As a child, I was terrified of the 4th of July. More precisely, I was terrified of fireworks. I remember my dad putting us kids on the back of his old pickup so we could be safe while we watched him light fireworks. But I wanted nothing to do with it. I would cry and then run into the cabin and hide. (Which is pretty hard to do since it was so small. It was more like ducking under the window.)
I thought you might like to see a picture of me during those formative years. You know how they say that necessity is the mother of invention? Like all kids, we loved the water. But we didn’t have running water or a swimming pool or the money to go to a swimming pool. So my parents lined some old tires with plastic, then filled the tires with water. That was our “swimming pool.” Pretty sweet, aye? And the best part was that we each got our own tires. See, I told you my parents were creative problem solvers. And that bathing beauty in pink? Yep, that’s me. The cute boy is my older brother, Dave.
And I am happy to say that I am no longer afraid of fireworks. 
Now the 4th of July is just fun. A big part of that fun for me is the decor.
I wanted to add some banners to my decorating fun this year, so I made a banner to match the printable I made last week. And I gotta say, I love how it turned out!
I tied my flag banners with twine and ribbon, and alternated the flags, as shown below. But I also think it would be cute tied with tulle. Really, there are so many cute possibilities here.
Now we are ready to party like it’s 1999! Or 1776. Or whatever. The point is, it’s fun.
To download the free patriotic flag printables, click here: Download Now
But don’t leave yet! Like I said last week, my friends and I are teaming up to bring you a whole bunch of Independence Day ideas!
Alia over at Par-tay Like A Cherry, came up with the CUTEST quiz game printable! This game is the perfect way to teach my kids a little bit more about this great country of ours and how it came to be. You can download this game over at her website.
And Sheena, from Little LDS Ideas also has some great ideas! She has a darling 4th of July invitation and a scavenger hunt!
I would love to hear from you! What are your favorite memories involving the 4th of July? Do you have special traditions? Leave a comment and let me know. ♥
