Weekends I hate them. It seriously is the hardest part of this fifo life. As soon as Friday morning hits my brain goes into over drive thinking of ideas on how too keep busy on our two longest days of the week. Its the weekend when the boys and I notice that daddy is not here the most. Keeping busy is the key to getting through the four weeks without too much trouble; so come the weekends there is no school, no day care, no training activities (yet I seriously look forward to that) and we get forgotten by friends and family as their lives go full speed for what is to them the shortest days of the week.
So I seriously put my thinking cap on to try and think of what we can do as a family that’s both cost effective and fun. I try to only spend the afternoons busy as spending the whole day would leave the boys ratty and I think tired for the coming week. Also going in the afternoon only is a good bribe for them to help me with the house work.
Here’s what I manage, bear in mind I have three active boys of 2 , 4 and 6 so most are outdoors and we live an hour from the city. You also want these things to be easy not stressful do what you can manage.
1.Friday night is pizza and movie night and I might add the boys only ‘late’ night-9pm.
2.Dinosaur hunting. Currently our house is ruled by T-Rex and alike. So we head to the walk that loops around the nature reserve looking in the bush for dinosaur’s. We often hear them to!! (the cars that we cant see but hear rumbling past sound just like a roar!! Make sure you use your imagination)
3. Picnic at the dam. We live just five minutes from the dam. So I will pack a lunch and we head to the dam for a couple of hours. They go nuts. (We also go once during the week for a dinner picnic the kids love it)
4. Local Swimming pool. Great value. Four of us costs just $4 (check with your local council). The boys love it as its free play as opposed to lesson’s they normally attend the pool for.
5. Scooter and bike riding to the park. Usually this ends with me carrying a scooter or a child home but the tired child is worth it.
6. My favourite because it means we don’t leave the house..the water slide or slip and slide (depending on where you are from) a $20 piece of plastic that I tent peg to the ground and run the soak er hose along, which also doubles as the middle for when they race, some washing liquid and away they go. The plastic can be reused over and over again and just check for water restrictions in your area.
We also end the day with a movie. I pull out the foam mattress put them on the floor of the lounge and we all just veg after a big afternoon out. Its great. How do you fill your weekends can you give me some idea’s?
Have a great weekend my friends,
xxD
