All That Matters Is That We Are Together This May Long Weekend
We’re rolling into the May Long Weekend otherwise known as Victoria Day, May two-four or May 2-4 which is when Ontario typically opens up for spring and summer fun.
I’ve never been more uninspired for a May long weekend as I am with this one since we’ve been facing such tough times.
However, what does inspire me is my family so we’ve planned something exciting for our May long weekend.
May Long Weekend Openings In Ontario
When is the May long weekend 2020?
The May long weekend which is a Canadian statutory holiday falls on May 18th, 2020 and we’re going to be creative in finding things to do.
Just recently premiere Doug Ford announced what services and businesses could open as early as today, May 16.
Some of what will open are golf courses, marinas, parks, and shops with an outdoor entry that’s not in a mall.
You can find the full list of everything that can open starting today and this coming Tuesday on my Government Websites page.
To be honest, many Canadians have been home for months now amidst the COVID-19 pandemic where getting out is a big deal.
Whether it’s a smart idea at this point is left up to Canadians but the option is on the table as Ontario starts to open up.
After the long weekend, Ford plans to make an announcement about schools and daycares which I’m sure will be a hot topic.
There’s been so much going on from homeschooling to blogging and working from home.
Planning for the long weekend has meant planning around activities we could do at home or in the general area.
Daily Family Activities In May
Over the past weeks, we’ve done daily walks through the neighbourhood and the park where our son’s school is located.
Our son has gotten to the point where he’s running up and down the lounge just to burn energy.
He’s getting bored even though he has tonnes of toys and sports items to play with including a trampoline.
A drive to Home Depot or the grocery store seems like a mini road trip for him as he leans his head on the window and just stares.
Without a sibling he turns to both of us for friendship often which is fine as we enjoy spending time with him.
The other day he told us that he missed going to soccer practice and wants to see his friends.
You just see his little face light up when we walk by his school as if he’s reminiscing.
Clearly, the pandemic is taking its toll on children and parents which will likely follow into the May long weekend.
We don’t have a campground that we visit nor a cottage but typically on the May long weekend we visit family who does.
Even so many campgrounds aren’t ready to open without protocols put in place for their guests.
Unfortunately, we don’t want to take any chances right now and plan to stay home for the long weekend.
So, Mrs. CBB and I sat down last night and created a list of activities we could do as a family.
It’s not like we haven’t done it already but on the May long weekend, you want to make it somewhat special.
Think, water, sports, ice-cream, people-watching, animals, games, nature, art, BBQ family party and lots of snacks.
Our May Long Weekend Family Plans
Unfortunately, we don’t have an in-ground pool that needs opening but there are quite a few in our neighbourhood.
It’s always the same every year, days before the May long weekend the pool hoses show up on the driveways.
During our nightly walks, we see homeowners with their hoses draining the water for the pool preparing for the May long weekend.
- Water games – I specifically bought the Bunch of Balloons from Costco while they were on sale for $14.99 so we could use them for the May Long Weekend. Our son loves water balloon fights and using the hose to water the grass and flowers.
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Sports – You can find all 3 of us kicking the soccer ball around practicing moves on the driveway. We plan to set up an obstacle course since we have all of the soccer tools his coach uses at practice. It’s a fun sport we all enjoy participating in.
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Ice-cream – Nope, we’re not scooping ice-cream we bought at the grocery store. We’ll be using our Kitchen-Aid Ice-cream machine to create a signature family ice-cream. I’ll keep you updated to see what we make.
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People-watching and Nature Trail Walks – Often times we just like to hang out in a parking lot during our walks and people watch. Sometimes we sit on our front porch but we already know all of our neighbours secrets, haha. If the parks are open we will walk through and people watch for a bit. Our son likes to get out and about and doesn’t mind just chatting with us. Our plan is to bring a couple of books to read and some snacks.
- Games – We have lots of indoor games that we can plan however if the weather is nice we will bring them either in the backyard or in the front and play them outside. Our favourite is Honey Bee Tree
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Art – We have lots of sidewalk chalk and paint so we will be doing outdoor art on the driveway.
- Digging – I found a heavy-duty kids digger on the side of the road for free the other day. I plan to clean it up this weekend so we can add it to the other one we have. Now, both our son and I can dig in the sandbox like real men. It’s a pretty cool toy.
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Front Porch BBQ family party – We’ve planned a mini BBQ party on our front porch with all the trimmings. The reason it’s on our front porch is so that we can people watch. Being away from human contact has been hard for us since we are so outgoing as a family. It’s great to see people walk by or stop to chat from the sidewalk as they wander by.
- Snacks – Besides making homemade ice-cream we are popping popcorn with homemade caramel sauce drizzled over top and bits of crunchy bacon, baking a cake, and some keto peanut butter cookies for mama CBB. Also on the menu is pancake cereal which our son loves. If you haven’t tried it I’ll post a pic of it in my next newsletter on Friday so make sure you are subscribed to the blog so you get it in your email. We’ve also been trying to get our son to eat more vegetables so we’re all going to clean and chop our favourite veggies and put them on a tray.
Our May long weekend won’t be spent with family at the cottage or lounging around the beach but we will be together as a family.
Happy May Long Weekend Everyone.
CBB Family!
Discussion: What are your plans for the May Long Weekend whether you have kids or not?
Leave me a comment below as I’d love to hear other suggestions we might be able to implement into our May long weekend family plans.
Blog Posts You May Have Missed
Below is a recap of the blog posts I’ve published over the past two weeks.
If you haven’t subscribed to the blog make sure to add your email to my list so you get my weekly blog posts and access to my Free Budget Resources Library.
Plus, now I also release a bi-weekly newsletter that comes straight to your email only for subscribers.
You’ll find exclusive updates about the blog and CBB home life including photos and exclusive contests.
- How much should a realtor spend on a closing gift?
- How to budget for personal miscellaneous expenses (free budget binder printable)
- Carrot soup with parsnip, ginger, and lime
- 6 Starter tips for building your emergency savings fund
- Simple ways to rid of household and garden ants
Seasonal Frugal Recipe
Carrian and Cade over at Oh Sweet Basil created this easy Ham Lemon Orzo Salad with Parmesan and Peas.
If you’ve never tried orzo pasta before it’s a great budget pantry staple to have in the house and delicious.
One of our favourite brands of pasta for price and quality is Ital Pasta Orzo and for only $1.99 you get 900g.
Orzo is easy to cook and you can prepare it in a variety of ways such as orzo pasta, orzo soup, and orzo salad.
As meat prices climb I like the simplicity of the added ham although you could eliminate it to make it a meatless meal.
However, if you’re not a fan of ham you can replace it with chicken, turkey, or shrimp.
What would you put in your orzo salad?
Leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear your recipe ideas.
CBB Motivational Corner
This simply means that if you don’t make changes in your life and continue to follow the same path the outcome won’t change.
Whether you are trying to get ahead financially, fall in love, or start something new that you’ve always wanted to try.
Without motivation and a plan created by you that is open for any opportunities, you might as well just stare at the wall.
I started this blog as a hobby and now it’s a small business which was something I had never dreamed of.
Writing and finance have always been a passion of mine and I wanted to share my experiences.
Along the way, I’ve learned to listen to what others have gone through or are going through.
I’ve made many online friends from this journey and networking has helped me with my steps.
Even when you put your foot forward in the slightest you might find that you’re able to skip faster than you walk.
When you’re passionate about something whether it’s to become debt-free or start a blog you have to drive through the mess to get to the gold.
It’s been almost 9 years of blogging and I’m still learning every day and going back to fix mistakes I’ve made along the way.
Stay positive and make that change today.
Mr.CBB
Gardening Season 2020
Last year we planted the everbearing strawberries at the front of our house in a large planter used for flowers.
Recently we decided that instead of planting flowers we’d plant stuff that we could consume.
I don’t think we expected these strawberries to be as tasty as they were but wow talk about a burst of flavour.
We ordered some seeds to plant some this season since our son had so much fun picking and eating them.
This guide on Old World Garden Farms is excellent at explaining how to plant and grow a strawberry patch.
If you don’t have garden space like us you can use garden pots to grow strawberries as we do.
Recipe Idea: Keto Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Seed Jam
Home and Blog Update
Home Update
I finally got my Home Depot order yesterday after waiting 7 days for them to email me that it was ready.
When I called it sounded like my order got lost in the shuffle of this pandemic as it’s crazy times.
I even offered to come to pick the order myself but glad they said no, lol.
When we got there the line-up to get into Home Depot was around the building.
This weekend besides our family plan as described above I hope to finish sanding our son’s picnic table to sell.
I’ll also be giving away our 3 seater swing as I’m building a new deck and plan on something different out there.
I could sell it, however, I’d rather see it go to a home that could use something pretty on their deck that is comfy.
It’s not a new one but you don’t often see 3 seater swings in the shops any longer although I did see one at Costco.
What do you keep on your back deck? Leave me a comment below? I need some inspiration.
I’m also going to finish the parging around the house and the bathroom which all have bits left to finish up.
To be honest I’ll be glad to get those home projects out of the way so I can get on with the deck.
We also talked about not buying any plants for the house this year.
Typically we buy ferns from Costco but aren’t sure if we will find any or if the nursery will be open.
The last time I was at Costco which was 2 weeks ago there were some plants in the garden centre but no ferns.
I know Food Basics had some on sale but our store sold out.
In our vegetable seedlings pots, I did add a few pots of flower seeds so we’ll see if anything sprouts from that.
Other than that I’m working with my colleagues on returning to work and creating an action plan.
That’s where I’ve been hiding lately, with headphones in the corner in meetings for hours.
What a process but definitely something that needs to be done if we plan to move forward.
Anyways, thanks for reading about my boring life.
I hope you enjoyed it. 
Blog Update
The Mother’s Day Contest is now over and the winner has been contacted.
Once I hear back I will announce the winner’s name here and on the blog.
Thanks, everyone for your continued support on CBB.
When you Like, Share, Comment and, Subscribe to my blog that helps me to sponsor contests such as this one.
What are the most popular types of contest prizes?
Leave me a comment below.
Reader Mailbag Series
I’d love to start a reader mailbag series where you the readers send me a question and I’ll post it right here.
This will allow CBB readers to comment below to help solve your problem or give you some tips.
It can be anything from finance to gardening, relationships to parenting.
Keep your question short but with as much detail as needed to describe your problem.
If you have a photo you want me to share you can send that into my email canadianbudgetbinder@yahoo.ca
Perhaps you have a garden plant that needs help and wants to share a photo of the issue it’s having.
Send it to me.
Mr.CBB
Question For Mr.CBB
Dear Mr.CBB,
What’s the easiest way to budget with cash?
Darline
Oshawa, Ontario
Hi Darline,
If you’re budgeting with cash for the first time I’d suggest starting with something basic.
Download my basic budget sheet and perhaps look into the budget jars or the envelope budget system.
Both of these systems work equally as well to help support a cash budget.
Once you get used to the budgeting process and feel comfortable moving to the next level try my free excel budget spreadsheet.
You don’t have to by any means as you can use a basic budget sheet for life.
Either way, you’re at the right place when it comes to budgeting as there are hundreds of blog posts to help assist you.
Alternatively, you can email me with any direct questions about any free resources from CBB you are using.
I’ll do my best to offer suggestions.
Thanks for your question.
Mr.CBB
Saturday Search Term Giggles
These are keywords that readers typed into their search engine and landed on this blog.
I get thousands of these every single day and pick some of the best to feature right here.
- Rice Pubbing – Haha, all I could think of was going to the pub with a bowl of rice.
- Boyfriend Stealing Medication Canada– Ouch, that’s not good
- Why is the Canadian Dollar Store cheaper than other stores? – I dunno, maybe because it’s a dollar store. They get a product that is deeply discounted in bulk from suppliers around the world.
- How to make a quit letter – I just thought this was cute, that’s all.
- The Canadian No Stealing Law- I have NO idea what this is. Do you? Drop me a comment below and fill me in.
Until Next Time
Keep on sharing and liking posts and you’ll help celebrate CBB’s ongoing contribution to Canadians.
Thanks, everyone,
P.S – Go sign up for my email subscription
Mr.CBB
The post Our Exciting May Long Weekend Family Plans : The Saturday Weekend Review #303 appeared first on Canadian Budget Binder.