Sum- sum- summertime!

No matter what the calender says, Memorial Day weekend is the start of summer for me.  I love summer...there is just so much to see and do! It's hard to fit in everything before Labor Day (the end of summer in my mind), but we sure are going to try this year.  To keep us on track, I made a (Pinterest-inspired) kid-friendly summer fun list to keep track of our goals and plans. 

The list includes visits to three zoos, three festivals, two theme parks, several area attractions and one water park.  I also listed stuff to do, such as watch a movie in a theater, make snow cones, go for a bike ride, and more.  There's 25 things to do and places to go on that list. Summertime fun will be ours!

The kids' summer to-do list was so fun to make that I made a to-do list for me in the same style.  While most people might find their summer fun hampered by to-do's, accomplishing big projects gives me such a great feeling that I had to plan some for the summer.  My list includes painting rooms and furniture, tackling huge projects like the garage and basement workroom, and catching up on the kids' scrapbooks and photo albums.  My list isn't as long as the first one, but I'm sure as some projects are checked off, other ones will be added.   

With the start of summer, we already got to cross one thing off of the summertime fun to-do list...we watched the Memorial Day parade.  My Little Guy was more than happy to mark the occasion. 

Then Little Miss kicked off summer in her own way by putting her purse on her head.

That's just how she rolls, I guess.

What do you have planned for this summer?  Do you plan or do you just go with the flow?  Whatever your plans may be, I hope you have a fun (and safe) time.

Happy planning and happy summer!

Summer fun

Okay, it's still spring, but the free and fun family activities have already begun.  A few weeks ago, I took the kids to the Kane County Farm Bureau's Touch-A-Tractor event. Little Guy and Little Miss had a ton of fun (maybe too much fun--there were temper tantrums as we were leaving) and I was happy to have a free, family-friendly activity to share with the kids.

In the coming weeks, I'll be searching the web and newspapers for more fun, free family events to fill up our summer months.  As I found last summer, there is plenty to see and do around here. 

For tips on how to find free or low-cost events in your community, read this post on Living Well and Spending Less in the Summer.  Happy planning!

Manda Monday--Summer courses at Waubonsee

I have a full roster of classes at Waubonsee Community College this summer...some are old favorites, but we've added two new classes to the mix.  Here's what I have in store for you this summer at WCC:

Coupon Mastery

Master couponers are able to cut their grocery and drug store bills in half and obtain products for free! You can too! Become a master shopper with knowledge of the how, where, and when of serious couponing. Learn the rules for spotting the best deals in stores; pairing coupons with sales, rebates, and customer loyalty programs; and using the best coupon web sites. Join shopper Amanda Grant (that's me!) in pursuit of the perfect balance of efficient and ethical couponing techniques.

Section One:  at the Sugar Grove campus, June 21-July 5, 7:30-9pm.  Cost: $29.00
Section Two: at the downtown Aurora campus, July 9-23, 7:30-9pm.  Cost: $29.00

Live Well, Spend Less!

Join instructor Amanda Grant (yours truly!) to collaborate and share great ways to experience ''the good life" on a tight budget. Amanda believes you can spend less and still live well. Find out how! Get ready to give and receive leads, tips and sources for exciting free or low cost entertainment sources, tips and recipes for succulent meals on just pennies, hip fashion-forward clothing at a fraction of retail cost, and even bartering/trading for goods and services. The group's best ideas will appear on Amanda's blog, "The Martha Initiative." (which is what you are reading right now...mind = blown!)

at the Plano campus, July 19-August 2, 7:30-9pm.  Cost: $29.00

Blogging Boot Camp  (NEW!)

Blogging does not come naturally to everyone - don't be intimidated - be outstanding! Discover best practices and tools and techniques for creating an effective online presence. Find out how to use blogging techniques, learn the critical elements of every blog, and how to make a good blog entry even better. Note: Novice and experienced bloggers welcome.

at the Sugar Grove campus, July 14 (Saturday), 9am-12pm.  Cost:  $39.00

Facebook 101 (NEW!)

Facebook is everywhere, but do you ever feel like maybe it?s not all that clear to you? Discover the simple tools you need to reconnect, keep in touch, and have a presence on the web without the necessity of building a website. You?ll learn the tools necessary to help you become a networking socialite. Note: Beginner and experienced Facebook users welcome.

at the Sugar Grove campus, June 18-21, 2:30-4pm.  Cost:  $39.00

Online Social Networking for Beginners

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging, and more - these forms of online social networking can be both exciting and intimidating for beginners. Learn the basics of each program and application and how to apply them to your life for job searches, reunions with old friends, communication with loved ones, and creative self-expression. Online social networking has its own etiquette, language, and pitfalls - we'll explore how to use the various forms safely and effectively.

at the Sugar Grove campus, July 19-July 10, 7:30-9pm.  Cost: $39.00

Online Social Networking Continued

Gain confidence and skill with social online networking! Continue to develop the skills you learned in the beginner class. Further instruction and practice will increase your ability to apply and adapt online networking into your life for communication with loved ones, creative self-expression, and job searches.

at the Sugar Grove campus, July 17-31, 7:30-9pm.  Cost: $39.00

Interested in any or all of these classes?  Begin the enrollment process here.  I hope to see you in class soon!

Summer FAIL

Summer is officially over and part of me is really sad. I had lots of goals this summer; the biggest and best goal--having fun with my kids--was definitely accomplished. Goal #2--become a real gardener--can also be checked off my list.  But Goal #3--get caught up on the kids' scrapbooks and photo albums--completely and totally fell by the wayside.  Thus the sadness.  TMI GOAL FAIL.

For a while, I really almost totally was ready to tackle this project. I had ordered a bunch of pictures through Snapfish at the beginning of the summer with the best of intentions to work on the photo albums. Then, as tends to happen with small children around, Little Miss got into the envelopes of pictures and mixed them all up.  Pictures were everyone and disorganization reigned.  LITTLE MISS FAIL.

Obviously, that quasi-disaster set me back a little bit.  By mid-summer, the picture jumble was driving me mad and I couldn't take it anymore.  I spread everything out on the office floor and spent an entire morning sorting through 200+ pictures.  I organized them by month, but to get the months right, I had to compare groups of pictures with the digital versions on my computer. 

It was a long and tedious process, though I did enjoy the stroll down memory lane.

Now, all pictures are sorted by month and tucked inside a storage bin drawer.  Where they sit.  And wait. As you can see from the month labels, I am exactly two years behind on the photo albums.  AMANDA FAIL.

Summer was a busy time, and all things considered, I am choosing to be happy about what I did accomplish rather than be unhappy about what I didn't.  After all, making happy memories with your kids trumps getting caught up on photo albums and scrapbooks any time.  But, the anal-retentive Martha Stewart wanna-be in me is hanging her head in shame over this fail.  PERSPECTIVE FAIL.

Now that we're in fall, I know there's no way I'll be touching these pictures anytime soon--the Little Guy's birthday and Halloween are just around the corner, and I have a ton of home improvements planned between now and then.  Still, if I just try a bit harder to channel my inner Martha, buckle down and learn to live on three hours of sleep each night, I might be able to get this done by working on bits here and there.  That's a good strategy, right?

REALITY FAIL.

Martha Monday--Sipping up summer

We've had a wickedly hot past two weeks with no rain (until this morning, that is) and I've been searching for some great ways to cool off.  For obvious reasons (fanaticism and laziness) I looked no further for inspiration than MarthaStewart.com and found some great summer drink recipes.

I need to get my hands on some Pimm's No. 1 to make a Pimm's cup:

I also need to get my hands on some prosecco for this Prosecco Sangria:

Isn't this fun? What a great idea for a punchbowl!

I love plain/regular mojitos, but I'm willing to give this Bing Cherry version a try:

I'm off to the liquor store and then home to experiment...have a great Monday, everyone!

Living well and spending less in the summer

We're one day into summer, and already I feel it slipping through my fingers.  Like any season, it comes and goes too quickly for me. This year, I am determined to have a full and fun summer...and, because I am frugal and already spent all of my money on my garden, the activities to fill my summer need to be free. 

Fortunately, there's lots of free (or low-cost) and fun activities in the Fox Valley.  Already, my summer calender includes dates of free concerts, festivals, farm days, kids activities and more.  For example, this weekend we'll attend River Night (including an outdoor concert) in nearby Yorkville, and then head to Blackberry Farm for a kid-friendly Tractor Show.  But how do you find out about such things?

I always start my search with the internet at city websites.  Take a look at the "Events" (sometimes listed as "Calender") page of your city/town/village, and see what they have listed.  Then look at the websites of cities/towns/villages within driving distance to see what activities they offer.  The fun stuff I found by looking at the city websites of Aurora, Yorkville, Montgomery and Oswego were enough to fill our calender for the next two months. And I haven't even gotten to North Aurora's website yet!

If you aren't finding much on your city's website, or you want even more options, try looking for fun free activities here:

• Local park district--Ours offers a number of free programs throughout the summer, and they also sponsor several outdoor concerts at park locations.
• Local library--I've stated before how much I adore our library for its free programs and seminars.  Occasionally, they also have visiting musicians/musical groups for free.  Many libraries have summer reading programs (including prizes!) for kids. 
• Local forest preserve--This is an often-overlooked resource.  Many forest preserves offer free or low-cost educational/fun programs and activities.  Check not only your local forest preserve, but also the forest preserves of your neighboring counties.
• County fairs--Nearly every populated county in America has a fair in the summer.  These cost money to attend, but it's worth it.  If the fair is too costly for you, keep in mind that the fairgrounds are in use throughout the summer for other activities. Our county fairgrounds hosts shows, concerts and monthly flea markets.  Check out the schedule for fairgrounds of neighboring counties--you might be surprised at all they have to offer. 
• Local businesses--many home improvement stores, such as Lowe's and Home Depot, offer fun and free activities on the weekends for kids, as do craft stores, such as Michael's and JoAnn's.  Take advantage of these crafty clinics! Your kids will love them.
• Do a google search of your city + free and see what comes up!  That's how I found the blog "Free Things to do in Aurora, IL."  How handy is that?  Perhaps you have something similar for your town.

This is just a snippet of the stuff I talk about in my Live Well. Spend Less! class at Waubonsee Community College.  The next course is July 18-August 1 at the Sugar Grove campus.  If you'd like tips and ideas for living a full life on a budget, then please join me for the next session.  Now get planning for a fun summer!

Martha Monday--60 Days of Summer

Tuesday is the official start of summer, and Martha has you covered. 

Take a look at Martha's 60 Days of Summer which covers crafts, recipes, activities, ideas and Good Things.

One suggested activity is to find your perfect summer hobby.  You can take the quiz here.  My result was scrapbooking, and they're absolutely right: my plan for the summer is to get caught up on the kids' photo albums and scrapbooks. 

It's hard to find time for that in the summer, though, when there's just so much fun stuff to do!  Between family gatherings, weddings, graduations, and parties, there's free outdoor concerts, festivals, farm days and flea markets that I'd like to attend this summer. 

Maybe that's why the days are longer, I need the extra time to fit it all in!

Whether you're headed off to a family barbecue or just enjoying the heat, take a look at Martha's 60 Ice Cream Treats.  This rainbow sorbet cake is amazing.

There's also a slideshow of 60 Summer Sides.  These dishes are perfect for taking to a potluck or for dinner with your family.  I'm looking forward to making this beefsteak tomato salad once my tomatoes start coming in.

 Take a look at Martha's ideas, come up with some of your own, and then get busy enjoying summer!