I sure hope so!

Over the next few days I will be sharing some fun and simple gift ideas for the dads in our lives.

This next one is a gift meant to give to the hubbies from the wives on Father’s Day. Don’t know about you but I always want to get my hubby a little something from ME to tell him how grateful I am for him! This next gift is perfect for that because it’s cute and simple and says exactly that!

Remember my Valentine’s Hooked on You Pails?

They were the inspiration for this gift. I’m actually planning on making another print and gift idea similar to this for V-Day next year, but also thought it would be perfect for Father’s Day!

It really is so easy to do!!

SUPPLIES:

- Pail {available at Joann’s, Hobby Lobby and Michaels) or Candy Container

- Hot Glue

- Swedish Fish

- What a Catch Printable

- Items to Embellish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Gather your supplies together. Then, you will fill your container with the Swedish Fish.

2. Save your image by clicking on it and then right-clicking and saving. You can then re-size the image to whatever size you need to add it to your container. You could even just make it the size you want, print and cut it out and add it as a tag to a bag of swedish fish, which is even easier. Totally up to you!

3. I decided to embellish the top with washi tape. Didn’t want to get too cutesy on it cuz I knew the hubby probably wouldn’t even notice or care – LOL!

Voila. Super Easy. Super Cute. And Super Inexpensive.

What’s not to love?

ENJOY!

This Post is Sponsored by:

Did your guys’ week fly by!?

Mine sure did I!! I wish it was a three-day weekend every weekend!! Who’s with me?

Well, today I am SOOO excited to have such a great giveaway!!

I’m sure most of you are familiar with Amy Anderson from Mod Podge Rocks. Let me tell ya – I LOVE the girl!! She is so stinkin’ fun, and I was so glad to meet her in person last month at SNAP.

Can’t you just tell from this picture how awesome she is?

Amy recently came out with her first book, Mod Podge Rocks! Decoupage Your World, which features over 40 simple, inexpensive decoupage projects from Amy. I have loved going through and checking out all the fun tutorials. There are so many great ideas!!

So, guess what?? Amy is letting me give away this book as well as several other awesome products!

WOO HOO!

Here is what is up for grabs:

THE PRIZE:

• Mod Podge Starter Kit
• Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
• Mod Podge T-Shirt
• Mod Podge Original
• NEW Mod Podge Podgeable Shapes
• Mod Podge Rocks! Decoupage Your World Book

TO ENTER:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Now, it’s time to get your link on!

LAST WEEK’S MOST VIEWED LINK WAS:

Big Boy Room Reveal from Cheap Crafty Mama

OTHER TOP HITS AND FAVS:

Father’s Day Print from Sweet Rose Studio - Patriotic Mantel from Detail Oriented Diva - Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad from Chef in Training

Kitchen Reveal from Decorate with a Little Bit – DIY Crate from Lolly Jane - Placemat Pillows from A Pumpkin and a Princess

Please Remove Your Shoes Sign from Burton Avenue - Easy Gluten Free Ice Cream Cake from Design, Dining + Diapers – Captain America Cupcakes from DJ’s Sugar Shack 

Girly Bling Themed Party from Vixen Made - Sunflower Cookies from Lizy B – Cute Crayons from Crafting & Creativity

Thank you to all of those that linked up!

You guys rock!

Be sure to grab a featured button for those that were featured.

On to a bigger and better party…

LINK PARTY RULES:

1. Link to the specific post for something YOU have created – craft, recipe, idea (and not to your main blog page).

2. No ads for shops, giveaways, etc. please  

3. Be sure to spread the love and visit other posts and leave them a comment! 

4. Grab the Linkin’ with Lil’ Luna Button to add to your blog:

<a href="http://lilluna.com" title="Lil\'Luna"><img src="http://lilluna.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/lilluna_linking_up.jpg" alt="Lil\'Luna" title="Lil\'Luna" style="border:none;" /></a>

I sure hope so!!

There’s nothing better to me than having the Monday off to spend time with family and celebrate those who have sacrificed their lives for our country and freedom!

To celebrate I decided to make a Patriotic Poke Cake {a red, white and blue version of one of my favorite desserts – Gelatin Poke Cake}. It’s perfect for Memorial Day but would also be a great Fourth of July Cake. It was  pretty simple to do, and I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out exactly how I had imagined {that doesn’t happen too often!!} LOL!

 {The baked cake in the round pans, pierced with a fork. Jell-O is poured over the top.}

RED, WHITE & BLUE

Add a sparkler on top and you have the perfect Fourth of July Dessert!

And what’s so great about this dessert is it’s so light and cool and perfect for a summer setting.

ENJOY!

{UPDATE: SO… here I was thinking this was such an original idea, and then after I finished writing up this post I decided to google “Patriotic Poke Cake.” Guess what I found?!? Tons of cakes that looks just like man – bahahaha!! I guess I get an F on Originality, although I had never seen the idea before. Oh well!! It still was super yummy and easy to make – my FAVORITE kinds of desserts!}

Since the fateful day I turned 30 it has been all downhill.  

Ok, ok it hasn’t been all downhill since then, but for some reason this year my body decided that it is gluten intolerant and lactose intolerant. 

What the??  Such a mean trick!

How in the world do you go your whole life without any intolerance at all and then BAM, some switch is flipped and I am intolerant to a few things.  I am still trying to figure it out.

It has been a little of a bummer, but I have decided to embrace it and be grateful for it.  There are a
lot of positive health benefits I have experienced AND I have lost 5lbs!  Woooooo Hooooooo!!!

So how do you live without gluten and lactose?  I will share with you some great Gluten Free Meal Ideas that actually taste good!

Breakfast

————————————————————————-

Be sure to go to Made Famous By for more fun ideas from Heather, and

for more information about her please go HERE.

ENJOY!

You know what that means.

Lazy days and fun-filled activities await.

To try and make things easier I thought I would come up with 30+ Summer Fun Ideas for you and your kiddos. Most of these are super simple and require very little materials. Hopefully this will help you entertain over the next few months.

Glow Cones from Giver’s Log

Paper Poppy Wall Art from Tonya Staab

Make Watermelon Pie from Make and Takes

Make Homemade Hot-Air Balloons from bloesem kids

Paper Towel Butterflies from Make It and Love It

Paint Bag Writing from Let’s Explore

Pop Bottle Sprinkler from WonderTime

Sidewalk Chalk Paint from Mom’s Crafty Space

From Family Fun:

Make Plant Pals

Make Tiny Bubbles

Make Easy Wall Pop Art

Make Discovery Bottles

Make Drawing Dough

From Martha

Make Sun-Print Cards

Make Fun Paper Animal Plates and then have a picnic

Make Paper Bag Animal Puppets and put on a show for the rest of the family

Make a Bottle Bank and give your kids some opportunities to earn and save money

Paint with Sweetened Condensed Milk from ECE Made Easy

Make Colored Pasta Beads and Make Jewelry from My Name is Snickerdoodle

Have a Kids Car Wash from Domestic Charm

Here are some kids craft ideas found here on Lil’ Luna:

Make a Lemonade Stand and sell lemonade to donate to a charity.

Make Tie Dye Kids Aprons and bake bread

Have a Dinosaur Day and make Dinosaur Ice Fossils

Make some DIY Lava Lamps

Make Homemade Gak

Make Crown and Jewels for the girls

Play Candy Land and Make Candy Jewelry

Make Cookies and Deliver them to neighbors

Other Ideas:

Build a Fort, Pop Popcorn and watch a movie

Play Salon by doing hair and painting toe nails

Add water and bubbles to the trampoline and do Slip ‘n Slide

Do you have more ideas?? If so, leave a comment below and I will add it to the list!!

Here’s to one fun-filled summer!

ENJOY!

]]><br /> <b>Warning</b>: call_user_func_array() [<a href='function.call-user-func-array'>function.call-user-func-array</a>]: First argument is expected to be a valid callback, 'trim_excerpt' was given in <b>/home/content/78/8636778/html/wp-includes/plugin.php</b> on line <b>170</b><br />http://lilluna.com/30-summer-activities-for-kids/feed/3http://lilluna.com/homemade-gak-recipe/Kids CraftsPopularRecipesTutorialsGAKgoohomemade gakLil' LunaFri, 25 May 2012 05:00:22 PDThttp://lilluna.com/?p=21108With it being Summer here in AZ, things are getting pretty HOT, and the kids aren’t as excited to play outside, so I thought it would be fun to make Homemade Gak (It’s something I made all the time with my cousin growing up!)

The recipe that was most similar to the one I used growing up is one I found HERE. It is so EASY and literally takes 2 minutes to make, but has provided HOURS (and I’m not even joking!), HOURS of entertainment!! Every day, for a week now, the kids have played with this gak for at least an hour each day. I’ve pulled out plastic cookie cutters and they go to town, and guess what?! I LOVE it!! It’s hardly any mess!!

Here is how you can make Homemade GAK as well!

SUPPLIES:

- TWO 4 oz. bottles of Elmer’s Glue

- 1 tsp. Borax (found in the laundry detergent section of the store)

- Water

- Plastic Cup

- Bowl

- Food Coloring

DIRECTIONS:

1. Gather all your supplies together.

2. Begin by emptying the two bottles of glue into a bowl. Then fill bottles with warm water and shake. Empty into your bowl.

3. Add some food coloring. I got Betty Crocker Neon Gel Food Colors and they worked FAB!! The Neon made it look awesome, but I ended up squeezing almost half the tube into the mixture because I wanted it to be really bright. Set aside.

4. Add 1/2 cup warm water to your cup. Add 1 tsp. borax to the water and mix until borax dissolves. Then pour this into your glue bowl. Start stirring and you will notice how it starts becoming stringy. Keep mixing by using your hands and squishing around. You will notice after a few minutes that it has become pretty gelatinous.

5. Let the kids play with it for a bit and it will become the perfect GOOEY consistency!

So fun and so easy!! We have also made purple since and have pink gak in the line-up!

This is seriously the best homemade craft/project I’ve done with the kids in a long time. It doesn’t smell and get all over like other gooey substances and it’s so fun to play with! PLUS, it is super cheap to make! Gotta love cheap entertainment!

ENJOY!

I HATE stains!!! And with 3 kiddos under four, I feel like I’m dealing with them EVERY DAY.

Are you with me?!

More than stains, I do not like having to throw away clothes because I have washed and re-washed and re-washed them only to have the stains still there.

With that in mind, I was so happy to have been contacted by Shout® to try out their new Shout® Trigger!

I was sent a bottle of Shout® Trigger to try out and was able to use it that day.

You see, we made some Homemade Gak and little Miss Lily didn’t realize she had gotten some on her favorite Pajama Shirt until after the gak had been setting on it for an hour. She was a little devastated.

I was able to put the Shout on there, wash it and was so happy to see that the stain had left!

Woo hoo!! {Lily was even more happy her dear shirt was rescued!}

I LOVED that this solution was easy to use (it sprays out better than any other stain remover I’ve tried) and worked fast (after 1 wash and not a gazillion washes like I’m used to!) That’s exactly what I am looking for in a stain removal. And if you are too, this product is great!

If you would like to try it out as well, you can find Shout® Trigger at your local Wal-Mart.

So, I want to know….. What is your FAVORITE Stain Removal Product? Or do you have tips and tricks for getting out stains? I want to know!

ENJOY!

Anyone else singing with me?

Any who…

Most of the kiddos are getting out of school this week or next and I’m sure everyone is wondering what they can do to entertain the kiddos. My kids aren’t in school yet, but it’s definitely getting super hot here in AZ so I’ve been trying to think of some fun things we can do inside. If you missed our DIY Dinosaur Ice Fossils, be sure to check those out.

I recently saw an awesome idea on Family Fun and thought we would give it a go. What was it you ask?

DIY Lava Lamps!

These were easy peasy and were so fun for the kiddos to make!

SUPPLIES:

- Plastic Bottles (I used VOSS water bottles)

- Vegetable Oil

- Water

- Food Coloring

- Alka-Seltzer

DIRECTIONS:

{My little partner in crime who helps me with all my projects while the other two are napping – LOVE her!!!}

1. Gather your supplies.

2. Empty water bottles. The hubby said there was a flavored water drink whose bottle looks like a  lava lamp but I couldn’t find those. These VOSS bottles seemed like they would work though.

Fill a little over half way with vegetable oil. Fill the rest until about one inch from the top with water.

3. Add 10 drops of food coloring.

4. Break your Alka-Seltzer into quarters. Add one piece at a time and what the lava go!! Be sure to wait until the bubbles settle to add another piece of Alka-Seltzer or the bottle can get pretty cloudy.

5. You can continue to add quarter pieces to see the lava lamp in action. Not sure how many times it will work, but we’ve already done it about 15 time for each bottle and it looks great!!

Man, I LOVE fun and easy projects to do with the kiddos!!

Be sure to check out our DIY Dinosaur Ice Fossils and Candy Bracelets from earlier this week.

ENJOY!

This post is brought to you by:

I was this past week, so we decided to make some Candy Bracelets.

These have been around for years, but I’ve always seen them as necklaces. I didn’t feel like putting my kids on a sugar high with a long ‘ol necklace strung with goodies, so I opted for bracelets.

The kiddos didn’t know any better so they were just as happy!

These babies are so easy to do and it’s something the kids will want (and are able) to help with.

SUPPLIES:

- Goodies {We used Peach Rings, Gummy Lifesavers, Frosted Cheerios and Froot Loops}

- Yarn {Thank you Lion Brand!!}

DIRECTIONS:

1. Gather your goodies and put them in bowls.

2. Start stringing candy. I was helping my kiddos, so I couldn’t help but do a pattern.

I was hoping to put in more cereal than candy – LOL!

3. Tie around your child’s arm.

4. Let them have at it!

Talk about a super easy project with the kids that they enjoyed as well as myself!

I’m all about super easy and fun things to do with the kids!

For more kid activities be sure to check out HERE.

ENJOY!

This Post is Brought to you by:

It’s that time of week to get your link on and show me and everyone else what you’ve been working on the last little bit!

LAST WEEK’S MOST VIEWED LINK:

Living Room on a Budget from Lolly Jane

And what’s so funny about this is is I’ve been in this living room every day for the last few days. This pic is from the Lolly Jane twins’ sister’s house, Sandee, and that’s where my Lily has been taking her swim lessons there. And I can truly say how gorgeous it is in person!! Awesome house, Sandee!!!

OTHER TOP HITS AND FAVS:

TOP: Summer Gifts from Bloom Designs – Jello Cookies from I Heart Naptime - Prom Dress: Vintage Upcycle from Anna Nimmity

BOTTOM: Chocolate Oreo Cream Cake from Lady With the Red Rocker – Sewing Tool Caddy from Flamingo Toes – DIY Junk Tiered Stands from A Diamond in the Stuff

TOP: Antique Clothespins Art from Burton Avenue - Mickey Mouse Disney Carnival Party from Amanda’s Parties to Go – Welcome Nest Framed Monogram from Family Ever After

BOTTOM: Sliding Barn Door TV Cover from Kristen Duke – Make Your own Photo Props from The Letter 4 – You are Loved Pallet Sign from Sugar Bee Crafts

Thank you to all of those that linked up!

You guys rock!

Be sure to grab a featured button for those that were featured.

On to a bigger and better party…

LINK PARTY RULES:

1. Link to the specific post for something YOU have created – craft, recipe, idea (and not to your main blog page).

2. No ads for shops, giveaways, etc. please

3. Be sure to spread the love and visit other posts and leave them a comment!

4. Grab the Linkin’ with Lil’ Luna Button to add to your blog:

<a href="http://lilluna.com" title="Lil\'Luna"><img src="http://lilluna.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/lilluna_linking_up.jpg" alt="Lil\'Luna" title="Lil\'Luna" style="border:none;" /></a>