4th of July Fun Family Ideas

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays ( I say that about every holiday :) I think it started with the fact that I loved the little house on the prairie books and you know how important the fourth of july was to them! They got to get all spiffied up and head to town! Horse races, fireworks, and of course, the lemonade! Where I grew up in Ohio, we had the most spectacular fireworks and our family had a special spot. We went to an elementary school nearby the stadium where they shot off the fireworks and me and my friends would sit on top of the monkey bars to watch! Now that Im all grown up and have babies of my own, we get the privilege of living in America's Hometown, Hannibal, MO where the 4th of July means Tom Sawyer Days!

  TomBoy Sawyer contestant giving her Frog Jumping Contest froggy a kiss for good luck ;) 

NATIONAL TOM SAWYER DAYS  ~check it out ya know you want to. Frog jumping contests, arts and crafts, the national fence painting competition, mud volleyball, parade, fireworks shot off lovers leap over the mississippi, to much to even mention. But for us, we just really like to go to the parade, then watch the fireworks in our families secret spot. It is the absolute best place, hardly anyone is ever there, and no i will never tell!!! I also love to throw 4th of July bbq's. I won't be able to this year because of health issues, but I already had all my ideas planned out so I thought I'd share them with you!! Something you should all know about me, I'm obsessed with event and party planning. Seriously. I have a folder with over 350 birthday party ideas so my kids will never have to worry about not knowing what to do for their birthdays.
So without any more chatter.... my plans for 4th of July if I wasnt sick :)

Firecracker Favors : got this from FAMILY FUN MAGAZINE , i adore that magazine. Anyway, this was what I was going to use as the little going away treat for the kids to take home. Was thinking maybe a pool party/ outdoor bbq. But basically, you take the outer roll cover off of lifesavers pack, and wrap pretty patriotic scrapbook paper or colored tape or something around it, make it look all cute, then insert those cool foil party picks you get at fancy schmancy restraunts. Or hobby lobby, lol. so they look like little firecrackers, and surprise theres candy inside!!!!


Next cute thing, I think I got this from ALL YOU MAGAZINE can't remember what it's called, but want to give them their credit! You take white chocolate chips and melt them in the microwave,

then dip the tops of ice cream cones ( waffle cones look the best) into the melted chocolate then roll it around in red, white, and blue sprinkles. Display them all pretty like, then serve ice cream cones! They look so cool!!!!!!!




Lot's of families go camping on the 4th of July weekend.... here is a cute as can beFAMILY CAMPING KIT from  THE DATING DIVAS.  The Family Camping Kit comes with :

Camping Binder with a packing checklist and to-do list.
Camping Menu to make meal planning easy.
Camping Games for some fun family bonding around the campfire.
Scavenger Hunt to keep the kids entertained around the camp site.
Campfire S'mores Kit to make the BEST part of camping an even bigger treat!

Now how cool is that ??? Fun huh ! Plus it will be good for all summer ;)

This BLOG POST has some super cute activities for 4th of July. It's from one of my faves ~ THE REDHEADED HOSTESS . I sooo want to try the writing with sparklers picture !!!!

Is it raining on the 4th ?? That happens sometimes whether we like it or not :( Well, if it is raining or you just want to snuggle in and enjoy a quiet evening... may I suggest watching the new Owlegories episode or maybe mom and dad need a date night ?? Saints and Soldiers movies are now streaming on
LIVING SCRIPTURES STREAMING LIBRARY  if you use that link - congrats ! You just got 50% off your first month ;) Hey it's only like ten bucks a month anyway and everyone knows the many many amazing things about it because I talk about it allll the time but if you are new here - follow this LINK to find out why i'm in looove with it.

For the grand finale,  I usually make a simple cake with cool whip and strawberries and blueberries This one from KRAFT RECIPES is really similar and looks super yummy. Honestly they have some of the easiest, yummiest recipes. Yup, simple I know but it tastes soooo summer like and good.
Don't forget to make your famous lemonade recipe ( you wouldn't think that I would forget the lemonade ? Did you not remember how much I love little house on the prairie?)


 

Happy 4th of July !!! Celebrate it SAFELY !!
Love, JL~ Happy Parenting !!