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You may have made tie-dye shirts before, but have you ever made tie-dyed shoes? I had this idea in my head for cute summer shoes. I wasn’t sure how these would turn out, or if the shoes would even take the dye but they turned out awesome and we loved making them! This Summer, we hope to be engaging the kids in crafts and activities so they aren't glued to their screens all day long. I feel like I try to do a pretty good job of giving them free time to play, as well as some structured activities we can do together, or with friends. These DIY tie-dye shoes were a fun and colorful summer craft we all enjoyed! Tie-Dye Shoes Supplies: Tie Dye Kit White Canvas shoes (kid shoes and adult shoes) Paint palette Paint brushes (we used chunky brushes) Directions: 1. Prepare your tie-dye bottles by adding water and shaking them up until the powder dye is fully dissolved. My little one loved helping with this part. We used this Tulip one-step tie-dye kit and it was so easy! 2. Squirt your rainbow colors into the paint palette and using a big paint brush, dip it into the dye and add it to the shoe. Squirting straight from the bottle didn’t work for us. It was more of a dabbing the dye technique. But test it out and see what works best for you and your kiddos. 3. We started at the toe and worked our way back following the rainbow pattern. (Note: We didn’t use all 12 colors from the set) 4. Set your shoes in a plastic bag overnight (or about 12 hours). Then rinse, air dry, and wear! While my daughter was making bright rainbow shoes, my son was making colorful color-block shoes. We took our laces out when we tie-dyed our shoes so they would stay white but you could dye them rainbow colors or a solid color if you wanted to. Shop Tie Dye Shoes Project: The final product turned out so cute! She will be wearing the heck out of them all summer long! Also, you will have lots of dye left over to create tie-dye shirts too! For more summer fun for kids, check out these posts: No-Churn Triple Chocolate Ice Cream and Flower Jars Craft!

June is Pride Month when the LGBTQIA+ community and allies celebrate love for all. Many queer families and children use this time to be seen and accepted. We are sharing Pride books for kids and teens. Providing our children with diverse stories gives them an amazing opportunity to emotionally connect with people who may be similar or different from them. Pride Books for Kids We found these books to be joyous additions to story time with our children! Be prepared for heartfelt conversations, an outpouring of empathy, and lots of giggles! Plenty of Hugs by Fran Manushkin - A rhyming picture book about 2 mommies that spend the day with their toddler. A loving celebration of family! Teo's Tutu by Maryann Jacobs Macias - A sweet story about a boy's first ballet recital. This book celebrates gender creativity, being yourself, and the joy of dance! Pride Puppy by Robin Stevenson - Follow this family and their puppy through a vibrant day at the Pride parade. Lots of rainbow colors and giggles in this book. Our Subway Baby by Peter Mercurio - The powerful picture book that tells the true story of how one baby found his way to a loving home from the NYC subway. My Shadow is Purple by Scott Stuart - A heartwarming book that takes on the societal themes of masculinity and embraces the many experiences across the gender spectrum. The Pronoun Book by Cassandra Jules Corrigan - Together we can learn about pronouns and why they are important through this powerful book about gender diversity and acceptance. Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian - Two worms meet and fall in love, but who wears the tux and who wears the dress? Worm Loves Worm is a creative take on love! Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer - Stella celebrates the meaning of family with her two Dads during a Mother's Day celebration. Prince and Knight by Daniel Haack - A queer-friendly fairy tale for young readers. Gay boys deserve fairytales too! And there is a dragon. There is a follow-up book too - Tale of the Shadow King. Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer - A board book that is inclusive to everyone and shows that the main thing that makes up every family is love! And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell - a true story of a nontraditional family that started at the penguin house in the Central Park Zoo. Pink is For Boys by Robb Pearlman - These kids combat gender stereotypes and show that all the colors in the rainbow are for everyone to love! There are so many great children's books that celebrate Pride. We will probably add to this list every year! Next up are our middle-grade Pride books! Middle-Grade Pride Books Middle-grade years offer a lot of changes and the beginnings of more real-life plots and deeper meaningful connections with characters. There can be a lot of changes both inside and outside our bodies and reading these books can help kids process different feelings and emotions while offering them characters they can relate to. We hope these books help build compassion towards ourselves and others who may be different than us. Melissa by Alex Gino - People see Melissa as a boy named George, but Melissa knows she’s a girl. She wants to play Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web but her teacher says that’s a girl part so she comes up with a plan to show the school exactly who she really is. Previously published as George. Answers in the Pages by David Levithan - Parents at school are trying to ban a book with possibly gay characters. Donovan fights to keep that from happening in this timely novel that involves the twists and turns of trying to gain gay acceptance. Hazel’s Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jane Bigelow - Hazel is a 13-year-old girl getting ready to go into 8th grade. This book embraces growing through tough times and examines topics such as miscarriage and what it means to be a good friend. It has a diverse cast of characters including Jewish, queer, and transgender. Hazel loves science so there are a lot of STEM references for science lovers too. Small Town Pride by Phil Stamper - when this middle school boy comes out as gay and his dad hangs the pride flag outside their home, he quickly becomes the topic of discussion as people fear this pride may lead to *gasp* a pride parade. Through the eyes of the lovable character, we learn about some of the feelings 13-year-olds experience about their bodies, sexuality, and thoughts about love. Snapdragon by Kat Leyh - a comic book style book with lots of inclusivity and trans positivity. This book reminds us that we aren’t always what society wants to typecast us as. It reminds you to believe in yourself and find joy in the weird and wonderful things that make us unique. Ana on the Edge by AJ Sass. Ana is a figure skater and wearing princess costumes for her performances makes her uncomfortable. She befriends a trans boy and discovers she might be nonbinary. This is a good middle-grade book for learning to take up your own space and embrace who you are. Ellen Outside the Lines by AJ Sass - A thirteen-year-old neurodivergent girl who only gets crushes on girls. When a new nonbinary classmate enters her world Ellen questions her binary view of the world. Ellen has to learn to embrace that not everything moves in straight lines. This is our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us - Insightful and diverse stories that celebrate LGBTQIA+. Celebrate humanity and who we choose to be and love. Each short story is heartwarming and brilliant. Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo - a folksy magical book about two preteen girls from rival witch families who accidentally restart an old war. With an intersex character, it exposes the biases they face as well as some honest portrayals of poverty all wrapped up in the magical story. The Civil War of Amos Abernathy by Michael Leali - A boy who loves history is trying to find out more about past LGBTQ historical figures. Amos works to shed more light on history that we forget and brings life to things like being black or being gay. This book works to make space for the anger and frustration that many feel while offering hope as Amos tries to change the world. Drum Roll Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow - Melly is a girl away at band camp and she’s put in situations that push her out of her comfort zone. We love that Melly doesn’t let anyone label her and she blooms into her own person through exposure to different music, developing a crush on a fellow camper, and dealing with emotions about her parents. Melly grows in really meaningful ways. Another good musically inspired LGBTQ middle-grade book is In The Key of Us by Mariama J. Lockington. The Science of Being Angry by Nicole Melleby - a deeper dive into the big feelings of an 11-year-old. Her moms don’t always say or do the right things. A middle-grade exploration of feelings, queerness, mental health, and family. Pride Books for Teens and Young Adults Please note: While we encourage embracing differences and providing empathy to those around us regardless of gender or sexual preferences, many of these books have some older themes and trigger warnings attached to many of them. Research accordingly, and if any of those make you uncomfortable, we encourage you to think about what your teen can handle, may be facing or seeing firsthand, or is ready for, and be prepared for the many different conversations these books may spark. Happy reading! Teens and young adults, they want more sophisticated characters. Less in their face moral stories, but more connection and acceptance as they navigate the social waters of high school and beyond. Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould - a book about ghosts, queer girls, and the mystery of a young boy's disappearance. An ominous story where the truth is buried but how long can it stay that way? Another similar book is Burn the Bodies Down about a teen who unravels her family's hidden past. Ophelia After All by Raquel Marie - Ophelia rediscovers herself in this YA contemporary book. A diverse cast of characters and coming of age story that pulls at the heartstrings! The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon - An epic fantasy book with pirates, dragons, magic, and more. It follows 4 main points of view and several LGBTQA+ characters. Horse Barbie by Geena Rocero - A brand new (May 2023) memoir about Geena, a trans pageant queen from the Philippines. This book discusses the risks of being honest, social acceptance, our views on beauty, pageants, and modeling as well as discrimination. Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy - Ramona addresses the complexity of the heart. She thinks she's gay but then she discovers that love can be fluid which is pretty poetic since she's a teenage swimmer. Loveless by Alice Oseman - Georgia doesn't understand why she doesn't have crushes until she discovers the A in LGBTQIA+ and proves that love and connection can come in many forms. Pedro and Daniel by Frederico Erebia - This historical fiction is a story about two Mexican American brothers growing up in the 1970s. Both are gay and neurodivergent but have different struggles in life. You enter a giveaway to win a free copy of this book on Goodreads. All The Things They Said We Couldn't Have by Tasha Oakes-Monger - a story of trans joy and community, but also the serious struggles of transphobia. Gives a light to trans people in a dark world but also can be used to enlighten cis people who want to learn more about being transgender. Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. - A memoir about a young 14 Mulsim girl who has a crush on her female teacher. She is also grappling with family, displacement, migration, sexuality, and finding her community. In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune - A fantasy book that is a retelling of Pinocchio but with robots and inspired by other stories such as Wizard of Oz and Wall-E. The primary theme is emotions; love, guilt, anxiety, empathy as well as forgiveness, and acceptance. Includes an asexual main character as well as a gay relationship. Fine: a Comic About Gender by Rhea Ewing - short stories and interviews presented in graphic novel style. Focuses on gender roles, relationships, and sexuality while proving that there isn't one right way to look at something and that you are enough. A celebration of the transgender community. Endpapers by Jennifer Savron - Gender identity exploration with a nonbinary main character who finds a gay love letter and is determined to track down its author in hopes it can help her understand and answer questions about herself as well. There are so many good books out there, we had a hard time creating our list. Let us know your favorite picture or chapter books to read during Pride month! Also, check out our Bookworm Bookmarks for helping encourage kids to get reading this summer!

Summer is great for "chillin'" (as my son says) but, it's also a great time to read some good books! I created these adorable printable summer reading challenge bookmarks aka "bookworm bookmarks" to help kids track their reading this summer. We always seem to use our library card the most during the summer break. I'm always encouraging my kids to find new, interesting books to read over Summer when we have the most downtime. It gives their brain something to do (helps combat that summer slide) and it also gives us some quiet time each day to decompress. There are 4 different bookworm bookmarks that you can print and use this summer. Either use the ones that suit your needs the most, or print them all and see how many bookworms you can get filled in by the end of summer break! Each bookmark has a variety of reading prompts like "read outside", "read a book about someone different than you", "read a book with magic in it" and much more! There are eight different prompts on each bookmark. Once that book is read, fill in the bookworm's body segment with the coordinating color. You don't have to go in order at all, it's just something fun to add to your summer. Print our bookworm summer reading challenge bookmarks (link below) and take them with you the next time you head to your local library! Download Bookworm Summer Reading Challenge Bookmarks Need a home printer? This Epson Ecotank is our favorite home printer! You may also like our: DIY Bookworm Library Bag What are you and your kids reading this Summer? Here are some curated book lists to get you started. Earth and Nature inspired picture books Pride Books for Kids and Teens 35 Books about Diversity and Kindness

We made some Puffy Sidewalk Chalk Paint with the kids as a way to spend some time outdoors creating art on the sidewalk in front of our house! Puffy Sidewalk Chalk Paint Supplies: 1/3 cup flour 1/3 cup water 1 tsp liquid dish soap (I used Dawn) 1/2 stick of sidewalk chalk, crushed 8oz squeeze bottles Plastic baggie for crushing chalk Hammer for crushing chalk Small bowl for mixing ingredients Knife and cutting board for cutting chalk Funnel Scissors (some of the paint was too thick for the holes in the bottle so I cut the tip off a little to make the hole bigger.) Note: This recipe is for making 1 color of chalk. Repeat this recipe as many times for as many colors of chalk as you want. Directions: Cut your sidewalk chalk in half and place it in a plastic baggie. On a hard surface like the sidewalk, use the hammer to crush the piece of sidewalk chalk into a powder. 3. In a bowl, mix together the flour, water, soap, and chalk powder. Stir until well combined. 4. Using a funnel, pour the mixture into squeezable containers. 5. Repeat steps as many times as needed to create several different chalk colors. Have fun creating art! The kids loved writing and drawing with our new paint. Shop Puffy Sidewalk Chalk Supplies:

This easy seafood pasta salad is bursting with summer seafood flavors! It makes a great dish to take to a summer celebration, pool party, or cookout! Ingredients: 12 oz box medium pasta shells 8 oz, frozen pre-cooked salad shrimp 8 oz, frozen peas 20 oz, imitation crab meat lemon juice (1 lemon) 3/4 cup mayonnaise (sometimes I added a little more after it sits in the fridge overnight) Directions: In a large pot of salted water, boil your pasta as directed on the package. When there are a few minutes left to boil, add your frozen peas to boiling water. For example, my peas said they need to be boiled for 5 minutes, so I added them to my cooking pasta in the last 5 minutes of cook time. Once your pasta and peas have cooked, drain them in a colander and run them under cold water. Roughly chop your imitation crab. In a large bowl with a lid, add your crab meat, frozen precooked shrimp (they will dethaw in the pasta), drained pasta and peas, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Stir well to combine and season to taste. Salt and pepper really make this dish pop but if you want more flavor feel free to add the seasonings of your choice. Creole gives it a nice kick! Store in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. This can also be made the night before. It tastes better the next day in my opinion. Serve chilled, as a side dish, or on its own for a light lunch! *Note: If you don't like shrimp, this can be made into just a crab pasta salad by doubling the crab meat and omitting the shrimp. We make it this way about half of the time. This is a staple of my childhood summers (with a few tweaks) and it is great for taking to picnics or pool parties! It really pairs well with a big glass of lemonade. Be sure to try our Lavender Lemonade too this summer!

When I was a kid, I used to go camping with my family in our camper. Now, as an adult, I have enjoyed my share of tent camping trips as well. I'm sharing some of my favorite camping gifts and accessories that will make your next camping trip even more fun! We rounded up a little bit of everything, from RV camping to tent camping, kids to tech-loving adults, there is something for everyone in this camping gift guide. I hope everyone gets to spend a lot of time outdoors this summer and take lots of trips to the mountains and lakes to enjoy nature. Smores Caddy Starting off strong with this cute Smores Caddy. It is a cooler bag for all your smores ingredients and 4 telescoping roasting sticks Camping Hat If you're like me, camping means no hair and makeup, but I still want to feel cute. This Camping Hair Hat is the perfect camping accessory! Camping Cutting Board This Camping Cutting Board is a 9-in-1 multifunctional tool for any camp kitchen! The best part, it's foldable! Cooler Light Upgrade your cooler with this Cooler Light to keep the party going late into the night. RV potholders These Happy Camper Pot Holders are just too cute! They would make a great gift for someone with a camper. Shower Caddy Keep your toiletries organized with this Shower Caddy Movie Projector This one is a splurge, but this Movie Projector is too cool! Connect your phone, tv stick, laptop, or USB to project movies onto a wall, white sheet, or the side of your camper for an outdoor movie night while camping! Camping Table There never feels like there is enough space while camping, but this Folding Camping Table comes in handy with built in cup holders. Camping Lantern You gotta have light when you're camping. We love this LED rechargeable camping lantern that can unfold to create an overhead light or act as a flashlight. US Map Decals Add a new state as you roadtrip with these RV state decals perfect for windows or walls. Picnic Tablecloth How cute is this washable Camping tablecloth set. It comes with clips and a storage bag as well and fits most picnic tables. Campfire Popcorn Enjoy some fresh popcorn at the campsite with this Open fire popcorn maker. Light up Hat Don't get stuck in the dark trying to find the bathroom. Stay safe with this Beanie hat with light. Solar Powered Bank Keep your phone charged with this Solar powered bank. It's waterproof, lightweight, and has a compass. Campsite Flag Make your presence known with a Personalized campsite flag. This one is my favorite! Be sure to pin this camping gifts guide and share it with family and friends! What gadget is your favorite to add to your camping gear or gift to family and friends?

This Whipped Ricotta French Toast is one that screams breakfast in bed, but is actually pretty healthy and easy to whip up! It's quick enough to pull together, that I've made it on the weekends and during the weekdays (if I actually get up when my alarm goes off). Whipped Ricotta French Toast *Serves 4 Ingredients: 8 slices of whole-grain toast (2 per person) 5-6 eggs (depending on size) milk cinnamon nutmeg 3/4 cup ricotta 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 Tablespoons maple syrup (plus more for topping) fresh berries (we like strawberries and blueberries) *Special tools: griddle Directions: In a small bowl, crack your eggs. Add a splash of milk and cinnamon and nutmeg, as desired and whisk together. Preheat the griddle to about 300 and spray with nonstick spray. Coat each piece of bread in egg mixture, flipping to coat each side. I let mine sit on each side to really soak up the egg mixture. Place each slice of coated bread on the hot griddle. Repeat with all the slices of bread. Once the bread is cooked on one side, flip each piece to cook the other side. Remove to a plate for later. (not pictured - vanilla and nonstick spray) 6. In a clean bowl, mix together the 3/4 cup ricotta, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Whip together with a fork. You can also use a handheld immersion blender if you have one. 7. Plate your French toast (this recipe gives 2 pieces of toast per person) and top with 1/4 of the ricotta mixture. 8. Wash and slice your strawberries. Top your French toast with strawberries and blueberries or other fruit of your choice. 9. Serve with another splash of maple syrup on top and enjoy! I'm not kidding when I say my kids devour this! At first, the kids think the ricotta is weird but once I got my kids to taste it, they actually request the ricotta mixture anytime I mention making French toast. The ricotta gives it a bit more protein to make it a more filling breakfast and of course, the whole grain and berries help provide fiber and antioxidants so you can feel good about feeding your family in the morning! You may also like: Healthy Green Smoothie

Ahh baseball. A classic American sport. My little guy played baseball and it was SOO cute. Of course, as a great team parent, I had to supply snacks and I found some adorable baseball snacks for kids that don’t take much prep work. Your little baller will love them! Baseball Snacks for Kids I was that crazy parent who signed up for the first game snack of the season. I wanted to do something cute, but easy. We found these cute boxes of Cracker Jacks and knew they would have to kickstart our first season! "Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd! Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks!" All of the parents were singing the song. The kids loved the little prizes inside (tattoos) but were lost on the novelty of Cracker Jacks at their first baseball game. At the end of the baseball season, we wanted to thank his fellow teammates for a great season. I created this simple printable and attached them to these yummy Hostess Baseball Cupcakes as a thank-you treat! Get the printable PDF here We added his name to the bat in white marker. Then, I printed them off and stapled them to the baseball cupcakes to give out to his friends. They were much easier on Mom than trying to make baseball-decorated cupcakes and they had creme inside! I’d say that’s a win/win. The kids loved them and we hope your little baseball fans will too!

This is a fun project for toddler or preschoolers but honestly big kids (moms included) can have fun making these coffee filter butterflies! Supplies: Coffee filters Watercolor paints Paintbrushes Paper plates Pipe cleaners Directions: Lay your coffee filters out on paper plates and let the kids paint them with watercolors. Try out many different designs. We set out multiple plates with coffee filters on them at once so they had a lot to work with. Once the coffee filters are dry, scrunch them in the middle. Fold a pipe cleaner in half and wrap around the middle. Curl the antennae out to complete it and ta-da! One coffee filter makes one butterfly! We like to string our butterflies up on display so we can talk about them. They make a fun addition to the playroom during the Spring.