Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Seattle, WA

With the price of gas what it is these days (and only going higher it seems), you may have heard of the term "staycation", which (as described by the Urban Dictionary) is " a vacation that is spent at one's home enjoying all that home and one's home environs have to offer". While the idea has been around the past few years - it's been more traditionally used in terms to describe an at-home vacation for a stressed and over-scheduled family.

Now, it's just stressed and broke.

So if you're planning a staycation this year, then you're in the right place.  This week at Seattle Savvy Source, we'll look at how to get the most at of your Seattle staycation.  I've compiled an awesome list of free or low-cost jaunts, day trips and at home activities. But first, here are rules to live by to get the most of your time off as a family.

Unplug your phone and ignore your email (especially work related). Treat your time at home as if you were unreachable on boat off the coast of Mexico.

Prepare your home for your staycation just as you would if you were leaving town. No one likes to come home from vacation to a dirty house and a pile of laundry, so treat your staycation the same. Do all your laundry, clean the house and run errands before it begins so you are not tempted to fill your time off with housework and the like.

Plan your adventures. You wouldn't think to spend a week in Maui without scheduling para-sailing or surf lessons in advance, would you?  Even if it's simply a list of activities to do during your staycation, you will be less likely to spend the time playing video games in the basement (not that I have any examples from my own life or anything...).

Do regular "vacation" activities. Be sure to take lots of photos of your adventures, get dessert at dinner, stay up late and sleep in (if your kids will allow), and break some of your own rules. It will be fun for the whole family.