Summer Days

Rainy days, cloudy days, sunny days...either way summer days are almost here...with kids out of school and lots of time on their hands! Hopefully, you have lots of fun things planned and lots of days of doing nothing (that's important too!). My husband and I adore sleep in days over here...most days it is the crack of dawn but on summer holidays we take turns (yep, I love my guy). We are looking forward to lots of fun-filled activities too (camping is what my daughter is most looking forward to).

A couple of things...the end of the school year is fast approaching and if you haven't thought of getting a teacher in your life a present it might be a good idea. There are lots of fab ideas out there but you know I'm going to advocate for some lovely stationery (that maybe they could use throughout the next year...sending lovely notes home to moms and dads just like you about how great your kids are). Or at least write the teacher a nice card or better yet have your child do it.  I'm also a sucker for cool post-it notes & Starbucks' cards.

"Mom, I'm bored!" Oh my gosh did you hear that already? Hopefully not...but maybe a good time to do the penpal thing if my penpal post didn't inspire you earlier perhaps you are thinking it over now. Or write a note or send a care package to a relative (photos, letter, treats). Is someone coming to visit you this summer or maybe you are going to visit someone else - send them a little, "I'm so excited" mail to get the anticipation going!

Here is a cool idea - Send a scavenger hunt to someone - they can send you a picture of all the items once they've found them (one picture or a picture for each one). Then they could send one to you (okay, I just thought of this and now I think I may need to try it today!).

Find a frog!

Find a red balloon!

So they could be things to do or things to find.

(adults or kids can do this)

A book page with your name on it.

A buttercup.

A heart shaped rock or rock with a stripe on it.
A coin from the year you were born.
Something that starts with the letter M.

Here are some ideas to get you started!
Have fun!

374/1000 - 9 fine letters going out today (they may or may not contain scavenger hunts)...

Pen Pals

Have you ever had one? Do you have one now? The bigger question may be...do they still exist...duh, duh, duh....

I remember with fondness my first penpal...she lived in Papua, New Guinea. I remember her paper thin envelopes and the beautiful stamps that graced the upper right corner. There was no chance that we were going to meet so we took our time and our letters to share our worlds with each other. It was a magical experience - writing discovery.

I've had many penpals over the course of my writing lifetime - many relatives (of all ages - cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces), people I worked with who live all over the world (thank you Disney) and a few through school trips/projects/assignments.  Of course this all started in an age before email/the Internet and texting. How would our relationships have been different if we just texted or messaged or emailed (if we didn't pour our hearts out on the page, send photos or wait an agonizing week or more for our letters to arrive)? Different, just different I guess.

So the cool thing is that my daughter has a penpal! Her name is Abby and she turns four on April 16th. They've only had two playdates (and one of those was just before we left for Cali because she lives quite far away) but they play wonderfully together. They send each other drawings, letters (with a little dictating to their Moms), little gifts and are building a friendship  in a really cool way. I'm so excited for the both of them. Abby is Piper's girl and Piper is Abby's girl. They love each other. This is how they talk.

Penpals!

We are sending a special girl (Abby), some special mail (it's her birthday), and maybe, just maybe Tinkerbell might be involved!

Penpals...rethink it. Maybe a new way to get to know an old friend or maybe, a new way for your kids to interact with others. I'd love to hear if anyone gives it a go. I can't tell you how excited my daughter gets when she has mail. It's a wonderful thing to see.

And looking for something different to send? I'm sending out two Sincerely Scent cards from Scentsy! They are so fun! As soon as I heard about them I knew I needed to get on board. Thanks for introducing them to me Penny. A card you can personalize with photos and text and a scent of your choosing! Check them out here and my girl Penny can hook you up with credits!

351/1000 One special package, two thank you notes, two Sincerely Scent cards, a postcard, something for fun and...that makes 7 for the count!