Summer isn’t over just yet! Discover how to take advantage of the last, less messy, days of summer in this story sponsored by  Jif™Bars and Socialstars. #TeamJif

It’s the first day of school, but you know what? We aren’t forfeiting our last few weeks of summer. Nope. Autumn doesn’t officially start until sometime in September, so until then Terrence, Ayva and I are committed to keeping the summer party going. We had such a great summer, y’all that there is no way we can let go just yet. We went to the beach, hung out by the lake, and came in the house every day dirty and tired. It was a pretty awesome summer.

Of course, now that we have schedules to keep up with, our “keep summer going” sessions need to be edited a little bit. We won’t have the luxury of getting staying outside for hours at a time getting filthy. We might only have a few hours after work, or on the weekend in between soccer, ballet, and whatever else the fall brings. That doesn’t mean we have to be stuck inside of the house, though.

The key to having fun outside without getting messy is to be intentional about staying clean. Let your child know ahead of time that you need them to not get dirty. Keep in mind that kids are still kids, so it’s not likely that they’ll stay entirely pristine, but you could probably still go out to dinner afterwards if you let them know what your plans are.

Another tip is to have an idea of what you want to do when you go outside so that your child doesn’t have to figure it out on their own. I’m normally all about child-directed play, but when the goal is to have fun and not get messy, then we save that for another day! Just think of something fun (like giving your child a camera to take pictures of bugs on your evening walk), and making sure to bring a yummy, mess-free snack.

I grew up on peanut butter sandwiches, and the new Jif™Bars with Peanut Butter and Granola are the modern (and easy, mess free) way to get protein while you’re on the go. They’re perfect for family walks because we can pop them in Terrence’s pocket and pull it out the minute Ayva seems like she’s starting to get bored. The creamy peanut butter and crunchy granola appeal to our entire family. It’s rare that we find a snack that we can all enjoy.

So, here’s to the last, less messy days of summer! Don’t be afraid to get outside and have fun because you just don’t have the time to fill up a summer-sized mess. Good clean fun can still be had by all if you just think outside of the box a little bit!