Affordable Fun With My Crazy Sister

My sister Miranda recently visited from Florida for a few weeks, bringing with her all the lovable, crazy fun that she is. Miranda is like a life-sized Loony Tunes character with no verbal filter. She's a hilarious companion to have on any journey, and while she was here we took a few.

For one excursion we decided to go hiking, but, being the former Belyea girls that we are, no simple hike would suffice. The Belyeas go big or we don't go at all. So we decided to conquer Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeastern United States, a whopping 6,288 feet. I had made the trek with a group of girls last summer, and it took us about 5-to-6 hours to get up and another 4 or so to get down, so I was expecting the same.

Miranda and I started our trip early, arriving at the bottom of the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail at about 6:15am. We arrived at the top of Mt. Washington at about 9:45am. If you add that up it comes to 3.5 hours, which was a lot faster than I thought we could do—and pretty good if you consider that neither of us have done any hiking this year. Ahh, to be young :P

Along the way we stopped for pictures in front of waterfalls and the Lakes of the Clouds. It is a beautiful hike, and the day we chose could not have been better. From the top of Mt. Washington we could see mountain peaks as far as the eye could see!

For the trip down the mountain we chose to go the Jewell trail, but I have no idea why; it's the longest trail on the mountain and it is war on the knees!

Overall, the trip cost us only the gas money to get there and the $3 parking fee. It would've cost $36 for the two of us to drive up, or $136 to ride the train. I had ridden in our family van up the mountain before, and have even taken the train, but that's when I had free tickets from working at Clark's Trading Post. I recommend seeing Mt. Washington all three ways, if it's financially possible, but for this penny pinching hiker, the quality time spent with my sister, who I don't get to see very often, and the amazing views from the top made this excursion totally worth it!

Keep pinchin' :-)

Free Family Fun: Photo Challenge

Dani and I decided to make our Fourth of July a little more fun this year by incorporating a "photo challenge." I made up a list of 15 things for the wife to photograph; the wife made up a list of 15 things for me to photograph, and we kept score based on the number of things we were able to capture with more points awarded if either of us captured combinations.

For example: someone smiling was one point. A clown was one point, but a smiling clown? Three points!

This was one of the free dates Danielle came up with as part of a birthday gift she gave me last October. (To read all about it, click here.)

So who won this photo challenge you may ask?

Here's the lowdown.

JAKE'S LIST 1. A slushy 2. Oxen 3. A heart 4. Fireworks 5. NH flag 6. A drum 7. A corvette 8. #24 9. Sheep 10. Twizzler 11. Animal poop 12. Matching kids 13. Horse cart 14. Lama 15. Cotton candy

DANIELLE'S LIST 1. A painted face 2. A bug 3. Someone's pet 4. Green shoes 5. A child eating 6. A musical instrument 7. Erica's tongue 8. A police officer 9. A smile 10. An American Flag 11. Candy flying through the air 12. A clown 13. A yellow car 14. A horse 15. A jump rope

Here are some of the highlights.

Fireworks = 1 point #24 = 1 point Someone throwing candy = 1 point A musical instrument = 1 point Someone's pet = 1 point

A police officer = 1 point An American Flag = 1 point A drum + NH Flag  = 3 points Matching kids = 1 point A child eating = 1 point

A clown + Someone smiling + An American Flag = 4 points Erica's tongue = 1 point A slushy = 1 point A heart = 1 point The NH Flag = 1 point

SCORE:

Jake: 10 points
Danielle: 11 points

I suppose that's logical. She is the better half after all!

For your own family fun photo challenge, consider creating age appropriate lists for each member of the family so all can join in. You can make this for an event like a parade or a festival, or when touring a fort or on vacation. Have fun, make your own rules, and get snapping some photos!

:-)

"Just Find Something About Everything To Be Glad About"

The title of this post is part of a quote from Eleanor H. Porter's Pollyanna, a book that I loved reading as a kid, with a movie adaptation that actually isn't too bad—as far as movie adaptations go. This past weekend in Littleton, NH, it was Pollyanna Day, which is held every year in June to celebrate one of the world's most beloved optimists, Pollyanna, and her creator, Eleanor H. Porter (1868 – 1920), who was an early resident of Littleton. I always thought this would be a fun event to take my kids to some day, but seeing as they are still imaginary at this point I had to invite my little friend, K. (When you don't have your own kids, just borrow one!) We decided to dress up for this occasion, so I put on one of my mom's Gunne Sax dresses—which I thought made me resemble Rapunzel from Tangled, post haircut—and K put on one of her princess dresses which she was proud to point out had more sparkles than mine did. Me in my Rapunzel dress.

The first stop on the tour was to see Pollyanna in all her glory in front of the Littleton Library. The bronze statue of Pollyanna, often called "New Hampshire's Most Welcoming Attraction," isn't too far from where the author actually lived.

“... there is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.”
—Pollyanna

K in front of the Pollyanna statue,
Littleton, NH.

Typically Pollyanna Day has some history about the author—by appointment—at the Littleton Historical Society, a guided walking tour of Pollyanna related locations, and... well, not much else. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more for kids. There was a ribbon cutting for the new Pollyanna archway, along with the presentation of the Pollyanna Signature Award, which is given every year to a local resident for spreading optimism and gladness throughout the community in an outstanding way.

Awesome.

But a four year old doesn't care.

Dedication of the new Pollyanna Gateway.

We did get these cool yellow and blue stickers though :-)

Stickers are awesome!

The only thing that topped our stickers was our picnic lunch near the covered walking bridge in Littleton. Seriously, if you ever get over this way, you've got to check it out. It's next to Main Street, opposite the movie theater, behind the little shops and stores. It's beautiful!

The princess at her picnic.

For dessert we walked up to the Three French Sisters Bakery for some yummy chocolate chip and M&M cookies. We of course had to sit in the awesome pink chairs to eat!

K loved the statue of Pollyanna so much she decided we must go see it again, so we checked in to see if the bronze lady was still throwing caution to the wind and she was!

“... if God took the trouble to tell us eight hundred times to be glad and rejoice, He must want us to do it—SOME.” —Pollyanna

The bronze Pollyanna statue
in front of the Littleton library.

On our way back to the car K decided she needed a photo with this church that is in downtown Littleton.

Umm, ok.

And while we were there we had to take a photo in front of our favorite movie theater, the Jax Jr.

All in all we had fun, even if we didn't feel like we participated in much of the Pollyanna Day activities. For a four year old, dressing up like Rapunzel, having a picnic, taking pictures and buying cookies is THE BEST DAY EVER!

Keep pinchin' :-)

Softball, Fireworks, the Hospital... Ahhh, Life!

I am cheap, so I LOVE finding things to do for free!

This past week the hubby and I have been super busy remodeling the upstairs, taking care of the yard and garden, and finishing up some work. So at the end of such a long busy week I needed something fun to look forward to.

My youngest sister had her first softball playoff game. They are the #1 seeded team and played the #8, however the two teams had not played each other in season. It was a pretty exciting game, which ended up going into an 8th inning. My sister's team won by a suicide squeeze... or at least I think that's what they called it.

Immediately after the game my sister was rushed to the hospital for some symptoms unrelated to softball—chest pains, rapid heartbeat. We were all supposed to go see some fireworks together, but with the unexpected ER trip neither Jake or I were sure what we were going to do. We went to my parents' house to wait.

While there we barbecued some chicken and made dinner for everyone in the hopes that they would return soon, and they did—just as the chicken was coming off the grill in fact. My sister was ok. The doctors didn't know why she was experiencing such symptoms, but they had run her through a battery of tests and found nothing seriously wrong. According to my dad she's back to being "semi-normal."

After dinner we drove to Warren, NH—minus my sister who decided to chill—and watched one of the most awesome fireworks displays I've ever seen. Apparently this happens every June in Warren; four different companies come to practice setting off their fireworks and try out new ones. It was a great show! What we usually see during a five minute grand finale at a typical fireworks show they did for thirty minutes! It was so bright at times I almost wished I had sunglasses.

I guess the point is: there's almost always something fun and free to enjoy if you look around. And you never know what you'll find—could be the most amazing fireworks display ever! Could be a trip to the ER. Preferably the former.

Are there any great free activities in your area that you have recently participated in or are planning to soon? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

Keep pinchin' :-)

Date Night: Is 2 Chefs 2 Much?

This last weekend the hubby and I decided it was finally time to have another date night. We have been super busy lately and haven't done anything in a while.

One of the date night ideas for May—see my list of Free Dates for a Year if you don't know what I'm talking about—was to make a meal together, but it had to be something we've never made before. Jake thought it would be a great idea to make stuffed-crust pizza because we both love pizza and neither of us had ever made it before. I didn't have time to make my super yummy pizza crust because it requires two hours of rising time and it was already after 6pm, so we tried this recipe:

No-Yeast, Quick Stuffed Crust Pizza

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon cornmeal or flour
5 cheese sticks
garlic powder

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add 3/4 cup water and 3 tablespoons of oil. Stir until dough forms a ball, adding more water or flour if necessary.

2. Sprinkle cornmeal or flour over a greased 14-inch pizza pan or a large round stone. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15-inch circle or you can do it right on the stone. Transfer to the pan, letting the dough drape over the edge. Cut string cheese in half lengthwise; place on the dough around the edge of the pan.



3. Fold dough over cheese, pinching to seal. Prick dough thoroughly with a fork to prevent bubbles. Brush with the remaining tablespoon oil and sprinkle with garlic powder for added flavor. Bake 5 minutes.

4. Remove crust from oven. Top with your choice of sauce and favorite toppings. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

5. Enjoy!

For your own at-home date night you can follow our delicious pizza recipe above or choose your own great recipe. Consider making a multiple course meal including dessert!

Keep pinchin' ;-)

Dinner in Reverse!

Time for another free date night idea! If you aren't familiar with these you can check it out here. This past Saturday night I decided it was time to do a date night of sorts again, as it had been a while since the last one. The suggestion we had for the month of March was to have dinner in reverse, because who doesn't want to eat desert before dinner at least once in their life?

To start it off I made a yummy Chocolate Pudding Cake, and when I say yummy I mean absolutely, melt-in-your mouth, make-you-weak-in-the-knees delicious!

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Ingredients:
First layer:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 salt
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Second Layer:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa

Third Layer:
1 & 1/2 cups hot water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

First layer stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk, butter, and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Pour into an un-greased 8-inch square glass baking pan.

In a small bowl, mix second layer ingredients sugar, brown sugar, and 4 tablespoons cocoa. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Third layer pour hot water over the top. DO NOT STIR.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Let stand for 15 minutes, then serve. Use the chocolate sauce in the bottom of the pan to spoon over servings. Garnish, if desired, with ice cream or whipped cream.

For the second course we had Mama's Healthy BBQ Chicken, which was one of my freezer meals that can be found here. Doing a main course that needs to be baked or can sit in the crock pot will enable you to transition from each course with little to no prep but at the same time keep the food hot.

Finally for an appetizer we had chips and salsa.

I will admit it was sort of weird to eat desert first, but also fun to shake things up a bit. If you have the money in your budget you could choose to do this at a restaurant! Pay first. Pray last. Shake things up and have a blast!

Keep pinchin' :-)

Free Family Fun Date - Winter Olympics

The other day a Mom, who is going through Financial Peace University with us, made a comment about how hard it is to cut back on spending when it influences your kids so much. When it comes to things like going to the movies, theme parks, sporting events, restaurants, it can be quite hard to convince your children that it's worthwhile to let go of these things—even if just for a period of time.

Not having kids of our own I don't know what it's like to be in this position, but as I was doing the dishes today I was thinking about the "Free Date Nights" I've been doing for my husband and wondered, "Why not come up with a bunch of 'Free Family Dates?'" So, I'm going to try to post at least one idea for a family fun night every month for all those parents out there who need some affordable entertainment alternatives to enjoy with their kids.

Since we're in the middle of winter at the moment, I thought it would be fun to kick things off with some Winter Olympics. This family fun date can be just for your family, or you can invite a few other families to join you, or even host it at your church. The idea is to create easy games to compete in, with possible prizes or medals, with the ultimate aim of simply having tons of fun.

Game Ideas:

• Sled Race - Time each member of the family coming down the same sledding hill.


• Obstacle Course - Create some sort of course that would involve jumping over things, crawling under things, and winding your way through things. Again, time each participant to see who can do it the fastest. This could also be done as a relay pairing older children with younger ones to even out skill levels.


• Long Jump - Mark a spot in the snow for each participant to jump from to see how far they can leap. Measure each jump to see who is the longest.


• Speed Skating - If you have access to an outdoor free rink or a body of water you can have skating races, all members could skate at the same time so you wouldn't have to time it.


• Target Practice - Line up cans or bottles and give each member the same amount of snowballs to knock them down. You can change the distance based on the age or ability of each member.


• Snow Sculpture Competition - So long as the snow is conducive to sculpture making, divide your family up however you see fit and see who can make the most impressive snow sculpture. Set a time limit to keep things exciting. Have grandparents or neighbors be the judges. Or you could simply give each sculpture an award based on the funniest, most original, scariest, etc. 

Those are just some ideas to get the creative juices flower. You can always take to Google to find activities that are more suited to your family.

If you decide to have a Winter Olympics with other families some additional ideas could be:

• Cardboard Sled Race - Have each family build their own cardboard sled using only duct-tape and cardboard. They could either construct their sled at the event or do it at home as a family project. Time them down the same hill and see whose design is the fastest.


• Family Flag - Have each participating family bring a "family flag," which they can create to represent their family at the games.


• Have an Awards Ceremony - Acknowledge each athlete or the winners of each game, and present them with a medal, which can be as simple as string with a round piece of construction paper with 1st, 2nd, 3rd place on it, or as elaborate as you want it to be.

To end your games consider serving hot cocoa and cookies or have a bonfire and make s'mores. If you decide to host a Family Winter Olympics tell us all about the fun you had doing them!

Keep pinchin' :-)

Winter Date Night

As promised here is an idea for a free winter date night.

Last Saturday Jake and I finally had a day that we didn't have to be anywhere, so it meant it was the perfect day for a date. First we went to the Rocks Estate to walk on their trails—or get lost—and enjoy a beautiful sunny winter day.

When we got home we had some hot cocoa to warm up and then took naps. Ahhh :-) Then it was time for a "Living Room Campout." (In case you're just tuning in, this was part of my birthday present to Jake back in October. I gave him a year of "free dates." Click here to read all about it.)

I prepared potatoes, kielbasa, and butter with some Tony's seasoning in tinfoil baked in the oven on 350 for about an hour. Normally you'd bury the foil-wrapped dinners in your campfire, but when it's minus 10 degrees outside the oven works just as well.

Then I created our  campsite. We don't have a tent so I made one out of a sheet and hung it up over Christmas lights I had strung up. I had Jake bring in a couple of camping chairs and grabbed a side table to eat dinner on. We ate our tinfoil dinners next to our wood stove (campfire) and then played cards in our tent.

To finish it off we made S'mores in our woodstove, and they were delicious!

During it all we just sort of laughed at ourselves and wondered what someone would think if they showed up at our house and saw the camp site. "No," we would tell them, "children do not live here. Just us. Yes, we're adults. Thank you." Even though some people might think it's juvenile we had a ton of fun!

Have you been on any free, fun date nights lately? Leave us a comment to let us know what you've done!

Keep pinchin' :-)