Thursday, July 30, 2009

What I Did On My Summer Staycation

Oh my!!! It's been ages since I posted! Thanks to all that inquired!!!

I meant to be doing posts all along about our summer staycation but I've been too busy doing all of the things to post them!

So far this summer we've :

Gone cherry picking
Visited a local lighthouse & museum
Joined the science museum (If you were a cable customer you also got $25 off)
Saw Dinosaurs Alive at the planetarium
Gone on a Finger lakes Wine tour
Spent a weekend in Pennsylvania at my husband's family reunion
Went to an amusement park at said family reunion
Been to the zoo a few times
Been to the Strong Museum of Play a few times
Been to the farmers market almost every week
Spent a weekend at a friend's cottage on Keuka lake
Played at the park
Spent many a night on our newly decorated (with stuff from around the house) porch
Spent an overnight at a Casino where my grandma and her partner got us a free room complete with jacuzzi tub! (We are pretty low rollers when it comes to gambling so we didn't play all that much-My daughter was at my mom's so it was just a nice grown up overnight!)
And today we spent the day in Historic Lewiston where we had lunch at a wonderful cafe and then went to a wonderful coffee house, The Orange Cat!

Tomorrow we are headed off to see the new Harry Potter movie in the afternoon!

We have friends coming to visit in a few weeks that we CANNOT WAIT to see and we have more jaunts in and around town planned!

For a summer where I didn't think we would be doing much without a lot of extra cash, we have having a great time!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Family Outings #1 & #2

This week we started our Family Outings (Or Staycation as my husband keeps calling it.) Sorry I have no pics this time around!

#1) I actually did not participate in the first one! It was raining and my daughter and husband went to a local indoor play place called Bounce It Out while I stayed home and got to clean the house with no one in my way (or calling my name-Just me and a book on tape-my own little vacation!)

Anyway-Bounce it out has these enormous indoor bouncy things (Like the kind you can rent for a party but 2 stories tall with different rooms or really big slides or obstacle courses. It was $8 to get in (children only, adults are free) and I think my husband got my daughter a $2 slice of cheese pizza and some dried fruit. I think the whole outing was $11. It probably would not seem cheap if you had more than one child but we don't.

This is one of my daughter's very favorite places to go and she'll ask for it any time you give her a choice. It is a very active place and she gets TIRED. (always a good thing.)

#2) Since our own farmers market is closed this week because the town hall is getting ready for the 4th. We picked up my mom today and went to the one in her town. (Keep in mind I count any activity that doesn't involve TV or a trip to Target or Wegmans as a family outing) Ok perhaps that is an exaggeration but really, any time you break out of your normal mold or invite someone along I think it makes it special. No cost at all except for the food but we buy that anyway. And it was different and I think, a little cheaper.

Tonight my girl is sleeping at my parents because my Dad is having hip surgery Monday and she won't be able to stay there for a while. Never underestimate the power of grandma sleep away camp ;-) I employ that one regularly though so I won't use it as part of my list!