Travel
Love It – Skippies (Water Toys)
Our Skippies after a fun weekend in the ocean, still with some sand on them! My girls picked out a pool toy, Skippies by Fluid, to give to Daddy for his birthday a couple weeks ago and we got to try them out on our recent trip to Charleston. It was a BLAST playing with these floating discs!!!! I have to admit I was thinking of using the Skippies mainly for time in the pool because I thought we would lose them in the ocean with the waves. Since we didn’t have the opportunity to use them at the pool first we decided to test them in the ocean anyway. The whole family had a lot of fun playing with the “Skippies”! They floated really well, were bright colors which made them easy to spot in the water, and light weight so if one managed to hit you it didn’t hurt (we tested that theory, Jake even managed to hit me on the forehead one time). Plus they were easy to grab and throw even for the kids.
Several people in the water near us stopped us to ask about them. I was impressed with how entertaining they were and how easy they were to use even for our girls. It is a great time of year to check out these neat pool toys as the summer season begins to wrap up. They are not expensive and can provide a lot of fun entertainment for your whole family. I found them on clearance at our local Sports Authority when they were closing down the store on Laurens Road. I am looking forward to trying them out at the pool now that we tested them successfully in the ocean! They come in a pack of 4 and measure 3 inch in diameter. You can find them at Toy Splash!
“Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly or seasonally in my household that I love! There are some items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun. I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list. It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
We were back to traveling again for part of the week so it was more of a challenge getting the grocery shopping trip into the schedule. It was our last family trip before the kids go back to school which included some work, exploring the area and going to the beach. Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Groceries from Ingles and BiLo Ingles Groceries:
- $13.37 at Ingles for 4 boxes Fiber One Strawberry Yogurt (4 count each), 4 boxes Danimals Yogurt Strawberry / Vanilla / Peach (6 count each), 1 Broccoflower (part Broccoli and part Cauliflower), 2 bags of Sugar Snow Peas, 1 container of Grapefruit Juice, 2 bags Broccoli Coleslaw and 2 chunky mild Guacamole Dips. (all the items were marked down on clearance for $0.50 to $0.99 or on sale plus I used a couple coupons from the yogurt boxes)
BiLo Groceries:
- $3.52 at BiLo for 1 gallon of Milk. (BiLo has the best prices in our area for milk, plus if you bring your own bag they will give you 5 cents off per bag you use, of course I forgot my bag in the van when I ran into get the milk real quick).
This week I spent $16.89 on groceries. Even though I was under my budgeted amount for the week I was able to stock up on several items on clearance plus I will have a little extra left over for upcoming weeks. I hope that next week is an even better week and we can come under budget for the week even though we will have out of town guests staying with us for a few days.
It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks! As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me. I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too. The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.
Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
Vacation & Travel: Exploring Vermont
After our adventures in Boston we had the opportunity to head up to Vermont and spend a few days with Jake’s grandparents. We had a blast hanging out with them and the girls had a chance to experience Vermont. They thought the river was a neat place to explore!
Exploring Vermont Taking a hike with Daddy!
Down by the river! The girls were excited to see the river near Nana and PopPop’s house. They loved hearing Daddy’s stories of camping and having fun in Vermont.
Wild strawberries growing along the trail in Vermont Brina and Karlie enjoyed seeing the different trees, fruits, flowers and fun items along the hiking trail. They pointed out several wild strawberry patches!
Vermont wildflower boutique made by Brina and Karlie They made a cute little boutique out of the wildflowers they picked along our hike (and a pine cone)!
Karlie being silly at the Cabot store! We went to the Antique Mall and the little shops in the area. The girls had a blast tasting several of the Cabot cheeses!
Exploring Quechee Gorge in Vermont! Quechee Gorge was fun to look at and see with the girls. They thought it was a LONG ways down!
Karlie enjoying a popsicle at Nana and PopPop's Karlie thought it was so cool Nana got “rocket” popsicles!
Brina thinks the popsicles are delicious! Dessert after supper – a colorful popsicle (what a perfect treat)!
Karlie having fun in Vermont! Playing in their new garage!
I followed the girls and Daddy down to the river. While Daddy was cutting a tree that was in the path I startled the girls! They didn’t hear me over the chain saw running, this was Brina’s expression! Guess next time I should announce my arrival.
PopPop and Daddy splitting some wood. Daddy and PopPop got through the stack of would they had to split while we were there that week. The girls found the splitter fascinating to watch and even did one themselves.
Karlie and Brina blowing bubbles. Blowing bubbles, always a fun summer time activity!
Brina and Karlie hanging out with Nana! The girls enjoyed their time hanging out with Nana and PopPop!
Ready for a swim in the river! Who is ready for an ice cold swim in the river!?
Brina found a stick in the river The water was pretty chilly but that didn’t bother Brina! The girls had a blast finding sticks, building a dam and splashing around in the river.
Daddy and Karlie heading to the river On the way to the river. It was so much in Vermont, the river was a favorite!
Sunning themselves on the rock! They were perfectly warm playing in the water but when it was time to come back up to the house they suddenly got cold! This was their solution to sit / lay on the big rock in the yard to warm back up. It only took them a couple minutes (if that) and they were back up playing again!
Having the kids makes every activity an adventure. The girls loved their time with Nana and PopPop in Vermont. We are thankful for the opportunity to spend a few days with them. A lot of great memories that the girls will treasure from that time with Nana and PopPop!
“A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
