In this section, we will cover everything you can do at home to have a little fun with the family. So, this includes different things from cooking, to the latest videos and/or games to check out.
Today, we are going to cover how to make some fun and unique drinks from home that are perfect for the summer and other times of the year. I will go over how to make 4 of my favorite drinks that I like to drink. Feel free to experiment with your own ratios and flavors!
Main Ingredients:
Fresh Citrus Fruit (limes, lemons, oranges)
Fruit Juice (I used cranberry and orange juice)
Simple syrup and/or fruit syrup
Little bit of Honey
Ginger Ale or Sprite or lemon soda
Also Ice, cool drinks are always the best
First off, before covering how to make the drinks, let's cover how to make simple syrup. Simple Syrup is just water and sugar melted together. Using a 1 to 1 ratio, (ex. 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water) put it in a pan and melt together. Make sure not to boil the water as that would throw your ratio off; the sugar just needs to melt completely. Once melted, let it cool in the fridge and you can store it for a long time for future uses. You can buy flavored syrup at grocery stores or you can make simple syrup at home.
The other part to making these drinks fancy and enjoyable is having fresh fruit. The main use for them is to extract their oils. The way you do that is to simply peel the skin. The skin has natural oils that will help enhance the flavor of the drinks and you can see how to use them properly in the video attached.
Okay! Onto the drinks!
Add a teaspoon of Cherry or Simple Syrup, then add about a 1/3 of a cup of orange juice, pouring over a spoon to prevent mixing. Finish off with Ginger Ale and add ice cubes. Mix before drinking. Garnish with an orange peel and/or orange slice.
Fill a cup halfway with cranberry juice. Fill the other half with your choice of soda (I recommend lemon or lime). Finish it off by squeezing lemon juice and adding a lemon slice into the drink with ice cubes.
Add a teaspoon of simple syrup to a cup. Fill halfway with orange juice and top with your choice of soda (we used Ginger Ale). Add some ice cubes and you are all set. Garnish with with a lemon peel and/or lemon slice.
Add a teaspoon of honey and squeeze a lime into the cup. Mix the honey and lime until thoroughly combined. Top off with Ginger Ale, ice cubes and extra slice of lime and you are all set.
Enjoy! Have fun making and trying these unique drinks and let us know if you came up with your own version!
Here is a video of me and my wife making all the drinks for a visual reference, if it helps!
Now, with those fresh drinks, break out the popcorn. Here is a recommendation list of shows you can find on Netflix-Mr. Rondeau approved-for a fun family night.
Before I go into the list, you may have heard of some of these shows or movies before and that is OK. Also a disclaimer, everything on here will be PG-rated cause we want the whole family to be able to watch together, so let me know if you found something you enjoyed!
For you nature lovers out there, this is a documentary series covering what goes on in the wild during the night. It has beautiful cinematography and it is fascinating to see just how crazy our world can be.
Now here is a fun, family, sports movie starring Ice Cube and Keke Palmer. The plot-line for the movie is that a football team has been struggling until a new team member comes out of nowhere and mixes things up. Also, it is based on the real life events of Jasmine Plummer.
Now, for all you science fiction lovers out there, here is a great show already on their second season. The Robertsons get lost in space and as we all know, space can be a real hassle. Check out this space adventure to see how this family is able to make it out together!
For those who enjoy reality TV, Nailed It is an extremely enjoyable cooking show to watch. Three competitors who have little to no experience baking have to try to copy a chef's amazing creation to take home the prize. This show will be sure to keep you entertained as they have 4 seasons worth of content.
Now for a bit of a spooky show, this anthology show (meaning 1 story per episode) will be sure to leave you "Creeped Out" after watching it. Oh, and yes, it is PG, believe it or not, recommended for those 8 and up.
You VS Wild
Now, this is an interactive adventure with Bear Grylls in an 8-part series. You get to decide how he approaches situations. This is a new method for you engage with content, so if you are interested, check it out.
Honorary Mention
This is an amazing movie that came out in 2019. But if, for some reason, you have not watched this movie, check it out. It is a coming-of-age story with beautiful animations of Miles Morales as he learns to become the new Spider-Man.