Oddly enough, I am writing this post in the midst of preparing for a hurricane - or a tropical storm, at the very least.
While the Caribbean is being pounded by Tropical Storm Isaac, we are only seeing rain and a little wind in Miami.
Though it's enough for our lights to flicker a bit, and for our neighbor's papaya tree to end up in our yard...
This? Waiting for the storm to hit? That's the downside to living in a a tropical paradise.
Well, that and the stiffing heat, the 98% humidity and the mosquitoes...but we just jump in the pool on days like that!
In Miami, we spend our summers in the water, whether it be the beach, the lakes, the pool - and lucky me, we have a pool in the backyard! We spend so much time outdoors year round because of our beautiful weather (snow? what snow?), but we especially take advantage of it during the summer because the children are out of school and looking for ways to be entertained!
While the pool was down for repairs, we had my nieces and nephew over for water gun fights and pizza and ice cream parties. What better way to keep the house clean than sending the kids outside?
Though, of course now that the pool is back up, we are making good use of it. My favorite thing to do is having my family over for afternoon pool parties on the weekends! We make up simple party food, or grill on the BBQ to keep things simple and stress free. Sometimes we even just order pizza!
Our above ground pool holds at least 20 people will plenty of room for splashing and swimming - it's even large enough for the adults to jump in on hot and muggy summer nights! We have had plenty of parties where we just invite our friends over, fill a cooler with beer and then all jump in the pool!
Aside from parties and backyard BBQs, I also love to use my patio for more relaxing things...
Like sipping iced tea while reading a good book in the shade.
Or taking my laptop outside to relax under my new patio umbrella. It's so nice to sit outside in the shade on a pretty day and work on a blog post, or catch up on the lives on my blogging friends!
Patio tables count as workplaces, right? It's kind of like a desk!
These are just some of my favorite activities that my family enjoys on our patio. What activities do you and your family enjoy on your patio? Answer the question below and one of my readers will win a $25 Sears gift card!
Need some help figuring out your style? Sears is making it easy with their interactive quiz that helps you select your perfect style.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sears. The opinions and text are all mine.