Saturday, July 9, 2016

10 ways to beat summer boredom // guest post

Well, it's been a little while, hasn't it? I didn't mean to drop off the face of the earth, but life has been beyond crazy and I haven't had much time for blogging. Luckily, the sweet and talented Grace Anne  has volunteered to guest post for me today! Make sure you check out her blog and leave her lots of notes down below!
Without further ado... 


Isn't summer so much fun? Lots of warm, lazy days without the pressure of school. But sometimes, those lazy days become a bit monotonous. You can't come up with anything to do, and so you stumble through the summer, bored with everything. Sound familiar? Here are ten ideas to combat that summer boredom!


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1. Have a shopping day
Grab a sister or a friend and make a day of it! Go to the mall, a local shopping center, or some cute shops downtown. Sometimes you can find some really good sales during the summertime! And while you’re out you can always grab some lunch of coffee.


2. Go on a day trip
Find a location within a couple of hours’ distance, grab some friends, and hit the road. It’s like going on a mini vacation, without the time commitment or cost!


3. Make an ice cream bar
Let’s be real- it’s not summertime without ice cream. Grab some different flavors of ice cream and go absolutely CRAZY with toppings! You can set out little bowls of candies like M&M’s or gummi bears, have some crushed cookies, cherries, chocolate or caramel sauce, SPRINKLES- just go to town!!


4. Plan a sleepover
You can’t go through the summer without having at least ONE sleepover. Staying up late with friends, watching movies, and laughing deliriously over things that wouldn’t even be funny if it weren’t three a.m.- you’ve got to do it at least once.


5. Have a pool day!
The weather’s warm, the sun is shining- why not get out there and enjoy it? Spending the day at the pool is so much fun in the summer. You can cool off, have fun, get a tan, bring snacks-what else do you need?


6. Play games outside in the pitch black summer night
You may want to have some bugspray on hand thanks to those pesky little mosquitos, but what’s more fun than playing some big group games in the dark? A personal favorite of mine is murder at midnight- it never disappoints!


7. Have a readathon
In the summertime, I like to grab a pile of books that I’ve wanted to read throughout the school year but never had time for, and spend the whole day reading! It’s a great way to spend a day, especially if summer thunderstorms are keeping you inside.


8. Go on a photo scavenger hunt
This is especially fun to do with a group of friends. Make a list of obscure things to be photographed, such as a blue bowl or a statue of a cat, split into two teams, and see who can find and photograph all of the objects first!


9. Have a water balloon fight
Let me rephrase that- a water balloon war. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love having a giant water balloon fight. It never hurts to throw in some water guns, too. ; )


10. Enjoy it
Honestly? Summer is meant to be enjoyed. Don't stress out over having the "perfect summer" full of "perfect" days. Because let's face it- life isn't perfect. Don't try to cram everything in and just stress yourself out in the process. Relax, and just enjoy your summer.


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And what’s summer without a yummy frozen recipe? My mom and I make these frozen peanut butter cups every summer, and they’re definitely one of my favorite treats. I love making a big batch and keeping a stockpile of them in the freezer for those hot afternoons when you just want to cool off!




Ingredients:

-3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
-3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
- 3 1/2 cups (8 ounces) Cool Whip topping, thawed
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
-1 package (4 serving size) Jell-o vanilla flavored pudding mix
- chocolate syrup

Instructions:

Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper baking cups. Combine crumbs and butter; mix well. Press about 1 tablespoon of the crumb mixture into each cup. Top each with about 1 tablespoon of the whipped topping. Gradually add milk to peanut butter in bowl, blending until smooth. Add pudding mix. With electric mixer at low speed, beat until blended for 1-2 minutes. Fold in the remaining whipped topping. Spoon into crumb-lined cups. Drizzle chocolate syrup on top. Freeze for about four hours.


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And, there you have it! I hope that you all enjoy the recipe, and that some of these tips have given you some summer inspiration. Thank you so much for having me, Olivia!!

19 comments:

  1. EEP I'M SO EXCITED THAT THIS IS UP!!! Thanks for letting me post, Olivia! :) <3

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  2. Reading all day is something I ALWAYS plan on doing, until I get distracted by the Internet. I should try to sneak in at least one of these before the end of summer, though. Great post!

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    1. This happens to me too!

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    2. I know! It's so frustrating.

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    3. The Internet is simultaneously the most amazing and horrible thing. XD

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  3. Great thoughts! I'm going to have to try some of them this week... Ice cream bars and balloon fights sound fantastic.Okay, let me be realistic... I'll probably mostly be doing the readathon : )

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  4. that sounds amazing. and I totally get it with reading books, in the last three days I have already finished two different books. my mom got them for me on thursday and by midnight friday night i was finished with both. great books. all those ideas are beautiful, i'll have to see how many i can accoplish, i mean, some of the water war has already been completed, the readathon will never really be complete, i've went crazy with ice cream a couple of times this summer. i have ideas about a bunch of the others, i just have to actually complete all of them*looks to the side awkwardly just thinking about it*. lets see how many more of these i can complete before the summer is over.

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    1. I hope that you have a fantastic summer!!

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  5. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. I AM OVERJOYED. this is a fantastic list and i agree with EVERYTHING ON IT. oh my goodness. (and that treat looks amazingly delicious *drools*)

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    1. AHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH CALLY!!!! It is very delicious;)

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  6. GRACE ANNE i want to make those they look amazing!!

    Also, Olivia, I nominated you for the Liebster Award on my blog if you're interested! If you are, check it out on my blog: http://quillsandcurtsies.blogspot.com/

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  7. OLIVIAAAA I'VE MISSED YOU AND YOUR LOVELY BLOG!! *lots of hugs* and eeeeep omg Grace Anne this post is fabulous!! I loved seeing you guys collaborate here and this was just a lovely list of things. :) "Staying up late with friends, watching movies, and laughing deliriously over things that wouldn’t even be funny if it weren’t three a.m.- you’ve got to do it at least once." <<< I CAN PARTICULARLY RELATE TO THAT. haha me and my sister do this so often and it is absolutely THE BEST. <3

    ALSO YAAAAS ICE CREAM ALWAYS ICE CREAM.
    *closes eyes and nods slowly*

    >><<
    abbiee

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    1. Ahhhh thank you so much, Abbie!! I WANT TO COME TO AN EMMONS SISTER SLEEPOVER!! XD <3

      Ice cream is always the best option.

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  8. I love this list so much!! I'm going to keep these tips in mind :) And that treat looks AMAZING. <3

    love,
    arushee

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Comments from you make my day! ♥ True story.