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.

Having a fun, romantic time together doesn’t always have to be expensive. So many people tend to think of a date as dinner and a movie, or dancing, drinks and food, which can be very costly. Yet, there are other things that can be fun and frugal, too!

Firstly, think of the fun things that you would do with someone who wasn’t a romantic interest. What kinds of things would be fun there? Then look at all of those and think of what things might be interesting to the person you’re interested in. You immediately have a list of common, fun interests. These are some things that you can do!

Here are some suggestions, as well:

1. Anything outdoors. Yes, the classic walking can be good. But why not have a destination?
• Is there a park or playground that you could be walking to?
• Take along a snack and blanket, make it into a picnic.
• Or take a Frisbee or ball and play catch.
• Go by a river and skip some rocks.
• Take a sketch book and draw each other or the scenery.
• Use bicycles and explore a new area or have a far off book store or library as a destination and just browse.
2. Stay at home. Really! There are several fun things you can do together at home.
• Rent a movie and cuddle under a blanket. Popcorn is cheap and easy to make at home, too!
• Play some games. If you like cards, pick a couple of games. There are also several board games that can be fun for two. Or how about backgammon? Or chess? If that’s too serious, there are ways to make even a simple game of “fish” a little more adventurous, as long as you two are into some risqué fun! Use your imagination…
• Washable crayons and felts are inexpensive, much less so than fancy body paints (and since they’re made for kids, they draw very well on skin). Try drawing pictures on each other for a little intimate fun.
• Read stories to each other. Pick something romantic, such as poetry or another topic you would both enjoy.
3. Go window shopping. Yes, this can be fun for guys, too. Instead of making it about what she wants, pick a topic and imagine that have to pick only items from that topic and see how many each of you can find. The more wild and outlandish the topic, the better.
4. Pretend you’re rich. This is something I’ve seen several times and places before, but can be fun. Go to a high-end car dealership and test drive a couple of cars. Be serious, as if you really are going to buy the car. Make sure you dress in reasonable clothes for the occasion, but not too fancy. Go look at some million dollar homes and talk about how you would decorate the place if it were really going to be yours.
5. Make a “treasure” hunt. Take 2 digital cameras to collect the treasure. Each of you is to go window shopping and photograph 12 to 15 items that you dream about, but are currently out of your price range. Then go home and share the “treasures” with each other and why it’s a treasure to you.

There are several other things that you could do, too. But I’ll leave those for another time! Any ideas you want to add? Have you tried any of these? If so, I’d love to hear from you!

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!

Parades are only one way to enjoy the upcoming celebrations. A lot of people also enjoy fireworks. These displays are usually put on cost free by the city and are a great way to enjoy the holiday for all people. There are other events usually put on by the city, even community leagues. Look at your local community newsletter for events; your city newsletter will also like list events.

Family events are very big during the daytime hours, and kids love these! Last year I took my kids to city hall and there were several things, including a petting zoo, face painting, and some free performances (a clown, a magician, and music). The kids had a great time, and they even went wading in the big fountain in front of City Hall. There are several events going on in our city and I may choose something different this. In fact, I probably will. but I have a big list to choose from!

Look around and see what your city or town offers! Don’t forget about the neighbourhoods. And don’t forget about simply enjoying the time with those close to you. If you aren’t into family events, then use the time in another fun way, go on a picnic, take a stroll, ride a bike, go for a swim. And enjoy the fireworks in the evening!

While flowers and breakfast in bed are traditional, there are many other ways that you can show your love on Mother’s Day – and it doesn’t have to cost much!

It’s sometimes easier to take Mom out for brunch than it is to really show you care. The gift of time is the greatest gift of all, and here are some suggestions on how you can really make it count!

Giving Around the House

Often there are a lot of things that require being done around the house. Sometimes Mom is just tired of cleaning and needs a bit of a break. Show how much you care by putting a little extra in on Mother’s Day. Do the dishes, clean the floor, make all the meals that day. And if there is anything else that needs being done around the house, how about doing that?

Sometimes there are little maintenance things that need to be done around the house. If you’re capable, why not help with those? And if there are big things that need to be done, such as painting the fence or some spring yard cleanup or gardening that Mom could use some help with, then those are also good ideas! It certainly makes it easier for Mom if you can get those little maintenance things done.

Doing Special Things Together

Sometimes what Mom really wants is just to spend some time together. There are all kinds of activities that can be low or no cost that people can do together. If the weather is nice, then how about a picnic in the park? This is something that the whole family can take part in and do all the work for Mom, so that all she has to do is go along and enjoy the day! If the weather isn’t so hot, you can still have fun at home. Cards, board games, and other such activities can be great together. And they’re fun! You can even do some crafts with your mom, and it might be a great surprise to her if you do something creative together. Don’t cop out and just rent a movie to watch. It is much more meaningful if you interact with your mother. It’s these kind of things that she will really treasure and remember the most.

Special Gifts for Mother’s Day

Imagine making a card that shows you and Mom together, a hand written note and your own hard work doing it all. How about a special book or album that you put together showing the times you have spent together? Throw some special drawings and decorations on each page, along with any photos you may have, and you will have a very special gift for Mom! Something like this is likely to be treasured above even the most expensive gifts. The cost of making such a card is minimal, and the various dollar stores have plenty of items that can really help in this.

The key is to be creative! Whatever you decide to do for Mom, make sure that it is something she will appreciate… Look for ideas all over your house, in the past things that you have done as a family, and in your heart! And wish all mothers a great Mother’s Day!