A Valentines Hunt

Valentines should be more about love and fun than about commercialism and presents (haven’t we already wrecked Christmas and Easter with those??) so this year we’re going to be doing a Valentines Hunt with love notes for our kids.

It’s kind of like an easter egg hunt, but instead of hiding easter eggs we will hide love notes. We’ll choose a single color for each child, and they can search for notes that are that color, and when they find them they can put them in their basket. Each note will tell something that we love about them- maybe we’ll even let the kids write some things they love about each other!

The love notes along with some Love Coupons, a sweet treat or two and a special dinner will make our Valentines Day just right. :-)

Time for a Dance Party!

Didn’t get a chance to squeeze a workout in today? No worries- just grab your kids and have a DANCE PARTY! Burns calories, the kids will love it, and it’s way fun.

Here’s a great song to get you started-

For an extra fun twist (no pun intended) take turns playing follow-the-leader: let each child have a turn to demonstrate their best moves while everyone else follows along- you included!

Whew! I feel the burn already!

DIY Cloud Dough

I know I promised that this blog wouldn't be all crafty (for that, see my other blog, The Beautiful Thrifty Life) but this was so simple and so fun that I knew I had to share it.

This morning I made "cloud dough". All you need is two ingredients: flour and baby oil. I used 4 cups of flour and 1/2 cup baby oil, and when I mixed it together it became the consistency of wet sand, only without the wet, and much softer!

I had seen the recipe for this floating around on Pinterest, so I picked up the baby oil at the Dollar Store this morning and when we came home we gave it a try. It was a rainy day, so it was the perfect indoor activity.

I put it into a cake pan, gave my little girl some cups and things and let her have a blast with it.

2 Warnings, however:

1. It's messy. It's not difficult to clean up, but it is definitely messy.

2. You will want to play with it too. See what I made after my little one went down for a nap?

So grab some flour and some baby oil and mix up your own irresistible fun!

Oooh...someday I would love to get a really big shallow container and do this recipe times 10 and let the kids play with it on the kitchen floor. It would probably keep them busy for hours...

Thanksgiving Game

This time of year it's easy to overlook the "thankful" part of Thanksgiving and skip ahead to the turkey and pumpkin pie. If you'd like to remind your kids of the real purpose of Thanksgiving, play this fun game:

Have one person start with the letter 'A' and tell one thing they are thankful for that starts with that letter, for example, 'apples'. The next person will then say, "I am thankful for apples and bananas." (starts with 'b'). The next person will say, "I am thankful for apples, bananas, and cheese!"

Continue through the whole alphabet and see how far you can get! It's a fun challenge to not only think of something that starts with a particular letter, but to also have to remember everyone else's answers!

Last night we played this game and discovered that family members were thankful for goats, elephants, and underwear, among other things. It's a great way to add a little laughter and an attitude of gratitude to your Thanksgiving celebration! :-)

A Fine Day For a Picnic!

Just because it's winter and you may have six inches of snow on the ground doesn't mean it's not a fine day for a picnic! Grab a tablecloth, blanket, or even just a few towels spread out on the floor and have an indoor picnic!

I did this with my kids last night because we just finished reading The Swiss Family Robinson and the movie was going to be playing on tv during dinnertime, so we decided to make an event of it. I spread out a tablecloth on the floor, made dinner as usual and just put the plates on the floor. We got to watch our movie, eat our dinner, and then clean-up was a snap! The kids loved the change of pace and I enjoyed it as well.

Go on, it's a lovely day for a picnic!

Love Coupons

Do you need a fun, free, last-minute Valentines Day gift for your kids? Make love coupons!! I made these for my kids for Christmas, and they were one of their favorite Christmas gifts. I kept mine very simple and made each child 5 coupons:

- 2 Free Room Cleaning coupons

- 2 Extra Treat coupons

- 1 Free Playroom Cleaning coupon

Whenever a child was asked to clean their room or the playroom, they could choose to use one of their coupons instead! The treat coupons are for whenever they want an unscheduled treat during the day or if we're having something for dinner that they just can't bring themselves to eat, then the coupon allows them to still get a dessert.

Here are a few extra tips for your coupons:

- Print them up on the computer to make them look official!

- Decorate them with stickers just for fun

- Add the child's initial to each of their coupons so they don't get mixed up

- Add an expiration date to make sure they use them!

- Present them in a special envelope that has their name on it. You can even decorate it with more stickers!

- Keep the envelopes in a safe place!

- After the coupon has been redeemed, be sure to tear it up and throw it away- no two-fers!

Do you have anything special planned for your kids for Valentines Day??

Mommy Playtime!

I ended up with the watercolors tray that was pretty much used up except for black, brown, and a little bit of orange...and so Mr. Snowman was born!

If you're a busy mom like I am, you probably don't often have time to yourself to pursue your own interests. Luckily, as your children grow, you can find ways to incorporate your own personal interests into the time you spend with your kids.

My kids love to paint (I think most kids do!) and I used to just sit down with them and paint random rainbows while I thought about the laundry that needed folding in the next room. One day I thought, Hey, I used to be pretty artsy back in the day. I wonder what I could create if I really tried? So when I sat down to do some watercolor painting I really thought about what I wanted to paint. It was fall at the time, and I was in love with the beautiful colors on the trees, so I painted a tree, trying to capture all of the lovely fall color. Not only did I get to spend time sharing a fun activity with my children, but I was able to tap into my artistic side and create something truly beautiful. It was a wonderful feeling- I was able to just slip into this world of paint and color and I got so involved with my painting that more than an hour passed without me even realizing it!

Since then, I have taken every opportunity to sit down and not just nurture my children's creativity, but mine as well. If you enjoy reading, then find a good chapter book that both you and your children will enjoy. If you enjoy sports, then get the kids outside with you to play! The best thing about being a mom is that you get to play like a kid!!

What is your favorite thing to do with your children that is also nurturing yourself?

Surprises

I love surprises as much as the next person, but I think that there is also something to be said for anticipation, especially for children. Anticipating something exciting just makes your whole day/week/month better!

Sometimes it's fun to surprise my son by showing up for lunch at school, but I usually tell him the day before, because I know that way he will go to bed happy. The next morning he will wake up excited for the day, because he knows Mom is coming for lunch, and that's special. That excitement will carry him through the morning as he eagerly anticipates my arrival. Isn't that so much better than the few moments of surprise when I arrive?

So next time you have something fun coming up for your child, don't save it for a surprise- let them know so they can be excited too! If you still want to have an element of surprise, then just tell them that a surprise is coming and let them wonder what it might be. :-)

Rainy Day Jar Series: Imagination Jar

Welcome to the last post in my Rainy Day Series! I hope that you have found some great ideas for having fun with your kids on those stay-inside kind of days! Here is one that is sure to become a favorite!

For Christmas I made Imagination Jars for my kids and my nieces and nephews. I got the idea from a favorite blog, Penny Carnival. Find her post about these here. She calls hers "Story Starters." Basically, the children have a jar, and inside are little numbered envelopes (the numbers and envelopes are just for fun- slips of paper in a jar work just as well). Inside each envelope is a "story starter." For example, "You have been shipwrecked on a deserted island. You need to find food and make a shelter." The children then use that starter as the beginning of their imaginary adventure! You can pretend to go fishing to try to catch food, pretend to build a fire to cook it, and gather items you find on the "island" (or the couch?) to build a shelter. What a great way to spend a rainy afternoon and exercise the imagination at the same time!

Check out Penny Carnival's post about this to find more printable story starters for your own Imagination Jars!

Rainy Day Jar Series: Horse Jumping

I happen to be an equestrian, and when I was a little girl I loved to pretend to ride horses too! I would hold my hands in front of me like I was holding onto the reins, and then my legs would be the horse's legs and I would gallop myself around like I was riding the most beautiful stallion in the world!

Well, when I got older I wanted to share that fun with my kids, and let's face it- when you're stuck inside you need a little exercise! So I invented our Horse Jumping game. I let the kids take turns creating jumps for our "horses" to jump over, using blocks, pillows, toys, etc. Half of the fun is seeing what kinds of crazy jumps you can design! You can do them in a straight line or set up a jump course, depending on how much room you have.

Each child names their horse (Lightning is a popular name; sometimes the girls like Sparkle or Starlight) and the games begin! Everyone takes their turn on the course, and you try to see if you can do the jumps smoothly and without knocking them down. This can be even more fun if you add some sports commentary to it! Try not to make it competitive, just have fun with it and use your imagination. It's a great way to burn up some energy on a rainy day!

Rainy Day Jar Series: Finding Treasure

What kid doesn't love the idea of a good treasure hunt? The thing I love most about treasure hunts is that there are so many different ways to do them. Here are a few I've tried!

For Little Bitty Ones- Find a toy that you have a lot of, like blocks or toy cars. Take the toys and hide them around the house when your child is not watching. Give them a basket or bag and have them go in search of the toys, like an easter egg hunt! You can make this educational by sorting the found toys by color or shape, and by counting them. This is so simple and so fun!

For Little Ones- Make clues for your treasure hunt using pictures. For example, draw simple pictures of various places around your house, like a bed, lamp, table, couch, television, etc. Hide the clues in the various places- hide the picture of the lamp in the bed, then at the lamp hide the picture of the table, and so on. The children will go from place to place looking for clues until eventually a clue will lead them to the treasure, which can be a treat or even just items for your next activity, like paints and paintbrushes!

For Bigger Ones- You can do a hunt similar to that for Little Ones, only make the clues using riddles. For example, "Sometimes our food we like to save, then we heat it up in the ________." Or, "It gets dark when it is night. To see we must turn on the ________." These are pretty simple, but you could make it even harder for older kids!

Older kids can even make up their own treasure hunts for their siblings- and for you!

When was the last time you searched for hidden treasure? ;-)

Rainy Day Jar Series: Super Easy Chocolate Cake!

Don't you hate it when you're in the mood to bake something yummy and you realize you have no baking mixes or you're out of chocolate chips or eggs or butter? Well, that probably never happens to you because I'm sure you're much more organized than I am and you always keep your kitchen well-stocked. But just in case you are like me, here is the recipe for you!

Busy-Day Chocolate Cake Recipe (from marthastewart.com)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 cup cold water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In an 8-inch square baking pan, whisk together dry ingredients.

Make a well in the center and add in wet ingredients; whisk until well combined.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

My daughter and I were having a lazy day watching a cooking show one day (Mad Hungry) and we watched the chef make this. I was so surprised to realize I had all the ingredients on hand, and it looked really good, so we went in the kitchen and made it! Just like that! It turned out moist and delicious, and I loved that we didn't even need a bowl- we just mixed it all right in the baking dish! How awesome is that? Makes it a perfect rainy-day recipe!

What is your favorite thing to cook on a rainy day?

Rainy Day Jar

Don't you just dread those days that are too rainy, cold, snowy, etc. to play outside? Well, you get a lot of those in winter, so today's post is the first in my Rainy Day series! Throughout this week I will give you some fun ideas for stay-inside days. In our home we have come to look forward to those days because of our Rainy Day Jar. Inside this jar are slips of paper that include our favorite rainy day activities:

- play a board game

- bake treats (super fun easy and delicious recipe to come later this week!)

- have a treasure hunt (more about these later in the week too!)

- play horse jumping (see above!)

- make an obstacle course

- paint

- build with blocks

- read books

- make cards

- build a fort/tent

- play from imagination jar (more on those later this week too!)

- dance party

As soon as we see it's going to be a stay-inside kind of day, we pull out our Rainy Day jar and one child gets to pick out a piece of paper. We do the activity on the paper until we feel like doing something else and then the next child gets a turn to pick.

I make sure that all of the activities in the jar are things that I enjoy doing too, because that means that I will be have fun and be more likely to participate. As they say, "If Mom ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

Now when it's a rainy/snowy/cold day we all look forward to reaching into the jar and finding out what adventures our day holds!! Be sure to check back this week for more on these fun ideas!

What is your favorite rainy day activity?

The Big Interview

So you're outside and your child yells, "Hey Mom! Watch this!!" You watch as they proudly demonstrate their newfound skill. You call back, "Wow! That's great sweetie! Good for you!"

Next time this scenario happens, try something a little different. Ask the child what they are going to do for you and then be their sports commentator!

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Lucy Lane is going to attempt to ride her bike all the way to the end of the street and back. Her entire bike-riding career has been leading up to this moment. Let's watch.

"Here she goes! She has such control as she works the pedals with ease. What grace, what precision and speed as she makes the final turn! Here she comes! She has done it! Lucy Lane has ridden to the end of the street and back!!!"

(hold up pretend microphone to Lucy)

"Tell me Lucy, how did that feel?"

(giggles) "Umm, good!"

"Well it sure felt good to watch you! It looked like that final turn might have been a difficult one, but you handled it well. Were you worried about it going in?"

(more giggles) "Umm, no!"

"That is good to hear. I can see that your confidence is what really gives you an edge and makes you a true cycling superstar. Congratulations on your incredible accomplishment today!"

(grins) "Thanks!!"

What a great and fun way to be supportive and boost your child's confidence (and of course, be a little bit silly at the same time)!

Yuck!

Every kid does it- they pretend to make food. And, inevitably, they bring it to you for a "taste." You pretend to taste it, praise them for their culinary mastery, and they go on their way.

Next time they do this, take a pretend taste and say, "YUCK!!!!!" and make a terrible face (sticking out your tongue is always a nice addition). You might thing you'll hurt their feelings, but you might be surprised at how funny they think this is. (Of course, if your child is particularly sensitive, and appears hurt by this, then you can remedy the situation by claiming a bug in your portion and redoing the taste test.) They'll take it back to their "kitchen" and try again. Continue with the yuck as long as they are laughing. Don't be surprised if they start bringing you new combinations like "Scrambled Worms with Eyeball Sauce." That's a good time to start praising their cooking skills again. Mmmm.

You can change it up by screaming, "YOOOWWEEEEEEE!!!!! THAT'S HOT!!!!" I have gotten lots of giggles from that tactic as well.

If you always give your kids the same response, they'll assume you're not paying attention. Pay attention. Make each time different. It doesn't take a lot of effort and the smiles will be worth it.