Two weeks ago, on Saturday night, we told the kids that we had a special surprise planned and we would reveal it as soon as the house was all clean.
You better believe that was a motivation for them to help us get everything whipped into shape around here in no time at all!! They kept guessing and guessing and we kept saying, “We’re not giving you any hints!”
The only hints we told them were that it was at our house, it was with our family only, and it was probably something they’d never guess. That just made them more intrigued! 🙂
When the house was spic and span and the laundry was done, we had them all sit at the table in the backyard and cover their eyes.
Then, we handed them the packages of Bunch of Balloons and told them they could open their eyes. They were SO excited when they realized we were going to have a family water fight and that Mom and Dad were getting in on the fun, too.
This was the first time we’d used these balloons and we will never go back to filling water balloons individually again. These are the BEST ever!
They are a little bit pricier than a bag of balloons at the Dollar Store, but for the time and effort saved they were SO worth it. It literally took us 5 minutes to fill 200+ balloons!
I seemed to have a huge target on my back the entire fight and the kids (and Jesse!) had a BLAST chasing me down and pelting me with water balloons!!
Overall, we had a blast and got in some great cardio, too (some from chasing each other around and trying to dodge balloons and some from laughing so hard that it hurt!)
We topped off the evening with roasting s’mores around the fire pit. And it was an evening we’ll remember for a long time!
And look what I found at Kroger yesterday?? $5 for a fun and unforgettable family night? I’d call that a deal!
What are your favorite Frugal Family Fun ideas? Tell us in the comments!
P.S. Need some more encouragement to be a Fun Mom? Watch this Periscope video I did earlier this week.
Katie says
We love these balloons and our family has had a blast using them as well! Such a fun night!
Quinn says
Thank you for the encouragement to have fun!! I struggle with that. I think I started thinking about it more seeing your water balloon facebook post. Really got me thinking. Then I remembered a book I heard about somewhere “In this House we will giggle.” Have you heard about it? So I ordered it and just started reading it!
Then I was reading one of daughter favorite book Wacky Wednesday and decided to start having something Wacky done when she wakes up on Wednesdays. Put it on my calendar to remind me the day before so I can think of something!
Crystal Paine says
Yes! I’ve looked through that book before and it looks great! I love the idea of Wacky Wednesday! HOW FUN!!
Agatha says
Zulily has these water balloons on sale until Saturday or Sunday. 222 balloons for $12 or 111 balloons for $9. Go wild!
Crystal Paine says
Thanks so much for mentioning that!
Frances says
Definitely worth the money! We’re doing them for my younger son’s birthday party next weekend. The boys have enjoyed them the couple of times we have used them this summer.
Look for the Zuru Bunch O Balloons like Crystal has pictured rather than the Battle Balloons (As Seen on TV) as the Zuru are biodegradable and the Battle Balloons don’t say that on the box.
Stacey says
I’m so glad you reviewed these! I’ve debated multiple times when I’ve seen them on sale to buy them; but I’ve always wondered if they really worked and were worth the price. Regular water balloons are so time consuming. Thanks again – it looks like you all had a blast!
Aimee says
So fun – we did this a few months ago for my husband’s birthday. Of course, it took FOREVER to fill the Dollar Store balloons. Definitely remembering this for our end-of-summer water balloon fight!!
Beth says
So…can you reuse them? Not the balloons but the filler things? 🙂
Christa says
We did this the last day of school and my kids and dog LOVED it!! It was a great way to start summer fun.
Davonne @ The Tidy Mom says
Looks like I’m running into Kroger today!!
We love to camp – while not as frugal as staying home, it’s a fun way to get away and explore a new area for around $20 a night.
And, bike riding! We go regularly as a family and always have a great time!
Renee says
I love this. We are always looking for fun, cheap, and if it’s free even better, ways to have family fun. The water balloon fight, is something an entire family of all ages could enjoy. Thank you for the great idea. Some of the free or cheap things our family does, is fish in a friend’s pond (only cost, is the bait), our neighbor has a swimming pool, and we swim for free, we roast s’mores outside on cooler nights, and play a lot of board games. Thanks for sharing your evening of family fun.
Harmony@CreatingMyKaleidoscope says
How fun! I will definitely have to find these balloons – it’s always so time consuming to fill up the other ones. Also, I love how you and Jesse joined in on the fun.
We’ve been spending a lot of time in the pool. We (mom and dad too) play lots of silly games and splash around. The baby cracks up when we swim underwater and surface right in front of him – so cute <3
We are always trying to find frugal ways to have fun, so we can keep paying off our debt. This is my list of FREE activities to keep kids entertained this summer: http://creatingmykaleidoscope.com/2016/07/05/free-ways-entertain-kids-summer/