Summer is upon us! Once my kids are out of school for the year, I officially call it Summer! I've been working on whipping our backyard into shade getting weeds under control, planting a garden bed full of flowers and working on our patio getting it ready for relaxation. But, I'm most excited about outdoor backyard play! I really want our backyard to be a fun spot for hours of outdoor play.

I've put together fun musts to create a fun modern backyard geared towards creative fun play!

Kids Backyard Fun

1. Kids BBQ 2. Fun Kids Sprinkler 3. Kids Geodome Play tent 4. Kids Picnic Table 5. Kids Croquet Set 6. Kids Lemonade Stand 7. Lemonade Stand Dish Set 8. Kids Wheelbarrow 9. Garden Tool Set for Kids 10. Sprinkler Beach Ball 11. Kids Fun Swing 12. Kids Outdoor Play Food 13. Kids Golf Set 14. Kids Basketball Set 15. Water Play Table

Last year for Avery's birthday we got in a BBQ Grill (number #1) he loves it! I plan on getting some more outdoor BBQ food so he can grill up some goodies this Summer. Now that the weather is staying nice in Sacramento, I placed the BBQ Grill outside next to the blueberry bush he picked out. Next week I'll have a ton of patio updates to share #CanNotWait

We also recently got him a kid's wheelbarrow & garden tool set. I to watch him play with them and help us the garden (veggie garden update coming soon). Next on my must list is the Lemonade Stand, too cute! And the basketball set, I can't wait to shoot hoops this Summer.

I'm so excited for Summer to arrive and spend lots of time playing with my kids and new puppy outside. Have you see our puppy's cute face on Instagram, I swear he's the cutest chocolate lab ever!

What's your favorite way to enjoy your backyard with your kids?

Hello friends! I'm getting back on track with sharing my Small Home Style series, sharing ideas to help make those tricky small spaces not only stylish but also practical. I love when design is both pleasing to the eye and makes sense in real life, not just pretty for pictures. As a small home dweller, I know the challenges people face when dealing with limited space, but challenges also create opportunists for fabulous ideas. Trust me it can be done! No matter how small or large your kitchen is, it can almost never feel big enough. However with a few design tricks that are pretty + practical, you can have an amazing looking and feeling kitchen.

I truly believe design should feel good, meaning every time walk into a room in your home it should feel good and feel you.

ONE. Add a Shelf Above your Kitchen Sink. No pretty window to look out of above your kitchen sink, no problem! Add a shelf or shelves and transform the dead space into use space to store cookbooks, small dishes or herbs

TWO. Go Vertical! If your existing cabinets stop stop of the ceiling, turn that dead space into usable useful space. Adding a shelf above your cabinets can create extra storage for your beloved serviceware your don't use everyday.

THREE. Peg Board System. Hang a pegboard in your kitchen to transform blank wall into a organized wall that can hold a variety of kitchen items: pots, pans, cutting boards and more.

FOUR. Go Bold with Color. I love love white kitchens, but a small kitchen is also a place where you can take big risks for huge impact!

FIVE: Use Your Counter top Wisely. Declutter your counters and stylish store items on your countertops and use trays to help corral items.

SIX. Open Up Your View. A full wall of cabinet doors in a small kitchen make a kitchen feel even smaller, nix your solid cabinet doors for glass inserts.

SEVEN. Bring the Outdoors Inside. Grow an indoor herb garden in your kitchen, place small planters in your windowsill, on the counter or hang on the wall. Adding greenery in your kitchen can give your small kitchen a boost of style + it's so practical.

EIGHT. Paint a Chalkboard Wall. If you have a small galley kitchen, chances are you can a blank useless wall, transform the blank with Chalkboard paint.

NINE. Floating Shelves. Go wide open and remove all your upper cabinets with open shelves, or remove 1-2 cabinets and install floating shelves. A few open shelves in a small kitchen can really open the style factor.

In my kitchen below, I placed three floating shelves between my cabinet and fridge. The shelves help create a focal area and perfect for storing my cookbooks, pretty bowls and misc service ware.

With a some stylish design tricks even the tiniest kitchen can be a perfect combination of pretty + practical.

Looking for more kitchen design ideas? Click here to read about my kitchen and how I transformed my dated 1950's merged with bad design from the 1980's into a kitchen that wows me and makes my heart happy every time I enter.

How have your maximized your small kitchen and given it style?