Tag Archives: Outings

Housework and Fun?? It is possible!

Posted on by Mika
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It’s been a great week of relaxing. Yesterday, we went on another of my favourite bushwalks in Khandallah that ends up at the Khandallah Playground.

This morning, hubby and I worked on our goals for the year.

Next, was getting the house back in order!

On small pieces of paper we wrote what job needed to be done and a fun a game. The aim was to do the job for 20 mins, then stop and play the game as a family for 10mins. We put all the pieces of paper in a container and took turns drawing out the job and associated game. This worked well for our children aged 8, 7 and 5…my 2 year old pottered around, and helped out here and there. It also kept me from getting overwhelmed by focusing on a small job rather than the entire house….oh! and focusing on the game at the end didn’t harm either! We also took plenty of food breaks, and kept things light and fun!

This is what we got done today:

JOB: My youngest daughter’s room. GAME: Musical Statues

JOB: My son’s room. GAME: Hide and seek

JOB: Laundry. GAME:Trampoline

My hubby flipping the kids on the tramp

JOB: Kitchen. GAME: “Don’t eat the Prophet!” (An alternative to “Dont eat Pete” that the kids were taught at church. I have pictures of prophets that I scattered on the floor, then we put a lolly on each of the prophet’s face. One person covers their eyes or goes out of the room, while the group chooses one of pictures to be “it”.  When the player returns, they eat the lollies one at a time; but the minute they touch the picture that is “it” we all yell out “DON’T EAT THE PROPHET” OR “DON’T EAT PETE!” Their turn is over and the next player leaves the room. Continue until all have had a turn.

JOB: Hallways. GAME: Tickle Monster

JOB: Family Room. GAME: Watched a DVD before bedtime.

Well, I’m off to play Guitar Hero which we rented to rock in 2010!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.

I also appreciate your lovely comments, I love reading them!

See you all in 2010!

Fun Kids Activity: Going to the Bush

Posted on by Mika
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Yesterday “Windy Wellington” lived up to its name, and served up a blustery summers day. The wind can be a bit annoying when you have children (and adults) with ants in their pants and cabin fever. Thankfully Wellington boasts numerous sheltered walkways and tracks that even a suburban mama like myself can tackle.

The walkway I chose is one of my favourites. When we first stumbled across it I just felt like I was in the Lord of the Rings….it felt magical. (Yes, I had hobbits on my brain, it was around the time of the world premire in Wellington after all!)

We only attempted a short portion of it last time, this time the kids and I got so high we could look over Johnsonville. (If you look really closely to the picture below, you can see the red roof of “The Warehouse”.)

I was so proud of the kids! They all did so well! (How is it that they have more energy than me?)

Reasons I love the bush:

  1. It is contained. The kids can’t run out onto the road! I just have to get the older kids to slow down every now and then.
  2. It is sheltered. We could hardly feel the wind, and the canopies sheltered us from the harsh sun.
  3. The kids are in their element. They just love it so much.
  4. It gives my kids super powers. I am not kidding you, my kids don’t seem to notice how far we have walked or how steep the incline is when we are in the bush.
  5. It feels good. Being in the outdoors, being close to nature, breathing the fresh air, feeling your muscles working seems to give you a natural high.
  6. It is flexible. There is no real destination, no real deadline. You can stop and rest, you can even turn around whenever you want.
  7. It doesn’t cost any money! Gotta love that.

Ode to my MacLaren Techno XT

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No doubt you have probably heard about the voluntary recall of the umbrella type MacLaren buggies. Over the past 10 years there have been 12 cases of finger amputations due to the hinges (I believe it is when the finger gets caught in the hinge as they are being opened). You don’t have to return your buggies, you just need to get a free ”hinge cover”. For those who own any type of umbrella type buggy, just be careful there are no little kids lurking around you while you fold and especially unfold your buggies.

See a video about it here

Information on hinge kits:

New Zealand – I called the 0800 number as well as Babycity (the only store in NZ offering hinge kits) and they don’t have any stock at the moment, but are taking names and phone numbers for when they arrive.

US

UK

Global MacLaren site

My MacLaren Techno XT is on its last legs, and I am contemplating getting a “tune up” to extend its life. All the buggy business got me thinking about my wee buggy and so I have come up with my “Ode to my MacLaren Techno XT”

ODE TO MY MACLAREN TECHNO XT

You came into my life when I needed you most. I was a busy mother that was always on the go, I needed something that was light and easy to use.

You didn’t disappoint.

Before I bought you I put you to the test. I tried steering you with one hand. The reason for this was soon understood, as I pushed you along while holding the child who was “supposed” to be in the pram. Or when I would have to push a child who was in the pram while carrying another.

You stretched up your handle bars to accomodate my hubby’s tall height (I think you were showing off?!)

You confidently squeezed into the limited boot space we had when we upgraded from a car to our Honda Odyssey people mover. You even took on the challenge of squeezing into the space under our younger children’s feet when we would take you on vacation.

How you never seemed to get bored of seeing me again and again and again as I would use you for the daily school and Playcentre pick ups and drop offs. You would never complain, and just opened and closed easily and quickly for me every time.

When church was in the afternoon, you would stretch all the way back without us needing to fiddle around and allowed my wee one to lay napping in your care. When she woke up, with one quick movement the seat was up again.

You were a great shopping companion, and squeezed through isles with ease.

You didn’t seem to fuss at being turned into a trolley when the child would want to walk and you ended up carrying all the stuff.

You didn’t even seem to mind when the older child wanted to sit on you, while the little one pushed you along.

You kept our babies nice and warm with your snuggly foot muff (no blankets to fall off or constantly tuck in) and my favourite feature – the fitted wind cover. How we needed this on numerous occasions as we ventured out into windy Wellington!

Although your under carriage did not cater for all the junk stuff we needed for an outing with 4 kids, you let us over stuff the space you did have, and hang our bags on your handles.

You would take good care of the wee one in the pram so I could have two free hands to settle the older sibling on their drop off, or when I would have to quickly run off after a run-away toddler, or when I needed all my attention when giving a “lecture” (usually to the run-away child) and not have to worry about the younger one running away too.

Thank you MacLaren Techno XT for being a part of our family all these years.

xoxoxo

Valuing what we have: Day 6

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Yeah! Saturday! We were blessed with another sunny day!

DD8 and I took part in the Heart Foundation Heart Walkers Wellington 2009. It was really great! My mum and I did it  last year, and this year I was lucky enough to participate with my daughter.

http://www.heha.org.nz/assets/resized/sm/Event5468/images/hvek99x4hz/Heart%20Walker%20A3%20Poster-278-278-268-368.jpg

CELEBRATIONS:

  • Taking pride in our home: We were able to reap the benefits of keeping on top of the housework this week and had a rest from any cleaning! This doesn’t mean that our house was spotlessly clean, we just didn’t need to catch up on a week’s worth of housecleaning (like we sometimes have to do on a Saturday).
  • Taking pride in our car: Kids all took their bits and pieces out of the car when we got home.
  • We were able to find all the things we needed for our outing easily. Sunscreen, picnic blanket, pinic bag and water bottles were all in their “homes”.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT:

  • I still have some things that we used on our outing that need to be returned to their “homes”.
  • 2 Loads of laundry needs to be put away now!

How do we let go of what we don’t need and value what we have?

Valuing what we have: Day 1

Valuing what we have: Day 2

Valuing what we have: Day 3

Valuing what we have: Day 4

Valuing what we have: Day 5

Valuing what we have: Day 7

A pocket of sunshine

Posted on by Mika
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Island Bay

The photo of my daughter and I was taken by my friend’s 2 year old daughter. Thanks!

Those in Wellington will know that we have had some HORRENDOUS weather lately. Rain, wind, rain, wind…you get the picture!

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Well, on Monday I woke up and the sun was streaming through the windows. It was like we were given a GIFT of good weather for our Playcentre trip that day. (by the way, the next day was just horrible and wet and gray again)

We went to the Island Bay Marine Education Centre in Island Bay. The kids had such a great time at the “Bait House” looking at the starfish and turtles up close. Outside we climbed on the rocks and went looking under stones for crabs in the rock pools. It was just so lovely to be close to nature!

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It was also great to be with the other mums. We all supported each other as we juggled our children. “Can you watch XX while I take XX to the toilet”. “I’ll go with our boys, if you could look after the girls”.

We all know what it is like to have a child who won’t stop crying, we know what it is like to have a runner, we know what it is like to waddle with 2 children who seem to want to go in different direction. As mothers together we get a greater sense that we are not alone in the rollercoaster ride of motherhood. That when we look into each others eyes – as hard as some days may get – we know that being with our children is the BEST place that we could be.

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Spending detox: Day 6

Posted on by Mika
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Today was the day that I had secretly been dreading. We usually go on a family outing on Saturday – were we going to be tempted to spend? Would all the week’s work go down the drain because of one day?

I looked up the word detox and in Wikipedia and it said that detox diets involves a change in consumption habits in an attempt to remove toxins from the body. This last week has been made me change some of my habits, and helped remove some of the toxic thoughts that were in my head like “just buy it”, “you need it”, “it will be fine” and finally “go for the activities that cost money, because they are the fun ones”.

How we spent day 6:

  • Had a lovely blissful sleep in courtesy of my hubby

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  • Went for a walk to a bush reserve near our house

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  • Went to see a horse in a nearby paddock
  • Had lunch at home
  • Went to our local school to ride bikes
  • Watched DD2′s DVD
  • DD2 and I had a nap together (I have no idea why I needed a nap after this morning’s sleep in?! DD2 doesn’t usually nap either? Can we blame it on the movie? Or maybe all the walking we did today?)
  • Hubby and DS4 made afternoon tea for us (DS4 was really getting into it, it was so cute!)
  • We all did a 15 minute tidy up of a stash basket we had accumulated things in during the week
  • Played red light, green light
  • Hubby made dinner HUBBY’S TEMPTATION: He wanted to go out and buy a sweet treat
  • We did drawings and crafts

MONEY SPENT TODAY: $0.00

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED TODAY:

  • I love it when we find win-win situations. Hubby and I decided that he  would look after the kids for part of the morning, then I looked after the kids while he went to volley ball.
  • You can make your own adventures. While hubby was at volley ball, the kids and I went for a walk. We have a bush reserve near our house, and one day my DS4 was leading the way and found/made a new path that lead to a horse paddock. The path he found/made was overgown with knee high plants, so each time we go through this path that “no one knows about” we all feel like it is a bit of an adventure as we step over the plants and climb up over a small hill to get to the paddock. The kids have named the horse Hony – pronounced ho-knee (it is the cross between pony and horse – aren’t kids creative!)
  • Sometimes it is good to be led by the kids’ interest. As I started to think about what we could do after lunch, my girls mentioned how they wanted to ride their bikes at their school. Perfect! That was our family outing for the day. Cost: Free!
  • To a child love is spelled T*I*M*E. This week has challenged some of my toxic thinking like “go for the activities that cost money, because they are the fun ones”. I now feel that as long as you are enjoying yourself as a family, any activity is a fun activity. Like today, hubby took the time to involve DS4 (Darling son aged 4) in the preparation of afternoon tea. DS4 helped distribute the fruit that hubby cut. He took orders from everyone on what spread they wanted on their toast. He helped choose what was for afternoon tea. Well, you should have seen the look on his face when he called us for afternoon tea…absolute pride! What made this magically moment even more touching, was when his sibling really showed appreciation to him for making their food *warm fuzzies!!*

You may also be interested in:

Is it possible to not spend any money during the school holidays?

Spending detox: Day 1

Spending detox: Day 2

Spending detox: Day 3

Spending detox: Day 4

Spending detox: Day 5

Lessons Learned & Spending detox: Day 7

Spending detox: Day 4

Posted on by Mika
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I’m not sure when everyone else in the blogging world writes their posts!?! I seem to be doing mine late at night.  I guess when you read what I have been up to today, you will understand why!

How we spent day 4:

  • Woke up to a tidy house. Thank you kids and hubby!
The Wind Chimes they made at the craft workshop & one of the balloon animals they got at the circus show

The Wind Chimes they made at the craft workshop & one of the balloon animals they got at the circus show

  • The girls made wind chimes at the hardware store kid’s clinic. TEMPTATION: A pack of two nightlights were calling my name “buy me, you know you want me, I would look so cool in your kid’s room!”)

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Day 4 Sept Oct School Holidays 026

  • Went to a beach that we haven’t been to before
  • Went home to get changed and have lunch. TEMPTATION: I was starting to feel a bit hungry on the drive back to our place. Had to talk myself out of stopping off at my favourite bakery and getting a sugar donut.

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  • Went and watched a juggling/circus act at the mall. TEMPTATION: Curse those mall ice creams! There’s just something about sitting together and having a relaxing snack to finish off an outing.

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  • The girls got taught how to do the diabolo in a workshop after the show. The younger kids and I enjoyed going up and down the escalators over and over again! TEMPTATION: There was a coin operated massage chair, that looked very inviting!
  • We got some balloon animals made after the show
  • DD6 won a $10 mall voucher at the show!

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DS4 looking a worms up close!

DS4 looking at worms up close!

  • On the way home we stopped by our local mall to go see the Science Roadshow. DD2 was in heaven unlocking and locking a larger than normal lock with a larger than normal key at an exhibit that showed how the inside of a key lock works. By the way! I didn’t even think about the mall ice creams! yay!!
  • We rented DD4′s free DVD
  • DD4 watched his DVD while the others pottered around
  • Had dinner at home
  • Hubby and I spent some lovely quality time together and had a nice dessert treat

MONEY SPENT TODAY: $0.00

MONEY GAINED TODAY: $10 DD6′s mall voucher, $45 supermakert voucher I got in the mail from my grocery loyalty points, $10 voucher for free online grocery delivery. TOTAL: $65 (We spend nothing, and gain $65! That’s crazy!)

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED TODAY:

  • Although we did a lot of things today, I felt like at any time, if things got to be too much, we could just go home and unwind. Once again this meant that there was no pressure or an expectation that we needed to do this or that. Since we had no real concrete plans, I would tell the children what we were doing next as we came to it (eg I wouldn’t tell them we were doing A, then B then C). That way there was room to really guage what activity would suit the mood of the children at that time.
  • Having an idea of what things are available to do in the area that you are in is helpful. Thanks to the research I did at the beinning of the week about what events were on and what activities to do, I always had a couple of options available on what to do next.
  • Being prepared and organised paid off, but there is always room for improvement. Packing food and water not only extends your outing (like I said in “day two“), but it means you are less likely to have to stop off and buy food – very helpful when you are on a spending detox! Going to the beach was another spur of the moment thing, so I had not packed any towels or swimsuits etc. The kids got a bit wet (some more than others), and because we weren’t too far from home, we just popped back home to get dressed. I’m thinking that having a couple of towels that lived in the car wouldn’t be a bad thing. I remember a couple of summers ago, the sand toys lived in the boot, because we were always going to the beach.
  • Sometimes you can make things work and sometimes you might have to revisit it another time. Once again the younger ones weren’t too interested in the craft workshop. Unfortunately the placement of the craft table was a little bit further from the play area and outside area. So trying to be with 2 sets of kids was proving to be a bit difficult, especially since the craft activity this time was a bit more tricky and needed more adult help. Thankfully a lovely grandma, assisted one of my daughters who was stuck. I thanked her thoroughly and she seemed happy to help. *bless!* I think this craft workshop is one that I will have to revisit when the kids get a bit older or I will have to get creative in how to manage the children (eg in the past my friend and I arranged to take turns taking the older children to an activity while the other stayed back with the younger children). Keeping the younger kids busy and happy by going up and down the escalator can definitely be counted as getting “creative”!
  • You feel a stronger family bond when you all pitch in and help out. There were times when the older girls would push the pram for me while I was holding DS4, or would help with food prep or everyone helped to clear the car of food and wet clothes etc. It just makes you feel a sense of togetherness.
  • The sun just makes me want to go outdoors! The weather was really bizarre this week. It seemed to know whenever we wanted to go out, and stayed nice for that duration of time! On Monday it poured down. On Tuesday it was nice for half the day (the part where we went out). On Wednesday it rained and was cold. Today it was sunny and warm for most of the day.
  • Even though kids are kids (and I had the sort of day that you would expect when you go out with children who are aged 8 through to 2), in the end, I feel like I had a great day with the kids! And that is a good feeling!

You may also be interested in:

Is it possible to not spend any money during the school holidays?

Spending detox: Day 1

Spending detox: Day 2

Spending detox: Day 3

Spending detox: Day 5

Spending detox: Day 6

Lessons Learned & Spending detox: Day 7

On the way home we stopped by our local mall to go see the Science Roadshow. DD2 was in heaven unlocking

Spending detox: Day 2

Posted on by Mika
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Once again, we all woke up late, but I can’t blame it on daylight savings this time because I went to bed late the night before!

How we spent Day 2:

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  • We went to the craft workshop at the hardware store.

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  • Watched a show at the mall. TEMPTATION: they were selling a cute tote bag to raise funds for a charity and the kids wanted to go upstairs and have an ice cream like we have done in the past.

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  • Went to a park that we haven’t been to before TEMPTATION: there was a shop across from the park with a big sign saying “fresh bread” yum!
  • Had a yummy lunch at home
  • Watched DD6′s free DVD that she choose yesterday
  • Did more origami and the girls dressed up as farm animals
  • Had dinner at home
  • Went out to get DD8′s free DVD. TEMPTATION: saw a couple of DVDs that I wanted to rent.
  • Played tickle monster
  • Played hide and seek in the dark

MONEY SPENT TODAY: $0.00

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED TODAY:

  • I could have easily spent little bits of money here and there without thinking today.
  • You don’t necessarily need to go out to have fun. We had just as much fun yesterday when were stuck inside because of the weather.
  • Not having a strict plan meant that I didn’t have the added stress of trying to push the kids to keep to a schedule. We only decided to go to the craft workshop about an hour before it started. When we finished the crafts, I decided to try a nearby park that we had not been to before.  On our way to the park, we drove past the mall, and I remembered a show was starting in 5mins, so we stopped by. After that, it was off to the park and then home for lunch.
  • Being prepared pays off! The kids gobbled down the fruit and water we packed. Another set of clothes would have come in handy when one child spelt water on their pants, and the other got their top all dirty. If we didn’t pack any food, and the spills were worse, we would have had to cut out outing short.
  • Provide activities that suit your children. You know your child best, and what they will or will not enjoy. The younger kids didn’t really go for the pot painting, so we went for a walk in the outdoor area of the shop, while the older girls finished up. My DS4 found the music at the mall event too loud, so I stood back with him, while the others sat closer to the stage etc etc
  • There are definitely parks that you need to closely supervise children (eg where there is water or equipment that the younger ones may be unsafe on), and there are parks that you could get away with sitting down the entire time. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Atlhough today’s park was one that I had to closely supervise the kids (which is sometimes hard when the younger ones are going in different directions) there was lots to do and it kept them entertained for a long time.
  • It is sometimes tough to manage outings with children who range in ages. The older ones get too far ahead, while the younger ones get behind. It’s important to regroup and restate the rules to keep everyone safe. A happy outing means you are more likely to do it again!

You may also be interested in:

Is it possible to not spend any money during the school holidays?

Spending detox: Day 1

Spending detox: Day 3

Spending detox: Day 4

Spending detox: Day 5

Spending detox: Day 6

Lessons Learned & Spending detox: Day 7

Free school holiday fun in Wellington (NZ)

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Did you know that it is possible to have fun and keep to a budget?! You can provide your children with exciting, new and fun experiences without having to fork out any money…here is how:

  • Rent a free DVD: Go to your local Video Ezy store and ask if they have a “Holiday Card”. This card allows one household a free kids weekly movie every day of the holidays (26 Sept – 11 Oct).
  • Attend a free show: Go dance and sing along with the NC Duck this week at 11am and 2pm from Mon 28 Sept – Fri 2 Oct. There will also be a night show on Thur 1 Oct at 6pm. http://www.northcityshopping.co.nz/duck-web
  • Watch some circus acts: Go and see the amazing circus acts at Westfield, Queensgate, Lower Hutt at 1.30pm, Mon 28 Sept – Fri 2 Oct. Monday 28 – Diabolo, Tuesday 29 – Juggling, Wednesday 30 – Devil Sticks, Thursday 1  – Spinning Plates, Friday 2 – Juggling. http://westfield.co.nz/queensgate/news/ItsCircusTime.html
  • Watch a funny magic show: Zappo the magician and his assistant Zappolina will be visiting the Johnsonville Mall to perform two shows daily at 11 am and 1pm  from Monday 5 Oct – Friday 9 Oct. They are also launching their album “Wibbly Wobbly”.
  • Go to a craft workshop: That will cost money, I hear you say, not at Bunnings! They have Kids DIY Clinics where they do lots of creative activities. This school holidays their theme is “Craft in the Garden”. Workshops are free for children over the age of 5 and must be accompanied by an adult. Bookings are essential for all classes, you need to contact your local Bunnings store (Naenae or Porirua) to register.  http://www.bunnings.co.nz/learn-how-to-DIY_kids-diy-clinics.aspx

Let me know if you know of any other free events around Wellington!

Is it possible to not spend any money during the school holidays?

Posted on by Mika
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So here is the thing. I woke up this morning thinking it would be a great idea to have a spending detox for a week. In other words not spend any money other than for bills, groceries and petrol for a week.

When I told my 6 and 8 year old daughters, they were not too impressed.

I quote…. “nooooooo!” (note to self: must try and sell the idea a bit more!)

Now I could easily not spend any money for a week if I wanted to. I mean, I have done it plenty of times….granted there was usually a sick child in the house, so we were house bound…hmmm…maybe that doesn’t count??

So my first order of business (basically to make me feel better) was to do some research. I wanted to know what was out there that was free during the holidays. Do you know what? I was pleasantly surprised, there is actually quite a bit on! Bless those lovely people who are putting on all these lovely activities for the children free of charge! It is making my job to stick to this goal a whole bunch easier! yeah!!

So, I will post what I have found out, and I would love it if you would tell me what you do with your children during the holidays to stay sane, and keep from going bankrupt!

You may also be interested in:

Spending detox: Day 1

Spending detox: Day 2

Spending detox: Day 3

Spending detox: Day 4

Spending detox: Day 5

Spending detox: Day 6

Lessons Learned & Spending detox: Day 7

Tips to get you through a hectic day

Posted on by Mika
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Today I have learned that it is important to prepare yourself for the day before the children wake up.

There are days when you seem to wake up and you hit the floor running with all the needs of the children to be met, not to mention deadlines, and a to do list that seems to go on forever. Continue reading →

Fave Five: Cheap and easy outings for children

Posted on by Mika
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Below are my favourite five outings that we do with the kids on a regular basis. The reason that we are able to do it again and again is because it is easy – I can usually manage doing these outings by myself when my hubby is at work. They are also cheap, so we can do them often because it isn’t going to break the bank – in fact they are all basically free apart from McDonalds.

Continue reading →