Spring Break Staycation...Rahn Style!

What do you do when you aren't traveling for spring break and you are trying to save money for big summer adventures?  You have a pile of "staycations" and lots of at home fun. And you might just get a lot accomplished.....Read on for some ideas that we tried this past week:

• You can make homemade "pull apart" cinnamon rolls (from scratch)....

• You can send your kids to Rocky and Rina's house for two nights.  They will make their own fun without you...

• You can finally use a gift card you've had for a while and GO BOWLING! A family first for the Rahns....and LOTS of fun!!

Some other ideas might include:

• A date night with your husband - dinner and a movie
• Sprain your ankle at the beginning of the week, and then you don't have to do all that heavy cleaning you were planning on
• Lunch out with your husband
• Make homemade chocolate chip cookies with your kids (for the first time ever)
• Plan extensively for those summer vactions (which is the reason you are home anyway)
• Lay out in the sun (in the 55-60 degree weather) on your back deck, so that you will have a tan and look like you went somewhere warm and exotic - ignore the goosebumps!
• clean out closets
• read a book
• catch up on DVR TV
• watch a movie or two with your husband
• play board games with your kids
• sell things on Ebay - to make money for that summer fun

So, yes we stayed home...but we had fun and I did actually read a whole novel! I had some quality time with Don (without the girls) and then we had some quality family time (with the girls).

Vacation planning is in full swing! We have just added another 4 day trip in between Florida and Alaska.  We will be flying to Seattle for 3 nights (without the girls). The next post will be details on our summer plans and how to take a 61 day summer and spend 30 days of it traveling!

Stay tuned.....

Silly String....on you....for your birthday?

We've finally been able to settle down a bit from February.  March was relatively calm, though a bit cold for our tastes.

A highlight of this past month was another family birthday.  Carleigh turned 11 on March 22 and we had yet another crazy, family party.  Don prides himself on setting up the perfect photo op for our family get togethers...so, he plotted and planned and kept it secret until all were assembled.

Carleigh's family party was a lunch picnic with close by relatives.

   It was a fun time...especially when Don brought out the Silly String! :)

The object of "the game" was to knock down the characters that had been set up on the table in front of the "players."

Well...the result was achieved, but....the birthday girl got stuck in the middle of it!

I think she enjoyed it!!

Then the leftovers were aimed at my sister, Patty.....

Luckily, it was a nice day outside and the cleanup wasn't horrible.  Don was a good husband, and did most of the cleanup so that the dogs wouldn't enjoy the silly string too much.

I headed in to prepare the birthday cake for my BIG GIRL!!

Carleigh's birthday extravaganza continued with a "Mystery Party" with her friends later that evening.  Each girl came as a scripted character that was invited to Dame Sarah's Mansion to solve the mystery of her missing diamond ring.  It was a fun time.  My mom played the role of Dame Sarah.

Then Rina brought out the wigs that she had in her car for a class that she was teaching...the girls loved those!

And...one more birthday cake!

Happy Birthday Carleigh!!!!!