cheap-mom-tricks

One day I woke up and thought:

I didn't choose to have kids to get frustrated and tired with.

I had children to love, teach, and to have a blast with.

I do believe it is our job as mothers to have a lot of fun with our kids. Fun doesn't have to require money either. And in in all honestly...we don't have much of that (that, being money).

So I have decided to log some cheap mom tricks I have up my little sleeves and maybe we can benefit from it?

CHEAP MOM TRICK #1

Go to a pet store. And treat it like a zoo/aquarium.

If you are lucky enough to have a baby you can strap to your person, do it! Mine loves to watch her sister run like crazy, and see all the lights, colors and hear come crazy sounds.

Bird advice: if you blow on the birds in the cages, they totally freak out and fly like crazy. Verrrryy entertaining.

(learned that at the Lynden Fair growing up)

The poor kitties, locked up, one even put a paw up to the glass as if to ask for his freedom. Sorry kitty, you are just for looks. I know, I have no soul.

Doggie houses are also magical. We spent a good ten minutes on these alone.

There you have it folks, my first cheap mom trick.

Its free, its fun, its with your kids, do it.

a few saturday snapshots+a cheap mom trick

Saturdays are like any other day in our house. Chad wakes up around 5 am, hops on his bike and is off to work. We ladies sleep for little while longer and start our day. I decided to document some of our Saturday:

The girls eat, get down from their chairs and enter the kitchen as "PUPPIESSSSSS!!!!!"

 I feed them "puppy food" aka cheerios while I make two slices of french toast for me and myself.

 All the while Jack Johnson pandora is work'n it while we do all this and "getreddytago" as Lils says. This means, getting snacks and sippies ready for our first adventure, mommy getting her running clothes on, and the girls getting more clothes on.

 First off, I must say, the South in the spring in celestial. No other way of saying it. It smells amazing, it's the perfect temperature (70's-80's daily) with always a light breeze, just the right about of humidity, very few bugs, and the birds are really musical, peonies are in full bloom and everything is exploding in green leafy goodness. Seriously, you gotta experience this for yourself. 

Anywho, we ladies go for a few mile run, and half way we make it to a park and get nice and sweaty.

 Eden falls asleep in the stroller on the way home, Lily and I watch Ducktales and Rescue Rangers on youtube while eating lunch.

Eden wakes up extra spicy, she gets fed and then its off for adventure numba two.

Today our second adventure is filling our baskets with rocks, sticks and any other yard debris to throw off a near by bridge. Logically.

Note: I am still sweaty, in my running clothes, I keep my lens cap and phone in my sports bra. Consider yourself fairly warned next time you ask to use my phone.

 Both girls are HUGE fans. In fact, lets call this a Cheap Mom Trick shall we???

After our baskets are empty, we walk over to "our" park.

Our park has a sand volley ball pit, aka huge sandbox. We kick off our shoes and play in the warm sand until Lily claims she is: "allll sweaty" and we trek it back home in time for Chad to get home and then we tackle him. And eventually we make and eat way too much pizza.

And that my friends, in a Saturday for us.

Cheap-mom-trick #4

Make mom-friends and GET OUT.

Have adventures with your kids.

We have been lucky enough to become friends with Megan.

Not only is she adorable but also always down for getting out of the house and wearing out our kids.

Yesterday I introduced some friends to Bauman Farm.

Basically the coolest place in the whole world.

And I really mean that.

If you don't have a this place in your 'hood', do research, find other cool free locations.

Complete with awesome play ground, fortress, tepee, and lots of animals.

Dear Lily in five years:

I'm sorry you looked like a boy yesterday,

this was the only hoodie in the car.

Love,

Mom

Lily doing a sun dance.

We want this spring sneak-peak to stay f o r e v e r.

Gickens!!! This girl had little fear approaching the animals.Her favorite were the goats.

Eden, it was a stimulus over-load for her. Constant chirping and flailing from the front pack, she had LONG nap after this adventure.

When asking Lily what a Llama is: "mamma."

Makes me feel real good inside.

Pretty sure it really doesn't matter what you do with each other, as long as you can get out, have adult interaction and play really hard with your kids.

The key is: GET OUT OF THE HOUSE.

Cheap-mom-trick #2

I love art, and all things creative.

Lily absolutely loves to draw and paint.

Have you ever seen how much a big roll of colored or even white paper is? No joke, $100+.

Ah, my friends, the trick is to remember your three R's (reduce, reuse, recycle).

Go to your local news paper and ask for their end rolls.

They charge here in Salem $3.50 but it is a LOT of paper.

(pretty sure its free in B-ham)

Hours and hours and hours of fun!

WARNING: you may be asked to draw kitties until your hand cramps.

cheap-mom-trick #12

My girl loves to paint.

But the thing with paint is:

it has to be monitored, and then has somewhat extensive cleaning, and can cost money too.

{I do not claim this idea as my own, I have seen other moms pulling this trick too}

Solution?

Paint with WATER.

It can get anywhere, be on anything and its just peachy.

And totally eatable!

Plus you can be inside nursing your baby and know that you kid isn't painting the neighbors cat with acrylics.

cheap-mom-trick #10

Last night, Chad moved our mattress out in out front room for a little camp out in front of our awesome windows.

Lily woke up to a glorious, glorious surprise!

We have been jumping together this morning and its lovely.

so the trick is: make your own trampoline!

cheap-mom-trick #6

Boxes. Get boxes and make rad forts.

Pretty simple: stack them, color on them, cut holes for doors and windows, so many possibilities!

Places to get nice big boxes:

Walmart

Fred Meyer

furniture stores

appliance stores

cheap mom trick:

Go to the park, or where ever puddles congregate after the rain,

 and play in them,

then go home completely soaked and muddy, and extremely happy.

cheap-mom-trick #9

Make a slide out of an ironing board.

So far, we have been "sliding" for about 20 minutes.

And once she gets board of this height then we will move it somewhere slightly higher.

cheap-mom-trick #8

Throw rocks into water.

Whether it be the Willamette river, or a puddle.

It's fun no matter what.

Today, we chose the Willamette over a puddle.

Had my girls happy and with me, the sun was out, talked about: religion, boobs, kids and dreams with Megan,

a very good day.

elepark

This isn't the first time we have done this, and I know we're not the only ones who do this,

but our newest "cheap mom trick" is:

bring a cool toy to join in on the play ground fun.

We brought our elephant yesterday and let me tell you, he sure had a blast. For some reason putting that elephant down the slide was quite the entertainment.

Highly recommend it.

I do not recommend wearing jeans and a sweater (Lily) when its still 90*F out daily, she didn't care, but I was sweating just looking at her. Suffer to be adorable I guess?

cheap-mom-trick #7

Jump.

Go out side with the soul purpose to jump.

Me: Lily! Wanna go jump?!

Lily: Yeah!!! Dump, dump!! (runs in circles and squeals)

We go out in the parking lot of our place and jump off curbs, speed bumps, stairs, rocks, you name it. If it is slightly above ground level, you can jump it.

a cheap mom trick

Find a storm drain and drop stuff through the cracks.

Do you remember doing this when you were little?

Still magical.

ps- check out this RAD stay-at-home-dad's blog.

Cheap-mom-trick #3

Go to the park and feed some ducks.

If you don't have ducks near by, maybe you have seagulls or pigeons. Just feed some type of bird.

It is amazing what birds will eat. Doesn't have to be bread all the time. Even if they don't eat it, they will come scope it out first so you get a good look at them.

big fat phone purge

This morning we discovered a cricket inside (INSIDE?!!!) the joy/entertainment this tiny creature created, was amazing. Why do my girls love bugs so much?

Any way. We lead him out the front door, Lily looked down at the mat and saw a pebble where he landed (and had now jumped away) and gasped: "Oh no! The cricket turned into a rock!"

Wow I love her.

CHEAP MOM TRICK:

Go to Krispy Kremes ANY time you see that light on saying that they have hot donuts. You get a free donut. And you can watch the donuts on the conveyer belt for 20 minutes like we did. And the best part is when they go through the "nummy shower" aka the glaze.

You know that awesome thing you can do with freezer paper? 

(See what I mean HERE.)

WELL. I have been trying to find a place that actually sells the dang stuff. Walmart, Target, Hobby Lobby, AND the local grocery store did not have a single roll. I was so annoyed. But determined. So I called and bugged business until finally I found a local butcher. Who not only had the cursed paper, but gave me a few feet of it for free. It pays to be determined and annoying I guess. And, we found a rad little local old school butcher shop by doing so.

Yesterday, the girls and I were playing on the porch. Like we do basically all day.

Then all of a sudden we were at our second home: the library. 

Specifically the library's cafe. We all shared an Italian soda, and bag of skittles. Happiness and rainbow drool everywhere.

cheap mom trick #13

paint something wonderful

and give it to your neighbor

{pictures from my iphone}

Use different mediums of paint. Today we used water color. I love water colors, did you know I painted once in my life, and one of my watercolors was once upon a time in the Bellingham tiny art museum? True story.

Any who, this fabulous original piece is of "kitty and shoes".

I love it, worth millions to me.

Lily is so proud. We put it in a glass frame thingy we already had and are going to give it to our neighbors "Nana and Guy" when they get home! We are excited.

I like this idea because it lets your child:

1. be creative
2. be proud of their work
3. learn the joy of gift giving
4. get covered in paint

{if you don't have extra frames laying around,

keep your eye out at garage sales, and thrift stores}

cheap-mom-trick #5

Find an awesome toy store,

play with the toys.

we spent a lot of time in this store,

playing with toys and reading books.

lucky for me Lily doesn't know you can actually BUY stuff.

Good luck if yours does.

{I think it helped that before we went in we told her we were going inside to PLAY. Not buy.}

cheap-mom-trick #11

Tie a shoe lace on a fish and take it for a walk.

Or any animal you happen to have on hand.

I put Eden in the sling, and the two ladies and I

walked around the block,

talking to our "meno" (aka nemo) fish.

He even got to go for a swim lucky little guy!

Yay for puddles!

I think tomorrow we shall walk her elephant.

cheap mom/monkey trick:

Need to entertain kids while driving?

Do this:

Stuff an animal in the steering wheel and narrate what they say when they spin around turning corners.

My girls thought it was the funniest thing ever. 

My voice is almost hoarse from all the monkey screeching.