Picnic at Home

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Wet-Nap but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #showusyourmess  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

We were really excited to have a mid-April spring break last week.  We were really looking forward to heading to the family beach house for the week. It's really the central meeting place for my husband's family. It's about a 5-1/2 hour drive for us to the NC coast. The beach can be iffy this time of the year. It can be a beautifully warm beach day or cold and windy. The week before spring break had been so beautiful and warm in the upper 70s. 

Our week at the beach was a different story! This was the week that spring decided not to cooperate. We had quite a few dreary, cold rainy days. It sure didn't stop us from bundling up and heading to the beach anyway!

 We enjoyed 2-1/2 days before the rest of the family arrived. That's always a sweet time before 9 more adults arrive with 2 toddlers, a newborn and 4 more dogs! One of the things we had wanted to do was a beach picnic. We do it quite frequently in the summer. This week it just didn't work out to have a picnic on the beach. So we did the next best thing…..we had a picnic at home…on the back screened porch.

With this view of the marsh, it's the next best thing! A picnic doesn't have to mean that you cart your belongings to the car to go somewhere. A picnic can be at home! We changed our plans due to the weather conditions and had a simple Picnic at Home.

 I encourage you to plan a Picnic at Home. The days are getting warmer. This would be such a surprise for a weeknight! Simply call it a special family picnic and your kids will instantly get excited…they will probably even want to help set up!

We headed to the local Walmart to purchase the food on our menu and Wet-Nap wipes.  It was still a little chilly on the screened porch, but the winds were not quite as fierce! We laid all the food on the inside dining table and grilled out burgers and corn on the cob. Simply call it a picnic even if it is at home, and it just gives a fun twist on what could have been an uneventful lunch sitting in front of the TV or the floor while eating. 

I don't care how old you are, wipes such as Wet-Nap from Walmart are a must. They clean hands at the last-minute before eating and are handy for clean-up while at your picnic. Big juicy burgers can be messy with all the condiments as well as corn on the cob! Wet-Nap are affordable and handy for on the go!

 I spent no money to decorate the picnic table just a bit. I simply shopped the beach house and put this together in no time while the guys were grilling. All of these shells have been found through the years on family beach strolls. We have them all over the home in baskets, bowls and lamps. They are such a natural accessory. With the colors of the carved wooden fish sculpture and the hand-made runner, you don't even notice that there are no flowers. Be creative with your centerpiece! Have some young boys, create a centerpiece with trucks and action figures! Have a book loving family? Arrange a collection of favorite books as a centerpiece and reminisce about some while feasting! Without even saying a theme, you'd be surprised how a centerpiece can drive the conversation. Keep it simple and focus on the food and fellowship!

 Since we were having a Picnic at Home, I set the table with the real stuff. Besides, it would have been difficult to keep paper products on the table with the wind. This made our picnic lunch special though. It was really fun talking about the new puppy's first beach trip. Bentley is a 4-1/2 month old Westie. He loved the beach!

Got to love a coupon!!! I have a coupon for you to try your own Wet-Nap product at Walmart! Walmart already has everyday low prices, and they are giving you a .55 cent coupon off of Wet Nap! Go HERE for the coupon while supplies last!

After the picnic, the Wet Nap wipes will be great to stuff in pocketbooks, backpacks, lunch boxes and sports bags! That handy canister will be found in the glove compartment of my car! They were definitely needed when we went by our favorite ice cream shop while at the beach (a few times)! Happy picnic season! I'd love to hear your picnic ideas and how you try to make even the simplest moments for your family special!