Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The Summer Highlight Reel

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.




Even though I was too sick to squeeze in any last minute excursions the last two weeks before my kids returned to school, I did manage to do a lot of fun activities earlier in our summer vacation. This year, I bought a pass to our local pool and the kids and Iwent several times a week throughout the summer.

We took a couple trips downtown Chicago that everyone enjoyed. One time, we spent the day walking around the lakefront, Millennium Park, and Grant Park. The other time, we saw a play at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and spent the rest of the day playing at Navy Pier, shopping, eating lunch, and riding the giant Ferris wheel.

We went to dozens of baseball, softball, and hockey games. We enjoyed many an evening, relaxing in our backyard while toasting marshmallows over a crackling fire pit. We even went camping in the tent I pitched in our family room. What? There were no mosquitoes or bears, and we had running water and air conditioning! I’m telling ya, that’s the way to camp!

And we spent a week in the Outer Banks, NC. We’d wake up, grab our bowls of cereal and fruit and head out to the huge deck that overlooked the ocean. We’d eat outside and enjoy the cool breeze while listening to the surf pound the shore. Ahhh, just thinking about it is making me want to go back.

So, what was the highlight of your summer?

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122 comments:

Anjie said...

Does it count for me to say that the best part of summer was the first day back to school? I hope so, because it's the truth!

kellyH said...

my highlight was vacay in the Outer Banks as well! unfortunately, we got kicked out early due to Earl, but it was fun while it lasted!

Tracy S said...

2 fun things:

My mom, sister, me and the four kids (2 are mine, 2 are my sister's) do an annual "yay, school is out" weekend away in June. We leave the hubbies at home and have fun with the kids. We went to Wisconsin Dells this year (we live close by).

Then the kids have an annual "camping with dad" weekend with their dad, and a bunch of their friends and their dads. The ladies then get pedicures, go out to eat an do fun "chick" things. This year we went to the Farmer's Market and Botanical Gardens in Madison.

Anita said...

My favorite part was sleeping in at home. We were on the road a lot. It was nice to be home at the end of summer and relax.

Garth and Becky said...

My favorite part of summer was a week long family camp that we went to with some church families.

Jennifer Foster said...

The best part of our summer was...a week at Lake Tahoe! woot woot

Cyndy said...

Watching the kids experience and catch fireflies. We sadly, don't have them here where we live.

Ben and Melissa James said...

Going to California and swimming in the ocean!

Denise said...

Watching my twin 5 year old boys learn to swim and ride bikes on two wheels! A very successful summer indeed :)

number1aunt said...

The highlight of my summer was directing a patriotic musical that we performed in our city park and then at the Veterans Home. It was such a rewarding experience!

Brooke said...

We went on a Disney Cruise that my in-laws paid for! It was awesome... and we still spent a ton of cash, of course, because Disney knows how to get you to spend money :)

Simple Country Girl said...

One highlight of our summer was taking a trip to Holiday World in Indiana. The kids had never been and they loved the roller coasters and the water park. We don't normally get to do stuff like this so it was fun for all of us!

Unknown said...

The best part of my summer was an impromptu visit to the home of a very famous author ;) Do I get extra brownie points for that?

Allie said...

The highlight of my summer would be our trip to our family cabin in Upstate NY... a week of playing in the stream, a tours or a brewery, seeing friends we hadn't seen in 9 years, a water balloon fight & catching minnows... it was the perfect vacation... the 12 hours there and 12 hours back with 2 kids & 2 dogs in the car are something I could have done without.

tjaskv at "yaaaahooo" dot com

Chris Davis said...

My summer didn't have much of a highlight unfortunately. I ended up working during the summer to help make ends meet. Our air conditioner broke for a week during a heatwave and we got to spend a lot of time at a friend's pool, though. I guess that'll count!

Gwyneth said...

the best part of summer was my son getting his service therapy puppy... There is nothing better then the joy in his face when he plays with her :)

Tara said...

We didn't travel this summer, so the best part was not having a schedule.

Unknown said...

having 8 great weeks with my son!

Pam said...

My highlight is having every friday off in the summer - some are filled with shopping and fun, some just staying at home and being lazy.

rankin1997 said...

Having more time with my daughters and going to the pool.

Anonymous said...

the best part of my summer was all the days I spent sleeping in with my girls and all the canning I got done!! Not much vacationing done this year, spent it close to home..

Linda in Wilsonville Oregon

Mommy La said...

my highlight was spending July 4th weekend in NC with family.

Mommy La said...

I blogged it.

http://lifeofyoungparents.blogspot.com/2010/09/win-100-dollar-visa-gift-card.html

Mommy La said...

tweeted it

http://twitter.com/la_mac_2loves

Deirdrea said...

I think the best part of my summer was watching my youngest get up the nerve to go off the high dive at the pool. She was SO proud of herself and just loved doing all the little spins and jumps. It made for a great summer.

Amanda said...

Highlight of the summer was a 3 week trip to South Korea to visit husband's family. Kids are 13 and 10 and loved meeting extended family!

AStarrA said...

Swimming haha
disintegratingstarr@hotmail.com

lovinsanta said...

Highlight....10 weeks of all-star softball for my daughter. Loved it!!!

Heather
savingmoney2@yahoo(dot)com

Winona said...

Best part of summer was coming back to Chicago after moving away, and having my former band invite me onstage to sing a few songs with them at the Taste of Chicago!!

Barbarawr said...

The highlight of my summer was going to a family wedding and seeing lots of relatives we never see.

Email address is in blogger profile

Barbarawr said...

I tweeted http://twitter.com/bsw529/status/24053128545

Deb said...

This summer I got to take my boys to my parents summer house for the weekend and we had a ton of fun. We went blueberry picking, fishing, boating and swimming. It was great time to spend with my both my kids and my parents.

Deb said...

tweeted
http://twitter.com/fairydancer35/status/24053438517

Kelly Massman said...

My favorite memory from summer is trying to find the Big Red lighthouse in Holland, Michigan!
kmassman gmail

Nicole said...

My favorite moment was taking our daughter and son to the new city pool and watching our daughter develop a love of the water. She started out a bit timid at first, but after a few times, she was swimming under water.
nbalogh522 at gmail dot com

Nicole said...

tweet
http://twitter.com/maybaby522/status/24057136374
nbalogh522 at gmail dot com

sy said...

the best part was food, berries and melons are so tasty in the summer.
songyueyu at gmail

sy said...

i tweeted http://twitter.com/syytta/status/24060280865

Kristin said...

My favorite part of the summer was going to China to pick up our daughter and bring her home to us forever! Doesn't get much better then that!

♥ LLL with Leslie ♥ said...

My highlight was going to Sea World, watching their shows and seeing the animals!

livelovelaughwithleslieblog at gmail dot com

♥ LLL with Leslie ♥ said...

tweet.

http://twitter.com/laughwithleslie/status/24067570851

livelovelaughwithleslieblog at gmail dot com

Racingjourno said...

The highlight of my summer was spending quality time with my cousins at their vacation home.
Many family memories were shared, and some were made.

scoospter(nospam)at yahoo dot com

Racingjourno said...

Tweet
http://twitter.com/LuigiFranco/status/24075401874

scoopster(nospam)at yahoo dot com

Amy said...

One night, my boys drug me outside at midnight to hear one of their friends play his guitar. We sat out around the bonfire till 4 AM while their friend played his guitar and the boys all serenaded me under the stars.

I had so wanted to go to bed before all this and I am so glad that I didn't and let them talk me into going outside.

Some Lucky Dog said...

The best part of our summer was being able to spend lazy days and busy days with our grandsons...swimming, fishing, hiking!

someluckydog at gmail dot com

Some Lucky Dog said...

I blogged!
http://someluckydog.blogspot.com/2010/09/share-your-summer-highlight-and-enter.html

someluckydog at gmail dot com

Some Lucky Dog said...

I tweeted!
http://twitter.com/someluckydog/status/24086141742

someluckydog at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Our family trip to Gatlingburg was a lot of fun.

rhoneygtn at yahoo dot com

Renee Simmons said...

That my mom is doing well after a masectomy & my father in law is doing well after his surgery from cancer. It was a blessings summer!

Renee Simmons said...

http://twitter.com/bearabledeals/status/24092962601
Contest Tweeted!
bearabledeals@gmail.com

Bug said...

Best part of my summer was my child's swim class. He got to splash around in the ocean with other people and I got to relax on the beach while he did it.

Susan C. said...

The best part for us was popsicles! It was so hot here, they were the only thing that could cool us down. :)

Anonymous said...

Best part of summer were the family get togethers at Grandma's house.

MCantu1019@aol.com

Unknown said...

the best part of summer was going on vacation with my family to wisconsin! there probably arent a lot of trips left that we will be able to take with my grandpa.

hancoci_s at msn dot com

Betty N said...

The favorite parts of my summer are always when grandchildren come to stay with us a week or so at a time. They are fun to be around and interact with

Annmarie Weeks said...

The best part of my summer was cheering for my 10 yr old daughter & her teammates at their many swim meets!

Annmarie Weeks said...

I tweeted! http://twitter.com/amweeks/status/24127159511

PsychMamma said...

The best part of MY summer was a child-free week at a condo on Lake Michigan!! The best part of our family's summer had to be all the times we took to get out in NATURE. We got Jenna (4) a pair of binoculars, and we went to parks, botanical gardens, forests, lakes, etc. She collected rocks, leaves, & pine cones everywhere we went, and we all collected memories.

Leah @ A Butterfly In My Stomach said...

We loved camping by the lake. We also loved swimming! It was so fun!

leahforlove(at)aol(dot)com

Betty N said...

tweet
https://twitter.com/Grandma3710/status/24133738933

Anonymous said...

The best part of our summer was big camping trip with lots of smores ;) Also a big birthday party for our oldest girl. Thanks!

shevilkenevil1 at aol dot com

Anonymous said...

Tweet:
http://twitter.com/lipstickncandy/status/24145323770

shevilkenevil1 at aol dot com

Wander said...

The best part? Having my college son home. We had a great summer doing a whole lotta nothing!

We stayed up way too late...and slept in everyday!
Going out for lunch and shopping with all my teens was pretty fun too!

Summer is my homegirl!

JC said...

The highlight of my summer was camping with my family. Breakfast in the early morning by the cabin and tent was fabulous.

JC said...

http://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/24163429577

JC said...

blogged.http://tcarolinep.blogspot.com/2010/09/giveaway-because-i-said-so_10.html

Henria O. said...

Our favorite family moments were watching our 10 month old become mobile and take her first real walking steps!
sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com

Kristi said...

We had many great family moments at the beach.

kristisdeals1 at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

Sitting around the fire, drinking coffee and talking with my dear husband! These are a few of my favorite things!

~eunice b
tigergal01 @gmail .com

Anonymous said...

http://twitter.com/tigergal01/status/24188968534

tweet

~eunice b
tigergal01 @gmail .com

daveg0929 said...

My brother and sister came for a visit. Hadn't been together for 13 years.

susan1215 said...

The best part of Summer for me was going out of town visiting our familiy.

s2s2 at comcast dot net

Jen said...

My summer highlight was getting married to my fabulous husband, and lots of star-watching!

susan1215 said...

http://twitter.com/susan1215/status/24224848638

Eva said...

my best part of summer was being able to spend time with the family and being able to sleep in everyday!
evil_eva12 at hotmail dot com

Tracey said...

We took a week-long family vacation to the mountains of TN. It was lovely!!

Tracey said...

I tweeted - http://twitter.com/GirlstoGrow/status/24235447476

Gosfam said...

The best part of my summer was going to BlogHer10 in NYC!!

Angel Jacklyn said...

MY FAVORITE SUMMER MOMENT INVOLVED A FOOD FIGHT WITH MY BROTHER kytah00@yahoo.com

Angel Jacklyn said...

TWEET http://twitter.com/kytah00/status/24246395640 kytah00@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

we loved eating breakfast on the cruise ship to alaska! scg00387 at yahoo dot com

Deb Anderson said...

I'd have to say taking a canoe trip with my brother. It's the most time we've spent together in years and we had a blast!

Deb Anderson said...

http://twitter.com/tnshadylady/status/24260143588

Unknown said...

Hanging out with my 92 year old grandmother and eating lunch at the family get together. Love her!
gmissycat@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Tweeted your giveaway!
http://twitter.com/gmissycat/status/24283091953
gmissycat@yahoo.com

mom2boys said...

Our highlight was going camping with our kids. It was so much fun!!!

hottmomma_03(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anonymous said...

My favorite family moment this summer was when we went camping and visited our grandparent’s family farm and rode horses and milked cows.
My favorite breakfast moment was cooking free range eggs from the farm. I guarantee you they taste better than the ones you get from the grocery store.

pauleyd68 (at) yahoo (dot) com

Anonymous said...

http://twitter.com/lpauld68/status/24309716891

pauleyd68 (at) yahoo (dot) com

Amy said...

My favorite family moment this summer was being able to pick up my niece in Florida and take her with us to our big family reunion because my sister and her husband just couldn't make it this year. We had a great time with her along for the ride.

avennett AT verizon DOT net

marybug2 said...

Taking my grandchildren to the petting zoo.
marybug2@yahoo.com

marybug2 said...

Taking my family to the beach and enjoying just being with them.
marybug2@yahoo.com

marybug2 said...

I tweeted your giveaway
http://twitter.com/marybug2/status/24319975844
marybug2@yahoo.com

KCMichigan said...

The best part was moving to a new city and getting new jobs!! Yeah for employment! We have enjoyed exploring our new area the past few weeks!

kclements2001 (at) hotmail (dot) com

Unknown said...

Teaching my daughter to cook. My daughter is 14 and really wants to learn how to cook. We spent the summer doing "cooking camp" where I show her a new recipe and we make it together. She's got brownies down pat and there's been a brownies in my kitchen all summer long (hence why I need to go on a diet; I've gained 10 pounds this summer-next year it'll be "diet cooking camp" LOL)


shel704 at aol dot com

Unknown said...

Tweeted:
http://twitter.com/auntiethesis/status/24326351226

shel704 at aol dot com

DG said...

The best moment was when my niece and I spent about over two hours making a sand castle only to have her older sister accidentally fall on top of it. So funny and great day :)

dreamzz12{at}aol{dot]com

DG said...

http://twitter.com/DeeGee13/status/24326714338

tweeted!

dreamzz12{at}aol{dot]com

Carolyn G said...

the best part of summer was taking a vacation to Lake Tahoe and then to NYC and seeing the statue of liberty

Beads By Lori and Sara said...

The best part of my summer was getting to have one of my old college roommates up for a weekend. We had a great time!

Ann said...

https://twitter.com/onetwomany/status/24327630640

Rtd

Matt said...

The highlight of my summer was visiting The Farm in Door County, WI with my family!

mattschmunk at gmail dot com

wigget said...

i had a nice time this summer visiting the village fire station with the boys

Jacqui said...

Watching my two kids play in the water. My 4 year old made the most of the sprinkler and slip n slide and my baby loved his baby pool.

samdaleo said...

The best part about our summer is that we had a great time and made memories no matter what we did. We went away for the weekend a few times, went to Dinseyland a lot and had just day trips out to the movies or local parks. No matter what we did, we had many laughs and took many pictures.

Thanks!
Samantha Daleo
jamesmadison1974@gmail.com
or
jamesmadison1974 at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

The best part of my summer was being able to spend more time with my kids- we took them to the beach alot and they really enjoyed it- i miss them now that school has started.
tcogbill at live dot com

LAMusing said...

Just spending time together "hanging out" was great!
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

LAMusing said...

Tweet!
http://twitter.com/LAMusing/status/24363902191
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

Norma said...

Watching our friend play ice hockey was a blast - and it was funny "bundling up" in mid summer
bingomamanorma(at)gmail(dot)com

Ann said...

The highlight of my summer was my daughter's 9th birthday; she had two parties one that was out of town with relatives and then at our home when we returned. It was in June!

Ann said...

http://twitter.com/OneTwoMany/status/24327630640

RTd

Ann said...

http://twitter.com/OneTwoMany/status/24388737951

Rtd daily

Lori said...

Hiking while camping or our Tahoe vacation were the high points to our summer--my kids and husband are crazy!
lkziegler[at]gmail[dot]com

Katie said...

The best part was spending lots of time with my baby boy and getting him to love the water just like his big sister does!

kt1969 at comcast dot net

Katie said...

Tweeted:

http://twitter.com/Skaketgirl/status/24408377481

kt1969 at comcast dot net

won said...

The highlight was just hanging with my son and friends. Just 'being'.

It's the simple things.

won said...

http://twitter.com/won2x/status/24414721438

Lexiquin said...

The best part of my summer was when I watched my 12yo son, who had previously been discouraged about his batting during the regular baseball season, hit a home-run (the first of several) during the playoffs. More than 100 teams entered the tournament (double-elimination) and my son's team made it into the top six! At the end of the season, he was named Most-Improved and Most Valuable Player.
aleq13@gmail.com

smdrm said...

The best part of my summer was spending time with my 5 children and their children all together. This only happens 2 or 3 times a year.

kg4rmt at arrl dot net

Carol said...

The best part of my summer is all pool related... Fourth of July pool party and cookout with lots of relatives and lots of swimming the rest of the summer--relaxing and no pressure.

Ann said...

https://twitter.com/onetwomany/status/24537441212

Rtd

Ann said...

https://twitter.com/OneTwoMany/status/24676255946

Rtd

Kauseks said...

::sigh summers over:: I loved not having to wake to an alarm, or worry about the kids actually wearing anything but pj's