Having sensitive skin shouldn't keep you from having fun!
Family quality time and being active outdoors is so important to my family. It's fun to unplug and go hang out outside when we aren't running from soccer to football practice or the weather isn't scorching hot. With allergies and sensitive skin in the family we have to worry about itchy grass and the air quality. Living in the Central Valley of California we even have allergy forecasts in the news. Seriously, itchy eyes and runny noses are no joke around here. Not only do I have to worry about all of those things but I have SO much laundry to do from various sports during the week along with school clothes. I think that any mom can attest to that. It. is. never. ending.
My daughter, husband and son suffer from allergies and itchy skin and my son's asthma is triggered by allergies. That is why it is so important for me to take the extra step with my never ending laundry so that my family is free to be themselves without the worry of allergies or itchy sensitive skin. As for myself, I have sensitive skin to any kind of perfumes or dyes. It makes my face and skin break out so I try to find products that have less ingredients and no fragrance. I've even talked about it on one of my skin care posts and I'm always looking for new "fragrance free" products to try.
When allergy season isn't at its peak, and the heat outside is tolerable, I encourage my kids to go play outside. There is something so memorable and magical when you spend your childhood outdoors. You create awesome memories of riding your scooter up and down the street and playing games with your siblings. The cares of the world go away when you use your imagination and explore. That's something that not a lot of kids do now a days since technology has taken over.
As a mother, I absolutely love to watch my kids playfully interact with each other. They each have their own personalities that really are so different. There is never a dull moment around here. Their hearts are big and they love each other a lot and accept one another for who they are. It really is a beautiful thing.
Yesterday, to celebrate the first day back to school I decided to surprise the kids and set up an outdoor picnic with some snacks, a game so we could spend quality time as a family while my husband is away at the fire station. Lately, it seems like we've been doing life without him and it takes a toll on all of us. I feel like I constantly have to remind them why Daddy always misses big events. I tell them he is out saving the world being a hero, because he really is! They were so excited to get everything set up and play outside since it was finally under 100 degrees. They pulled out their scooters and bikes and quickly grabbed toys too.
So, these past few days I decided to tackle a DIY lemonade/ party table stand and I'll try to do a tutorial on that. It was totally worth it when I set it up for our picnic hang out and saw their little eyes light up. They had been begging for one for about a year now so they can actually sell lemonade. Isn't it funny how kids think that is the coolest?
Another thing that I created was this DIY flamingo + pineapple picnic blanket and today I'm going to show you how easy and inexpensive it was to make. I even made my own stencils! I desperately looked everywhere for stencils like that in stores but there wasn't anything close so I had to get creative. Plus you can easily throw the picnic blanket in the wash and use all® free clear to get it clean while combatting those allergens. It's a win win!
1 6x9 8oz. canvas drop cloth found at any hardware store
3 1 inch foam brushes
4 tassels
Yellow, green & pink outdoor craft paint
Plastic table cloth
Silhouette machine + stencil material if you want to create your own stencil.
NOTE: You can use this with any stencil but I really did love making my own to fit my design vision.
Step 1. Create your own stencil with the stencil material.
Step 2. Put some paint on cardstock or a paper plate.
Step 3. Firmly press down the sticky stencil on to the left corner of the drop cloth.
Step 5. Do the same for the pineapple.
Continue with a pattern until the entire thing is stenciled.
I did row 5,4,5,4,5 alternating stencils.
PRO TIP:
Place a plastic tablecloth over your dining table and stencil on there. When stenciling it will bleed a little from the back. The tablecloth protects your workspace from that. Plus, It won't hurt your back and you'll have plenty of space to work on.
Once it is completely dry, add your tassels to all 4 corners. I did so with a button and placed the loop of the tassel around it so that I'm able to take them off to wash.
Now let's talk Picnic Party!
I used the same silhouette flamingo and pineapple file to create the banner and straws.
I made some pink lemonade, cut up fruit and cookies for the kids to enjoy. It doesn't have to be extravagant but of course if you are having more people, the more food the better!
I made these cookies by taking store bought brownie stuffed chocolate chip cookies and dipping them in melted vanilla candy wafers and added pink sprinkles. A really easy and yummy way to add details.
My kids had a blast playing games and enjoying the outdoors while they were free to be themselves. Makes my heart happy!
Playing outdoors is always so much more fun when we aren't worrying about allergies. I can take pride knowing that what I wash all of my kid's clothes with isn't adding to the problem. That's why all® free clear liquid and all® free clear mighty pacs® are the way to go if you suffer from anything allergy related. After all it is #1 detergent recommended by Dermatologists, Allergists, and Pediatricians for Sensitive Skin.
I found mine at my local Walmart.
Have you ever tried all® free clear? If so, how do you like it? You can buy it HERE if you'd love to try it!
1 comment:
I have a soft spot for Flamingos! Love this party idea - how fun! It's so great to get outside and have fun, especially with school and "routine" starting up again. #client
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