Idea #19 Take a Nap in a Hammock

This picture of my sons in a hammock when they were so little cracks me up every time - I actually have a large print hanging in my house of this, dirty faces and all. It's how I remember them being at that time, no matter how many baths I gave them a day, the second I turned away they were back playing in the dirt again!  LOVE IT!

Last year we acquired a double hammock from some friends of ours and I can hardly wait to hang it on our deck. I'm not a "napper", no matter how hard I try, I usually wind up feeling worse when I wake from a nap so I generally avoid them. I have to be terribly sick to nap.
 My father and my husband both share first -prize in the napping department, haha. My dad used to work shift work before he retired and so he had to train himself to sleep during the day. But working graveyards does a number on one's body, and to this day, he can't sit down for more than five minutes without nodding off. I find it quite comical actually.
 My husband has been napping regularly since he was a teenager. He has mastered the Art of The Power Nap. Seriously, the guy shuts his eyes for 10 minutes and he's fully recharged for another good 12 hours. I admire and covet this talent greatly - especially days when I'm nearly falling asleep at my desk at 4;05 p.m.
My resources are sound then when I quote them as saying that nothing beats napping outdoors, especially when cradled gently in a hammock.( Be smart about it though - be sure to wear sunscreen, and I would suggest napping in the shade.)
 Pure. Bliss.  For at least 10 minutes, haha!

IDEA #9 Sleep Under the Stars

Air out the tent and set it up in the yard.  Choose a clear night and leave the fly off the top so you can watch the stars as you drift off into dreamland under a diamond sky.  For the truly brave, skip the tent altogether and just lay there in your sleeping bag under the open sky.  As kids we used to sleep outside on my friends' large trampoline.  One had to be careful how one moved about in order to avoid mid-air collisions with other sleepers due to both bounce and slippery nylon-covered sleeping bags! 
It's an awesome experience you shouldn't miss. I would also recommend it whenever a predicted meteor shower is going to happen - try to see how many shooting stars you can wish on!   
Just don't forget to turn off the timer on your irrigation sprinklers or you'll have a rather unforgettable experience when they come on at some ungodly hour in the wee hours of the morning!   ;)