Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation

                How many times have you had your children say what can we do, I’m bored? Even my husband can say this sometimes too. While we were gone on our Solar Eclipse visit to Kentucky, we had an extra day to just sit in the Bed and Breakfast place or find something to do, so our gracious host suggested going to a local park with hiking trails. We decided to try his idea out and visit the park. We were amazed at how many hiking trails there were to hike and discover. Here are some pictures of the park we saw while in Kentucky. They had a beautiful welcome center and eating area. They gave us maps and off we went. They had over 12 miles of trails we could hike with different degrees of difficulty for hiking. We spent several hours here enjoying the scenery. Since this was a state park we had to pay only $5 dollars for a car load. We thought this was cheap considering the amount of time we spent in the park.

               

There are so many parks around in any state for hiking and any kind of recreation you want. I recommend checking out your state's parks and enjoy them for little to no cost. Parks are a fun way to spend time with your children or grandchildren. Some parks have swimming pools and other fun things for your children and your grandchildren to use at a very low price. Taking the time to find different parks to see and do different things is half the fun. Have your kids help look up parks online and let them pick out the ones that they find interesting and fun. Not all parks are just for hiking trails.

                Parks have so much to offer at little to no cost. You could spend an hour or more at a park enjoying nature. Make a day of it and pack a pick nick lunch and take this time to reconnect with your children and grandchildren. Get them outside and off the electronics for a few hours and everybody will be much happier and healthier. Enjoy a day in the park from Suzie Homemaker.

Solar Eclipse Mini Vacation

                Last week I told you the Suzie Homemaker family was going on a mini vacation to see the Solar Eclipse. We were first going to go to Missouri but at the last minute were offered a place to stay in Kentucky. This man who knows my husband through his blog was a very gracious host, and let us stay for three nights at his mother’s and father’s Bed and Breakfast for free. The Bed and Breakfast have not been used for many years because his mother is now passed on and his father is in a nursing home. His brothers and sisters now use it to entertain guests when needed. Here are some beautiful pictures of the place that we stayed at. We each had our own rooms and bathrooms.

              

  We had to drive for a little over 9 hours to get to Kentucky, but it was well worth it. The Solar Eclipse was two hours our away from where we were to the totality zone. We were in Princeton Kentucky for the Solar Eclipse. We were able to meet several different people from all over the United States viewing the eclipse. We started watching the sky an hour before the total eclipse with our special glasses. This was really fascinating to watch. As the totality got closer the sky stated getting darker. When totality occurred we were able to take off the glasses for 2 minutes and 20 seconds which we timed out to be on the safe side to protect our eyes. We could see the stars at 1:30 in the afternoon. The birds started flying away and the crickets started chirping. Then we watched the sun coming back and the daylight returning. The whole Solar Eclipse lasted a little over an hour and a half. This was a great thing to view with our two girls and they will always remember this for the rest of their lives and we will too. Here’s some picture we took of the solar eclipse.

              

  We came home with many memories and picture to carry with us for a very long time.  The next time you travel I recommend you check out some Bed and Breakfast places to stay at. These places are so homey and the old antiques are just beautiful. I hope you enjoyed my mini vacation to see the Solar Eclipse from Suzie Homemaker.

Solar Eclipse Vacation

                Suzie Homemaker and family are going on a mini vacation next week. On August 21^st it is the day of the Solar Eclipse. We are going to take a day to get down to the site we want to go and then see the Solar Eclipse the next day. This will be our first solar eclipse for our family. We are all excited about going to see this event. This is a once in a life time event and is our first total solar eclipse we have ever been able to go see. This trip will be 3 days in total and will not cost a whole lot of money. We will be staying in a hotel for 2 nights and I am packing sandwiches for lunch. Breakfast is included with our hotel stay, so all we have is supper to buy.  This mini vacation for 4 people should cost us under $ 250.00 dollars.

                What is a solar eclipse? During the total solar eclipse, the sun is completely covered by the moon. During the solar eclipse, you need to wear protective eye wear to protect your eyes from serious eye damage or blindness.

If you decide to do this trip go online and order some special eye glasses to use for the solar eclipse. During a total eclipse- it is a very strange feeling to experience in the middle of the day. Just before than after, people see the cloak of darkness moving toward them across the landscape, and then moving over them and moving away. People who watch the solar eclipse report seeing great jets and ribbons of light, twisting and curling out into the sky. The whole solar eclipse lasts for about 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

                If you plan on going to see the solar eclipse plan ahead and reserve a hotel room.  Have your trip planned out and decide which state you want to view it in. Go online and look at the best states to view the solar eclipse and get there early. The solar eclipse is a very big event and 12 million people live in the prime viewing areas. The news predicts that close to 25 million people will try and view this event, so plan accordingly.

                For Suzie Homemaker and family this is a once in a lifetime event, because the next total eclipse is scheduled for 2024 in or around Texas. This solar eclipse can be seen from Oregon all the way to South Carolina. Check online for times to see the solar eclipse from the state you decide to view the solar eclipse.

                If you decide to take this mini vacation drive safe and take your time, they are warning already that August 21^st will be the busiest day for traffic going in and out of the Solar Eclipse places. I hope you have fun seeing the solar eclipse if you decide to go. Be safe and enjoy the view, I know our family will be. Happy Solar Eclipse Day Everybody, from Suzie Homemaker.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

                Today I would like to talk to you about your favorite childhood lunch dish. How many of you loved macaroni and cheese? How many times a week did you have macaroni and cheese? Like most kids, we all love Kraft macaroni and cheese and it became a staple in our house. It was quick and easy to make and it didn’t cost too much.

                My youngest daughter came up to me the other day and said, mom that boxed macaroni is not very healthy for us can we try and make some homemade macaroni and cheese? I was shocked but happy that she wanted to eat more healthy foods. So we sat down and we looked up some family recipes and made a fear tweaks to the recipe. She really loved it and decided she wanted the real macaroni and cheese instead of the boxed Kraft macaroni and cheese. So today I will give you my recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese.

What You Need

                Macaroni, Colander, Sauce Pan, Spoon, Cheese, Milk, Butter, Flour, Salt, and Garlic

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

                2 Cups Macaroni Noodles                                          2 cups Shredded Cheese any flavor

                2 cups milk                                                                    ¼ cup melted butter

                ¼ cup Flour                                                                   Salt and Pepper to taste

                1 Tablespoon Garlic minced (optional)

1.       Boil your 2 cups of noodles according to directions

2.   

    Drain your cooked noodles and put to the side.

3.   

    In your sauce pan, take your ¼ cup of butter and melt it over medium heat and add your ¼ cup of flour. Stir in the flour and butter to make a paste.

4. 

      Add your 2 cups of milk and two cups of shredded cheese to your butter and flour mixture. Stir until the mixture starts to thicken. If you like garlic add this while you are mixing and melting your cheese mixture.

5.       Take your noodles and add to your mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

We like to use sharp Cheddar cheese and the garlic to give it a little twist. This macaroni and cheese will come out very creamy and delicious. You can add just about anything to this recipe and it will be delicious. If you like it a little hotter try adding some green peppers for a little-added hotness.

I hope you like my daughters Homemade Macaroni and Cheese from Suzie Homemaker.

P.S. Suzie Homemaker and family have been very busy the last couple of weeks, we had a mama kitty disappear and she left behind some 2-week old kittens. We have been bottle feeding them and giving them wet cat food for the last two weeks every 3 hours. This week we will be giving them to the local Humane Society. So if anybody wants any kittens, check out the Appleton Humane Society.

Bike Fun

                Summer is here and it is time to have some fun with our bikes. Kids love to ride their bikes all over the place and show them off. So today I am going to give you some fun things to do with your bikes. You should not have to buy anything for this project because you should have these items already at home. How many children or grandchildren like to decorate their bike with all those store bought items? All those ribbons, bells, baskets and special seats can add up to a lot of money very fast. So today I am going to show you a few things we did as kids to decorate our bikes for free with things we had already around the house. Let your children and grandchildren get creative with this bike project.

1.       First, find some old ribbons from Christmas that you used to tie up your presents. You can tie some bows onto your handle bars. You can also make some streamers of multi colors or just one color and tie them onto you handle bars.

2.     

  Take some old garland and wrap it around your handle bars and around the frame. Do not put too close to your tires so you do not get it tangled in your tires. Use different colors to make your bike sparkle.

3.       This one was my favorite thing to do to my bike. Since bells were expensive we needed something else for our bikes to make noise.  Take an old deck of cards that you do not use anymore and clip them onto your spokes of your front tires. Depending on how loud you want your bike to be, put on three to four cards scattered around your tires spokes to make a fun and loud noise. We always had a contest to see who’s bike was the loudest. If you have a speed bike do not put the cards near the gears, this will get caught and may damage your bike. Use just the front tires for the noise makers.

Summertime is for fun in the sun with your bikes. Having a decorated bike does not have to break the bank when you have everything you need right at home to decorate your bike for free, I’m sure everybody also has an old deck of cards and a few clothes pins around the house you can let your children and grandchildren use to make their noise makers on their bikes. You don’t have to go out and buy all those expensive toys for your kid’s bikes anymore. Let your children and grandchildren be creative when they decorate their bikes. Have some fun biking this summer from Suzie Homemaker.

Dress Up Clothes

                How many of you have very young children or grandchildren ages 3 to 10? This is the age when boys and girls like to play dress up. When I was little my 2 sisters and brother would borrow old clothes from my parents and grandparents. We would have a box of clothes to use as dress up clothes. I also had clothes for my kids I used to baby sit for to play with and dress up. Ask some neighbors if they have some old clothes they may want to get rid of.

                There are so many different types of clothes you can use. Take some old dresses for the girls and some old dress shirts and ties for the boys. Grab some old straw hats, baseball caps, cowboy hats and throw in some old dress shoes for the boys and old sandals for the girls. Mix and match to make all kinds of unique outfits for both girls and boys.

                We used to hang an old sheet or blanket from our garage door so we could put on a show. This would be our curtain for our show. Then we would have our friends, neighbors come over to watch our show. Let your children and grandchildren use their own imaginations to create a play for you.

                You would be surprised how many different kinds of clothes you can find and use to have some fun. Children love to dress up and this will keep them busy for a very long time. I used to love to walk around in my dad’s old boots and shoes. One Halloween I dressed up as Fat Albert. I used my dad’s old flannel shirt, a pair of his jeans and his tennis shoes. I stuffed myself with a lot of pillows and put a printed sign on me saying Hey, Hey, Hey I’m Fat Albert.

                Young children like to dress up and express themselves, I know I did as a child. Children grow up way too fast, let them enjoy their childhood. Using a little imagination and some old dress up clothes helps them create something all their own. I hope you enjoy the show from Suzie Homemaker.

Summertime Fun

                Now that summer is in full swing, it is time to have some fun in the sun with your children or grandchildren. How many times have you heard them say, I’m bored what can I do? When I had my own baby sitting service I had to think of many kinds of games to entertain the kids. Since it is summer the kids like to be outside a lot, I needed a lot of outside fun games to play and do with them. So today I will give you a very easy game to play outside with your children and grandchildren. Be prepared to get wet with this one.

Fun in the Sun

                The next time you are in town stop at your local dollar store and buy some cheap water balloons. I have a few fun games to play with water balloons. For about $1.00 you can buy a lot of balloons. Start filling your balloons and put them into buckets.

1.       The first game is really fun. I played this game as a child and had a lot of fun getting wet or watching someone else getting very wet. Make teams of two people. While facing your partner take two steps backward and toss the balloon to them. Take another two steps backward and toss the balloon back. Keep backing up each time and toss the balloon. See how far you can go before you either drop the balloon or the person catches it and it breaks. See who gets wet first. Then repeat the game with different partners. See who can go the longest without dropping the balloon or gets wet.

2.       The second game we played was by drawing squares or circles with chalk on the driveway. We would take turns throwing the balloons to see who could get the most water balloon into the Squares and circles.

3.       The third game we played was by placing different sizes of buckets or boxes at different lengths to see how far you could throw. Every time you made one inside the box or bucket you got a point. We would keep score to see who made the most of the buckets and boxes.

4.       The fourth game, which is just throwing the balloons at each other and have some fun getting wet.

Water balloons are cheap, and a very fun way to have some fun outside in the summer. Parents and grandparents can join in and have some fun too. A little water balloon can’t hurt and besides, you will dry off pretty fast anyways. Always remember to pick up your broken water balloons and throw them away. Always watch the very young children so they do not put them into their mouths. These are a few of my water balloon games I used to play with my children I use to baby sit for. They loved it and it was a very cheap way to keep them entertained for a while. Have some fun in the sun this summer with water balloons from Suzie Homemaker.