Looking back at Summer


This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.



The kids have only been back to school for two weeks, and already the summer seems like a million years ago. We're already looking back at what we did like old fogies: "Do you remember when...." But in our defense, it truly was a magical summer, full of new experiences and adventures. Here's a small sample of what we did:


Learned to balance on a skateboard...




.... and in a big, plastic bubble.



Did some serious shopping.



Made our way around towns where no-one spoke English.




Ate the best bread in the world.



Crossed under the English Channel in our car, on a train.



Saw how chocolate is made.



Crossed bridges and canals.



Ate the best ice cream in the world.



Saw this.


After all that we did, you might think that coming back home feels like a return to drudgery and routine. Well, at first things did seem a bit flat, after all that excitement and novelty. But not everything was new. The kids still took showers every night (well, almost) and went to bed at the same time (well, maybe a bit later than usual). They still read books and worked on their summer activity workbooks. And we still got up every morning and had cereal for breakfast. Even for our trip to Paris, we packed boxes of our favorite cereals in the car and passed on the French croissants for breakfast (don't worry, we still had our fill of those for lunch!). Doing new things is great -- but it's always nice to have some things stay the same.


Whatever you plan to do this fall, don't forget to fuel up with a good breakfast -- and have some Bonggamom Finds on the side! I'm partnering with BlogHer and Kellogg's to bring you some fun breakfast topics, from morning routines to cereal to family breakfast traditions and more. Join me every week through October 2010 for a new discussion -- and a new giveaway for a $100 Visa Gift Card!


Win a $100 Visa Gift Card
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a $100 Visa Gift card courtesy of Kellogg's and BlogHer. To enter, just leave a comment on this post and tell me which activity your family enjoyed the most this summer.

You can get extra entries by tweeting and blogging about this giveaway, making sure to include a link to this giveaway in your tweet or blog post. Just leave a comment on this post and share the link to your tweet or blog post. Entries will be accepted until September 13, 2010. For full giveaway rules, click here. You can also gain 24 extra chances to win $100 by visiting the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page. Good luck!



The Mom's Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids' cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. Kellogg's helps moms keep their morning simple with cereal varieties for everyone in the family. For more information, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and Kellogg's. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

100 comments, leave yours here:

Mami2jcn on September 7, 2010 at 10:39 AM said...

We enjoyed the pool the most this summer.

mami2jcn at gmail dot com

Kari on September 7, 2010 at 11:06 AM said...

Warm Sunday mornings with loved ones in the back yard with bees buzzing around the rose bushes and table piled high with blueberry pancakes, ripe strawberries and fresh squeezed orange juice.

KaHolly on September 7, 2010 at 2:47 PM said...

The hightlight of my summer was kayaking among the migrating shorebirds in Cape Breton. They didn't mind my presence at all. I was able to sit quietly among them when my boat beached on their sandbar and get lots of beautiful photographs. ~karen

Mama Spark on September 7, 2010 at 4:24 PM said...

I had 2 things that were memorable this summer. My daughter participated in her first triathalon and I went with her. It was a wonderful weekend in Traverse City with my oh so grown up (22yo) daughter. The second thing was a few days away with my hubby in the heart of Amish country (Berlin Ohio) just the 2 of us. Great giveaway!
mamaspark@gmail.com

Heather on September 7, 2010 at 5:02 PM said...

I was able to enjoy the great weather with my 9 month old twin girls! WE found out they LOVE the water and spent as much time as possible in the pool and the lake! They looked adorable in their matching swimsuits and floaties..I could not ask for a better summer as a first time mom!

Suburban prep on September 7, 2010 at 5:14 PM said...

I loved being able to go out to the park with my nephews. I also went to a children's fair with my 7 yr old niece.
msgb245 at gmail dot com

Tabathia B on September 7, 2010 at 7:25 PM said...

We really enjoyed ice skating this summer and bowling it was really fun and we also went to the beach
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

Tabathia B on September 7, 2010 at 7:26 PM said...

tweet
http://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/23875672695
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Favorite moments this year was we learned some new boardgames and tried to play them every week. It was great quality family time together. Plus stepdaughter learned some new things from it


giveawaymommy at yahoo.com

Jenny B on September 7, 2010 at 7:49 PM said...

I LOVED taking my children to the beach for the first time this summer. We had an amazing time and look forward to many more family vacations!
Jenny B

jennyhasquads at yahoodotcom

swisspotluck on September 8, 2010 at 2:55 AM said...

Most? There was so much fun stuff, I don't know about picking just one. We watched meteor showers from the back yard, played in park fountains, camped, went to the State Fair, watched the kids make creative videos, had a giant summer party, etc... Too many good memories to pick just one.

swisspotluck on September 8, 2010 at 2:57 AM said...

Tweeted:

http://twitter.com/swisspotluck/status/23901079973

Anonymous said...

Camping, hiking and canoeing with my fiance, friends and our dogs - doesn't get any better than that!

Racingjourno on September 8, 2010 at 9:12 AM said...

Hanging out with my cousin at his summer house

scoopster(nospam)at yahoo dot com

Racingjourno on September 8, 2010 at 10:40 AM said...

Tweeted
http://twitter.com/LuigiFranco/status/23927535486

scoopster(nospam)at yahoo dot com

Just call me "B" on September 8, 2010 at 12:22 PM said...

I think my fave summer moment was our very spontaneous trip to the beach. Great memories!

Shelly Leatham on September 8, 2010 at 5:36 PM said...

I enjoyed the Mama-Daughter days I spent with my tween scrapbooking and talking about anything and everthing!
bleatham*at*gmail.com

Shelly Leatham on September 8, 2010 at 5:38 PM said...

tweet
http://twitter.com/sleatham1/status/23962117659
bleatham*at*gmail.com

Kerry on September 8, 2010 at 6:25 PM said...

We had a lot of fun hanging out at the lake on our vacation this year.
nuthouse(at)centurytel(dot)net

Kerry on September 8, 2010 at 6:26 PM said...

tweeted: http://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/23965876757
nuthouse(at)centurytel(dot)net

AStarrA on September 9, 2010 at 6:29 AM said...

Since we couldn't go anywhere swimming would be top on our list
disintegratingstarr@hotmail.com

Wander on September 9, 2010 at 11:44 AM said...

Your summer....looks awesome!

We went camping! But it was fun!
And we partied at a fun waterpark!

Betty N on September 9, 2010 at 3:55 PM said...

My favorite summer family moments are when my grandkids come to visit...just talking with them and playing with them is so enjoyable

Barbarawr on September 9, 2010 at 4:19 PM said...

We enjoyed going to a family wedding and seeing relatives we don't normally get to see

Email address is in blogger profile

Barbarawr on September 9, 2010 at 4:20 PM said...

I tweeted http://twitter.com/bsw529/status/24052486770

Kelly Massman on September 9, 2010 at 4:33 PM said...

My favorite memory from summer is trying to find the Big Red lighthouse in Holland, Michigan!
kmassman gmail

Deb on September 9, 2010 at 4:39 PM said...

This summer I got to take my boys to my parents summer house for the weekend and we had a ton of fun. We went blueberry picking, fishing, boating and swimming. It was great time to spend with my both my kids and my parents.

Deb on September 9, 2010 at 4:40 PM said...

tweeted
http://twitter.com/fairydancer35/status/24053954473

Nicole on September 9, 2010 at 5:15 PM said...

My favorite moment was taking our daughter and son to the new city pool and watching our daughter develop a love of the water. She started out a bit timid at first, but after a few times, she was swimming under water.
nbalogh522 at gmail dot com

Nicole on September 9, 2010 at 5:16 PM said...

tweet
http://twitter.com/maybaby522/status/24056764528
nbalogh522 at gmail dot com

sy on September 9, 2010 at 5:28 PM said...

we enjoyed eating :D berries and melons in the summer are so tasty.
songyueyu at gmail

sy on September 9, 2010 at 5:29 PM said...

i tweeted http://twitter.com/syytta/status/24057768955

Kristin on September 9, 2010 at 6:43 PM said...

What we enjoyed most this summer as a family was getting to know our daughter. We just brought her home from China and it has been so much fun to learn about her and love on her!

♥ LLL with Leslie ♥ on September 9, 2010 at 7:22 PM said...

We enjoyed going to Sea World!!

livelovelaughwithleslieblog at gmail dot com

♥ LLL with Leslie ♥ on September 9, 2010 at 7:22 PM said...

tweet.

http://twitter.com/laughwithleslie/status/24067070571

livelovelaughwithleslieblog at gmail dot com

Some Lucky Dog on September 10, 2010 at 12:27 AM said...

Our most fun this summer was playing in the lake with our grandsons cause we could do it again and again and they loved it!

someluckydog at gmail dot com

Some Lucky Dog on September 10, 2010 at 12:29 AM said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/someluckydog/status/24085425558

someluckydog at gmail dot com

Some Lucky Dog on September 10, 2010 at 12:35 AM said...

I blogged!
http://someluckydog.blogspot.com/2010/09/share-your-summer-highlight-and-enter.html

someluckydog at gmail dot com

Renee Simmons on September 10, 2010 at 3:06 AM said...

Family dinners have become a great family activity for us this summer.

Renee Simmons on September 10, 2010 at 3:07 AM said...

Contest tweeted:
http://twitter.com/bearabledeals/status/24092185369

bearabledeals@gmail.com

Susan C. on September 10, 2010 at 8:05 AM said...

We attended the State Fair, which was a lot of fun!

Anonymous said...

My daughter and I did enjoy going to the movies more often than we should have.

MCantu1019@aol.com

Unknown on September 10, 2010 at 8:55 AM said...

we enjoyed going on vacation to wisconsin most! or specifically, visiting their state park, copper falls!

hancoci_s at msn dot com

Betty N on September 10, 2010 at 10:55 AM said...

tweet
https://twitter.com/Grandma3710/status/24125526284

Annmarie Weeks on September 10, 2010 at 11:08 AM said...

We loved cheering on my 10 yr daughter at all her many swim meets this summer!

Annmarie Weeks on September 10, 2010 at 11:09 AM said...

I tweeted! http://twitter.com/amweeks/status/24126498310

PsychMamma on September 10, 2010 at 12:23 PM said...

I'd have to say our most memorable moments were the ones we spent in nature. We got Jenna (4) a pair of binoculars, and we went to parks, botanical gardens, forests, lakes, etc. She collected rocks, leaves, & pine cones everywhere we went, and we all collected memories.

Leah @ A Butterfly In My Stomach on September 10, 2010 at 12:37 PM said...

We loved camping by the lake. We also loved swimming! It was so fun!

leahforlove(at)aol(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Great pics! We loved going camping and also having a big birthday party in August for our girl. Thanks!

shevilkenevil1 at aol dot com

Anonymous said...

Tweet:
http://twitter.com/lipstickncandy/status/24144887710

shevilkenevil1 at aol dot com

Jen on September 10, 2010 at 4:05 PM said...

We enjoyed camping the most this summer! So much fun and dirt!

JC on September 10, 2010 at 8:26 PM said...

We enjoyed biking and camping a lot this summer.

JC on September 10, 2010 at 8:26 PM said...

http://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/24163083501

JC on September 10, 2010 at 8:26 PM said...

blogged.http://tcarolinep.blogspot.com/2010/09/giveaway-bonggamom-finds_10.html

Henria O. on September 10, 2010 at 11:35 PM said...

Our favorite activity was enjoying pool time!
sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com

Kristi on September 11, 2010 at 1:55 AM said...

We really enjoyed the beach this Summer.

kristisdeals1 at yahoo dot com

Unknown on September 11, 2010 at 2:13 AM said...

Camping Up north and swimming in the clear waters are of our favorite summer fun activities!
gmissycat@yahoo.com

Unknown on September 11, 2010 at 2:15 AM said...

Just tweeted your giveaway!
http://twitter.com/gmissycat/status/24181230615
gmissycat@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Sitting around the fire, drinking coffee and talking with my dear husband! These are a few of my favorite things!

~eunice b
tigergal01 @gmail .com

Anonymous said...

http://twitter.com/tigergal01/status/24188865673

tweet

~eunice b
tigergal01 @gmail .com

daveg0929 on September 11, 2010 at 12:02 PM said...

Swimming in the lake was the best.

Tracey on September 11, 2010 at 1:15 PM said...

We took a week-long family vacation to the mountains of TN. It was lovely!!

Tracey on September 11, 2010 at 1:17 PM said...

I tweeted the giveaway - http://twitter.com/GirlstoGrow/status/24223029843

susan1215 on September 11, 2010 at 1:38 PM said...

We spent most of the Summer at the pool and also went out of town to visit our family

s2s2 at comcast dot net

susan1215 on September 11, 2010 at 1:38 PM said...

http://twitter.com/susan1215/status/24224219952

Eva on September 11, 2010 at 3:12 PM said...

Going to Sixflags was the best part of my summer!
evil_eva12 at hotmail dot com

Gosfam on September 11, 2010 at 5:00 PM said...

Our fave thing was spending a week with my parents: bowling, county fair, swimming, ice cream, and just being with family.

Angel Jacklyn on September 11, 2010 at 7:20 PM said...

I ENJOYED SPENDING THE SUMMER WITH THE KIDS AT THE MUSEUM AND AT THE BEACH kytah00@yahoo.com

Angel Jacklyn on September 11, 2010 at 7:20 PM said...

TWEET http://twitter.com/kytah00/status/24245781711 kytah00@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

we loved eating breakfast together on the cruise ship to alaska! scg00387 at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

http://twitter.com/DesMoinesDealin/status/24249712383 scg00387 at yahoo dot con

Unknown on September 11, 2010 at 10:17 PM said...

Our favorite family moment was our big Fourth of July get together during our visit to Southern California this past summer.
ja9elizabeth at yahoo dot com

Deb Anderson on September 11, 2010 at 10:53 PM said...

We had a big family reunion picnic and it was great to see relatives we haven't seen in years!

Deb Anderson on September 11, 2010 at 10:53 PM said...

http://twitter.com/tnshadylady/status/24259739627

mom2boys on September 12, 2010 at 9:22 AM said...

We enjoyed going camping with our kids! They had so much fun : )

hottmomma_03(at)yahoo(dot)com

mom2boys on September 12, 2010 at 9:23 AM said...

tweet
http://twitter.com/hottmomma_03/status/24296658808

Anonymous said...

My favorite family moment this summer was when we went camping and visited our grandparent’s family farm and rode horses and milked cows.
My favorite breakfast moment was cooking free range eggs from the farm. I guarantee you they taste better than the ones you get from the grocery store.

So, visiting the farm was the highlight.

pauleyd68 (at) yahoo (dot) com

Anonymous said...

http://twitter.com/lpauld68/status/24308363471

pauleyd68 (at) yahoo (dot) com

marybug2 on September 12, 2010 at 2:31 PM said...

I think the trip to the UP to see my daughter and grandaughter, sister and mom was the highlight of my summer. Hope to do it again soon.
marybug2@yahoo.com

marybug2 on September 12, 2010 at 2:33 PM said...

I tweeted your giveaway
http://twitter.com/marybug2/status/24318037197
marybug2@yahoo.com

Amy on September 12, 2010 at 2:41 PM said...

My favorite family moment this summer was being able to pick up my niece in Florida and take her with us to our big family reunion because my sister and her husband just couldn't make it this year. We had a great time with her along for the ride.

avennett AT verizon DOT net

Anonymous said...

Our favorite summer activity was camping and beachcombing this summer
digicat {AT} sbcglobal {DOT} net

Unknown on September 12, 2010 at 4:30 PM said...

My daughter is 14 and really wants to learn how to cook. We spent the summer doing "cooking camp" where I show her a new recipe and we make it together. She's got brownies down pat and there's been a brownies in my kitchen all summer long (hence why I need to go on a diet; I've gained 10 pounds this summer-next year it'll be "diet cooking camp" LOL)

We also went to the library at least once a week.

shel704 at aol dot com

Unknown on September 12, 2010 at 4:31 PM said...

Tweeted:
http://twitter.com/auntiethesis/status/24325864671

shel704 at aol dot com

DG on September 12, 2010 at 4:50 PM said...

making sand castles on the beach :)

dreamzz12{at]aol{dot]com

DG on September 12, 2010 at 4:51 PM said...

tweeted! :)

http://twitter.com/DeeGee13/status/24327112204

dreamzz12{at]aol{dot}com

DG on September 12, 2010 at 5:15 PM said...

blogged

http://deegee13.xanga.com/732797496/breakfast-campaign-giveaways/

dreamzz12{at]aol{dot}com

wigget on September 12, 2010 at 5:37 PM said...

i had a nice time this summer visiting the village fire station with the boys

samdaleo on September 12, 2010 at 6:58 PM said...

We took advantage of our annual passes to Disneyland this summer. We went quite a bit. Sometimes for the entire day and sometimes just for some ice cream and fireworks.
THanks!
Samantha Daleo
jamesmadison1974@gmail.com
or
jamesmadison1974 at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

my family really enjoyed going to the beach this summer- we went alot- the kids love the waves.
tcogbill at live dot com

LAMusing on September 12, 2010 at 8:35 PM said...

It was wonderful just being able to "hang out" together :)
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

LAMusing on September 12, 2010 at 8:37 PM said...

Tweet! http://twitter.com/LAMusing/status/24350558230
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

Norma said...

Going to watch our friend play ice hockey was a blast - and it was funny "bundling up" in the summer
bingomamanorma(at)gmail(dot)com

Lori on September 13, 2010 at 8:13 AM said...

Wish that I could add European vacation to my list, but hiking while camping or our Tahoe vacation were the high points to our summer.
lkziegler[at]gmail[dot]com

Katie on September 13, 2010 at 12:22 PM said...

Our family enjoyed our beach time the most this summer!

kt1969 at comcast dot net

Katie on September 13, 2010 at 12:23 PM said...

Tweeted:

http://twitter.com/Skaketgirl/status/24408660121

kt1969 at comcast dot net

Lexiquin on September 13, 2010 at 2:26 PM said...

We don't get to enjoy a lot of activities together because of conflicting schedules (or interests). One thing we did as a family was to go to the Big K Guest Ranch in beautiful Elkton, OR, for a mini-vacation. There were five of us (my 26yo daughter, my husband, and our two kids [ages 12 & 15]). We went on a trail ride and floated down the river. My husband took my son fishing and shooting, while the girls and I just hung out. We had a great time and will go back as soon as we're able.
aleq13@gmail.com
p.s. most of the other times we were together as a family, we were watching my son play baseball. He played great! and, my oldest daughter would come and bring her baby (my first grandchild). Love it when we're all together, even if we aren't doing anything special.

bonggamom on September 14, 2010 at 9:18 AM said...

Congratulations to the winner of this giveaway: #87, DG!

Unknown on September 18, 2010 at 9:29 PM said...

We didn't do a lot this summer because I wasn't feeling well, so I would say watching movies together.

Unknown on September 18, 2010 at 9:31 PM said...

Tweet

http://twitter.com/jillyrh/status/24907525951

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