Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

Spring Fever is Hitting; Time to Plant Some Bulbs

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Tulip bulbs ready for planting in the spring
Photo from FreeFoto.com

Living in the northeast and having to deal with the cold and snow, spring is more than welcomed. The kids are getting antsy and this isn’t helping mom any! The boys want to ride their bikes and of course that is not going to happen on the ice and snow, so I needed a project. We are going to plant seeds and bulbs.

This project is not expensive at all and you will need the following:

  • Egg trays
  • Potting soil
  • Newspaper
  • Seeds or bulbs
  • Spoons

How to start seeds or bulbs in an egg carton

To start this project it is easier to get the potting soil moistened BEFORE the kids put it in the egg trays. I learned the hard way that the soil doesn’t always absorb the water and well it can be extremely messy.

Next you will want to lay down newspaper or something to protect where you and the kids are working. Then let them fill the egg “cups” with the soil. Usually about halfway up the eggcup is enough.

After this is done then you help them plant the seeds or bulbs and put them in a sunny location and watch for sprouts! The kids so enjoy doing this and I am a plant lover myself.

Make sure to keep the soil moistened but not flooded. When watering it is best to watch closely if the little ones are doing it so you do not end up with swimming seeds.

The potting soil does not need to be expensive nor do the seeds. A trip to the local “dollar store” will yield great rewards. I have bough the potting soil and seeds at the local dollar store and had great results.

After the seedlings are a good size and it is warm outside you can transplant into the ground. Not only do the kids enjoy this project it makes spring seem a little bit closer. Although KidsAin’tCheap they sure can be fun!

Have you ever started a garden with your kids?

My Favorite Playdough Recipe

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Homemade playdoughI am really not a fan of the play-dough you buy in the store. I find that it becomes crumbly, and makes a mess. I also don’t really care for the way it smells — but my kids love play-dough and can spend ridiculous amounts of time having fun with it. So of course, I really love it too.

I have tried a few play-dough recipes but they usually leave our hands smelling weird, and feeling dry from the salt that they contain. So, while my husband and I went away for a night, my Mom watched the boys. She told me about some play-dough she made and she thought the boys would really like it.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this play-dough, was the best in all the land (or at least I think it is).

The first thing I loved about it, is the consistency and the fact that after we play with it, it doesn’t leave our hands feeling like they are covered in gunk. The dough can make your hands a tiny bit greasy – but I’ll take that over dried out – anytime. This play-dough is stored in the fridge and I think that makes a big difference.

It smells absolutely wonderful, since it is made using Kool-Aid. This is one of my favorite things about it! I really haven’t had any problems with my kids trying to eat it, but I’m sure depending on the age of the child, this could make the play-dough all the more tempting to taste.

It’s also really simple to make. You know me — I love simple 🙂

Playdough recipe

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 (4 g) packages unsweetened Kool-Aid powdered drink mix
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 3 tablespoons oil

Directions:

  1. Mix flour, salt, Kool-Aid until blended.
  2. Carefully add oil to boiling water
  3. Add to the flour mixture and mix with spoon until cool enough to knead.
  4. Continue kneading until color is blended.
  5. Store in air tight bag or container in the refrigerator

My Mom said she was told that the purple and orange Kool-Aid makes the best dough as far as color but you can experiment. I think I may try blue next!

If anyone knows of a good flubber recipe I’d love to hear about it. That’s my next project!

Have you ever made playdough? What colors did you make?

My Adventures in Biking!

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Bicylcing is an activity the whole family can enjoyAdventures might not be the right word since I haven’t actually ridden a bike this year.  Actually, I haven’t ridden a bike in 8 or 9 years but I do own a mountain bike that I bought when I was still single and it is in great shape.  It’s the only vehicle we own that we can say is garage kept!  I know, pretty sad but as you can see by my last post, I am not in the best physical shape.  I am not in terrible shape, but not in the kind of shape I want to be in and I am going to do something about it this year.

I have always enjoyed riding my bike so I decided to break it out today, clean it up and take it to the local bike shop for a tune up (the brake cables needed to be checked and the tubes are shot from sitting so long).   I wanted to get it ready because we are hoping to turn bike riding into a regular family activity.  I have some friends that are really into mountain biking but I think that would be too jarring on my back so I am perfectly happy settling on trail and road riding.  If I can get into good enough shape and strengthen the muscles around my back, I may see what all this mountain bike stuff is about but I have to get into better shape first and foremost.

The kids got bikes for Christmas

My parents got my kids new bikes for Christmas, they were under our tree and from Santa Claus.  If you didn’t catch the video I posted a few weeks back, we have it up on YouTube at my kids first ride on their new bikes.  The only person in our household that doesn’t have a bike is my wife so I promised her, if we could afford it, we would buy her a bike after Christmas.  Luckily, we did end up with some nice Christmas bonuses this year so while we are at the bike shop, we picked up a new bike and helmet for her.  It’s not a brand new bike but it’s new to her and in really good shape.  We were able to save a nice chunk of money (almost $100) by getting her a used bike.  They had a used bike that she liked that would have been $269 but used we were able to get it for $179.  While we were there, we also picked up a new bike rack since we had no way of transporting all of our bikes without one.  It is amazing how things add up.  We got a great deal on the bike but ended up dropping more on the bike rack that we can’t use yet because I need to install a hitch on my car first.  It’s like anything in life, you think it’s going to cost you one thing and before you know it, you just spent twice as much as you wanted.

We aren’t in the best financial shape but things are getting better and I think the money was well spent.  My wife and I are both committed to losing weight and get into better shape this year and these bikes are going to be tools in that process.  Hopefully they will also be a lot of fun and help us build fond family memories but the main goal is to use them to get into shape.

Family bike rides

As long as the weather works in our favor (no rain), we plan on going for a family bike ride each weekend.  Of course, we won’t be able to get a lot of exercise riding with the kids but we can both take turns riding with a bit more vigor while one of us stays behind to hang with the the little ones.  We are also hoping to take the occasional unfettered bike ride with no kids if we can manage to co-ordinate it with a sitter or the grandparents.  In addition to all that, once I have the bike rack installed, I plan on taking my bike to work and going for a ride every day at lunch.  I am sure I can get in at least a 30 minute ride each day over my lunch break and every little bit of exercise helps.  I am adding this to my existing “getting into shape” plan that I posted about earlier this week.

Are you a bicyclist? Do you go riding as a family?

Super Simple Christmas Crafts for Kids

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Simple christmas crafts for kidsOkay – before we go any further – I just have something I need tell you all; I am not a super-duper, craft-tastic, Mom. You might be saying, “Come on Christie, you can do crafts! Anyone can be crafty if they really set their mind to it.” Ha! Not true — and here is a quick example to illustrate my point.

When I was pregnant with our boys, I was on bed rest for 3 months. So, I thought maybe I would try to learn how to crochet. My Mom is great and it, and so was my Grandma — so naturally I had to be great at it too, right? Wrong!

My Mom brought me lots of yarn, a few books on crocheting, and spent some time tutoring me on how to make a baby blanket. You would think that someone with 3 months to spare; someone whose day consisted of watching “Little House on the Prairie,” court room dramas, and eating peanut butter toast, would be able to carve out a few hours each day to really perfect the art of crocheting.

Nope! Not me. I made two blanket-ish looking things, but even the dog was too embarrassed to use them. I can’t say that I blame her.

I’ve tried scrap booking, needle point, and sewing; none of which turned out well.

I’m fine with that. I have other talents. I don’t need to be crafty to be complete; but kids love crafts — so I’ve had to bite the bullet and figure out how to do some of these things.

My point is this, if I tell you I have crafts to share, crafts which are simple and easy; you’d better believe they are. I really dislike doing a search for simple crafts; only to  discover I need 20 items, oodles of time (and patience), and there is about a 99% chance our dog will end up with glitter and paint all over her.

So here are 4 crafts for you, which are simple and not too terribly messy. I promise!

Christmas Tree Ornament:

What you need:

  • Craft Sticks
  • Glue gun
  • Green felt or construction paper
  • Markers
  • pipe cleaner/ribbon/yarn
  • foam stickers

Now — you can make this as simple or elaborate as you would like. I have two 3yr olds so we go the simple route.

Directions:

  1. I let the boys color the crafts sticks with green markers.
  2. Then I hot glued the sticks together to make a triangle and attached green felt to the back.
  3. I had some wonderful winter themed foam stickers that a friend gave me and just let the boys put them on as they would like.
  4. Finally, I glued a pipe cleaner on the back so we could hang the ornament up.

See? Simple! If you have older kids, they can use craft glue and they might like to decorate the tree with buttons, glitter glue, puff paint, uncooked pasta, paints, or whatever else you can think of.

We also did some Snowflake Ornaments which consist of the same materials. These are just craft sticks, hot glue, paint, glitter puff paint, and a pipe cleaner. Here’s a photo:

Salt Dough Ornaments

I loved making these because I love to cook. The boys enjoyed cutting out the shapes and decorating them.

What you need:

  • 1 Cup Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Salt
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Cookie cutters
  • Paint
  • Glitter Spray (optional — but totally cool)
  • Black Marker
  • Ribbon/yarn/string

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
  2. Combine flour, salt and water. Knead and flour dough until it isn’t sticky anymore
  3. Roll out dough until about 1/4 inch thick
  4. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters (if you don’t have cookie cutters handy you can cut into squares or triangles and things like that)
  5. Cook for 2 hours
  6. Let cool
  7. Let the kids paint and decorate. We painted one day and the next they decorated with markers
  8. Give ornaments a little spritz with glitter spray and you are good to go!

Hang them on the tree, tie them on packages, or let the kids wrap them up to give to grandparents.

Foam Sticker Collage

This one is so simple; I’m almost embarrassed to include it — but my kids were quiet for a long time doing this project and they were really proud of their work.

What you need:

  • Construction Paper
  • Foam Stickers

Directions:

  1. Get out the paper
  2. Get out the stickers
  3. Let the kids go crazy creating!

These are simple and the biggest mess you’ll have to clean up, are the backings from the stickers and whatever stickers fall on the floor. That’s it!

The kids get to have fun and I don’t have to stress about the mess. It’s a win, win for all!

If you have a simple craft idea you’d like to share — please do! I’d love to hear about it.

Are you crafty? What crafts do you enjoy making?

The Greatest Christmas Movies of All Time!

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They may not be the greatest Christmas movies of all time but they area most certainly my favorites. As soon as Thanksgiving is behind me and we get into Christmas mode, I break out my Christmas DVD’s and we start watching. I don’t let a Christmas season pass without without watching every movie on this list. It’s a fun and important part of our families tradition.

If you don’t own any of these and want to pick them up, we recommend Amazon. They have a huge selection of used merchandise available. Most aren’t being sold directly by Amazon, they are sold by other merchants in the Amazon marketplace but I personally prefer it to buying through ebay, it seems better controlled. Many of the movies in the below list are available used for $5 – $10.

1. Scrooge

ScroogeThis version of the Christmas Carol story is by no means the most popular. Most people I know have never seen it and it was not a favorite of the critics but what do they know. This version happens to be my favorite and is also my top pick for our Christmas movie list. It stars Albert Finney as both young and old Scrooge and he does a phenomenal job. It was made in 1970 and what sets it apart from the rest is the music. That’s right, it’s a good old-fashioned musical and it’s one of the things I love about it. I grew up watching this movie. Every year for as long as I can remember, I have watched this movie with my family; first with my parents and sister and now with my wife and boys. I still look forward to it every year. If you don’t own it, it’s a good one to grab and is available from Amazon at Scrooge DVD

2. It’s a Wonderful Life

wonderful-life
It was a very tough decision between this movie and Scrooge for my #1 pick but in the end, Scrooge won out by a very small margin. It’s a Wonderful Life came out in 1946 and stars James Stewart and Donna Reed. I love this movie more than I can describe. I have been watching it for years but it still tugs at my emotional heartstrings and brings tears to my eyes when everyone comes together to help George Bailey in his time of need. If you don’t own it, it’s a must see and it is available from Amazon at It’s a Wonderful Life DVD

3. Miracle on 34th Street

Miracle on 34th StreetAnother Christmas classic! There have been a few versions of this movie over the years but none of the remakes can hold a candle to the original. Miracle on 34th Street came out in 1947 and stars Edmund Gwenn as Santa Clause, John Payne as Fred Gailey, the beautiful Maureen O’Hara as Doris Walker and a young Natalie Wood as her daughter, Susan Walker. It’s about a sweet and kind old man who believes he is Santa Claus. He is surrounded by skeptics but in the end, everyone comes to believe and understand that some things are always worth believing in, even after you become an adult and think you know better. It is available from Amazon at Miracle on 34th Street DVD

4. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerI don’t care how good the latest computer animation technology becomes, there will always be a place for these classic stop-motion animated movies. The animation is just beautiful, and not that “beautiful for it’s time” nonsense, these movies are beautiful for any time! I am a big fan of all the Rankin/Bass Christmas classics but I decided to just put my favorite one in the top 10. It’s a great story and is typically the first movie we watch to kick off the Christmas season. It is available from Amazon at Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer DVD. They also have a box set that includes Rudolph and a bunch of the others called Original Christmas Classics

5. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

National Lampoon's Christmas VacationIt’s time to bring on the funny! This is the third installment in the Griswold vacation series and it is my favorite. Once again Clark Griswold bites off more than he can chew as he pursues the perfect family Christmas. Despite his best intentions, the Griswold luck takes over and everything goes downhill in a very hysterical way. The movie came out in 1989 and stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo and Randy Quaid before he completely fell off his rocker. The movie is packed full of funny moments and we all have our favorites but really, how can you get through the Christmas season without hearing Randy Quaid utter those immortal words…”Shitters full”. It is available from Amazon at Christmas Vacation DVD.

6. Elf

Elf
I am not a huge Will Ferrel fan, I can usually take him or leave but there are three movies he has done that I love and Elf is one of them. It’s the perfect vehicle for his brand of humor. The first time I saw this movie was in the theater when it first came out with a few friends. I wasn’t actually that impressed. I thought it was okay but didn’t plan on watching it again. The next year I was channel surfing and I came across Elf. I ended up watching it again and LOVED it. Not sure why it did click the first time but I have watched it every year since then. It is available from Amazon at Elf DVD.

7. Die Hard

Die HardThat’s Right! Before you start complaining, Die Hard is definitely a Christmas movie and there is nothing I want to see more after being dragged out into the cold to go Christmas shopping with my wife. There are actually a few great action movies that we love to watch at Christmas time, the first Die Hard is my favorite but Lethal Weapon and LA Confidential aren’t far behind! What makes it a Christmas movie? The whole thing takes place at a Christmas party and if that’s not enough, he beats the bad guy by hiding his gun with Christmas Ho Ho Ho tape! C’mon, it’s jolly and awesome all at the same time! It is available from Amazon at Die Hard DVD.

8. Christmas Story

A Christmas Story
Yes, I am in the “I Love Christmas Story” camp. It seems to me that people either love this movie or can’t stand it and don’t understand why people like it. I am in the love camp. I enjoy the movie from beginning to end. The movie came out in 1983 and my family has been watching it every since. I watch this movie once a year and it cracks me up every year. We are the proud owners of a leg lamp desk lamp, leg lamp night light and a set of Christmas lights. After all, they are major awards! It is available from Amazon at Christmas Story DVD.

9. Love Actually

Love ActuallyI hesitated to put this movie on this list because after all, this is a chick flick and I am sure my wife is going to read this. I try not to admit when I like these kinds of movies, otherwise, I will be flooded with them. But I would be remiss if I left this movie off the list because I really enjoy it. Few things express the spirit of Christmas more then Love and that is what this movie is all about. It came out in 2003 and has a lot of stars. It’s a movie about a different couples and how their love lives interact during the Christmas season. It’s heartwarming and full of the Christmas spirit. It is available from Amazon at Love Actually DVD.

 

10. Polar Express

Polar ExpressIf I had watched this movie alone, I am not sure it would have made it into my top 10. It’s a great movie, don’t get me wrong, but I on it’s own, it’s not a top 10 for me. The tipping point was watching it with my oldest boy last year. He was 3 at the time and was obsessed with trains. When we showed him this movie at Christmas time it was such a special and memorable experience that I couldn’t wait to show it to him again. He was at the edge of his seat with unbridled joy and excitement last year. It was all the things that mattered to him at that moment, Trains and Santa Claus. It is available from Amazon at Polar Express DVD.

Other Movies that I Love but Didn’t Make it to the Top 10

It was really tough narrowing it down to my favorite 10 because I have more than 10 that I really love. I did my best to select the best of the best but it is by no means complete. Here are the rest of the movies in my Christmas collection that I enjoy watching each and every year.

Well there you have it, those are my top 10 Christmas movies. Christmas movies are something I have a real passion for so please, take a few minutes and post your comments below.

What are your favorite Christmas Movies?

Well, It’s Official, Christmas is Finally Coming

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Found on CAPL
Found on CAPL

As far as my kids are concerned, it’s not Christmas until the tree is setup and decorated.  I feel the same way but for a different reason.  I love the smell of it, the way it looks and the spirit of the holiday that it creates.  My kids on the other hand, can’t wait for the tree to go up because they know once we are done decorating it, I will finally setup the train that we put under it.   My oldest son, Harrison, starts asking in March whether Christmas is coming soon and if we will be able to setup the train again.  He is only 4 but doesn’t miss a thing and is quite persistent.   He waits all year for it!

As his father, it’s a pretty fun and special day for me when I finally get to setup the train, grab some drinks and snacks, sit on the floor with my two boys and play with the train.   The process will be repeated just about every night from now until we take the tree down.  It takes real effort for me to keep up my enthusiasm for it, especially after a long day of work. There are days where I just want to go home, eat dinner and relax but then I walk through the door to see two very excited boys, yelling hello over their shoulder as they run in the opposite direction  to get the trains ready for me that makes me feel like a kid again and re-energizes me for the task at hand.

Has the Christmas season started in your house yet? What traditions do you use to start the season?

Christmas a la Manila

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Christmas is my personal favorite time of the year.  And there is nothing like a Filipino Christmas.  Let me try to illustrate what the season is like here in the Philippines.

Christmas in Manilla, Phillipenes

Trivia to ‘Set the Scene’:

  • The Philippines has the longest Christmas celebration in the world.  As soon as September hits (known here as the start of the ‘ber months’), you can already smell the season of giving.
  • Philippine fiestas are legendary. This no-holds barred party is a reason for the poor man to celebrate, eat, drink, and be merry, all wrapped up together with song and religion.
  • Filipinos LOVE TO EAT. Ask anyone who has visited the country and they will tell you that a staple in any Filipinos welcome package is a large meal. Many large meals.
  • Filipinos LOVE TO SING!  Think Charice, Lea Salonga, Jamie Rivera, Monique Wilson, Billy Crawford, among some of the artists who have gone on to world fame.  You will find a sing-along machine (karaoke) around every corner. Seriously.
  • Filipinos have always been family-centered- a big factor in the strong yet gentle, kind, giving, and hospitable nature the Filipino is known for. Case in point, Manny Pacquiao.

These are all facts you need to know to understand what a Filipino Christmas is like.

Fun, Fiesta, and Family

Philippine history is peppered with influence from Spain and the United States. After 300 years of Spanish colonization, Christianity was firmly rooted in Philippine soil mixing with an already strong belief in a higher being.  The 50 or so years of American rule in the 19th-20th century left lasting imprints that are clear in our language, style of dress, educational system, and some traditional symbols.

Christmas Ambiance

You will definitely see a mix of the Western and the traditional in the Philippines.  You will see Christmas trees, of varying heights and color. Yes, color. I don’t know about the US but in Manila we have pink trees, blue trees, white trees, silver tress, and the typical green tree.  This will decorated with lights and ornaments as is the Western tradition and is topped alternatively with a lit star or an angel.

In addition to the Christmas tree, we have beautiful lit lanterns known as ‘parols’.  These are typically made of capiz shell, white or of varying color, with lights inside.  A parol of some size and design is usually found hanging outside the house.  This lantern symbolizes the star the three kings followed to the barn where the baby Jesus was born.  So, in addition to the Christmas tree and the lantern, you will often see a nativity, or statues of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus, as home decor as well during Christmas.

You can find instructions on making one of these yourself on our Making a Parol post

Christmas Spending

You will start seeing bazaar after bazzar spring up in village club houses and church halls starting in October and these bazaars will showcase any kind of gift under the sun from the native item to food to clothes, etc.  All at slashed prices making it impossible for anyone to stick to a reasonable budget.  No where else will you see a financally struggling populace spend with abandon as some Filipinos do during Christmas.

There is a reason for this spending though.  In the Philippines we also have the adopted Santa Claus. So parents save months in advance to be both Santa and mom and dad. Frenzied shopping with a purpose is perhaps an apt way to describe the buying of the season.  There really is nothing like seeing the joy on your child’s face upon waking up to find Santa visited and was generous. I know this for a fact.

Eating and Making Merry for the Season

Christmas in the Philippines will showcase some of the country’s best native food.  There is the roast pig (lechon),  sweet meat loaf (embotido), smoked ham, fruit salad, quezo de bola (a round, aged cheese) and delicacies like puto bumbong. This purple colored dessert is made of sweet rice cooked in a hollow bamboo tube.  Once cooked they are removed from the bamboo tube and served with spread butter, sugar, and coconut.  This dessert, and most of the dishes I mentioned, are only served during Christmas making them eagerly anticipated and all the more special.

Of course, food always goes with song in the Philippines and starting the end of November calendars are filled with party after party, all of which have some form of singing to live bands, sing alongs, and Christmas caroling.

The Religion of Christmas

And again there is the religious aspect.  Starting December 16 there is a 9 day novena which most people attend. A novena is a Roman Catholic period of prayer lasting 9 days.  So a person attends 9 consecutive masses, praying for a special intention at the same time.  The novelty of this novena is that the masses are said in the wee hours of the morning, from 4 am to 6 am.  You will see flocks of people, young adults, working folks, etc all attending mass in the early morning.  This mass is capped off by an early morning breakfast of hot chocolate, coffee, and Philippine native delicacies.  A main mass is celebrated on Christmas day to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. Have I mentioned how Christianity is firmly rooted in the Philippines?

Family is Everything

All the decoration, masses, gift buying, eating, drinking, and signing are geared towards one thing- being with the family at this special time of the year.  Yes, the birth of Jesus is the reason for the season but it is also the one and only time that family is expected to set aside all things, all worries, all animosity just to be together.  No other occasion or holiday matches Christmas in that objective.  So if you are visiting the Philippines during the season, you will not miss a celebration that has some relation to family.

Perhaps Christmas in the Philippines is no different from Christmas anywhere else.  I guess you have to be here from the beginning to the end of the season to understand and feel the full flavor of what I’ve tried to do justice to with words and pictures.  Come and visit next year and really see what it’s like.  I assure you, you will have a great time!

In the meantime, Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays to you all from Manila!

What are the Christmas traditions for your country?

“I’m Bored” Activity Ideas

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For some reason, my children always wait until the moment that I am overwhelmed with things to do before saying those awful words: “I’m bored.”  In my household, “I’m bored,” means “Please stop the very important things you are doing and hang out with me.”

It would be wonderful if they asked me when I didn’t have ten thousand things to do. What a dream world, where every time your children want your attention you can simply set down what you are doing and play with them.

Tips to beat "I'm bored"
Image on DeviantArt

Keeping a list of “I’m Bored” activities is a great way to occupy your children when you can’t stop and play with them at the moment. These activities should keep them busy long enough for you to finish dinner or washing the dishes.

To start gathering ideas, brainstorm using different objects in your home. What afghan would work best as a cape? What cooking pot would make the best base drum? Or, think about objects that are pretty easy to obtain. Cardboard boxes could be a castle or a fort. Keep a couple of boxes in the back of a closet.

Here are a two more ideas to jump-start your list:

Hide Things

This is a very easy game that you can do while you are doing other things. Get a few things that are all the same: like pieces of green construction paper or black socks. Have your children sit on the couch and cover their eyes while you hide ten or fifteen around the house. Then, they are in charge of finding them. Make it a competition or see if they can find them all in a set amount of time.

Scavenger Hunt

Similar to “hide things,” a scavenger hunt sends your children all over the house looking for things. Instead of finding objects that you have hidden, have them bring things to you that have a certain quality: things that are green, things that are round, things that are soft. You might have a pile of things to put away when the game is over, but it keeps them busy and can be a lot of fun. If you are really creative you can play this game in such a way that it actually helps you do your work: try “bring all the clothes to the hamper” or “all the dirty dishes to the sink.”

How do you avoid the dreaded “I’m bored” from your kids?

Outdoor Activities Your Children Will Thank You For

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Jumping in a pile of leaves is just one outdoor activity your kids will enjoyPlaytime is essential to the healthy physical, social and emotional development of children. With families’ busy schedules and the increased use of technology as a form of entertainment, children are playing outside less and less. Playtime, both inside and outside, allows a child to use their imagination, which is extremely important for cognitive development. Being outside allows your child to be much more active in their play and is a change of scenery for them as well, providing their senses with different smells, sounds, sights, etc than they are exposed to inside. Here are some outdoor activities that your children will thank you for!

Classic games

If your children are not already familiar with the classic games of hide-and-seek or tag, teach them. These games are classics because all children love them, the rules are simple, and they can be played by children of all ages. They require no tools and can be played just about anywhere. These are a great way to ensure your child gets the physical activity s/he needs.

Jump in a pile of leaves

Raking is a task that needs to be completed each fall so why not have some fun with it/ Your children can play outside while you rake or they can even help by helping you bag the leaves. This is a great way to spend quality time together while also completing a chore off your to-do list. To make this task even more fun, pile the leaves up as high as you can and allow your children to jump in the pile. Children love this! Leave the very first pile of leaves for them to jump into. This provides them with extra time to play in them while you rake the rest. The leaves are easy to gather again when they are done playing in them. As an added bonus, playing in the leaves also provides for some great photo opportunities.

Wash the car together

Another great way to get something off your to do list while having fun with your children. A great way to cool off as well.

Have a picnic

Children have to eat so why not move the meal outside? You can set them up on a picnic table, if you have one, or on a blanket. Let’s face it, sometimes it is nice to not have to clean up all the crumbs from the floor too. Share a little with the animals.

Read outside

Such a simple idea but one children love. Spread a blanket on the grass and sit or lay down with your child and read, read, and read.

Go on a nature walk

Take your children on a walk or simply explore your own backyard but let them explore. Let them look at flowers, the leaves on the trees, under rocks, in puddles. It is amazing what they will discover and you may just learn a little something yourself!

Have a dance party

Hook up some music outside and let them dance, dance, dance! As a variation you can play outdoor freeze dance.

Have a water balloon fight

Water balloon fights are not something a child gets to do everyday and they are a great way to cool off. Of course, they can get out of hand without rules such as no throwing at peoples’ heads, so make sure your children know your rules ahead of time. Water balloon fights also require some preparation and clean up but they are worth it. Have the children involved in the clean up of the broken balloons. You can make it yet another game by seeing who can collect the most broken balloon pieces. Or you can assign a different color balloon to each child and have them collect only the pieces of balloon in their assigned color.

Fly a kite

Kites are relatively inexpensive and you can even make your own at home (click here) or search the internet on your own for other step-by-step instructions.

Sit or run barefoot on the grass

Children love to run around “free” and feel the grass beneath their feet. It is not something we do often enough.

Visit a construction site

I do not mean play on a construction site as we all know this is dangerous. What I mean is to walk or drive to a construction site and watch from a safe distance. This is an especially great activity for children who love building things and/or love trucks and machines.

Garden together

Whether it be a flower garden or a vegetable garden, most children love to dig in the dirt. Gardens are very educational and beautiful to look at or tasty to eat. Children love being able to pick food from their own garden and eat it for supper that night!

Use your driveway as a canvas

Thanks to sidewalk chalk and paint, children who love to draw can now use the biggest canvas they have ever seen – your driveway! These drawing substances wash off in the rain so no need to worry about any of your childrens’ creations becoming permanent fixtures. Don’t be shy! Get in on the fun with your children! Decorate the driveway as you see fit! My daughters and I have decorated the driveway for Easter, Christmas, Halloween, birthdays and many other special occasions. They also loved practising printing their names and other simple words.

Shovel the driveway together

Winter can make it much less tempting to get outside and have some fun. Adults typically cannot wait for the white stuff to go away but children love the snow. Shovelling the driveway cannot be avoided, so why not get them outside helping you? Children love to be helpful. If you have one of the scoop shovels you can always take breaks and offer your children a ride in the bucket of the shovel. My daughters love that!

Build a snowfort

My daughters are happy with snow piled up to make walls, no roof. We made snow seats for them to sit on and just left an opening for a “door”.

Build a snowman

What child does not like to build a snowman? My daughters actually own a “Snowman Kit” which was purchased for them as a gift. It comes with two pieces of coal for eyes, a plastic carrot for a nose, a black felt hat, and 3 large, black buttons. We use them everytime we build a snowman and as long as we pick up the pieces before the snowman melts or shortly thereafter, before the pieces become frozen in the snow, we always find the pieces no problem. We have had it for years and still have all of the pieces.

Have a scavenger hunt

You can hide items you already own or have purchased or you can simply have your children hunt for items you know will be easily found outside such as a rock, a leaf, a stick, etc. You can make the hunt more challenging by adding items that could very likely be found outside but are not laying around just anywhere, such as a tennis ball or a piece of ribbon, etc.

Geocaching

Check out the official geocaching website for more information on this very entertaining outdoor activity. It is basically a treasure hunt where you use GPS coordinates to find “caches” hidden by fellow geocachers. There are currently 1, 236, 409 active geocaches around the world.

Traveling With Children – Ideas to Make Your Trip More Enjoyable For All

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Traveling with children doesn't have to be a hassle
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Traveling with children may sometimes seem like a daunting task and it is if you expect them to sit in a car for hours on end with no entertainment whatsoever. By entertainment I am not referring to movies and video games (although they do come in handy on extremely long trips). There are many technology-free activities and ideas that can make your road trip an enjoyable one – for you and the children! Road trips are a great opportunity to spend some quality family time together.

When my daughters were only two, three and a half, and five and a half years old, our family went on an 11 hour road trip in a 7-seat mini van with one set of grandparents. There was not an empty spot in the van! We did not have a built in DVD player and our children did not own Nintendo DSs. Our two year old had a cast on her leg. Sounds like something not too many people would want to do doesn’t it? With minimal planning for an enjoyable road trip, the drive went off without a hitch – there and back! The children enjoyed it so much they were asking when we were going on our next long road trip. I came up with some of the ideas myself and found endless suggestions for games and activities and other entertainment ideas on the internet with search words like “car games” and “traveling with children”. Here is what we did.

 

Have Things to do While Traveling

We made sure to have a CD (at that time we did not have an MP3 player or an iPOD) with ALL of their favorite songs compiled onto one disc. We played this throughout the trip in the background for hours and had many, many family sing-a-longs. We packed a bag for each of our daughters as well, with their favorite things from home, that they kept by their seats on the floor of the van. This gave them the ability to self-entertain and gave us a break from constantly providing sources of entertainment.

Since we knew the drive was a long one, and even we were not that thrilled to be trapped in a vehicle for 11 hours, we made sure to try to hit the road early to make up some fast ground. This also provided us with the probability that the girls may sleep for a portion of the trip – another good way to kill some time. Our daughters have never been big sleepers, and although we were on the road before 6am, we did not get much sleeping out of them. If I remember correctly, our two year old fell asleep by nine and slept for about an hour or an hour and a half. Our three and a half year old slept for maybe 45 minutes shortly after lunch. That was it.

Breaks

No one can sit in a vehicle for eleven hours without bathroom breaks and without getting out to stretch tired legs. With children, it is even more important to do this. We made sure to include breaks as part of our trip. We timed them with lunch, for instance, and also with museums or parks we wanted to visit. This allowed us to provide our children with a definite timeline so when they asked how much longer until we stop, we were able to give them an answer, which seemed to satisfy them.

Entertainment

We made sure to play games with our daughters too. These games not only passed time for them, but for us as well. We played the ever popular “I Spy” and we also had our girls on the lookout for as many blue cars as they could find, and how many trucks they could see, etc. We looked for the letters of the alphabet, in order, on highway signs, as well as numbers, in order. With older children you can improvise these games by giving them a word such as “elephant”. They must find all of the letters, in order, on the highway signs. The first person to spell the word wins. Have them write down the name of one of the cities or towns on one of the highway signs and see who can rearrange the letters to spell the most words. Older children may also enjoy trying to find license plates from all 50 of the United States and/or all 10 provinces and 3 territories of Canada.

We did bring along a couple of portable DVD players and the older girls did end up watching one movie each, during the final hours of the trip. However, the highlight of their road trip was the surprise bags they got every hour of the trip! Thanks to the Dollar Store, I was able to purchase some inexpensive toys and activities to surprise them with. It was really fun shopping for things I knew they would like and it did not cost me much when it came right down to it. Before we left on our trip, I labelled twenty-two paper bags for each daughter – eleven for the trip there and eleven for the way back. I filled three or four of them with a juice box and snacks they do not typically get to eat at home. That way I knew they would be getting a snack every couple of hours. I filled about three bags with toys or books or activities I already had at home that they had not used in a while. They were excited to see them when they opened the bags and enjoyed them just as much as the stuff I bought new from the Dollar Store. My two year old loved to play with socks so I actually put a couple of pairs of socks in one of her bags and she entertained herself by putting them on and off both her hands and her feet! I filled all but one of the rest of the bags with items I had purchased at the Dollar Store. One of the biggest hits was colored pipe cleaners! I bought one package of 20 – 40 pipe cleaners and divided them up between my three daughters. They had great fun twisting them into different creations such as candy canes, letters of the alphabet and butterflies!

I only purchased one brand new bigger, more potentially expensive, toy for each of my girls, which was a mini Littlest Pet Shop kit that folds up for travel. Luckily, I had gotten them on sale a few months earlier, knowing I was planning to buy them something for this road trip. They received them in one of the first few bags of the road trip and they played with them on the road trip there, at the house we were staying at, on all the little road trips once we reached our destination, and on the way back too. They still play with them now, two years later, so they were well worth the money.

Road trips with children can be very successful and rewarding with very little planning and very little money spent. I am speaking from experience.

What other tips do you have for traveling with children?

Fun and Inexpensive Outings with the Kids

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Enjoying the outdoors is a great free family activity
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Fun and inexpensive outings with the kids are not hard to find if you know where to look. With the prices of pretty much everything on the rise an outing can become very expensive if we are not careful. Of course doing new things with the kids that will not break the bank can be just as fun.

Using your imagination and being creative can find a lot of fun. Many times at the end of the most inexpensive outings the family will have spent quality time together and probably learned a few new things along the way.

Enjoy the Outdoors

Enjoying the outdoors is one of the things that many families enjoy and the wonders that can be found by a child’s eyes are endless. Nature walks can be a very rewarding outing. Enjoying the trails with the family and actually getting away from the rush of everyday life can be relaxing. Watching the little ones marvel at things they find along the trail can sometimes make us adults see things like they are new again. A child picking up a leaves and actually studying it is amazing. As adults we are often so busy that we miss a lot.

Visit the Library

The local library is also a great place to bring our children. Many libraries hold classes for the kids that are free of charge. Although the class may be once a week and only last an hour it is worth it. If your child is older the class is done without the parent. Again, it may only be an hour but an hour of free time at the library can be worth it for Mom and Dad!

To the Beach!

For those families that live near beaches but do not want to pay the parking or costs to enter the best time to go is at dusk. The beach is nearly empty and there is no charge to get in. Pack sandwiches and snacks and you are ready for a beach almost all to yourself.

Bus Station

Little boys (and some girls) love buses and trucks or pretty much any type of transportation for that matter. Imagine the little ones face when you roll into a bus station and go to see the buses. Pure delight, cost free.

Build Something Fun

Anyone have a builder on his or her hands? Many of the home improvement stores have free classes for the tikes and for the parents too (hate to have Dad feel left out). The classes may be held mainly on the weekends but again the cost can’t be beat.

Quality time with our families does not have to be expensive. The things that cost the least can be the best and smiles are flowing freely. How we spend our time with our children is not how much money we spend to have fun with them. Childhood memories are not made of how much money parents spent occupying us. Childhood memories consist of loving moments that were spent together knowing we were and are cherished.

What free and cheap family activities do you do with your family?

Year-round Money Saving and Fun Activites for Parents and Kids

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Arts & crafts are just one money saving family activityMore and more parents are having to work harder to make that extra buck so not only is saving money a concern but also making sure the time you have to spend with your family is maximized. As a parent, I am constantly challenged to find interesting and cost-effective ways to have fun with the kids. This can be tough considering how technology makes it tempting to spend and use expensive outlets for fun. All is not lost though as there are still lots of ways to spend qulity time with the kids and save at the same time

Here are some year-round activities you can engage in that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

For the indoors:

1. You can build your kids’ creativity and imagination by creating an art wall that can display artwork made all times of the year. First, allocate a part of the wall in your kids room for this. Mark it off by sticking letter cut-outs of thier names. You can make this from old magazines or use stencils to cut out handy art paper. Have your kids join the fun by having them sitck their names themselves. This can be educational too! Next, have them draw anything they want to display on the wall. It can be a drawing of your family, a cartoon character, a lesson in school, the ideas are limitless. And you can recycle these works of art to keep it fresh.

2. Have a rewards chart that you can make a household activity fun and a lesson at the same time. You can use old cardboard and markers to create a billboard that you can prop on the side, hang on the wall, or stick near your art center. Take a photo of each child and place it on the top and bottom or left and right side of the chart. Decorate the chart sides to match the personalities of each child. You can again use handy art material or old magazines. Every day, set aside times where you have them do easy chores like fixing their toys, or cleaning their room. Activities done successfully can be rewarded by a star or a picture tacked to the chart. At the end of the week you will have collected a number of markers. Set a limit and make this limit rewardable with a favorite snack or a favorite show or a favorite outdoor activity. Your kids learn how to be responsible, you have fun with them while doing chores, and you save money.

For the outdoors:

You can extend the rewards to the outside and make these money saving activities as well by choosing the places you visit.

1. You can have a picnic in the park on nice, sunny days. You have full control over what food you bring and the kids have access to a free playground.

2. You can visit the bookstore and take advantage of the kids section which allows free reading of kids books.

3. You can go to the local indoor pool for cold and overcast days and have a small swimming party.

4. And, if you really want to keep it simple, and multi-purpose, you can go grocery shopping and make it an adventure by having your kids help choose your grocery items. They will learn all about “good” food and how to budget as well. My kids love our Saturday afternoon grocery trips.

Remember that kids don’t mind simple activities as long as they are able to spend fun, quality-time with you. So saving and being with your kids need not be opposing activities.

Make the most of the simple things offered out there and you can’t go wrong!

What cheap and fun activities do you do with your kids?

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