Beating Boredom: Things to do in your neighborhood.

We have access to three libraries where I live.  Each library offers a summer reading program and one offers a math program. That keeps us reading 30 minutes a day and visiting the library a couple times a week to collect all our great prizes!  They also have crafts once a week.

Our community also offers a free lunch program at both a park and the high school.  Every day Monday-Friday, I load our four kids into the family van and we head up to the high school or park for lunch. That gets us up and going by 11:30 each day and adds routine to the days.

We purchase a $20.00 pass to our local beach/park that is just up the road.  This helps us beat the heat and have lots of fun for very little money.

Finally, we hit every VBS that we find!  This gives us a chance to experience the different churches in our community and taste all the flavors in Gods family. ;-)  My kids learn and get to do all kinds of fun crafts and activities. I get a much-needed break!

All of these programs are (almost) free and save me money on food and fun!

Who's Taking Care of Me?

One thing my husband and I do to take care of ourselves is take a "night off" each week.  His night is Monday, mine is Wednesday.  On my night I go to my weight watchers meeting and then meet one or some of my girlfriends (usually to EAT!) ;-). My husband takes care of dinner and putting the kids to bed.

We also have started getting up at 5a.m. to work out together, which is making us healthier but which is also building the friendship between us as work out buddies.  (Seems like I've been waiting for kids to sleep through the night and sleep in for 9 years, and now that they are we're CHOOSING to get up even earlier than before...didn't see that comin'!)

What movie/tv character would your children say you were most like?

Yesterday my husband and I were going to take our 4 kids (all under the age of 9) out to a restaurant for dinner. I was explaining to them that I expected best behavior and manners.  As we were gathering our things to go our 3 and 5 year old started pushing each other and fighting.  I told them to stand against the wall until I was ready to go.  My 3-year-old Son kept goofing off. I grabbed his jacket and was telling him that he needed to cut it out, that if he couldn't behave here at home he was not going to behave in public! He smiled at me and sang "yes Mrs. Hannigan!" (The mean, drunk woman who runs the orphanage in the movie Annie). ;-)''

Today my goal was to have my kids think of me more like a Mary Poppins! At least he didn't say "Mommy Dearest!"