Prepping For Summer Camping with Mabel's Labels #ICCAMPMABEL #IC #AD

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Mabel’s Labels. I received a voucher to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Summertime means lots of adventures for the Coller kids and this past weekend was the best one yet for our boys. They attended their first Trail Life campout and had a great time. They came home hot, exhausted, and covered in ticks, (yuck!) but it was all worth it for the fun experience of being in the woods with their dad and their friends. Last week, Cainan got this cool pack of personalized waterproof labels from Mabel's Labels---perfect for marking his belongings to make sure everything gets home safely. 

Cainan picked out the sailboat pattern from the Limited Edition Camp Label Pack collection. His label pack included 10 sticky labels, 24 mini name stickers, 8 shoe labels, 50 tag mates, and 2 metal bag tags with chains to attach them to bags or zippers. The bag tags are Cainan's favorite and he also got a little set of postcards to mail home a "hello" from summer camp.

These small labels are great for clothing and personal items. Mabel's Labels had several themes and colors to choose from for boys and girls. I especially like that they're 100% guaranteed, as well as, dishwasher, microwave, and laundry safe.

There were more than enough labels in the pack to personalize all his camping items and even some of his own stuff here at home. That's really important when you're one of nine kids!

Want to try Mabel's Labels for yourself? Just visit the widget below to enter to win discounts or free items. Also, now through June 22, you can sign up for the newsletter and complete one social share to receive a coupon code. Visit MabelsLabels.com to see what discount you received.

Mabels Labels Camp Combo

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Old-Fashioned Picnicking In Your Own Front Yard

If you've been reading me very long, you know I'm all about old-fashioned values and vintage-style living with all the modern conveniences. Too many times, I find myself longing for the "good old days", and completely missing the fact that the days I'm living, right here, right now are the good old days---my good old days. I tend to wait to execute a great idea until I have every single detail in place. Ever heard the phrase, Perfectionism Leads to Procrastination? Yeah. That's totally me. I'm really working on turning over a new leaf, though. Like I tell my husband when he wants the newest 10 billion dollar gadget that will make his life complete: start small and work up to it. So, with that in mind, let's get to the topic, shall we?

I love the idea of an Edwardian-style summer picnic. I imagine my children all dressed in filmy white dresses with gigantic hair bows or cute sailor outfits with their hair parted just right. I'd finally have found a sunhat big enough for my head of thick hair and my husband would straighten his bow tie and twirl his mustache with one hand while swatting away the flies with a newspaper in the other. We'd feast on an assortment of pickled and jarred things before strolling near the lake---our children remaining immaculately clean and gloriously happy the entire time. Can this idyllic scene be real? Probably not without a butler, a couple maids, and a nanny thrown in. That doesn't mean I can't have my own modern version, though. It's not important that I capture that exact scene. What's important is that I capture the emotions that scene evokes.

“Station Wagon Picnic,” by Mauro Scali,  from American Weekly Magazine cover - June 24, 1956. 

(See, they ate dinner in the car in the "good old days", too!)

Too often, I find that my plans for making a special time for my family sound great in my head, but the execution of them is rushed and unplanned. Again, start small and work up to it.

Set the Scene
A great front (or back) yard picnic starts with setting the scene. We used to have a lovely wooden picnic table, but it belonged to the owners of a house we once lived in so we had to leave it behind. I suppose I could run out and buy a couple---but I think I'll look around and see what I have already. Last summer, a neighbor gave us an old glass-top table and another neighbor gave us a plastic kids-size table. These will do fine for now. If you don't have an outside table, consider moving your dining room table to the lawn, setting up a board on sawhorses, or opening the trunk of your car to serve as a picnic buffet table. Once I cover the tables with a sheet or tablecloth, they'll look festive enough.

While our large family pretty much requires an actual buffet table, maybe you want to skip the table all together and just use a blanket and a basket. Don't have a pretty red and white checkered blanket with a perfectly-woven picnic basket to use? Never fear! A flat bed sheet works just fine for a picnic blanket and you can line a plastic tote or cardboard box with a pretty pillowcase or two to carry your food out in.

The Essential Stuff
Next you'll want to think about what you'll need to serve the food on. Paper plates and plastic utensils are usually considered picnic essentials but they're more hassle than they're worth, in my opinion. They're flimsy, for one thing, causing younger kids to spill them and older ones to have a hard time balancing them on their laps. In addition to that, the expense of disposable plates could be used on something more fun---like bendy straws! In the "old days" people *gasp* took their kitchen dishes with them on picnics and brought them home to be washed up that evening. (Melmac, anyone?) Consider using the dishes and utensils from your own kitchen at your front yard picnic. It will save you money and will be more comfortable for everyone. I guarantee you the Edwardians would have loved having the option of sippy cups and capped water bottles at their outside meal times.

What's For Dinner?
Finally, you'll need to figure out your menu. I recommend choosing things that you can assemble, little by little, the day before so you don't find yourself throwing it together at the last minute. We love to grill steak, chicken, or burgers and serve bowls of side dishes at our picnic buffet. If you want to go easier, consider a sandwich filling like chicken or egg salad, rather than the same ol' lunchmeat or peanut butter that your kids might eat every day. Here are 10 Delicious Picnic Sides & Salads to give you some inspiration---all of which can be made the day before and stored in the fridge until time for your picnic. Make sure to end with a lovely old-fashioned picnic dessert like a cake or strawberry torte.

Simple Entertainment
In these days of Pinterest-envy, we tend to think our events have to be flashy, extravagant, and expensive. Our family has always appreciated good, old-fashioned, free fun! Here are some ideas for games you can play to get your family laughing and enjoying one another at your old-fashioned front yard picnic:

• Charades
• Hide and Seek
• Find the ________ (thimble, pocket watch, etc.)
• I Spy
• Red Rover
• Red Light, Green Light

I'd love to hear about your ideas for old-fashioned summer fun! Let me know in the comments below.

10 Delicious Picnic & Potluck Sides & Salads

It's summer time---time for picnics, potlucks, and suppers in the backyard. Here are 10 great sides and salad recipes to inspire you to great meals this season!

Loaded Baked Potato Salad from NessaMakes.com.

Fresh Tomato Bacon Salad with Creamy Tomato Bacon Vinaigrette from Bubbly Nature Creations.

Not Your Typical Watergate Salad--guest post from AudraSilva.com.

Cold Taco Salad from Serving Up Southern.

Asian Marinated Cucumber Salad from The Food Charlatan.

Buttery Crockpot Corn on the Cob from Recipes That Crock.

Summer Macaroni Salad with Tomatoes and Zucchini from skinnytaste.com.

Secret Fruit Salad from A Household Almanac.

Fresh Broccoli and Apple Salad with Walnuts from Natasha's Kitchen. 

Best Baked Beans from Flour On My Face

Linking with:

The Creative Collection @ Craft-O-Maniac

Link Party Palooza

The Party Bunch

Sunday Showcase Party@Under the Table and Dreaming 

One More Time

Bouquet of Talent

Submarine Sunday

Silver Pennies

Snickerdoodle Sunday
Sunday Linkup at ARWB