Try the site www.gocitykids.com....sign up for the nearest city and they will send emails of things going on in your area. Sometimes things are close by, sometimes alittle of a drive. Once in awhile we will splurge and drive for that free or cheap function. Also try your nearest city parks (usually the bigger ones) they have alot of spring and summer functions and will add you to their email alerts. I ALWAYS check Ebay for great deals on tickets too. I actually just purchase 2 FREE adults admissions to the zoo for 6 bucks!!! Which normally would of cost me 20. I love it when I save $$.....:love:

Living in a small town we don't have a lot of things to do that aren't going to cost a good amount of gas. So we go to all the local sporting events, it usually doesn't cost to go watch the little ones play whatever sport season it is.
While my 3 are all active athletes, we often pack up some snacks and drinks, even when they have no games and spend the day watching their friends play.

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Kristi
Mom to Eric, Alex, and Taylor
Happily Married to Joe:love:

Well we live in an apartment complex here in Las Vegas. It sure has heated up big time. We will be swimming a lot this summer. Our complex has THREE different swimming pools! My daughter will LOVE this because we never had a pool to go swimming in before. The park and walkng is always awesome. All three of these are FREE completely.

We like to just watch a movie and spend time together. My daughter loves it when Mommy plays toys with her. (I work during the day full time so by the time I am off and home from Las Vegas rush hour traffic it sure takes a toll on me. I'm not usually up for playing like I should be. But it is always special when we play together her toys and play with her awesome doll house.)

We go 4 wheeling which doesn't cost that much, other than gas. The bf has an awesome truck and we go offroading spontaneously. Let's see.... going to family and friend's houses for movies is always an awesome one.

OHHHHHhhh game nights. We like to get together with the bf's family and play games. Cards are always fun and cheap. It is fun for us.

Now that Summer is around the corner, we will be going camping a LOT. It will cost just gas and food.

I do not know if anyone posted this yet or not but on the back of Banquet meals (which you can often get on sale for 1.00) there is a free game of bowling for your family. SO for one dollar you can get a quick meal ( my daughter loves the pizza) and a game of bowling!

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Kristen, Mom to Katherine and Nolan

We have Friday fun night at our house.
My children define this by

• we have to be doing something fun together
• it has to involve something good to eat
• every member of the family has to be there

Here are the thing that have been a hit here. It doesn't have to be expensive just fun

• During the summer riding our bikes to the park. Hang out then coming back for root bear floats
• making pizza together. Then having an uno marathon. All my kids learned to recognize their numbers from playing Uno
• Find a good family movie from the Library or if you can afford it rent one and pop a sack of microwave popcorn.

A church in my community has an indoor playground in one of their large rooms in the basement. It is furnished with Little Tykes equipment, riding toys, a sand box, and several toys. They charge $10 per family for the winter season to use it. It is open to the public all day. I know a few moms who say its a great way to get the kids out, socialize and get their busy energy spent. There is plenty of seating for the mom's, volunteers are posted at the doors to ensure no little people escape, and there are bathrooms (so important lol)

That is what I try to do. And it helps keep my house spotless because I clean before I entertain!

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"It's one of the most beautiful compensations in life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our local craft store offers a free kid's class every Saturday!

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There are more than 40 different types of congenital heart defects. Little is known about the cause of most of them. There is no known prevention or cure for any of them.
My Blog:Musings of a Heart Family

We have some local movie theatres that offer free (or almost free) morning movies in the summer.

Both Consolidated Theatres - Welcome to Consolidated Theatres and Regal Cinemas - Regal Entertainment Group usually offer the program.

Find out where your local home depot is and their schedule for kid's building classes. They give an home depot apron and building kit to your kids for free and supply all the hammers, nails, screws, glue etc. for free as well. We've built a plant holder, fire engine piggy bank, bird feeder and more. The kits are all wood and the parents have to help but you get a free Saturday adventure for you and the kids and a great project to take home. When you are finished with the project they will gift your child a pin for each project to wear on their apron kind of like a scouting badge!