Hey, Camp Folks!

Over the course of my eight years writing the Everything Summer Camp Blog, I’ve written a number of posts about honoring and celebrating Mother’s Day…probably eight! There are a handful of ways to approach Mother’s Day: consider all the things your mom does for you, think about what you can do for her, think about what you definitely shouldn’t do for her. Let’s review some of those valuable pointers from Mother’s Days past.

Why Mom Matters
Why does Mom matter?! Well, for starters, Moms lives are full of upkeep. They’re constantly cooking meals, doing laundry, running errands, changing poopy diapers, reading bedtime stories, etc. And they do it EVERY DAY! Second, her unconditional love for her kids gives them security and peace of mind. No matter what they do, Mom’s going to be there for them. And third, Moms have a way of setting the level of peace and happiness in the home! Help make your mom happy. You’ll be happy you did!

What to Do for Mother’s Day
It’s always customary to think of something to give to your mom for Mother’s Day. A thoughtful gift like a necklace or a sweet service like breakfast in bed are some of the more stereotypical ideas. Here are some more realistic ideas: 1) Design your own maze, word search, word jumbles or other fun paper and pen games. 2) Make your own card and/or Mother Coupon for chores to be done or doing something she likes for her. 3) Draw a picture for her or write her a poem…maybe make her some kind of craft.

What NOT to Do for Mother’s Day
In the end, the least you can do for Mother’s Day is help keep the peace in the household. That means no bickering with brothers and sisters if you’re prone to fighting. Consider messiness before you make any—don’t track mud through the house or leave things untidy after use. And don’t insult your mother’s cooking. She worked hard to make a nutritious meal for you and… Wait a minute!!! It’s Mother’s Day, don’t leave dinner up to her.

All in all, enjoy spending time with your mother today and show her the gratitude, happiness, and love that she deserves each and every day! Make sure she knows that too. And, as always, Campers—thanks for reading. Happy Mother’s Day!

- John

Hey, Springtime Fans!

It’s easy to see that Spring is in full swing as we now sit on the other side of Easter Sunday. As the world comes back to life for all of us who have seen our way through another cold and snow-filled winter, today is National Dandelion Day. The birds are chirping, the grass is greener, and those cute, little yellow ‘flowers’ start poking up in droves once the weather is right! 

It’s no secret that dandelions are a weed. There’s lots of folks who go through plenty of effort and/or expense to entirely eradicate these cute and sunny symbols of spring from their lawn. Others will rejoice to see them back and pick them just for their own display and enjoyment. Not only do they look nice (in the eyes of the right beholder), but they offer some great health benefits to people as well.

Of course, should you happen to find some growing in an otherwise pristine yard, it likely means that they fought past the chemical that was sprayed, in which case you don’t want to consume it. But wild dandelions on untreated land yield great effects.

All parts of the dandelion are valuable. The leaves, stem, and head are all an awesome and edible source of potassium. Potassium is an electrolyte as well as a mineral—one that naturally stimulates your heartbeat. Potassium is beneficial in aiding your kidneys as they filter out toxins and improve your blood flow. Check out a few different ways to eat this yellow weed. 

Dandelion Tea
Also found in traditionally packaged tea bags at most grocery stores, Dandelion Tea is easy to make at home too. Just pick your weeds, clean them, lightly roast them (optional), and stick them in a disposable tea bag or tea infuser. 

Dandelion Salad
Even easier than making tea is throwing dandelion pieces into a fresh garden salad. Mix the leaves in with some lettuce or spinach and other leafy greens of your choice along with other vegetables and dandelion stems and heads!

Dandelion Sandwich
Put them between two pieces of bread as well! Dandelion leaves, stems, and heads are delicious on a piece of bread with butter or maybe some avocado spread across it.

Dandelions are a treat to eat as they only come around once a year and—best of all—they’re free! Unless your family sprays the lawn, chances are you’ll have a dandelion or two poking up in your yard pretty soon if not already! Pick them as they pop up and put any one of these weedy menu items to the test! Enjoy the spring weather, Everybody. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Readers!

Happy Veterans Day. Today is a holiday intended to honor and show our appreciation to those who have served their country in the armed services. We call those people veterans. Everything Summer Camp extends immense gratitude to those who have fought for our freedom. What is this day all about and what’s so special about today’s date?  

Jump into today’s Blog post for a better understanding of this federal holiday and what you can do to honor those who served our country.

Similar but Different
Veterans Day can sometimes be confused with Memorial Day. While they ARE similar to each other, Memorial Day restricts who is being honored. It is a day meant to remember those who have fought and died while serving their country. Veterans Day is meant to honor both those who have fallen and the ones who survived.

Why Today?
November 11 marks the end of World War I (nearly a century ago) when a truce was made with Germany. Veterans Day is pretty much the American celebration of Armistice or Remembrance Day. Although, our intentions are to honor all veterans—not just those from the first World War.

How to Celebrate
Mailing cards or letters is a wonderful way to show someone your appreciation. Wearing a remembrance poppy or a yellow ribbon is a simple, great way to quietly show your support as well. You can get some more ideas about how to show your appreciation for vets in your life by browsing through a previous Blog post—just click here.

It’s taken a long time for the holiday to become what it has come to be. So appreciate those around you that you may know who have served in the armed services for your country and wish them a Happy Veterans Day. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Happy Father’s Day, Everybody!

Today’s all about enjoying the day with your dad! Get out and have fun with your father so you can give him the best Father’s Day you can! Just as we did with Mother’s Day last month, instead of going over what fun or nice things you can do with the ol’ man, we’ll review some of the great things dads typically do around the house and for the family. And whatever you do to celebrate Father’s Day, make sure to do it out of gratitude for your dad!

Ask Dad, He Knows…
Dad lived a whole lot of life before you ever entered the world and probably learned a thing or two each day throughout all of his life experiences. He’s a wealth of knowledge; ask him about anything you’re unsure of. He likely has some insight or another.

Maintenance Man
While I went through a short list of domestic living chores in my Mother’s Day post in May, Dads usually share some amount of chores whether they fall into the category of cleaning house, lawn care, making updates, or running errands.

Maybe Dad Can Fix It
It seems to run in the DNA makeup of Dads that they develop the ability to fix it when the lawnmower won’t start, or the dishwasher leaks, or the toilet overflows. The personal family handyman (until the experts are necessary)—what would we do without dad?!

Consider all the things your dad does to keep your household running and give him the gratitude, happiness, and love that he deserves today and every day! Check out previous Father’s Day posts to find ideas on what you can get for him or maybe even make something yourself. Maybe it’s something you do for him. Whatever it is, make it a happy Father’s Day and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Happy Memorial Day!

As we inch closer and closer to summer, many states continue to loosen their restrictions of the quarantine orders that were put in place in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. With Memorial Day here, it’s important for us to commemorate this federal holiday while still adhering to the safety guidelines that have been laid out in your particular region.

Gathering
Being together is one of the best ways to remember those who fought and fell for this country—especially after staying in our homes all this while. It’s great to gather for grill-outs or go see someone who’s directly affected by a fallen soldier if you can! If you’re still unable to physically visit people, phone calls are always appreciated. Or you can drop off a letter or card or at least wish them a belated Happy Memorial Day in a letter you get in the mail today.

Parade
Parades are already a common Memorial Day tradition. If you’re able to gather for a parade as you always have in the past, great! Enjoy yourself! If your area is still practicing stricter social distancing, maybe you can suggest a spirited gesture of the drive-by parades that involve flag-flying and cheerful honking through the neighborhoods as we’ve seen throughout our country’s lockdown.

Visitation
A sobering cemetery visit can be a hard but often therapeutic outing. This Memorial Day tradition shouldn’t involve too much close contact, however, since some states need to exercise more caution than others, you may find you’re unable to visit the cemetery today. An alternative way to spend time thinking of the loved ones we’ve lost may be to find a picture of them or some other keepsake and just spend some time thinking about them and saying thanks for their service!

No matter what, you can find some way to remember the people who have fought and fallen for our freedoms. From Everything Summer Camp, we wish a Happy Memorial Day to all you Camp Families and, as always, thanks for reading.

John