Making Summer Memories (and Cleaning Summer Messes) with Cousins
Every great childhood memory of mine involves two things: summer and cousins. I grew up with all of my cousins (there are a lot of us!) and the countless memories we’ve made over the years are priceless.
From hours of hide and seek, to trips to the pool, the beach, mud pies, and ice cream explosions… each memory holds a special place in my heart. We never worried about time or messes, we just had fun and enjoyed our childhood together. This is something I want so badly for my children.
But we don’t live close to family.
Getting Messy This Summer
In order to give them a similar experience, we schedule a visit to or from family every year so that all the cousins can play together. We’ve made some pretty wonderful memories this way and it each year gets better. They have their own unique experience with their cousins that varies over different states.
While the time that my kids have with their cousins is precious, it’s also time sensitive. For this reason, we’re a little more lax on the kids when we’re all together. We let them live and do kid things without restriction (within safety and reason, of course).
Instead of limiting them, I just come prepared for any messes that result from cousin fun. They’re able to explore and get messy without getting reprimanded and these memories will last them a lifetime.
During our trip back “home” this year, things got pretty messy. During all the summer fun, the water table quickly became one giant mud pie- but the laughs and giggles that accompanied the fun made it all worth it. So they played…
And this was the result.
While it was something that they enjoyed (immensely), “someone” needed to clean up the mess properly… and we pulled out the hose. As easy as that was, we still had a huge mess on our hands (quite literally). Besides the fact that I wasn’t sure exactly what was in there (besides what appeared to be mud), I needed something to work a little harder than I was willing to…
Because it’s my vacation, too!!
Cleaning Summer Messes… Easily!
This is where Viva Paper Towels and Clorox Cleaning Spray come into play. Together, they easily clean up most of the messes that the cousins made (and make) so that I can enjoy the time we have with my family, too. In 2 EASY steps, I was able to clean (and sanitize!) the water table!! It seriously doesn’t get easier than that.
STEP ONE: SPRAY
STEP TWO: WIPE
That’s it.
Yes, it was THAT easy. The scrubbing power of Viva Vantage Paper Towels and Clorox Cleaning Spray combined makes for easy cleanup. In fact, the hardest part was getting all the cousins in the car and through Walmart to pick up our summer essentials (like Clorox and Viva Vantage). TIP: They have curbside pickup so you DON’T have to take all the kids and cousins in.
It all worked out perfectly in the end. Check out the results:
Have you tried Viva Vantage paper towels or Clorox? If you haven’t tried this duo, you’re creating more work for yourself. They are the perfect solution for tough to clean summer messes like mud, ice cream, and sticky barbecue. Viva Vantage paper towels have scrubbing power (in a PAPER TOWEL!!) and pairing that up with the cleaning power of Clorox makes cleaning and sanitizing so much easier.
Get Viva Vantage and Clorox at Walmart
Let the kids enjoy their summer with their cousins (and you can enjoy your summer, too!) by making clean up easy. #UnleashTheCleanSquad with Viva Vantage Paper Towels and Clorox Cleaning Spray (both available at Walmart). Give Walmart’s curbside pickup a try. It makes shopping with kids a breeze because you don’t even have to take them out of their car seats!! You can order online and get your items delivered to your car.
Score More Savings
As if Walmart’s prices and curbside pickup weren’t already a great reason to buy there, you can also score some savings with a $1.50 rebate through Ibotta. If you haven’t tried Ibotta, it’s an app that pays YOU for shopping! Get a $10 sign up bonus here.
Keep summer fun clean with @Clorox & @VivaTowels #UnleashTheCleanSquad https://ooh.li/57b57fa Share on XWhat kind of fun summer memories do you have?
It is so necessary to have an easy cleaning routine! Kids are so messy, and I know as a mother I don’t like to spend all my time cleaning
Hey Jessica! Right??? It’s our vacation, too! Thanks for stopping by.
These Product comes very handy , especially when you have kids at home like we have … Its a war against spills and stains which we fight with daily .
Hi Chandresh! It IS a daily war! Viva and Clorox do make it easier to clean.
It looks like it did such a good job of cleaning up. I never knew they had anything like a water table. But I can see it very easily becoming a mud pie table.
Hey David! Thanks for stopping by. I’m used to the kids using their imaginations for all sorts of concoctions, but this one was truly a mess that the hose alone couldn’t handle. I was glad that it was so easy to clean with Clorox and Viva- a lot less work for me!!
I’ve not got any cousins but always wished I had when I was growing up. It looks like they had plenty of fun! Those seem like great products 🙂
Hey Jean! They did have a great time- it was worth the mess!! 🙂
I don’t have any cousins either but i can imagine the fun summers you had. We don’t have this brand in the UK but what a fab job it’s done on the play table x
Hey Stephanie! Clorox and Viva together do make cleaning so much easier!
I have fond memories of summer with my cousins too. Sadly I dont ever remember helping mum clean up. But that is not going to happen with my little baby. He already helps clear up the play room every evening. And I need that bottle of Clorox in my life. Looks so easy peasy to clean up.
You’d love it! I’m glad you have your little one helping to clean early!!
I mean, cleaning is not usually my favorite, but if you can make it a group project maybe it becomes more fun.
Hey Nelu!! Making it easier is definitely the best way to go about it! LOL
This post resinates so much with me. I grew up with my 2 cousins when I was little and I always called them my sisters. I have so many good memories from when I was younger, pretty much spending my whole summers with them. Thanks for reminding me!
Absolutely, Sarah! 😉
Summers is a great time to get kids engaged in all the household chores. Summers should be fun with some work for kids. Clorox surely made it look very clean.
Hey Deepa! It cleaned it up SO easily. Loved it.
Fun times with cousins are perfect .Those are what memories are made of .Enjoyed reading this.
Thanks, Amrita!
Sometimes, as a mom, I catch myself getting too paranoid about mess but I realize that sometimes, kids need to be messy to explore and learn. It’s important to have a good cleaning routine though to keep up with the mess!
Mae | http://www.thegospelofbeauty.org
Hey Mae- I agree completely!!
I have great memories of running around in the mud and rolling through the grass getting grass stains and blackberry juice all over me (I lived in the countryside) all required heavy clean up I’m sure! That Clorox has done a great julob on the kids table!
Thanks, Ellie!
While I try to use more natural cleaning ingredients, sometimes there may be a need for a commercial cleaner. But Viva towels are my fav!
Hey Kareema- This was my first time trying Viva and I loved them.
Products like these are a lifesaver, even on the daily without kids(yet). I do have sensitive hands, so I hope these won’t irritate mine!
Hey Gillian! To be safe, I would wear gloves. Clorox is strong enough to clean up stubborn messes and with sensitive skin, you might want to be safe.
We don’t have kids yet, but we do keep that Clorox cleaner in our house! I love it because it works wonders on literally everything!
Hey Jasmine! I agree- it’s so easy to use! (Less work for me makes me happy. LOL)
Cleanig should be jncorporated to kids summer activity. I remember back in early days when my Mom had organized this summer cleaning challenge, and who ever wins will get the additional treats (well usually cash prize!). And we love it, not only because of the prize. Subconciously, cleaning becomes part of our way of life.
Hey Blair! What a great idea- my kiddos are always up for a challenge.
Its always good to clean up after some okay time. These products really seem to get the job done.
Hey Sondra! They definitely make it easier on me!!
I swear by that Clorox spray. I’ve been using it for years. Great post!
Thanks so much, Chava!
That in store photo is just too cute and creative! 😉 I know that we go through our fair share of these products!
Hey Krystal- Thanks so much!
It’s so important for kids to learn that it’s also their responsibility to help clean up messes, especially when they helped to create them. This was a great lesson for your kids to learn.
Thanks for stopping by! I agree- kids definitely need to learn to clean up after themselves early, but when it’s a job too tough for them to handle (safely), I’m glad I don’t have to work too hard to clean it up with these two.
I love these products that make cleaning easier and fun! Kids love enjoying summer activities and have more fun, as it’s fun to do the eazy-doez-it cleaning for mommies too!
Pammy – joyfulsource.com
Thanks Pammy!
Wow, I’m impressed with how well these products work! I will have to try them out. I also love all the fun you have with your kids
Hey Aryn! Thanks so much! It was a really fun trip.