Frugal Family Fun: Camping

I love to have fun as a family.  Don't we all?  I just don't think that fun always has to cost a lot of money.  So what do ya do?  For us, we enjoy taking a couple of mini vacations in the summer to the coast for camping adventures.

The hubby enjoys cooking outside.  

We usually stay in yurts which make it a lot simpler for us with limited packing space and little kids.  For us, it's not about proving how much we can "rough it" out there.  It is, after all, our vacation.  We all love being outside every chance we can get and with two little energetic boys it's a dream to live outside for a few days.
 

A typical yurt

 
One thing to consider for reserving a campsite with a yurt or cabin is that you need to plan WAY ahead.  Like 9 months ahead.  So we usually reserve our summer vacations in the fall.  But that also helps us budget for them.  We can get the sites paid for way ahead of time and then save for gas, food, supplies, etc.    You can reserve at this website:  http://www.reserveamerica.com/

Yurts are very economical.  They are about $45/night with plenty of room for most families compared to suite in a hotel room at the beach could be $250/night!! So we can stay a whole 3 day weekend somewhere, with gas, food, etc. for less than the price of one night in a hotel.  And I love having a "backyard" at our site. 

 A few pics of the last yurt we stayed in earlier this summer:

There was plenty of room for all 5 of us to sleep- including the pack-n-play and all our stuff!

Bottom bunk was Mom and Dad's bed (full size mattress).  My sleeping bag is broken but still worked well as a blanket lol.

Our oldest slept on top.

Baby girl's corner and bag storage

Our younger son slept on the futon (which could be opened up for two)

Little heater, light, and table too. We really didn't spend a lot of time inside because the weather was pretty nice but it is nice to have that option!

For our family, I will be honest and say that camping with three young kids is not relaxing.  It's not luxurious. It doesn't always include a ton of sleep. But it's fun, adventurous, and memorable.  And there are moments.  Those moments of bliss just being all together.  Away from distractions, tv, internet, work, chores, laundry etc. Where our sole purpose is to be together.  Or those few minutes around the campfire with the hubby late at night when all the kids are asleep. 

Baby girl loves the great outdoors too!

I would say that most little kids don't really notice or care about fancy stuff.  A friend posted this YouTube video recently that made me laugh but it was also pretty true.  It talked about what kids really want from a vacation: our attention!  Oh I so love leaving "work" behind and being with my little family.

New fav. park.  Will return again :)

 Here are just a few ways we try to simplify and save money camping:

*Make your starter ice- I empty the ice into bags for a few days before camping to avoid having to buy it on our way out.  Of course you'll still have to buy ice while you're gone.

*Simplify meals: hard boil eggs at home, prepare a cold salad, make pancakes to be re-heated,  make a foil meal (our fav is sw potato and ham cooked ahead of time and re-heated over fire or on camp stove), etc.  This is the time when I splurge a tiny bit to buy "convenience" foods like salad kids, canned green beans, and individual applesauce cups to make it fun and relaxing. By packing all or most of the food we'll need we'll save a lot of money on eating out.

*Find free fun like parks, trails, beaches, etc.  Your kids won't know the difference.  We found the coolest park on our last trip that had a little swimming/sand area, an awesome playground, and multiple short hiking trails good for kiddos.

*Start your own traditions- scavenger hunts, banana boats, hikes, campfire family devotions, card games, etc.

This is how we roll.  We have a compact SUV and 3 kids but we have our system.  I "pack" everything and my husband "places" everything.  I actually think his task is harder.  We have an inexpensive flexible roof top carrier that is a lifesaver.  We can fit a ton of stuff up there!

We are constantly learning about the type of contentment God can bring about in our lives and it's always humbling.  There's always the desire for bigger, better, more, nicer, etc.  But sometimes just loving on my little tribe of people and having another day seems more than I could think to ask for.

Hebrews 13:5
Don’t be controlled by love for money. Be happy with what you have..."

Preschool and the younger years Must-Haves

spring, 2014

I love the preschool age.  It is perhaps my favorite.  Though I'm really enjoying the kindergarten age and watching my boy learn to read and write and think creatively.

Regardless of whether you choose to send your kiddos to a traditional preschool (please lets not debate that here!) there can be so much fun to be had at home learning! 

Here are some of my favorite "manipulatives" for learning in the young years!  It has been a pleasure to watch my kids learn alongside each other.  The great thing about preschool is all the PLAYING!  And most things can totally be differentiated to different ages and levels. Sometimes we work on a certain task and sometimes it is just exploring! It always surprises me with the different ways my kids use these materials!

MONEY!!! Most parents don't use cash very often any more so it's nice to have access to some real money to play with.  Obviously you want to make sure your kiddos are past the putting everything in their mouth stage.  For younger preschoolers, sorting the coins can be fun. Kids can learn coin names, study the fronts and backs of the coins, learn about the presidents on them, etc. Providing a variety of fun containers inspires creativity. As they get older they can start counting amounts of change- like my kinder kiddo was doing here.  Good practice for counting by 1s and 10s.

Circle disks. I collected these over time when I was teaching.  They are great for fine motor skills and putting in piggie banks. Sorting options are many as well as pattern opportunities.  The transparent ones are also nice for covering up answers (allowing papers to be reused).  See below:

Beads!! These were actually the beads from my childhood lol.  Put them to good use!  Great for sorting by color, size, shape, texture (I even found some flexible beads in the hair section to add a new attribute), etc.  You can count them, string them (see pic below), scoop them, make patterns with them, etc.  Formula canisters and ice cube trays make fun additions to this station along with scoops and spoons. Don't discount the fine motor skills required to manipulate beads!  Number lines are fun for learning to recognize numbers.

Beans are fun and very inexpensive!  I have 6 different kinds of beans in here that were bought in the bulk bins at WinCo.  They have lasted a long time!  Fun for sensory and fine motor skill play, sorting, counting, patterns, etc. I found starting this station on the ground is better than a table (lay out a big towel or something) so beans are not falling off and flying everywhere.  Set some boundaries.

Pom Poms are just fun!  Soft, squishy, great for many things.  Add child chop sticks and tweezers for added fine motor skill practice.

My button collection needs beefing up but they are fun to sort by attribute, count, string, scoop, put in containers, etc.

Noodles!  Got in the bulk bins at the grocery store.  Different sizes and colors make for fun sorting.  I bought the tube pastas so they could be strung on pipe cleaners.  I prefer pipe cleaners to regular string for younger kids because they hold their shape and it is not as frustrating.

Pattern Blocks are so versatile. This is one thing that I did buy.  I found them at the Math Learning Center and they have been a good investment.  These are great for free play and explorations to build both 3D and 2D creations.  Prekinders.com has some cool templates for free.  Make designs, make patterns, have fun!  Encourage kiddos to think outside the box.  How many different ways can you build a hexagon? (for example) For older kids these can be used for fractions.

 Base 10 pieces are a great way to explore bigger numbers with slightly older kiddos. If you don't have any regular ones (see below for the ones my mom got at a garage sale), you can make your own with popsicle sticks and beans.

Good old flash cards!  Dollar Tree specials.  #Cheaper than printing things!

Books!  We love picking out books at the library and also own a lot of books as well. Library helps save money and space!  I usually rotate which books we keep out. 

Matching games!

Dominos!  Great fun to touch and play with for your littlest preschoolers.  Fun way to practice addition (and other operations) with older kids. 

Dice are fantastic for recognizing patters.  My 3 year old likes flipping all the dice to show the same number..."4" for example.  Plus they can be fun to sort and can be used for adding, subtracting, etc.

 

Really, anything can be used as a preschool manipulative!  I have a ridiculous pen cap collection from my teaching years that the kids enjoy dumping out and playing with.  Bread clips, blocks, legos, duplos, lids, etc.  Anything.  Whether it be formal preschool or just a rainy day activity....
Have fun!! Play, learn!!
If you need some sites on lesson ideas check out...
prekinders.com 

January food challenge wrap-up!

Well, we did it.  Made it through a month making all our meals at home (except one lunch we ate out at the coast when we stayed overnight there).  Breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners all made.  By the end of the month I'll admit our fridge was looking pretty bare lol.  When we seemed to be running out of "snacky" foods, the boys and I started baking.  We made lots of banana bread muffins. I always have some baking ingredients!  We spent $345 on groceries in January- though technically only $305 since we used a $40 Christmas gift card.  It's definitely do-able but also a lot of work.  If I was teaching full time I think I'd spend a lot more just for lack of time and to make things easier.  My versions of making things "easier" usually equate using my crock pot or defrosting something from the freezer- but whatever you can do in your situation to simplify or streamline things is a plus.

 

  January 24th: Taco Soup with pears.  I use diced tomatoes, homemade kidney and mayo coba   beans, corn, ground turkey, taco seasoning, cheese, and a few chips!






January 25th: Crock pot Tortilla Mexican Lasagna, Spanish style rice, and fruit
OOPS...so we had company over for dinner this night and I totally spaced taking a picture.  I did, however, link the recipe just in case anyone wants to see what it looks like or how to make it.

January 26th: Japanese Curry with fruit salad.  The in-laws joined us for dinner this night and requested Aaron's famous Japanese curry.  It had chicken, potatoes, carrots, edamame, and water chesnuts in it.  Yum.  Served on white rice. Aaron started making his own sauce instead of using the bricks you can buy because homemade is gluten free and MSG free.




January 27th: Leftover Curry with pear




January 28th: Baked Cornflake Chicken (gf way of "breading" it), green beans and mashed cauliflower, and applesauce.




 January 29th: Crock pot chicken, quinoa pilaf with corn(red and reg. quinoa mixed), and leftover green beans & mashed cauliflower.  Smoothies too!



January 30th:  Breakfast for the guys while I teach:  scrambled eggs, bacon, gf pan cakes, and whole wheat waffles. Also the blender was full of yummy goodness for a batch of smoothies!  Blueberry, banana, and spinach. I find it hard to incorporate veggies into a "breakfast" dinner so spinach in a smoothie works! We also generally slather the boys' pancakes with plenty of Adam's peanut butter for extra fat and protein :)



January 31st: Steak, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies (broccoli and carrots), bread sticks.  Oops.  Twice in one week I forgot to snag a pic!  And on the last day of the month no less.  My parents joined us for dinner this night and my mom brought some yummy steaks to broil and we made some sides.  Wish I had a picture! 


It's nice not to have to take pictures of my food anymore but I did enjoy getting to keep myself accountable with spending and force myself to be creative with the food that we already have.  Which often means basing my planning on what I have instead of finding a new recipe that I am missing ingredients for. It iS indeed possible to eat a wholesome diet without spending a fortune. Keeping an ongoing grocery list helps me as well as menu planning, and making things myself.  Whatever budget you need to stick to- happy budgeting and meal planning to you!! Enjoy the fellowship of food and family! 

Check out this article for more reasons that eating on a tight budget can still equate healthy! 

What's for dinner? Week 3

Week 3:  #Feeding your family on a budget  # $350 a month

January 15th:
Country style ribs (a la crock pot), Kale chips, Spanish style rice, roasted root vegetables (carrots, parsnip, and sweet potato).  WW points-12

 

 

 

 

January16th: Breakfast for dinner while Mommy teaches a class.  Potato quiche (we had n accident in the oven and that explains the funny look lol), gf pancakes, whole wheat waffles, bacon, and fruit salad.  My hubby took a picture of his dinner for me haha!

 

 

January 17th:  Mexican chicken tortilla soup (a la crock pot with potatoes, carrots, and zucchini) and apple slices.  This is so yummy!! If I am feeling ambitious, I'll make a batch of homemade tortillas and fry them up to garnish the soup with.  As you can see, tortilla chips had to suffice for this one :)  WW Points-9

 

January 18th:
We were able to get away for a night as a family to the coast using some family's time share.  It was a treat! It would only work if we kept our budget really slim- so we packed food to make dinner and breakfast at the hotel.  For some reason I always enjoy making dinner at hotels.  Something about using a clean kitchen perhaps?  Who knows.  This is brown rice pasta as Homemade Mac and Cheese with meatballs, mixed veggies (carrots and peas), french bread with marinara, and applesauce.  Nothing from scratch as we were away from home and I wanted little prep, but obviously cheaper than eating at most restaurants, fairly wholesome, and pretty yummy! I had packed milk for the boys in small containers and we made enough ice and ice blocks at home to get the food to the hotel.

 

 

 

 

January 19th:
After eating a very heavy lunch at the coast before we headed home, both my husband and I were craving produce to detox.  So a spinach salad with mandarins and sunflower seeds did the trick wtih a blueberry, strawberry, banana, and spinach smoothie.  Made sandwiches for the boys but this was all we wanted! WW points: 4 

                 

January 20th: 
Homemade tortillas with chicken (a la crock pot with salsa, cumin, and broth), mayo coba beans (cooked in my favorite bean pot from Mexico (above), and tomatoes/lettuce/onions.  I may have been ravenously hungry and forgotten to take a picture of my food, but this was Aaorn's "seconds" that he let me take a picture of haha!  I like to try different kinds of beans.  I find them in the bulk section at the grocery store.  Bulk meaning the bins you scoop- not in mass quantities.  Mayo coba beans taste like a mild pinto and are tasty!  

January 21st:
We had plenty of leftover beans and chicken, so day two of this meal morphed into something different for everyone.  I made a little batch of gf encniladas for Aaron, the boys had mini burritos in (storebought) corn tortillas, and I found two crunchy taco shells in the pantry.  I also made some Spanish style rice, corn, and blueberry/pear fruit bowl.  WW- 12

January 22nd:    Teriyaki chicken and vegetable stir fry on brown rice.  Anything teriyaki makes my husband happy.  WW Points: 7

January 23rd:   Breakfast for dinner while Mom is teaching.  Scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes/waffles, and a smoothie ready to blend (blueberries, bananas, and spinach).  We generally use rice milk for smoothies just because it's a milk that everyone in the family can drink so it's just easier!

 

 

 

Well, we are up to $343 for groceries now with one week left!  This is when it gets challenging and when I have to be creative with lunches and snacks, etc. Dinners are already planned thankfully. We re-stocked on apples and bananas today and got more goat milk for Alex so we should be good to go. Seven dollars leaves enough for one more banana run (did I mention I live with 3 monkeys?) It's good to raid the pantries and see what you can make with what you have.  I found a can of pumpkin today and the boys and I made chocolate chip pumpkin cookie bars.  Very good. We have meat in the freezer, a pantry full of rice, quinoa, beans, lentils, pastas, etc.  We will be just fine.  And, as the month comes to a close we are getting closer and closer to our adoption funding!  The phrase "A penny saved is a penny earned" really does ring true during this time for us!!  

Speaking of lunches, this is my favorite lunch to eat.  A friend got me hooked on whole wheat pita with hummas, feta cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  7 points of goodness!

 Alex loves plain zoi (greek) yogurt with Adams peanut butter mixed in (TONS of good fat for him!).  The boys also love avocados, cheese, fruit, and what you see below is what I call a "snowball".  It's dates and walnuts pureed together and rolled into a ball through unsweetened coconut.  Mateo has taken to eating pita with hummus on it too amazingly! Sometimes we'll eat leftovers, brown rice pasta, sandwiches, homemade pizza or muffins defrosted from the freezer, or whatever I can muster up. 

Until next week!