It’s summertime and the kids are out of school. Suddenly, you realize that you only have to juggle a few adults’ schedules to plan a relaxing summer vacation. However, you have such a small vacation budget. How are you going to find a good deal on that dream vacation without breaking the bank?

There are a few things you can do to maximize your vacation savings, and they all happen online. Why? Well, travel agencies have overhead costs, like agent salaries, utilities and building rent, that many virtual resources don’t have. To get the best price on your vacation, try a few of these tips:
* Look for all inclusive vacation packages. My sister will be the first to tell you that all inclusive resort vacations for families are a great deal. You don’t have to pay for expensive “tourist trap” extras that you need to add on to basic packages.
* Book flights and cruises early to get good deals on vacations planned for specific dates. If you have a more flexible schedule, though, there are sometimes fabulous last minute deals to fill empty seats or rooms.
* Pack as many necessities as possible, but remember government regulations on traveling with different containers. If you pack a half empty full sized tube of toothpaste, it may just be confiscated, leaving you with no other option than to buy a tiny tube from a gift shop for two or three times its normal price.
* Use online resources to research and book your vacations. A few sites to try:
BellaOnline - Cruise info
OT Beach - Cheap holidays
Wikipedia - A list of vacation resorts
Yahoo Travel! - Holiday destination guides

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Char from Weary Parent had a great idea - building a massive summer reading list for ages 8 to 18 by having everyone who loves to read suggest 3 or so favorites. Here are mine:

Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery - Yes, she wrote about more than the fabulous Anne of Green Gables. Emily is a loveable, spunky character with a passion for writing. The first book in the series is perfect for girls ages 9 to 12. Emily grows up in the next two books of the trilogy. The series is not as “sweet” as the Anne series, but I really enjoyed reading all three books.
(Amazon currently has this book listed as a part of their four for three special.)

I’m not a fan of vampires, but this book is really well done. Older reluctant readers who like vampires and other spooky stuff will love Twilight. This young adult book was a huge hit with our older teens AND their moms.

Along with the vampires, you have good and evil, romance and plenty of danger. A school setting and a girl who just doesn’t quite fit in help teens relate to the story.

13 Little Blue Envelopes is another book for older teens that had the girls and their moms fighting over who got it first. A great story about a girl who finds herself while she travels through Europe, following the instructions in the 13 envelopes her beloved Aunt left her.

Seriously, this book is excellent. (and if your daughter loved the Traveling Pants series, she should love 13 Little Blue Envelopes.) Great for ages 13 and up.

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Memorial Day is a great time to break out the grill, but it also has another purpose-honoring several hundred years of brave men and women who fought and died to keep our country safe from tyrants and bullies. Here are a few Memorial Day craft ideas for kids:

• Flag cake - Bake up a cake mix in a rectangular pan and hand your kids the toppings to turn the cake into a flag. Strawberries, whipped cream and blueberries are all you need. Cover the whole cake top with whipped cream. Partition off a square in the upper left corner for the blueberries. Divide the rest of the cake into horizontal stripes and fill every other stripe with strawberries.
• Flag hand - Trace around your child’s hand to make a flag outline. The hand should be positioned so that the fingers are pressed together and the thumb is pointing towards the bottom of the page. Cut out the hand shape and decorate the flags with star stickers and crayons. Make just one or make thirty or so and turn them into a flag hand banner.
• Make a Memorial Day memory booklet about a family member or friend who died serving our nation and what he or she means to your family. Deliver the booklet to a close relative of that person on Memorial Day.

Anyone else have Memorial Day craft ideas?

Image by bjearwicke

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