Endless Summer: Summer Songs & Style

 

Summer songs, summer styles, summer snacks and more! Check out our most sunshine-y designs ever, including these brand new cuties!

Once you've got your outfit on lock, it's time to rock with our Summer playlist: a little rock and roll, a little guilty pleasure, a whole lotta fun in the sun!

    And for even more our of our fav summer stuff, check out our Summer Pinterest boards:

Got a fave summer song or recipe of your own? Share with us in the comments!

Ten Ways to Celebrate Labor Day

Psychobaby's Top 10 Ways to Celebrate Labor Day 2014:

I recommend at least 30 of these

10. Head to the beach! You'll make some great memories, and collect enough sand in your belongings to feel summery until October. And while you're there, check out this list of 35 FREE Things to Do at the Beach with the kids!


 

9. While you're at the beach you might as well go boating! Don't forget the life jackets & water wings & juice boxes.

Think smarter, not harder.

8. Hit up the neighborhood pool. OR, fill the kiddie pool in the backyard.  There's no sand AND you don't have to get stuck in traffic on the way there. 

This might be the only PG movie out right now...

7. Take the kids to a fun summer movie! Two words: Air conditioning.

In my mouth now, please.

6.  Throw a backyard BBQ!  Or, convince a buddy to throw one. Then you won't get stuck washing all the dishes.  And make sure you bring something refreshing like this Watermelon Granita.

Peanut Butter AND bananas? I'm in.

5. Take a picnic to the closest park!  Another way to enjoy the day outdoors instead of stuck in your car on I-94! Bring along some of these delicious Banana Dog Bites. Check out more finger-food snack suggestions on our Pinterest Page.





4. Go visit Grandma & Grandpa! If you don't mind a road trip with the little ones, then head out early.  Plus, extra people to watch the kiddos while you can relax and fire up the grill. (Before you hop in the car, check out our tips and tricks to keep the kids busy during the drive!)

Yes, those are ALL water balloons. Guard your groin.

3. Take a nap. Your kids will definitely leave you alone for an hour, right? If not, set them up with daddy in the backyard with some of these awesome backyard games or maybe a couple hundred water balloons and then catch a few winks.  But be nice and maybe alternate so you both can catch a cat nap? 





2. Brave the stores for your last minute school shopping. HAH - just kidding. Oh, you really need that Hello Kitty trapper keeper? Good luck!

Sweater season is upon us - rejoice!

1. Save yourself some stress and save 25%! Avoid the crowds and still get your shopping done.  PLUS, you save 25% on EVERYTHING at Psychobabyonline.com from now until Monday night with the code LABORDAY25!  Now that is a good use of your 3-day weekend. 

Mind Your Manners! Cool Napkins & Cool Summer Recipes!

 

Personalized napkins like our new 'Mind Your Manners' set will help make dinnertime a little more... mannerly? We can't make any promises, but this modern design does its darndest to get your family back on track with the dinner table etiquette!

One problem every parent faces is how it's not always the easiest task to get the kiddos to eat their veggies.  We know, firsthand! The best way to get them to try that crunchy red pepper, or basically any food that isn't "mac n' cheese orange," is through a little bit of creativity and let's face it, a whole lot of trickery. We know you're sick of saying "try it, you might like it", so just let the table dressing do it for you!

Maybe if I say "taste the rainbow" they'll think it's Skittles...

Truth be told, if your kids eat the way our kids used to eat...you're gonna need to keep some extra napkins handy at all times.  Took them a LONG time to figure out that food goes into their mouth and not on their face, in their hair, on the floor...or on the dog. You should probably just keep the stack next to this kid.

He may have forgotten the location of his mouth

And if you're looking for some summer recipes that will WOW your family & guests but will hardly make you break a sweat, look no further.  Roll up your sleeves and check out some of our summer favorites!

*wipes drool off of keyboard*

* Caprese Snack Bites - look super fancy, take almost NO time to make. Try not to eat the toothpick.
* Grilled Shrimp over Lemon Tomato Pasta - sounds complicated, actually not. Get to it!
* Pulled Pork Sandwiches - takes a little prep, but once the slow cooker takes over you can sit back and relax!
* Summer Strawberry Spinach Salad - add a little healthy color to offset the meat offerings.
* Coconut Water Popsicles - perfect cool down for dessert. We recommend having on hand at ALL times throughout the summer, just in case.

See all our fave "cool" summer recipes here and shop our personalized napkin sets... just remember to MIND YOUR MANNERS!

Fourth of July Roundup: Food, Fashion & Fun!

Summertime Barbeques are the best part of the Summer season - which in Chicago lasts roughly three months, so we pack everything in pretty tight. There are birthday party BBQs, break-in-the-new grill BBQs, and of course, holiday BBQs. This year is extra awesome because the 4th of July falls on a Friday - which means an entire weekend of chillin' & grillin'! Get ready for your get-together with some of these super fun ideas for Fourth of July!

Food 

Obviously, the most important element of any BBQ is the food.  Here are some DELICIOUS looking Star Spangled Snacks that are sure to impress.

Just add Sparkler Candle...instant celebration!

* Patriotic Breakfast Toast - a healthy way to start the day before you see the dessert table...
* Taco Salad Flag - if you want to get technical, just mix in white cheddar instead
* Flag Fruit Kabobs - SOO easy and will offset all of the negative health effects from delicious  BBQ
* Chocolate Covered Pretzels Flag - another flag-themed dish...way more sugar than the fruit flag
* Watermelon Keg - FOR ADULTS ONLY...based on what you put inside.
* Sparkler Cupcakes - almost as good as regular cupcakes, but you get to light something on fire.
* Red, White & Blue Popsicles - made with fresh strawberries, blueberries, yogurt & honey
* Stained Glass Jello - obviously we saved this for last because there's ALWAYS room for Jello
* Grab one of our Hey Hey USA Placemats and save yourself a little clean-up!
 

Fashion 

Any old American can rock the red, white & blue on the Fourth of July, but the true fashionistas personalize their patriotism!

* Psychobaby World's Biggest Fan One-piece - A design for the World Cup, but applicable to pretty much any and all Summer BBQs
* Psychobaby Hey Hey USA Tee - It doesn't matter which of the 50 you're from, so show your home state a little love.
* Stella Blu Born Free Tee - seriously does NOT get more American than this! 
* Psychobaby Patriotic Gentleman Tee - It's too hot to actually dress up with suspenders, so this is the next best thing!
* Psychobaby World Love One-piece - Wear your flag on your chest with pride...and also your bum.
* Psychobaby Bomb Pop Tank - An absolute summer favorite! (Not just the dessert, this tank too!)

Fireworks and Fun!

In the land of the free and the home of the brave (enough to let their kids hold sparklers) it's important to be safe!  However, not everyone is old enough to partake in the pyrotechnics, so we've gathered up some crafts to make everyone feel involved in the celebration!

Super fun craft! Just don't glue yourself to the table...

* Safe Sparklers - much safer, less fire.
* Red, White & Blue Tin Can Candle Holders - add a citronella candle to ward away those pesky bugs
* DIY Flag Tee - not too messy and super easy!
* Fireworks Painting Project - pipecleaners and (washable) paints.
* Popsicle Stick Flags - really cute decorations! Just don't glue yourself to the table...

And last, but certainly not least: 
* Firework Safety Rules - print this off, put it somewhere EVERYONE can see it...just in case.


You can see all of these awesome ideas (AND MORE) to make your 4th of July Holiday BBQ awesome on our Fourth of July Pinterest Page.  Hope you all have a safe and happy Holiday!

Be The Perfect Party Guest With A Personalized Hostess Gift!

Personalized cutting boards - sure, they're great for chopping stuff up. But let's be real, there's a really good chance your kitchen counter is either gray, beige, brown, white, or black. And you know what can really 'spice' up your food prep? Some fun summer colors! We can't think of a better gift to bring to a summer party or cookout than one of our new, super bright personalized cutting boards!
Check it out, here are a few of our faves:

  

 Gelato Stripe Personalized Cutting Board - How about these rainbowriffic stripes? We're not going to tell you how to make gelato, because really... come on. We'll settle for the awesomely bright and cheerful colors of this cutting board!

Paradise Stripe Personalized Cutting Board 
 looks like the beach, and so does this pretty blue & green summery cocktail! This recipe would be cute copied down and tied to a bag of limes as part of a hostess gift!

Blue Monday

• 1 1/2 oz. Vodka
• 1/2 oz. Triple Sec
• 1/4 oz. Blue Curacao
• 1/2 oz. Blueberry Juice
• 1/2 oz. Pineapple Juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with lime.

 

Strawberry Field Stripe Personalized Cutting Board  - perfect for chopping up some sweet summer fruits to make a delicious (and easy) fruit salad!

Check out all our colorful custom cutting boards here and then visit our Summer Recipes pinboard for more tasty seasonal treats!