Parenting Children

here is a version of I spy that every child at any age should enjoy. Make a I Spy bottle.
This is what you will need:

An empty plastic bottle
A bunch of little items, like a candle, paper clip, beads, hair clip, button etc. (anything that will fit into your bottle)
Rice, sand or colored sprinkles
Tape
1 piece of paper
Funnel

-Make a list of your items

-Add your items to the bottle and then the rice, using a funnel. Leave some space at the top so the rice has room to move around when looking for the hidden items.

-Tape the lid on tightly.

-On the bottle, tape a list of the items to be found in the bottle. Have the kids scratch off everything they “spy” in the bottle. .

This would work with the tiny animals they sell at the dollar store, then you can draw a picture of the animals on the list so kids who cannot read yet can play!

car games, rainy day games, rainy day crafts, crafts for kids, games, kids, children, rainy day ideas, moms, sahm

And Miles to go before we sleep has a blog carnival going on right now with a ton of recipes and craft ideas called Make it From Scratch, hosted by Heather L at It’s All For The Best.

People have submitted great ideas to do with or for your kids this summer from making your own homemade microwave popcorn, to making your own board games to making homemade pesto.

Go check it out!

summer fun, rainy day ideas, crafts, crafts for kids, teens, parents, school age kids, parenting

We are off to the beach for a few days and I am thinking of some things to do with the kids. Here are some fun beach ideas for kids of all ages.

PAINT SHELLS
1. Rinse a few shells with water and let them dry
2. Paint pictures on the inside of each shell
3. Set finished shells out in the sun until dry

MAKE BUBBLES
1. mix 1 cup of water with 1/3 cup of Dawn dishwashing liquid and 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup. Use straws to blow little bubbles.

MAKE SAND PICTURE
1. Get black or dark colored paper
2. Use the glue to draw a picture on the paper.
3. Sprinkle sand on the glue picture, then shake excess off.
4. Frame the masterpiece!

Have fun in the sun!

vacations, family vacations, kids, children, beach crafts, crafts for vacation, arts & crafts, parenting children, family

Top five reason why my children are strange:

1) They love Christmas music.* All year round they listen to it on their little cd player they have and sing along at the top of their lungs.

2) My son will not wear collared shirts or shirts with stripes. Oh yeah, and he won’t wear plain gap t-shirts either because they “have a bear tag on them”. The result is that I have at least 20 shirts he will not wear, most of them are brand new.

3) Every night at dinner they say they do not like something on their plate that they have eaten and loved no less then 10 times. They always end up eating it. Now we just ignore their initial disgust.

4) They do not like chicken nuggets, french fries, any kind of potato in any form, eggs, hot dogs or cotton candy. I thought all kids like this stuff!
Not that I want them to like these things, I try to feed them healthy meals but they have been offered these things at parties, fairs and school and neither of them like any of it at all.
Instead they like sushi, feta cheese, peas, sharp cheddar, past with LOTS of parmesean cheese and almonds.

5) They love each other and us. When my husband is at work or if one of us takes another out, the twins ask for each other the whole time. Or one of us.
I am sure this will change in about 4 years or so. I am holding on while it lasts.

* I love Christmas music all year long too, I admit it.

kids, children, parents, parenting, twins

Is it September yet? I know my children are only four but I understand this phrase more then ever now. Especially on days like today where it is going to be 99 degrees with heavy humidity. Yippee!

I am always looking for something cool to do in the air conditioning and I don’t like spending $100 a week for entertaining my children. So I come up with new things to do inside.
Here are some ideas:

1) Shells. Do you have some shells from the beach you don’t know what to do with? Drill a small hole in the top of each and let your child pick out a ribbon and make the shell into a necklace. Or buy an inexpensive shadow box and have your child place shells, starfish and sand in it. Hang it in their bedrooms. Need some shells? Try www.seashellcity.com they have shells from $.30!

2) Money. teach your children he value of money. Let them help you sort and count coins as you place them in coin holders. Let them wash coins with a small bucket of soap and water and an old toothbrush.

3) Shirts. Buy some plain white shirts (even a pack of men’s undershirts) and let your children put their hand prints and/or footprints on them, then print the date on the backs. Keep the shirt as a smock when they paint. Or keep the shirt as a keepsake.

4) Dough. Make playdough. Or bake with your kids.

5) Cut. My kids love to pretend they are cutting our coupons in the paper. I let them do this outside because there is a mess involved. Let them make a collage from old papers or magazines. All you need is construction paper, glue and crayons or markers.

6) Read. Go to the library. Ours has story times for children of all ages, crafts and visitors to talk about safety, strangers etc. They also have cool computer games that we do not have at home.

7) Movies. If you don’t have the free movies in your area, let your kids watch their home movies one day. Make some popcorn and close the shades, kids love watching themselves!

summer fun, kids, children, moms, SAHM, parenting, bored kids, fun at home, craft ideas, mom tips

Let your children see how things grow. My children help me with watering and weeding our gardens but I like to do something inside the house that they can watch more closely.

Get a jam jar or glass jar and wet a paper towel until it is damp but not soaking wet and place in glass jar. Add about a dozen lentils or beans and cover jar. Place it in indirect sunlight and watch them grow, you will see shoots in 5-7 days!

For vegetables like potatoes, avocado pits or onions, get a jar and fill it 2/3 of the way up with water. Place three toothpicks into the veggie so that the bottom third of it will be underwater. Place in indirect sunlight.
You will see growth in 3-5 days.
This one is cool because you get to see the shoots out of the top of the veggie but also the root system.

You can also grow a small garden with seeds. You a plastic egg carton and fill each section with potting mix 3/4 full. Moisten and press down on soil. Place seeds either in soil or on top (depending on the seed). Close top and place in indirect light.

Happy growing!

indoor garden, fun things to do with kids, kids, children, seeds, moms, sahm, summer fun

Do you have all of those plastic Easter eggs still hanging around your home? I always do, I want to save them for next year but I end up letting the kids play with them in their kitchen but I end up throwing them away one half at a time.
Don’t throw then away, I have games you can play with those eggs.

-How about hot potato?

-Put names of animals on a little piece of paper and place them in the eggs. Let one kid at a time pick an egg and act out the animal and have the other children guess what it is. My kids love this and they can’t read so I read it and whisper in their ear what animal it is.

-Put a egg on a spoon and have races in the backyard, the person who can keep it on the spoon through the finish line wins!

-Put a coin in one egg and have one other egg that is empty(have as many eggs as you have kids). Have your children chose an egg whoever has the coin gets to keep it and do that “thing” that day, decide where to go to lunch, bake with mom, is first in line etc.

summer fun, moms, parenting, fun things to do with kids, what to do with plastic eggs, SAHM

Looking for some easy, cheap activities to do with youe children this summer? I know I am always looking for something fun for me and the kids.
I have two suggestions for some cool summer fun:

Make a Bird Feeder
you will need pine cones, peanut butter, string and bird seed

-Take a good size pine cone and tine the string onto the end of it making a loop that it can hang from
-Roll the pine cone in peanut butter that you have placed on a plate or bowl
-Then roll the cone onto the seeds
-Hang on a tree branch that you can see from your window, and watch all the birds come to eat.
This is perfect to do in the winter months too when food is hard to find for birds.

Indoor Sandbox
Do your kids want a sandbox but you don’t want the mess? Or maybe you are looking for an indoor idea like a sandbox on rainy days?
Why not make your own?
I purchased a large clear container with a lid from a discount store and then I purchased a large bag of white rice from a bulk store. Total cost was about $9.00

Then I put the rice in the container and let them play in it on the kitchen floor. We had some sand toys to play with along with some old plastic cups and they had a ball. You can even keep this outside if you didn’t have a big yard for a traditional sandbox.
Just as much fun but not nearly as messy.

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Things that seemed like a great idea at one point in time:

1) Teaching children to talk, Enough said. No really, enough.

2) The kids sharing a room

3) Letting the kids pick what they want to eat

4) Beige carpet

5) Let my son pee standing up when he was potty training

6) White tile in bathroom (this is no other reason then #5)

7) Having twins

parenting, kids, life with kids, moms, dads

How cute are these gummi lights?
They are a blast from the past.

I am a child of the 70’s and 80’s and I love the resurgence of everything 80s. My daughter plays with My Little Pony, has a strawberry shortcake doll and loves Hello Kitty. Secretly I love that my daughter plays with these things because I love them too and I get to play with them under the guise of being a good mom, and relive my childhood.

My son loves all the super heroes but men like Spiderman never go out of style. At least that is what the Hulk told me.

What things do you love from your childhood that now your children play with?

70’s, 80’s, toys, kids, strawberry shortcake, Hello Kitty, parenting, parents, kids, children’s toys

Paper doll chains is an oldie but a goodie and my children love anything to do with arts and crafts. It is also nice to be able to do something fun inside when a summer storm comes along and ruins outdoor plans.

What you will need:
sturdy paper
scissors
crayons or markers
glue
decorating items like old buttons, scraps of fabric, beads, glitter

Instructions
Cut a strip of paper about 4 inches tall and as long as you want (the longer the paper the more dolls on each chain)

Fold the paper like an accordion, each section should be about 2-2.5 inches wide

If you are doing this with an older child they can outline a figure (body, monster, alien) making sure each part touches the outside of the panel
If you have a younger child you will have to draw the figure and cut out for them

Cut out the figure being careful not to cut the folds where the body touches

Unfold and have your child color or decorate figures how ever they chose to. Add buttons, fabric for clothes, yarn scraps for hair and beads for eyes.

Enjoy your homemade paper dolls!

paper dolls, crafts for kids, kid crafts, kids, toddlers, kid fun, parents, parenting, SAHM

One of the things my husband and I would do BK (before kids) was pick berries in the summer at local markets.
This summer we will all be picking berries as a family. It is something to do when you don’t have plans on the weekend or something for mom to do with the kids during the week. Look here for local you pick it farms in your area.

Include your children in what to do with the berries or fruit once it is picked. Make a pie together, a fruit salad or fruit pancakes for breakfast the next day. If your kids pick it and then participate in making something they will be more apt to eat the fruit.

I know I can go broke on fruit in this house, my kids love it as much as I do. If you don’t have any local you pick it farms, try this web site to see where the local farmers markets are near you. I know on weekend my local farmers markets have live music and some people even sell crafts. It is a great lazy weekend morning thing to do with the entire family.

summer, summer fun, berry picking, farmers market, children, teens, kids, parenting, moms, SAHM, dads, weekend fun

I now officially know why my Mom was not as happy as we were when school was out for the summer. Going out every day is too expensive and trying find something cool, literally and figuratively to do every day is tough.

Last year I found the best thing ever and it has saved my life and I know for the summer, at least twice a week I don’t have to think of what to do, it is movie day!

Starting June 19th and running through August, Regal Entertainment Group has free movies Tuesdays and Wednesdays for families. They are not the newest releases but so many of the movies are new to my kids. Plus how many times does your child watch the same video at home?

We go to the theater and either I bring some snacks (it is in the morning so popcorn is not purchased too often) and some waters and we are off to a free movie! Our theater happens to be in a mall so we have lunch after the movie is out and then home in time for our nap.

It has saved me from pulling my hair out with boredom in the summer. I thin you can agree this may be the best thing to happen to a stay at home parent. Check out the site and see if their are participating theaters near you.

summer, summer fun, free movies, kids, family, family fun, preschoolers, toddlers, kids, children, SAHMs, moms, parents, movies, parenting

Last week I was watching TV and flipping around and I stopped on The Colbert Report. Stephen Colbert was interviewing Conn Iggulden on his new book The Dangerous Book for Boys written by Conn and his brother, Hal.
I found it fascinating, a book filled with things for boys (or girls!) to do that give me gray hair just thinking about it.

Really when we were children or our parents were children for that matter, summer time was when kids would be at their most “dangerous”. Climbing over rusty old fences, jumping of the roof into the pool, running with sticks and riding our bikes wherever and whenever we wanted just as long as we were home by dinner. After dinner we would go out and do it all over again, but it was even better because it was in the dark.

Would I let me kids do that now? Absolutely not. First they are too young to even be in our backyard by themselves, but after I told my kids they could not play on the play set we have in flip flops, I wondered, have I gone too far?

Is my paranoia about scraped knees, grass stained clothes, whether or not I can see them every second at the park and if they are wearing their helmet every time they are on anything that has wheels, about me as a mother or a media induced craze where everything is dangerous for my child?

Kids fall down, they get hurt it is a part of life. The book is filled with cool things for kids to do before we bought pre-made forts and took all of the imagination out of it. It is filled with cool stuff like how to make different knots, how to make a tree fort, to write in invisible ink and skimming stones. It also has facts that everyone should know like the names of cloud formations, common American trees and the timeline of American history.

I wonder if the Dangerous Book for Boys would let me loosen the reigns a little, let my children be children and not worry so much.
Nah, but I will still buy this book for my dangerous boy and girl.

The Dangerous Book for Boys, sons, boys, summer time, summer, dangerous kids, parenting, moms, dads, Conn Iggulden, Hal Iggulden

Since we live far away from our family and friends, I worried that my kids wouldn’t remember them. I grew up with all of my family no more then fifteen minutes away from each other, I saw everyone all the time. My children don’t have that luxury, so I decided I would make sure they remembered their family members even though we didn’t see them as much as we would like to.

I made picture collages, where I cut up pictures of relatives with each of the kids. Then I laminated each of them and made them into placemats, so with each meal they could see or name each aunt, cousin or grandparent.

Then I took some doubles of pictures we had and put them into a little photo album that they carried with them wherever they went. I put it on a cord for the stroller so we wouldn’t lose it. It came with us in the car, and we looked at it at bedtime. Now that my twins are four we still look at it often, even though they now remember everyone.

It is a fun project to do with your kids and it is a good idea to do with pictures from their class at the end of the year, that way they will remember all of their friends from that school year. You can cut out the pictures and your kids can glue them.

You can write each child’s name or cut out pictures of what was the hot toys or cool things from that time period like webkins or crocs. Or you can give your child all the doubles you have of pictures, get a album from a dollar store and keep them busy for a good hour.

It is a fun art project that is functional.

projects for kids, art projects, kids, children, picture+albums, parenting, photo+albums