5 Ways to Feel Young Again

Sometimes don’t you just feel like a mom? And not in a good, nurturing way. Like you’re suddenly old and have kids … and what the heck happened? If you’re feeling that way and need a little pick-me-up, check out these tips from themotherboard.com.

5 Ways to Feel Young Again

1. Throw a party

2. Get selfish with your free time

3. Give yourself baby-soft feet

4. Fit in a good workout

5. Pick up a fun sport

We’d love your feedback! What changes have you made to feel young again and fit in more me-time?

Enjoy!

~ Ashley, from The Motherboard

Traveling Tips from Blogger Moms & The Motherboard

Most vacations are taken in August, which means many families are in vacation mode right now. At this very moment moms are planning for, packing for, currently surviving, and recovering from family vacations. TheMotherboard.com searched the blogosphere for articles, tips, and stories from other moms, plus included our own tips, to make your trip stress-free.

Tips from Mom Bloggers

• Backpack to Buggy shares a must-read A – Z traveling guide for families.
• Learn how to create a “Vacation Book” for your kids to keep them entertained and involved in your trip from Travels with Children.
• The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog asks readers to suggest after-dark camping activities for kids. Try these tips from other moms to help keep your kids entertained.

Tips from The Motherboard

• Amazing Historic Vacations
• Your Hassle-Free Vacation Guide
• 10 Ways to Save on Summer Travel

We’d love to hear your plans – please comment below and tell us where you’re headed.

Enjoy!

~ Ashley, from The Motherboard

Easy Ice Coffee & Tea Drinks

Replace your daily coffee or tea with one of these refreshing treats from themotherboard.com and http://www.bhg.com/. So simple – each takes just about 10 minutes to make.

Iced Mocha

Ingredients

1 cup cold water

1/4 cup ground French roast or espresso roast coffee

1/2 cup fat-free milk

2 tablespoons no-sugar-added chocolate-flavored drink mix (Nestle Nesquick®)

Ice cubes

Directions

1. Using a drip coffeemaker, add the water and ground coffee. Brew according to manufacturer’s directions. Pour coffee into a glass measuring cup. Stir in milk and drink mix.
2. Serve coffee mixture over ice in chilled tall glasses. Makes 2 (about 6-ounce) servings.

Minted Mango Tea

Ingredients

1 cup chopped refrigerated mango slices

1 cup pineapple juice

8 green tea bags

Directions

1. Place the chopped mango and pineapple juice in a blender container or food processor bowl. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate the pureed mixture.

2. Meanwhile, in a large glass bowl, pour boiling water over the tea bags and mint sprigs. Cover and let steep 5 minutes. Remove and discard the tea bags and mint sprigs. Cool, covered, for 1 hour. Chill for 2 hours.

3. Transfer the chilled tea to a 2-quart pitcher; add the pureed mango mixture and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Enjoy!

~ Ashley, from The Motherboard

Ice Cream Dessert Cheat Sheet

Summer is all about relaxing. That’s why themotherboard.com is collecting tips and ideas to keep summer simple. If you’re having company over or are just wanting to make something sweet, surprise your kids and guests with these delicious ice cream treats that are super simple to make.

Crunchy Ice Cream

Forget the cones? No big deal, replace it with cereal and let the kids help crush up their toppings.

Choose any flavor of ice cream and roll it in crushed-up cereal (or just sprinkle the cereal over the top for less mess). I like Kellogg’s® Corn Pops because it tastes just like a cone and adds a fun crunch to each bite. You can also use graham crackers instead of cereal.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Serve delicious chocolate chip mint ice cream cookies at your next party, here’s how:

Scoop mint ice cream onto one cookie and then place another cookie on top to create a sandwich. Wrap the ice cream sandwich in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to set up. You can also use vanilla wafers or brownies instead of a cookie.

Upside-Down Mini-Ice Cream Cakes

Get “fancy” without much work by using cupcake materials to make ice cream cakes.

Place paper cupcake holders in a cupcake pan (the pan will help the paper hold its shape). Then layer in at least 3 different kinds of ice cream on top of each other. Place cupcake pan in freezer so your ice cream cakes can set up. When ready to serve, simple dump your cupcake paper upside down and take the paper off. You’ll have a cute little layered ice cream cake. You can garnish with chocolate syrup, cherries, anything you want!

Yum 🙂 Hope you’re enjoying your summer!

~ Ashley, from The Motherboard

Dinning Room Chair Make-Over Ideas

There are just a few things you need to go yard-saling: a little bit of cash, good weather, and an imagination. A few weeks back we showed you how to turn a dud dresser into a stylish and functional storage piece. This time we are tackling dinning room chairs. Here are three ideas from themotherboard.com to jump-start your creativity:

1. Reupholster with a dish towel.

2. Apply a new bright paint color.

3. Make a unique flower pot.

We’d love to see pictures of your makeovers! Just post your blog link in the comment section below.

Enjoy!

~ Ashley, from The Motherboard

Back to Healthy After a Fun Fourth of July

Did your diet survive the holiday break? If you’re like me you probably have a few extra Independence Day calories stuck to your thighs and stomach. Don’t let your Fourth of July over-indulgence discourage you from continuing a healthy routine. Check out these 5 stories from themotherboard.com for tips on how to get back on track.

• Burn Off That BBQ!
• Your Skinny Shopping List
• Burn More Calories Every Day
• Workout Motivation
• Fit Mommas: Share Your Secrets!

Enjoy!

~ Ashley, from The Motherboard

4th of July Crafts – Done in 10 minutes

It’s Friday! Are you ready for weekend celebrations? If you need to get festive – in a quick way – try these craft ideas from themotherboard.com. Each craft only takes 10 minutes.

Fireworks T-Shirts

All you need is paint mixed with water, a straw, and a white shirt. Just blow the paint through the straw to spray it on to the shirt. Each family member will come back with a different design. Here are directions from The Motherboard.

  

Pop-Can Luminaries

Need quick red, white, and blue luminaries? Try pop cans! We used tin snips to cut the tops of the cans (wearing safety gloves) and then bent the tops down (so they wouldn’t cut anyone). We then used different sized nails to poke holes throughout the can. The result is a beautiful light display!

  

Stars-on-Sticks Garden Ornaments

This is a super simple idea the kids can do with almost no supervision (the best kind of activity!). Simply cut star shapes out of construction paper and glue or tape them on to sticks. Place the star sticks throughout your garden for bursts of festive color.

Enjoy!

~ Ashley, from The Motherboard

Fun 4th of July Ideas

Will you be entertaining at your house on July 4^th? If you’re looking for party inspiration – we can help you out. Here are ideas from themotherboard.com to make sure your Independence Day is fun and festive!

Decorations: Make these firecracker flags to decorate your home.

Entertainment: Use these ideas for a patriotic picnic.

Kid Activities: Try some of these fun outdoor activities to keep the kids entertained.

Enjoy!

~ Ashley, from The Motherboard

Tour Your Hometown for Summer Entertainment

At themotherbaord.com we’ve had our ear to the ground searching for unique ways to keep our kids entertained this summer. During our search we found a fun—and most of the time, free—idea you might want to try. Local tours. Let your kiddos be a tourist in their own town and set up tours with local business. Fire stations, police stations, and businesses are usually very open to the idea and many are already hosting tours. (Some places even hand out freebies for the kids!)

To start, just call up local business and find out who’s open to the idea. When you find a place interested in giving tours, here are a few questions to ask:

• Do you need to guarantee a specific number of kids in order to book a tour of the facility?
• Is there anything you need to prepare ahead of time?
• Are there any rules you need to discuss with kids before you get there.
• Will you need to bring money? How much per kid?

Kim Jackson, a childcare provider and blogger from Iowa, started tours in her hometown:

“The summer before last, we did lots of walks and I realized that the kids looked forward to going somewhere new and learning things that some of their parents did during the day. So that winter I started calling places to set up visits and everyone I asked welcomed us. We talk a lot that week about where we are going, what they think might see/do, and we find books in our collection to coordinate with each visit. It is written on our marker board so the parents always know what is happening that week and the next couple as well. Last summer was such a blast I knew we would do it again. It has been awesome!”

She’s setting up tours in grocery stores, farms, farmer’s markets, flower shops, restaurants, and more. Just look around at local businesses and you’ll come up with ideas!

Here are pictures of my little ones during a Fire Station tour. My son wanted to “drive” the fire truck and refused to leave. My daughter was obviously too young to do much, but we did pretend to put the hat on her – which her brother thought was pretty cool. My son talked about it for months after.

We’d love to hear tips and tricks from other parents who have set up tours before. Please share in the comment section below.

Have fun!

~ Ashley, from The Motherboard

Summery Ways to Pamper Yourself

It’s the first day of summer! Here are 5 things to do for yourself from themotherboard.com:

1. DIY Pedicure

2. Hair Style Make Over

3. Bright, Summery Homemade Decorations

4. Healthy-Skin Salt Bath

5. Summer Brain Boosters

Enjoy!

~ Ashley, from The Motherboard