Dollars and sense

First, I want to give a shout to my mom who is celebrating her birthday today. I called her this morning before I went to work, hoping to be the first one to wish her happy birthday but she was already at her work and had been wished happy bday by everyone there. Sorry I couldn't be with you today but I hope enjoyed the evening with Jon and Jake.

I love you Mommy!

With school in full swing (Nicklas had homework for the first time today!), Mike and I have been discussing what activities we want to put the boys in. I'm the first to admit that I'm a pretty cheap individual. I dislike spending money (unless I'm in a casino) and I try to be thrifty. I hope my cheapness isn't annoying to others. I try to hide it. I tell people I'm frugal. But really, I'm just cheap. Along those lines, I am constantly complaining about the cost of the kids activities. Swimming lessons for 6 weeks at the Y costs around $60/each. And they spend 80% of the time hanging on the edge of the while while the instructors work with other kids. I want to Nicklas in piano lessons but it's $15 a lesson. Soccer and baseball aren't too bad but now that Seeger is getting old enough to participate, I'm less excited about signing them both up for things but I just don't want to keep shelling out the money.

Nick's best sport is swimming and Mike and I think its important for both boys to continue taking lessons. (Maybe we've been watching the Olympics too much.) So it looks like we're going to have Nicklas go out for a swim team run out of Jeff High School. The callout is Monday. I know it's going to cost a fortune! I would have preferred to have him do soccer which is only $25 for the season but the games are held on Saturday's which means he'd miss most this fall since we bought him an IU football season ticket this year. I don't know how much the swim team will cost but I may nix the idea if I think its too much.

One very inexpensive activity the boys recently participated in this summer is Fine Arts Camp. This was the third year for Nicklas and the first year for Seeger. Held at the beginning of August and put on by a church in downtown Lafayette, they went to camp from 8:45 - noon every day for a week. At camp they participated in sessions like music, singing, dancing, and arts and crafts. On Sunday, the campers performed at the church service.

Here is a group shot.

Here is Seeger with the other preschoolers, getting ready to sing.

Here is Nick's bell performance.

And he also sang and did choreography. I see a future First Editioner!

After the service, there was an art show. Seeger made a flower and some sort of seashell/cement thingie. Nicklas painted a picture with a hockey theme and attached modelling clay in the shape of a hockey player to it.

Most summer camps run $100-$200 per child (See the side picture - Nicklas went to Y camp for $150) but the Fine Arts Camp was only $25 per child. What a bargain!!!