Finally....something I CAN blog about!

You guys have no idea how much I miss you!  I am behind in my reading...so I have no idea what is going on out there.  One of these days I will catch up....that seems to be a running theme for me right now!

Anyway, there is finally something I can blog about that is unrelated to other issues.....CAMP!

I have mentioned before that we send the kids to day camp every year.  This will be their 5th year, and it is such a WONDERFUL program.  Weekly field trips, weekly trip to the pool.  Everyday has a "theme" and activities are centered around that theme....Carnival Day, Pirate Day, Backward Day.....I don't think the kids have ever come home and NOT had fun.

And as a bonus for us....they provide a nurse to feed Bossy, and a one-to-one aide for him!  At no extra charge!  AND...we have gotten to know the Parks and Rec Inclusion Director (who sets all of this up) and she lets me HAND PICK his aide from the list.  SWEET.

The catalog came out this week, and there are a few changes to the program....FOR THE BETTER!

Camp has traditionally been $70 a week per child (a little less for 4th of July week since it is only 4 days).  This is what we have always based our budget number around.  Camp is 7 weeks, although there have been years we have only sent them for 6 weeks due to our vacation schedule.  Bottom line....7 weeks of camp has been $476 per kid. 

WELL....this year they are offering sibling discounts.  YEAH!!!!  The first child is $70, the second is $50 (that funky week still stays the same).  But that is a savings of $20 a week, and for the six weeks it affects...that is a savings of $120!!

If we send them to 7 weeks of camp, we are at $836 for both kids....vs $952.  At our current rate of savings, in a month we have fully funded the Camp fund, which will be one full paycheck earlier than anticipated.

Additionally, they are offering 2 "bonus" weeks at $15/day per child.  We have sent them to this program before, and they have a blast and a half.  We have talked about sending them for 1 week, for 3 days (more for childcare issue than anything else).  So that will run us $90 more.

$836 + $90 = $926.  

We are still ahead of the game....since we budgeted for $952.  If we do this, camp will be fulled funded on April 18 (the original date).  It feels great to know that we won't be trying to figure out how to pay for camp.  The money is sitting in our ING acct, just waiting for us to enroll the kids.

Once camp is fully funded, I will have to re-assess what "pot of gold" I am funding next.  The original plan was for G-man's birthday party........I think that is off now.  I will probably put some aside for the kids' birthday party (which won't nearly be as much as G-man's party), then work on funding Christmas.

But for today....I am happy about Camp.