How to Plan a Great Picnic

Now that spring is in full bloom and summer is just around the corner, it's time to get outside more and enjoy it. One great way to enjoy the outdoors is a picnic.

I love packing up some snacks and drinks and heading to one of the state parks or even down by the river. Surprise your family with a picnic this weekend.

The key to a good picnic is anticipating everything you'll need and planning ahead. I'm going to give you a few tips that can make your next picnic a success. You'll have so much fun you'll be wanting to go on picnics regularly. It feels nice to get out of the house and get some sunshine and fresh air and it costs so little to have so much fun.

• Location, Location, Location-plan your picnic in area that is as free from insects as you can, out of the wind and in the shade on a hot day and in the sun on a cool day. In Texas, you will definitely want to avoid the fire ants.
• Insect repellent and First Aid Kits-Don't forget to bring the insect repellent, just in case. You should probably carrying a first aid kit in your car already, but you'll definitely want to have some antibiotic ointment and a few band-aids. It might also be a good idea to bring Benydryl in case someone is allergic to bee or wasp stings.
• Pack picnic utensils-make sure you have plates, cups, bowls, forks, knives and spoons. Consider the food items you’re bringing. Will you need a cutting knife or scissors to open stubborn packaging?
• Napkins or Paper towels-spills are almost inevitable. Come prepared.
• Something to sit on unless you’re going to a picnic area that has picnic tables. I have a really nice folded blanket that zips shut and has a carrying strap that is waterproof on the side that you place on the ground. It’s great for picnics. I found one on Amazon similar to what I have. I keep it in the trunk of my car.
• Something to put trash in-unless the park has a trashcan, you'll be packing your trash back home with you. Bring along a garbage bag or something you can tie up to bring things back in to dispose of them properly. Remember to leave your spot tidier than when you got there.

Pack foods that travel well and don’t spoil easily. Great items to take on a picnic include:

• Chilled fresh fruit such as grapes, bananas, apples, pears, peaches, cut watermelon, cut cantaloupe, pineapple, and oranges.
• Chilled carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and celery
• Chilled Lean turkey, chicken and ham
• Beef jerky
• Bottled water, lemonade or iced tea
• Hard Cheeses
• Crackers
• Chips
• Pretzels
• Sliced angel-food cake
• Cookies

Some fast food drive-thrus lend themselves pretty well to picnic food such as KFC chicken, pizza, burgers, Subway sandwiches, etc.

After a nice meal, how about some fun and/or exercise? Now that the weather's nice you can take a walk looking at wildlife and wildflowers, go fishing, or play games.

Picnics are a great place to bring a frisbee, jump rope, or hula-hoop. You could also bring a boardgame as long as it doesn't have a lot of pieces or things that will blow away too easily.

Why not bring along a soccer ball, softball/glove, or horseshoes?

If there are swings or a merry-go-round, hop on and act like a kid again.

Bring a camera or camcorder to catch all the fun.