Who Doesn't Love FREE Family Fun? Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day

Ok, admittedly I seemed to drop off the internet for awhile, but summer turned out to be so much busier than I anticipated. I apologize for the silence. I hope this helps to make up for it:

It seemed like everything my kids wanted to do this summer cost money. After the summer fun, came school supplies. Thank goodness for such great sale prices (I stocked up on enough crayons, glue, & markers to last through next year)! Hold on- not done spending yet! I still needed to buy school clothes which gets pricey once your kids start drifting over to junior's sizes. Oh! Don't forget lunch and snack items! Soooo, after all that outflow of cash, I feel like I need a break and some kind of "Replenish Mom's Wallet" fundraiser...maybe a magazine sale like at school ;) In all seriousness, I'm not complaining. I knew that having children would get costly.

The kids are back in school and by the time they get home, get homework done, and eat dinner it's almost time for bed. Since our real quality time revolves around the weekends we want to make the most of the two days we have together. Needless to say when I heard about Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day, I had to check it out. It turns out that hundreds of Museums throughout the country are going to be free this Saturday, September 24, 2011. I'm in Virginia and I counted 55 in my state alone. There are art, history, and children's museums just to name a few. I did recognize a few free museums, but one of the museums I saw was $15 a ticket, so for my family of 4 that's a savings of up to $60. Getting your tickets is easy, just go to the Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day website. Click Find A Museum to decide which one you want to visit. Then head over to Ticket Information and enter your information. They'll email you a ticket for 2 for the museum of your choice.

I know a good deal when I see one and you should too.  Whether your wallet is in as much need of a fundraiser as mine or you just want to grab an opportunity for some quality time with your loved ones, get your tickets and go have some fun!

Oh! Here are some FYIs from their website:

• Offer is valid only on Saturday, September 24, 2011. (Exceptions for Museum Day museums closed on Saturdays).
• Ticket must be presented for free general admission to one venue and is good for two people. *Not valid for special exhibits, parking, IMAX film screenings or for use with any other offers.
• One Museum Day Ticket per household, per valid email address. Museum Day Ticket will be collected upon entry.
• Museums and cultural venues participate in Museum Day voluntarily. *Smithsonian magazine encourages museum visitation, but is not responsible for individual museum content or participation.
• If museum reaches capacity, museum has right to limit the number of guests until space becomes available.