Stuff to do in Central Maine this summer 2014

Schools out for the summer next week and I am planning out the rest of this month's activites for the kids. Here's a few I know of, feel free to share any you like around town too.

 

Flagship Cinemas offers Camp Flagship, free movies for the kids during the summer months at several locations. The schedule is different at each location, the link is for Auburn. Showtimes are at 10am on Tues., Weds., and Thurs. Check out the schedule, there are some good ones.

http://flagship.retrieversites.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/65/Camp_Flagship_Flyer_2014_AUBURN_1.pdf

This local bowling alley offers a kids bowl free program in Lewiston. Personally we have never been because of sensory issues but a few friends have. While it says kids bowl free I would check it out and make sure shoe rentals etc are not extra. A great way to beat the heat though.

www.kidsbowlfree.com/

One of my boys LOVES berries, any berry really.  This small family owned pick your own has the best berries around and is only a 10 minute drive for us. I swear the boys eat their weight in berries before we leave!

http://www.gossberryfarm.com/

 

A biweekly trip for us is the Maine Wildlife Park, formerly the Gray animal farm.  If you haven't been in a few years you will be amazed at the changes. We spend $70 for a family pass that lasts for the entire year at the beginning of the season and go frequently .

  They have picnic areas and a small gift shop as well as the Snack Shack with some pretty inexpensive stuff if you are on a budget. Check the calendar at their website for special activities on Saturdays.

http://www.maine.gov/ifw/education/wildlifepark/

A really nice hiking trail just minutes from downtown Lewiston is the Thorncraig bird sanctuary. Theres a pond in the middle and tons of critters for the kids to sneak up on. It's rarely crowded and best of all, free.

http://alltrails.com/trail/us/maine/thorncrag-bird-sanctuary

 

The Auburn public library has a fabulous children's room. They have pre-assembled activity kits you can check out for a free afternoon of themed activities. I heard a rumor that they have tablets with educational apps preloaded but I haven't checked it out yet. Check their schedule for kids activities throughout the summer.

http://www.auburnpubliclibrary.org/childrens/juvservices.html

 

When I have a bit of extra money we go to the mini golf and ice cream place out Rt 4. The 18 holes are not very challenging which is nice for my unccordinated family but fun. The ice cream is great here too.

http://roysgolf.com/

 

Home Depot has a kid's workshop series that can be fun. Sometimes theres a small fee for materials. Definitely check with the store to make sure the website calendar matches theirs though.

http://workshops.homedepot.com/workshops/kids-workshops

A nice swimming hole with short hiking trails is Range Pond State Park. Its a short drive and has had some improvements the last few years. Bring a picnic lunch.

http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/doc/parksearch/details.pl?park_id=11

Another short drive is Bradbury Mountain. They have several trails to hike and a small area for picnics as well. Freeport is just up the road for a walk around LL Bean, always popular with my kids. They love the indoor fish ponds. Freeport area has a ton of stuff to do also but we usually avoid too much in town because the urge to shop can be overwhelming!

http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/doc/parksearch/details.pl?park_id=12

 

Here's a bunch to get you started. Have fun!

Cotton Pants for the boys

My boys are growing like weeds and seem to grow an inch every month. I certainly can't afford new pants for them every month so I make tons of pajama pants and shorts. I can make 2 pairs of shorts that fit them perfectly or 1 pair of pants with a yard of fabric.

I have been using a great printable PDF from Hammer & Thread with a little customization for length. Check out her post here.

I have a few sources for inexpensive fabric. We have a local fabric wholesale warehouse that sells fabric cutoffs by the pound and yardage as low as 3.99 a yard. I check there regularly as the bins change often of what is available.  I also check our local Goodwill often for .99 mens shirts I can cut down as well as sweatpants for fleece. Last but certainly not least is Joann Fabrics as a good source of novelty prints and denims. I signed up for the sale emails as well as the coupons they mail you. You can double up coupons as long as they come from different sources, i.e. internet, mail, instore. If you time it with a sale you can get great bargains.

I recently made a sizable purchase of fabric from Denverfabrics.com. The specials change there regularly so check back every now and again. I got shirt fabrics at $2.00 a yard as well as a beautiful rose colored knit for me.Very nice quality I must say. Check them out here.


 Happy Sewing!

Playroom Storage Stools

Ok I have time to post one more incredibly easy beginners project. The boys pulled the stuffing out of the padding on their 2 year old chairs from their table set. After my recent successes with beginner carpentry projects I starting cruising the web for some easy plans.

Shanty 2 Chic had some wonderful ideas. These stools were perfect minus the wheels. I had visions of toppling stools when they jump on them to sing! The boys picked out their own spray paint colours and had a blast painting them. Three stools took me about an hour minus sanding time.

I read all about how easy it is to stain and finish these but I have to admit I am becoming a spray paint junkie. They came out so good and dried so quickly I am considering giving a few other things a facelift. They match their new bookshelves and can be used as more book storage in a pinch as they outgrow them.

 I have to say I would never even have considered doing any of these projects if it weren't for these really great instructables and blogs. These authors have been an inspiration to me. Living well on a very small budget is looking easier and easier. I have been looking at goodwill furniture and even junk in the garage with a new eye!

Shelves for Children's Books

You would think I had tons of time right now with all these projects I have accomplished this spring.
Somehow I have managed to actually finish a few projects with the help of some great blogs and instructables.

By necessity we needed a place for the boys books after a new resident took up space on our bookcase. The books have been piled in a laundry basket for 2 weeks when I came across this blog.
Ana White has tons and tons of easy plans for simple furniture and I believe even has a new book out with great ideas as well.

These ledges were my inspiration. I changed the measurements to fit some unused hall wall space right outside the boys bedroom. I only spent $12 for the whole project.

Couldn't have been easier to make. One of these days the wonderful people at Home Depot will not be able to cut my wood and I will have to learn to use a saw. Until then I can put together these fabulous projects in a naptime!