hunt list for some more fun.
8.  Take a day trip.  Check out the area surrounding your town or city.  Delicious Ambiguity has some great printables for kids to take in the car.
9.  Go get an ice cream cone or sno-cone.  McDonald’s has sundaes on their Dollar Menu.
10.  Check out the museums in your area.  Especially if there are children’s museums around.  They may be expensive, so reserve this as a treat for your kids.  There are also many museums that have very reasonable entry fees.
11.  Go fly a kite.  Make your own or go buy one.  Check thrift stores or the Dollar Store for some cheap ones.

12.  Go feed the ducks or the birds at the park.  Make sure it’s ok to do so first.
13.  Go have a picnic.  Location possibilities are almost endless.
14.  Go to a yard sale.  Give your kids a dollar or two and see what they pick out.  Help them learn the value of a dollar.
15.  Find somewhere to have a bonfire.  Take s’more fixings along.
16.  Volunteer somewhere.  A good way to spend time together and teach your kids about helping others.
17.  Check out any local cheap movie theaters.  Some theaters will specifically show a kid’s movie during the day. 
18.  Go on a treasure hunt in your neighborhood.  Take the Neighborhood Treasure Hunt Bingo Sheet.

19.  Find a pet store that has animals in the store, even if they are just fish and creepy-crawlers.  Your kids will love watching them.
20.  Play I Spy at the mall, the park, the store, on a walk around the neighborhood, where ever.  Go with the intention of playing I Spy, don’t just use it as a diversion technique while you finish your shopping.  Kids will catch on to that fast and then they get annoyed.  Make it fun. 

Around the House:
21.  Have a movie day.  Let the kids pick out a movie.  Pop some popcorn, let them pick a treat from the “snack drawer” and pull out pillows and blankets to sit on.  Pull the shades and turn off the lights. 
22.  Drive-In Movie.  Similar to #21.  Obtain cardboard boxes big enough for your children to sit in.  Cut the top of the box off and shape it like a car.  You can make leg slits in the bottom for your kids to stand in and carry the car around.  Let your kids decorate their car.  After the cars are decorated and dried, watch a movie at the “drive in” in their cars.
23.  Have a tea party or play restaurant (depending on the preference of your children), complete with real snacks.
24.  Play with dominoes.  See how long you can make a chain before it gets knocked over.  For younger children, less is more.  Use 5-10 dominoes and repeat.  Over and over.  And over.
25.  Have a family game night (or day).  Pull out Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Uno or any of your kids other favorite games.
26.  Let the kids play in a bubble bath.  Remember, it’s not hard to drown, even in shallow water.  Keep an eye out.
27.  Build a sand box in the back yard.  Have your kids help plan and put it in, that way they will be grateful for the work that went into it.  You can hope anyway.  For a cheaper, temporary sand box, fill a small kiddie pool with sand and let your kids go to town.  Or check out how to make your own fossil pit.
28.  Give your kids a roll of masking tape and let them map out roads all around the house.  Let them play with their cars and trucks.  Or make cars out of cardboard boxes and let them drive around the house.

Let’s Make It Fun:
34.  Make goop, this recipe glows in the dark.
35.  Make glow in the dark slime, similar to the goop.  Spread it out, summer is really long with kiddos 24/7.
36.  Make cards for Grandma and Grandpa.
37.  Make some musical instruments.  Make maracas from cups.  Guitars from tissue boxes. 
38.  Make rain sticks.  Create a ‘rainstorm’ in your living room.
39.  Make some painted placemats.

40.  Make S’mores.  Do it the old fashioned way or check out this mess-free microwave s’mores in a baggie technique.
41.  Make Soap on a Rope.
42.  Make candy with your kiddos.
43.  Make up a board game with your kids.
44.  Make your own crayons.  Use fun shaped molds for extra cool crayons.
45.  Have little girls?  Let them help you make some really cool play make-up.
46.  Make bathtub puffy paints.
47.  Make a Boredom Buster Jar.  Take an empty can with a lid (formula or coffee type).  Have your kids help you brainstorm ideas for activities to do when they are bored.  Type or write them up.  Cut them apart, fold and place in the can.  The next time you hear “Mommy, I’m bored!” reach for your can and choose an activity.

48.  Create a Bored No More Box.  Let your kids help you fill it.  The next time you hear those dreaded words, get the boxes out and have fun!
49.  Make marshmallow guns.  Have a shoot out, paint ball style.  Last man standing wins.  I highly suggest doing this outside.  If marshmallows get stepped on, they are a pain to get off the hardwood floor.  The birds will help clean up any messes outside.
50.  Make rock candy.  This may be a lesson in patience for your kiddos, it takes 5-7 days to complete the project.
51.  Make portable sandboxes.  Cheap and easy to maintain.
52.  Play with pipe cleaners.  Who can make the most creative thing?
53.  Check out these Kid crafts divided by age group.
54.  Make home made play dough.  This recipe uses peanut butter and marshmallows.

55.  Let your kids pick out a new recipe.  Try it out together.  Let them dump the flour in or stir.  Get them involved.

Good Luck!

Krista

What are your tried and true boredom busters?

Welcome to the party!  Last week we had some great links.  A few faves included:

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Link up all your awesome goodness.  Keep it family friendly and no commercial sites, please.  Annnndd GO!