Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do with your kids when they’re off for the summer. If they’re home all week, they’re inevitably bored by the weekend. If you’re on a budget, options maybe limited. I have mastered the art of finding free things to do with my kids. I also find, as a bonus, when you do splurge on an outing, they actually appreciate it!

• Picnic at the Park. This one is a given. Find a part that suits your kids well (e.g. an awesome playground if they’re into that, or a wide open field for sports). Bring a fun lunch from home, a blanket and some balls and other toys. It’s sometimes better if you leave your own neighborhood and explore others to find a new and different park. I find my kids can be entertained for hours and our picnic lunch breaks up the activities and makes for a nice dynamic outing. I play with them, but also bring a good book to read which gives me some downtime as well.
• Movie Night. By making this a routine event at our house, every Friday night is something to look forward to. We make popcorn in an old fashioned kettle, flavor it with butter or whatever we want that night, and pick out a movie, either from our own collection or from our instant netflix account. Granted, if you don’t have your own stash of movies or instant netflix, you may have to splurge on a $1 redbox rental, but that’s a far cry from a $50 outing to the theater! What makes this so fun for my kids is that its time together… they really look forward to just being with their parents and chillin’ on the couch.
• Hiking. In Colorado, there is a million places to hike and all you have to do is drive. We plan a nice big loop hike every weekend, load the dog’s backpacks up with snacks and water and we set off on an adventure. Not only is it great fun while you’re there, but when you get home, they’re ready for some quiet time to rest and relax at home (this means nice quiet time for you!). If you don’t live somewhere with mountains to explore, find a beach, or an open space park. Often if you check your county or city websites, you’ll find links to their open space areas with information and maps.
• Give them a garden. It may sound silly, but giving your kids a garden of their own to tend to not only gets them outside in the fresh air, but it also gives them something to take pride in, take responsibility for, and put effort into. It can be a vegetable garden, or a flower garden; either way, I am always  amazed at how much interest they have in watching their garden grow.
• Go for a bike ride. Hop on your bikes and set off for something fun. Maybe that picnic in the park! Have a destination in mind, though. Maybe bring $5 with you and bike to the local convenience store for a Popsicle. Maybe bring your suits and bike to the river and splash around in the cool water for a bit. A destination is key to making it feel like a journey or adventure.
• Find free days at your local museums or zoos. This one is not something you can just get up and do, but most museums and zoos offer free days. Pay attention to their calendars and plan ahead to get your kids some educational and informative free fun.
• Plan a mini-party. Every once in a while, I plan a special dinner night at home for just the family. It always has a theme… could be a luau or an Italian pizzeria, but I get them excited about it by having them help with dinner, decorating the dining room or patio just right for the occasion, and we even get dressed up! After dinner, a simple dessert and a board game are always winners to finish up the night.
• Take them to the local street fair or Farmer’s Market. It may not always hold true, but I find at these types of free venues there’s almost always free stuff being handed out to kids. Sometimes its free food and drink samples, but other times its goodie bags, face painting or balloon animals. It’s great to get out, support your local community, and the kids love the atmosphere.

Keeping kids entertained during the summer can be tricky. Implement some of these things and throw in a couple putt-putt golf outings or swimming trips and you’ll not only keep your kids active and engaged, you’ll also save yourself a little bit of cash!

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Valentine’s Day is tricky. It’s not A trick, but it is tricky. Do you get something, or don’t you? If you do, will it be taken the wrong way? If you don’t, will he/she be offended or hurt? I think that a lot of that depends on the status of your relationship, but generally speaking there are a few things that should never be given, no matter what.

1. Anything that you know you like more than him/her. So, don’t buy your girlfriend an HDTV if you’re the one who watches it.
2. Things that insinuate sex. Its no fun to realize that the gift you got is less about you and more about a certain activity. Unless of course you’re a guy, and then its probably okay.
3. A house utility. I don’t care if he’s been talking about a new lawn mower all year, or if she bitches about the vacuum cleaner every week, don’t do it.
4. A box of chocolates. You might as well just say, “I didn’t really put any thought into you this year honey. Love you!”
5. Any high ticket items. That is just silly. Say I love you for real, instead of with your paycheck for the next 3 years.
6. A pet. Nothing says I love you like a lifetime responsibility of vet visits, poop, and obedience school.
7. Singing telegram. No one really wants to be embarrassed at work. Really.
8. Perfume or cologne. This seems like a nice idea, but no one wants to feel obligated to where some expensive stuff that they think smells like an old lady in an elevator.
9. Exercise equipment. This one I think needs no explanation.
10. A card with a promise for something later. Again, this seems like a great idea, but you better actually BUY the thing for later (e.g. a gift certificate for a hotel stay on the beach). If you promise it for later, and there’s no “proof”, it’ll end up to be one of those things that never happened. The expectation of something only to have it not happen is almost worse than getting nothing at all.

So, I hope all of you out there with significant other have a good Valentine’s Day. To all of you who don’t, after reading this list, you can revel in how uncomplicated your life is.

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I love traveling. If I could make a career out of it I would. Unfortunately, I have yet to come up with a way to enjoy a career of travel while still enjoying a career of motherhood. Most of us I think tend to get away for a week here or there. Sometimes though it can be hard to get away for that long. Maybe it’s money, time at work- whatever. The fact is though, there is a good reason to get away. We all need it for our sanity. So, what about just a weekend getaway? I am big on weekend traveling. Love it. I am fortunate to live in Colorado, because just an hour or two driving west from where I live dumps me in the heart of the Rocky Mountains where I can camp, boat/water ski, hike, rock climb, snowboard, etc. This weekend I’m traveling to Salida, CO. It’s an “old west” town with a penchant for music, art and outdoor sports. It’s so nice there. My excitement this morning got me thinking, everyone should do this! It’s just a weekend, so it’s doable for nearly everyone. Here are my top ten reasons to get away for the weekend:

1. Change of Scenery. Ruts are bad. They stomp on our spirit and cause mindless droning for weeks at a time. A quick and cheap weekend trip can be awakening and refreshing. Break out of your rut!
2. Exploration. I myself can tell you that of all the cool places to visit in Colorado, I have probably not scratched the surface. So many of us think of a vacation as leaving the place we live… so naturally, we go far. As far as we think is necessary to feel as though we are free from our life. In doing so, we skip right over all kinds of great places. Do some searching on the internet about your state or region. I bet you’ll find some great places to explore. I always figure for a weekend trip, a 4 hour drive is no big deal, and if it’s something supercool, then a 6-hour drive is ok, too.
3. Budget-friendly. Yep. There’s nothing better than a vacation that is kind to your pocketbook. This weekend for instance, I will pay only for gas and food (my sister lives in Salida). Next weekend I’m taking my kids to a hot springs town where we will soak and eat ice cream and drink coffee and repeat. That trip will cost me less than $250, and that’s including the hotel. You can’t beat weekend getaways when it comes to cost.
4. No Time off Work. Taking a weekend trip saves you time off from work. In turn this can allow you save up your time for a bigger trip later.
5. Fewer Mental Health Days. Anytime I’m feeling overloaded, tired, or frustrated about my job, I take a “mental health day”. I consider it to be a valuable tool towards keeping me on-track and motivated at my job. Taking weekend trips seriously reduces the number of “mental health days” I need to function. This in turn also helps with number 4: saving time off for the BIG trip.
6. Education. Any trip away from home is a chance to learn. Whether it’s about yourself, history, geography, or something else, you learn. The more stagnant and routine our life, the less our body takes in and absorbs. I mean lets face it, if your weekend is currently a regimented two-day shopping and eating spree, what have you left to learn from it? Do something different!
7. Variety. The cool thing about quick trips is the variety of things you can do. A full length vacation requires planning so that you can do this and that, and go here and there. With a weekend trip, you pick one thing, and then each time you a take the weekend to travel you pick something else. It great. Here’s an example of the various things I could do here, all within a four-hour drive (some of them I have yet to do). Camping, stay at one of the Hot Springs, tour the Anasazi Indian ruins, go four-wheeling in the sand dunes, stay in a fancy hotel at a ski resort and ski/snowboard, rent a cabin the middle of nowhere and be a hermit, find a Ghost Town, or visit the vineyards on the west side of the state for a weekend wine tasting adventure. I’m sure there are even more things I could do.
8. Kids. OK, so maybe you don’t have any. For those of us that do, weekend trips are by far the best way to go. It’s long enough for them to learn and play and build great memories, but not so long that they get cranky and over-stimulated. A weekend trip geared towards kids can be fun even for parents. Our annual fall hot springs trip is something I look forward to all year long.
9. Purpose. Sometimes I get caught up in the “why” of life. Why am I doing this day-in and day-out? What’s the point? It’s easy to feel like your putting into life more than you’re getting out if you only really getaway once a year. Weekend trips are great reminders of what you can do in your life… they can answer the “why”.
10. Your health. I do believe whole-heartedly that weekend getaways can improve your health. Health is so much a part of your attitude. And sometimes the best fix for your attitude to run away from your life. Even if it’s only two days.

SO there you have it; as if you needed 10 reasons to take a weekend trip! Do some searching and find something that’s not to far from where you live (but still far enough away for it to feel “foreign”), pick an activity and then jump in your car on Friday afternoon. I truly value my little getaways, and I think everyone should incorporate them into their life. Happy Friday….

**Photo of Pagosa Springs, CO.

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