Summer has arrived and now is as good a time as any to start making plans for the upcoming months. Whether you find yourself with some holiday hours you want to use up, or just desire to spend some time with your family doing something different, a staycation is a fantastic and affordable option.

What is a Staycation?

A staycation is a combination of staying at home and going on vacation. If done right, it can be comparable to a wonderful, relaxing expedition to another destination.

Just like a vacation where you travel to a new place, a staycation is about enjoyment and relaxation. In fact, a staycation can also be about trying new things. After all, how many people have truly explored everything in their city, town or the area surrounding it?

While a staycation may not have the exact same draw of setting up shop in a new and exciting location, it can be much less stressful than one in many ways, allowing you and your family more time to just enjoy the time you have together.

Benefits of a Staycation

Save Money - The beauty of a staycation is that you can avoid spending an abundance of money on air travel, gas and hotels. Being as a staycation is an inexpensive alternative to a tradition vacation, it is more likely that you will be able to take the time to enjoy one more often. Not only that, but any money you save can be put towards day trips or activities instead of expensive accommodations, making your adventure that much more fun.

Get to Know Where You Live - Taking a staycation gives you the opportunity to explore parts of your community and its surrounding area, that you may not have otherwise enjoyed. Visit a new museum, have lunch at a restaurant that you haven’t tried yet or just go for a stroll at a nearby park.

Relax - These days, families have extremely busy lives. Between extracurriculars, work and school it can be difficult to find the time to relax together. A staycation provides the perfect opportunity to lay back and just enjoy each other’s company, giving you time to truly connect and relax.

Comfort - There is nothing more comforting than being able to sleep in your own beds, enjoy the comforts of home and just lounge in your pyjamas. A staycation allows you to enjoy all the perks of a vacation, without the discomforts associated with staying somewhere else.

There are many benefits of deciding on a staycation with your family this summer. You will be able to save money, get to know where you live, relax and enjoy the comforts of home, and you get to do it together without interruption.

Author Bio

This is a guest post from my lovely blogging friend, Sarah Anguish who is a thirtysomething-year-old northerner who now lives in Norfolk with her husband and three children.  Previously working for the NHS in various roles for 15 years before being made redundant in 2016.  She is now a work from home mum who showcases family life, home decor, travel and everything in between on her award-winning blog www.boorooandtiggertoo.com. Whilst working from home may not have been part of the plan, it allows her the greatest flexibility around the needs and activities for her children.

Despite the slight drop in temperature and a few rainy days, it seems that the Great British summer is here to stay. Never have we ever – since having our own children, at least – known such scorching summer sunshine. With a bounty of beautiful days on the horizon, it will be easier than ever to have a chilled-out summer with loads of cost-efficient garden fun.

But the heat isn’t always so awesome. High temps often equate to tired, cranky kids. And, if you’ve got more than one, that’s sure to mean sibling squabbles peppered with tears and tantrums. It’s not the one at all. I’m not about that.

So, in an attempt to keep the kids comfortable, calm, and collected, I’ve rustled up five tips for cooling down your young ones. It’s OK, thank me later.

1. Pop some iced water in front of a fan

Yes, you’ve officially become your mother. But, the truth is, placing iced water in front of a fan really can keep the room cool, *shrugs*. If you’ve never heard of such a contraption, be warned: it isn’t all that glam, but it defo does the job. Pop a washing up bowl, mixing bowl, any-old bowl filled with ice water in front of your fan. The ice water will cool the air above the bowl, which the fan then circulates around the room. Science, huh. Obviously if you don't want to keep refilling ice bowls, you could always look for and actual air cooler or humidifier.

2. Make some lollies out of fresh juice

Is there anything as luscious on long summer days than a homemade ice lolly. Not only will this keep the kids cool, it also serves as a fab family activity. Lolly moulds can be picked up cheap as chips from the Pound store, and towards the middle of summer you can get them discounted in most supermarkets.

3. Stock up on strawberries and suchlike

Believe it or not, too many ice lollies can actually trick the body into warming up! While one or two will certainly be refreshing, if you really want to cool down, it may be better to give the kids other snacks instead. As well as yoghurts, watermelon and strawberries, drink plenty of tap water, and if your little ones are a fan (pun unintended) anything spicy will set the body off sweating and work to cool you all down. It’s true.

4. Seek out the shade

When you’re all spending a day at the beach, the park, or even in your back garden, it can be tempting to set up stall in the direct sun. But think more long term. Whether you’re reading, playing football, or building sandcastles, shade is a must. Look for an area that gives you the best of both and don’t forget water and suncream.

5. Pull out the paddling pool

An oldy, but always a goody. Nothing keeps kids cool in the high heats of the summer sun quite like a paddling pool. You don’t need to invest in a deep tub or anything fancy, just a small inflatable pool is enough for laughs and splashes. Pulling out the water pistols and balloon bombs is always a hit, too.

How do you keep the kids cool in the summer?

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Finally, summer is here. It’s the six weeks we’ve all been waiting for, right? No more school runs, no more bodging together packed lunches at the crack of dawn, no more after-school activities. Perhaps – for a few days at least – we’ll be able to lay in past the dreaded 7 o’clock alarm. We’re really living the life, guys. This is the good life.

So, can I ask, why are we so insistent on making summer time just as hectic as the weeks outside of the holidays. Oh. My. Gosh. We don’t half like to make things difficult for ourselves.

Hands up, who’s enrolled their kids onto some sort of STEM activity? Why? Hands up, who’s scheduled in swimming, picnics in the park, a day at the beach? Why? Hands up, who’s spent evening-after-evening trawling Facebook evenings and Days Out With The Kids in an attempt to make every day adrenaline-packed and eventful?

Oh, that’s right. The entire population of Internet-using parents have just raised both arms, both legs, and are twinkling their toes for good measure.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

Forgive me if I’m wrong, but we spend the whole of term time ensuring our children do their homework. We ferry each of them to their chosen extra-curricular. We spin on our loving bosoms to ensure that every school event, school run, and school project is done on time to a passable the highest standard. 

And yet, when we finally get a few weeks to down tools and recuperate, we just can’t let it lie. We throw chaotic activities, blast our routine out of the water, and make life ten times harder than it really needs to be.

And it’s not just about us. As Helen Lovejoy of The Simpsons famously said, ‘Think of the children!’ Surely they need a break from the hustle and bustle of the nine-while-three. Learning is hard!

Remember in the good old days when summer was all about water fights, marbles, riding your bike, playing hopscotch on the yard, going to the park with your mates? Those where the good old days. We ate cheese sarnies and sat in the sun and enjoyed a Mr Freeze ice-pop for afters. And those were the best days.

Whether it’s social media, and the need to impress. Whether it’s the normality of our relentless fast-paced lifestyles. Whether it’s the pressure from others to meet the ever-demanding highs of parenting trends. Whatever it is. Let’s call it quits.

How about we strip things back. Paint some rocks. Read some books. Eat a jam sandwich and an equally unhealthy dessert. Sit in the back garden and set up Swingball. Bounce a tennis ball against a wall and learn how to catch. Get some chalk and make a hopskotch. Let our kids call on their friends and spend their days doing nothing. Let’s make ice pops from fresh juice and lemonade from real lemons.

Let’s take things slow this summer, let's put down the technology and enjoy the rest that we all deserve.

(I just need to take my own advice now).

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Everyone we know loves LOL Surprise Pets, they are the collectables that all our friends have, so how do LOL keep the excitement growing with their newest launch ..... they simply get better and BIGGER! 

You will note that we perfectly matched our little reviewers outfit to our Biggie Pet as you can actually see the pet through the coloured ball but this is great as it gives you more of a chance to collect them all!

We were looking through the glasses on the box but you can use the Eye Spy Series spy glasses to find codes and unlock even more surprises!

Once the Biggie Pet is out of the packaging, you realise that it has an attachment and at first we thought this was a lead for your pet but realised that amongst all the other fun, the pet can be used as a backpack. If you don't want to use it as a backpack (our little reviewer didn't) it also (and rather brilliantly) doubles as a piggy bank! 

Another element to the L.O.L. Surprise!  Biggie Pets is the kinetic sand that the L.O.L. Surprise Babies (or food babies) arrive in. Just like the Series 3 pet balls, biggie pet baskets include kinetic sand that needs to be scooped out to find pet babies.

We will be uploading our YouTube video really soon but in case you can't wait, here are all the things you get with your Biggie Pet:

1. Biggie pet
2. Pet baby 1
3. Pet baby 2
4. Food baby charm or pet baby charm
5. Spy glasses
6. Pet necklace
7. Wish bone
8. Funny bone
9. Fortune teller heart
10. Baby reveal (use with the spy glasses)
11. Pet scoop for pet baby 1
12. 1st accessory for pet baby 1
13. 2nd accessory for pet baby 1
14. Pet basket for pet baby 1 (magnetic sand inside)
15. Pet scoop for pet baby 2 (magnetic sand inside)
16. 1st accessory for pet baby 2
17. 2nd accessory for pet baby 2
18. Pet basket for pet baby 2
19. Giant carrying case

Instead of being in the ball, the surprises in the blind bags come out of the biggie pet’s BOTTOM. Our little reviewer couldn't believe it when she opened the bottom of the pet and the surprises kept coming!

 

The LOL Surprise : Biggie Pets retail at £36.99 and can be purchased from Amazon and various toy shops.

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