The girls and I were visiting my family last week.  We had lots of fun with the family and I tried to take lots of pictures.

My mom with Miss Petrie at the Albuquerque Museum. My mom drove back to New Mexico with us, which gave us some fun girl time!

My mom and maternal grandma with Miss Petrie Deux.

My brother, paternal grandmother and the Petrie girls.

My aunt with Miss Petrie.

My dad enjoyed having his grandaughers at his house.

My brother, the Petrie girls and our cousins.

Me, the grandmas and Miss Petrie Deux.

My dad and brother

My cutie younger cousin with the girls.

Me and Miss Petrie at the museum.

We had a wonderful time, but we’re happy to be back at Casa Petrie.

Have a relaxing weekend.

Last week we had a cold spell that resulted in snow!  I couldn’t believe it.  Of course, I called Mr. Petrie at work and told him he should come home (he rides a motorcycle) and by the time he got home it was bright and sunny outside.  Sorry, honey.   But as you can see, it really did seem like serious snow…

Keep warm, friends.

Miss Petrie got in some more riding time at the Galloping Grace Youth Ranch in Rio Rancho last week.  

She had been wanting to ride Black since I had mentioned to her that he had been sick.  He’s a 30-something year old horse and this poor old man had an evil tooth infection that caused him to have very gross nasal drainage.  I guess three year old girls have their reasons…

Anyway, Miss Petrie has loved horses since she was about 18 months old.  I’m not exactly sure why, because her dad and I know nothing about horses, but I hear this is a pretty normal little girl thing.  She’s finally at the age that she can start to ride a horse with lots of assistance and GGYR allows kids to come twice a month for riding with very experienced volunteers.  And it’s free. 

When I stopped working when Miss Petrie was born, I became committed to seeking out enriching activities for her and for our family.  Now, there are so many things you can pay to do that are enriching, but when one of the breadwinners stops working, you have to be creative about finding inexpensive or free activities.  I knew all the regulars: the park, museums, the zoo.  But I knew there was only so much time we could spend at those places with a baby/toddler in tow.  

So I did pay to take Miss Petrie to a baby gymnastics class when she was six months old.  I made friends with other women who were taking time from their careers to raise their children.  I found out about a local moms club while taking Miss Petrie to her class.  I joined the club and then started attending a weekly playgroup.  When Miss Petrie was a baby I didn’t go to many of the activities besides playgroup, but as she’s gotten older, taking her out to club activities has become part of our weekly routine.   These activities are usually free or there is a nominal fee paid to the business we are patronizing.  This month we’re going to a corn maze, a pumpkin patch,   the Albuquerque Balloon Museum for children’s hour, and a Halloween costume ball potluck.  

And even though I’ll pay about $20 for those four activities, I feel like Miss Petrie will learn something new, we’ll celebrate fall in a way unique to Albuquerque and we’ll enjoy time with good friends.  

There are so many other facets to my family’s take on frugality, but that is for another post.  Today I wanted to celebrate all the wonderful activities we enjoy on a regular basis.

Enjoy your day.

I took these photos at the Albuquerque Zoo and the New Mexico State Fair.

Have a great weekend!

Last week my moms club had the annual ice cream social at an adorable ice cream parlor called I Scream Ice Cream in Albuquerque.  The store has all kinds of toys and is incredibly visually stimulating.  The kids had a ball and we moms enjoyed socializing with ice cream.  We did indeed meet near lunch time, but no one complained about having ice cream for lunch!

I could tell the babies really wanted some ice cream.

The play kitchen and tool area were big hits with the three year olds.

The club had a drawing for craft supplies from Hobby Lobby. I really like the butterfly photo box. I didn't win, but I did get to shop for the prize!

Mmm…writing this post is making me hungry for ice cream.  Have a good day.

Here in the Albuquerque area, we have this great local restaurant chain called Flying Star.  They serve all kinds of food and incredible desserts.  I actually would have taken a picture of my strawberries and cream cake, but I scarfed it down before I thought to photograph it.  I took a picture of my friend Amy’s cupcakes.  She also gave me a copy of this hilarious book called P*rn for New Moms.  It says things like, “Every time I see a cute young co-ed these days, all I can think is, “potential babysitter.” ”

The chocolate cupcake is filled with cream, while the white one is filled with strawberry jam.  Yum, yum!  

The restaurant has a New Mexico/space age feel.

This particular Flying Star is located near the Rio Grande River, so there are huge trees outside the building.  It was about the storm when I took this picture.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

I took Miss Petrie to the Galloping Grace Youth Ranch this week.  The ranch is located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.  It’s a non-profit ranch that provides hippotherapy (horse-related therapy) to kids of all ages.  We had a wonderful time! Miss Petrie has loved horses since she was 18 months old and she was ready to ride a horse.  

The volunteers at the ranch were amazingly patient with the kids and let each child ride for about 15 minutes.  We attended this free activity with our local moms club.  

After spending a morning with these majestic, gentle animals, I have horse-inspired design on the brain.  I’ll see what I can dig up for tomorrow. 

Have a graceful day!

Thanks to Hooked on Houses for hosting Hooked on Fridays and Fifi Flowers for hosting Fashionable Fridays.

We had the most wonderful day taking advantage of some community activities.  In the morning we went to a free story time and tea party at the Balloon Museum.  Then we were able to wander through the museum and enjoy the interactive exhibits.  Since we often see balloons out of our living room window, Miss Petrie has a special affinity for the sport.

Friends in a gondola.

Miss Petrie asked if these men were pirates.

The view from the Balloon Museum is spectacular.

 In the afternoon we went to a community pool.  This pool was especially wonderful for families with small children because it started at zero inches and increased to 4 feet 6 inches.  

More views of the Sandia Mountains.

We have continuously found exciting, interesting activities to do around Albuquerque.  I think there is nothing better than enjoying where we live!