Our Summer Plans

Our summer plans for $70 or less -- I want to find as much free fun this summer as possible so that we can quickly clear our credit card again. After 2 years of having no credit card debt, several situations all at once forced us to end up with close to $1000 on our credit card. I want it gone by September! We will be cutting corners all over the place to make this happen. So we will be having fun as cheaply as possible this summer. Why $70 you say? That is what came in a check of forgotten earned money last week. So here is my overall plan.

First, we will continue learning time and tea time each day. For learning time, the kids will be working in their summer workbooks (I tore up old workbooks and put them in a three ring binder in accordance with each child's weaknesses), play lots of learning games and continue reading lessons.

Please do ignore the chocolate on dd's face. We worked on writing our address in chocolate soy whipped cream right after breakfast!


I picked up most of these games from back-to-school sales at Walmart last year. The kids love them.

We will also be doing a one day unit study for Flag Day, a study of butterflies vs. moths, and whatever other rabbit trails my kiddos lead me down. LOL!

For tea time we are reading ~


Our next book will be  Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.

We will also be playing outside a lot doing this ~


and catching things like this to study ~


I have a long list of out of the home activities ~  

• library programs   
• adoption play group, which will be meeting at parks in our area    
• our local lake with beach ~ $20 for one month unlimited admittance    
• art museum on free day (first Wednesday of the month)   
• nature center ~ free to us since Timothy volunteers there    
• North Carolina Arboretum ~ free on Tuesdays    
• Fun Depot ~ an arcade and fun center ~ I have a great coupon for $10 free play time when you spend $10.    
• free Red Cross swimming lessons for Goldilocks at the end of June    
• Botanical Gardens with awesome stream to play in ~ free    
• hikes along the Blue Ridge Parkway    
• ice Cream out at night ~ when it is dark~ my kids love dark summer night activities ~ $15    
• Fourth of July downtown ~ free    
• fireflies and toasted marshmallows    
•  free movie camp ~ we can make it to most of the 8 weeks of movies.  
• Children's Museum on free day    
• berry picking ~ only cost is the price of the berries    
• Chuck e Cheese ~ just for the games and rides ~ I'll watch for a great coupon on the Internet that will make it an afternoon of fun for $10 (we'll do this only if our adoption group goes there one day).   
• Montreat Park which the kids call the waterfall playground because it is surrounded by mini waterfalls.
• movie night at home once a week with movies from library or Redbox ~ $1 to free

Lastly, we will be concentrating on the garden and doing chores with a happy spirit! This is more challenging for one than for the others. They will all have good work ethic by the time they are grown up -- even if it kills me!

So what are you all doing this summer?

Blessings, Dawn