Swagger Wagon - Sew Chatty

Hi there! I am Elizabeth from Sew Chatty and I am so excited to be visiting you all at Brassy Apple today! Like a lot of you, I am a minivan mommy :) I honestly never wanted to own a minivan. but you know what??? I LOVE my van. I have the Toyota Sienna and it’s black which makes it fancy and not so minivan-y and it holds a lot of people and stuff!

I don’t know about you, but I am ready to relax and have tons of fun this summer! I can’t wait for trips to the pool and park and beach! Part of what helps me to achieve maximum summer fun is to have our van stocked up and ready to go for whatever we feel like doing that day!

We are blessed to live in sunny southern California so really, I like to keep the van like this year round, but once spring hits, I spend an hour so one day really organizing and stocking the Swagger Wagon. Here’s how I do it…

  

I got this awesome vehicle organizer at the fair a few years ago and it has worked out great! It lives in the back of of the van in the well with our lawn chairs.

 

A closer look at what’s inside…It has 3 sections. In the first I have a first aid kit, jumper cables, and a roll of green duct tape. You never know when you’ll need green duct tape. In the next section is beach/park toys. We’ve got bubble guns and wands and a giant thing of bubble solution. There are also sand toys and one of those catching games with the velcro mitts…fun times! In the last section is our beach/picnic blanket, a ziploc full of sunblock & bug spray, and there is also a roll of paper towels and a pack of baby wipes. My little guy is six, but I still find reasons to buy baby wipes.

Still in the back of the van, but on the other side, is a little cubby that holds a fire extinguisher, water, a flashlight, some batteries, some trash bags, some bungee cords and some tie downs. I also have my reusable grocery bags hanging from a hook back there.

This is the little space in front of the center console. I have a basket there with a few odds and ends. Maybe I should have cleaned the van before taking these photos? Oh well, this is reality friends :)

 

A closer look at my basket…I have a book for when I have to wait somewhere, a Bible, a box of kleenex, some notepads and pens, chapstick, lotion, antibac gel, deoderant, gum…I usually have granola bars too, but I got munchy the other day and ate the last one.

 

Here is my lovely little collapsible trash can that hangs on a little hook. Got it at Walmart a while back and LOVE it.

 

And lastly, the very necessary container of Wet Ones in the door next to the little man’s seat. He is ALWAYS sticky. Why are kids always sticky?

I have had this pattern for a while now to make a few organizers. Love. Just waiting for the right fabric to come along, but I am planning on making a few of these very soon! Feel free to follow my blog so you can see how they come out!

Thanks so much to Megan for having me visit today! Happy summer friends!

 

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Here comes summer!

OH we are counting down the days until Summer Vacation! Luckily for us, it's just a few left! If you are looking for some ideas of what to do with your kids this summer, take a peek at some of our ideas to kick start your summer fun! 

This is my favorite one! A slew of ideas I gathered together for a presentation I did last year.  It's a little planning with room for being spontaneous too - Summer journals, picnics, etc. 

If you are hitting the road - here's a few ways to enjoy the "journey" and not just the destination.....Create a Mary Poppins bag and an

I SPY book! 

get crafty outdoors with some SPIN ART using an old Salad spinner! Your kids will LOVE this! 

And the arrival of June means Father's DAY! Give a gift that you can UPDATE every year and one gift that he will always look forward to getting - the DAD picture . Perfect for Grandpas too!!!

We will be "planning" out some summer fun and on the hunt for more ideas! If you have some posted on your blog, or know if a good link - give it a shout out in the comments and post the link please!

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Just a peek into what kept me busy ALL last week. We hosted some of my nieces and nephews for the week and swapped around with some of the other cousins in town and just played and had a good time! Playing at the parks, swimming, an impromptu luau, fashions shows, dress up, lots of crafting, more playing in the water to keep cool.......awww Summertime.......

It's winding to a close around here - Only about 4 weeks left until my kids go back to school! Are you taking advantage of time? Hope so. We sure are........

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Favorite activities......

Calling all my Mommy blog readers! I was recently asked to speak/teach a class at an upcoming women's meeting. My subject? Activities to do with your kids. I certainly have a few ideas on my running list already but I LOVE and SOOOO appreciate to hear from YOU!

What's your favorite activity/craft/recipe to do with your kids? Have you blogged about it or read it on a blog somewhere? Post the link! :) I need activities for all ages so don't by shy! and they don't need to be just for summer - think all year round, rainy days, weekends, long afternoons, etc.....

AND of course I would be happy to share my completed list with all of you after I teach the class! Sound fair? You scratch my back and I scratch yours? tee hee hee......

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Crafty Thursday w/ kids....Cooking ART!

So our flexible Summer "schedule" is working out great! They know what is expected of them, what they can look forward too, and I have yet to hear the words, "I'm bored!" yippee!

I have seen this next idea posted on a few different blogs and knew this would be a great SURPRISE for me kids. We were going to be cooking up pancakes - they love to help measure, stir, set the table, etc. But this time I surprised them with a little twist.

I poured about a cup (maybe a bit more) into a mustard "squirt" bottle I snatched up at the $1 dollar store. Squeezed in some food coloring, gave it a good shake and ART pancakes here we COME!!

1. Stir up your pancake mix.

2. Pour a small-ish amount into a "condiment" bottle. I actually cut the nozzle down so more would flow out.

3. Add some food coloring and shake it up.

(here is where the fun starts)

4. Now "draw" any fun shape - keep in mind you have to turn this baby over. Just draw an "outline" and then let that cook for a few seconds.

5. Fill in the rest of the pancake with your regular batter and cook as usual.

6. When you turn your pancake over you will be able to see your design!!!

We had alot of fun eating our pancakes and the kids can't wait to do this again!
(did you notice their handmade placemats under their plates in the photos?) Oh and if you do letters, be sure to draw them backwards because if you don't, when you flip it...... it will be! (hence the "S" above) LOL............enjoy!

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Crafty Thursday w/kids.....Placemats

So part of our summer fun around here is having a "schedule" and list of ideas of things we want to do/go/read, etc....It helps keeps us on track and from ever saying the dreaded words, "I'm BORED!!!" Plus they have something to look forward too as well. Good times for all. :)



Thursdays we are scheduled for a Craft or some type of cooking project. We'll today the kids got to do both! They frosted graham crackers with vanilla frosting and made a mound of cookies to munch on through the week. They enjoyed licking their fingers, breaking the crackers and having free reign in the project. It's nice when the cooking project doesn't required so much measuring, mixing, cooking, etc that the kids need alot of supervision with. They relished in the freedom!

Then it was craft time later on. I saw this link on Twitter for kids placemats and thought, "why not!" We used 2 pieces on construction paper for the base. Then they cut, glued, colored and drew all over them. My daughter even covered both sides. Instead of going to the store to have them laminated I just pulled out some contact paper and quickly finished them up!

They are so proud of them and enjoy peeking around the edges of their plates to see the pictures and it certainly sparks some interesting and funny conversations too! Have a great week-end!

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