Frugal Family Vacation

Last week we returned from our family vacation to Michigan. We visited the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, relaxing at a family-loaned cabin and enjoying lazy days spending time with each other. It was a wonderful time, and we will always cherish the memories!

This was our first true family vacation since getting out of debt. We debated a lot during the planning stages on where we should go. Finally, we made a pros and cons list of all the places we wanted to see, and Michigan won! 

One of the many reasons we choose to go to Michigan instead of somewhere like Disney World, was that it was low-cost. We are still working on saving up for some other expenses, so it was important for us to not go overboard on a vacation, but we still wanted to have a carefree and fun time. 

Daddy C and Dallas rock hunting

Our expenses for this trip included gas (1200 miles at the end of the 2 week trip), food and entertainment. Since we stayed at a family-owned cabin, we did not pay for lodging, which saved us quite a bit! The entertainment money was spent on a museum visit, national park pass, books/gifts at a visitor center and ice-cream!

Hiking along the sand dunes

We ate most of our meals at the cabin, with food we brought from home. The nearest grocery store where we stayed is very expensive, so we saved a LOT by thinking and planning ahead by buying food before we left. For example, milk at the tourist grocery store is $4.99 a gallon, but here it's only $2.29! Add that savings up across the board and we easily saved $100 or more.

Snowflake and Peanut ready for a walk

 Almost all of our activities were free or nearly free. We spent a lot of time hiking, playing in the sand-dunes, driving the scenic drive and swimming. We didn't want a rush-rush vacation and some days we just spent lounging around the cabin, watching Veggie Tales or reading! Our cabin was a lakefront cabin on an inland lake, so we always had a nice view!

Peanut having a blast on the dunes

The space of the cabin was a necessity, since it helped all of us sleep better having our own rooms and ensured the girls got a good nap in during the day. We didn't have to worry about being too quiet during naptime and could do other activities in the afternoon and evenings as they slept. The low-key and peaceful surroundings helped rejuvenate our souls, which is what vacation is all about!

Peanut Swimming in the lake

All total, we spent less than $900 for a 2 week vacation for our family of 4. Definitely a frugal trip, but the memories we made while there are certainly priceless!

Snowflake hanging out on the dock

Some things that helped make our trip more enjoyable:

• an ERGO baby carrier - this made it extremely easy to carry our 8 month old Snowflake on short outings
• a double jogging stroller - Daddy C enjoyed taking Snowflake on several trail runs while we were there.
• a picnic basket - this helped make the packed lunches in the car seem more adventurous and special!
• a portable DVD player - borrowed from a friend, it really helped towards the end of the long 9 hour drive. Peanut isn't old enough to be interested in many car games/toys, so most of her time was otherwise spent staring out the window and listening to music!

We are looking forward to taking many more trips as a family in the coming years!

Peanut Goes Camping

Recently, we took Peanut camping with her aunt and uncle who live far far away in Virginia. We decided to meet halfway in Pennsylvania, at Laurel Hill State Park (which was gorgeous BTW!).

Peanut walking along the beachy lake with Daddy C:

Peanut splashing in the water! This girl loves to swim!

She also went on her first bike ride with Daddy C and I! Here she is in her seat! She kept saying "weee!" all throughout the ride! So cute!

We went hiking to a dam and could not resist cooling off in the water below! Peanut practically dived right in, getting soaked in the process!

All 3 of us hiking! Peanut is busy look at the water in the background, haha.

We had a great trip spending time relaxing at the campsite and catching up with family. Peanut did not sleep the best the first night (we arrived at the site very late), and the second night it had started raining around dinnertime, turning our campsite into a mudsite, unsuitable for a walking toddler! So we got an emergency hotel room and let Peanut stay up late! It all turned out for the best, and next time, we'll know to take the weather seriously when it calls for a chance of rain (or at least have a backup plan arranged). Peanut thought the hotel room was so much fun though! Of course, this girl thinks everything is fun.

I can't wait for our next camping adventure, although next time it will likely be somewhere a bit closer so we don't arrive so late and also free of rain!

Do you enjoy camping? How often do you go?

Summer Days

Thought I would share some recent photos of Peanut! She will be 1 year old this weekend, I can hardly believe it!!

Here she is at the pool playing with her toys! This little girl simply LOVES the water - I have to constantly have my hand on her or else she will try and dive under!

Again, at the pool, keeping cool with a bandana:

Watching the Memorial Day Parade! She was so interested in all the horses and bands that passed through:

Spring Hiking

Last weekend, we took a hike out to a nature preserve near our local farm pickup. We're trying to take a family hike once a week this year, committed not to miss too many opportunities to witness the wonders of nature and share it with Peanut! She had a great time as always - this baby loves being outside. As soon as she gets strapped in her pack, she starts giggling! During this hike, she loved watching the cold, moving spring waters. Who could blame her? The peacefulness this time of year on the trail is captivating. Every sound and song of a bird is magnified and appreciated as the earth roars back to life after a deep sleep.

Peanut's First Christmas

This Christmas was very special, seeing as it was Peanut's very first one. She even woke up earlier than usual in anticipation, I'm sure, of opening her gifts!

We spent a relaxing morning opening gifts and eating a late breakfast. Peanut received a doll baby from her great-grandparents and a rattle, book and homemade quilt from Daddy C and Mommy C. The week before, she visited our extended family and received tons of gifts then as well- meaning her toy bin is officially overflowing! But this just means more for her to throw, which she is really enjoying right now!

After breakfast, we lounged around and watched It's a Wonderful Life (afterwards, I discovered this was to be the last video ever played in our VCR, as it had eaten up the tape! Such is the bane of modern technology.). We ended the day with a delicious dinner of homemade noodles, grilled chicken, peas, corn and baked potatoes!

This weekend, we will be visiting more family, but will have to travel by plane to get there. It will be Peanut's first plane ride! Mommy C doesn't know whether to be excited, nervous, worried or terrified of the prospect of traveling in air with a 6-month old teething baby, but she guesses she'll soon find out!

Christmas Traditions

The other day, Daddy C and I were discussing all the different Christmas traditions we wanted to start doing for Peanut. Knowing that she will grow up and remember this time of year in connection with certain events and traditions, we wanted to make them as meaningful as possible. Here are a few of the things we plan on doing each Christmas season!

1. 3 gifts - In effort to prevent a materialist mindset for Christmas, we have set a limit of 3 gifts. We wanted to mimic the number of gifts Jesus received from the wisemen. I think this is a great tie-in to the Christmas story. However, it is proving difficult not to shower my little one with tons of gifts this year! But I am so happy with our decision to stick to this rule, as I think it will make a positive impression on her as she grows up and is older.


2. Reading of the Christmas Story - My favorite version is in Luke 2. We plan on reading this story on Christmas Eve together as a family.


3. Singing of favorite Christmas hymns - On Christmas day, I would love to have us sing our favorite Christmas songs. My favorite has always been 'O Holy Night' and Daddy C's is 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel'. Peanut hasn't had a chance to decide what her favorite is yet! Daddy C is incredibly gifted in vocals and guitar, so he will lead us in the family worship session.

That's all I have right now. I figure if we try to do too much at once it will be difficult to follow each year.

What are some of your Christmas traditions?