Have a free priceless experience

I am going to have a free priceless experience with my two teenagers. We are going to work a shift decorating a Rose Bowl float.

Several years ago, I spent the afternoon working on a Rose Bowl Parade float. I was next to a group of a dozen or so people who told me that they had gathered together for several decades, one day a year, to help decorate the floats. They had traveled from near and far to participate in the activity that they looked forward to more than any other in the year.

What makes this SUCH a special event? Here's what I can tell you.

Just thinking about going to work again on the floats gets me excited. There is an intensely creative atmosphere in that warehouse. The air smells of a mixture of glue and the most amazing flower scents. Everyone is engaged in an activity that requires their total attention. The actions are tiny, tiny, tiny... but they are all working together to create this huge, beautiful creation that will be seen around the world. There is anticipation and a sense that time is running out - since the floats MUST be ready in time for the parade. As the date gets nearer, people work around the clock to ready the floats.

Wow! To be a part of THAT. To share such a sense of accomplishment with your kids, your friends, your family. THAT is priceless.

As a homeschooler and a parent, I want my children to understand that great things do not happen just by wishing or dreaming. You must wish and dream to start, but then you must make it HAPPEN. It requires that you DO something. Sometimes it requires that you do A LOT of something or that you get A LOT of people to do something. But when you do that, and persist, you get a great product and a sense of achievement that money can not buy.

That is why I am going to go with my kids to work a shift on the Rose Bowl floats.

If you are in the Los Angeles area in the month of December, you too can volunteer to help decorate a Rose Bowl float. You do need to work a full shift and you must be at least 13 years old to volunteer. You must sign up ahead of time. If you are looking to create a new family tradition, I strongly suggest that you consider decorating a float.

Of course, not everyone can come to Pasadena, California to decorate a float, but there are parades all over the country and most of them have floats that you can volunteer to help decorate. Volunteering is a wonderful family activity and available to just about everyone everywhere.

Super cheap activities to keep teens occupied

So, you are about to have a houseful of family - young and old. The men want to watch TV, the women want to talk and the kids are bored out of their minds unless they are plugged into their electronic devices.

Wouldn't it be nice to have something different to do using just the items you already have in your house?

Here are five fun and time consuming activities to occupy your tweens and teens (and maybe their parents) without costing a bundle:

1. Make this crazy paper toy. Watch the video. Good luck making this ingenious paper toy. Materials: sheet of paper, scissors a bit of tape.
2. Cool paper pop up. This requires an exacto knife for cutting and a surface that one can cut on - like a thick piece of cardboard.
3. Paper treat cups. These are cute cups that can be decorated for your holiday table.
4. Learn to draw a perfect freehand circle. This one won't take up too much time to learn, but could bring about some great pictures of round objects.
5. Origami transformer ball. This is a GREAT project. Requires a hot glue gun and patience.

Let me know if you make any of these great paper projects. Have a Happy Holidays!

Flash Mobs - what are they and how to join

Flash Mobs are becoming the new rage. Just in case you haven't heard of or seen one, a flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse.

Well known examples of flash mobs are:

• The T-Mobile Welcome Home Dance
• Frozen Grand Central
• Michael Jackson Dance Tribute

Recently, the one of the top rated TV shows, "Modern Family" featured a flash mob; and yes, yours truly was one of the dancers. Check out the video above and you can see me at 1:35.

Being part of a flash mob is tons of fun. Here's how it happens.

• Find a local group - search "flash mob"+"name of your city"
  
• Get on their contact list
  
• Find out about an upcoming flash mob
• Sign up to participate in that specific event
  
• Receive a link to practice videos
• Go to in-person rehearsals - this is the really fun social part
  
• Gather at the mob site - usually not revealed until the last minute
  
• The music or starting cue occurs begins
• The event itself happens, in well, a flash.
  

My daughter and I have done several flash mobs with Flash Mob America. This is a terrific frugal family adventure and has created lifetime memories.

If you know of flash mob groups in your area, please post them here so that others can join. The more the merrier.

Free Paper Dolls

When I was a little girl, I loved paper dolls. I had a small pair of sharp scissors so I could make the delicate cuts. I stored the completed outfits and dolls in a specially decorated cigar box. My doll had some sort of metal lining and small magnets that got attached to the clothes so that they would stick. Cool stuff!

I haven't seen paper dolls in a long time, and I felt sorry for the little girls of the world that they were missing the fun of such a simple pleasure.

Teri Pettit loves her paper doll collection so much that she wants to share it with the world. Available for free download are her personal collection of out of print paper dolls. My favorites are "Sixteen" (what the best dressed teenager was wearing in 1943) and "Marlo Thomas as That Girl." There are 26 different collections in this grouping.

If you want to know more about paper dolls, then check out the OPDAG (The Original Paper Doll Artist Guild) web site. Here you will find the history of the paper doll, paper doll drawing tips and excellent paper doll links.

Apparently, paper dolls are alive and well. Do you have memories of playing with paper dolls?

Frugal Holiday Ideas - entertainment, gifts and greeting

The bells are jingling, the candles are burning, and the budgets are straining.

You can have a great holiday without breaking the budget. Check out two recent articles I wrote for Bargain Babe.

• Gifts that keep giving - The best gifts are ones that last all year long. In this post, I give some ideas and links to gift ideas such as Theater Extra subscriptions for practically free theater tickets and Paperback Swap accounts.
  

• Entertaining out of town guests - Here are ideas to help you to entertain your out of town guests, especially if those guests include kids.

What are your gift ideas?

Obon Festival - unique family adventure

Looking for something different for a family outing?

From my friend, Naomi, who has helped many, many teens to grow into fine adults has let me know about the ancient Buddhist Obon festivals to honor and remember one's ancestors that includes joyous folk dancing, religious observances and traditional Japanese foods. Apparently this festival is the most authentic cultural event remaining in Japanese America.

Festivals occur at different times at various communities around the world. Seems like a really fun street party with colorful dancers and lots to see the learn about.

Here is the 2010 calendar of Obon events in the Southland. Here is the link to a big West Los Angeles Obon Festival.

Anyone else been to one of these festivals? Share your experiences.

Jet Propulsion Lab open house - May 15 & 16, 2010

For those of you interested in space, rockets and the like, the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, CA is having an open house this weekend.

Here is an opportunity to go through the guarded gates and learn a thing or two about what goes on at JPL. A fabulous free family field trip, especially for anyone who has a child interested in this field.

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/open-house.cfm

If you are reading this post and the open house date has passed, do not despair. JPL opens their doors to the public at least once a year, so you can catch the next one.

There is also what appears to be a really cool virtual tour of the Jet Propulsion Lab. I say "appears to be" because I just could not get it to load on my computer. Perhaps you will have better luck.

Free Balloon Rides in Orange County, CA

I have always wanted to take a balloon ride. I'm pretty sure my desire to do so comes from the scene in the Wizard of Oz where the "no-longer Great and Powerful Oz" flies away. I was always sooo upset with Dorothy for missing that ride.

Now, you don't have to miss the ride and you can do it for FREE!!

Get this. There is a Great Park being constructed in Orange County. It is on the site of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Irvine, California which is half way between Los Angeles and SanDiego. The Park is being promoted as the First Great Metropolitan Park of the 21st Century and is planned to be twice as large as Central Park in New York City. The design of the park has a great emphasis on sustainability with plans to generate and demonstrate cutting edge technology to inspire people to make changes in their lives.

You can read about The Great Park Design here.

Meanwhile, they have gotten their first attraction up and running. It is the Great Park Balloon ride... kind of like the one the Wizard flew off in, but not exactly.

This balloon is tethered to the ground so it won't go flying away. It's max height is 500 feet (which is plenty to see the planned park with a 360 degree view.) The balloon is not hot air, it is a giant helium balloon and is environmentally safe, non-polluting and virtually silent.

Rides are first come, first fly. The balloon only flies Thursday through Sunday and won't fly at all if it is too windy. The balloon will hold up to 30 people and can accommodate wheel chairs.

For times and directions click here. For more information about the Great Park Balloon and flight conditions, you can call the Visitor Center at their toll free number (866) 829-3829.

If you are looking for a unique first date idea, I'd certainly consider this.