Fourth of July Festivities

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays, and this year was a great one! We swam, we picnicked, we paraded, we ate too much food, we swam some more, and we watched fireworks. We had so much fun celebrating America's birthday with our family and friends!

The 4th of July has been a big deal since I met Grant. I quickly grew to love the holiday as much as his family did. Every year since I met Grant, we celebrated the 4th of July with his family. They always hosted a huge picnic, then we walked down to watch the town parade. Grant often drove his dad, who was the mayor, in the parade, and I occasionally joined him. Eventually, Dylan took my place. His dad brought fireworks back to the area, so we would end the night by watching the fireworks in the cemetery on the hill, then head back to his parent's house for a fire.

That tradition just wasn't the same after the death of Grant's father, who absolutely loved the 4th of July, and two years ago was the last year the picnic happened. Last year felt like a huge disappointment, so we knew things had to change. Although change is tough, this year we went to our friend's pool for a picnic/pool party, and we ended up having a fun day!

Easy Summertime Meals with #GrabGoWow

Summertime, and the living is easy! Unless you have kids, of course. Then you’re just as busy as ever!

The lazy days of Summer no longer exist for me. As my four kids grew and changed, our lifestyle changed with them. Sports and activities started to sneak their way into the Summer months, and my kids want to do things now, instead of hanging out at home all day. Although I long for the lazier days that once were, those days are no longer feasible!

I’ve learned to embrace the busyness, and go with the flow. One day, in the not too distant future, I will have my lazy Summer days, and I’m certain I will be wishing back every single moment of the chaos! The thing about time is there is no stopping it. The Summer months fly by, and the years fly by even quicker.

Despite my acceptance of the busyness of Summer, it can still be overwhelming at times. Add in all the Summer picnics and parties to our already chaotic schedule, and I am one tired mama!

Although I have the best intentions to create delicious recipes for the picnics we attend, my attempt always fails. I have the most Pinterest-ing recipes at my fingertips, but I either forget to pick up an ingredient, or I simply run out of time. Most of the time, I’m the hot mess of a mom showing up at a picnic with a container of store-bought cookies or store-bought drinks.

Thankfully, Walmart can help me out now with their new Grab Go Wow program, featuring Kraft-Heinz products! You can access the easy recipes online, head to your local Walmart store to purchase the popular Kraft-Heinz products that you probably already buy at the great Walmart prices, then quickly whip up the delicious recipes at home.

This is a fantastic new approach to meal planning! The recipes are PERFECT for any Summer picnic or party, or even your weekly family meal plan. I am open to any idea that saves me time (and money), so I was thrilled to hop on the Grab. Go. Wow. bandwagon! It truly is “Meal Planning Made Easy.”

With the 4th of July just a few weeks away, I wanted to try out a few recipes that I looked like crowd-pleasers. #GrabGoWow was the perfect place to start!

I visited the website, saved my list of ingredients, then headed to my local Walmart to purchase the items. I quickly found everything I needed! Every item was in stock and priced lower than other stores in my area.

The recipes I chose did not disappoint! The directions were very easy to follow. My 10 year old daughter, Lexie, who loves to cook, did most of the work. Five year old Lily even stepped in to assist. Most important, both recipes were a hit with my entire family. I can’t wait to try more #GrabGoWow recipes!

Here’s some inspiration for your next Summer picnic:

WAVE YOUR FLAG CHEESECAKE

Lexie loved making this perfect Summertime dessert for our family!  It was full of ingredients that everybody loves: Strawberries, blueberries, JELL-O, PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, and COOL WHIP to name a few!

Wave Your Flag Cheesecake was quick (and fun) to make! (Who doesn’t love licking the spoons and the bowls?) My kids just wanted to decorate the cake and dig in! The end result was absolutely perfect for any patriotic holiday, and so tasty that my family already requested that it be made again soon!

ORANGE LEMONADE TWIST

Lexie whipped up this recipe all by herself from start to finish. With only a few ingredients and a few minutes of time, you can have a party-perfect drink that will please the entire crowd!

This deliciously refreshing Summertime drink is perfect for any occasion. Lexie hates lemonade, but she couldn’t get enough of this drink! All six of us agreed with her. This drink recipe is truly one of our new favorites!

Thanks to #GrabGoWow, I am ready to rock my meal planning this Summer, and arrive at every picnic with recipes that will make everyone happy! Utilizing this awesome meal planning program truly saves me time and money. As a busy mom of four, I can proudly support that!

Visit Grab. Go. Wow. to discover all the delicious recipes!

Celebrating the 4th of July

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays and it always comes and goes so quickly!

There is so much anticipation for that big Summer celebration and we always have a lot of fun with our family and friends!  Each year, I feel a bit bummed when it's over. It's kind of like returning from vacation and going back to reality. The party may be over, but we sure had fun!

Our 4th of July weekend is always jam-packed. Between a birthday party and two picnics, we keep busy! This year was no exception.

First up was a birthday party for our friend's daughter!  Audrey just turned 17 and I'm having the most difficult time wrapping my mind around it. I remember sitting next to her in the car when she was a baby and I was barely an adult myself. Now she's a gorgeous young lady who can drive and she's getting ready to start her senior year!

Shortly after we arrived, Grant made fun of Liam's new life vest.  I bet him $20 that Liam would fall into the pool and that's why he needed to wear it at all times. The teasing continued, but sure enough, I was right! Liam DID fall into the pool and I was right behind him to calmly fish him out with that convenient handle on the back of the vest. Of course, it took a lot of convincing to get him back into the pool...

We had a good time with our friends, but unfortunately, we could only stay for a few hours. We left the party and went straight to an early 4th of July picnic with more friends!

A lot of food, a lot of kids and a whole lot of fun!

We left the picnic a bit earlier than we usually do because the hosts were going on vacation early Tuesday morning. Almost everyone had left and although we would have loved to spend more time with them, I know how stressful it is to pack for a big family!

On the morning of the 4th, I woke up not feeling so well. I assumed it was allergies and headed back to bed for a few hours while Grant took Dylan and Lexie with him to help set up for the family picnic.

We headed over for the picnic that afternoon and kept our fingers crossed that the rain would hold off! Thankfully the tents were set up just in case.

We managed to fit in a few golf cart rides through the neighborhood while we waited for the guests to arrive.

After we sped around town on the golf cart, Grant and several of his family members left, because they had to line up for the parade. (They were driving people in the parade in their Camaros. Grant's family owns a Chevrolet dealership and his uncle just retired from GM. For any Camaro enthusiasts, he's the Fbodfather. He was a product manager for Camaro then moved on to manage GM auto shows around the country.)

The guests began to arrive and we all walked down to wait for the parade to begin. Of course it began to rain just in time for the parade. And by rain, I mean the sky opened up and it POURED.  I've learned that it's best just to laugh at frustrating situations. Yes it rained. But everyone still had a good time and it really was comical!  Umbrellas were pointless and candy washed down the street!

 

Grant's dad was the mayor until just before he passed away. He loved his town and the 4th of July was his favorite day of the year. Every year, Grant drove his dad in the parade. This year, he was supposed to drive the current mayor in the car. The mayor offered his seat to the county teen pageant winner due to the rain, so Grant drove her and the mayor's wife, while the mayor walked alongside the car.

Dylan rode with them and I teared up as they passed.  For several years, I was in the passenger seat in the parade, and eventually, Dylan was born and ended up on my lap. Grant's dad always joked that Dylan would be a future politician because even as baby, he leaned out the window and waved to everyone he passed. Sure enough, he took his Pap's place in the car!

By the end of the parade, everybody was SOAKED!

Complete outfit changes were required and the dryer ran continuously as we ate our dinner!  Those outfit changes were pointless, because the kids ended up playing for hours in the rain anyway.

The rain ended an hour before the fireworks display was scheduled. More outfit changes (and a bath) occurred before we headed out to watch the 4th of July fireworks!

Liam fell asleep on the 2 minute drive, but woke up just before the fireworks started. It was hard to sleep with his siblings and cousins running around!

All of my kids love fireworks, but Liam was extra enthusiastic this year. He smiled and clapped his way through the entire fireworks display!

It wasn't a picture-perfect 4th of July, but my family had a wonderful time celebrating Independence Day!

How was your 4th of July?

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