Summer Time, BIG Things

SUMMER TIME IS COMING! A joy and a dredge if you are a stay-at-home mommy. I am looking forward to no alarm clocks and flexible, or no, schedules. I am looking forward to sunny days and star lit nights and time with my family. I am also dreading time with my family and mosquito filled nights and sun burns. So what's a Mom to do? Get prepared.

First things first, you need to set-up a schedule and map out the calendar. Three months at home can get really long and potentially hazardous to your house if the kids are not constructively occupied. It also helps with the "I'am bored," when you can tell the kids that next week you are going to go to ...whereever. Our calendar consists of the BIG things, FIELD trips and then the DAILY things.

I like to start by planning the BIG things. BIG things are just what they sound like, BIG. They take time, planning and resources and include day camps, overnight camps, and vacations. Planning the big things first also helps me know how much I have to spend, if any, on FIELD trips and DAILY things.

• Day Camp - Budget friendly, I always sign the kids up for at least one Vacation Bible School (day camp). They are usually free except for the cost of the t-shirt. This year we will be attending the Copperfield Baptist "Boomerang Express" VBS (http://www.ccpowerkids.org/events ). Next I look at what extracurricular activities the kids are involved in. There is some kind of camp for just about anything that interests your kids. My son is a Cub Scout (Boy Scouts of America). We went to the District Day Camp last year and loved it. They also had a sibling program so my other child could participate too. It didn't work out for us this year, but it is economical and very fun.


• Overnight Camp - My oldest child is still in elementary school so this is a tough one. When he was in Kindergarten, Grandma's house for a week was overnight "camp." Now that he is older we have more options. Again, look at the Boy Scouts of America. They have several camps that were not cheap but nothing near the cost of other camps. We haven't been, and they don't fit our schedule this year. However, I will keep it in mind for next year. We are going to go to church camp. This is again a budget friendly event and many churches offer scholarships if you ask. We will be attending Copperfield Baptist Preteen Camp (http://www.ccpowerkids.org/events ).


• Vacations - Vacations take up a lot of time and money. Last year we did what everybody else did and had a "Stay-cation" which for us looked much like years before. Anyway, this year we have decided to rent a beach house. The up front cost gave me a small heart attack, but then I looked at the entertainment and food and beverage value. Cooking our own meals will definately make it more affordable. Being on the beach will definately help the entertainment budget. To help the cost, we are not getting a beach house directly on the front row, we are getting one that is a row or two behind. You can see the beach but you have to walk to it via a sidewalk between other houses. We haven't booked yet, but we are also looking at townhomes and duplexes on the beach which appear to be more economical as well. I don't recommend waiting this late to book. Being the first of May, the list of available properties is quickly dwindling for the time we want to go in July or early August.

So our calendar has one BIG thing per month: day camp in June, overnight camp in July and a vacation in August. Tomorrow we will discuss "FIELD" trips. Field trips are great ways to break up the week, have fun and to use as motivators. Your kids have to behave to be able to go on the Field trip. More about that tomorrow.