Looking for some new ways to have fun as a family this summer without spending a small fortune? Here are 5 ideas that the whole family can get involved in…

1. Have a water balloon fight. Kids love water balloon fights, especially when Mom and Dad are involved; and what better way to stay cool on a hot summer day? Divide your family into teams and make shelters from patio chairs, trees, and whatever else you can come up with. Parents against kids is always a good match, just be sure to let them win sometimes!

2. Make a “fun things to do / places to go” jar. A “fun things to do” jar can build up a lot of anticipation, which can often be just as much fun as the event itself. When you’re looking for something to do, simply have one of the family members randomly pull a slip from the jar and do it. Make sure that everyone’s idea gets included …and for extra fun slip a mystery one in there that you haven’t told the kids about yet.

3. Map out your favorite spots around town. This is great way to teach your kids about their hometown. Make a map of every ice cream parlor, walking trail, picnic spot, pool/beach or water park within an easy drive of your house and resolve to visit all of them before the summer is over. Hang the map on the kitchen wall and mark every place that you visit with a different colored thumbtack.

4. Go hunting (treasure hunting that is). What’s more mysterious and exciting than a treasure hunt? You don’t need to buy expensive prizes, because it’s finding them that’s the real reward! Get started by creating a series of cards with clues on them. Each card should lead to the next card until the last one finally leads to the treasure. If your kids aren’t old enough to read, use pictures to show them where they can find the next clue.

5. Challenge each other to crazy contests. What kinds of crazy talents can you discover among your family members this summer? Have a contest and find out! See who can skip the longest, fly their own paper airplane the furthest or eat a slice of pizza the fastest. Award the winner of the crazy contest a homemade plaque to be displayed on the refrigerator or their bedroom door.

Get creative with the ideas on this list and use them to come up with your own fun things to do this summer. If you’re running low on ideas, sit down for a family brainstorming session and you may be surprised at what you can come up with to beat boredom without breaking the bank.

Hope you have a great summer!

~~~~~~~

Image courtesy of: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author:

Jennifer Kirkpatrick is a mom of two who loves planning unexpected things for her family to do. When Jennifer is not on a crazy adventure she runs Pipsqueak Boutique, an online children’s store specializing in personalized books for children and lots of other personalized kids gifts – all of which are alot of fun!

Summer sunshine and heat brings thoughts of getting away from it all for a week or two, and what kind of trip is more fun than a road trip? Road trips are about the journey, not the destination–if you even have one in mind. While gas is expensive these days, you can still take that summer road trip, whether it’s a romantic getaway for two, old friends getting together, or the whole family- kids included.

1. Skip the major summer holidays. Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day are going to be the busiest and most expensive times to travel. Gas and hotel prices will go up for the holidays. Schedule your road trip to avoid those holidays and save money.

2. Avoid resort-style hotels and theme parks. While tempting for an all-inclusive family vacation, these places are money-suckers and destroy the spontaneity that is the fun of a road trip. Stick to hotels with a pool and a continental breakfast. If you’re going to be traveling with Fido and Fluffy, research ahead of time to find out which hotels are pet-friendly.

3. Try camping. While not for everyone, camping out can be fun and less expensive than staying in hotels. Camping doesn’t have to mean a tent in the middle of nowhere and no facilities. There are family campgrounds with electricity, bathrooms, and showers. Camping can be great fun for the kids because it’s a break from being inside all the time and provides automatic, mostly free activities, such as hiking, canoeing, and fishing. Camping can also be a great romantic getaway for the more adventurous couple.

4. Pack non-perishable snacks and reusable water bottles. Eating on the road can be expensive and bad for the stomach, especially after one too many fast food pit stops. Bring along healthy snacks, such as fruit, granola bars, cereal, and apple sauce. Toss in a few bags of chips for tasty treats. Refill your water bottles rather than buying expensive bottled water and accumulating a car full of trash that will end up in a landfill.

5. Visit historical sites along the way. The expense is often small to visit museums, lighthouses, memorials, and battlefields. Stops like these keep the kids learning while on vacation and satisfy the adult history buff.

6. Take the scenic route. Plan your road trip to take advantage of scenic parkways, beaches, and overlooks. This is a dream vacation for the photographer in your family.

With a little planning and research, you can have a fun, memorable summer vacation and still stay within your budget. You might even discover that you can afford more than one trip spread out over the course of the summer.

~~~~~~~

Written by:  Nicole Rodgers

Nicole Rodgers has been blogging for three years; she encourages everyone to study hard for the DMV written test so that a summer road trip can be made possible.  She also wants everyone to find the best online insurance quote so that you can spend more money on your trip and not on your auto insurance.

~~~~~~~

Image courtesy of: Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Summer officially started today, and if you’re already dealing with the “I’m bored” syndrome…take a look at these budget friendly summer fun ideas! 10 boredom busters that are sure to lead to a summer of fun!

Field Trips: Plan a field trip every week this summer!   Here’s how…

• Start by taking your kids to the local library to find some books on your area.
• Do a simple search:  Free Things to do in (my city). You’ll be amazed what comes  up!
• Let each child make a list of what they would like to see & do!  Set a budget limit!
• Think beyond museums and amusement parks…think budget friendly fun like:  a  visit to the farmer’s market, berry picking, check out different area playgrounds & rate them or take a tour of an area factory! Most factory tours are free, and FactoryToursUSA.com offers a state by state listing.
• Don’t blow your budget friendly outing by going out to eat…pack a picnic lunch instead!

Summer Book Swap: A fun way to kick-off a summer of reading!  Here’s how…

• Invite friends (in the same grade) to bring 3 used paperback books at their current  reading level.
• After the children arrive, display the books on a large table or two.
• Draw numbers for the order in which the children will choose a book.  If there are 10 children at the party, put numbers 1 – 10 into the drawing.
• Round 1 begins!  The child that drew #1 picks a book, then #2 takes a turn and so on.
• Before beginning Round 2, draw numbers again.
• After the final round, make bookmarks (using scrap paper, markers & assorted  stickers) & let the children make their own ice cream  sundaes.
• HAPPY SUMMER READING!

Fun at Home:

• Start a summer tradition of having sundaes on Saturday!
• Family Game Day
• Family Puzzle Day
• Taste Test…try different brands of frozen pizza & ice cream, eat & vote for the family favorite!
• Water Painting…it’s painting without the mess!  You’ll need a bucket of water, a big fat paint brush & let your child have fun “painting” the driveway, the fence or the picnic table!
• Lemonade Stand!
• Teach your children to cook!  Have “cooking school” one day each week, and let your children choose the recipes!  If you don’t have a children’s cookbook, a trip to the library is in order!
• Plant a garden!

Let’s make this a summer your kids will remember…even if it’s on a budget!

Summer is right around the corner and the kids are almost done with school. Amazingly enough, summer is one of the more expensive times throughout the year for a few reasons.

In today’s article, you’ll learn how to make summer memories and enjoy summer fun while saving money!

Pay Cash – A huge mistake people make on vacation is to pull out the credit card to create their summer memories. Ultimately, they may buy the toy or eat at the expensive restaurants while traveling, but a few months later, their interest charges are rising. The very best vacations I’ve taken with my family were low budget, paid in full trips. Camping in beautiful mountain areas, and day trips provide lots of great summer memories at a huge reduction in cost.
 
Make it Age Appropriate – Several of my friends have spent thousands of dollars on vacations their kids will never remember. Think about all the strollers you see at Disneyland or any of the theme parks. If you want to take your kids on vacations like that and spend thousands of dollars to do it, at least wait until they will remember the experience. In addition to the lack of memory, you’ll pay extra for the strollers, car seats, and extra baby gear to travel with you.
 
Maintain Your Car – The hot weather in the summer is tough on vehicles. Make sure to keep your fluid levels checked and changed regularly. Keep your gas tank full. When your tank falls below half way, the mileage is greatly reduced. Make sure your tires are properly inflated and in good shape to help with gas mileage. These few tips can help you save at the pump when gas prices rise in the summer months.
 
Eat at Home – Remember, you probably have kids at home eating you out of house and home. They are normally at school eating lunch. A good rule of thumb to save during the summer is to eat your dinners at home as well. Cut down on the excess food expense of eating out when you’re also providing lunches. This can save you hundreds per month.
 
Season Passes – Yes, there may be a higher outlay for to purchase a season’s pass for the local theme parks or zoo, but these can give your kids hours of entertainment value saving you hundreds. If you shop for the passes in the off season, you may be able to get a special rate or savings due to their seasonal revenue short falls.
 

The most important thing in the summer is to have fun. Be safe. Spending money doesn’t always mean better memories!

~~~~~~~
Joshua Christensen is author of Consider the Ant: 3 Keys to Biblical Prosperity. His current project includes a personal finance program for teens. For more information about this, please visit http://Easyantsteps.wordpress.com

Image courtesy of: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Photo courtesy of Free Web Photos

I live in Houston, Texas where the average high in February is 65 degrees, so my teens were thrilled to experience a snow day on Friday! It didn’t exactly look like the picture above because they really missed the forecast, and we didn’t even get a flake of snow! Here’s a picture of our Houston snow day – complete with green grass, palms and purple flowers!

This was probably the best kind of snow day because there was no snow to shovel! Houston came to a halt, and our snow day provided us a much needed day to relax and do nothing other than enjoy the simple pleasures that life has to offer!

• Good-bye alarm clock, we all slept in!
• Hello homemade breakfast of praline French toast!
• An all day pajama day!
• No school, no dance class, no scouts, no piano lesson, NOTHING!
• A warm blanket, a good book and a roaring fire…delightful!
• mmm…can you smell my best chocolate chip cookies?
• Cuddled up enjoying a movie!

Why is it that we have to wait for holidays or snow days to relax and enjoy life?

Why is it that we have to wait for holidays or snow days for peace and quiet? It was as if Houston stopped for a day!

Already looking forward to our next snow day which could easily be 10 more years!

Photo courtesy of Free Web Photos

Christmas Traditions

Think of family traditions as inexpensive little ways to create lasting family memories…no matter how silly the tradition, it will be remembered for a lifetime!

So, take a break from the mall madness, and make a little “merry” this season with family traditions!

Need some inspiration? Read on…

String Presents – Growing up, my parents always had a string present for us. It was always the last gift, and it was often the big gift. They made a trail of string that we followed throughout the house until we ended at the gift. I remember finding my first sled at the end of a string! My children have grown to love this tradition, and I already know what will be waiting at the end of the string trail this year!

Family Olympics – Another tradition that my parents started, and we’ve continued! Our family plays a board game each night of Christmas break, and the winner gets 1 point. At the end of the break, the family member with the most points chooses a restaurant for a family dinner.

Puzzles – Working a puzzle during the Christmas break keeps everyone busy!

A Christmas Story – Christmas just wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t watch A Christmas Story at least once!

Reindeer Food – When the children were little, we would make reindeer food and scatter it on the lawn on Christmas Eve! It’s a simple mixture of oatmeal and glitter! The glitter makes it sparkle, so the reindeer can see it!

Cookies for Santa – Every child should make cookies for santa…just make sure to use your favorite recipe! Yummy!

Tamales on Christmas Eve – It’s a Texas thing, and it’s a delicious Christmas Eve dinner!

Big Breakfast on Christmas Day – In between opening stockings and opening presents, we enjoy a big breakfast!

Cookie Exchange – My daughter and I have hosted a mother/daughter cookie exchange for the past 9 years! We start testing new cookie recipes in early December before we pick “the cookie” for the exchange. Learn how to host a cookie exchange!

Spring Break Gift – We always surprise the children with our spring break vacation destination by wrapping it up as a gift. Once they open the box, they will discover a series of clues to help them determine where we are going!

Mulling Spices – My mother used to always simmer a spice mixture on the stove during the holidays that made our house smell wonderful! Simply simmer 1 cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon whole cloves, 1 teaspoon nutmeg and 1 teaspoon allspice.

Twas the Night Before Christmas – A must read for Christmas Eve!

Christmas Lights – Drive around and check out all the Christmas lights in your neighborhood.

Advent Calendar – I’m amazed that as teenagers, our kids are still excited to do the advent calendar each day!

Fudge – Homemade fudge…what a treat!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Spiced Tea – A friend gave us spiced tea as a gift many years ago, and Christmas is not complete for my daughter without enjoying a cup of spiced tea with her grandmother!

 
Make a little merry for less this Christmas by enjoying family traditions!

Please click on the title of this article to share your favorite Christmas traditions.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

Imagine if a little genie appeared and gave you and your family the new Play Station Move – the system that redefines motion gaming.

Yes…I can imagine!

I can imagine my husband and his twin brother spending hours on the golf course in our living room, also known as John Daley’s Pro Stroke Golf for Play Station Move.

I can imagine my daughter and her friends having a TV Superstar spend the night party where they can star in 5 different shows! I’m sure their favorite will be Frock Star, and I’m sure getting them to go to bed will be a challenge!

I personally can’t wait for family bowling night in the comfort of our living room with Brunswick Pro Bowling! I’m the current family bowling champion, and with Play Station Move I’ll use the same winning moves.

If you and your family are ready to get in on the motion gaming craze, and you already have a Play Station 3…you’re in luck! Thankfully, Play Station is offering a $99 Move Bundle Package that will allow you to bring motion gaming to your Play Station 3.

So, what are you waiting for? Get your move on with Play Station Move!