Yup, it’s that time of year again – school’s out and the kiddos are home 24/7! Are we having fun yet? Some of you may even be fortunate enough to be planning some time away. But did you know that you can go on vacation AND use the time to provide an educational boost as well? Here are some tips to make sure they don’t “lose their heads” – or at least their brains – while out of school.

• Prepare ahead of time by doing research. Check the internet or write to the Chamber of Commerce and find interesting and educational places to visit at your destination.  See if any of them correlate to your children’s interests, and you’ll be getting off to a great start!

• Use your vacation to study a specific them or topic. One year a friend of ours planned their summer travels around historic and notable places around the state. After their kids had already spent the year learning about these locals in books, they were super excited to get some hands-on and real-life experiences, as these historic sites became real to them!

• Always include a journal or diary assignment of some sort. Even non-writers can dictate a few thoughts for you to write down, and anyone can illustrate or add pictures from flyers or postcards. Starting a collection along the way gives them opportunities to arrange them or prepare a display when they get home. This not only helps to strengthen vacation memories but reinforces the educational aspect of the time away.

• If you need some ideas of how to get started, take a look at what I have used with my own family on more than one occasion –> http://bit.ly/L5lcdG

Need a break but can’t “get out of Dodge”? No worries! “Staycations” are becoming more and more popular in this economy. Here are some ideas to help you make the most of a memorable vacation in your own backyard:

• Take a break from technology – turn off the cell-phones, ipods, computer…and just focus on enjoying each other and your time together
• Be unavailable to others – remember, you’re on vacation, so act like it!
• Resolve to stay out of the kitchen! Eat out (as much as your budget allows), grill out or cook over an open fire (just be aware of any applicable local ordinances)
• Plan activities you wouldn’t normally do, whether they happen in your backyard, your own town, or a nearby city, park or museum.
• Pull out a local map and come up with new places to visit that are within a “doable” distance (take into account spending time getting there and getting back home!)

If you’re like me and enjoy a good book, try out some of these for some more ideas:

Field Trips: Bug Hunting, Animal Tracking, Bird-watching, Shore Walking by Jim Arnosky 

The Great American Staycation by Matt Wixon

Backyard Vacations: Outdoor fun in your own neighborhood by Carolyn Haas, et al. 

To paraphrase an oft-used saying: “the family that learns together, stays together”! Whether you travel far and wide this summer or stay home-sweet-home, may you have fun times and many happy family moments…together!

Pat Fenner has been homeschooling her 5 children for 17 years, and writes on education and family topics on her website, Help 4 Your Homeschool. She reviews books as part of the Christian Women Affiliate’s “Review Crew”, writes guest-posts on related blogs and periodically contributes to Econobusters. You can read her piece entitled “From Fear to Flight” in an anthology published by the Gulf Coast Writers’ Association, due out this summer. She can be reached via email at Pat@Help-4-Your-Homeschool.com

This back issue is FULL of handy tips to help you along. Making a Frugal Fresh Start is on sale NOW for only $2.50 (this price will be good until Sunday night 6/23). Have you ever seen inside one of my magazines? Take a SNEAK PEEK HERE to see some of the frugal goodness we packed into this issue!

Here’s a little more of what’s inside:

Don’t you love a good yard sale? Learn to shop yard sales like a pro! The goal of this month’s feature is to suggest ideas to use in three major areas—cleaning, organizing, and food (feeding your family). Start taking incremental steps toward lasting change . . .

Organize without Spending: You could spend a lot of money on organizational stuff—but you don’t have to!

• Don’t throw it away! What can you do with oatmeal containers? Cylinder-shaped chip containers? Cereal boxes? Coffee cans? Caps from aerosol spray cans? An unused photo album? And there’s more . . . organize!
• How are you using those plastic milk jugs?
• Great ways to upcycle those 2-liter plastic soda bottles!
• Kimberly, from Kimberly’s Cup, shows you how she repurposes glass jars for pantry storage. You may never throw out another jar!

Beyond Coupons—Seven Ways to Save Money While Eating Well: You’ll find practical suggestions to re-think ways of getting food on the table and enjoy healthy, creative meals without over-spending.

• Watch your waist, and your waste! Re-think portion control!
• Are you menu planning yet? Get a free E-Book download link that’ll make it so easy to get started!
• Practice recipe substitutions. Get this handy chart to help!
• Plan a cooking party or start a brunch club!
• Consider bartering and gleaning. You’ll want to hear what Molly has to say about it.

Over 35 pages of information & support for an incredibly low price! A small price to pay compared to the great benefits you’ll receive and the money you’ll be saving once you dig into this E-Book! Buy this E-Magazine today for ONLY $2.50!

Molly members already have this magazine in your member page! Simply click the “Molly Members” tab above, log in, and search out April 2009.

If you’re not a Molly member, check out everything you receive and sign up now on our SUBSCRIPTION PAGE!

There are so many different ways to live a frugal  lifestyle . . . this is a great place to learn new things and encourage one another! Below you can share the link to a post on your own blog, share a little about your frugal life and encourage others. Be sure to come back each Friday and link-up to this great community of frugal followers!

If you get my Friday newsletter, you most likely read Midge’s question about my favorite copycat restaurant recipe (if you don’t get my FREE newsletter be sure and subscribe via the sticky note in the upper right corner). Read below to see my response.  Molly

 Dear Midge,

I have to confess, I didn’t really have many “copycat” recipes in my collection until I looked at today’s freebie! Yummy! Thanks to that great E-Book, I now have quite a few to add to my collection! I have to say that of the recipes in the E-Book, my favorite is the “copycat Cinnabon cinnamon rolls.” I’m planning on making those this weekend for Father’s Day!

For your birthday dinner, why not try something you have never eaten before? You know my favorite cuisine is Mexican (and that’s where we usually end up!). If you try a type of cuisine that you end up not liking very much, you could always end the night with ice cream! Ice cream always saves the day, doesn’t it?

You could always make a reservation at one of those cute Hibachi grill places. Have you been to one of those yet? I love watching the food prepared right in front of me (and all the fun tricks the chef does while cooking!).  

If you were brave enough to prepare (and EAT!) frog legs, I know you’ll come up with something great for your birthday dinner!

Happy eating!

Love ya, Molly 

To share a link to your post about frugal living, use the Linky below. But first. . .

1. We’d love for you to share your links that include anything  related to DIY projects, saving money, frugal living, made from scratch cooking, cleaning products, sustainable living, gardening, organic, and anything else related to homemaking! You can also  include your struggles while trying to live a frugal lifestyle (like  Midge!)! Show us about how you are thriving while surviving on a smaller budget!

2. Please, no link-ups to giveaways or blog topics in which you are just selling a product.

3. Link directly to your frugal post, not to your home page.

4. Grab our linky graphic (from the sidebar) and put it on your blog or on your linky post.

5. If a linked up post does not meet the above guidelines, it will  be removed.

6. If you link-up, please click on other’s links as well. Our frugal followers have a lot to share!

Living frugally means living, learning, and growing from each other. We can’t wait to see what you are going to share (to see other blogs who have linked up, click the link below)!  Ready, set, link!

CLICK HERE TO LINK-UP!

There are so many different ways to live a frugal  lifestyle . . . this is a great place to learn new things and encourage one another! Below you can share the link to a post on your own blog, share a little about your frugal life and encourage others. Be sure to come back each Friday and link-up to this great community of frugal followers!

If you get my Friday newsletter, you most likely read Midge’s question about my idea(s) for little ones whose fathers will be away on Father’s Day (if you don’t get my FREE newsletter be sure and subscribe via the sticky note in the upper right corner). Read below to see my response.  Molly

I love your idea about putting little handprints/footprints on the back of a t-shirt. . . what a cute way to see how those kiddos grow each year! I think technology can really help for those whose fathers can’t be with their children on Father’s Day. My children love to Skype family members who live far away, this is just one option where technology can help connect people. Most smart phones have a video chat option, does yours? Another way technology can help keep family members connected is to take digital pictures and send them via email or text message. For example, if you are at the park with the children why not take a few pictures of them playing or even some video? You can then send those digital images to a loved one so they can see the kiddos “in action.”

For those children (young or old) who want to honor the memory of their father or grandfather, it might be fun to prepare his favorite meal or dessert for the family. While eating Dad’s favorite dinner (or Grandpa’s favorite cookies) the family might like to sit around and talk about some of their favorite memories of that person. Food and great stories, what a great combo!

Speaking of cookies, I think I’ll whip up a batch of Grandpa’s  favorite oatmeal raisin cookies today!

Love ya, Molly

To share a link to your post about frugal living, use the Linky below. But first. . .

1. We’d love for you to share your links that include anything  related to DIY projects, saving money, frugal living, made from scratch cooking, cleaning products, sustainable living, gardening, organic, and anything else related to homemaking! You can also  include your struggles while trying to live a frugal lifestyle (like  Midge!)! Show us about how you are thriving while surviving on a smaller budget!

2. Please, no link-ups to giveaways or blog topics in which you are just selling a product.

3. Link directly to your frugal post, not to your home page.

4. Grab our linky graphic (from the sidebar) and put it on your blog or on your linky post.

5. If a linked up post does not meet the above guidelines, it will  be removed.

6. If you link-up, please click on other’s links as well. Our frugal followers have a lot to share!

Living frugally means living, learning, and growing from each other. We can’t wait to see what you are going to share (to see other blogs who have linked up, click the link below)!  Ready, set, link!

CLICK HERE TO LINK-UP!

Recently we were traveling to a convention out-of-state (many states away from home actually). I had the whole trip mostly planned out ahead of time, I even used the fuel calculator on MapQuest to help estimate how much gas might be. I figured out a “food allowance” for while we would be gone as well as planned/packed food for eating in the car (and for filling up our big cooler). I called months in advance to make a reservation at a hotel nearest the convention center before they were completely booked.

When we left for our trip and began the long journey to the convention, one of our many stops was at a wayside. I like stopping at waysides when I don’t need to purchase gas, it’s a quick way to let everyone stretch their legs, let the kids run around a bit, etc. As I was loading the kids back into the car to continue our journey I noticed some free flyers, one of them was full of hotel coupons. I grabbed one, shoved it in my bag and we continued on our journey.

That night after dinner I began looking through the flyer. I noticed that there were 3 coupons for the major city we were traveling to (where the convention was being held). The price offered on that coupon was almost 1/3 of what I was going to pay for my previous reservation! I called one of the hotels, asked if they had any open rooms and they did! Can you guess what I did? Yep, I switched reservations.

You can bet that in the future when we are traveling somewhere and we need a hotel room, I’ll be doing some research on various sites to find a good rate BEFORE we go!

Hotel coupons work for me!

Do you check rates on hotel rooms to get the best deal before traveling?

There are so many different ways to live a frugal  lifestyle . . . this is a great place to learn new things and encourage one another! Below you can share the link to a post on your own blog, share a little about your frugal life and encourage others. Be sure to come back each Friday and link-up to this great community of frugal followers!

If you get my Friday newsletter, you most likely read Midge’s question about my biggest grilling disaster and my favorite grilling recipe (if you don’t get my FREE newsletter be sure and subscribe via the sticky note in the upper right corner). Read below to see my response.  Molly

Dear Midge,

My biggest grilling disaster is probably a tie between not being able to get the charcoal grill hot enough (I didn’t have enough charcoal) and burning our dinner beyond recognition (WAY too much charcoal). LOL! I’ve learned my lesson to give the charcoal time to do “its thing” and then not to leave the food unattended. I’m notorious for running in the house to just check on the other food- and then whatever is on the grill gets burned! So, now I sit in a lawn chair (with my iced tea) and I don’t take my eyes off the “smoking goodness.”

I think my favorite thing to make are shish kabobs, have you done these? Oh yum. I love juicy pieces of meat along side of some veggies and grilled pineapple! HERE ARE A FEW recipes for build-your-own shish kabobs. I picked up some metal skewers a few years ago from a thrift shop. If you are going to try making these but only have the wood skewers, be sure to soak them before you put everything on the grill. That way they won’t catch fire. Now that would be a sight!

Happy grilling!

Love ya, Molly

To share a link to your post about frugal living, use the Linky below. But first. . .

1. We’d love for you to share your links that include anything  related to DIY projects, saving money, frugal living, made from scratch cooking, cleaning products, sustainable living, gardening, organic, and anything else related to homemaking! You can also  include your struggles while trying to live a frugal lifestyle (like  Midge!)! Show us about how you are thriving while surviving on a smaller budget!

2. Please, no link-ups to giveaways or blog topics in which you are just selling a product.

3. Link directly to your frugal post, not to your home page.

4. Grab our linky graphic (from the sidebar) and put it on your blog or on your linky post.

5. If a linked up post does not meet the above guidelines, it will  be removed.

6. If you link-up, please click on other’s links as well. Our frugal followers have a lot to share!

Living frugally means living, learning, and growing from each other. We can’t wait to see what you are going to share (to see other blogs who have linked up, click the link below)!  Ready, set, link!

CLICK HERE TO LINK-UP!

Getting organized doesn’t have to be overwhelming or hard. . . take a sneak peek into my LET’S GET ORGANIZED FOR FISCAL FITNESS magazine today! For THIS WEEK ONLY we will be offering this back issue for HALF THE NORMAL PRICE (price adjustment will be reflected upon checkout)!

Is your attic or basement cluttered with items that you don’t use, but just can’t quite part with? How about your garage, closets or kitchen cupboards? Maybe you spent a lot of money on something and think you must find a way to use it sometime. Or maybe it came from dear Aunt Mary and you just can’t toss or donate it with a good conscience. We all have them – the dopey looking lamps, random serving bowls, no-longer-the-right-color curtains. . . there’s no end to the variety of “stuff” we hang on to for a rainy day. Well, take heart and get your umbrella out – that rainy day is here. We’re going to take on those oddball objects and see what we can do with them.

As the saying goes, “Everything old is new again” and that includes the “make do” mentality of our grandparents. We call it something different now. The buzzwords of this generation are “repurposing” and “upcycling.” Repurposing means to use an item in a new and different way, maybe changing or adapting it to better suit your purposes. Up cycling refers to using an item that would have been destined for the trash, or maybe was already there, to make a new object that can be used and appreciated.

This exciting trend is taking our culture by storm, and I think it’s fantastic! Once you get used to this kind of thinking you’ll see potential in just about everything. But don’t say we didn’t warn you – it can be addicting! So, how about some inspiration? You may be familiar with www.Etsy.com, the giant online store for handmade items. Try typing “repurposed” or “up cycled” as a search criteria here. You’ll be amazed by the gorgeous variety of results. From vintage spoons to Scrabble tiles, old bedspreads to broken bottles, creative minds and hands are producing treasures!

For more of this article on making something new out of something old, CLICK HERE to purchase Let’s Get Organized for Fiscal fitness as a single issue (this week is HALF PRICE).

Molly members already have this magazine in your member page! Simply click the “Molly Members” tab above, log in, and search out January 2009.

If you’re not a Molly member, check out everything you receive and sign up now on our SUBSCRIPTION PAGE! 

There are so many different ways to live a frugal  lifestyle . . . this is a great place to learn new things and encourage one another! Below you can share the link to a post on your own blog, share a little about your frugal life and encourage others. Be sure to come back each Friday and link-up to this great community of frugal followers!

If you get my Friday newsletter, you most likely read Midge’s question about indoor summer activities (if you don’t get my FREE newsletter be sure and subscribe via the sticky note in the upper right corner). Read below to see my response.  Molly

Dear Midge,

When the summer month’s heat up and we need a “heat” break, I like to take everyone to the bowling alley! It’s a great (and frugal!) indoor activity. . . the kids wear off lots of energy, we stay cool in the air conditioning and sometimes I splurge for an ice cream treat on the way home. Have you ever heard of THIS RESOURCE? Registered kids can get up to 2 free games of bowling EACH day throughout the summer. Now that’s what I call an awesome deal!

Sometimes I take advantage of matinee prices at our local cinema and enjoy a movie with the kids (we’re careful not to buy treats/drinks there, it’s SO expensive). Last year when we were in “the big city” visiting friends, we all were able to visit a museum and received free admission. It was during the middle of the week on an “off time” so admission was free. We packed sack lunches and didn’t tour any of the special exhibits (those had a fee). We thoroughly enjoyed our day and learned lots of neat things- all for FREE!

A little research and planning go a long way when looking for ways to get out of the heat this summer. Sometimes signing up on a website gets you coupons, take a look around your area for frugal opportunities.

Love ya, Molly

To share a link to your post about frugal living, use the Linky below. But first. . .

1. We’d love for you to share your links that include anything  related to DIY projects, saving money, frugal living, made from scratch cooking, cleaning products, sustainable living, gardening, organic, and anything else related to homemaking! You can also  include your struggles while trying to live a frugal lifestyle (like  Midge!)! Show us about how you are thriving while surviving on a smaller budget!

2. Please, no link-ups to giveaways or blog topics in which you are just selling a product.

3. Link directly to your frugal post, not to your home page.

4. Grab our linky graphic (from the sidebar) and put it on your blog or on your linky post.

5. If a linked up post does not meet the above guidelines, it will  be removed.

6. If you link-up, please click on other’s links as well. Our frugal followers have a lot to share!

Living frugally means living, learning, and growing from each other. We can’t wait to see what you are going to share (to see other blogs who have linked up, click the link below)!  Ready, set, link!

CLICK HERE TO LINK-UP!

Guest Blog by: Midge

Hiya! I have been searching high and low throughout the world wide web in order to compile this pretty cool list of Memorial Day Activities for you and your family! We will travel all the way from food to fun in this roundup of links! So, pour yourself a cup of joe (or a diet beverage of your choice ~ my favorite) and start planning your weekend!!!

Dinner and Dessert Ideas

For the Salad: STRAWBERRY BBQ CHICKEN SPINACH AND QUINOA SALAD WITH BACON, AVOCADO, AND GOAT CHEESE I would probably substitute the goat cheese with a bit of Gouda but ~ man oh man~ if the title of this salad doesn’t just strike me as delectable! 

For Dinner: COFFEE INFUSED BABY BACK RIBS ~ Seriously, WHAT? Wow, this sounds interesting and delicious! Now, you can have your coffee and eat it too.

For a Side Dish: JACK’S POTATO SALAD  Everyone has their own “secret” recipe for potato salad (at least most of the grandmas I know have one!). But, this one is distinctly from “Jack”, I suppose, and it looks OH so yummy . . .

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE PANCAKE LAYER CAKE One look at this dessert and you may just fall out of your chair . . . and its gluten- free. It is a bit of red, white, and blue with a whole lot of scrumptious. Who’s up for trying something new?

Fun for Kids 

Gardening: PLANT A SURPRISE GARDEN This blog post warmed my heart. Memorial Day weekend is a great weekend for planting a few small container pots with your children.

Crafts: Preschool: FUN AND MESSY AMERICAN FLAG! Oh yes, I love it when my little one plays with glue and glitter. Well, okay, not really . . .  glitter is my least favorite crafty item! BUT, this flag looks so fun to make I may just have to let my sweet one glitter away!

For School Aged Kids: FREE E-BOOK WITH TEACHING IDEAS FOR KIDS AND WORKSHEETS! This is a very complete study guide regarding ideas for helping your children learn about Memorial Day and celebrate it with style!

Fun and Crafts for Moms
PATRIOTIC SAND CANDLES Super simple craft with colored sand and candles!

DRIFTWOOD FLAG What’s trending?  Driftwood and painted driftwood . . .  need I say anymore? Click on the link to check it out!

RECYCLED PALLET MADE INTO A PORCH SWING There is something always “hip” about taking a pallet and turning it in to a useful and rustic looking “something else”. This porch swing takes the cake!

What are your plans for Memorial Day? Are you planning a weekend full of activities or a weekend full of napping?  Hope your Memorial Day weekend is wonderful no matter what you decide to do! ;)

Tis the season for vacation planning. . . take a sneak peek into my FRUGAL FAMILY VACATIONS magazine today!

Keeping it All Together: Budget Your Vacation

This magazine’s theme is frugal family vacations, and we’ll be looking at a lot of different ways to save money and still enjoy relaxing time together as a family. This column will help to organize your vacation budget and finances (be sure to check the forms at the end of the magazine)!

Vacations do not have to be expensive, especially if you plan ahead. The most important step is to consider where you will need to spend your money—transportation, food, lodging, etc. I have included a worksheet at the end of this Digest for you to print out and use to help you plan the financial aspect of your vacation. First, you need to set a budget based on the cash you have on hand and whatever you will be willing to put on your credit card. If you are going to pay for part of your vacation with credit, be sure that you have a plan in place to pay off that balance as soon as possible.

One of the best ways to save money is to look for vacation packages that include lodging and entertainment in one price. Usually you have to book a room for a certain number of nights, but you’ll save money on tickets to theme parks and other local attractions. Often it is worth it to use a local travel agent, as they have access to deals that you cannot get on your own. You might want to call a couple of local agents to see if they have any specials available. You can also save money by staying at a campground.

Before you get in the car or plane to travel to your vacation destination, plan activities that will keep the kids busy. If they are busy, you might not hear, “Are we there yet?” as often! Head to the local dollar store, and buy some items for a travel “goody bag” like coloring books and crayons, search-a-words, handheld games, stickers and paper, Mad Libs™, etc. Wrap each item and have a schedule set so that the kids know when they can open up a new “present.” This could include times when you cross state lines, stop for a gas refill, see a certain roadside sign, etc. Make it a fun travel “treasure hunt.” Don’t forget to include some snacks and times to eat them. Hungry children do not make for a good trip!

If you are able to afford to travel this year, here are some more tips for saving money when planning for your vacation. At the end of this magazine, you will also find a vacation checklist to remind you of all of the steps to take to plan the perfect vacation.

For more of this article on planning a frugal vacation, CLICK HERE to purchase Frugal Family Vacations as a single issue.

Molly members already have this magazine in your member page! Simply click the “Molly Members” tab above, log in, and search out June 2009.

If you’re not a Molly member, check out everything you receive and sign up now on our SUBSCRIPTION PAGE!