Filling the Day to Day Can Be Hair Raising!
Don't Worry, I've Got Some Ideas To Help.
You Got To Work For Fun
As you know, as a mom you learn countless things. Among the most helpful and long lasting though, is learning- or maybe accepting- that the day to day fun times just rarely happen on their own. Now I know there's been a handful of fun times that came together unexpectedly, but those super great memories created and times with a bunch of laughter attached, most often came with some level of coordinating, scheduling, and creating on your part. Once I came to realize this myself and stepped up my creativity, I found the key to unlocking this sometimes elusive word- Fun.
I Work For Smiles
Not just for my kids' smiles, but for my smiles. Being a stay at home mom can become mind numbing, we've all been there and know. Making a great day for them is my main objective, but adding in some smiles and laughter for myself is vital too. As it turns out, the harder I worked, the more smiles it earned and I loved it...I loved it a lot!
Let's See Those Smiles
Here's some creative and inexpensive ideas to put together fun things to do with your kids.
So let's get to work on making the day to day fun happen, and the smiles that come along with it. It's work, but it's the best kind of work there is.
Thrifty Day:
This one may sound a bit unusual, but I came up with this fun challenge one summer and my kids loved it. Make a list for each child with three categories of items on it, something like this: one toy item, one art item, one book, one game item. Give them each the same amount of money and take them to a thrift store (or other type of store) and explain that their challenge is to buy all the items on their list, but whoever brings you back the most change afterwards wins! Not only are they having fun with the game, they are also learning how to stretch their money.
Best Cookie In Town:
Being that we are a big cookie-loving family, I chose to compare cookies for this one, but you could choose any favorite food you wish (Upon request, we later did this with french fries). Make a score card for each child to use, listing 3 or 4 of the chosen places around town to compare- in our case bakeries. Make the game pieces by cutting circles from brown paper and adding pieces of double sided tape to the backs. Place all the game pieces in a baggie to bring along with the score card. Next, start bakery hopping! Visit each place on the list, sampling and scoring each cookie as you go. 1 cookie game piece being 'poor' and 5 cookie game pieces being 'best'. My kids still talk about this fun time to this day!
Milk Day:
A day of fun centered around milk? Oh yes! This fun day turned out to be one of my favorites. Milk Day involved a lot and kept us busy, which was exactly what I wanted.
Start by milking the "cow". Tape a water filled rubber glove to the bottom of a table and prick a hole in a fingertip. Squeeze the udder (glove) and allow the water to spray into a bucket.
Then make moo goo by boiling milk and adding vinegar. Strain the curds, rinse, and shape.
Next up, make milk art. Pour milk into a baking dish and add drops of food coloring. Dip a Q-tip into dish soap and dab it on the food coloring. Make wild swirls and designs then dip your paper in the milk. Remove the paper and let it dry to create beautiful works of art.
Still more, craft bird feeders out of empty milk cartons. Paint and design the carton as desired, cut a sizable hole on the front, and allow to dry. Once dry, fill the feeder with birdseed and hang it outside.
Last, enjoy milkshakes! Choose between making your very own at home or visit a malt shop.
Bubble Day:
Everyone loves bubbles, so make a day of fun with them. A day we all look back at and smile.
Make colorful bubble foam by mixing a watercolor tablet with 2 tablespoons of dish soap and 2/3 cup of water. Use a hand mixer on high until full foaminess is reached. Repeat the process for each color desired. My kids loved getting their hands in it!
Next, fill a small blow up pool with water and add dish soap. Use a hula hoop to make giant bubbles and even bubbles that they can stand in. Play around with string tied on dowels to achieve other shaped bubbles from the pool.
Have a bubble blowing challenge. Fill cups with bubble mixture or water and dish soap. Have them see who can blow the largest or longest lasting bubble using a straw.
Last, make bubbles out of them! Get them inserted into bubble suits and battle, roll, and bounce. This had me laughing for a while!
Feed A Friend Day:
This idea is absolutely a springboard. During the height of the pandemic, I thought of this as a way to show my kids to think of others. We gathered up ingredients to build a meal with, packaged it nicely in a crate, and delivered it to a family member. Expanding on the idea now, you could follow it through and once delivered, prepare the whole meal together. Lots of smiles brought to others with this idea, and time shared together as a family.
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