5 Activities to Keep You Cool This Summer

In the stifling heat of summer, many people are tempted to stay indoors in order to keep cool. By adding a little water or shade into your backyard, you can enjoy the warm summer days and stay cool at the same time.

Swimming in the Pool

If you’re lucky enough to have a pool in your backyard or complex, then there is no limit to the fun you can have. There are many pool games such as Marco Polo, battleships and submarines and what time is it Mr. Sharkey? which can be played in groups. There are also large ranges of water inflatables and water games that are available to further add to the summer fun.

Running in the Backyard Sprinklers

If your property doesn’t have a pool, or access to a shared pool, then a backyard sprinkler is a great way to keep cool. You can even purchase specialty sprinklers or sprinkler extensions that vary the flow and pattern of the water. Running in the backyard sprinkler is one of the oldest Australian summertime traditions, and is always a popular activity for the kids.

Entertaining Under the Veranda

There is no better time then summer to enjoy the delights of an Aussie barbeque. Having friends or family over for a delicious barbeque lunch or dinner beneath the veranda or porch is one the best ways to entertain during the summer. Grill up a selection of meats and accompany it with some fresh salads, breads and antipastos. Make sure you provide lots of drinks to keep every one cool and satisfied.

Shaded Backyard Picnics

Staying in the shade is a great way to enjoy the summer heat without getting burnt or sun damaged skin. Having a shaded backyard picnic is both convenient and fun and can take place under any shade you may have in your backyard. Some places you might like to consider are beneath: sails, gazebos, verandas, porches, trees or dense shrubbery. You can choose whether you want to have a café style picnic on a table or a more traditional picnic or a quilt or blanket.

Water Balloon and Water Gun Battles

Another popular summer activity is group water balloon and water gun battles. All you need to do is set up two home bases in shaded areas and then divide your participants into two teams and compile an arsenal of both water balloons and water guns. Then you and your family can have an all out water battle that will keep your mind off the harsh summer heat.

However you decide to spend your summer days, it is important to be sun safe. Ensure that you and your family keep your skin protected with sunscreen, hats and sunglasses. Make sure you keep well hydrated with water and regularly check the weather conditions, so you can stay indoors if the heat index is dangerously high. If you need some help getting your backyard or pool into shape for summer visit www.premiumpg.com.au.'

By Grace Patterson

William's Country Club

We drove by at William's Country Club in Marland Heights.  We have never been to this part  so  we thought of driving by  to see.  Only members of the golf association  are allowed in this area so this was our first and  maybe  our last time as we are not member of the  club.  Hubby said that when he was younger, he worked here.





I love it when my husband takes us to places where he  spend his time when he was growing up.  I feel like  we were part of his childhood and the kids love it as much as I do!  Me and the kids have been bugging him to take us to the trail where him and his friends used to go but he said that the trail might not exist anymore.  We will see if we can convince him lol.  He said that it is a pretty   long and far walk.  I am up for it and so does the kids.

Lake Cabin

Broken Bow Lake is situated in Beavers Bend State Park in southeastern Oklahoma. Surrounded by the Ouachita and Kiamichi Mountain Wilderness, it's a location that lends itself to many different types of vacations. This region easily and naturally supports relaxing, back-to-nature getaways, activity-packed family vacations, and everything in between. Broken Bow Lake Cabins offers up rentals ideal for those looking to take in the natural beauty of Beavers Bend State Park. The cabins are conveniently located nine miles north of Broken Bow - right where the Wilderness starts.

Three privately owned and family run cabin management companies participate with Broken Bow Lake Cabins, ensuring a great variety of cabin rentals. The spacious cabins can accommodate anywhere from two to ten people. In addition to the comforts of home away from home in a forested, secluded setting, a wide host of amenities is available in the cabins, with some featuring fireplaces, pool tables and hot tubs. 

Those vacationers looking for activities will find plenty to do around the Broken Bow Lake Cabins. The surrounding area is filled with trails for hiking and biking, including family- and senior-friendly trails. Those looking for more challenging trails won't be disappointed, either. Additional ways to explore the beauty of the region include horseback riding and train rides through the Beavers Bend Depot. Fishing enthusiasts can try their luck with fly fishing in the Mountain Fork River and Broken Bow Lake. To make the most of the exceptionally clear water, vacation goers can rent boats, paddle boats, kayaks and canoes, and jet skis. In addition, the area also has challenging golf courses and a spa featuring award-winning spa services.

The cabins and state park area also are a nice option for other getaway needs, including those looking for a truly beautiful and unique setting for a wedding and corporations needing an area for retreats and/or team building exercises. 

A Beavers Bend or Broken Bow Lake cabin can be a great option for travelers. Whether you're looking for a cozy cabin for two or a space for a large family vacation, you'll be able to find Beavers Bend Cabins at BrokenBowLakeCabins.com.

Backup Sensors for Cars

AmericanSecurityCo.com has backup sensors for cars of all makes. These sensors are placed in the trunk somewhere and will allow a user to see what is behind them through a monitor. The ones that are built into the cars work just as well as the ones that are added.

As long as these sensors are professionally installed by someone who knows what they are doing, they will work just fine. They are kind of like hidden cameras that are placed in key chains and all kinds of products. They are very small and are usually embedded into a trunk light or a trunk keyhole. This makes them so sleek and high profile that people like them on their cars. If they had to become an entire camera mounted to the rear of the vehicle, most people would opt to leave them out. They are pretty easy to connect to the front as well.

If someone has experience installing any sort of stereo system in a car, it is pretty much the same concept. There needs to be a wire that runs from the trunk to the stereo and monitor in the front of the car. This is usually run underneath the car mats and then up the dashboard. The wire is fairly thin and it should be an easy connection. It is important that this is installed before the stereo is installed completely though. This will prevent the need for the person to rip the stereo out more times than they would like. This can cause several problems.

If the stereo or monitor needs to be constantly removed from the dash, there is a bigger chance of the dashboard coming apart and something breaking on the monitor. Monitors are very fragile and having one inside a car does not mean that no accidents can happen to them. Scratches are made all of the time from people getting into their car and hitting their purse against it or something similar. There are monitors that fold away when not in use and these are great for limiting scratches. They come back out when the car is turned on usually.

In conclusion, the costs of these rear cameras can be quite high no matter how they are installed. Getting them factory installed will always be the biggest cost for them. Installing aftermarket ones might have problems if they are not installed by a professional who knows what they are doing.

How to get your kids outside these holidays

With technology looking more appealing to kids these days, it can be hard to get them to play outside. They need a good incentive to put down the console. Telling them to go outside to play to stay fit does not always work. You have to give them a reason that is fun.

Take them on an adventure

Bring their favourite adventure book to life or game if they don't like books. Replay their favourite characters discovering something. For Harry Potter fans, why not pretend you are Hagrid taking them through the forbidden forest at night. All you need is a torch and your imagination.

The outdoor vacation

Camping is known to bring families closer together and on most camping sites, technology is a no go zone. There is no Wi-Fi and there is a no power socket. Teach you kids how to survive in the wilderness and go hiking. Feed their imaginations and reap the rewards when they start inventing their own games to play. Another great activity is cycling, though it can be hard to find the perfect bike for your kids. For ideas check out, http://www.merida.com.au/.

The photo safari

This is where you slip in some science. Teach them about wildlife by taking photos and sightseeing. They will marvel at the animals and they will perk with interest. Just be ready to answer a lot of questions. Then at the end of it, help them make a scrapbook of their photos. Treat them like little explorers.

Treasure hunts

Kids love Easter hunts, so why not have another in the middle of the year? You could hide toys instead of chocolate. This will help teach them geography and science. Also navigation skills. If you're not artistic, get your kids to draw a map of their neighbourhood and then implement your treasure hunt. At least they'll be able to understand their maps.

Build a bird house

This is a great alternative if you can't have pets. Get your kids involved and let them help design the house. This will encourage them to be compassionate towards others because they need to leave food in order to see any birds.

Gardening

Apart from science, gardening can teach them about healthy living. Tell them about the importance of nutrition and food sustainability. Gardening is also a good hobby to nurture because they are getting vitamin d and fresh air.

Dirt improves their immune system

Whether it is sand, mud or just plain dirt. By exposing your kids to a myriad of bacteria, their immune systems will get stronger. Let them dig around in the sand pit or garden.

Night time adventures

There is a lot for them to learn about by taking a night time stroll. You can tell those stories about the constellations, the moon and nocturnal animals. The stars are full of history. Such as the origins of the zodiac constellations and Orion's belt. These stories can inspire them to draw, read and do craft. As for the moon, encourage them to keep track of the moon phrases.

Azul Attraction at Sea World San Antonio, Texas

Another entertaining attraction that we watched at Sea World in San Antonio Texas is the Azul.  

The first part of it is the tricks that the two dolphins were doing with their trainers.  It's really amazing to see how they communicate.  I often wonder how long they have to train to make these  beautiful creatures  k learn how to do their tricks.  

Look how attentive these  little ones were.  You can tell that the show  is interesting as there eyes were glued on it.

I'll be posting some  more photos next time (when I find the time lol).  I am not as updated  on my blogs as I used to.  A lot of things is going on that I can barely post the  stuff that  I want to post.  Oh well, I can always  go back to my archive in post it later.

World War 2 Veteran Turned 91 Years Old

My father-in-law  turned 91 years old last Saturday.  We surprised him a visit early in the morning and we cooked  breakfast for him.  My kids were very eager to help in the kitchen.

I remember when we  first did this (I forgot what occasion was it), my FIL said that we should do it  often and I could understand  why he likes it.  At his age, he doesn't really feel like cooking  for breakfast.   Sometimes, he would forget that he is cooking  and it get burned which he end up tossing in the garbage disposal so he would just eat snacks from here and there.

Anyway, we  just cook the   food that he  normally enjoy, nothing very special.

After we ate breakfast, we hang out at  his back porch  and took some photos with him.  

My own father died when he was 51 so when I came here in the US, I found a new father with my FIL.  I always thank God that even though I am thousand miles from my family back home, my family here treated me like their own.  To the  most wonderful father-in-law in the world, who happened to be a World War  2 Veteran,  happy birthday to you Dad.  May God give you more years of  good health so we can spend  more time with you.  We love you!

Roadtrips and Traveling

Traveling is such an enjoyable  thing for my family to do.  Whether, it is just a short road trip or  flying from   states to another, it is always fun for us.  I  am blessed with two wonderful kids who are great to travel with.  Having the van this year  gives us the opportunity to explore   nearby states.  We took a couple of road trips before the school  has started.  Below are some photos  of our recent adventures on the road.  

Hubby wishes that someday, we could buy even one of those  used motorhomes so we can  travel  comfortably and we could have more space whenever  we  want to take a rest while on a road trip.  We used to   do road trips when we were in South Korea to.  That was one of our fondest memories there.  We usually did it on the weekends when my husband is off from his duty in the base and we would go to the other  military bases to shop and  see other  places.  I kind of miss  living in the Land of the Morning Calm but glad that we are back here  in "Country Roads", this is where our home is, and this is where we belong.  

The photos above were taken  when we had our rest stop at the visitor center of West Virginia.  Traveling, gives us the sense of satisfaction of seeing other places other than the ones that we normally see in our day to day living.  It is  always fun to take road trips once in a while to give your family a break, to get away from the normal routine, and give the children the chance to discover new things  from new places.  We love doing it and we could could do it  all-year long if we will be given  a chance.

 How about you, have you taken any road trips lately?

Globe Trotters

Travel and adventure go hand in hand. People with the means to seek out exotic faraway lands often find that discovering a previously unknown dish is one of the biggest pleasures. There is nothing better than finding exquisite food in a place that seems far removed from the beaten path and sampling new flavors and spices for the first time.

Serious globetrotters who become real food aficionados have the whole world to explore. Morocco is one destination sure to please food lovers and it is full of exotic destinations like Casablanca and Fez, and the Atlas Mountains. The couscous dishes have to be tried to be believed. The country has a timeless quality, with open air markets and wandering nomadic tribes.

Italy, too, has charms for food lovers, with many regional varieties of cuisine. You can check out the subtle differences in pizza, for example, as you travel around the country, as well as homemade pasta and different types of pesto sauce. All around the country food aficionados can find a great selection of fine olive oils and wines unique to each region.

The Greek Isles are romantic, but people also travel to Greece just for its legendary cuisine. Don't miss the gyros and the souvlaki!

Asia is a great destination for food aficionados. India, Thailand and Vietnam are known for their spicy curry dishes. China is famous for its spicy Szechuan cuisine and Japan for sushi. Intrepid explorers can try traveling the whole continent, sampling a myriad of cultures along the way.

Many people dream of such a life and wish they could travel everywhere and try out each culture's cuisine. Some people actually do live this way and then they bring the knowledge and experience home with them. They collect recipes from faraway lands and start cooking exotic cuisine in their hometowns. It is an enviable lifestyle, for sure, but how does a person manage to afford it? To find out, it makes sense to frequent the blogs of travelers, travel writers and the authors of cookbooks. The website of Chantal Royer, for example, looks like a good place to start.