Spring is here, and that means it’s time for fun! With gas prices soaring, why not think of visiting something nearby? In the metro-Detroit area, we have tons of things to do. Greenfield Village has a completely new look. Frankenmuth is beautiful in the springtime.

Here is the key to optimizing your springtime off from work. Let’s say you have a few days off or even the weekend. Plan ahead! Make the most of each hour you have with your family and be sure to find time for yourself. For $50.00, treat yourself to a housekeeper for the week. Leave the cleaning behind so you can enjoy time with loved ones. Do not spend your entire spring break sorting old clothes for Good Will. Leave that chore to a night when the weather is terrible during some other time of the year. For another $50.00, get someone else to mow the lawn.

Here are some other ideas:

• Savor those precious extra couple of hours for reading to your children
• Go to the zoo! It’s cheap and we bet you haven’t been there in years. Educate your children about nature and animals.
• Visit a nursing home with your kids. Teach your children to cherish the elderly. Our seniors have paid their dues and many are lonely.
• If it’s raining, visit the library. Get lost in an adventure or gooey love story. Bring your book home, curl up in a blanket, eat popcorn and read.
• Journal your time off this spring. Take tons of pictures of the family on your escapades and make a scrapbook for Springtime 2007. You only get one per year and time is so precious with loved ones.
• Call up extended family and hit a nearby park. Bring food and a karaoke machine and have a blast.
• Go roller-skating with friends.
• Pull out that old bicycle. Feel the cool, crisp air on your face and listen to the birds!

There are many things you can do this spring, and they do not have to be expensive. It just has to be fun. Forget your cares and have a great spring.