No line item for "entertainment"!?!

Now that I've gone on and on about feeding my family while on a budget, I am ready to move on to the next most important aspect of family life. Entertainment! With three littles and one (very)large dog, in a 2.5 bedroom house that's a bit under 1,000 sq ft, it's important to stretch our wings every now and then. But with two adults and three littles that ish gets pricey! So we've scoped out a number of ways to get out of the house but spend zero to very little money*. Here are some of our local favorites:

*Be aware that some of these "free" outtings were made possible by gifts from viewers such as you ;) However, even without the seasonal passes a visit or two won't break the bank.

Stone Quarry Art Park:
cost:$5 suggested donation/car
perks:dog friendly, year round--very ski/sledding/snowshoe friendly, interactive exhibits, miles of trails, composting toilet, frog pond(separate from the toilet)... need I go on? The kids love it, I love to walk around here with the kids. This summer we are going to explore the "grotto"/hobbit hole that we have heard rumors about.
not-so-perks:Cazenovia is a bit of a hike, and my big little sat on a bee here once. But there was plenty of mud around for me to pack it with and we all learned something that day. So I guess that's maybe even a perk.

Rosamond Gifford Zoo
cost:$60 year round membership(we ask for this each Christmas)
perks:Close to home, year round friendly, mostly empty during weekdays(except during field trip season), quality interpretive shows, the membership makes it possible to come here for a picnic lunch and not feel pressured to "get our money's worth", I can claim this as an educational field trip.
not-so-perks:Sometimes the animals behind bars make you feel sad, sometimes it's packed, sometimes someone has a meltdown because we got them lollipops *just once* out of the machine and we won't be doing that again.

A recent trip to the zoo!

Green Lakes
cost:$8/car or do what we did and get season's pass as a gift
perks:SWIMMING! hiking trails! dog friendly-ish! playground! picnics!
not-so-perks:DEFINATELY do tick checks after your visit, can be crowded, no dogs on beach rule gets difficult when mixing three littles, one large dog, and one two-handed adult. oh, and the "modern" playground is better since they took the "suicide slide" out but still isn't as little kid friendly as it could (should) be. It's fine and all, just be prepared to be a helicopter parent.

Clark's Reservation
cost:$8/car (or season's pass yadda yadda)
perks:close to home, dog friendly, picnic friendly, nice small oldschool playground, TONS OF AWESOME FERNS
not-so-perks:some trails difficult to manage with the littles.

Those are just our two favorite local State parks, there are quite a few others within a short distance on home. And let's not forget about our county parks like Onondaga Lake Park, Beaver Lake Nature Center.

Not to mention the whole Syracuse city park system.

Our friend Jesse on a visit to Goethe and Schiller at Schiller Park.

AAAnnnnddd a few park-like places like Oakwood Cemetery that are always fun to romp around.

Have you noticed a trend here? Like, just about everything we do to entertain ourselves is outside? Isn't that awesome? The world is at our fingertips! It's at yours too! Come out and play, join us!

To mix things up a bit I always keep my eyes open for "freebies" like the two nights that Lights on the Lake is open for walkers before it's open for cars.

This weekend we are headed up to the Museum of the Earth to take advantage of the "Winter Free Day" which the kids are really excited about.

We have also managed to see a performance of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at Syracuse Stage last winter during a "pay what you can" dress rehearsal for free because of the generosity of a kind soul in line with me.

Oh, and for those of you looking for something more like a "date" there is a D.R.E.A.M. Freedom Revival show monthly these days! But be wary-- it will leave you allll fired up and maybe even a little in love with this scrappy little rustbelt city. <3 <3 <3

So, there you have it, go forth and be merry! Keep that money warm in your pockets! Life is! Live it! <3

p.s. this blog entry has emphasized the need to take more pictures and document these family events! So do that too!