In just a few short weeks, school will be out for the summer.  While your kids may be counting down the days to summer freedom, if they are like most kids, within a few weeks, you will begin to hear the dreaded whine, “I’m bored!”  This summer, keep the whine at bay with some of these fun, affordable activities:

Visit free museums and other attractions.  The site FreeAttractions.com helps you find free activities in your city and other surrounding areas.  I found several new activities that I did not previously know about using this site.

Go to factory tours.  Most kids love to know how things are made.  Take advantage of their natural curiosity and take them on a factory tour.  Use the site Factory Tours USA, which lists 560 tours, to find local factory tours; many are often free and sometimes offer freebies.  For instance, in Chicago, you can not only tour Eli’s Cheesecake Factory for free, but you can also get a free piece of cheesecake.

Get a pool pass.  In the heat of the summer, nothing feels better than a cool dip in the pool.  Many community pools offer passes for the entire season for $40 to $50.  If you will be going to the pool once a week or more as a family, it may be worthwhile to buy the pass.  The best part about the pool pass is that the more you go, the more valuable it becomes.

Send the kids to summer bible camp.  Many churches offer summer bible camps for a week.  Increasingly these are offered in the evening hours to accommodate working parents’ schedules.  A typical bible camp includes activities, crafts, and some fellowship.  When I was young, our church didn’t have one, but my friend’s did, and I always looked forward to going.

Take the kids horseback riding.  If you live in the city, chances are your kids have not gone horseback riding, at least regularly.  Find a nearby farm that offers horseback riding and take the kids for a fun afternoon.  It will be an experience they won’t soon forget.

Set up your own slip and slide.  Get a long tarp, lay it on the ground and spray with water and some baby soap.  Then, have fun sliding down while also getting refreshed on a hot summer day.  Kids can do this activity for hours without getting bored.

Take advantage of museum adventure passes.  If your library participates in the Museum Adventure Pass program sponsored by Macy’s, you can check out the pass and visit a participating museum for free.   This is a great way to visit a museum that costs more than you can afford or would like to spend.

While most kids can’t wait for summer break to begin, after a few weeks, they are often bored.  Keep them entertained with a few of these activities.  Not only will you avoid (or certainly lessen) the cries of “I’m bored”, but you will also be able to share fun adventures with your kids that don’t have to cost a lot of money.

The temperatures are starting to rise, flowers are blooming and the grass is green.  You or your neighbors may even begin outdoor barbecuing.  Summer is right around the corner.  Many people take their vacations in the summer, but what happens if you won’t be one of them this year?  Maybe you can’t afford a vacation or you are saving for another goal.  Whatever the reason, you can still have fun, right in your own neighborhood with a staycation.

Staycations don’t have to be boring.  Simply look at a staycation as a way to explore your own city—you become a tourist in your own hometown.  Consider some of these staycation activities:

-Set up camp in your own backyard.  There is no need to drive to a campsite and pay to camp.  Instead, set up your tent in your own backyard.  Let the kids pitch in and have a campfire where you can cook a meal and roast marshmallows and make s’mores.  Then, spend the night in the tent (and the house is nearby if the little ones get scared.)

-Explore tourist destinations you have not visited.  Your hometown may have many tourist destinations, but chances are you haven’t visited them.  You may even drive by them every day, but you have not stopped because you are so busy living your own life.  Look at your town through the eyes of a tourist.  What destinations are the must-visit spots for tourists?  Visit those places.

-Take the kids somewhere they have wanted to go.  Maybe your kids have been begging you to take them to the water park, but you could never get time off from work.  During a staycation, take them to the places they have wanted to go.  You’ll enjoy spending time with the kids, and they will enjoy getting to go some place they have always wanted to visit.

-Try a new restaurant.  If you were a visitor coming to your city, what restaurant would be on your must-go to list?  Splurge a bit on your staycation and go with your spouse and hire a babysitter for the kids or take the kids if it is a family-friendly restaurant.  Since you are having a staycation rather than travelling, you can afford to spend a little bit of money for a fun night out.

-Indulge in foods you wouldn’t normally eat.  Hot dogs may not be on the menu regularly in your everyday life, but for your staycation, consider giving the kids foods they enjoy but don’t normally eat such as hot dogs or ice cream or whatever treat they don’t regularly eat.

If you are planning your own staycation, make sure to treat it like a real vacation.  Take time off from work (and that means not doing any work at home either—this is not the time for home improvement projects), make your arrangements in advance, booking restaurant or other reservations you must make ahead of time, and include the kids in the planning.  While having a staycation may not be as exciting as visiting a new locale, it can still be a lot of fun, and, more importantly, it will give you the time to both relax and spend time together as a family.

A Beer Can Chicken Recipe That Will Knock Your Socks Off!

Memorial Day is just around the corner and with it comes the unofficial start of grilling season!

I actually keep my grill open all year round (hey, I still love grilled steak and chicken even in the cold New Jersey winter), but most people will just be firing up their grills for the first time this weekend.

So if you’re having company and you want to grill something that will really knock their socks off I have just what you’re looking for….

Mike’s Ultimate Beer Can Chicken Recipe!

Nothing makes an impression like beer can chicken.  Your guests will think you went to some kind of BBQ university…but I’m going to show you that it’s a lot easier than you think.

Start with a whole chicken between 3 and 5 pounds. Clean it thoroughly inside and out, then pat dry with paper towels.

Take a 12 ounce can of beer and pour out half. Then punch a few extra holes in the top with a can opener. This will create a vent for the steam to exit the can and permeate the chicken.

Take a tablespoon of your favorite bbq rub and sprinkle it inside the chicken’s cavity. Then rub a few more tablespoons on the outside. I also like to sprinkle a bit into the beer can.

IMPORTANT - My beer can chicken recipe uses the indirect grilling method. If you’re using charcoal, place the charcoal on one side of the grill and the chicken on the other. If using gas, turn off the burner directly under the chicken.

This first time I made beer can chicken, I left all 3 burners on and the drippings caught fire. My beautiful bird was incinerated. I learned my lesson and now I always use indirect grilling for this recipe. The chicken is cooked by the heat inside the grill, not the flame itself.

Once your grill is preheated (medium heat), slide the chicken onto the beer can and place it onto the grill. Think of the beer can and the drumsticks as a tripod that keeps the chicken standing. Try to keep the wings tucked close to the body to prevent burning.

Close the grill and let it cook until the temperature reaches 180 degrees fahrenheit (about 1 – 1 1/2 hours).

Carefully remove it from the grill and let sit for 5-10 minutes. I like to bring it to the table to show off.  When it’s cooled off a bit just discard the beer can and you’re ready to eat!

This beer can chicken recipe is one of my all-time favorites. It’s easier than you would think, it makes for a great presentation, and the chicken itself is juicy and loaded with flavor.

Enjoy!