We’re in the home stretch of our debt payoff, as I’ve been documenting along with our yearly Financial Goals. We’re so close, I can taste it. We’re finally under $10,000 on our final debt, my husband’s school loan. We’re on track to pay it off by July 31st, just like we planned.

So why am I surprised that all heck has broken loose?

Yesterday I took my van for an oil change, what I thought would be a quick and relatively inexpensive visit. $400 later, I’ve moved the van from my local mechanic to the dealership to see if they’ll fix the larger problem ($1500) under our warranty since the van only has 29,500 miles on it. I got this great call this afternoon from the dealer: “Well, it would be covered under the warranty, but the warranty says 36,000 miles or 36 months, and your 36 months was up last November.” Two different mechanics (ours and the one at the dealership) both say that this thing that’s broken should not be broken in a car this “young.” I’ve left a message with the manager to see if there’s anything they can do. Between that, the two new tires we need, and a transmission fluid problem, it’s gotten very expensive.

My husband says, So we’ll be a month late on the payoff.” But I don’t want to be a month late. I want to be done! We’ve worked so hard for so long. I’m getting so burnt out on all the extra things I’ve been doing to bring in extra income, but I’m doing it because we’re so close to the end.

Sorry that I’m venting. I’m very frustrated.

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Cinemark Theatres offers Summer Movie Clubhouse for $1.00/show or a $5.00 pass for the whole summer, purchased in advance. The start date varies depending on what part of the country you’re in (what date school gets out).

Classic Cinemas (IL) offers their Wednesday Morning Movie Series for $1.00/show at 9:00am every Wednesday, starting June 12th. You can go early and see costumed characters.

Clearview Cinemas (NY & NJ) has FREE movies every Wednesday and Thursday at 10:30am starting July 10th.

Dickinson Theatres offers a Summer Vacation Movie Series with FREE movies and a $4.50 concession special. You’ll need to click on your local theater to download the schedule.

Harkins Theatres has Summer Movie Fun every weekday at 9:45, and you can purchase Season Tickets for all 10 shows for less than $1/show, or pay as you go for $2/person.

Malco Theatres offers $2.00 movies every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10:00am, with a portion of the proceeds going to local Children’s Hospitals. Click on your local theater to see the schedule.

National Amusements will offer their Bookworm Wednesdays program, starting July 10th. Kids receive FREE admission when they present a completed book report. Children under 6 do not need to complete the book report.

Regal Theatres offers Summer Movie Express all summer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:00am for $1.00/person. Choose from a G or PG movie each morning, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Will Rogers Institute.

Click through to your local theater chain to find the closest location. Have fun at the movies!

Original image by atomicjeep at Flickr

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I’ve been buying a four-pack of boneless pork loin roasts from Costco since they’re priced at $1.99/lb. Between this, the Slow Cooker Pork Ragu & Fettuccine, Pineapple Pork Chops, and Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches I’ve got a whole month’s worth of pork meals in my rotation.

This Herb Roasted Pork recipe is linked up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Fluster’s Creative Muster Party at Fluster Buster.

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Free Arts & Crafts at ACMoore:

ACMoore holds monthly craft demos and projects, but the schedule varies by location, so check your local store’s calendar. Their next national event is Saturday, May 25th, where kids can purchase and decorate a foam visor.

Free Storytime at Barnes & Noble:

Most Barnes & Noble stores offer a weekly storytime for preschoolers around 10:00am, though the day varies depending on the store. Check out your local store’s website for details.

Free Special Events at Disney Store:

Head to the Disney Store website and down at the bottom, click on Store Locator & Events. There’s nothing this Mother’s Day weekend, but they usually offer 1-2 events per month, so keep an eye out for the next FREE event.

Free Building Projects at Home Depot:

The first Saturday of the month, you’ll find a FREE Kids Workshop at Home Depot. You now need to register (just tell them a number of kids ages 5-12 who are attending), then go anytime between 9:00am-12noon. On their first visit, kids receive a Kids Workshop Apron, and every week they can take home their craft, commemorative pin and certificate of achievement. The next one is a pencil holder on Saturday, June 1st, plus you’ll get a FREE Kids Ticket (with purchase of adult ticket) to LegoLand, Sea Life, or Madam Tussauds.

Free Arts & Crafts at Lakeshore Learning:

Every Saturday from 11:00am-3:00pm, kids 3 and up can make arts & crafts at your local Lakeshore Learning store. This weekend, there’s a cute Mommy’s Memories Photo Frame for Mother’s Day, and you can see the projects ahead for the next two months.

Free Building Events at The Lego Store:

At most US Lego Stores, there’s a Monthly Mini Build on the first Tuesday of each month. Check with your local store for start time, since the kit is while supplies last. We’ve shown up 30 minutes in, and the line is so long that they tell us that they’ll run out of kits before we get to the front. It’s a very popular event, so show up early!

Free Building Projects at Lowe’s:

The Lowe’s Build & Grow Workshops require registration, and they fill up quickly, so keep a note on your calendar to register online weeks ahead of time. Workshops are typically at 10:00am on every other Saturday, but last year they offered extra workshops during the summer on Sunday afternoons at 2:00pm, so keep an eye out for that. Check the full schedule for upcoming projects. This Saturday, May 12th, kids can make a Sweetheart Frame for Mother’s Day.

Free (and Low Cost) Arts & Crafts at Michael’s:

Michael’s has changed up their craft offerings for kids; while they still offer a few freebies each month, they now also have a Kids’ Club where you pay $2/child and they create crafts while you shop. Kids Club is every Saturday from 10-noon, so check your local store for the schedule and type of craft.

Free Storytime & Other Events at Pottery Barn Kids:

This Saturday, attend a Mother’s Day Doll Tea Party at your local Pottery Barn Kids; in June, they’re hosting a National Geographic Kids event for World Oceans Day. Some events are FREE while others have a fee; all require an RSVP.

The PBK Storytime is every Tuesday at 11:00am. Each week has a different theme and often includes a small art project and stickers; there’s also a gift after five visits.

Free Kids Club Events at Whole Foods Market:

Some Whole Foods locations offer a Kids Club, including FREE events like Cooking with Kids! and craft projects. Each store has a different schedule, so you’ll need to locate your store and check their calendar for details.

Let me know if you find other FREE activities for kids at stores near you!

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Living in the DC area or planning to visit? One of benefits here are the many FREE museums owned by the Smithsonian Institution, like the National Gallery of Art. My kids like art museums, so we were excited to visit. My son had just completed an artist biography project on Georges Seurat, so we checked out the NGA website ahead of time to find the gallery that had the Seurat pointillism paintings.

Compared to other museums we’ve visited (like the Walters in Baltimore and the Delaware Art Museum), the National Gallery seemed very old fashioned. It’s perfectly laid out for the large throngs of tourists that visit daily, but not so good for three active kids. Room after room are laid out the same way, with a couch and many paintings to look at.  After the 25th room, my kids took to sitting on every single couch they could find, sighing heavily. There was no kids’ room or anything hands-on to engage them. There was one nice surprise–to me, anyway–I didn’t know that the only Leonardo daVinci painting in America is at the National Gallery, Ginevra de’ Benci, and it was incredible to see.

Outdoors–we did a little better. The Sculpture Garden houses 17 works, all of which my kids found interesting. They especially liked the stainless steel tree, “Graft,” by artist Roxy Paine.

I love the optical illusion “House” by Roy Lichtenstein. Once you’re outside, there’s room for the kids to run and stretch, and make a little more noise than inside the museum. Unfortunately, this art museum wasn’t a big hit with my family as other, smaller museums have been. We did only see the West Building with the older works of art. We’ll need to give the modern art in the East Building a try before it closes for a three-year renovation.

What art museums does your family like?

Whether you’re local or just planning to visit the DC area this summer, find more posts on Day Trips from DC:

• Washington DC Memorials with Kids
• National Aquarium in DC
• National Building Museum
• Walters Art Museum (Baltimore)

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For more easy meals to save your busy weeknights, take a look at my readers’ Favorite Recipes of 2012 or my Recipe Index.

Slow Cooker Moo Shu is linked up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting MoneywiseMoms at no cost to you.

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Barnes and Noble
Kids who read 8 books and keep track on this printable Reading Journal can head to a Barnes & Noble store to pick out a FREE book from their selection (you’ll see it on the journal). The program runs May 21st through September 3rd, and the limit is one FREE book per child.

Scholastic Summer Challenge
Scholastic has a FREE online program this summer, where kids can sign up and log their reading minutes to win rewards. You can download suggested book lists for all age groups, and you can download a FREE Reading Timer App so kids can track their reading no matter where they are.

Showcase Cinemas
Starting July 10th, kids receive FREE admission to Bookworm Wednesdays morning movies when they present a completed book report. Children under 6 do not need to complete the book report, and accompanying adults also get FREE admission. No food purchase is necessary.

I’ve started a new board on Pinterest called Summer Fun 2013 where I’m collecting ideas for the kids–science projects, outdoor games, simple art projects, and more. Hope you’ll follow me there (I follow back!).

Original image by FutUndBeidl at Flickr

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