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Looking for great dates but don't have the cash? Here's ideas to try.

Great Date Nights That Don’t Break The Bank

Leave a Comment / Marriage, Saving Money / By

It’s so fun to go out on a fantastic out of this world date with my honey. But there’s a lot of weeks that we just don’t have the money and still want to go out. So here’s a list of great dates nights that don’t break the bank. .

Go to the Park

The park isn’t just for kids. We’ve have some great dates on a picnic. We bring most or all our food. Sometimes we’ll get Subway and bring the rest and just sit and talk. We can walk on trails that they have there and hold hands. It might not be the most romantic place but it’s still really nice.

Groupon

I know I’ve listed them before but Groupon has great date nights for very little money. You can get restaurants cheap or look into things to do and go ziplining or go to a shooting range or a cooking class. There’s also beauty and relaxation, so grab a massage or a gym class.

Walk, Bike or Stroll

A great way to spend time together with the added bonus of being physically active. Find an activity you like, that you can still talk through, and do it together. It could be walking, biking, yoga or any other activity.

Find a Hobby Together

I had a friend who loved to fish with her husband. Now, I can’t figure out why that would be fun, but she loved it. We garden and can together. Sometimes, we cook together. You can find many other things to do. Painting, woodworking, crafting, photography, and I’m sure there are many more than I can even think of. You can even find classes to take online to take together. I love Skillshare for learning new things.

Game Night

Pull out some old board games or learn a new one. When my husband and I were dating we used to play Gin Rummy. I thought we might brush up on the rules and there are hundreds of card games you can learn.

What other things do you do together?

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Creative ideas to show love without spending a lot of money.

Showing Love on a Budget

Leave a Comment / Children, Marriage, Saving Money / By

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and this year money is tight. When special occasions come and your budget is in short supply, sometimes you feel like it’s hard to celebrate the day without having a lot of money. You don’t know if showing love on a budget is possible. And you’re not sure if you should try. Celebrate anyway. Giving to someome else comes from the heart, not the checkbook. There still are a lot of things you can do but the trade-off is that it will take more time. But you can do it.

Be Creative

I love The Dating Diva’s site for so many different printable that you can print off for free or very reasonable. One year I bought empty pill capsules and then wrote little things I loved about him and put them in the capsules with instructions for 1 a day. But you could do the same thing with a deck of cards or a letter. You could fill out a coupon book or write letters. Your imagination is the limit.

Cook or Bake Something

For Valentines day, have a pink and red food theme. We’ve had pink pancakes, and heart shaped cooked eggs for breakfast. Tomato soup with little heart shaped cut croutons. You can use heart shaped cookie cutters on just about everything. I have a heart shaped bundt pan that makes a great red velvet cake. But if there’s a favorite recipe make that. There are a lot of food that’s red and pink. Beets, tomatoes, apples, are just a few.

Going Away

It’s not true that you can’t go away on a budget. First decide if it’s an evening, a day trip or overnight. There are a lot of fun things to do on a budget. I love finding great deals for dinner or things to do on Groupon. You could find a romantic dinner or go play laser tag. There’s usually something for everyone. They also have getaways that can be more than half off. You can also get meal discounts at Restaurant.com or hotel nights on Hotwire.

Do a Project for or with Them

If they have something they’ve needed to be done, surprise them and do it. Organize a drawer, sew something, repair something that’s broke. Do a home project or cook together. Our neighborhood grocery store has cooking classes, check yours. Or you can cook their favorite meal. Maybe set up a bubble bath or a back massage. Fill your room with candles.

Showing Love To Children

Some of the above tips can be used with children. My children love pink heart pancakes and heart-shaped pizza. Beets, not as much. Of course, almost any dessert goes well. But you can buy or do little things for your children that make them feel special. The Dollar Tree has so many cute pencils, erasers, treats, play-doh and more. Have a special ice cream night or a tea party with lemonade and cookies. Give them a Valentine or write them a note. Spend time with them.

What other ideas do you have for showing love on a budget?

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Making One on One Time with Your Children

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One on One Time with Your Children

As a mom of many children, it can be hard to get one on one time with your children. I have found you have to make time for it as it doesn’t appear, you have to make the effort.

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Look for Little Minutes

As nice as it would be to get large chunks that’s not always realistic. So I try and also use the little blocks of time. A few minutes here and there is not ideal but sometimes there are seasons when it’s hard to find one on one time. Right after I had surgery, one of the kids usually brought me my meal. I asked them to sit a few minutes and talk. Sometimes they would bring their meal and eat with me. When checking rooms I’ll stop and ask a few questions about what’s going on for them. When they ask question, ask them back. Show you’re interested. It’s easy to get busy and not think about it.

Doing Errands

I make it a point to take one child with me for errands. We spend time and talk in the car. Sometimes, we’ll stop for a bite or a drink. As nice as it is to get time alone, I need to remember the time I have with them is fleeting. I only have 2 school age children now. My time remaining with them is short. I remember when I had lots of little ones and it felt like it would never end. It does. So quickly and them you are left with memories and not regrets.

Weekly Books

I have a book I’m going through Girl Talk with my daughter and my husband is going through Created for Work with my son. We go through a short chapter a couple times a week and talk about the chapter and whatever else comes up. We also have a question book we pass back and forth. She writes in it and then I do. Sometimes words are hard and writing is easier.

Special Times

Don’t forget to set up special occasion times. Birthdays, young ladies teas, special meals or just because you know they need it. With one daughter, we went on walks. That’s when she loved to talk. With another it was baking. You need to find what makes them tick. They need to be relaxed to open up.

What’s your favorite way to make one on one time with your children?

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New Resouce Library

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Today is a really short post. I am so pleased to be able to offer you access to my free library for subscribers. Just add your email to the pop up to get your free access to this library. There are motivational quotes and checklists and free printables. Please let me know what else you would like.

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Children and Electronics

Leave a Comment / Children, Thoughts / By

The Trouble with Children and Electronics

Do you ever have trouble with your children and their electronics? Does it seem like headphones grow out of their ears? Do they listen more to the electronic voices than the people around them? You’re not alone. I think most parents have a love/hate relationship with electronics and their children. It is a way of communication when you’re apart, but it can also pull you apart. They have all these voices in their ears pulling them away from you. Voices that are sometimes more important than yours.

No Electronics at Meals

We now have in place a set of rules for electronics. I did not put meals on there because we already have a rule for no electronics at the table. There are very few exceptions. We even tell guests about our no electronic rules for meals. They have all been very gracious about it.

Electronics Can Be Used When

This puts the usage of their electronics directly back on them. All I have to do is ask them “Is your checklist done?” Jordan Page on Fun Cheap or Free asks her kids “Have you done your squares yet?” This puts the responsibility directly back on them. If they want to use electronics, they know what needs done first.

What’s Important

There are many things more important than checking up on social media. Children and even some adults need to learn to do the necessary things first in order to do the important things done for life. For children, it is chores, homework, as adults, we still have chores and work. I want them to develop habits of reading their Bible, prayer, exercise, reading and being helpful to others. Learning to prioritize is a lifelong skill that every person needs to know.

Enforcing Electronic Rules

Now that we have our checklist, we have to enforce it. Unless you have little robot children, they’ll try and push the rules. Children almost always push the rules. Have a plan in place so you know what you’ll do when you see them with their phones. We have an electronics home for them to stay in during off times. And the electronics may get taken away and left there for a day for the first offense and multiplied after that.

So what tips do you have for children and electronics? Do you have rules?

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