How to “Summer” Effectively!

It’s an unofficial observation but it seems that people enjoy summer more than any other season.  Me?  I prefer fall and winter but there is something about summer that just makes everything right with the world.  The days are longer.  You can drive with the windows down and the music loud. Everything smells like coconuts.  You actually see and talk to your neighbors. Children play outside. Food tastes better, fruit is sweeter…  Maybe summer is Mother Nature’s way of making up for all of her winter shenanigans.  In the end, who cares?  It’s summer and Family & MWR has found some tried and true Summer Hacks to help you enjoy every single second of summer

So, without further ado and in no particular order, we present the best summer hacks…ever!

1.       Pre-Scooping Ice Cream

Every since I was a child, I have hated the mess scooping melted ice cream makes, almost as much as I hated trying to chisel a scoop of frozen ice cream out of the carton.  Pre-scooping the ice cream makes serving it a quick and clean enterprise!

2.       Watermelon Fries

One, it’s much easier to cut this way (no cutting melon cubes).  Two, little hands can hold this shape better.  Three, smaller rinds to throw away making for less juicy trash.

3.       Cupcake liners are your friend!

 

 

Turn cupcake liners upside down to keep that fly, wasp, bee, hornet, pigeon, bald eagle…out of your drink.  Use them right side up to keep the sticky green sugar slime off of the kids.  How cool is that?

4.       Flies and mosquitoes HATE the smell of Pine-Sol.  …who knew?

You’ve got to clean the outdoor furniture anyway either because it’s the first time this season that you’re using it, you’re eating on it, or you have company coming over.  Clean with Pine-Sol and you’ll be Zika free!

5.       Ziploc bags are a smart phone’s best friend!

Use a little Ziploc baggie to protect your smart phone when going to the beach, hanging out by the pool, or boating.  You can still use it through the bag without getting sand, oil, or water in it!

6.       Velcro your table cloths!

We have all suffered with trying to keep a table cloth on a table when dining outside.  Get a package of those 3M Velcro squares. Put one side on the table and the other side on the underside of the table cloth.  Viola! No more fly away table cloths!

7.       Glass jars/canisters to keep food bug free

 

It’s always a hard way to go to keep food covered during a backyard bbq or other outside event.  Put those delicious salads – of both fruit and vegetable – or anything you need to keep bug free in a glass container with a lid.  People can still see what’s inside but will easily remember to replace the lid.

8.       Johnson’s Baby Creamy Oil.  This one is pretty self-explanatory.

 

9.       Fitted sheet to keep the kid bug-bite free

You have to do the yard work.  Maybe you and the kid(s) are just relaxing outside.  Put a fitted sheet over the crib/play pen.  They get the benefit of fresh air, are contained and out of harm’s way, and are shielded from the sun and creepy-crawlies that bite and scratch.  Moms for the win!

10.   Water Balloons…not just for frontal attacks.

Fill small balloons with water.  Freeze said balloons and use them to keep age appropriate beverages cool without creating a sub-zero shallow pool.  Once the ice melts…NOW you can use them for a water balloon fight!

Pretty cool summer hacks, right? If you use any of them, be sure to let us know how they worked by leaving us a comment below.  Or, if you know of a cool (no pun intended) summer hack, let us know! We just loooooove a helpful tip!