My Stay-at-Home Mom Summer Adventures

July 26, 2018 / 26 Comments
*This is not a sponsored post.

Summertime with school aged children can really present some challenges for a stay-at-home mom. Well, it definitely presents challenges for this stay-at-home mom who writes a fashion and lifestyle blog that seems to revolve around very adult topics. Finding inspiration during the summer months when the children are constantly in my presence and adult interactions seem to be scarcer than ever forces me to be creative. I do find time to read books that discuss more mature topics such as psychology and mental health…you know, all that stuff that fascinates me. But if I am being real with you all, most of my days revolve around me making snacks, cleaning up snacks just in time to make the next snack, finding ways to keep these kids entertained, getting out of the house for activities that cost no money, and booze…we always need booze.

Shirt: Def Leppard Muscle Tank Top

My summer wardrobe is super casual as we either don’t leave the house at all or we head over to the splash park on Fort Drum to cool off in this hideous humidity that has been plaguing the North Country. The kids do love playing in the sprinklers and I get a chance to sit in the shade and catch up on some reading.

As summer is more than halfway over, it is also time for all the necessary doctors’ appointments for the wee ones. School physicals, vision exams, and dental appointments are quickly filling my calendar over the next few weeks. I use these days as opportunities to put on “real” clothes. But let’s face it, it is still really grotesquely hot so light and airy are a must. For example, this is what I wore the other day to take the kids to the dentist. And I was comfortable and cool enough to stay in it all day.

My mom look…what I wear to do all the mom things.

Sometimes, I even get the chance to head out for the evening and meet up with some fun people out and about in my little town. The husband stays home with the children and I go get social! I have some favorite eating and drinking establishments that I frequent and I almost always run into people I know. I don’t always photograph my outfits on these nights out…mostly because I just don’t feel like it. But when someone recognizes me from my blog and says they want to take my picture, I let them! Thank you, Amy Elizabeth, for snapping this barroom shot of yours truly…beer in hand!

But mostly, my days are kind of boring and seem to drag on forever. And some time around 5:00 in the evening (who am I kidding, sometimes it’s as early as lunch), I start making myself a “booze drink” as the kids like to call it. According to my 5 year old, if you add ice cubes to a drink, it suddenly becomes a “booze drink.” Please don’t tell your teachers this trick, kid! Anyway, I have to share this new drink concoction with you! It is my absolute favorite drink of the summer. I actually am not much of a drinker at all. After one drink, I feel all bloated and full…until I discovered the magic of vodka. It all started with vodka, water, and a lime wedge. Super light and it keeps me hydrated. And then….Ketel One released this new line of vodka that is infused with real botanicals and natural fruit essences.

Ketel One Botanicals

I kept seeing the commercial on television and I was so intrigued. Ketel One Botanicals are available in three flavors: Peach & Orange Blossom, Grapefruit & Rose, and Cucumber & Mint. I started scouring my local liquor stores but could not find them anywhere so I went to the website only to discover that hadn’t even been released yet. I found out the general release date (the end of June) and inquired at my favorite little town liquor store. They promptly ordered a case…just for little ole me! And my obsession began with the Peach & Orange Blossom.

When that ran out…very quickly, I might add, I headed back to the liquor store for the Grapefruit & Rose (and they were almost sold out of all three flavors).

And now I have to share with you my recipe for Shelbee’s Stay-at-Home Mom Summer Elixir.

I make this drink in a 17 ounce copper stemless wine tumbler. Similar here.

Shelbee’s Stay-at-Home Mom Summer Elixir

Ingredients:
3 ounces (2 shots) of Ketel One Botanical Peach & Orange Blossom
1 orange wedge
1 lime wedge
2 peach slices
Fill cup with ice
Top with Spring Water
Stir and sip

Alternate versions:

Substitute Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit & Rose
1 grapefruit wedge
1 orange wedge
1 lime wedge

Substitute Ketel One Cucumber & Mint
1 lime wedge
2 cucumber slices
Fresh mint leaves

Step 1: Slice fresh fruit.
Step 2: Add 2 shots (3 ounces) of Ketel One Botanical Vodka.
Step 3: Squeeze in your citrus fruits.

Step 4: Mash up the peach slices.
Step 5: Fill cup with ice cubes.
Step 6: Fill cup with bottled Spring Water.

Step 7: Stir and serve. Sip carefully.

And seriously…sip this drink. It goes down easy. And quickly. And before you know, you have consumed half the bottle of vodka!  And please drink responsibly!  No drinking and driving.  And no drinking at the splash park or the pool.  Safety comes first.  Drink at home!

Happy summer, my friends.

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Ups.

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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26 Comments

  • SUSAN

    July 26, 2018 at 9:42 am Reply

    Oh, yes the snacks! If I never see another package of those cookies with the M&M’s in them, it will be too soon. And the ketchup! (Shudder) I need a drink. That cucumber mint looks delightful, and how wonderful of you to include drink making instructions, and to use a non plastic straw. Our fishies appreciate that, and as a river dweller and part time drinker, I do too.

    Your dentist outfit is not something you usually showcase here, but you are rocking it, as per usual.
    Let’s talk Def Leppard, shall we?
    I dunno about you, but a good rock shirt, or concert tee makes me very happy. So does blasting Def Leppard in my car when I am annoyed by the complete idiocy of everyone else’s failure to learn how to drive. Or Green Day.
    Why is it that I have not yet scored an American Idiot tee? And that I am not walking down the Champs Elysee sporting it? Sigh!
    Good luck with the appointments, Shelbee. Rock on!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      July 26, 2018 at 11:24 am Reply

      Susan, if I forget to address anything else in your comment, I must address this…ketchup makes you shudder?! Seriously! Are we soul mates or something?! Ketchup completely and totally grosses me out so badly that it is major joke in my life! I am getting better with it…and I will eat it on tater tots or home fries. But that is it! Otherwise, the smell of it makes me gag. When my husband and I first lived together, my aversion to ketchup was so bad that if he even had it on his dinner plate, I wouldn’t wash the plate. He had to. If I get ketchup on my hands, it seems the world might end and I basically need to scrub it off with a wire brush to ensure that the odor does not stay on my skin! Ugh. So disgusting!

      So now the rest of your comment…I love my stainless steel drinking straws! They are much better for the environment and the drink comes up into my mouth all nice and icy cold! Yum. And isn’t my “mom” outfit so unlike me?! I do like to get all conservative every once in a while. It takes me back to the days when I pretended to be all hoity toity!

      I also love a good rock tee…although I feel a bit like a poser as I am not a huge Def Leppard fan. I will listen to them, but they are not my favorite band given the choice of tee shirts. But I never can find a good rock tee with a band that I am actually a huge fan of. Oh well. This one is still cool and I accept my poser status. It looks like the Green Day online store has American Idiot tee shirts though! My new favorite band right now (and I don’t know why I never heard of them in the 90’s) is O.A.R.. Maybe I need to snag one of their tee shirts!

      Enjoy those tunes, my friend, and drive safely…despite the idiocy around you!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

      • Susan

        July 26, 2018 at 8:04 pm Reply

        The only thing I detest more than ketchup, is tomato soup and cola drinks. Don’t get me started. I will only allow ketchup in my presence if there are a) children around or b) if it is on the table, and I have a ginormous burger in front of me, and then, only if I apply the offending condiment myself. Think dime sized dot. Now I adore tomatoes, and tomato sauce, but I draw the line at ketchup. If it does get on me, I am dramatic and go all Lady Macbeth (OUT, CURSED SPOT!). I once had a beach job as a waitress, and used to carry ketchup around all shift long, and when I came home, I couldn’t bear the smell of myself. I finally quit and went and got a job at the used jeans store. Sewing was better than smelling like the-condiment-which-shall-not-be-named.
        When I have cookouts, my friends bring it.

        I need a stainless straw. Out of sympathy for the fishies, I bought a box of paper ones, which I keep in my car, so I can refuse a straw when I hit the drive thru. Or I use a Twizzler, which is the best straw of all.

        • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

          July 26, 2018 at 8:51 pm Reply

          Oh my goodness. I actually like tomato soup on a cold, rainy day. And cola is my go-to if I am going to drink soda, which is not very often at all. Twizzlers are absolutely the best straws, I agree, especially in cola! Now ketchup, the horrid stuff…let me continue this saga…I used to work in a preschool and during lunch time the children always needed help with those awful ketchup packets. It never failed that I would get the red smelly goo on my hands. There was an older gentleman who was one of the cafeteria aides and he would run to my rescue with a pile of napkins as I held up my hands in utter dramatic dismay and gasp. He would wipe it off of my hands for me, tell me he had an eye on my kids, and send me to the bathroom to properly wash my hands…because no napkin is going to remove that stench from my skin!

          And another story…sit down before reading because this one may kill you…this was years ago when I was sent to a hospital mental health outpatient program…I think it was for 6 weeks (it may have been 8 weeks, I can’t remember)…every Monday through Friday from 8-3. There were about 15 of us and we were confined to a large conference room and required to participate in silly activities and group counseling sessions. They made us play Bingo daily and we were not allowed to have any conversation during it! God, it was awful. Anyway, I digress. There was this young man who was also a patient. He was very highly drugged and barely conscious. He was almost always dozing off during the activities and then he would get reprimanded. I felt so bad for him because clearly the drugs he was prescribed made it difficult for him to stay awake and function. But when he was awake, he was snacking. And his snack of choice…are you sitting down?
          .
          .
          .
          .
          .
          .
          His snack of choice was…
          .
          .
          .
          .
          .
          .
          …Saltine crackers smothered in ketchup. He would open up the little ketchup packets and squeeze the slime onto a cracker, then he would add another cracker on top to make a ketchup sandwich of sorts. Then crunch away on it. The ketchup would seep out and he would lick it off his fingers. He would consume dozens of these Saltine and ketchup sandwiches every day…for 6 weeks (or it may have been 8). I would gag watching him. I would have to avert my eyes and oftentimes, I would even have to excuse myself from the room to use the restroom. To this day, that image of dripping ketchup and Saltine sandwiches haunts my memory and I still gag when I think about it! I hope you are still with me, my friend, and that this horrendous story did not end you!

          Hugs,
          Shelbee

          • Susan

            July 26, 2018 at 9:53 pm

            Oh, Shelbee, I can’t even…

            muster up the gumption to screech. Some mental pictures enter the mind and just refuse to leave. Well, if nothing else, this is an excellent diet plan.

            Can I just say this? They used to have purple ketchup. I hope to God, it’s not still out there, lurking around corners waiting to get us. This is why I avert my eyes in the ketchup aisle.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      July 26, 2018 at 11:10 am Reply

      Tamar, I really do love the splash pads because I don’t have to go in with my kids. They are not strong swimmers yet, so if we are at a pool, I have to get in, too. And I don’t always like to! And hey, summer is all about easy living and not having to get dressed, especially when you’re a teacher. So you go on and enjoy these easy days, my friend, in your track shorts and sports bra!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Patrick Weseman

    July 26, 2018 at 3:04 pm Reply

    Nice “Mom” outfit. I remember those days of having two little ones, now I have two big ones and my son will be 21 next week and he wants a bottle of Hennessy as part of his birthday gift. I guess he will not be touching my Fireball.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      July 26, 2018 at 3:15 pm Reply

      Thanks, Patrick! Time does fly when the kids are growing up, doesn’t it? Hennessy for his “first” drink (first legal drink, I would imagine), that’s hard core! Happy birthday to your son. Enjoy a beverage with him!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Nancy Baten

    July 26, 2018 at 3:55 pm Reply

    I’m craving now for a drink! But hey, it’s six o clock over here! Shelve, can I ask you something….. goes on without waiting for the answer……. how do you get the Pinterest button on the blog? Not the one with all the other buttons, but the single one, where you can choose which photo to pin.

  • Mother of 3

    July 26, 2018 at 10:58 pm Reply

    Yep! My kids eat all day- breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack… it seems like that’s all they do.

  • Helen C.

    July 27, 2018 at 11:54 pm Reply

    Hmmm, you are tempting me with this vodka ¨elixir¨! I may not have kids but I´d sure like some boost! My proposal for some summer boost: I put some watermelon in the blender and a little of cold water. It sounds simple, but, please, try it and you´ll thank me 🙂

  • Claire

    August 3, 2018 at 8:55 pm Reply

    Whoo, this drink looks so yummy Shelbee. Great look, perfect for Summer 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Welcome To The Weekend Blog Hop. Have a lovely weekend.

  • Emma Peach

    August 5, 2018 at 12:48 pm Reply

    I love the Def Leppard T-shirt! I know exactly what you mean about the school holidays, I’ve been slobbing around in shorts and a vest. The drink sounds delicious! I can’t drink during the day though as it makes me sleepy…well even more sleepy – this hot weather makes me so tired.

    Emma xxx
    http://www.style-splash.com

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Shelbee on the Edge