If you are lucky enough to have a boat to celebrate the 4th of July then you need to do so. You can swim, water-ski, water board and just lay and tan on your own personal place of freedom! Preparing food to take care of your family can cause some problems without some tried but true storage methods.

Coolers and food storage bags are a must for any on board meals. Coolers can keep your beverages cold as well as certain food items. Two coolers is, of course, the optimum thing to do. Put your cold beverages in one and then load the ice…in the second cooler load your ice then your food products.

Try buying white, red and blue plates, napkins and silverware to keep in the spirit of the 4th of July. It’s not necessary but can be quite festive. Also, plan on where you can go to buy more ice if you need to. Remember, cold is better than hot!

The best thing to do is fix things at home before going on the boat. Try fixing cheese cubes which are easy to eat and nutritious as well. Veggies are another great choice, just cut them up before leaving home and put in individual bags. Cold sandwiches are another great choice. Make the sandwiches then wrap them in individual foil packages and then place in a Ziploc bag. Add some chips or pretzels and you have a great meal!

During the off time, you still have to entertain the kids. How about making a 4th of July windsock? For the younger children, some help will be required but for the older ones, they can do it themselves.

Remove the bottom from a Quaker oatmeal container. Place and tape blue paper all over the cylinder. Cut out white stars from construction paper and tape to the blue paper. Using white and red crepe paper cut long strips to tape on one end of your cylinder. On the other end, punch 4 holes so you can tie two string pieces to them to make you windsock work. To finish it off, cut one long piece of string and tie to the two shorter ones to hang it by.

This will burn off the 30 minutes you are supposed to not swim after eating and make everyone happy. This is a great idea for the evening meal, because you know that fireworks are coming up and the kids will calm down and watch the great show above them. Drink, eat and be merry and have a happy and safe Independence Day!