• Good Times

    Sleepover Party: Our Very First One!

    sleepover party

    For his 9th birthday, Henry is asking for a sleepover party. This will be our very first one as a family!

    Here’s what we’re thinking: three friends (two boys and a girl). The girl’s parents have already said she can only stay for the evening and needs to get picked up before bed.

    • 5pm on a Friday night = Arrival (appetizers = chips and dip, mangoes, candy)
    • 5pm-5:45pm = Free play
    • 5:45pm-6:00pm = Pizza and cake
    • 6:00pm=7:00pm = More free play
    • 7:00pm = Movie (popcorn and root beer floats)
    • 9:00pm = Lights Out
    • 7am = Playing and pancake breakfast
    • 8:30am = Pick up

    Can’t wait for the sleepover party!

  • Finances-n-Such

    Sticking to Your Budget: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

    sticking to your budget

    Matt and I have been thinking a lot about the concept of sticking to your budget. We dropped down to one income in January and really tightened up our spending.

    We are trying to use Mint religiously. It forces us to think about how much money we have in each category. Each week, for example, I take items out of my online cart if I’m starting to go over our grocery budget. We also opt for free things rather than paid activities, if we know we are going to exceed our Entertainment budget. We only get something on Amazon if we have cash back bonus points from our credit cards. … Read More

  • Travel-n-Trips

    Family Gap Year Post #5: Getting into the Weeds

    family gap year

    I’m still waiting for things to get into a steady and strong place at school. We are hiring a new principal for the 2020-21 school year. However, I am moving forward with planning a Family Gap Year. My hope is we can hire a really strong principal and feel like the school is in a strong place. Then I will make a formal request to the Board of Directors to allow me to work remotely for one year, starting in June. (I’m the Executive Director, not the Principal.)

    With all the locations planned, I need to secure an AirBnB in each place. We know we want to settle … Read More