You have dinner cooking and the baby is crying while your other child is on the potty and is "done" (needs help wiping) and then the phone rings. You just hope the baby stops crying, answer the phone while wiping your oldest's bottom and *almost* drop the phone in the toilet. You rescue the phone, get the baby who is still wailing her head off and now can no longer hear the person on the other end of the line. You get off the phone and the baby is done crying but your oldest just finished off the roll of toilet paper in the toilet. Great. Another mess to clean up. You start cleaning it up when you remember you forgot about the fries you left in the deep fryer. You pull the fries up and realize they are now fries with no fry in the middle. You cooked the fry out of the fry.
Sound familiar?
Those days when you just can't keep up with it all! You just feel like sitting down, crying your eyes out and giving up.
*hopefully* I have some tips to help you out!
First of all....don't yell!! I don't know if you have noticed, but the more you yell, not only do you get more frustrated, but it really seems like it feeds kids. They get more antsy and hyper. There is a reason behind that. You can read The 5 love languages of Children for that answer. (They are feeling like they are lacking something. Their "love tank" isn't full and until you know their own personal love language, you may not be filling it the right way...great read. I highly recommend it!) Instead, try giving them choices that are age appropriate. "Would you like to play outside or have a snack?" "Would you like to color on paper or color a box?" "Would you like to clean your room now or in 5 minutes?" Loving your kids on purpose by Danny Silk is a wonderful read to help see why choices are so important and for more ways to raise your kids in a grace centered environment.
Now...for the fun activities. :)
Having a list of fun activities on hand is a must for any mom! As a stay at home mom without any wheels, without doing some of this stuff, I'd go nuts! Kids like to stay busy and if we as moms don't keep them busy, they will keep us busy. :)
-Paint with flour! Mix four and water together in a bowl to make a paste like substance. Add a drop of food coloring (not too much so it won't stain). I unroll a big sheet of wrapping paper and let my kids paint white side up. They LOVE it and it keeps them entertained awhile. Of course, follow this up with a bath. :)
-Color a box! Give your kids crayons, boxes, and duct tape (or packing tape) and let them build the ultimate fort! Of course, if its a smaller child, you can't give them tape, but for older kids, this could keep them entertained for days! It used to me. :)
-Hold the family Olympic games! For those days where they just have TOO MUCH ENERGY, this is a great way to wear them out! Make up games like "who can run around the house 4 times first wins....whoever can hop on one foot all the way to the finish line first wins.....whoever can cartwheel around the yard first wins....whoever can somersault all the way to the finish line first wins. Stuff like that. Make a finish line by taping a strip of duct tape on the ground or by laying down a jump rope. Get creative!
-Let the kids "cook". Give them real food and real dishes and let them stir, mix, eat, pour...whatever they want with what you gave them. Kids of all ages love this!
-For older kids (younger kids might get it in their eyes), spray out some shaving cream on the table and let them go nuts! Plus, it smells good too!!
-For younger kids you can mix four and water and just put it on their high chair tray and let them play in it. You can add different textures if you want like oatmeal and cheerios for sensory play. Plus, if they eat it, its safe!
-Go for a walk! Never underestimate the power of a nice long walk. :) Plus, your getting a work out too!
-If you have a car and you need a break, strap the kids in the car and go for a drive! If you don't have a dvd player in your car, you should seriously invest in one! If you don't want your kids to watch a lot of tv, I recommend the Preschool prep series for little ones. You don't have to feel bad. They are learning! Plus, you score some quiet time. :)
-Never forget the playground!
-Check into you local library. Most libraries offer activities like story time or reading clubs.
-Go to your local dollar tree and make an emergency craft kit. Pom poms, pipe cleaner, paint, crayons, markers....stock up on everything! When your going nuts, break out the special craft kit and just listen to the quietness of kids crafting. ahhhh. :) you can also save random things like paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, scrap fabric, paper plates, and lots of other random items to add to your craft kit. Kids love it!
-For older kids, when your done with old clothes, save them. When your older kids are bored or having a bad day, give them an old clothing item and some fun stuff to jazz it up with! They can cut up old tee shirts to make scarves or decorate an old tee with fabric markers, patches, fabric paint, fabric...lots of stuff!! If they are old enough to sew, they could make fabric flowers (tons of tutorials online) and sew them onto the shirts. they can cut the bottom of a tee into strips and add beads to the strips they cut. The possibilities are endless! They may or may not have a wearable creation when they are done. But you can add it tot he costume box and let them just be proud of their new masterpiece. :)
-Fill a storage container with some water and let kids play in it with buckets, shovels, and lots of other fun "beach" items. You can add plastic kitchen dishes too. :)
-Make a small indoor "sand box" with rice! It doesn't have to be big enough for kids to actually sit in, just a small storage container so kids can bury items and dig them back up. :) For even more fun, google how to color dry rice! :)
-Read a book or play a board game. :) Family bonding time!
-Make a maze! Get creative! You can make it out of tape, furniture, bed sheets...just about anything!
-Create cards for grandma or someone else special. Or better yet, make lots of cards and visit your local nursing home when you have a day off and have your kids deliver them to the elderly who maybe don't get a lot of visitors. Or to the hospital. :)
-Bake something together! Let kids help stir batter and add the flour and anything else they can help do. Then sit down and enjoy your yummy treat together!
-Buy some beads from walmart, michaels, joannes, or any craft store and keep them on hand. You can use them to make necklaces, bracelets, key chains or anything really. You can also buy some jewelry wire for string. :) (homemade matching mommy daughter necklaces?)
-Dance! Turn on some music and just get your groove on. :) You could choreograph a dance and show daddy when he gets home from work. :)
-Have your older kids put on a play! Help them find costumes and come up with a plot and let them come up with the rest. Mom and dad can sit down with some pop corn later to see the showing of this masterpiece. :)
-Make sock puppets out of socks that no longer have mates.
-Rent a movie you haven't saw yet.
-Have you met your neighbors yet? If not, bake some cookies and go say "Hi!" :) maybe they will have some kids for your kids to play with.
-Just let them play in the bath tub. Give them lots of toys and let them go crazy! In the winter I put a little heater in a safe location in the bathroom far away from the tub so my kids stay warm and they "swim". They LOVE it!
-Play with jello! Its squishy, bouncy, and edible. Great sensory play too. :)
-Boys over 10 (and some girls too) love to play with tools! (NOT POWER TOOLS!) I mean like scrap wood already cut down, nails, and a hammer (and help!). Then they can color their creation with markers to "paint it". I made a dog house for my toy dog when I was little. I was SO proud of it! Just don't let any little fingers get smushed.
-Have a fashion show out of mom and dad's closet.
-Let your kids do your hair and make up. The results could be quite interesting. :) (Don't forget to take a photo to show them when they are older!)
-Let your girls do their own make up! When they are done, have your camera handy and let them look in the mirror and take a photo of the face they make when they see themselves. Might end up being your favorite photo!
-Paint with peanut butter. Yummy, gooey, fun. Stick macaroni noodles in your art for a fun twist. The noodles with stick to the PB.
-Cut an apple in half to make a stamp. You can use this with finger paint.
-Save all your old buttons for crafts. Glue them to paper, make necklaces, add them to old clothes to make a new look. Make hair bows out of them. :) Get creative!
-Make bird feeders out of toilet paper rolls, peanut butter, and bird seed. Cover the outside of the TP roll with the PB then roll in bird seed. Take pictures of the birds you see that come to eat. :)
-Make your own window clings using window cling paint. Find a design online or in a coloring book. Print it off. Set it under wax paper. Make your design with the paint on the wax paper then when it dries peel it off. :)
-Adopt a pen pal! Older kids will love receiving letters and writing back. :) There are lots of websites for this! Or use a friends child that doesn't go to your child's school. :) Little kids can draw photos and send them in the mail to their pen pal.
-Make your own ice cream. Lots of recipes online. :)
-After halloween/easter, make a candy house! You can use frosting as glue and gram crackers for walls. This is a good way to use up some of that candy you got that you will never eat.
-Fill up a water bottle or soda bottle with water and random small objects that will fit inside and glitter. Glue the lid on!!! Play i-spy with the items inside.
-Do a workout dvd together just for fun. Pick zumba or something kids can try to follow along to that won't be too painful to do. :)
-Play the "clean up" game. Whoever cleans their room the fastest gets a prize! Run into your room and say "I'm going to beat you all" silly like so you can score some cleaning time and maybe a minute to relax. Don't let your kids catch you sleeping! :)
-Have a pudding eating contest! (Pudding is something kids probably won't choke on) Trade up for yogurt for something a bit healthier.
-Have kids "invent" a pizza flavor. Make them! Whoever creates the most unique pizza that tastes the best wins! Think macaroni and cheese with ranch dressing instead of pizza sauce or something way off the wall!
-Sew pop corn onto string like you would for a christmas tree for movie night. Make necklaces out of it and eat them while you watch. Just make sure kids don't eat the string! :)
There are TONS of ways to keep your kids entertained and catch your breath! As a mom, I know how hard it can be sometimes to just sit down for a few minutes. You should have saw me trying to write this post! The carpet shampooer broke all over the floor so I had to clean up all the sopping water while my smallest cried and stomped in the water in her socks which I had to take off while my oldest cried over about 100 different things and kept obstructing my view of the computer screen by sticking random objects in front of it and holding them there. *deep breaths* It will be okay. Us moms just have to stick together!
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