Summer Bucket List - Family Game Night

We got to mark another item off our bucket list!

Family Game Night

We played Don't Break the Ice.

Another thing we need to do more often - the boys loved it!

Summer Bucket List - Kids Plan (and Cook) Dinner

Summer went by quickly.

I keep trying to remind myself that we still have plenty of time to do all the fun stuff I wanted us to do...we still have about 5 weeks left. Not much...but it's enough.

At the beginning of the summer, I printed out this summer bucket list.

(source)

We've done a pretty good job of getting through some of them - but looking now, we still have a long way to go.

The boys really wanted to do "Kids Plan Dinner". They were so excited to make menus and place mats for everyone to use. 

On the menu for dinner will be...

Macaroni and Cheese

Chicken Nuggets

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Apples 

(I love that they picked a fruit to be on their dinner.)

They were also in charge of making the dinner too.

Colton laid chicken nuggets on a cookie sheet, Ashton stirred the Macaroni.

Colton also set the table. 

Then is was time to get all the food on the table.

(we ended up forgetting to actually make any gravy!) 

 It was nice to have a dinner full of yummy kid food.

The boys loved it and said they want to do this all the time. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

What have you done on your summer bucket list?

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How to Make Camping with Kids More Enjoyable - 5 Tips

Here are some tips I've learned over the past couple of years, to make camping with my kids more enjoyable. Our kids have been camping for years and love it. But there's a method to make sure that it goes fairly smoothly and that everyone has a great time...including mom and dad!

1. Bring things to do.

Most camp grounds are like little neighborhoods. Most have a ton of other kids and they all bring their bikes and scooters and skateboards. Bring yours too! Give your kids age-appropriate boundaries on where they can and can't go in the campground. As long as they understand the rules and wear helmets - we let them go! Our kids are into basketball, so we always bring a basketball to play with and sometimes frisbees or some type of waffle ball game. Make sure you book at campgrounds that have playgrounds too! 

For the little people, make sure you have things for them to do also. Sidewalk chalk and bubbles are great. 

2. Keep snacks and drinks on hand

Kids outside playing hard get hungry and thirsty...make sure you bring more then you think you'll need of drinks and snacks. Juice boxes, cold water, fruit and pre-packaged snacks are the way to go for camping. (You can make your own pre-packaged snacks at home too!) I usually like to bring a special treat for the kids when we go camping....something that we don't normally have at home. That makes camping extra special!

3. Bring on the activities!

Anymore, most campgrounds have planned activities just for kids. Ice cream socials, art projects, putt-putt golf and more are all fun (and free) ways to keep the kids busy. Of course, if your campground has a pool or beach - you have to take advantage of that. Our camping trip last year, there was a nature reserve near-by...it was amazing (and free) and the kids had a blast hiking! 

4. Bring the essentials.

Sunscreen, changes of clothes, hats and more. Make sure you're applying sunscreen several times throughout the day while kids are out playing. No one is going to have a good time if the kids get sunburns. Bring changes of clothes for when the kids get too dirty. Extra diapers for the little ones. First Aid kits for scraped knees. Extras of everything is always high on my list!

5. Chill.

This is the most important rule of camping with kids.....chill out. You're camping. You're suppose to be having fun. Chill out. Things may not go exactly as you had planned...that's okay. Don't let it ruin anyone's day. Let the kids run and have fun during the day....they're usually passed out by 8pm anyways! 

Camping with your kids creates memories. Great memories. Lower your expectations of your first outing together. Plan easy meals. Put the cell phones, iPads, and iPods down. Turn them off. Tune into your family. Eat smores and tell ghost stories. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I'd love for you to follow my blog through BlogLovin or on my Facebook page.



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Tools for Sticking to a Budget While on Vacation

Vacations can be complete budget busters!

When we go on vacation, like we did last week

we have set aside a certain amount of money just for the vacation.

I've found some strategies to help us stick to our budget and I thought I'd share them with you today.

1. Write a budget long before the trip

Decide how much you can afford to spend.

AFFORD.

Not put on the credit card.

How much can you afford to spend. 

Cash Money.

Vacations don't have to be expensive to be fun. 

Our week-long vacation cost $500.

Yep!

You can us a plan sheet of paper to write your budget, or use this handy Vacation Budget sheet from Living Well Spending Less. 

Make sure and keep this list with you ALWAYS while you are on vacation.

Cash...use cash on your trip...much easier to keep track of your spending with cash. 

2. Locations

Vacations don't have to be tropical or Disney World or across the ocean to be fun. 

Ask friends and neighbors about great local attractions...or google "Visit ___(your state name)____" and you'll most likely be able to order a free visitors guide to your state of choice. 

Our recent vacation was only 3 hours away...which meant we saved by not having air fare and it took less then a full tank of gas to get us there.

3. Where to Stay

Personally, we enjoy camping. We bought a small pop-up camper a few years ago (for less then $2,000) and love using it. Camp sites...in the Midwest...are usually under $35 a night. 

If camping isn't your thing, you can save a ton by not staying in a fancy resort or the "it" hotel. Check out campgrounds to see if they have cabins for rent.

How about motels? They may not be really pretty to look at from the outside...but as long as they're clean, I don't care. When I'm on vacation, I don't spend much time in my hotel room anyways!

4. What to Do While Your There

Google the city you're visiting. Check out their online visitors center.

Look up and price out attractions that you're family would enjoy.

Narrow down the attractions based on your budget. 

For most vacations, one or two attractions a day is enough for the kids. 

Don't do something if it'll bust the budget! 

5. Time to Eat

The major benefit of camping is making your own meals. You can do something easy like hamburgers or hot dogs or go all out. We ate dinner at our campsite all but one night. For a family of four in a resort town, that easily saved us $150+! 

For lunches, we packed picnics most days. A couple loafs of bread, lunch meat and cheese, chips and fruit and we were ready. (Don't forget ice packs to keep it all cold!) Then each day, we would find a new spot to eat our lunch...a nice park, the beach, where ever. That probably saved us another $120. 

I also pack snacks for the kids. We did go out for snacks twice and it was a great treat!
A great tip for eating out is to find out where to locals eat! It's usually much cheaper then the main tourist places.

6. Keep Track

Like I said before...bring cash. It's so easy to over spend it you're using your bank card. 

We always just keep our budget tracker sheet on a clipboard in the car.

Spend $20 in ice cream?

Cross it off the budget!

It really made it all stress-free for me.

What are your tips for sticking to a budget while on vacation?

We rarely travel by plane, so I'd love some tips for saving there!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

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Top 10 Ways to Keep Your Kids Busy This Summer

Summer is finally here!

I'm so excited to have a few months alone with my boys...

no more waking up early for school

no more homework

late nights

and all around fun!

Here are some ways to keep your family active all summer long!

#1 - Bubbles! My kids (even the 9 year old) love bubbles....the bigger the better. I love this idea of having a bubble refill jar! The next time I see an old tea jar at a garage sale, it's mine! {La-La's Home Daycare}

#2 - Fun Bible Games - this is a great activity to have the boys do while I'm making lunch. Something they can sit at the table and do....and (hopefully) work together as a team - and learn at the same time! {When You Rise}

#3 - Summer Reading Star. This is a great idea and a great motivator for kids that either don't enjoy reading very much or find reading kind of difficult (like my oldest). {How Does She?} I'm also going to set up a day each week to take the boys to the library to check out books. You can also sign your kids up with Barnes and Noble or Half Price Books Kids Summer Reading Clubs for more rewards! 

#4 - Summer Bucket List - I like this because it can be tailored to fit your family...and even add a few things that are a bit out of the box! {This Homemade Life}

#5 - Adventure Book. I usually like to make a scrapbook each summer of all the activities we did and vacations we took. This is a great way for the kids to remember what they did. {Crazy Little Projects}

#6 - Summer Schedule. Love this idea. I'll have to make one that fits our town because Tuesday will be free movie day and Thursdays are story-tellers day. But, my kids will love knowing what we're doing each day! {Remarkable Home}

#7 - Zoo Passports. We live in Omaha, NE and have an amazing zoo right here (Henry Doorly Zoo). We also have a zoo membership, so we go to the zoo alot. This would be a neat idea for them to seek out different animals and write down one or two facts about each animal. {We Wilsons}

#8 - Making Kid Friendly Food Together. On my weekly summer schedule with the boys, I'm going to have a cooking day. This is a great way to make my kids eat food they wouldn't normally eat! {My Pinterest Board and Mom on Timeout}

These last two, I'm really excited about!!!

#9 - Building the kids a fort. We're going to try and do the whole fort for free - using found materials on Craigslist! {This Old House}

#10 - Outdoor Play Area - Colton (our youngest) would love this! He loves playing in the dirt. {Lowe's}

I'm ready to get started now!

What projects do you have lined up this summer to keep the kids busy?

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