I’ve recently been trying to think of things to do that are fun and free. The kids are my big motivator for this, so I brainstormed, and here is a list of 20 free family fun things that I came up with.

1. Colour. Get out the paper and crayons and try to come up with some creative things. We recently traced all of our hands and made pictures form those. I kept one that has all of our hands traced on one sheet and dated it. The picture is a real keeper, as it shows the kids’ hand sizes right along with mine.
2. Go to the Library. There are often activities for kids at the library, especially on Saturday or Sunday mornings (at least in my city). Check it out! And the kids loved picking out books for me to read to them.
3. Play Board Games. Even with my kids, who are really young (2 and 4) this is a blast! We play snakes and ladders as well as some other kids games that were given to us that the kids enjoy, and I have fun with them.
4. Bake. We bake something at least every other week. I bake all my own bread at home, so this is a big money saver! The cost of a loaf of bread, baked at home, is about 25 cents for the ingredients. And it costs me about $3 for the same loaf of bread in the store. And the kids love mixing the dough and pouring the ingredients. And when it’s warm out of the oven, then we all get a slice smothered in margarine. Mmmmm! We also bake banana bread, cake, and sometimes cookies.
5. Take some digital pictures. Even my kids get a turn with the camera! They love it and we get to look at the pictures on the computer afterwards and laugh, especially at the ones my son takes of his face really close up!
6. Go to the playground. I know it may sound basic and silly, but it really is a lot of fun! I play “catch me” with the kids, where they get to run around and I have to pretend to try and catch them. We sometimes get other kids in the playground who want to play, too. And I find I’m the only adult in the playground (most times) who is actually playing with his kids. It also gives me a great workout! you’d be surprised at how much energy it takes to keep up to a four year old kid. Go down the slide, swing on the swings, help your kids to climb, even play in the sand. It’s great for your spirit, too!
7. Learn something new. You went to the library already, so learn about the things in those books you grabbed. Or find something on the Internet that is fun for everyone to learn about. It’s great to teach your kids and get them discussing things that they are interested in. I had my son teach my all about Bakugan toys and how they work, for example. And my daughter introduced me to all the Little Ponies that her grandma bought her and I had to learn all their names. It was surprisingly fun! And my kids got very engaged with me. And then I read them a kids’ story about a Viking boy and they learned some history and talked about all the neat things that were in the story, like the ship and the swords and the funny clothes they wore…
8. Make some origami. All you need is some paper. Do a search on the Internet and you will find many sites instructing on this. Or maybe you got a book from the library already?
9. Play catch. Kids love to play catch or soccer and just move the ball around in interaction with each other and their parents. And everybody gets a little exercise as a bonus!
10. Go for a bike ride. Explore your neighbourhood! Just be safe and follow local traffic and helmet laws.
11. Build a blanket tent city. Take some blankets and build tents or forts out of them and have a maze and fun place to play. The kids love this, and we sometimes play tag through the tents all over the living room, as it’s easy for the kids to hide from me and more fun to chase from place to place. They can also pretend their adventurers on a camp out and exploring the world.
12. Do some gardening. Really! The kids love planting and taking care of the garden and have learned to see the results of their work. They are happy to pull the weeds with me, as they enjoy playing in the dirt and understand that it helps to make their plants grow better. They’re really looking forward to strawberries and peas this year!
13. Make some cards. Have a birthday or other special event coming up? It’s great to make some cards and cost practically nothing, just the cost of paper/card stock. Have the kids draw special pictures and decorate the cards in a special way for the occasion. We tend to have a stock of craft supplies from the dollar store, so making a card probably costs less than 10 cents. That’s close enough to free!
14. Do some puzzles. Yes, jigsaw puzzles! The kids love putting these together and enjoy my input, even if they can do it themselves.
15. Go swimming. Most cities have free swim parks or there is a lake nearby that you can enjoy. All it costs is the gas to get there. Or if you’re lucky you live close enough to bike or walk, then it really is free! Our neighbourhood has a free water park that the kids love to play in. While it’s not really swimming, it’s close. And that makes me think of the next one…
16. Have a water fight! The kids love getting me all wet and spraying me with water. A couple of weeks ago I bought three little squirt guns for $1, which added to the fun. so we each have a squirt gun and love the added dimension. Of course the kids love it if they get control of the hose or sprinkler… and another water related one…
17. Blow bubbles. Mix one part liquid dish detergent with 15 parts water – one quick way to do this is to just mix 1/4 cup detergent with 3-3/4 cups of water. Use filtered and fairly soft water if you can. Then, take a wire coat hanger, bend and twist it into a small loop or two, and you’re ready to go. Any round object will work – I’ve used plastic lids from coffee whitener and just cut the centre out. Be inventive! Blowing bubbles works really great if you have small children who love to chase them or are just learning to blow them. With the bigger things, like the lids you have to wave it in the air to make the bubbles. Don’t wave too hard.
18. Play some music. I have tin whistles and a guitar, but you can learn pretty much any instrument that interests you. When we visit Grandma we play on the piano, even though none of us really know how. It’s just for fun and the kids really enjoy it. And we actually learn a little about music. And the more I do it, the better my skills get!
19. Explore the outdoors. My city has a great river valley to walk in, but there are also nearby parks and reserves that we can go visit. Travelling to those costs the gas money, so we usually stay close. The kids get to show me their discoveries, such as the butterfly my son saw coming out of it’s cocoon, spiders building webs or eating a bug, something floating along in the river, squirrels, and a huge variety of plants.
20. Build a Castle or Fort. In the winter time we build snow forts out in our yard, which the kids love. Another idea for when there is no snow is to go by the local appliance or hardware store and ask if they have any huge boxes they are getting rid of. They will usually let you just take it (sometimes 2 or three), and you can then build a castle from it in your yard or living room. Cut out the windows, make a door, the limit is your imagination (and how much cardboard you have).

I could add more, but think I’ll save that for another day and another list. If anyone reading this has things to add, please comment and let me know!

There are many things that can make a weekend great. The most wonderful of these is spending quality time with those you care about. As a single parent I am always looking for ways to have fun with my kids and to spend as little as possible in the process. Of course part of this includes the very day routine ad keeping it as inexpensive as possible. That includes meals.

Saturday morning is pancake day… And it’s much cheaper to make from scratch than it is to buy a mix. Here’s my personal recipe, based on one that I got out of a book from the early 20th Century.

Ingredients:
1-1/3 cups flour
1-1/2 cups skimmed milk
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add milk and egg. Stir until relatively smooth. Let sit for 5-10 minutes for fluffier pancakes.

Cook on med-low heat, flipping when bubbles are mostly gone. Eat with syrup or other favourite topping (jam, jelly, fruit…)

Of course we make the rest of the morning fun, with the kids helping clean and put the dishes away. I am always on the lookout for free or inexpensive things to do. Today we are going to watch The Knights of the Northern Realm perform their staged fighting and let the kids do some crafts, which I know they will enjoy. We’ll eat lunch there, which I will pack. It’ll be a simple lunch, with a couple of sandwiches and some fruit for snacks, with watered juice (50% water, 50% juice), which the Doctor recommends as being healthier anyhow, to drink.

Afterwards we’ll head over to The Edmonton Street Performers Festival. The kids haven’t really experienced this kind of thing before, so I think they will love this. Sunday we will also go and see the performances during the afternoon when it is set to be especially for kids.

After the Street Performance event we’ll head home and we have making some homemade bread. This is the recipe I use for most of the bread we love to eat. I do vary it a bit at times, adding things like tomatoes into it. My son doesn’t like tomatoes, so when I do that, I make two loaves. This is a yeast free bread, so it’s really easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups water (or milk or other liquid, except oil. I’ve also used tomato juice, which is really good)
• 1/4 cup canola oil (or other liquid fat, such as melted margarine, olive oil, etc.) [I use canola because it's the least expensive, being a local crop.]

1. Mix the dry ingredients (don’t sift the flour!).
2. Mix the liquid and add to dry
3. Stir until they are mixed thoroughly
   (Dough should be moist, but not sticky)
4. Shape dough into oval or circle, as desired.
5. Place on clean baking sheet
6. Score top with line, diamond, or “X” to prevent splitting of crust
7. Bake for ~40 minutes at 400 F

I sometimes also add salt and oregano on top for a nice Italian style bread (Foccacia). Be inventive and enjoy!

After dinner and bread baking we will play a couple of games – right now my four-year-old loves snakes and ladders. Then it will be bedtime. And Sunday will begin with a wonderful, fun day, too! Mostly it will be yard work, though… Which we actually do enjoy.

I have run a few of different businesses in the past, all while working from home, and currently run a couple part-time ones at home. I find it interesting that there are now so many schemes on the Internet about people working from home. Things like,  “Be part of one of America’s Fastest Growing Industries! Earn thousand of dollars a month – from your home – Processing Medical Billing Claims.” Then there are those that advertise for Internet marketing businesses claiming that you can work 2 to 4 hours a day while making $5000, $10,000, or more per month. If it seems to good to be true, it is!

Yes, I run this as a business. It’s young, and in its infancy it hardly makes a cent for me. I put in hours and hours of work, and have yet to make anything worth mentioning. I am in the red, because it costs me to run the site. Internet home-based businesses are a lot of work! You won’t hear the Internet gurus espousing how much work it really is initially – at least not until you’ve spent hundreds or thousands of dollars to buy their programs. While there are some good things out there, realize that running any home-based business is like running a non-home-based business, just the office is different.

If you are serious about working at home, then you need to examine what kinds of activities you could seriously do day after day. I like to bake, and have even managed a bakery (that was my job for a couple of years in university – paid part of my tuition). but I couldn’t do it full time. I love the food, enjoy the process, but it would drive me nuts to have ot make breads, cookies, cakes, and such all day long. Not to mention the marketing and management aspects that I would have to do to make it work.

I have been a silversmith-artist. That I enjoyed for the most part. But I was terrible at marketing my work. And I didn’t understand business well enough to make a really good living at it. I went after the wrong things, because I saw how well someone else was doing with it. That cost me thousands! I would do it completely different if I were to do it again. And I’d probably make a reasonable living from it. But I didn’t realize all of the issues involved when I started.

If you are thinking about a home-based business make sure to do your research into the business itself. Do not buy any kits or how-to items on a whim. If the kit is available today, it will be tomorrow. Look into the business and the work it entails to be sure that it is something that you could enjoy doing. I’ve heard that the best is to pick something that you really would enjoy doing for free for eight or ten hours a day. Then that should be your business. For me, it’s things like the writing I do for this page. And I am doing for free (for now). But that’s not my long-term plan. And it shouldn’t be yours!

To find more about what questions to ask, to get more information on any work at home program or business you read about, or to complain about something in a scheme or program, visit the Federal Trade Commission Web site (in the USA). In Canada, visit the Canada Business site. There is a great fact sheet on starting a home-based business available from the Canadian Government called Home-Based Business. I recommend anybody, anywhere at least have a read through this before starting any home-based business. It has tips, a large number of ideas, and some pros and cons of working at home.

Canada Day 2009 - Papa & Kids

Okay, I took a couple of days off from posting for the Canada Day holiday. It was a lot of fun! The kids loved it, and there were tonnes of things that we did – all cost free! (Not including the gas to get there.) What we did:

• Went to the neighbourhood celebration in the park – there was face-painting (the kids didn’t like that), crafts (they loved that), air-filled jumping tents (they couldn’t get enough), and a petting zoo. There was also concerts performed by several different bands. All cost us nothing!
• Bought some ice cream – okay that wasn’t free, but it was nice.
• Played in the local water park. The kids got wet and had fun there!
• Went to the fireworks display, which the kids loved! We’ll see if I can keep them awake again for next year’s display. My son was fascinated with these, although he was afraid the fire would come down to where we were.

Next year I think I’ll get an earlier start and maybe we’ll enjoy more stuff at another location, too. The provincial legislature grounds had a big celebration as well that might be a lot of fun. I just worry that that was a little more oriented towards older kids. We’ll see what next year has to offer!

Renting out a Spare Room for Extra Income

Some houses that people buy have more space than they really need. Use this space to make money and decrease your cash worries.

Ever thought about turning that den into a spare bedroom? Is there already a bedroom that’s unused? This could be a great opportunity to bring in a little spare cash into the household. Renting a room out doesn’t have to be a chore, and with a few precautions getting a roommate (roomer) that doesn’t interfere with your lifestyle and is responsible is quite possible.

Upfront Preparation for Renting Out a Room

Look at your local legislation! Each state/province has different legislation in their landlord & tenant acts. These are important to know what your rights and responsibilities are. If you are unable to provide what is necessary, then don’t do it. Usually the most difficult thing is simply getting a lock for the room. There are several rental agreements available online, such as this one for Alberta. Read these carefully! While they meet the requirements of the law, it is always possible to alter them and add provisions that are legal as long as they are initialed by both parties (such as, “No smoking; smoking on premises subject to 24 hours eviction and loss of damage deposit.”).

Make sure the place is clean. If there is any damage, take a photograph of it and include it in any move-in report. Have that initialed by the person moving in! Quite often a very small piece of damage, such as a scratch on a wall will magically grow ( although there is no logical reason why it would) and the tenant will deny responsibility. Better to have it repaired before renting the room out. Then take photos of the clean room without damage and have it initialed.

Make Household Rules Clear Before Renting

Let any potential renters know ahead of time what any rules for the house are. If it’s a vegetarian household, then mixing foods can be an issue. Non-smoking, allergies, pets, and so-forth can also be issues. Make sure that these issues are all communicated ahead of time! It really sucks to let someone move in if you asthmatic, only to find afterwards that he is a smoker. Even if it’s kept outside, it can make someone sick just from being on the clothes and then brought into the house.

Make sure that chores and cleaning duties are clearly outlined. Leaving dishes in the sink, even for a day, can be a big inconvenience for anyone else. Be certain that all people living in the house are clear about this courtesy. Other issues can be taking out the garbage, floors, outdoors, and (especially) bathrooms and kitchens.

Terminating the Rental Agreement

It will eventually happen that one party or the other will want to terminate the rental agreement. In most places 30 days notice, given at the end of a month, is required for the renter leaving a premise. This means that if a renter gives notice on the 15th, it is effectively 45 days notice. And if that renter leaves on the 15th of the following month, and no replacement has been found, the full month’s rent is still payable. This holds true for any day that is not the last day of the month. It’s even harder for landlords, as most jurisdictions require 90 days notice to tenants. Of course most landlords who are renting out rooms just let the renter leave and never replace that person when they are finished with renting and want to use the room for something else.

Taxes and Renting Out a Room

Technically speaking renting a room is taxable income and should be reported on annual tax returns. There are people who don’t do it, but that’s a risk they take. In reporting this kind of income, make sure that the proper deductions are taken so that taxes are minimized. This includes any costs to advertise the room, a percentage of the utilities, cable, phone, property taxes and mortgage interest. Oh, cleaning supplies are also deductible, as long as it’s only the proper percentage of the whole house expense! And so are consumable maintenance expenses. What percentage is right? Consider the number of people in the house and divide by that. For example, if the roomer is one of four people in the house, then 20% is acceptable. Another method is to consider the square footage of all the bedrooms and then divide it that way. Personally, I find the first method easier.

[Note: Yes, this is something that I have done in order to make ends meet. It has helped a lot!]