If we can find a reason to throw a party, you bet we’re taking it. And a theme party?? Watch. Us. Thrive. Kristy is the queen of party planning, especially when it comes to doing so on a budget, and the results are always FABULOUS! Her daughter just turned 7 and her only request this year – a Squishmallows birthday party. You would think with the popularity of these sweet stuffed characters, putting together a party would be a breeze. But as Kristy started planning, she realized it was little more difficult than she anticipated. As usual, she worked her magic and threw a Squishmallows party to remember. See the highlights below!

A Squishmallows party wouldn’t be a Squishmallows party without all our Squishmallows friends! Obviously the “Happy Birthday” cupcake is essential, and the pizza, sandwich, chips, and ice cream ones are perfect for setting up around certain food stations!

Pastel balloons sprinkled with clear, funfetti-filled ones make for a gorgeous arched centerpiece! This is great for a photo op area or around the gift table. Confetti garland, a “happy birthday” banner, a Squishmallows backdrop, and holographic fringe complete the look!

Colorful candy, snow cones, and macarons are the perfect sweet treats for a Squishmallows party. Stick your lollipops in this wooden lollipop stand and stack your macarons on this tiered stand. The candy station sign is from Decocrated, and yes, Kristy drew that Squishmallow (angry unicorn, according to her husband) all by herself. She might have missed her calling as an artist.

Smarties, marshmallows, and lollipops, oh my! This super cute candy cart is stocked up on all the best treats for your sweet tooth. Add gummy bears and cotton candy for a pastel-filled palette of deliciousness, and if you need a little salty with all that sweet, grab these popcorn boxes to filled with buttery, fresh-popped goodness. If you want to make your own popcorn, we love these popcorn maker essentials.

Is there anything as delicious as a classic snow cone? Grab your snow cone machine and your flavored syrups (these tops make for easy pouring), and these chilled treats will make for one cool dessert. Serve them up in these fun flower cups and top them off with a snow cone straw/spoon.

No real party is complete without a piñata. How cute is this unicorn cupcake?! It’s almost too cute to swing a stick at but…candy!! Stuff it with these party favors and candy varieties and hang it up with this heavy-duty deck hook.

And of course, we can’t forget the birthday cake!! The cake was made by Courtney from Courtney’s Kitchen – if you’re in the South Jersey area, be sure to check her out and give her some love! This cake is incredible!!

Keep the theme going even into your seating setup. Tie-dye tablecloths with pop-up Squishmallows centerpieces make for great table decor!

Gotta send the kiddos home with goodies! Kristy filled these boxes with the cutest Squishmallows-inspired items – mini mystery bags, mini erasers, lip balm, stickers, and more! She also did a scavenger hunt in the backyard and each kid got to bring home two items, including Squooshems, trading cards, and mystery mini Squishmallows!

If we can find a reason to throw a party, you bet we’re taking it. And a theme party?? Watch. Us. Thrive. Kristy is the queen of party planning, especially when it comes to doing so on a budget, and the results are always FABULOUS! Her daughter just turned 7 and her only request this year – a Squishmallows birthday party. You would think with the popularity of these sweet stuffed characters, putting together a party would be a breeze. But as Kristy started planning, she realized it was little more difficult than she anticipated. As usual, she worked her magic and threw a Squishmallows party to remember. See the highlights below!

A Squishmallows party wouldn’t be a Squishmallows party without all our Squishmallows friends! Obviously the “Happy Birthday” cupcake is essential, and the pizza, sandwich, chips, and ice cream ones are perfect for setting up around certain food stations!

Pastel balloons sprinkled with clear, funfetti-filled ones make for a gorgeous arched centerpiece! This is great for a photo op area or around the gift table. Confetti garland, a “happy birthday” banner, a Squishmallows backdrop, and holographic fringe complete the look!

Colorful candy, snow cones, and macarons are the perfect sweet treats for a Squishmallows party. Stick your lollipops in this wooden lollipop stand and stack your macarons on this tiered stand. The candy station sign is from Decocrated, and yes, Kristy drew that Squishmallow (angry unicorn, according to her husband) all by herself. She might have missed her calling as an artist.

Smarties, marshmallows, and lollipops, oh my! This super cute candy cart is stocked up on all the best treats for your sweet tooth. Add gummy bears and cotton candy for a pastel-filled palette of deliciousness, and if you need a little salty with all that sweet, grab these popcorn boxes to filled with buttery, fresh-popped goodness. If you want to make your own popcorn, we love these popcorn maker essentials.

Is there anything as delicious as a classic snow cone? Grab your snow cone machine and your flavored syrups (these tops make for easy pouring), and these chilled treats will make for one cool dessert. Serve them up in these fun flower cups and top them off with a snow cone straw/spoon.

No real party is complete without a piñata. How cute is this unicorn cupcake?! It’s almost too cute to swing a stick at but…candy!! Stuff it with these party favors and candy varieties and hang it up with this heavy-duty deck hook.

And of course, we can’t forget the birthday cake!! The cake was made by Courtney from Courtney’s Kitchen – if you’re in the South Jersey area, be sure to check her out and give her some love! This cake is incredible!!

Keep the theme going even into your seating setup. Tie-dye tablecloths with pop-up Squishmallows centerpieces make for great table decor!

Gotta send the kiddos home with goodies! Kristy filled these boxes with the cutest Squishmallows-inspired items – mini mystery bags, mini erasers, lip balm, stickers, and more! She also did a scavenger hunt in the backyard and each kid got to bring home two items, including Squooshems, trading cards, and mystery mini Squishmallows!

It’s that time of year again…the leaves are starting to fall, the scent of pumpkin spice everything and the Spirit Halloween stores start popping up all over, and the Halloween shopping craze begins! 2/4 of my kiddos already had their costumes locked in and were ready to shop, and my other two were very much undecided. My 20% off coupon was expiring so we did some family shopping over the weekend! Check out some of the great kids’ Halloween apparel I found!

My youngest daughter was already locked in on being her favorite Disney princess Ariel, so she was the easiest purchase of the day. The outfit is adorable, and of course we had to get the signature locks to go with it!

My middle daughter chose this shimmer fox costume, no real rhyme or reason for it, but it is super cute and very minimal make-up application needed from me, so it’s a win-win all around.

I thought for sure my eldest would go for the Wednesday Addams or Barbie look this year, but nope, she went from the Shimmer Fox, to Descendants characters, to Rena Rouge and finally landed on Buttercup from the Power Puff Girls…a show that she’s never even seen an episode of before. Her reasoning was because of the similar hair length…uhm okay…the logic of a seven-year-old, I guess.

I always forget about Target for their kids’ costume selection. These seem to be the most popular of the selections this year, with Disney Villains like Ursula, Maleficent and Cruella over the princesses, along with Harry & Hermione from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and of course Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Michelangela and Leonardo – following the release of their live action movie earlier this year.

How cool are these zip-up and pullover hoodies…the one with the skeleton skull hood is my favorite! The pajama sets are adorable too – I grabbed the dinosaur skeleton set for my son.

Per usual, Target always has more for the girls. I have three girls ranging from ages four to seven and I was able to find an outfit for each of them. This Nightmare Before Christmas dress is super cute for my girlie girl that love tutus. My seven-year-old isn’t so much into the “kiddie” Halloween graphics, so the Cat & Jack hearts zip-up hoodie with matching leggings is perfect for her because it’s still festive and “cool”. For my six-year-old, I grabbed a pair of sparkly black leggings and paired them with a long-sleeved graphic t-shirt.

My kids have a Halloween parade at school, along with a class party and Spirit Week, which includes pajama day and mix-match sock day, so these themed matching pajamas and festive socks are a fun way to send the kiddos in to participate. Plus…they glow in the dark – how fun for the whole family! Be sure to check out the whole Hyde & EEK! Boutique Collection for all of the Halloween apparel and more!

It’s that time of year again…the leaves are starting to fall, the scent of pumpkin spice everything and the Spirit Halloween stores start popping up all over, and the Halloween shopping craze begins! 2/4 of my kiddos already had their costumes locked in and were ready to shop, and my other two were very much undecided. My 20% off coupon was expiring so we did some family shopping over the weekend! Check out some of the great kids’ Halloween apparel I found!

My youngest daughter was already locked in on being her favorite Disney princess Ariel, so she was the easiest purchase of the day. The outfit is adorable, and of course we had to get the signature locks to go with it!

My middle daughter chose this shimmer fox costume, no real rhyme or reason for it, but it is super cute and very minimal make-up application needed from me, so it’s a win-win all around.

I thought for sure my eldest would go for the Wednesday Addams or Barbie look this year, but nope, she went from the Shimmer Fox, to Descendants characters, to Rena Rouge and finally landed on Buttercup from the Power Puff Girls…a show that she’s never even seen an episode of before. Her reasoning was because of the similar hair length…uhm okay…the logic of a seven-year-old, I guess.

I always forget about Target for their kids’ costume selection. These seem to be the most popular of the selections this year, with Disney Villains like Ursula, Maleficent and Cruella over the princesses, along with Harry & Hermione from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and of course Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Michelangela and Leonardo – following the release of their live action movie earlier this year.

How cool are these zip-up and pullover hoodies…the one with the skeleton skull hood is my favorite! The pajama sets are adorable too – I grabbed the dinosaur skeleton set for my son.

Per usual, Target always has more for the girls. I have three girls ranging from ages four to seven and I was able to find an outfit for each of them. This Nightmare Before Christmas dress is super cute for my girlie girl that love tutus. My seven-year-old isn’t so much into the “kiddie” Halloween graphics, so the Cat & Jack hearts zip-up hoodie with matching leggings is perfect for her because it’s still festive and “cool”. For my six-year-old, I grabbed a pair of sparkly black leggings and paired them with a long-sleeved graphic t-shirt.

My kids have a Halloween parade at school, along with a class party and Spirit Week, which includes pajama day and mix-match sock day, so these themed matching pajamas and festive socks are a fun way to send the kiddos in to participate. Plus…they glow in the dark – how fun for the whole family! Be sure to check out the whole Hyde & EEK! Boutique Collection for all of the Halloween apparel and more!

Let the countdown to spooky season begin! We may be just getting ready to gear up for fall but for us, that means thinking about Halloween too! And if you love Decocrated as much as we do, then you’re gonna want to grab this year’s Halloween deluxe add-on box before it sells out! Kristy received her box and is just loving the items included this year. If you’re a new Decocrated member, use our exclusive code DECO15 to save on your first subscription! See Halloween decor from Decocrated below.

This wooden stand makes a great showcase for your Halloween-scented candles, faux flowers, or even fun holiday-themed bowl fillers (like adorable mini pumpkins)!

This fall-inspired foliage is perfect for Halloween with its blood-red hues. Place in a black vase for a chillingly chic accent piece.

These candlesticks are ghoulishly glamourous! Use black or white tapered candles for a neutral, modern look, or opt for purple or orange to add a pop of color!

Trick or treat! We’re picking treat every time. This spiderweb dish is great for keeping those Halloween candies on the counter!

Wash your sweets down with a refreshing beverage in one of these spooky skeleton hand glasses! Perfect for a kids’ punch or an adult cocktail.

Don’t forget to grab your winter box now (use our exclusive code DECO15 to save on your first subscription) and stay tuned for our Decocrated winter decor post!!

Let the countdown to spooky season begin! We may be just getting ready to gear up for fall but for us, that means thinking about Halloween too! And if you love Decocrated as much as we do, then you’re gonna want to grab this year’s Halloween deluxe add-on box before it sells out! Kristy received her box and is just loving the items included this year. If you’re a new Decocrated member, use our exclusive code DECO15 to save on your first subscription! See Halloween decor from Decocrated below.

This wooden stand makes a great showcase for your Halloween-scented candles, faux flowers, or even fun holiday-themed bowl fillers (like adorable mini pumpkins)!

This fall-inspired foliage is perfect for Halloween with its blood-red hues. Place in a black vase for a chillingly chic accent piece.

These candlesticks are ghoulishly glamourous! Use black or white tapered candles for a neutral, modern look, or opt for purple or orange to add a pop of color!

Trick or treat! We’re picking treat every time. This spiderweb dish is great for keeping those Halloween candies on the counter!

Wash your sweets down with a refreshing beverage in one of these spooky skeleton hand glasses! Perfect for a kids’ punch or an adult cocktail.

Don’t forget to grab your winter box now (use our exclusive code DECO15 to save on your first subscription) and stay tuned for our Decocrated winter decor post!!

Time is a thief for real – I can still vividly remember all of the details of the evening that my first daughter was born and now, seven short years later, she has moved into her big-kid room a few weeks shy of entering the second grade! I let her take the creative director roll and she decided the color scheme and theme and it turned out better than I could have imagined….and let’s just say that I wish that I had cool parents like me when I was growing up! See her big kid room redo below!

We have a 4-bedroom home so originally she had her own nursery and toddler room, and when I was expecting my fourth baby, we purchased full-sized bunk beds from Pottery Barn Kids and moved our second daughter in with our oldest. It’s been two years of sharing a room and she’s getting more independent, so I started hinting around the idea of her having her own room again, and she was open to the idea towards the end of the school year. Then she started asking when she could move in, so I decided that my goal would be to have it completed and have her moved in before the new school year started.

I asked her to start thinking about her color scheme and that was easy – teal had become her new favorite color in the past six months replacing the longtime favorite, purple. Next, I had asked her to think about if she wanted a theme, and that was a bit trickier, but it soon came to her once we hit the stores.

First we went to At Home, and there it began! She found the perfect accent pillow to start off with…it was so soft and priced well. Then we grabbed some of the not-so-much-fun things like a mattress protector, pillows, two regular cooling sleeping pillows and two-pack pillows for the decorative sham covers.

Next we looked for bedding. Nothing really stood out until we saw the display and that was it. SOLD! Then we started to check out some of their decor, and then…the theme was born! She found a stuffed pig pillow and instantly it became a teal pig room! At first I was hesitant and couldn’t figure out how I was going to pull this one off – I even tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted, so pig it was. We headed into the wall decor isle and then we found the cutest canvas of a pig with glasses, and then I started to get excited about it all. The teal and pig pink colors could definitely work! We grabbed a couple other items and checked out.

We stopped in at a couple other stores, but didn’t really find what we were looking for. We grabbed some pink Pillowfort Sheets from Target and stopped in a Mattress Warehouse to shop for her new mattress. She got to do their bedMATCH quiz and diagnostic to match her up with the best mattress for her. She loved being able to use their system and picked out a great full-sized mattress that was easy on the pockets too! We ended up with a mattress in a box – the Simmons Blue Dream Memory Foam Mattress. The best part was they had one in stock for us to take home that day and it fit in my “mom van”!

We grabbed smoothies from our favorite smoothie place, Tropical Smoothie Cafe and headed over to Hobby Lobby – jackpot! We found all types of room decor and more, and then we came across the creme-de-la-creme of all pig decor! A huge canvas picture of the cutest pig you ever saw, and I was in love! It ended up being 75% off y’all! It was the easiest purchase of the day! We ended up with a whole cart full of items from HL and finally headed home!

Let’s start with the room re-do. First, I vacuumed and mopped the floors and baseboards and wiped down all of the dressers and windowsills. Since we had always purchased the convertible cribs for 3/4 kids, we transitioned the bed and switched out the decor, made the bed, and started transferring all of the personal items and clothing between the two rooms.

I ended up ordering ombre curtains and an accent rug off of Amazon, and I got the curtain rods from Wal-Mart. I found the vanity/desk off of Facebook Marketplace, brand-new, still in the box! It took a total of four days until we did her room reveal…she LOVED the end result. It was all smiles and she even gave it two thumbs up! If you’d like to see more of this room transformation, be sure to check out the video on Tik-Tok here!

Time is a thief for real – I can still vividly remember all of the details of the evening that my first daughter was born and now, seven short years later, she has moved into her big-kid room a few weeks shy of entering the second grade! I let her take the creative director roll and she decided the color scheme and theme and it turned out better than I could have imagined….and let’s just say that I wish that I had cool parents like me when I was growing up! See her big kid room redo below!

We have a 4-bedroom home so originally she had her own nursery and toddler room, and when I was expecting my fourth baby, we purchased full-sized bunk beds from Pottery Barn Kids and moved our second daughter in with our oldest. It’s been two years of sharing a room and she’s getting more independent, so I started hinting around the idea of her having her own room again, and she was open to the idea towards the end of the school year. Then she started asking when she could move in, so I decided that my goal would be to have it completed and have her moved in before the new school year started.

I asked her to start thinking about her color scheme and that was easy – teal had become her new favorite color in the past six months replacing the longtime favorite, purple. Next, I had asked her to think about if she wanted a theme, and that was a bit trickier, but it soon came to her once we hit the stores.

First we went to At Home, and there it began! She found the perfect accent pillow to start off with…it was so soft and priced well. Then we grabbed some of the not-so-much-fun things like a mattress protector, pillows, two regular cooling sleeping pillows and two-pack pillows for the decorative sham covers.

Next we looked for bedding. Nothing really stood out until we saw the display and that was it. SOLD! Then we started to check out some of their decor, and then…the theme was born! She found a stuffed pig pillow and instantly it became a teal pig room! At first I was hesitant and couldn’t figure out how I was going to pull this one off – I even tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted, so pig it was. We headed into the wall decor isle and then we found the cutest canvas of a pig with glasses, and then I started to get excited about it all. The teal and pig pink colors could definitely work! We grabbed a couple other items and checked out.

We stopped in at a couple other stores, but didn’t really find what we were looking for. We grabbed some pink Pillowfort Sheets from Target and stopped in a Mattress Warehouse to shop for her new mattress. She got to do their bedMATCH quiz and diagnostic to match her up with the best mattress for her. She loved being able to use their system and picked out a great full-sized mattress that was easy on the pockets too! We ended up with a mattress in a box – the Simmons Blue Dream Memory Foam Mattress. The best part was they had one in stock for us to take home that day and it fit in my “mom van”!

We grabbed smoothies from our favorite smoothie place, Tropical Smoothie Cafe and headed over to Hobby Lobby – jackpot! We found all types of room decor and more, and then we came across the creme-de-la-creme of all pig decor! A huge canvas picture of the cutest pig you ever saw, and I was in love! It ended up being 75% off y’all! It was the easiest purchase of the day! We ended up with a whole cart full of items from HL and finally headed home!

Let’s start with the room re-do. First, I vacuumed and mopped the floors and baseboards and wiped down all of the dressers and windowsills. Since we had always purchased the convertible cribs for 3/4 kids, we transitioned the bed and switched out the decor, made the bed, and started transferring all of the personal items and clothing between the two rooms.

I ended up ordering ombre curtains and an accent rug off of Amazon, and I got the curtain rods from Wal-Mart. I found the vanity/desk off of Facebook Marketplace, brand-new, still in the box! It took a total of four days until we did her room reveal…she LOVED the end result. It was all smiles and she even gave it two thumbs up! If you’d like to see more of this room transformation, be sure to check out the video on Tik-Tok here!

Many students are eagerly awaiting their teacher assignments for the upcoming school year. In my home, I don’t know who is anticipating the news more – myself or the kiddos! We already know who my youngest has and we love her, and my oldest is hoping for a particular teacher this year, and my middle daughter…well…I just don’t think that she cares very much yet! As parents are getting ready for BTS – shopping for clothes, shoes and supplies – don’t forget the teachers and school professionals! I love my kids’ school and the staff there, and since I’m a PTO board member I am very involved and get to interact with them a lot. I see a lot of what other parents don’t and these worker bees deserve it all! I am not swimming in the dough like Scrooge McDuck, but I give back to the teachers when I can. One way to show appreciation is with a back-to-school gift, and Kristy, who is also super involved at her kids’ schools, did some shopping at a few different retailers and came up with adorable and affordable teacher survival kits! See the gifts she put together below.

Temu! I’m sure you’ve heard about it and probably are hesitant like I was, but I’m telling you, it’s awesome! Just look at how adorable those canvas totes are as well as that pillowcase over the insert. These are perfect for a pre-k or kindergarten classroom.

Wood number pins can be found both at Target (usually comes out in July and can be found in their dollar bins) or on Amazon. These can be used in the classroom as decorations or a creative way to help learn math.

Both the pencil ID lanyard and mini hand sanitizers can be found at Bath & Body Works during one of their crazy sales, and they give the gift such a nice touch! Other fun lanyards can be found on Temu as well, so be sure to check them all out! Such a great add to the bags.

Who doesn’t love a good lip balm?! EOS has the best ones, keeping lips smooth and hydrated with amazing smelling, lip-smacking flavors. These are perfect little addition to a survival kit if you ask me.

I love a good planner and these planner stickers keep it fun and colorful, which can help keep you on track, especially when you’re a teacher on-the-go with a lot on your plate both in and out of the classroom.

If you’re in the Frugal and Thriving FB group, you already know about the ever-popular chenille letter bags, and of course these ones say “teach” so they’re perfect! These “Survival Kits” are so clever and definitely have the teachers in mind! Each TEACH bag is filled with:

• Planner stickers from Temu
• Wet wipes from Amazon
• Sugar-free Liquid I.V. packs from Amazon
• Lip balm from Walmart
• Kleenex tissues from Amazon
• Sharpies from Amazon
• Tylenol from Amazon
• Gum from Amazon
• Mini Tic-Tacs from Amazon

As you can see, all of the thoughtful items included set the teacher up for a successful and fun school year, and it gives them a sense of comfort and appreciation while in the classroom!

Each of the canvas totes include the filled TEACH bags with these items as well:

• Mentos fruit candy mints from Amazon
• Post-It Super Sticky note pads from Amazon
• Vinyl “school” stickers from Temu
• Welcome sign from Temu
• ID lanyard with hand sanitizers from Bath & Body Works
• Wood number pins from Target or Amazon

All of these items were from the following retailers: Amazon, Bath & Body Works, Walmart, Target and Temu! If you haven’t checked out Temu yet, I highly recommend it! They are running a massive site-wide sale and it’s definitely a one-stop shopping option. PLUS, they also offer free shipping and free 90-days returns! Use our exclusive coupon code afg61214 for an EXTRA 50% off 

Many students are eagerly awaiting their teacher assignments for the upcoming school year. In my home, I don’t know who is anticipating the news more – myself or the kiddos! We already know who my youngest has and we love her, and my oldest is hoping for a particular teacher this year, and my middle daughter…well…I just don’t think that she cares very much yet! As parents are getting ready for BTS – shopping for clothes, shoes and supplies – don’t forget the teachers and school professionals! I love my kids’ school and the staff there, and since I’m a PTO board member I am very involved and get to interact with them a lot. I see a lot of what other parents don’t and these worker bees deserve it all! I am not swimming in the dough like Scrooge McDuck, but I give back to the teachers when I can. One way to show appreciation is with a back-to-school gift, and Kristy, who is also super involved at her kids’ schools, did some shopping at a few different retailers and came up with adorable and affordable teacher survival kits! See the gifts she put together below.

Temu! I’m sure you’ve heard about it and probably are hesitant like I was, but I’m telling you, it’s awesome! Just look at how adorable those canvas totes are as well as that pillowcase over the insert. These are perfect for a pre-k or kindergarten classroom.

Wood number pins can be found both at Target (usually comes out in July and can be found in their dollar bins) or on Amazon. These can be used in the classroom as decorations or a creative way to help learn math.

Both the pencil ID lanyard and mini hand sanitizers can be found at Bath & Body Works during one of their crazy sales, and they give the gift such a nice touch! Other fun lanyards can be found on Temu as well, so be sure to check them all out! Such a great add to the bags.

Who doesn’t love a good lip balm?! EOS has the best ones, keeping lips smooth and hydrated with amazing smelling, lip-smacking flavors. These are perfect little addition to a survival kit if you ask me.

I love a good planner and these planner stickers keep it fun and colorful, which can help keep you on track, especially when you’re a teacher on-the-go with a lot on your plate both in and out of the classroom.

If you’re in the Frugal and Thriving FB group, you already know about the ever-popular chenille letter bags, and of course these ones say “teach” so they’re perfect! These “Survival Kits” are so clever and definitely have the teachers in mind! Each TEACH bag is filled with:

• Planner stickers from Temu
• Wet wipes from Amazon
• Sugar-free Liquid I.V. packs from Amazon
• Lip balm from Walmart
• Kleenex tissues from Amazon
• Sharpies from Amazon
• Tylenol from Amazon
• Gum from Amazon
• Mini Tic-Tacs from Amazon

As you can see, all of the thoughtful items included set the teacher up for a successful and fun school year, and it gives them a sense of comfort and appreciation while in the classroom!

Each of the canvas totes include the filled TEACH bags with these items as well:

• Mentos fruit candy mints from Amazon
• Post-It Super Sticky note pads from Amazon
• Vinyl “school” stickers from Temu
• Welcome sign from Temu
• ID lanyard with hand sanitizers from Bath & Body Works
• Wood number pins from Target or Amazon

All of these items were from the following retailers: Amazon, Bath & Body Works, Walmart, Target and Temu! If you haven’t checked out Temu yet, I highly recommend it! They are running a massive site-wide sale and it’s definitely a one-stop shopping option. PLUS, they also offer free shipping and free 90-days returns! Use our exclusive coupon code afg61214 for an EXTRA 50% off 

Do you have a personal book reading challenge that you’ve set for yourself for the year? I personally used to be such a bookworm! My all-time favorite author is James Patterson, and I used to collect all of his hardback and paperback books, but I haven’t read him in probably over a decade now. Writing this post makes me want to carve out time to start picking up his books again, though! The last book that I read was Cat & Nats’ Mom Truths. Krista is the group’s bookworm, and last year she started a personal book reading challenge for herself which carried into this year! See Krista’s top 20 reads for adults this summer, six of which are Kindle Unlimited options, below!

Krista says, “I love reading…it gets me out of my head, and sometimes I feel like my brain is actually working versus sitting and watching a TV show – though I do love to binge-watch a good show! When I left my office job and started working fulltime for Frugal and Thriving, I told myself that since I was going to be home a lot more, I will not be sitting and watching TV on my down time – I will pick up a book a read! Last year I was able to read 31 books, and this year my new challenge was to read 35 books. As of today, I’ve read 30! I love to keep track of my books on the GoodReads app, where I can mark off the books I’ve read and rate them. I can also see what my friends are reading, and that’s where I keep track of my challenge for the year!”

These are her personal book reviews on her favorite 20 so far!

1. It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover – This was the first book I read this year, and I’m not going to lie, I did not have high hopes as It Ends with Us (the prequel) is one of my top 5 books. I loved every word of that book and recommend it to everyone, but I’m not a fan of sequels. Let’s be honest – most of the time they aren’t as good as the first one. With that said, I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you read It Ends with Us and enjoyed it, I would say give this book a shot because it wraps the story up for all the characters and lets you know how they are doing. It begins right where the story left off and I wish that I read it sooner, but I should’ve known I wouldn’t be disappointed with anything by Colleen Hoover. I gave this book a 4/5

2. Meet Me at the Lake by Carly Fortune – I went into this book thinking it was going to be like Every Summer After (Carly’s other book), and while the writing is still great, the story was completely different and I really loved this book! Just like Every Summer After, this book switched between the present and past, but this time it was only one day in the past. The book is set in a place that reminded me of Dirty Dancing, and I just loved the story line. I recommend this book if you’re looking for an easy read but with a fun location, tension-worthy romance, and that past and present buildup! I gave this book a 4/5

3. Happy Place by Emily Henry – I’ve only ever read one other book by Emily Henry and to be honest it wasn’t my favorite, but this one was recommended to me, and I am glad that I gave it a chance! It’s the perfect read to get you out of a slump or a book hangover…it got me out of my hangover from the Court series. It has relatable characters, fun writing, and keeps you intrigued the whole time! It would be a great vacation read! This book will be your new ‘Happy Place’ – see what I did there! I gave this book a 5/5

4. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez – This book was all over TikTok, and it has been on hold for weeks at the library, so I decided to splurge and buy it. I rarely do this, but I am so glad I did! If you have ever suffered with anxiety, you can relate to this book, and it was written so beautifully. Told from the point of view of the leading male and female, I literally fell in love with them both. I never thought anxiety could make me laugh but it truly did! I loved every word of this book and I didn’t want it to end. I found out it was the second in a series and I can tell you from experience, you don’t need to read book #1. I didn’t even realize it until I went to rate it on Goodreads! This book is so uplifting, truthful, and funny! This book should be added to your must-read pile! I gave this book a 5/5

5. Beartown by Fredrick Backman – I found this book when a friend had recommended another book by this author, and I was intrigued when I came across it. When I first started it, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it – the writing style was very different and it took me some time to really get into but once I did, it turned out to be a great book. There is no comedy or romance, so it’s not my typical read, but I am so glad I went for it. It’s an eye-opening book, and while it’s fiction, I know stories like this happen all over in the real world. I just discovered as I was getting the link for this book that there is another in the series, and honestly, I may even read it just to see what happens! I gave this book a 4.5/5

6. Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan – This book has it all – past/present storytelling, a run-in with the ex, celebrity romance, comedy, and the beach as a backdrop! The writing was easy to follow, and it takes place in the perfect beach town (I never knew Long Island had beach towns)! If you loved Every Summer After and The Summer I Turned Pretty, then you will fall head over heels for this book! I gave this book a 4/5

7. True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren – Well this book broke all my rules – I usually dislike sequels very much because they never live up to the first ones and I am always left disappointed, but man I was WRONG. This book is the second to Soulmate Equation and I was so nervous reading because I LOVED Soulmate, but man oh man this book was EVERYTHING! I laughed the whole time, I cried, I fell in love, I was angry, and did I mention I laughed because I really did the whole time! True Love is about the best friend from Soulmate, and I thought I loved her then, but this book being about her made me want to be her! It seriously has everything from a dating show trope and forbidden love to a strong female character, relatable male character, and so much comedy. If you love a rom-com then I highly recommend True Love Experiment! I gave this book a 6/5 (really 5/5 but If I could do 6/5 I would!)

8. Something Wilder by Christina Lauren – I will start out by saying Christina Lauren is one of my favorite authors and I read the majority of her books and always give her books over 4 stars, but it pains me to say this book is my lowest rated on this list (but I am including it because I will always support Christina Lauren!) I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. It has the great romance and great writing that all her books have, but it has this crazy treasure hunt in it and a Wild West thing (which I thought I would like but honestly hated). The characters were a bit much too, but if you like treasure hunts, the Wild West, and crazy characters, go for it! For me though, I’ll stick with Christina’s other books! I gave this book a 3/5

9. The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren – I debated not adding this book on here because I read it for the first time last year (I rented it through my library), but I LOVED this book and decided to purchase it and reread it this year because it is one of my favorite books! It is one of the best rom-coms, and of course has my favorite kind of character…the grumpy hot guy! This book has so much to it and to me, the story is really different from any others I’ve read! This book had me falling in love – and it was the book that made me fall in love with Christina Lauren. I gave this book a 5/5

10-14. Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Mass – I am not the biggest sci-fi reader. While I am a huge fan of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and the Divergent series, that’s about as far as I’ve ventured into the sci-fi world. TikTok (my main source of book recommendations) was constantly telling me to read this series though, and man oh man was I blown away! It took me about halfway through the first book to really be hooked, but once I got there, WOW – I could not stop! It is about fairies (this is my first fairy book), and the majority of my January and February were wrapped up in this series. Every character is amazing, there is the best romance, lots of thrills, and even comedy plus hot fairy men. Sarah J. Mass is an amazing writer! I am telling you, I literally completed the series and immediately went back and re-read books 2, 3, and 4. I would be torn to say book 2 or 3 is my favorite, but this series is up there with Harry Potter for me. If you feel like you can handle some sci-fi- in your life, I say give this series a try – just get through book 1 and it is SO worth it. I gave every book in this series a 5/5

Summer Reads for Adults

I do have a subscription to Kindle Unlimited, and I do read a lot of my books from there, so I am including these because I know as an avid Kindle Unlimited reader, I am always looking for more good books!

1. Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score – I was so late to the reading game on this book. I am not going to lie, I started this book once before and just could not get into it, but I needed something to read and didn’t want to spend the money, so Kindle Unlimited to the rescue! I was pleasantly surprised by this book and it has fun characters (um, hello grumpy hot guy?!)! I was not such a fan of the ending (without giving too much away it got into more of a mob boss deal that was a little much for me), but overall, for a Kindle Unlimited book, it is totally worth the read! There are 2 more books within this series, but I have not read them yet and I’m not sure I will (I am not the biggest fan of sequels). I gave this book a 4/5

2. Inmate by Freida McFadden – I have to be in the mood to read a thriller and I picked this one off of KU because I liked Freida’s other book The Housemaid. Any time I pick up a thriller, about halfway through I lose patience and read a spoiler, but this time I did not and I am glad I didn’t because I might’ve easily guessed who the killer was…I did not guess the twist in the end! To me, if you can’t guess the twist that’s a sign of a good thriller, and this one is definitely worth the read! I gave this book a 4/5

3. Six Summers to Fall by CW Farnsworth – I read another book by this same author this year, but I enjoyed this one more, so I decided to feature this one! The title alone led me to believe that this book would have an Every Summer After feel, but I was totally wrong! I love a good book that has a celebrity/normal person romance PLUS a fake relationship (my two favorite book tropes)! If you are looking for a fun, easy read, I’d say go for this one! I gave this book a 4/5

4. Simple Wild by K.A Tucker – My friend was reading this book and she said I need to give it a try, and I am glad I did. Set in Alaska, the writing made me feel like I was there! Between the landscape, the romance, and the fact that the main character was a social media influencer (her blog was not much different than Frugal and Thriving), I fell for this book hard! Now keeping that in mind, this book is book 1 of 4, and I’m not sure I will read the others because I enjoyed this one and am fearful it would ruin it reading more of them! I gave this book a 4/5

5. A Flicker in the Dark by Stacey Willingham – This is a thriller that was recommended by TikTok. This book was set in Baton Rouge (I love a book set in Louisiana!) and has a Girl on the Train vibe. There are several times I changed my mind about who the killer really was, and in the end I was pleasantly surprised, though I did read a spoiler on this one LOL. If you enjoyed Girl on the Train and have Kindle Unlimited, I say give this book a go — BUT I’m not sure If I would spend money on this one! I gave this book a 3.5/5

6. Rock Bottom Girl by Lucy Score – After I read Lucy Score’s Things We Never Got Over, I wanted to try another one of Lucy’s books (that wasn’t in the series). This one was also a KU, and I really enjoyed it! The main character is hilarious, the supporting characters are memorable, and it even has some soccer in it! I love a good redemption romance story and this one definitely hits the ball through the net! If you’re in the mood for some fun, sporty romance and hot guys, give this book a try! I gave this book a 4/5

Summer Reads for Adults – Kindle Unlimited

If you really love the frugal life, you can get digital credits to use towards Amazon purchases of e-books, movies, and music! The next time you go to place an Amazon order, check out your delivery date options – you’ll see there if you have the opportunity to select a later delivery date for those digital credits. This is especially awesome if you read off a Kindle (or the Kindle app on your phone or tablet) – you can use those credits towards your next book download! 

Do you have a personal book reading challenge that you’ve set for yourself for the year? I personally used to be such a bookworm! My all-time favorite author is James Patterson, and I used to collect all of his hardback and paperback books, but I haven’t read him in probably over a decade now. Writing this post makes me want to carve out time to start picking up his books again, though! The last book that I read was Cat & Nats’ Mom Truths. Krista is the group’s bookworm, and last year she started a personal book reading challenge for herself which carried into this year! See Krista’s top 20 reads for adults this summer, six of which are Kindle Unlimited options, below!

Krista says, “I love reading…it gets me out of my head, and sometimes I feel like my brain is actually working versus sitting and watching a TV show – though I do love to binge-watch a good show! When I left my office job and started working fulltime for Frugal and Thriving, I told myself that since I was going to be home a lot more, I will not be sitting and watching TV on my down time – I will pick up a book a read! Last year I was able to read 31 books, and this year my new challenge was to read 35 books. As of today, I’ve read 30! I love to keep track of my books on the GoodReads app, where I can mark off the books I’ve read and rate them. I can also see what my friends are reading, and that’s where I keep track of my challenge for the year!”

These are her personal book reviews on her favorite 20 so far!

1. It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover – This was the first book I read this year, and I’m not going to lie, I did not have high hopes as It Ends with Us (the prequel) is one of my top 5 books. I loved every word of that book and recommend it to everyone, but I’m not a fan of sequels. Let’s be honest – most of the time they aren’t as good as the first one. With that said, I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you read It Ends with Us and enjoyed it, I would say give this book a shot because it wraps the story up for all the characters and lets you know how they are doing. It begins right where the story left off and I wish that I read it sooner, but I should’ve known I wouldn’t be disappointed with anything by Colleen Hoover. I gave this book a 4/5

2. Meet Me at the Lake by Carly Fortune – I went into this book thinking it was going to be like Every Summer After (Carly’s other book), and while the writing is still great, the story was completely different and I really loved this book! Just like Every Summer After, this book switched between the present and past, but this time it was only one day in the past. The book is set in a place that reminded me of Dirty Dancing, and I just loved the story line. I recommend this book if you’re looking for an easy read but with a fun location, tension-worthy romance, and that past and present buildup! I gave this book a 4/5

3. Happy Place by Emily Henry – I’ve only ever read one other book by Emily Henry and to be honest it wasn’t my favorite, but this one was recommended to me, and I am glad that I gave it a chance! It’s the perfect read to get you out of a slump or a book hangover…it got me out of my hangover from the Court series. It has relatable characters, fun writing, and keeps you intrigued the whole time! It would be a great vacation read! This book will be your new ‘Happy Place’ – see what I did there! I gave this book a 5/5

4. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez – This book was all over TikTok, and it has been on hold for weeks at the library, so I decided to splurge and buy it. I rarely do this, but I am so glad I did! If you have ever suffered with anxiety, you can relate to this book, and it was written so beautifully. Told from the point of view of the leading male and female, I literally fell in love with them both. I never thought anxiety could make me laugh but it truly did! I loved every word of this book and I didn’t want it to end. I found out it was the second in a series and I can tell you from experience, you don’t need to read book #1. I didn’t even realize it until I went to rate it on Goodreads! This book is so uplifting, truthful, and funny! This book should be added to your must-read pile! I gave this book a 5/5

5. Beartown by Fredrick Backman – I found this book when a friend had recommended another book by this author, and I was intrigued when I came across it. When I first started it, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it – the writing style was very different and it took me some time to really get into but once I did, it turned out to be a great book. There is no comedy or romance, so it’s not my typical read, but I am so glad I went for it. It’s an eye-opening book, and while it’s fiction, I know stories like this happen all over in the real world. I just discovered as I was getting the link for this book that there is another in the series, and honestly, I may even read it just to see what happens! I gave this book a 4.5/5

6. Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan – This book has it all – past/present storytelling, a run-in with the ex, celebrity romance, comedy, and the beach as a backdrop! The writing was easy to follow, and it takes place in the perfect beach town (I never knew Long Island had beach towns)! If you loved Every Summer After and The Summer I Turned Pretty, then you will fall head over heels for this book! I gave this book a 4/5

7. True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren – Well this book broke all my rules – I usually dislike sequels very much because they never live up to the first ones and I am always left disappointed, but man I was WRONG. This book is the second to Soulmate Equation and I was so nervous reading because I LOVED Soulmate, but man oh man this book was EVERYTHING! I laughed the whole time, I cried, I fell in love, I was angry, and did I mention I laughed because I really did the whole time! True Love is about the best friend from Soulmate, and I thought I loved her then, but this book being about her made me want to be her! It seriously has everything from a dating show trope and forbidden love to a strong female character, relatable male character, and so much comedy. If you love a rom-com then I highly recommend True Love Experiment! I gave this book a 6/5 (really 5/5 but If I could do 6/5 I would!)

8. Something Wilder by Christina Lauren – I will start out by saying Christina Lauren is one of my favorite authors and I read the majority of her books and always give her books over 4 stars, but it pains me to say this book is my lowest rated on this list (but I am including it because I will always support Christina Lauren!) I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. It has the great romance and great writing that all her books have, but it has this crazy treasure hunt in it and a Wild West thing (which I thought I would like but honestly hated). The characters were a bit much too, but if you like treasure hunts, the Wild West, and crazy characters, go for it! For me though, I’ll stick with Christina’s other books! I gave this book a 3/5

9. The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren – I debated not adding this book on here because I read it for the first time last year (I rented it through my library), but I LOVED this book and decided to purchase it and reread it this year because it is one of my favorite books! It is one of the best rom-coms, and of course has my favorite kind of character…the grumpy hot guy! This book has so much to it and to me, the story is really different from any others I’ve read! This book had me falling in love – and it was the book that made me fall in love with Christina Lauren. I gave this book a 5/5

10-14. Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Mass – I am not the biggest sci-fi reader. While I am a huge fan of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and the Divergent series, that’s about as far as I’ve ventured into the sci-fi world. TikTok (my main source of book recommendations) was constantly telling me to read this series though, and man oh man was I blown away! It took me about halfway through the first book to really be hooked, but once I got there, WOW – I could not stop! It is about fairies (this is my first fairy book), and the majority of my January and February were wrapped up in this series. Every character is amazing, there is the best romance, lots of thrills, and even comedy plus hot fairy men. Sarah J. Mass is an amazing writer! I am telling you, I literally completed the series and immediately went back and re-read books 2, 3, and 4. I would be torn to say book 2 or 3 is my favorite, but this series is up there with Harry Potter for me. If you feel like you can handle some sci-fi- in your life, I say give this series a try – just get through book 1 and it is SO worth it. I gave every book in this series a 5/5

Summer Reads for Adults

I do have a subscription to Kindle Unlimited, and I do read a lot of my books from there, so I am including these because I know as an avid Kindle Unlimited reader, I am always looking for more good books!

1. Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score – I was so late to the reading game on this book. I am not going to lie, I started this book once before and just could not get into it, but I needed something to read and didn’t want to spend the money, so Kindle Unlimited to the rescue! I was pleasantly surprised by this book and it has fun characters (um, hello grumpy hot guy?!)! I was not such a fan of the ending (without giving too much away it got into more of a mob boss deal that was a little much for me), but overall, for a Kindle Unlimited book, it is totally worth the read! There are 2 more books within this series, but I have not read them yet and I’m not sure I will (I am not the biggest fan of sequels). I gave this book a 4/5

2. Inmate by Freida McFadden – I have to be in the mood to read a thriller and I picked this one off of KU because I liked Freida’s other book The Housemaid. Any time I pick up a thriller, about halfway through I lose patience and read a spoiler, but this time I did not and I am glad I didn’t because I might’ve easily guessed who the killer was…I did not guess the twist in the end! To me, if you can’t guess the twist that’s a sign of a good thriller, and this one is definitely worth the read! I gave this book a 4/5

3. Six Summers to Fall by CW Farnsworth – I read another book by this same author this year, but I enjoyed this one more, so I decided to feature this one! The title alone led me to believe that this book would have an Every Summer After feel, but I was totally wrong! I love a good book that has a celebrity/normal person romance PLUS a fake relationship (my two favorite book tropes)! If you are looking for a fun, easy read, I’d say go for this one! I gave this book a 4/5

4. Simple Wild by K.A Tucker – My friend was reading this book and she said I need to give it a try, and I am glad I did. Set in Alaska, the writing made me feel like I was there! Between the landscape, the romance, and the fact that the main character was a social media influencer (her blog was not much different than Frugal and Thriving), I fell for this book hard! Now keeping that in mind, this book is book 1 of 4, and I’m not sure I will read the others because I enjoyed this one and am fearful it would ruin it reading more of them! I gave this book a 4/5

5. A Flicker in the Dark by Stacey Willingham – This is a thriller that was recommended by TikTok. This book was set in Baton Rouge (I love a book set in Louisiana!) and has a Girl on the Train vibe. There are several times I changed my mind about who the killer really was, and in the end I was pleasantly surprised, though I did read a spoiler on this one LOL. If you enjoyed Girl on the Train and have Kindle Unlimited, I say give this book a go — BUT I’m not sure If I would spend money on this one! I gave this book a 3.5/5

6. Rock Bottom Girl by Lucy Score – After I read Lucy Score’s Things We Never Got Over, I wanted to try another one of Lucy’s books (that wasn’t in the series). This one was also a KU, and I really enjoyed it! The main character is hilarious, the supporting characters are memorable, and it even has some soccer in it! I love a good redemption romance story and this one definitely hits the ball through the net! If you’re in the mood for some fun, sporty romance and hot guys, give this book a try! I gave this book a 4/5

Summer Reads for Adults – Kindle Unlimited

If you really love the frugal life, you can get digital credits to use towards Amazon purchases of e-books, movies, and music! The next time you go to place an Amazon order, check out your delivery date options – you’ll see there if you have the opportunity to select a later delivery date for those digital credits. This is especially awesome if you read off a Kindle (or the Kindle app on your phone or tablet) – you can use those credits towards your next book download! 

“I’m bored in the house i’m in the house bored”… Oh sorry, nothing to see here! For my house, I fortunately haven’t had to hear those dreaded two little words. Last summer was my first full summer with kids who weren’t doing some kind of summer camp and were literally on summer break from school. I ended up logging all of our daily activities on my Facebook page and it really was wild how busy I was able to keep them! It’s pretty much the same song and dance this summer break and I’ve got some great boredom busters for you to try!

This current summer isn’t much different than last year, other than one of my kids is attending a four week summer intervention program. This is a three hour long, three days a week, for four weeks program. She loves going to school so this is something that she looks forward too!

Pool – We have an above ground pool so a lot of time we don’t have to leave the house, my kids are fish and can literally swim around for most of the day. We have a ton of floats, diving toys, the watermelon ball and goggles, all you need to add is a friend or two sometimes and that’s a wrap!

Library Events – We have an amazing library in our town that offers a summer reading program for the kids, coordinated story times and crafts, demonstrations, classes and special events to attend. Our events are well known and loved so you often times have to be quick to sign up or you’ll be placed on a waiting list! Check your local library for summer hours and events, I was surprised at how often we go there during summer break. This summer they are also doing a scavenger hunt including other local businesses in town.

$2 Kid Movies at Regal Theaters – My kids love these, even if it’s a movie they’ve seen before, there’s nothing like seeing it on the big screen! Our theater has the nice reclining seats, so we bring blankets to get cozy, even my two year old son sits through a whole movie! On Tuesday showings, if your a rewards member the popcorn is half off so all five of us can see a movie and eat the oh so buttery popcorn for under $15! We sign up for all the movies we want from the end of June through August and if something comes up and we can make it, you have the option to release your seats and get a refund, I love the no pressure aspect of it.

Kids’ Bowl FREE! – This is a good activity on a rainy day! We have a few bowling alley’s around us that participate in the Kid’s Bowl FREE program where kids can bowl two FREE games of bowling each day during the Spring and Summer months. Sometimes we’ll go just us or we will make plans with friends to meet up and let the kids all bowl together and grab some lunch while we’re there! It is super easy to sign up too; you just find a participating center in your community by inputting your zip code, register your kids and go bowling! Two games is just enough time until they are ready to head back home!

Zoo/Aquarium Membership – We have a membership to our local zoo and when it’s not too hot, we’ll make a day of it getting our steps in and seeing all of the animals we can get to, along with some of the activities that they have, such as a train-ride, feeding the giraffes, and more. The more the merrier, with our guest passes we can bring some friends to join in on the fun too!

VBS – Vacation Bible School! VBS happens all throughout the end of June, July and beginning of August. We attended and I was a group leader for our home church VBS program. We also VBS – hop around to experience our friends church programs! They are usually 5 days long for 2-3 hours – either in the morning or at night. There’s a theme and so many activities, no two do it the same, and my kids thoroughly enjoy them, they just finished one where they got to see a live helicopter land, do a demonstration and take off!

County Programs – The county where I live has an events calendar every summer, they include family friendly shows located at different locations, the latest one we attended was a pirate magic show and movies in the park, so 1-2 times per week a movie will be projected onto an inflatable screen and the public can come out with their entire family and watch! We like to pack up our lawn chairs, blankets, bug spray, lantern, lots of snacks and popcorn and head on our way to catch an outdoor movie with friends or just us! All of our county programs are FREE to the public! They even offer summer concerts, pickle ball, guided trail walks and other special events.

Let us know in the comments what type of boredom busters you do with the littles to keep them busy!

“I’m bored in the house i’m in the house bored”… Oh sorry, nothing to see here! For my house, I fortunately haven’t had to hear those dreaded two little words. Last summer was my first full summer with kids who weren’t doing some kind of summer camp and were literally on summer break from school. I ended up logging all of our daily activities on my Facebook page and it really was wild how busy I was able to keep them! It’s pretty much the same song and dance this summer break and I’ve got some great boredom busters for you to try!

This current summer isn’t much different than last year, other than one of my kids is attending a four week summer intervention program. This is a three hour long, three days a week, for four weeks program. She loves going to school so this is something that she looks forward too!

Pool – We have an above ground pool so a lot of time we don’t have to leave the house, my kids are fish and can literally swim around for most of the day. We have a ton of floats, diving toys, the watermelon ball and goggles, all you need to add is a friend or two sometimes and that’s a wrap!

Library Events – We have an amazing library in our town that offers a summer reading program for the kids, coordinated story times and crafts, demonstrations, classes and special events to attend. Our events are well known and loved so you often times have to be quick to sign up or you’ll be placed on a waiting list! Check your local library for summer hours and events, I was surprised at how often we go there during summer break. This summer they are also doing a scavenger hunt including other local businesses in town.

$2 Kid Movies at Regal Theaters – My kids love these, even if it’s a movie they’ve seen before, there’s nothing like seeing it on the big screen! Our theater has the nice reclining seats, so we bring blankets to get cozy, even my two year old son sits through a whole movie! On Tuesday showings, if your a rewards member the popcorn is half off so all five of us can see a movie and eat the oh so buttery popcorn for under $15! We sign up for all the movies we want from the end of June through August and if something comes up and we can make it, you have the option to release your seats and get a refund, I love the no pressure aspect of it.

Kids’ Bowl FREE! – This is a good activity on a rainy day! We have a few bowling alley’s around us that participate in the Kid’s Bowl FREE program where kids can bowl two FREE games of bowling each day during the Spring and Summer months. Sometimes we’ll go just us or we will make plans with friends to meet up and let the kids all bowl together and grab some lunch while we’re there! It is super easy to sign up too; you just find a participating center in your community by inputting your zip code, register your kids and go bowling! Two games is just enough time until they are ready to head back home!

Zoo/Aquarium Membership – We have a membership to our local zoo and when it’s not too hot, we’ll make a day of it getting our steps in and seeing all of the animals we can get to, along with some of the activities that they have, such as a train-ride, feeding the giraffes, and more. The more the merrier, with our guest passes we can bring some friends to join in on the fun too!

VBS – Vacation Bible School! VBS happens all throughout the end of June, July and beginning of August. We attended and I was a group leader for our home church VBS program. We also VBS – hop around to experience our friends church programs! They are usually 5 days long for 2-3 hours – either in the morning or at night. There’s a theme and so many activities, no two do it the same, and my kids thoroughly enjoy them, they just finished one where they got to see a live helicopter land, do a demonstration and take off!

County Programs – The county where I live has an events calendar every summer, they include family friendly shows located at different locations, the latest one we attended was a pirate magic show and movies in the park, so 1-2 times per week a movie will be projected onto an inflatable screen and the public can come out with their entire family and watch! We like to pack up our lawn chairs, blankets, bug spray, lantern, lots of snacks and popcorn and head on our way to catch an outdoor movie with friends or just us! All of our county programs are FREE to the public! They even offer summer concerts, pickle ball, guided trail walks and other special events.

Let us know in the comments what type of boredom busters you do with the littles to keep them busy!

There’s not much that beats a day at the pool in your own backyard oasis. In-ground, above ground, Intex – no matter what kind of pool you have, you can never have enough pool floats, toys, and entertainment, and I’ve got the 4-1-1 on all of this summer’s pool essentials!

This is a must-have, the versatility of being able to lay down or use in multiple ways. Kristy says she’s able to help her son learn how to swim all while relaxing on this water hammock.

Use in or out of the pool since they won’t clog your filter like regular water balloons can and don’t leave a mess around the yard. The fun doesn’t stop once out of the pool…these reusable water balloons are a hit -and they’re 30% off right now when you clip the digital coupon and use code HILIOPWR.

Waterproof playing cards for the lake, beach or poolside. Enjoy a friendly game of poker, solitaire, or war without worrying about getting the cards wet or ruined.

Water Barbies with pools and boats are always a hit – they’re great for imaginative play and sibling play if you’re like me and have three daughters. We like to pair our Barbies with our Ariel mermaid dolls, and don’t forget a water soaker!

My kids love these Banzai mermaids! They play in and out of the water with them, and they will let their two-year-old brother throw them in the pool for them to retrieve for him as a game. It promotes underwater swimming and imaginative play.

3/4 of my kids are swimmers now, but we have always used the puddle jumpers for our non-swimmers when we aren’t actively teaching them how to swim. It eases our mind to have this available and gives our kids a sense of safety and independence when around the pool area.

My kids enjoy using their kick boards for getting around the pool or just taking a minute to hang out and relax without having to kick kick kick. Kick boards really help with strengthening core and legs too. These mini split ring pool floats are also a hit – they are the perfect float for toddlers and bigger kids too.

Swim googles are a must as being able to open your eyes under water brings a whole new element of fun to swimming. These diving mask googles are a kid favorite. They are anti-fog and good for kids who are learning to swim and explore under water.

This watermelon ball is a group favorite! I am still waiting for mine to arrive, but this ball floats, sinks and rises so you’re able to play with it above and below the water. The ball is filled with water and air so it floats like a melon and plays like a ball for loads of fun.

This pool side basketball system brings a classic game of basketball to the pool, adding an element of fun to any pool day. Play H.O.R.S.E or P.I.G to keep it fun!

Diving toys are great for keeping the kids busy for hours of pool play, throwing, diving and collecting rings and sharks over and over again. Diving toys help with underwater swimming and motor skills.

This underwater seek and splash game is one for the whole family to participate in. This game comes with waterproof cards and gems. The gems are placed at the bottom of the pool, and you call out a sequence of gems to find and the first person to bring up all of the gems in the sequence gets a point – the first to 5 wins! Play over and over again!

Nothing gets more classic that a good ole’ super soaker water gun battle! Play in or out of the pool for a friendly game of water tag.

Safety is key, and if you have a multi depth pool, you’ll want to separate the deep end clearly so that your kids or guests know where the deep end begins. This floating pool rope helps clearly divide the pool from shallow to deep end.

I love fun and eye-catching pool floats! The imaginative play of being able to float above the water leads to lots of pool time fun. This unicorn float adds a bit of sparkle to the water, and floats like this are super popular.

Lastly, when you’re ready to wrap the day up, grab yourself a mesh bag to throw all of the toys in! This will allow them to fully dry before storing them inside or in a pool deck box. They come in all different sizes so you can customize to your amount/sizes of pool entertainment.

There’s not much that beats a day at the pool in your own backyard oasis. In-ground, above ground, Intex – no matter what kind of pool you have, you can never have enough pool floats, toys, and entertainment, and I’ve got the 4-1-1 on all of this summer’s pool essentials!

This is a must-have, the versatility of being able to lay down or use in multiple ways. Kristy says she’s able to help her son learn how to swim all while relaxing on this water hammock.

Use in or out of the pool since they won’t clog your filter like regular water balloons can and don’t leave a mess around the yard. The fun doesn’t stop once out of the pool…these reusable water balloons are a hit -and they’re 30% off right now when you clip the digital coupon and use code HILIOPWR.

Waterproof playing cards for the lake, beach or poolside. Enjoy a friendly game of poker, solitaire, or war without worrying about getting the cards wet or ruined.

Water Barbies with pools and boats are always a hit – they’re great for imaginative play and sibling play if you’re like me and have three daughters. We like to pair our Barbies with our Ariel mermaid dolls, and don’t forget a water soaker!

My kids love these Banzai mermaids! They play in and out of the water with them, and they will let their two-year-old brother throw them in the pool for them to retrieve for him as a game. It promotes underwater swimming and imaginative play.

3/4 of my kids are swimmers now, but we have always used the puddle jumpers for our non-swimmers when we aren’t actively teaching them how to swim. It eases our mind to have this available and gives our kids a sense of safety and independence when around the pool area.

My kids enjoy using their kick boards for getting around the pool or just taking a minute to hang out and relax without having to kick kick kick. Kick boards really help with strengthening core and legs too. These mini split ring pool floats are also a hit – they are the perfect float for toddlers and bigger kids too.

Swim googles are a must as being able to open your eyes under water brings a whole new element of fun to swimming. These diving mask googles are a kid favorite. They are anti-fog and good for kids who are learning to swim and explore under water.

This watermelon ball is a group favorite! I am still waiting for mine to arrive, but this ball floats, sinks and rises so you’re able to play with it above and below the water. The ball is filled with water and air so it floats like a melon and plays like a ball for loads of fun.

This pool side basketball system brings a classic game of basketball to the pool, adding an element of fun to any pool day. Play H.O.R.S.E or P.I.G to keep it fun!

Diving toys are great for keeping the kids busy for hours of pool play, throwing, diving and collecting rings and sharks over and over again. Diving toys help with underwater swimming and motor skills.

This underwater seek and splash game is one for the whole family to participate in. This game comes with waterproof cards and gems. The gems are placed at the bottom of the pool, and you call out a sequence of gems to find and the first person to bring up all of the gems in the sequence gets a point – the first to 5 wins! Play over and over again!

Nothing gets more classic that a good ole’ super soaker water gun battle! Play in or out of the pool for a friendly game of water tag.

Safety is key, and if you have a multi depth pool, you’ll want to separate the deep end clearly so that your kids or guests know where the deep end begins. This floating pool rope helps clearly divide the pool from shallow to deep end.

I love fun and eye-catching pool floats! The imaginative play of being able to float above the water leads to lots of pool time fun. This unicorn float adds a bit of sparkle to the water, and floats like this are super popular.

Lastly, when you’re ready to wrap the day up, grab yourself a mesh bag to throw all of the toys in! This will allow them to fully dry before storing them inside or in a pool deck box. They come in all different sizes so you can customize to your amount/sizes of pool entertainment.

Father’s Day is less than a week away, and if you’re still trying to figure out the perfect gift for dad, don’t fret! We’ve got you covered with a little help from our good friend, Amazon. These gifts are fun, budget-friendly, and should all arrive in time for the big day! See our Father’s Day gifts from Amazon below.

Gifts Under $100

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

If your budget isn’t super tight, all of these gifts are practical and less than $100!

Shop Gifts Under $100

Gifts Under $50

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

If you’re looking to spend a little less, these fun gifts are all under $50!

Shop Gifts Under $50

Gifts Under $20

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

And if you really don’t want to break the bank, these awesome gifts are all $20 or less!

Shop Gifts Under $20

Father’s Day is less than a week away, and if you’re still trying to figure out the perfect gift for dad, don’t fret! We’ve got you covered with a little help from our good friend, Amazon. These gifts are fun, budget-friendly, and should all arrive in time for the big day! See our Father’s Day gifts from Amazon below.

Gifts Under $100

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

If your budget isn’t super tight, all of these gifts are practical and less than $100!

Shop Gifts Under $100

Gifts Under $50

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

If you’re looking to spend a little less, these fun gifts are all under $50!

Shop Gifts Under $50

Gifts Under $20

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

And if you really don’t want to break the bank, these awesome gifts are all $20 or less!

Shop Gifts Under $20

Our school professionals work so hard all year long, and now that summer break is approaching, it’s time for them to take a much-deserved break! Help them out by giving them a sun-sensational gift they can use and enjoy all summer long! These end-of-year gifts can be customized to include whatever seasonal goodies you want…see our end-of-year gift ideas below!

Whether you want to grab a pretty insulted cooler or a fun drink dispenser to fill with little knick-knacks, or even a fishbowl filled with Jell-O shots or airplane shooters (Kristy’s son’s preschool teachers had 34 students in her class and 28 of them were boys – so yes, this was a much-appreciated gift), these summer-themed gifts will keep your teachers relaxed and loving life until the next school year starts.

Fill your insulated coolers with the essentials like drink mixers (we love pineapple juice or tropical juice for summer) and a Brumate shaker for easy mixing and drinking, cute beach towel chair clips, and travel-sized skincare and beauty products like hair ties and nail polish! 

Stock up your drink dispensers with mini sun safety products, dry shampoo, refreshing facial mist, a cute coffee mug or stemless wineglass, and other summertime favorites!

These are some great go-to basket fillers – little snacks, hydration packs, and gum are also great ideas!

These clear bags are perfect for storing all of those little goodies! Add this adorable gift tag and the teachers are sure to appreciate your thoughtful gift!

Our school professionals work so hard all year long, and now that summer break is approaching, it’s time for them to take a much-deserved break! Help them out by giving them a sun-sensational gift they can use and enjoy all summer long! These end-of-year gifts can be customized to include whatever seasonal goodies you want…see our end-of-year gift ideas below!

Whether you want to grab a pretty insulted cooler or a fun drink dispenser to fill with little knick-knacks, or even a fishbowl filled with Jell-O shots or airplane shooters (Kristy’s son’s preschool teachers had 34 students in her class and 28 of them were boys – so yes, this was a much-appreciated gift), these summer-themed gifts will keep your teachers relaxed and loving life until the next school year starts.

Fill your insulated coolers with the essentials like drink mixers (we love pineapple juice or tropical juice for summer) and a Brumate shaker for easy mixing and drinking, cute beach towel chair clips, and travel-sized skincare and beauty products like hair ties and nail polish! 

Stock up your drink dispensers with mini sun safety products, dry shampoo, refreshing facial mist, a cute coffee mug or stemless wineglass, and other summertime favorites!

These are some great go-to basket fillers – little snacks, hydration packs, and gum are also great ideas!

These clear bags are perfect for storing all of those little goodies! Add this adorable gift tag and the teachers are sure to appreciate your thoughtful gift!