“In summer, the song sings itself.” – William Carlos Williams… I love summer. I love being outside with the family, enjoying the fresh air. Yes, this is partly because they make less of a mess INSIDE the house, when they get to run wild in the yard. But I also just truly love being in the outdoors. And – I’m totally a “celebration” type person… I like to find simple but creative ways to make the everyday a little more fun. So if you’re looking for easy ways to take your outdoor summer days up a notch too, keep reading – and feel free to steal some of my ideas for your own summer fun.

“I am curious, I love making discoveries, travelling, speaking with people, going shopping for cool new things to make life more fun.” – Maria Grazia Cucinotta

So – you know that I consider myself a super smart, totally savvy shopper, right? Which means that before any shopping trip, I always take a few minutes to check out my coupon stash, match it with my shopping list – and then check the store website for any super specials going on. {No, I’m no extreme couponer. But I do make a bit of an effort to ensure we spend our family budget in a smart way – which is why we do most of our shopping at Walmart.} Then, with list in hand, coupons in their envelope, and cash in my wallet – we headed out to grab a bit of gear to celebrate the first day of summer break for the big kids.

“It’s almost Summer! Time to find out what my friends with swimming pools have been up to since last summer…” – Unknown

I usually spend way too much of my days working at the computer. The kids will remind me once in awhile that “you’re WAY more fun when you’re not at the computer, Auntie Meagan!” So now that summer break is here {school got out for us on Friday} – I have decided that it’s time for me to take more blogging breaks, and #GrabSummerFun more often. This was a perfect weekend for breaks… It was time to get our pool ready for summer opening!! We pulled the cover off – the kids ooohed and ahhhed – then added the chemicals and cleaners to have it ready by next weekend. Super exciting. Then – since the kids really wanted to get in the water – we set up this super cute little Mushroom Baby Pool that grandpa sent us… They had a BLAST. Great way to burn off some of that afternoon energy that kids seem to have an abundance of. The kid that us tired moms can’t even remember….

“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.” – James Dent

After an awesome afternoon of outdoor summer fun, you have to start thinking about dinner. And while the dreaded “what’s for dinner!!??” calls can sometimes be stressful – they don’t have to be when you’re prepared. For this summer celebration dinner, I grabbed a few pre-made products that I jazzed up just a bit, to make them more fun. Frozen pizzas {even when you add extras like we did} are a quick dinner fix. And Nestle Drumsticks please even the pickiest of eaters. I mean heck – they have sprinkles. Who doesn’t smile at sprinkles, right?

“To err is human , To Arr is Pirate.” – Unknown

I headed into the house to gather up some of the groceries I’d bought earlier in the day, to put together a super fun “Summer Pirate Pizza Party” that would totally top off the day. I had found some ideas on Pinterest – and hoped that they’d be successful… {Only about half of the cool ideas I attempt actually work out, lol.} I love that Walmart has everything that I need to put together any fun family evening that I come up with. Drum roll….. Ta da!! My Pirate Pizza was a super success – The kids LOVED it. I love moments like this, that make me feel like a super mom. {I plan to make this guy again for our Princess and Pirates Birthday Party for Abby in July…} I used a basic Tombstone Pizza for the base, then added our own pepperoni, peppers, and olives for more toppings. {My Walmart was totally out of pepperoni pizzas when we visited – see the rest of our shopping trip on Google+.} I wasn’t really sure what I was doing, and just kind of put him together randomly – but I think he came out kind of awesome. #JustSayin’.

“Summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” – Henry James

Of course no party is complete without party drinks, right? So I put together a super simple Pirate Party Punch – And, seriously – never underestimate the excitement kids will show over a few maraschino cherries – OhmyHECK. You’d think I’d brought home new ponies with built-in XBox systems. Wow. Want to be a super-hero mom too? Here’s the easy peasy mix:

• Cherry Kool-Aid mixed with…
• The juice from half a jar of maraschino cherries.
• A splash of Squirt soda on top of each glass.
• Then add a couple of maraschino cherries, plus half-frozen mandarin oranges, or pineapple wedges. {Those were my first choice, but we were out!}
• Stir it up, add glow-in-the-dark straws from the party aisle – voila! Pirate punch fit for any little buccaneer!

“Summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” – Henry James

And last, but absolutely not least – we finished up dinner with those frozen treats I mentioned earlier. We love Drumsticks – and I was super excited to see that Walmart now has some new options – including cherry stuffed, sprinkle topped, super yummy ice cream creations! You might remember how excited the kids get over some cherries? So yes, these were a huge hit too.

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” – Sam Keen

{Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Nestle #CBias #SocialFabric.} And learn more about the awesome products featured here on the Nestle Facebook page, and Tombstone Facebook page.