Week 8- The week of "FREE!"

Because I spent way to much on groceries and clothes on Monday, I tried to keep our activities this week in the "free" category. We spent the first part of the week at home while I tried to work on as much school stuff as I could, but by Wednesday, it was time to get out. I had a coupon for free miniature golf for 4 people at Hollywood Connection. It was great! We were the only people on the course so we took our time and really got our "money" worth!
My kids fell in love with miniature golf when we went camping at Mt. Rushmore, and they actually have gotten quite good at it. So we even got a little competitive on a few holes.

Wednesday night I was able to take our Young Womens group up to "This Is the Place" state park. Technically, this wasn't free, but it did come out of the YW budget. It was well worth the price. People told stories as if they were the pioneer and it was incredibly touching and spiritual. It felt like they really were that person and they were telling their own story. I loved it and it was a perfect way to remember all the pioneers did, and more importantly, why they did it.

Thursday we ventured out to Herriman to play on the splash pad they have there which of course is free!

Unfortunately the clouds came rolling in after we had only been there for a little while.

It got kind of cold and windy, so the kids played on the park nearby for a little while. Then the rain started coming down so that was the end of that.

On Friday I again spent most of the day on the computer working on school stuff and such, so by the afternoon the kids were a little bored. They had been asking all summer if they could have a lemonade stand (something they had seen kids do on a PBS television show). I had been putting them off all summer, but this day seemed like the perfect one to try. I helped them make a sign and Mitchel stirred up some batches of Kool-Aid lemonade. We borrowed a table and headed out to a busy corner in my neighborhood, in front of our bishop's house.

It didn't take long for the kids to drum up some business. They were out yelling and waving to all the cars that drove by. I thought Mitchel was going to loose his voice. We were there between 5:00-5:45 when lots of people were coming home from work. In that 45 minutes, the kids sold all the lemonade (about 17 cups worth) and made over $5.00. They were THRILLED!

It was awesome to see them work together and take care of their "customers." I'm glad I let them give it a go. They want to do it again and I don't know if we'll have time the rest of the summer, so I'm glad we were able to fit it in this week.

On a side note, I just hate how fast this summer has gone by. There is so much I still want to do with my kids and I still want to spend so much time with them. I feel like their childhood is slipping through my fingers and I don't want to miss a single moment. I love being with them and having their laughter and their yelling fill my house. I love watching them play and work together. I love teaching them and hugging them and playing with them. I love how sweet they are to me and to each other. I love that they love spending time with me as well. I never want that to end. Summer is just too short!!!