Tackle it Tuesday

As always our summer hits July and we're in full gear. Last weekend was 4th of July company and this past weekend was church camping, and the rest of the summer isn't looking any slower. Camping was fun, restful, incredible,... and a heck of a lot of work getting out the door and getting back home. These are just some of the things we tackled and some of the things that got us through the weekend:

1. Being on a tight budget, I couldn't just go out and buy a ton of prepared food. Although it would have made life easier, it certainly wouldn't have worked out in the long run. I did a ton of prep work before hand: egg salad, pattyed hamburgers, cubed potatoes, portioned snacks and (my personal favorite) homemade frozen hashbrowns.

2. We didn't buy paper plates. Instead we packed a dish rag, some soap, and our kids' dollar store plastic plates. We ate off Noah's ark, a frog, Tigger, and an array of other characters for the weekend. Saved a little bit of money.

3. I shopped the dollar store and adjusted my menu as I came across deals. The hashbrowns were a question mark in my mind, but at 10 lbs/ $1, potatoes were quickly added to the menu. As well as bagged lettuce for $1.

4. I first looked at what we had before even hitting that dollar store. We already had hamburger, some leftover bagged lettuce, buns, bread, and eggs, to name a few. That became the basis of our planning.

5. We took a crib for our 1 1/2 yr old. She's pretty adaptable, but she does better sleeping in crib than a sleeping bag. Took up more room, but for the peace of mind, it was well worth it.

6. We also took some toys to play with: bat and ball, kickball, fishing pole, and a few others.

7. And finally, we let a few rules relax for the weekend. Naps were shorter, bedtime was later, Big Boy had a longer leash then usual.

All in all, we had a great weekend. We met some new people, ate some great food, slept in late, stayed up way too late, and over all had a great weekend.

For more Tackle it Tuesday, check out 5 Minutes for Mom.