Summer To-Do List

On Pinterest and Insta, Iโ€™ve seen a lot of posts on summer to-do lists. You know, make s’mores, go to the beach, have a barbecue, etc. This is a far cry from my typical summer growing up, which was mostly sitting around while my parents worked or just being parked in front of the tv and out of the way. While summer was great because you didnโ€™t have to go to school, it also meant being lonely and bored most of the time.

In June and July for a working parent, you have to figure out some sort of childcare. For a SAHP, you have to be cruise director all day for two solid months. Not to mention, fending off Summer Slide. I can see why parents really hate extended summer break because the school year has so much more workable structure.

Just like holidays, it really is up to us parents to make summer fun. So with that in mind, here are Maryโ€™s and my summer to-do lists.

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Prepping for Healthy Gaming

In my Healthy Gamer book review, I shared a bit about my brotherโ€™s and my relationship with video games growing up. Iโ€™ve also shared about my husband Troy being a serious gamer well into his adulthood. And now that we have two kids who are ready for beginner video games, weโ€™ve had to create a workable plan for having them in our home.

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The OT in Video Gaming

Iโ€™m just going to come out and say it: Gaming has gotten a bad rap.

Despite its associations with a sedentary lifestyle or as a catalyst for violence and aggression, new research has found that thereโ€™s much more to gaming and these negative connotations have no real proof.

Thatโ€™s a good thing as gaming has evolved with our lifestyle and in its own medium. It is literally at our fingertips whenever weโ€™re bored or want a quick escape from our daily life. And even if we donโ€™t engage in video games, our kids definitely know about them; from YouTube videos and Twitch to classmates talking about it in school. In other words, gaming culture is here to stay and weโ€™re here for it.

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Our Balloon Museum Playdate Review

Balloons go hand-in-hand with celebrations. Kids are all over them. So, it felt like a no-brainer to do our next playdate at the Balloon Museum. The Balloon Museum opened Letโ€™s Fly in Atlanta this spring and runs through June 9th. They have more locations in the US and internationally.

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Perfection

As we wrap up our #OTMonth board game series, we must discuss one that induces so much stress and anxiety but is still a classic after all these years. Itโ€™s the ultimate challenge of fine motor dexterity and mental agility, all while staying focused under pressure.

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