Mom! What are We Doing Today?

That is the question that I get asked about 47 thousand times per week around here. It's not that I don't want to do something. It's just that there are so few activities around here that don't cost an arm and a leg. Whether I or the kids like it or not, we are a budget conscious family. We have four children, one of which is still in diapers, and two who are still in daycare. So finding free entertainment for the kids in the summer is challenging.

We take advantage from time to time of the "free" movies at the movie theater. Of course, that doesn't include the nearly $25 in popcorn and drinks. Sure, we could smuggle in our own drinks and snacks, but being a "rule follower" it's sometimes hard. I would love to put the kids in various summer camps, but those get expensive, and when you multiply the cost times three - ouch!

Today, I took the older two kids to an outdoor water park with some friends. It was $23 dollars for just 3 of us. I shudder to think that it would be nearly $50 for all six of us to go. Oh well! The big kids had a blast, going down the water slides, jumping off the diving boards, and playing with our friends' younger kids.

We were all wiped out when we got home, so all of us took naps. We had the quietest, most pleasant afternoon in weeks! I'm thinking this was money well spent.

I know (or at least, pray) that they day will come soon where credit cards will be paid off and we will have one less child in daycare - and then at the end of the day there will be more money in the bank. At least for now, I will continue to challenge myself to find activities to entertain my crew that do not break the bank.