This post brought to you by Summer of Groupon. All opinions are 100% mine.
During the summer one of the most fun things to do is have a picnic, but outdoors with kids can mean spending more time chasing them around, and less time sitting, eating, and relaxing. This is why we love having indoor, at-home picnics, where our kids running off isn’t anxiety-inducing, and we don’t have to worry about rain.
Want to have a fun picnic at home? Here’s how:
Set the stage There should be a picnic-like atmosphere. Sometimes we lay out a picnic blanket on the floor to eat together in the middle of our living room (our kids think this is sooo funny), other times we set the table as though we were enjoying a picnic outdoors, with finger foods laid out buffet style. The feeling should be non-traditional dining in a casually fun way, however that works for you.
Get great nosh! Nothing says summer nights like s’mores, so when I saw a deal for a s’mores maker in Groupon‘s Fresh Eats Summer Shop, I knew it would be center stage for family picnics for many summers to come. It has compartments for the chocolate, crackers, and marshmallows, marshmallow cooking sticks, and a flame free center warner to toast your s’mores on. As soon as it arrived, my sons were all over it, and we use it all the time now.
Make it easy to clean up Because moms are the ones who set up the picnic- and clean up after- the more that is disposable or easy to clean, the better. Tablecloths, utensils, plates, furniture all get messy, so we sometimes put out plastic table cloths, and when it’s over, I gather up all the sides and toss everything out at once, since the platers and utensil are paper and plastic. I also finally found some easy to clean chairs on Groupon for only $99 for a set of two, made with bonded leather (like vinyl, and wipes off easily), so now I don’t cringe every time my sons drop something on the chair.
Have fun!
We’ve been finding lots of great items in the Summer Shop on Groupon to help us enjoy a summer to remember, even a cute little Spiderman bike with training wheels, perfect for our littler guy’s first bike (what says summer more than bike riding and s’mores?).
How have you been enjoying your summer evenings with your family?
It’s just been crazy busy so far. I’m hoping my DD has fun when she visits her aunt across the country in GA soon though.
My kids love s’mores as a treat! I love this idea. We’ve been watching a lot of movies together.
I would have to agree that s’mores = summer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a frown on the face of a person with a s’more in their hand.
Just chillin’. 🙂 We are doing so much during the day that come evening/night we just relax. Starting next week my son will be in play rehearsals from 6:30 until after 9:00, so we are taking advantage now.
What fabulous ideas!! Your boys are adorable!
Look at those little cuties.
We love S’mores but I hate the usual mess of having to start a fire, then help the kids, and clean up. This looks like such a better idea. I need one!
I totally need one of these, I love me some Smore’s anytime of year!!! Looks like they are having a fun summer!
What is so funny is as I was reading this most the commerical that says S apostopher m-o-r-e I think it is a DQ Blizzard commercial maybe?
I loves s’mores and picnics indoor or outdoors.
That is really neat! I have never seen anything like that before. Also, I agree with you that indoor picnics are less, less stressful.
That s’more maker looks so cool, I love the compartments! Those chairs look awesome, I have a bonded leather sofa, I should try to find some chairs roo
What a cute idea. We eat a lot of smores in the summer time. We never tried them indoors though!
I have seen these before and thought about getting them. A lot of places even when you camp don’t allow fires if levels are high, so this would be a great substitute.
S’mores are such a summer dessert staple! I love that you were able to enjoy these indoors!
I love smores. I’ll have to get one of these and make some indoor smores.
We love S’mores and this looks like an especially fun way to enjoy them (and less ghetto than roasting marshmallows on the stove). We have been enjoying a lot of ice cream and family movie nights!