It’s almost July! Whether you’re planning a big neighborhood bash or a family potluck, PlanHero™ has you covered this summer. Once you’ve dusted off the extra lawn chairs and bought enough explosives to keep everyone happy (we’re sparkler people, which my children find intolerably boring, but no one’s lost a hand playing with sparklers) it’s time to figure out who’s coming and what’s on the menu. However you spend your time this July 4th, IT IS TIME TO CELEBRATE!
Use our Gatherings Tool to:
- Get signups for who is bringing what: watermelon, corn-on-the-cob, chips and dip, margaritas. Please invite us if you are planning on margaritas.
- Get volunteers to orchestrate activities. Whether it’s for a water balloon fight (try these! You can fill and tie dozens of water balloons in no time), safety monitor for fireworks, clean-up, or who is bringing extra chairs and blankets, do it all quickly and in one place with our Gatherings Tool.
- Track attendance. Know who is coming so you can make sure you’re stocked up on enough necessities (see above IRT margaritas).
We are always on the lookout for some easy, yummy summer eats. Whether you’re hosting or showing up at the family potluck, there’s always a need for new nibbles for noshing.
- Leave it to The Pioneer Woman to come up with a twist on potato salad. You can get the recipe for her pepperoni potato salad here.
- S’mores anytime! Try these yummy-looking s’mores cupcakes from Delish.
- Whether you’re camping or in your own kitchen, Country Living’s chicken and black bean nachos look easy and delicious.
- I just want someone to make this pretty little thing so I can try it. Take a look at Judy’s Strawberry Pretzel Salad (I think it looks more like a cheesecake, which is my kind of salad) from All Recipes.
- I love sangria and am intrigued by Food & Wine’s twist on the summer classic. If you like spicy, you may love their pineapple-sake sangria with jalapeno. If you don’t, they have dozens of ways to make this fruity, refreshing beverage.
- Most kids (and a lot of grown-ups) love the taste of ranch. Southern Living has a quick, simple recipe for ranch turkey burgers that is sure to make everyone happy.
Fun 4th Activities for the Kids
- I already mentioned water balloons, and seriously – if you’re so inclined to welcome a water fight in your backyard (or your neighbor’s) I can’t recommend these enough. I’m so old I remember filling them up, one-by-one, and tying teeny, tiny knots until my fingers were numb. Now all you have to do is attach something to a hose nozzle? Clearly if we can do this we can colonize Mars.
- I love this custom caps craft by Parents Magazine because it uses items you’ll likely already have on hand and keeps little hands busy. A win-win, plus they’re super cute!
- Do you have bins of extra Lego pieces? Hahaha of course you do. Little Bins Little Hands has a great American Flag craft that also incorporates the history of our flag into the project. What a clever idea!
- Once the last firework has exploded but your group still has some sparkle in them, why not have an outdoor movie night? Check out this easy set-up for a night of watching stars underneath the stars. I love everything about this post from MomAdvice on how to put together a simple, DIY outdoor movie night. Of course you can go as elaborate as you want, but I love that there are options that involve bedsheets and minimal fuss. Plus – it’s adorable!
