Today is a mash up of some summer favorites that will make your summer livin’ a little bit simpler.

austin-moms-blog-summer-living-made-simple

It’s no surprise that we’ve had some rain… a LOT of rain. With rain comes bugs. With bugs comes a nuisance and thus bug bites. I introduce you all to the gnat trap!

Shortly after the Memorial Day floods, our house was taken over by these pesky little flying creatures. I couldn’t have a glass of wine without having a cup of gnat soup and leaving bananas out on the counter? Forget it. My yummy nightly red wine got me thinking… they love my wine so much, there’s got to be a way to trap these fellas. Well, here it is!

DIY Gnat Traps

austin-moms-blog-gnat-trap

What You Need:

  • Smaller Mason Jar
  • Red Wine or Apple Cider Vinegar {for those who don’t want to waste their precious vino}
  • Nail

What You Do: 

  • Take the nail and poke small holes into the mason jar lid. It was pretty easy to do this by hand, but if you want the process to go faster you can hammer the holes in. I made some larger {about the circumference of the nail} and I made some holes smaller {about the circumference of the tip of the nail}.
  • Fill the mason jar about 1/4-1/2 way full and put your lid on top. I made two gnat traps and set them in 2 different areas in the kitchen. I filled one with vinegar and one with red wine. Both attracted plenty of gnats and within about a week, or less, they were all gone!

austin-moms-blog-gnat-trap1

Another annoying flying insect is the mosquito and thanks to the plentiful rain we’ve received, they are out in FULL force. Mosquitos love me so these DIY citronella candles are not only beautiful, but they also help repel mosquitos without having to slather yourself in sticky skin repellent. These are great for sitting outside on the patio and enjoying the evening without being eaten alive. They are not full proof, but they certainly help, smell good, and look great!

DIY Citronella Candles

DIY Citronella Candle | Austin Moms Blog

What You Need: 

  • Mason Jars
  • Floating Candles
  • Lemons & Limes
  • Citronella Essential Oil – I found mine at Whole Foods
  • Fresh Herbs: Rosemary, Lemon Thyme, & Lavender

What You Do:

  • Place your herbs in each jar.
  • Fill your jar about 1/2 way with water.
  • Add about 10 drops of the essential oil to the herb/water mixture.
  • Slice up your lemons and limes and add to the jar.
  • Fill the jars up the rest of the way with water.
  • Add your floating candle to the top.

DIY Citronella Candle | Austin Moms Blog

Since bugs really aren’t that exciting and wine is, let’s talk about this DIY spill proof, pool safe vino option! That is if you haven’t used up all of your wine for the gnat trap 🙂

DIY Spill Proof/Pool Safe Wine

austin-moms-blog-copa-di-vino

What You Need: 

  • Copa Di Vino also known as “Cup of Wine” – These adorable little wines are amazing! They’re tiny enough to throw in your pool bag, they’re plastic, and the wine is actually really really good. They have several different options and I’ve tried them ALL… they are delicious! Best part, they’re affordable too! You can find Copa Di Vino at HEB, Specs, Whole Foods, Randalls, just about anywhere. Run to the store and grab some…your sanity will thank me later.
  • Hole Puncher
  • Straws

What You Do:

  • Open up your Copa Di Vino by removing the plastic lid and aluminum.
  • Take your hole puncher and punch a hole in the plastic lid.
  • Put your lid back on the wine cup, stick a straw in it, and start dranking! Seriously though, remember to #drinkresponsibly!

austin-moms-blog-copa-di-vino

We are SUPER excited that Copa Di Vino is offering our readers and followers FREE shipping! Head to their website, order you some pool-friendly, premium wine and use the code “AustinMom” to get your adorable cups of wine sent to your front door for FREE! 

After you’ve had your mommy juice, you gotta make sure the littles are hydrated too. One of my favorites is Watermelon Lemonade. It’s perfect for the summer and if your kids are little entrepreneurs you can even build them a lemonade stand and have them make a few bucks on the corner with this stuff.

austin-moms-blog-watermelon-lemonade

What You Need: 

  • Lemonade
  • 1 Watermelon
  • Large dispenser
  • 1 Whole Lemon

austin-moms-blog-watermelon-lemonade

What You Do: 

  • Prepare 10 cups of lemonade
  • Cut the watermelon into pieces {same some to garnish}
  • Add pieces of watermelon to the blender {make sure to remove the seeds and rind} and blend until smooth.
  • Pour mixture through a strainer.
  • Repeat until you’ve got 6 cups of watermelon juice.
  • Pour the watermelon juice into the lemonade and mix well.
  • Add pieces of watermelon and lemon slices to garnish.
  • Chill for at least 4 hours.

We are always looking for summer fun snack ideas whether it be to take to the pool or to enjoy in the comfort of our air conditioned home. Here are a couple of my favorites that are EASY PEASY too.

Frozen Yogurt Dots

austin-moms-blog-froyo

What You Need: 

  • Cookie Sheet
  • Yogurt
  • Plastic Baggy
  • Freezer

What You Do: 

  • Put the yogurt into the plastic baggie.
  • Cut a small hole in one corner of the bag.
  • Squeeze little dots onto your cookie sheet.
  • Freeze for about an hour.
  • Eat up!

No Bake Energy Bites

No-Bake-Energy-Bites-Redo-1
Photo Credit :: Gimme Some Oven

What You Need: 

  • Chocolate Chips
  • Toasted Coconut
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Peanut Butter
  • Oats
  • Honesy
  • Freshly Ground Flaxseed

What You Do:

  • Stir all of the ingredients together until combined.
  • Once the mixture is combines, put it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes so that it will harden slightly and be easier to roll into balls.
  • Once the mixture has cooled, shape into 1 inch balls.
  • Enjoy!

We hope everyone is enjoying their summer! 

MyFoxAustin | KTBC | Fox 7 Austin | News Weather Sports

 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here