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Welcome Summer with Outdoor Kid Friendly Entertaining

ByMySparklingLife Hours
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Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

We are so excited that summer is finally here and the boys are out of school! Entertaining outdoors is a big part of our summers, from BBQ’s, to Beach Parties we do it all!! The hard part is making a get together kids friendly, yet still make it fabulous for the adults as well. I made a few kid friendly recipes that adults will love as well.

I took a trip to my favorite place to shop for dining & entertaining (as well as ton of other goodies, but that is another post), World Market to see what fabulous finds they have they have in store for this years summer entertaining. I usually have to take one or two kiddos along which end up in me going in, getting what I need and leaving…but this time I got to go alone!! I wondered the store for about an hour or more digging around and finding just the food and decor that I had in mind for my tablescape and goodies to eat.

The first thing that came to mind since we live on the coast was a beach theme. There were so many things that I could just snatch up and run to the checkout with, but lets face it we all have a budget to stick to… World Market has a lot of my favorite food products to go along with my theme and to go into the recipes I had planned.  They also had plenty of adorable things for my tablescape. I picked up everything I wanted, and checked out ( a little over budget, but hey, it was cute!)

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Like I said I love to entertain and we love to be outside!  World Market makes it easy to do both!  With bright fun colors and many summer themes there is something for everyone!  The colorful dinnerware is not only super cute, but it is also kid friendly!  I love the lanterns and found the perfect candles to go in them, pair them with the adorable wooden stars and you have the perfect center piece for your table. I choose to go with matching napkins, cups and candles and threw a pop of color with the coral inspired napkin rings. The neutral oversized table runner brings in more of that beachy feel while pulling the table together. I used a simple white plate as to not take away from all of the beautiful color going on.

For snacks I kept it simple with dried fruit, chocolate macaroons, coconut cookie rolls and S’more Cupcakes. And Homemade Lemonade & Wine for drinks. World Markets wide wine selection comes in handy!  I found this delightful Beach House Wine that went perfect with my theme!

For my first recipe I made some S’more Cupcakes … yum, S’mores just screams summer!

If your like me, chances are you tend to have a few things laying around the house…in this case, I always have a white cake mix on hand, just because you never know!  Since were making S’more Cupcakes we need a chocolate mix…to do this simply add in 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups of cocoa powder (depending on how chocolaty you want it) Just follow the directions on your white cake mix box and add in the cocoa powder, it’s that simple! The ever so delicious Ghiradelli Sweet Ground Cocoa Powder can be found at, you guessed it, World Market!

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For the toppings I shaved some baking chocolate & crumbled up some gran crackers to sprinkle on to and left a few chunks of each or garnishing.

For the topping I just piped on some marshmallow fluff, it will melt down and make it more of a melted smore…to make a stiffer frosting follow these instruction:

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 jar marshmallow fluff
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 pkg (16oz) powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp milk

place butter, marshmallow fluff and vanilla in a small bowl, mix on medium until well blended. gradually add sugar beating until well blended. Mix in 1 tbsp of mil if necessary for desired spreading consistency.

With the cupcakes done, it’s time to make the Homemade Lemonade! Yum, even the kids could help…

  • 18 lemons
  • 2 2/3 – 3 cups of sugar
  • 18 cups of water

In a large pot mix together your sugar and 2 cups of water, cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Juice 16 lemons, you want about 3 cups of lemon juice total…cut your remaining lemons into slices to place into your lemonade.

Add lemon juice and 16 cups of water to your World Market Glass Yorkshire Dispenser. Once the simple syrup cools mix that in well. Add your slices of lemons, & ice and enjoy!

Now for the Sweepstakes!  World Market and Southwest Airlines are holding their Great Summer Getaway Sweepstakes through June 27!

Enter for a chance to win a trip for 4 on Southwest Airlines!
4 Grand Prize Packages:

  • Airfare for 4 on Southwest Airlines
  • Hotel Accommodations
  • $500 World Market gift card

Participants can earn bonus entries for liking and sharing content via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram pages for more chances to win so go on and enter!! 

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1. AQUA PACIFIC TUMBLERS,  8. TASTING SQUARE PLATES, 9. NANTUCKET DINNER PLATES, 10. AEGEAN BLUE HEMSTITCH NAPKINS, 11. NAUTICAL TABLETOP LANTERNS, 12. GLASS YORKSHIRE DISPENSER, 13. BRAZILIAN ORCHID PILLAR CANDLE, 14. WHITE OVAL SERVING BOWL, 15. OVERSIZED IVORY HERRINGBONE TABLE RUNNER, 16. WOODEN STARFISH WITH JUTE, 17. ANTIQUE RED BEADED NAPKIN RINGS

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This post may contain affiliate links which fund the My Sparkling Life blog.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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When he started showing signs of a cold, I immediately grabbed the Robitussin from the medicine cabinet. There is a few med I like to keep on hand j.i.c.
Children’s Robitussin ® DM Day/Night Pack – Formulated just for kids, Children’s Robitussin® DM Day/Night Pack – non-drowsy daytime formula helps break up chest congestion, while the long-acting nighttime formula relieves coughs and runny noses to help kids get the rest they need.
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Children’s Advil® Suspension
Each one gets plenty of use in our house this time of year. My 8-year-old seems to always get sick first…but it’s very rare for him to get a fever…now watch, now that I said something…okay knock on wood!
Yes, the trusted lovie. Every child has one or two stuffed animals or blankies that they are attached to. You could always buy them a new one to lift spitits or buy one that just comes around (like elf on a shelf kinda thing) when they are sick to make sure that they feel better.
Their little bodies need to be able to fight off any cold or flu viruses. Having them get plenty of rest is important. Whether it’s on the couch or in bed, make sure they are resting and have plenty of fluid to drink within arms reach. When my kids are running a fever I try to make them stay covered…sometimes it’s a battle so some warm clothes and socks become my compromise. It really helps if their lovie is a blanket in this situation.
A cool-mist humidifier goes a long way in relieving dry, stuffed up nasal passages by adding moisture to a room. We have this cool R2-D2 one that my little guy gets so excited to see when he is sick. I’ve also gone to using an oil diffuser for oils that help with various symptoms depending on what they are in need of.
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THE FINE PRINT: ENTERING THIS GIVEAWAY MEANS THAT YOU ACCEPT BOTH MY RULES & DISCLOSURE. I WILL NOTIFY WINNER VIA E-MAIL AND THEY WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO REPLY BEFORE I AM FORCED TO REDRAW WINNERS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. EACH HOUSEHOLD IS ONLY ELIGIBLE TO WIN THIS PRIZE VIA BLOG REVIEWS AND GIVEAWAYS ONCE. ONLY ONE ENTRANT PER MAILING ADDRESS PER GIVEAWAY. IF YOU HAVE WON THE SAME PRIZE ON ANOTHER BLOG, YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN IT AGAIN. WINNER IS SUBJECT TO ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION. MANY WILL ENTER, FEW WILL WIN! PLEASE ALLOW 8-12 WEEKS FOR DELIVERY OF PRIZING. MY SPARKLING LIFE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOST OR MISDIRECTED PACKAGES. PRIZING & SAMPLES PROVIDED & SHIPPED BY PFIZER. IN THE RARE OCCASION THAT A PRIZE DOES NOT ARRIVE (WHICH HAS HAPPENED), PLEASE NOTIFY ME.

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