Summer is here and that means it’s time to head out with the family on a few adventures. Whether you are driving thirty minutes to the beach or six hours for a family reunion you will probably be spending some time in the car. All that time cramped together in a tight space, breathing the same air, and no escape other than rest stops can put strains on even the greatest of family relationships. 

Both my husband and I moved away from our families to attend college and we never moved back. This means that the closest family we have is over three hours away. We have been taking road trips since before kids and have kept them up with each addition. The frequency has lessened a bit now that the older kids are in school, but we still make 3 to 6 hour one way drives at least three times each year. 

Are you taking part in Amazon Prime Day? Amazon is discounting thousands upon thousands of goods and services so you can cash in on some pretty amazing deals. Some deals are only so-so, but others you might not want to miss. I’ll be keeping this page updated with all my favorite deals that are currently available so don’t forget to check back often!

Happy shopping!

Ready to start traveling more? Learn how to make travel more affordable, the cheapest places to visit on five continents, and how to decide where to go on your next adventure with the free Travel More, Travel Cheaper mini-eCourse.

I’m excited to welcome my friend Kenzie to the blog today to share a collection of meals to bring new moms. In fact, I’ve teamed up with a few of my friends to bring you a blog tour. You can find my recipe for Easy Instant Pot Potato Salad over at The Cavemom so be sure to visit and say hi. But without further ado, here’s Kenzie with her 10 Easy (& Healthy) Meals For New Moms.

Before having my first baby, I thought that making meals for new moms was just a nice thing to do. Once she was born and the absolute ravenousness overtook me – I fully understood how much of a lifeline these easy meals truly are.

If you are searching for this to make easy meals for your new mom friend, bless you. You deserve a pat on the back! She will be forever grateful for your service. 

So, let’s jump right into the recipes!

I see the quote floating around all over the place right now about how we only have 18 summers with each of our kids. The days go so slowly sometimes (like when they won’t stop bickering) but man, do those years fly by. We only have nine left with our oldest and there is a good chance those last few will be shared with friends and summer jobs so we need to put the effort in now!

We aim to have a laid back summer in terms of daily life. We don’t sign up for activities other than Vacation Bible School (if our church offers it) and we only go on a few road trips. This means we are at home ALL THE TIME. Summer is our chance to be together without the interruptions that happen during the school year. No drop offs, no pick ups, no lunch packing or before or after school activities. Just together.

Hand me down clothing is an incredible blessing. I grew up getting hand me downs from cousins and family friends and it was like a treasure hunt every time my mom walked in with a new bag. I loved finding new to me items and stocking my closet for another season.

As a mom of five, I totally get why my mom hunted down hand me downs for us. Clothing can be incredibly expensive! Yes, there are awesome deals out there and yes, we make use of the thrift store, but even using my bargain hunting skills it can still cost a pretty penny to keep the kids in decent clothing. I’m not even talking name brands and the most up to date fashions – I’m just talking about clothing without stains or holes!

We’ve been incredibly blessed by friends and family members that have offered us clothing over the years. It’s one of the many ways we’ve seen God provide for our needs, especially during our leanest years. But occasionally we get overloaded and the clothing we are given simply takes over.

Because meal planning is a huge focus in our home the kids learn about it from an early age. My four-year-old boys ask quite often what is for breakfast/lunch/dinner and sometimes it’s for days in advance. They want to know when their favorites are coming! 

I want my kids to understand the reasons we meal plan as well as the way to do it. Meal planning wasn’t something I did until two years into marriage because I wasn’t taught it at a young age. I either bought what sounded good or tried to make a meal out of whatever was left in the cupboards and fridge until the next trip to the store. I’ve since learned all the great benefits of meal planning and I’m adamant about teaching it to the next generation.

So far my kids seem to understand the why behind meal planning quite well, but now we are working on the actual “how-to” side of meal planning.

Reading the interviews the kids fill out each year for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day is honestly one of my favorite parts of the day. It’s a fun look at life from their point of view and watching their ideas change (or stay the same) each year is also great.

I have learned over the years that different kids react to these interviews differently. Some of our kids have fun with these and can shout out the first answer that comes to their mind. Others want to get every question correct, not just put their opinion. It’s a little behind the scenes look at their personalities.

Can I be perfectly honest? I’m not a big fan of playing games with little kids. Eek! Total bad mom moment? 

But seriously, trying to keep them from ripping all the pieces off the board or throwing the cards across the room is a serious test in patience and self control. I didn’t play games too often with the little ones. 

But once they hit about 4 or 5 and can handle longer sets of directions plus sitting for the duration of the game then – GAME ON! Ha! Get it? I’m hilarious and you know it 😉 

We started letting our older boys stay up a bit later at night during the summer and we occasionally extend that to Friday and Saturday nights during the school year. They are also allowed to be out with us during the little kids’ naps. All this extra time with them means we have gotten the chance to play some great games – some classics and some a little more off the beaten path. 

How on earth do ovens get so dirty? I get that sometimes we spill or a dish might bubble over, but the door? Why does the door need to collect anything and everything that goes inside the oven?

I have tried SO MANY CLEANERS over the years trying to get my oven to look even remotely clean. I tried using the self cleaning option using the recommended method for our exact model. I tried the baking soda and vinegar method. I tried heavier duty cleaners that left me with a headache and a stinky house. No thanks!

I knew there had to be a better way out there so I did the hard work for you to make sure that this is the method that will work with astonishing results and none of the chemical headaches from harsher cleaners.