Frugal Friday

It's summer time. And you know what that means... Fun in the Sun... and not so Fun in the Sun. We have a window of about 2 weeks at the beginning of summer where it's not scorching hot and then BAM!... it's another blistering summer. Since our summers are so warm, we are constantly looking for different fun things to do, particularly indoor fun. With a few outdoor activities. So here are just a few frugal summer ideas we're drumming up:

1. Camping in the backyard-- Daddy and Big Boy have already spent the night sleeping on the trampoline. We had a BBQ and they roasted marshmallows. Took the laptop out and watched a movie on netflix (traditional camping activity), and fell asleep talking about the stars. They had a great time and when we move into the new house, I'd love to spend a night out in the tent with Big Boy.

2. Camping inside-- We've already had the kids' tent set up in the living room. We've done story time in there, played with toys, and Big Boy started sleeping in there one night, but didn't quite make it. he said it was "too quiet." But talk about camping in luxury.

3. Water Play-- is there any end to water play when you have little ones? Sprinkler, squirt bottles, water balloons, the spray nozzle on a hose, the possibilities are endless. My kids have been having fun in the sprinkler for the past couple of nights and I can hardly get them in the house when it's time to get ready for bed.

4. Fingerpainting-- My kids love to fingerpaint. We pull out the little picnic table on the patio and let them go at it. And clean up is super easy. Just turn on the sprinkler and refer to #4. They love it.

5. Story time at the library-- Our local library has three storytimes through out the week, based on the child's age. We tend to go to the one that Baby Girl is just reaching. We go a few minutes early, settle in to playing in the kids' section, and pick up a few books. This way we have our books already checked out when others start looking after story time. And we can be a little leisurely after the story. There's usually an activity involved as well and all in all, it runs about a hour, perfect for my little ones.

6. Other story times--There's also a weekly story time at out local Barnes and Noble. Once a week, there's stories and music. Baby Girl is still a little small as it's less of a confined space so she and I will look at the books and trains nearly. But Big boy stays glued to the story teller.

7. Free movies at the theater-- Check with your local movie theater. We have two different times of movie theaters here in town that run free or $1 movies in the summer. While they're all "kids' movies," there are a few that I'm not willing to let my 3 year old watch. However there are a few we've marked on our calendar. We've been thinking this is a great idea for a date with our kids. Special time with Mommy and Daddy, and at a fraction of the price.

For more Frugal Friday ideas, check out Life as Mom.