We visited the Washington State Fair this month. One of the greatest gift of retirement is a gift of time. We visited on a Monday after MBP’s nap. We didn’t have to fight over long lines. We also live fairly close to the fair, so it didn’t take us much time to go there. This was only my second time visiting the fair since living in the Pacific NW for 17 years. The total cost for an afternoon visit with a toddler was $50.31.

Here’s the breakdown of what we did and what we spent on:

Admission / Parking – $10

My husband received an educator ticket since he is volunteering to teach CS in a local high school. One of the volunteers haven’t shown up so he received another one. Children under 5 are free so MBP is free. Our overall admission cost comes down to zero. Regular adult admission ticket is $14. You can plan well in advance to get a discounted ticket on some local stores before the fair open. I also saw quite a few tickets that was gifted through our local buy nothing group by the last week of the fair.

We drove to the fair and parked at the nearest parking lot closed to the farm animals / petting zoo. Parking on weekdays is $10.

Rides / Attractions – $10

We knew that MBP is not tall enough for most of the rides, even the kiddie ones, so we went to the fair mainly for the animals. I was pleasantly surprised with the Sillyville farm, which offers a “farmer for a day” experience in a 1.5-acre farm area and teaches kids farming concepts. MBP is too little to understand the farming concept, but he was given a lunchbox where he can collect milk, eggs, wheat and vegetables on each station. He then exchange his haul in the farmers market and was a given a snack for his “work”. This was free and I’m sure we will visit it again next year when we visit the fair.

We saw a carousel with real ponies and ask MBP if he wants to ride it. Of course he does.!! It cost $10. I was surprised that he wasn’t scared of the pony. He keep on “neighing” and shouting “horsy” the whole ride. He rode a pony named Max, which is also MBP’s first name.

We then spend the rest of our time in the fair farm where MBP got to pet some goats, rabbits chicks, sheep and more. We have to keep reminding MBP to be gentle, but all of the animals doesn’t seem to care about it. I was scared that the goat might kick him at some point. I grew up in the city all my life so seeing these farm animals are a novelty to me. This entertainment is free as well.

MBP was super entertained with a booth that sells bubbles that we just stayed there for a bit. He also walked quite a bit, splashing one puddle to the next. Things that entertained a toddler really are free.

Food – $30.31

I didn’t get to eat a lot of fair food, except for the elephant ear. I was just craving for some chicken and fries. MBP and my husband had some corndogs. Total cost for food is $30.31.

Will we go again?

Definitely!! The cost is pretty minimal for an afternoon of fun. We will probably plan well in advance to get some bulk ride tickets and discounted admission once the kids can enjoy the rides. I don’t foresee this happening in the next 2-3 years.

It’s been almost three months since we retired from our jobs. The first month was a blur for me. We sold our house in Seattle after some last minute needed repair and negotiation. There were issues in the sewer and electrical after inspection, and we have to deal with that. We also dropped the price by 10k to give some concession on the upgrades that we’re not willing to do. Things were going well, until the final walk thru happened. The water heater broke down. We haven’t been in the house since the first open house, so I’m not sure what happened. That was another concession that we have to deal with, a couple of days before closing. There was a time that I thought we were never going to close. Luckily the buyer pushed through. It was bitter sweet since it’s our first house. We have our wedding photos taken there and I really thought that it will be a forever home. I have to keep on telling that it is not a rational investment and move on.

We celebrated our first 4th of July in an unincorporated city. This means that there are TONS and TONS of fireworks. Our neighbors have a bouncy house set up for their kid’s birthday and it looks like every houses is just hanging out in their front porch. We walked to the bouncy house and was invited right away. MBP (our toddler) have tons of fun in the bouncy house. He is the youngest of the kids here, but the older kids were very nice to him. At the end of the party, he was even walking across the street with the other kids. I saw one of the older kids trying to teach him hula hoop.

I also let myself sleep in. My body is adjusting to retirement and pregnancy. I realized that I was so tired from work that I just collapse at night. Now that I no longer work, my mind is all over the place. The first trimester pregnancy didn’t help either. I started taking some Unisom, which didn’t really work. I have to physically and mentally transition out of the work zone. I re-read Harry Potter and took on some sewing projects that seems to helped a bit.

I was physically more active in August. My husband and I are starting to find some rhythm at home, and started to get to know the area. I drive more now too since the grocery and the library is no longer walking distance from us. We learned (or at least trying to learn) to meal plan. I started going to grocery stores again. I can’t believe my husband can price compare the price of tomato and meat in Seattle to our grocery store here. Apparently, the tomato in Seattle cost 3x more than the grocery store that we go to now. I think it’s because we shop at WINCO and it is a discount store. We are a block away from Albertsons in Seattle and my husband goes to the store daily to purchase ingredients for our dinner.

Our family also visited the parks a lot. We try to make sure that MBP frequented the park. We live in a cul-de-sac and have great summers here in the Pacific Northwest. I’m so glad that I was able to see him slide all by himself for the very first time!! I also joined some Mom groups recommended by some Moms I met in the parks. MBP really enjoyed those meet ups and have great naps after. There are more visits to the children’s museum and the public library as well.

September is more hectic. My husband started his volunteer work in our local high school. He started teaching an AP class for Computer Science 3 times a week. I also enrolled MBP to swim class, gymnastics class and his preschool that meets twice a week. We have something going on almost everyday. I also had OB appointment every 2 weeks. My OB is about an hour away so it is a drive to get there.

We’re three months in now. So far I feel good about our choice to retire. I’m very fortunate to be able so spend this much time with my kid and to take care of my body during pregnancy. That said, being a stay at home parent is not easy. Work can sometimes look like a walk in the park. Our schedule revolves around MBP’s schedule. But we’re rewarded every day just by seeing him grow and change. I got to know him more the last three months that we retired than the first year of his life and I’m definitely looking forward to watch him grow!