This Week's Top Parenting Links—7/1

Happy 4th of July! This is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. We have plans to celebrate my mom’s birthday on the 3rd (Happy Birthday, Mom!) with some fireworks and food, and then carry the celebration into the 4th! What a great excuse to read the Declaration of Independence and celebrate our many freedoms with family and friends.

Folks, don’t neglect to tell your kids what we celebrate on the 4th of July!

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I can’t wait to make these fun outdoor water blobs! Wonder if you can make them for adults? If you added red coloring to some, you could be very patriotic.

Follow hello wonderful for more ideas, tips and tricks!

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This was a great challenge for me to continue to have ‘scruffy hospitality.’ Your house doesn’t always have to look like the cover of Southern Living to invite people into your home for good food and conversation. From knoxpriest.com:

“Scruffy hospitality means you’re not waiting for everything in your house to be in order before you host and serve friends in your home. Scruffy hospitality means you hunger more for good conversation and serving a simple meal of what you have, not what you don’t have. Scruffy hospitality means you’re more interested in quality conversation than the impression your home or lawn makes. If we only share meals with friends when we’re excellent, we aren’t truly sharing life together.

Don’t allow a to-do list to disqualify you from an evening with people you’re called to love in friendship. Scheduling is hard enough in our world. If it’s eating with kind, welcoming people in a less than perfect house versus eating alone, what do you think someone would choose? We tell our guests ‘come as you are,’ perhaps we should tell ourselves ‘host as you are.”

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Isn’t this patriotic?! I’m “making” it twice this weekend to celebrate the 4th!

Looks like it can handle the heat of being outside for BBQs and it’s great for little fingers to grab and go!

Check out Family Fresh Meals for more great ideas.

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This looks fun for kids (and adults) to complete while celebrating the 4th! Hellobee has a plethora of great ideas to inspire your indoor and outdoor spaces, recipes and 4th of July games!