summer fun

Today is our first day of summer vacation.

In hopes of using our time together
{without the schedules of school}
in an intentional way rather than being lazy,
we had a "family meeting" to discuss the summer.

We created a list of things we want to do.
{I had to say no to Sam's Alaska trip request.}

Financially we can't take big vacation this year, so we have some "stay-cation" plans.
Even if we aren't counting down the days until we get to the beach {not happening this summer},
we ALL have lots of stuff to look forward to.

I am so excited about this!

I got a little inspiration from Digital Reflections and her list of "100 Free Things to do With Your Kids This Summer."

I have find local activities and event in our community that are FREE!!!

Check this out for FREE movies once a week:

We will going to the movies for FREE once a week.  

We will also be visiting our local library for puppet shows, book readings, magic shows, etc...for FREE!  

I even have a few craft plans for us to enjoy {inexpensive crafts, of course}.  

I bought the kids each a journal.

I have some WONDERFUL scavenger hunts and photo projects that the kids are really gonna love!

I have also implemted Thoughtful Thursday - where we will make a concious effort to be extra thoughtful that day and brainstorm ways we can do that together {like taking lunch to Granny or helping out with the Summer Lunch Program at church}.

We even created a summer chores list for each kid in the family.  

They are very excited about earning an allowance 

{and placing stickers on their chart, too}.

We also had to set some major rules on the amount of TV and video game time!

This is going to be a great summer!