12 Ideas for Cheap Summer Fun

Too often summer goes so fast that before you know it the kids are back in school and schedules fill up with sports, lessons and other activities. If you’re looking for some cheap, fun activities to do with your kids during the summer, read on for a dozen ideas. Some can be done in the evening, all can be done on weekends, so whether you work full-time or have the summer off with your kids, pick and choose a few of your favorites from the list below and turn them into summer traditions!

 

1.      Plant a garden as soon as school is out and your family will see the fruits (or vegetables!) of your labors by the end of summer. If you don’t have a backyard or much space, many vegetables can be grown in pots on a deck railing or even inside. Head to www.KidsGardening.org to get started.

2.      Read all about it when you join a summer reading program, like one your local library system might offer (check www.publiclibraries.com). Other organizations that offer rewards for reading over the summer are Chuck E. Cheese’s (www.ChuckECheese.com), Scholastic (www.Scholastic.com) and Barnes and Noble (www.BarnesandNoble.com).

 Please head here for 10 more ideas I do with my own family!

How I Like to Spend Mother's Day ...

Subtitle: I Wasn't Sure I'd Get to be a Mom at All

Uh, yeah. I'm an ONLY child.

Here's more of a tease than you usually get on pieces I post at other places. Here's the tease, then the rest you can click on a link to get to. Enjoy your Mother's Day!

"Usually I try to be offline all day on Sundays, just to have one day off during the week so I can relax and get some things caught up on. Today being Mother's Day, the vibe is a little different, and I have more downtime than usual!

Some moms like to be gone for Mother's Day. They see it as a holiday for them and they work hard, so they need a break. Maybe they go out with friends, maybe to the spa, maybe even away for the weekend. That's fine for them. I am not jealous and wish them well.

For me, however, I like to be all up in my kids' business on Mother's Day.

I accept their homemade gifts and extra hugs. I revel in their love today. We went to church and each of my kids got me a rose afterward. I got to see my other mommy friends there (some of them, at least, as I don't just hang out with other Catholics!).

I got a quasi-nap and did not get annoyed at the whining and the kids ringing the doorbell and making noise while I tried to sleep on the couch. I enjoyed their kid noises.

You see, I am a mom. This is a title I always wanted to have, probably from the time I was born.

I was pregnant when I was 18 and something bad happened to that pregnancy ..."

Read the rest here!

Mother's Day Challenges Solved!

1. Yes, I know I look high, but I am not; B. Aron and the kids got me a columbine plant which; 3. makes me think of my mom and Colorado!

Remember Mother’s Day before you were married? The day probably revolved around your own mom, stepmom or other mother figure. Then your mother-in-law came into the picture, and you had to really split your time every second Sunday in May. Once YOU became a mother you probably realized that juggling Mother’s Day visits (as well as your own “selfish” needs and wants) should be an Olympic event. While it’s true you can’t make everyone happy all of the time, I believe you CAN honor all the moms in your life — including yourself — every year. Here are some ideas:

Dilemma: So many moms, so little time.

Solution: Change it up. Who says Mother’s Day should only be celebrated on that specific Sunday in May? I like to have my stepmom over for dinner one night during the week leading up to Mother’s Day. Then maybe we take my mother-in-law out to dinner the night before. When Sunday rolls around, I have my mom over to hang out with us at our house for part of the day, and we make sure to serve her a special meal and shower her with cards and flowers. I get the best of both worlds on Mother’s Day: being with my own mom and being with the little ones who made ME a mom.

Click here to read the rest of this piece! And if you'd like to find out how you can write for parenting and family magazines and earn a real income doing so, check out my site The Published Parent!

Product Review: Liquid Gold

It's always fun to have pictures of me cleaning so I can show my husband that it does indeed happen. So when I got a big can of Scott's Liquid Gold to try out, I knew he would be happy because it meant our wood would most likely be shiny and pretty. Check out these photos!



This is my gorgeous wood vanity that my parents bought for little ole me when I was but a wee teen girl, just a few short years ago.

It resides in my daughters' bedroom so it takes a bit of a beating. Check out the big scratch on the left side of the vanity.

Don't see it anymore, do you?

And check out how mottled this wood looks!

Liquid Gold took care of it and nourished the wood on this antique vanity the ways it deserves to be nourished and loved.

I was happy to know Scott's also makes these dust 'n go wax-free polishing cloths, which my kids will have fun using to polish wood around the house. I love that Liquid Gold is not greasy. Some products I've used on my treasured vanity are greasy and smelly. Scott's LG is not greasy and smells nice and mild.

I give them 5 out of 5 carrots (remember I'm trying to be healthier so my rating system must keep up!) I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Birthday Party Ridiculousness

It seems like kids’ birthday parties are getting out of hand these days, with parents trying to top each other for some non-existent “Most Elaborate Party” award! It can be difficult – if not impossible – to keep up with the intricate, expensive and often highly structured parties that are thrown by our child’s friends and classmates. Whether your child is in school, is homeschooled or is not yet even in preschool, the politics of birthday parties affect everyone. Save your sanity and stay out of the Poor House instead by considering some of the options and tips below.

1.      Realize that you don’t have to invite the whole world to an expensive gathering. One of my favorite parties growing up consisted of about five friends and an ice cream parlor. Every few years you could save up for something special and a little more costly like a moonwalk in the backyard or taking five friends to Paradise Park. If you’re having the party in your spacious backyard, by all means invite your child’s entire class. But …

You can read the other 7 rockin' points in this article over here ...