$1 Movies (all ages!) for Kids Movies at Goodrich Quality Theaters through the Summer!

I just came across another great movie theater deal to have some fun with the kids, but enjoy the air conditioning too.

Goodrich Quality Theaters have $1 kids movies during the summer through August 10th - $1 all ages!  Each week, Monday through Friday at 10am there is a new PG movie.  See if you have a nearby location here.

What are you doing to beat the heat with these crazy high temperatures we've had lately??

FREE and Cheap Movies at Theaters this Summer!

My kids love going to the movie theater and I love having a nice air conditioned place to go during the summer, but I do not love the prices!  Luckily, there are quite a few theaters who are offering FREE and cheap family movie programs this summer! 

Passionate Penny Pincher has put together a great list of theaters offering these programs!  Also, be sure to check your local theaters if they're not listed to see if they have their own cheap/free movies.  We have a theater that offers $3 tickets all the time, and another that has new release movies for $4 every Sunday night -- those are our date nights.  =)

FREE Roller Skating for Kids - All Summer!

Did you love roller skating as a kid?  I sure did!  We went all the time it seems.....lots of fun memories skating to "Ice, Ice, Baby" and doing the chicken dance.  ;)

Well, this Summer, you can get FREE roller skating for kids -- 2 free passes per week, per kid all Summer!!  I'm so bummed there are no participating roller rinks in our area, but hopefully there will be for you!  Check here for locations.


(thanks Inspiring You 2 Save!)

Coleman Montana 8-person Tent only $99.99 Shipped!

There's a great deal on a Coleman Montana 8-person tent right now at Amazon!  Their prices change frequently, so if you want it, act fast!  We have one similar to this and we love it!  It makes me almost love camping!  ;)

Normally $219.99, it's now priced at $119.99 + FREE shipping, AND, you'll get $20 off* for spending over $100 on select Coleman camping gear = $99.99 shipped!


*(the $20 discount shows up on the final order page)

(thanks Mojo Savings!)

Whew! I Need a Vacation from Our Vacation!

{my son Lucas and niece, 'kissing Summer goodbye'}

We've just returned home from a 2 1/2 week vacation to visit my husbands family.  It was originally supposed to be a 10-day trip, but since we were having such a good time and my husband is able to work from his computer we extended it.  Overall*, we had a wonderful time......had a hilarious time in the car playing the ABC game with the kids, spent time playing disc golf, flashlight tag and croquet, sang karaoke and celebrated birthdays, listened to Great Grandma tell stories from long ago and looked through old pictures, just spent time together hanging out......ate a lot, talked a lot, played a lot, laughed a lot.  It was a great visit and we all had a fantastic time catching up with the whole family and good friends.
*There was of course the ER visit, the sibling squabbles, and many 'there's-nothing-to-do's', but all in all - great time.  ;)

......but, like almost anyone who's gone on vacation knows.......it's good to be home!  As great as it was to be there, there's just nothing like sleeping in your own bed, putting the baby to sleep in his own crib, cooking in your own kitchen......

Along with the joy of being home though, comes the work!  When I walked in our door in the middle of the night and tucked the kids into bed {stepping around their scattered toys and clothes}, my first thought was "How did we happily survive for almost 3 weeks with a fraction of all of this crap??"  I just recently finished reading a fantastic book about minimalism and living simply......and doing without a lot of what we own only encouraged how much I want to simplify our lives and get rid of "stuff"!

Besides the fresh reminder I have for the need to declutter the house, I also have the post-vacation "chores" to tackle........

 {going through this - freebies, bills, magazines galore!}

 {unpacking and laundering this - and it's only about 1/2 of our bags}

 {packing these -- 1 week til school starts....unbelievable!}

{restocking this - there's only so many meals you can make on half empty tubs of frosting, condiments, and wilty celery}

So, I thought I'd share why I may be a little scarce this next week......I've got my time all planned out for me -- lots to do!  Hoping to fit in some family time too before the kids are off to school.  I'm sure I won't be able to completely stay away from the blog though!  ;)

Are you planning any last-minute fun as the Summer ends?  Did your family go on vacation (or try a stay-cation) this year?  What's your idea of a perfect vacation? 

{Even though we had a great time, my perfect vacation looks a little like this......}  ;)

Friday Feature: Kids Snack Ideas for Summer Break!

During Summer Break, if the kids aren't lamenting about being bored, they're saying "Can I have a snack? Can I have a snack? Can I have a snack?" {that's three of them asking right after one another, lol}

Here are a couple clever ideas for managing the snack monsters while they're home from school - either during Summer vacation, in the afternoons during the school year, or all the time if you're homeschooling!

I love Kristen Duke's idea of having the kids choose what to "buy" for their snacks - check out her blog for a great system to "Streamline Summer Snacking"! 
{Her photography is pretty awesome too!  And I cannot get enough of her Pink Lemonade birthday party!!}

Also, in her comments, I saw this suggestion from Lorie that I thought was a great alternative:

"Fun!! We used to do something similar. Actually the same, just without the fun money. After breakfast the kids would all back up their snacks for the day. They had to pick two healthy snacks (fruit/veggies), one regular snack (pretzels/crackers) and one treat (cookies, etc) and they could eat them whenever they wanted, but when they were gone they were gone. It helped them learn to ration! ;D"

So smart!!

How do you manage the 'snack attacks' at your house??  Do you have any great tips or tricks for keeping the snacking organized or keep it from getting out of control?

P.S. I'm so happy that I actually posted a "Friday Feature" on Friday!  haha!  =)

P.P.S. Make sure to see the BIG List of FREE and Cheap Summer Activities HERE!  Awesome resource for making memories, helping kids have a fun Summer and keeping the "I'm bored's" away.

Great Big List of FREE and Cheap Kids Activities and Ideas for Summer!!

{my sweet pea Emma last year at Lake Michigan}

Summer break tends to make me a little nervous.  At first it's all fun and games, but then the novelty starts to wear off and the dreaded "I'm bored" starts to make an appearance....and with 5 littles, it can quickly turn into a giant headache.  I usually nip that in the bud by doling out a chore or two, but I thought I'd be a bit more proactive this year, lol.  I love all the opportunities for fun and family bonding in the Summer, but sometimes it takes a little planning.  The kids are growing up so fast (cliche, but true!), and I want to take advantage of the time to build memories together.

I've been brainstorming and dreaming up lots of fun frugal ideas and activities to keep the kids busy this Summer, and was going to write a list to post here.  But then I was looking up a few resources and came across some amazing lists already written and thought I'd share those instead - no need to reinvent the wheel.  ;)  There will be no chance of anyone getting bored with all these possibilities!!

I'm planning on printing out a bunch of these and letting the kids highlight the ones they love.  Then either writing them into a blank calendar to schedule the fun or put the favorite ideas onto slips of paper and drawing them out of a jar for more spontaneous adventures!

Check these out:
Brassy Apple has a great list of activities.  The link to ideas for different themed picnics is super and my very favorite is the list of "100 days of Summer"!  Just oodles of ideas!  Ooh, I just saw this link to making placemats with the kiddles and with all the free magazines around, that would be perfect for a fun artsy project!

Today Is Fun is a website entirely "dedicated to helping adults entertain the kids in their lives. The ideas here will keep kids happy and occupied for hours on end, without you having to spend money or buy more stuff. The tips are always entertaining, often educational and developmentally appropriate. We are here to help parents, home schoolers, teachers, and more."  Lots of tips and ideas for Summer and all year 'round!  And from the ideas I skimmed over, they look very simple to do - bonus!  =)

Andrea at Simple Organized Living has posted a great list of 22 Summer activities for kids - all FREE and all technology free!!  L.o.v.e. that!  I don't know about your kids, but mine are drawn to a screen like bugs to a bug zapper, lol!  We probably limit it more than most, but it seems like that's still their go to.  And they're probably getting tired of hearing me say, "when we were your age, we didn't even have {fill-in-the-blank} and we survived!"  ;)   I love things that show the kids that there's lots of fun to be had without plugging anything in! 

 

Frugal Girls has a list full of frugal ideas!  Including links to Summer reading programs, Free and cheap movies, free bowling, and kid safe websites - all great options to beat the heat over the next few months!
{A couple theaters with Summer promotions they didn't list are Cinemark and Goodrich Quality theaters.}

 

Here's a lens on Squidoo with over 100 Kids Summer Activities! Lots and lots of fun ideas!

Homeschool.com has another list of "101 things to do this Summer" - lots of activities, lots of links!

Crystal & Co. has a really nice list of 80 FREE or inexpensive things to do this Summer, and I really like that she has it broken up into a few categories so if you are looking for something to "Make" or to "Go" do, you know just where to look!  {I think we'll do a couple of the printable "Mad Libs" tonight!}

After looking through all these ideas, I feel like Summer won't be nearly long enough!! {If I'm missing for a while, you can bet it'll be because of these fun ideas!} 
In additional to the hundreds already mentioned, here are some of our own plans for Summer that I didn't see (though there's plenty I didn't have a chance to read yet!):

• Cooking with Mom - the oldest three (ages 11, 9, and 7) will get one weeknight a week to pick what we have for dinner and check to make sure we have the ingredients.  Then on their assigned night they will be my helper and it be chance for some one-on-one time, as well as practicing some math and science to keep it fresh over the Summer.  I also want to bake up some treats with the kids and let them decorate cookies or cupcakes just for fun. {Maybe we'll do that and then let them set up a lemonade stand like the beautiful one over at IHeart Organizing!}
• Volunteering - my husband and I recently watched Soul Surfer and greatly enjoyed it.  We were however both a little convicted that we haven't gotten the kids more involved in volunteer work and missions.  We would love to give them the opportunity to serve and see other people's walks of life and cultivate more gratitude for everything we've been blessed with.
• Sock or Swim Mopping - I'll fill a bucket with warm soapy water and let the kids don either swimsuits or socks and shorts.  They'll dip themselves in the water, then splash and slide around the kitchen and dining room.  When they're done we'll wipe up the water with the floors a little cleaner and kids a little wetter.  ;)

What are your favorite cheap or free Summer activities?  What works for your family?  What's your favorite new idea you saw on these lists?