Summer is here and with it the call of the great outdoors. Winter seemed ever so long and dragged over, week after week. We really do look forward to the summer holidays and with every reason! But the big economic downturn is still with us and family budgets are stretched. Now, it is a challenge to simply find the money to pay the mortgage or rent and to feed all the family, let alone to come up with funds to help pay for special trips during the summer.

It is traditionally very difficult to strike a balance when planning your budget and meeting family expectations and this is where professional coaching could help to put you on the right track. Consult with your online coaching expert to find the best way to win this battle according to your particular circumstances. As you do this, we have called on our professional coaching expertise to look through the World Wide Web and find you ten excellent days out for you to think about this summer, each rather different from the other, but all for under a tenner.

Kids love models and grown-up kids do as well, so why not try Bekonskot Model Village in rural Buckinghamshire, where you can marvel at this “eccentric” recreation of a model Village, complete with mandatory model railway. Check it out online at: www.bekonscot.com.

If you are a fan of Harry Potter, check out the location that inspired Hogwarts at Alnwick Castle. Children can interact and delve into the world of medieval knights and dragons. www.alnwickcastle.com/ />
Add a history lesson to your day out by exploring Hadrian’s Wall, where you will find some of the best preserved forts and artefacts from the Roman era. Numerous locations for a visit can be found for less than a tenner by visiting www.hadrians-wall.org/ />
Who would’ve thought that pleasant, rural Norfolk would have been the location for monstrous dinosaurs? These beasts hold a fascination for kids and they are almost certain to love the Dinosaur Adventure Park, as they learn about how these ancient creatures interacted. www.dinosauradventure.co.uk

Harry Potter turned us into an army of believers and we want to know all there is to know about witchcraft and wizardry, so there can be no better a place to visit than picturesque Alderley Edge. The national trust has designated this as a special place and all the family can be entertained here. www.alderleyedge.org.

There was a time when the Welsh relied on coal as one of their primary economic drivers. Those days are long gone, but at the Big Pit National Mining Museum, children can get excited about descending down an old mine shaft, dressing up as a miner and sampling the way of life. www.museumwales.ac.uk

When it comes to music, we all speak the same language and during the summer, BBC Proms Plus is staging a number of free events for families. Take this opportunity to educate the kids about “real” music! BBC Proms Plus www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2010/whatson/plus.shtml />
Through the ages, trains have held a fascination for children and although the modern versions of today are hardly as evocative as those railway locomotives, with all their steam and action, you will be delighted to see the look on your kids’ faces when they come across 100 or more traditional examples at the National Railway Museum. www.NRM.org.uk

Walk down memory lane and bring the memories flooding back for you as well as giving the kids a glimpse of the past. You can get free admission at the Museum of Childhood. Find this East London location at the www.museumofchildhood.org.uk

It’s not often that you can find things to do in London for free, but at the Tower of London, you can even take part in a treasure hunt on the beach! www.hrp.org.uk.

If some of these trips inspire you, consider making your life as a working mum more fun every day, not just during the summer holidays, by checking out online coaching options.

Amanda Alexander, Director of Coaching Mums, helps pressure-cooked, stressed working mums who long for more hours in the day. Through her coaching programmes and online life coaching courses, Amanda shows mums how to create fulfilling and successful lives. For your simple 5 step guide to balance as a working mum, download our free eBook today!