Back to the Grind

I love going up to the cottage. It is so relaxing and it is always great to spend time with the family. My kids love the freedom of being at the cottage, they swim all day and sit around the fire roasting marshmallows at night. Everyone sleeps well. Ahhh.... it is relaxing just to think about our weekend at the cottage.

BUT ........

It is shocking how quickly that feeling of relaxation washes away. I was back at work Tuesday night and by Wednesday morning I was exhausted again. I was once again feeling worn down and slightly stressed out. Why is it the affects of the weekend getaway don't last longer, can't seem to withstand the stresses of regular life?

I think maybe the trick is to work a little bit of that cottage life into my everyday life. I need to take more time to relax, really relax. I need to take time out and put my feet up and not worry, stress or think about cleaning, dinner, laundry, work ... etc. Easier said then done I think.

 What do you think? What do you do to keep that vacation feeling? How do you relax and unwind during the week?

Wordless Wednesday - Cottage Bug

A little creature we rescued this weekend at the cottage.

Our New Fish - Wordless Wednesday

Getting ready to go under.

She did it!

And again! Mom is so proud. It was worth the wait.

Crafting Some Birthday Memories

Here are my young bakers whipping up a couple of bowls of cake batter.

Crumb coat finished and chilling in the fridge.

My daughter hopes to be a pastry chef when she grows up. I would say she is well on her way to living that dream.

Our finished creation. A beautiful Barbie cake.

Wordless Wednesday - My New Computer Buddy

Frugal Friday

So I am 5 for 5 this week. I have managed to bring dinner to work all five days this week. That is a big deal for me. I often get lazy, forget to pack a lunch even though there are leftovers in the fridge. When I forget to pack leftovers it is a double whammy really, not only do I have to buy dinner when I get to work but I also fail to eat food that is in my fridge and that can contribute to the amount of food that has to go to the garbage because it goes bad.

I need to be doing more of this for a couple of reasons. Bringing dinner helps to control what goes into my mouth. When I have to buy dinner I am more likely to buy bad food. There isn't too many choices in our neighbourhood, McDonalds, Subway, a pizza place and a pita place are about the only things around open late and that is when bad choices are made. The other reason is a budget one, I can save a lot more money when I bring dinner. It is much cheaper to buy groceries and make food then going out and buying dinner from a restaurant near my work. It feels good to be eating home cooked food too!

What do you do to stick to a budget? Do you bring your meal to work? I would love to hear what you do to save a little money every week, month, year?

Summer On the Cheap

School is out and the kids are home. Now what?

Keeping kids busy can get expensive if you start looking at camps, play groups, movies and activities. I have two kids and so everything we do has to be multiply by two and that can get really costly. So, I am challenging myself to have summer time fun with the kids on a budget. I think it can be done. I sent out a call for help to my twitter peeps and got some great ideas.


@psmom http://www.problemsolvinmom.blogspot.com offered up this list of great free things to do with kids over the summer:  park, arboretum, library story time, water scape, gardening, firefly catching, sprinkler.

@MumsnChums Sara Hodge http://www.mumsnchums.com had this great list for me:  Splash pads, picnics, beach visits, camping in backyard, picking fruit, hiking, crafts, scavenger hunts.
 
@JenPinarski http://www.decafplease.com  says she turns to library programs and farmers markets as a great budget friendly source of fun for kids.

 I took my girls strawberry picking a few weeks ago and because I was short on time I just washed and froze the berries. One summer time activity I am hoping to do with my girls is make strawberry freezer jam. It is fun, the kids love to mash the berries and this jam recipe is no cook so easy kitchen fun for kids. And we will be able to taste test at the end of the job.

We are lucky to have a free splash pad nearby and a beach too so both of those will be on the summer agenda. We are going to plan a few library trips and there is a couple church camps in our neighbourhood that are a nominal price, one is $20 a kid. Not bad for a week of half day camp.

A few gardening projects might be fun too. Kids love to weed, heck who doesn't. Pulling stuff up is always a good time. And of course, turning on the sprinkler is a great afternoon of fun. Oh, I forgot all about the disco party in the basement. My oldest daughter got a disco ball for her birthday (it lights up) so the kids love to go down to the cool basement, blast the music and dance their hearts out.

What do you do with the kids during the summer that is fun and free ( or at least budget friendly). I would love to hear your ideas.... I need all the help I can get.