Entertaining the kids for less this Easter Holiday

April has arrived and this week is half term. I am so pleased to have Leo at home for the next fortnight, so as I write this it is just coming up 10pm. As anyone with children will know, when the holiday's swing around and you work from home, you just know that you will be pulling a late shift once the little one's are tucked up in bed for the evening, and that right there is precisely why I absolutely love being my own boss.

Although it is only Monday, it seems that this week is turning into a little bit of a practical one. Today we spent some time doing some gardening, back in August we moved into a new build and the lawn has been laid somewhat atrociously, so Leo and I spent the day digging up the completely bald stretch of lawn at the rear of the garden, and turned it into a flower bed. 

Wish list

Tomorrow I want to get some things done in the house, and that list alone is as long as my arm. Can you believe that 8 months on, I am still not completely moved in? 

I know, that fact alone is pretty abysmal, but it is not through lack of trying. There is always something more demanding and pressing on the horizon. For instance, I really want to have some roof windows installed, Solstro has some good roof windows deals.  But this month I have a car MOT that I just know is going to fail... and then 2 months later my rather impressive car tax just shy of £300 will swing around demanding a pretty penny.

Because the next few months are financially pretty tough, I have been thinking up ways that I can keep Leo entertained without spending money that I don't have right now (and maybe get that roof window). 

Painting Stones

A few weeks back we collected up some stones while we were out walking the puppy, and today we sat down at the kitchen table and painted them all kind's of weird and fantastic shades. Leo seemed to really enjoy this, and for the price of some paint and paint brushes, we definitely didn't break the bank.

Baking

If all else fails, bake a cake! Relinquish the parental controls and hand your little one the mixing bowl and the spoon. In fact go as far to let them crack the eggs and make their own creation. Today Leo made his own version of a chocolate cake, and instead of cocoa with used Galaxy Hot Chocolate Powder, you can get them at any supermarket. The next baked good on our list are easter nests and of course rice crispy cakes.

Dog Walks (Easter Egg Hunts)

This is an essential for us, because if we skip this we have one excited Dalmatian on our hands, and if you have seen the size of Lux recently... You will see how this could be problematic! Of course getting Leo to consent to these essential exercise regimes while he isn't at school can be pretty tricky. Walking is not Leo's favorite pass time, and he let's you know about this. So we are filling this next fortnight up with plenty of Easter Egg hunts! 

Easter chocolates aren't expensive, and it means that we can do a fair few laps while Leo busily hunts out the chocolate treats!

Go on a Bike Ride

Whether it's a bike ride, out and about on a scooter or watching the kids tear it up in their electric car. Step outside and enjoy this beautiful weather we have been gifted, it's free and if you throw in a picnic, you have the absolute perfect afternoon planned.

A few other inexpensive ideas are:

- Put on a DVD and have a movie night at home

- Play a board game

- Have a family game of Mario Kart on the Wii U

- Let your 5 year old teach you to play Minecraft.... BEWARE: This will take ALL day!

- If all else fails.... Go to the park.

The holiday's don't have to cost an arm and a leg, it really is about planning. We might only be a day into the half term break, but so far we have already started to paint the many stones we brought home with us, attempted to fly a kite on our dog walk (note the 'attempted'), watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and cooked up a rather scrummy cake.

What are you plans for the half term holiday?