Baby Girl and I are spoiled! Every other Friday my husband gets the day off! We love those weeks because it’s a 4 day week for us, and a 3 day weekend Baby Girl and I get to spend with Papa, as she calls him. However on those weeks that he doesn’t have the Friday off the week feels sooo long for us! I try my best to have a little routine for us every day so we don’t get bored, but by Friday we are both spent and sometimes even tired of each other!

This past Friday was one of those weeks where we were just out of ideas and bored! We get tired of watching movies, tired of playing with the same toys, and we try and spend time outside, but being pregnant, it is hot and just uncomfortable for me. I live in a small town, so sometimes it’s hard to find activities to do, and the ones they do have cost money and they aren’t always cheap! Eventually that adds up! So Baby Girl and I have come up with Five Dollar Fridays! We find activities to do that are $5 or less! We have had a lot of fun with these, and, as the baby’s due date is approaching, it’s been nice to really bond together before we have a baby thrown into the mix.

Just remember to keep it simple. Sometimes we think we need to do big extravagant activities but, at least with Baby Girl, I have found she doesn’t care what we do as long as we do it together, which leads me to my other lesson I’ve been learning. I tend to forget this a lot! I feel like I have so many other things to do…house duties, cooking, cleaning, etc, that I forget some days I just need to let it go and just play with my daughter. Sometimes she can get so cranky that it makes it hard for me to want to play with her, but then I have to ask myself why she is acting up. I realize that when I spend time with her and just her, she is a lot more relaxed and less cranky. All she needs and wants is some Mom time. I love this poem I have seen floating around…not sure the origin but I saw it on Pinterest (of course!) and had to share!

Cleaning and scrubbing

Can wait until tomorrow,

for babies grow up,

we’ve learned to our sorrow.

So settle down cobwebs.

Dust go to sleep.

I’m rocking my baby,

and babies don’t keep.

What a great reminder that our babies do grow up so fast! While it is important to have a well-kept home, if you leave it for one day, it won’t be the end of the world! Especially when we dedicate that time to our children instead! So here is a list of five of our favorite things we like to do that cost very little or nothing at all!

1. Goodwill Game Hunt. Baby Girl loves playing board games, but have you seen the prices these days for a simple game like Chutes and Ladders?? That’s when the Goodwill comes to the rescue! We have found some great games there for $1 and they are mostly complete! The one we go to lets us take a peek inside to see if all the parts are there and surprisingly most of them are. Baby Girl loves going and looking for games and puzzles. It’s hit and miss but we have still found some great games and we come home and play with them for hours! I will never buy a game “new” again!

2. Pet Store Perusing. Most every town or city has at least one PetSmart or Petco or some form of pet store! We love to go and look at the fish and all the animals. The best part is its free…and so far, Baby Girl hasn’t asked us to take home any new family members. 🙂 I explain we are going to just look and she’s OK with that. It’s actually really relaxing. Sometimes we take a snack and just snack and watch the fish swim around.

3. Visit the Library. We love the library. I used to go out and buy books, and then one day, my friend kept mentioning the library and I was reminded, duh! Why am I spending money when I can just check them out! If it’s something I really want in my or my daughter’s collection I will buy it for a birthday or Christmas. If not, we just check them out! Sometimes we get by theme, sometimes I let her pick our random ones, and sometimes we just go and sit and read there! It gives us a change of scenery and I am not distracted by housework, phone calls, or computers! We just sit in a cozy corner and read! On a creative week, Baby Girl and I will find an art activity that goes along with the book and that makes it a lot more fun!

4. Make Art! This may take a little prep time, but it can be so fun and rewarding for your child. If you have babies, find some pudding and let baby “paint.” It’s great for their sensory skills. If you have a toddler, mine loves coloring, finger painting and play dough! You can find a lot of fun and easy art projects at your local dollar store or do a little searching online and you can find homemade recipes for play dough, paint, and so much more! If you have older kids, sign them up for a painting class. I have seen classes offered at Michael’s or Home Depot for fun crafts and projects for a fairly reasonable price! If that is not in your price range, just taking interest in your child’s hobbies can go a long way. If your children like to make those super popular loom bracelets, sit and ask them to show you how to make one and make them together!

5. Just Dance! When all else fails, crank up the music and just dance! Baby Girl loves, loves, loves music and
   

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   dancing, and sometimes, when I am just at my wit’s end, we both take a deep breath, turn up the music, and dance. Instant better mood. Bonus points if you do silly dances! We dance like elephants and tromp around, or dance like a kangaroo and hop, hop, hop! It doesn’t matter if you think you are good. It’s supposed to be silly. Watch your child’s face light up! It’s so fun for them to see Mom can be silly too!

Hopefully these may help you on those days where you’re bored, or just need to set everything aside and just have quality time! I also want to point out that these activities can be for children of all ages. It’s never too early or too late to make traditions and spend time with your little (or big) ones. Enjoy! 🙂

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