That's my Boy!!

My mom has spent the past few days teaching my kids how to use her old sewing machine she just gave them. We thought the girls would love it and Evan would balk at it. Boy, were we wrong! He took to it very quickly and is in the process of sewing a blanket. It is a good first project (all straight stitching) and he is so proud of himself!

Lazy days of summer

A few pics from the past 2 weeks :)

Hannah relaxing in the pool



Evan


Madison says it's too cold



Blackberry picking


Hannah riding her Ripstick in the cul-de-sac in front of our house



More pool pics!




Evan can swim!!

Frugal Vacation Plans

Our efforts to become more frugal have extended to all aspects of our life, even our summer vacation plans. After weighing a few different options, we have decided to go to Orlando, FL and we are leaving tomorrow morning! Here is how we are keeping it low-budget.

First off, we've learned that it is far more economical to rent a privately owned house rather than a hotel roon when travelling to Orlando. We have done this several times and have always been very happy with our accomodations. Thanks to the slow vacation market this year we were able to rent this 3 Bedroom house with a pool for just $400 for the WEEK! That's 50% off the regular rate, which even at regular price would still be lower than a decent hotel room! Having a house enables us to cook meals instead of eating out, which saves tons of money.

Secondly, we decided NOT to do DisneyWorld this year. I know, I know, going to Orlando without going to Disney?!? CRAZY, you say. Well, we have done Disney many times when the kids were smaller, and prices were cheaper. This year, we have opted to try the Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure theme parks. Total cost for all 5 of us to get week-long unlimited park passes was just $425. Disney would have been triple that. So, we are trying something new and saving oodles of money in the process.

So, all in all, with the house, park passes, food, and gas, we plan to spend a total of around $1300 for a week long trip to Orlando for 5 people. I am pretty pleased. I'll post about our fun when we return next weekend!!

Water Water Everywhere!

Since today was around 90, we headed to the waterpark for some good, clean, WET fun!! We have a family gym membership that also includes their outdoor water park area. We practically live there in the summertime LOL.

We love the zoo!

This year we made a smart decision by joining the NC Zoological society with an annual membership. It only cost $59 for our family of 5 for the entire year! The zoo is around a 2 hour drive for us, but we try to go once every 4-6 weeks or so. There are picnic areas, so we bring a lunch and enjoy our paid-for day!