I found an interesting article last night on Times Union, a paper from Albany, NY. They had five recommendations for a summer staycation and I thought I would share them with you:

1. Mark a weekend on your calendar as a mini-vacation, and then shut down your cell phones and answering machine, closing the family off to outside distractions. Rent a couple movies or haul out your favorite board or backyard games. Opt for quick-fix meals and declare it a “no chores” weekend.

2. Start a kids’ cuisine night, in which the kids prepare (with supervision) and plan a family meal, including where it will be eaten. Beware: You might find yourself munching on hot dogs in the driveway. To increase the fun, play restaurant and have them design their own menus and placemats.

3. Create mealtime traditions by dedicating one day of the week to a certain food — pancakes always on Saturday mornings, ribs for dinner every Friday night, Sushi Sundays, etc.

4. Hold a patio picnic by candlelight. (Storing candles in the refrigerator makes them last longer.)

5. Create a “golf course” in your backyard by writing “hole” numbers on paper plates and then nailing the plates to trees or taping them to shrubs. Challenge the family to hit each “target” with a Frisbee.

If you have any other staycation ideas, be sure to share them by using the submit idea feature of staycationidea.com