Yesterday found us at a family member’s home, enjoying family, the fantastic fall weather and of course, delicious food. The time for cookouts, corn mazes, pumpkins patches, hayrides, and bonfires has finally arrived! We are excited to dive into all the fun festivities, but I’ve learned from our previous cookouts and bonfires to expect lots of laundry stains. Don’t let laundry stains keep you from enjoying outdoor activities, simply use my secret weapon- Biz Stain Fighter!

Ah, Summer! How we love you. When you aren’t here we dream of your warm days and perfect star filled nights. We long for juicy peaches and messy popsicles. July is half over and we still happily look forward to summertime fun like swimming, taking road trips, picnics at the park, family cookouts, gardening, morning trips through the farmer's market and bonfires, just to name a few. The one thing we don’t plan and dream of is summer chores. Today I'm sharing 15 chores you can tackle in 15 minutes or less to help you get back to enjoying this amazing season quickly.

On a recent mild Saturday afternoon, a group of happy tweens arrived at our home to help my daughter celebrate her 12^th birthday.  They were full of energy and giggles right from the start!

The birthday “Princess” was ready to greet her guests and make them feel welcome. For twenty minutes, we met girls and parents and exchanged pleasantries as one should. All went according to plan. That would be the last time I could say that with any real confidence! The great thing about tweens is their spontaneity!  So my first tip to hosting an epic tween birthday party is: Plan to not follow your plan exactly.

My next tip is to pick a theme that has a lot of wiggle room. While my daughter liked the “idea” of a Disney Villain style party, she didn’t want it to be over the top with decorations.  We went with simple purple, green, gray and black pieces and accessories. The clear favorite was the villain banner! Hello Ursula, Maleficent and Darth Vader!

After the girls had played outside for a while they came in ready for a snack. We had lots of on hand, but before I could get a photo to share- these girls descended upon the table with an appetite only a tween boy could rival! Which leads me to my next tween party tip: don’t take too many photos and never snap a picture of a girl with her mouth full of food! So, not cool Mom!

After the girls hung out listening to music and taking selfies (yes, the irony isn’t lost on me) they went totally off plan and asked to do hair, nails and makeup instead of the crafts and games we had planned. Tip number 3: Roll with it, when at all possible. 

Here's my girls take on Maleficent nails.  We used black, green and purple nail polish- but you could use whatever darker colors you have on hand. I think they turned out nice!

Want to create your own Maleficent Villain style nails? Here’s a quick tutorial for you to follow.

After dinner, which included lots of pizza and veggies, the girls were ready to be frightened by playing flashlight tag! Living out in the country like we do, Mother Nature provided us with a very dark and mysterious landscape, perfect to frighten and amaze city dwellers! Maleficent would approve!

While down at our pond, these girls got themselves so scared, they ran back to the house and got us parents involved! It was a perfect, crisp, clear night on our land for flashlight tag. Even with all the flood lights on there was much screaming and laughter.

I must confess- this older Princess had a lot of fun outside with her Prince.

Tip number 4: Let your tweens explore and push the boundaries just a bit. Their party is the perfect time to allow ghost stories and playing outside after dark (weather permitting) as long as you establish safety guidelines first. Parents, even if you don’t want to be seen- stay close where you can hear and see the kids. 

Later that evening, the girls decided to get to the games and crafts part of our party plan. The clear favorite was the jar painting craft!

They laughed and talked and joked and ate and laughed some more until it was movie time.

I cleaned up the happy mess as best I could and left the living room to them. Which leads me to tip number 5: let your child host, but set ground rules before guests arrive. Chat with your son or daughter about snacks and drinks allowed, which movies are approved for watching and what time the party must wind down so kids can go to sleep if you are hosting a sleepover party like we did.

As I was preparing breakfast the next morning, the girls naturally gravitated back to the craft area to finish up their jars before pick up time arrived. That's when I knew this craft project was a winner! 

Even though this was a bit of a messy endeavor, I think all the jars turned out as pretty and as individual as the girls who painted them.

My last tip on throwing an epic tween birthday party, one in which your child and their friends tell you how much fun they had and how Epic! the party was. It's simple- sprinkle your party liberally with laughter and a healthy dose of pixie dust style patience and you too can pull off a great tween party!

Disney wants you to show your #Disneyside by being happy and sharing what you love about Disney! Showing your Disneyside will look different for every family and that’s what makes life fun.

If you’d like to throw your own #Disneyside at home celebration, head on over to DisneySide Celebrations and check out all the amazing themes, tips, activities and recipes they have. I'm betting you'll be able to pull of an epic party too!

Please share in comments: What is your favorite Disney Villain character and why?

Disclosure: My thanks to Disneyside for providing us with a box of Villain worthy goodies to use how we chose to show our Disneyside. No compensation was given or wanted. We are happy to show our Disneyside as often as possible.

Disclosure : I am a member of the Tennessee State Fair's blogger outreach program and received complimentary tickets to facilitate this post.

Saturday, September 14^th couldn’t have been more picture perfect here in middle Tennessee.  It was a warm, almost fall day where you want to spend as much time as possible outside. Thankfully for us, we had the Tennessee State Fair to attend.

If you haven’t been to the Tennessee State Fair in a while, boy, are you missing out! First of all, the venue is huge with all sorts of events to attend. The online scheduler was a handy tool for us. Still, we got sided tracked by another event and wound up missing Hedrick’s racing pigs!

Even though we missed those cute pigs, we got to meet a real sweet young lady and her Black Ram Yearling.  

She was kind enough to let me take her picture. Even Lovey liked me and decided it would be okay for me to take a photo or two.

They went on to win first place in the Ram yearling event! 

Lovey wasn’t the only animal we got to meet. There was sweet Caesar, the softest, sweetest rabbit we've ever petted. 

My youngest daughter wanted to adopt Caesar. My oldest daughter would have settled for any of the rabbits there. But, it wasn’t in the cards.

Next up, we walked through the calves and cows and found ourselves in the poultry building.  I can’t remember the last time I saw so many roosters and hens and fowl of every type in one building like this. Tennesseans showed up and brought their best animals to the fair for our enjoyment and for a prized ribbon or two. 

 After having our fill of the sights sounds and smells of the critters, we made into the Creative Arts Building. We found all manner of creative arts being represented.

Here are a few pictures of our favorites:

 Finally, before the kids burst, we went to the ride section, or Thrill zone.  There were a lot of rides to choose from this year. The Ferris wheel, a fair favorite no matter where you live, was a must. The Tennessee State Fair placed the Ferris wheel up high on the hill, so when you are on it, you got a beautiful 360 degree view of Nashville.

The girl’s favorite ride was Mouse House.  Calm enough to take the little ones on, with just enough twists and turns to keep it fun for the big kids and adults riding along. My Husband loved Mega Drop and Fire Ball too. For me, my joy was in the watching all the happy people around my happy family. If life is getting you down- go to your state fair. It will take 20 years off you!

By now, we are getting hungry and thirsty and there were tons of vendors to choose from serving up everything from corn dogs to turkey legs and of course, funnel cakes! 

We rode and walked and played and laughed our way through the day and before we knew it, the crowds slowly started switching from family and kids to the Saturday night couples and singles vibe and we knew it was time to head home. 

We didn’t get to see the entire fair, but that’s okay. We’ll be back next year.

As we were walking back to the car, my husband was drawn to the sound of racing cars. They look like a lot of fun to watch, so we are thinking of bringing the girls up to a race. 

Want to join us? The dates are below.

Thanks Tennessee State Fair for giving us of super fun Saturday! Has your state had it's big fair yet? Did you go? Leave a comment and give a shout out to your fair.

Disclosure : I am a member of the Tennessee State Fair's blogger outreach program and received complimentary tickets to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

Ever since our daughters were old enough to voice their opinions, Friday night has been reserved for family fun.  Whether it’s going out to eat at a favorite restaurant or staying home and having dinner and movie fun, we always take a vote.

My husband and I feel it is important to let our daughters help make these choices because honestly, there are so many things in their lives that they have zero control over. School is one of the major contributors to this. From grumpy teachers to redundant and what seems like, non-stop testing, our kids have very little say in their day.

But it’s June! It’s summer time here in Tennessee!

School is out and the living is easier here at our house, so tonight the girls get their say. Maybe they will want pizza and a movie or maybe we will go out to eat and then come home and catch fireflies or play flashlight tag. Maybe we'll go bowling. Or maybe we will all sit on the back deck and talk about our day while we listen to the frogs and toads sing.

The important thing is our togetherness and some fun!  Now I might be singing a different tune by the end of summer when we’ve all had a little too much togetherness and the litany of sibling complaints start.

Some of my favorites: “She’s looking at me!” “She’s touching me!”  “I’m bored!” And of course the question all parents should get a nickel for every time they answer it - “Are we there yet?”

I may even have to answer that question tonight if we decide as a family that we are heading out for dinner and other family type fun. But, I’m fresh and full of optimism for our Fun Family Friday nights! 

It’s just June 7^th after all.

What are your Friday night traditions?

As a thank you for sharing their information, Colortime sent me a pillowcase and marker set to review.

Ms. M. was all over it upon arrival.  

She liked how smoothly the markers worked on the pillowcase and that it didn’t take a lot of time to color in a spot.  Since most sleep overs and play dates are time sensitive, that is a big plus for this Mom.

We invite you to discover your inner crafty person with Colortime! They have everything to make you look like super Mom at your kid’s next sleep over, birthday party, play date, Girl Scout troop meeting and rainy day boredom buster. Plus, these crafts are easy on the wallet with most items priced at $5.95 or under. 

Right now you can save 15% off any project by using the code: 15USG or by clicking HERE.

I hope you found this review helpful. 

How do you get crafty with your kids? I'd love to hear about your projects.

Disclosure: I received the pillow case and marker set to review for Colortime as part of the US Family Guide Mom Bloggers. All opinions are my own.