12 Ways to Play Outside This Summer

1. Water Table Painting
 Check out this adorable way to explore fingerpainting with the kids this summer. I love how cleanup becomes part of the fun!

2. Blow Bubbles
 This is a family fun night coming up at the Hollingsworth house. Our kids love bubbles so much that we plan to make one of our summer family nights focus around this fun play time. We'll make our own bubble wands, play with no-pop bubbles, and stand inside a bubble of our own(our girls LOVE this one).  We plan on testing out this cool bubble snake, and these giant bubbles as well.

3. Sidewalk Chalk and Chalk Paint
Sidewalk chalk is excellent outdoor fun. We love mixing up chalk paint for outside play using cornstarch and food coloring. This year we're going to check out Squirt Painting to expand our play.

4. Stargazing
We love the Perseid meteor shower that shows up in early August but any night is a good night to stargaze. It's a perfect time to relax outdoors together with the fun bonus of getting to stay up past bedtime. Add a little late night ice cream to round out the evening if you feel daring.

5. Family Picnic
There are so many great playgrounds in Kansas City. Hitting the park for a family picnic is a simple way to get outdoors this summer. Give me a blanket, sunglasses, and a good book...I'm set!  Jessica over at Life As Mom has a great post called 3 things you need for a great family picnic.  I especially love her idea of having a picnic go bag, I did this a couple of years ago and it truly makes all the difference. Now whenever the mood strikes I have our picnic basket ready to go with all the essential tools already gathered. It makes it so much easier to get out the door.

 6. Glow Sticks
I can't go into much detail on here yet but  a Glow Family Night is in the works for my crew this summer. Grab some glow sticks and get in on this wonderful and inexpensive play activity. :)

7. Outdoor Games
Summer is a great time to enjoy classic children's games together. This year I want to spend plenty of time playing simple games with my children- sardines, flashlight tag, duck duck goose, tag...fun and easy. We plan to try bossy ball and frisbee tic tac toe as well.

 8. Fly Kites
 Let's go fly a kite... Can't beat it. Until your kite gets caught in a tree anyway. That's what Daddy is for.  He usually ends up having to help me more than our kids though.

9.  Get Up and Move Dice
 The fabulous Crystal over at Growing a Jeweled Rose came up with these great dice that encourage active play with the kiddos. This activity is great indoors and out.

10. Water War
My oldest child looks forward to a water war every year. Sometimes it's just our family (... eventually ALL of the neighborhood children) in the front yard. Sometimes we invite friends over to share in the fun, making it a big event...either way it's a total blast. This reminds me of my childhood. My Dad planned a water fight for the neighborhood kids every year. We all loved it. I'll never forget the time that the kid down the street saved up for months to purchase a water gun that had a backpack water tank providing him with a seemingly endless water supply. I ran for dear life at the sight of that lime green torture device. That year was the last time that I came armed with a dollar store water gun. We were shamefully outgunned...

Anyway, water wars have no rules. Bring your water guns, bust out the hose, make those little sponge bombs that you see all over Pinterest...whatever. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the sponge bombs. The untie too easily. Seriously, nobody wants to stop to retie a sponge in the middle of war. I recommend using the giant utility sponges found in the automotive section. Those babies can pack quite a punch so please DO NOT throw them at little kids in the full size, soaked with water they could hurt a small child. We cut them into fourths(sometimes smaller!) for our children to use. Sometimes we just give them normal kitchen sponges without wasting our time turning them into cute little balls. I've never heard a complaint. The large sponges make a fabulous assault weapon for waterbombing an unsuspecting husband though. You want to give that a try sometime, trust me. :)

11. Scavenger Hunt
My little girl can't get enough of seek and find activities. Scavenger hunts are a great way to put her curious nature to work and sneak in a little learning at the same time. A family favorite is this pirate treasure hunt that you can customize to fit your own space. Our girls flipped out when they found their pirate dress up outfits set out for them with a map leading the way to hidden treasure. Treasure hunts have become something of a summer tradition around here. It's extra fun to make the treasure a yummy snack - chocolate coins are always a big hit! In addition to our treasure hunt, we'll head to our favorite park on a color hunt, take this fun tally sheet scavenger hunt to our local nature center, and see what we can find in our own neighborhood with this fun scavenger hunt printable. I love how it includes textures, fantastic idea!

12. Water Blob
 I've wanted to do this activity for SO LONG! Unfortunately, our last house had a sloped yard and our attempt at enjoying this awesomeness was a complete disaster. We had it all ready to go and went inside for a quick drink only to come back and find that the entire blob had rolled down our yard and resulted in an awful tangled mess at the base of our swing set. BOO. Super disappointed Mom, er, kids. :(  I hope we have better luck this year, it looks so fun!

The Birthday Letter

Andrew celebrates his first birthday in two weeks. We're all very excited. I've been busy crafting and planning a simple but awesome picnic bash so we can celebrate his life with our closest friends and family. Amid the party plans I've been trying to write his birthday letter. I'm stuck. I have so much that I want to share with him about our first year together... many happy memories of a very full heart that I want to put in writing but I can't seem to get it right. I've done this a few times now, it's a tradition that started with our oldest daughter...I should be able to do this! However, I've only written one letter to a son. It didn't get to be a cheerful celebration of his life, it turned out to be more about letting go of the dreams I had for him instead. I wanted him. It's still insanely painful to not know if he'd love trying to climb the stairs or if he'd think the trampoline was the best thing ever just like Andrew does... He'd be six years old now. So much about our family has changed. So much about the way I love him hasn't.

 Amid all of the fun Hollingsworth family celebrations coming up I want to take the time to celebrate another special Hollingsworth son. This birthday letter is something I wanted to share, for no other reason than that I love him.

 April 2009
We have a tradition in this house on first birthdays. Something we started with Abby, planned for you son, and will do for Addia and any other future Hollingsworth children in this home. Tucked away for safe-keeping is a decorated birthday box that we made for Abby when she turned one. She won’t get to open until she turns 16. In that box are all kinds of fun things from her first year with us-some pictures, a favorite toy, a favorite book, etc.

There were also some things that we thought our 16 year old daughter might like years from now-  a nice bible , a car (matchbox in this case), the Chronicles of Narnia series, pictures and magazine articles on things that 16 year old girls liked when we made that box for her.  I think Daddy included notes in those articles about what was and was not considered appropriate “trendy” clothing for teenage girls…things of that nature.

Most importantly there were letters to Abby from the family that came to her birthday, most of them are sealed and I have no idea what they contain- that is personal for her to read later but I do know what my letter said. It recounted in great detail my memories of our first year together and oozed with the sentimental mushy love that I feel for our precious daughter and the delight that her Daddy and I find in her every day. I remember addressing it to “My dear Toddling Terror” which is what I called your sister when she got on my nerves with her curious energy (I called her that more often that I called her by name). I worked on that letter for at least a month before her birthday and remember being frustrated with your Daddy when he whipped his letter to her up in about 10 minutes the day before her birthday (an example of the differences in husbands and wives).

I don’t get to treasure any keepsakes from your first year…I don’t have any idea what you love doing or what makes you smile and that hurts me so much. I can’t pull out pictures of you or really even know what you look like. I’m not going to be able to watch you open your birthday box  on your 16th birthday and allow you to go cruising around town in Dad's car after using way too much axe cologne (thank God because I’d have a heart attack). But I can write your birthday letter and I can send you all my best wishes today, just like I do every other day. Here it is.

Dear Son,
This is terribly difficult to write. I’ve tried it a million times this month and it always comes out garbled up and incoherent, but that is okay because that is how I have felt since losing you. I want it to be perfect; I want it to remind you of how much we love you and make you feel like you are right here in our arms on this special day. So far I haven’t been able to find the words for any of that.

After crying many times and putting a lot of thought into it I am still stuck. The thing that keeps coming back to me is the movie UP. I have strong love/hate feelings for that movie. I am completely convinced that I will never be able to watch it without crying. You would think that I'd chose not to watch a show that makes me feel that way but I always come back to it and it is (not so secretly anymore I guess) in my top three movie list.

I cry...I do, right at the beginning when she is sitting in that chair outside in the sunshine with a broken heart…because I know that. I often feel as though  I could just sit in the rocking chair staring out the window as all the seasons pass by with me never even really noticing the snow fall, the sun shine, the flowers bloom…everything is various shades of gray some days and it’s days like those that make me cry when I see that movie.

But that isn’t the part of the movie that keeps drawing me in, it’s the wow moment that occurs in my heart when the grumpy old man picks up that book that breaks his heart each day and starts flipping through it, starts feeling it and remembering it, and then gets to that page that is the source of his pain and has the courage to flip it over only to find out that the world didn’t end with that one unrealized dream. That adventure was cut short but was worth dreaming of and hoping for. It also opened the door for other adventures- like the one that couple got to share in their married life together. I know that God is trying to speak to me with this. Some days it is easier to listen than others and I will be honest that I am not ready yet to completely flip that page over but I am glad to know that God has provided me with new adventures to fill the pages of our adventure book and some days I can almost hear you say “Thanks for the adventure Mommy- now go have a new one.” I hope you are having great adventures too, document them well I want to hear all about them and see lots of pictures someday!

Hmm, Brandon Heath is on the radio singing his newest song Love Never Fails right now. That is a very appropriate ending to your birthday letter, I feel like that song is a hug from you whenever I hear it- I even find myself listening to K-Love on the radio just for a chance to hear it because they play it so often. Happy birthday son, give them some trouble up there okay? I love you Isaac!

Love,
Mommy

Out and About in Kansas City! 12 Fun Summer Activities for Families

Part of the fun of summer break is getting out and about right? This year we came up with a list of the 12 places that we can't wait to visit over summer break. Check them out for yourselves!

1. Mahaffie Farmstead-
Hours: Memorial Day-Labor Day- Wednesday/Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 12pm-4pm
Admission: $6 for adults and $4 for children ages 5-11

Mahaffie Farmstead is a new adventure for us this year. This year we want to make it to at least two of the special summer programs they offer. I've shared their list of summer programs here for your convenience.

Day Out with Frank and Ella- Wednesday & Thursday in June and July 9am to 4pm.
Each week your child can enjoy a different theme with activities, crafts and a stagecoach ride. Admission costs $5/child and accompanying adults are free. Adults do have to pay $2/person if they opt to take the stagecoach ride. Parking is available in the parking lot of the Heritage Center, be sure to pick up a map there while paying admission. Families are encouraged to bring a sack lunch to enjoy on the grounds. Registration is encouraged for groups of 10 or more. To register, call 913.971.5111

• 6/4 and 6/5: Kansas Cowboys
• 6/11 and 6/12: Horse Power
• 6/18 and 6/19: Civil War
•  6/25 and 6/26: Hit the Trails!
• 7/09 and 7/10: Civil War
• 7/16 and 7/17: wonders of Victorian Science or Kansas Wheat Harvest (depends on wheat crops)
• 7/23 and 7/24: Wonders of Victorian Science or Kansas Wheat Harvest(depends on wheat crops)
• 7/30 and 7/31: County Fair
• No sessions July 2nd or 3rd (Independence Day)

Family Fun Nights- Thursday in June and July 6pm to 8pm.
Families enjoy FREE admission(with a small fee for some special activities) and a different theme of history each week with lots of hands on activities. Stagecoach rides are $2/person ages 3 and up.

• June 5th: Kansas Cowboys
• June 12th: Horse Power
• June 19th: Border War
• June 25th- Hit the Trail!
• July 3rd- Celebrate Olathe! (Grand opening of the Olathe Community Center, 19th Century Independence Day and 19th Century Fireworks)
• July 10th: Civil War
• July 17th: Wonders of Victorian Science or Kansas Wheat Harvest(depends on wheat crop)
• July 24th: Wonders of Victorian Science or Kansas Wheat Harvest(depends on wheat crop)
• July 31st: County Fair

Independence Day
Friday July 4th 10am to 4pm
Enjoy 1860s living history activities such as cookstove and blacksmith demonstrations, take a stagecoach ride and listen to a reading of the Declaration of Independence at noon. Regular site admission applies. $6/adults. $4/children 5-11 years old. Olathe residents receive $1 off of admission prices.

2.Ernie Miller Nature Center-
Hours: Trails are open daily from dawn til dusk. The Nature Center is open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm and closed on Sunday during June, July and August.
Admission:  FREE

We love hiking here together as a family! With beautiful trails, engaging story-times for little ones every other Wednesday morning and the new Friday Family Nights Series at the outdoor amphitheater in June and July this is a great, inexpensive option for getting into nature this summer. Don't forget to bring the camera for cute photo ops! Check out their calendar here to see what's coming up.

3. Summer movies-
One of our favorite ways to enjoy summer is to take in new movies together. I'm sure we'll pop into the local theater for a show or two but we LOVE going to the drive-in during summer months. This is easily my favorite thing about the season! I look forward to the drive in each year. :)  Most of our local drive-ins are good about trying to show new family friendly releases first and wrapping up with an adult blockbuster while our kids crash in the car. We only go when they have a child friendly show but we usually get to attend 3-5 times a season. I recommend the Mid-Way Drive-In and Boulevard Drive-In
 
This summer the Dickinson Theatres are offering a pretty good selection of movies as part of their Summer Vacation Movie Series as well. We are especially excited to see the Wizard of Oz on the big screen. You can't beat the $2 ticket price and $4.50 snack box on a hot summer day! You can check out the movie lineup here.

4. Theatre in the Park-
 Hours: Box Office opens at 6:15pm, Gates open at 6:30pm, Curtain at 8:30pm.
Admission: $8 for adults, $6 for children ages 4-10. Reserved chairs should be booked online in advance and cost $20 per chair.

 I can't wait to take the family to Threatre in the Park this summer. There is something wonderful about sitting out under the stars watching a great performance. I love taking a blanket to snuggle up on but they also provide a section with chairs if that's more your thing. If you're going with children, please remember to take along some pre-show entertainment while waiting for the show to start. Our kids love coloring books and play dough especially. Theatre in the Park has a great summer season that you can see here.

5. Deanna Rose/Firefly Forest-
 Hours: Open daily from 9am-5pm.
Admission: Monday-Thursday FREE, Friday-Sun and Holidays $2/person, 2 and under are FREE.

Deanna Rose is a great place to spend a summer morning in and of itself. My girls are big fans of the mining area and pony rides. I love the playground and animals. When we go next time we're VERY excited to check out Firefly Forest while we're there. Firefly Forest isn't part of Deanna Rose but we've heard that gnome homes are popping up on the trail directly behind their facility. From what I understand, you park at Deanna Rose and head South on Switzer(west on the trail) until you come to a gnome home about 10 minutes down the trail. If you backtrack and head east on the trail, going under the street, you'll find the Firefly Forest sign after about a five minute walk and there are more homes as you continue on the trail. The idea of fairy and gnome homes fascinates my girls, we can't wait to check out their cute homes and then make some of our own!

6. The Library- Our oldest is a big-time reader. She's always in the middle of several good books at once. We plan on making lots of visits to our local library to find new books to devour together. Luckily for us, our library offers a great summer reading program to participate in. To encourage even more summer reading at home we put together a special challenge for her. You can download her Summer Reading Bucket List here.

7. Fruit Picking-
 *Call to to arrange a u-pick appointment at Gieringers!

We've visited orchards in the past for apples and peaches but this year we'd like to pick our own berries at Gieringers Orchard in Edgerton. According to their website strawberries should be ready in late May, blackberries in July, and peaches in July/August. With prices between $2-$4 per lb. it makes for a fantastic family outing and an opportunity to experience how different plants grow.

8.Brumble's Forest-
Brumble's Forest is a really fun playground at Meadowmere Park. Located in Grandview Missouri, it's a bit of a drive for us but it makes for a wonderful day trip. We try to explore at least one new park together each summer. Huge playground, sand area, tons of swings and slides, beautiful trails and an amazing woodland design- Brumble's Forest is a must-see metro park.

9.Powell Gardens/ Overland Park Arboretum-
Powell Gardens Hours: Daily 9am-6pm
Powell Gardens Admission: $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $4 for children ages 5-12, 4 and under FREE

Overland Park Arboretum Hours: Daily 8am-7:30pm
Overland Park Arboretum Admission: $3 for adults, $1 for children ages 6-12, 5 and under are FREE

We visit the Overland Park Arboretum frequently but this year we hope to get to the areas we haven't seen and we want to make the trip out to Powell Gardens as well. So many of our best days are spent lazily exploring the lovely gardens together!

10. Bowling-
We registered our kids on www.kidsbowlfree.com so they can enjoy two free games of bowling at our local bowling alley EVERY DAY this summer. We only have to pay shoe rental and they can beat the heat while having fun whenever they want. What a great deal! Check it out to find cooperating bowling alleys in your area.

11. Loose Park Sprayground-
Hours: Daily 11am-7pm CLOSED WEDNESDAYS FOR CLEANING.
Admission: FREE

 Loose Park is a fun family outing with lots to see and do- flower gardens, playgrounds, ponds, and our family favorite- the sprayground!  You can't beat free water fun in a gorgous park on a hot day.

12. Kaleidoscope-
Hours: check the website for varying hours over the summer months.
Admission: tickets for each session are FREE on a first come first served basis.

 Kaleidoscope is a Hallmark art center for kids at Crown Center in Kansas City. If you haven't been here before, please go check it out. It's so fun! They offer all kinds of engaging art experiences for children to create to their hearts content. Pick up a free ticket to a 40 minute art session for your family and explore the different stations. Make glow in the dark art and create a puzzle of your own. Take all of your artwork home with you at the end of your session. I wish the sessions were a bit longer but we always have a lot of fun creating together when we visit. If you go, be sure to check out the Crayola Store and the free themed play exhibit at Crown Center as well to round out your trip. Crown Center is also home to Legoland Discovery Center, Sealife Aquarium and Coterie Theatre. There are so many fun things to see and do!

Summer Fun 2014

12 weeks of summer fun in Kansas City.  That's the plan.

This year our family decided to be commitment free during the summer.  After a busy school year it is time to unwind with some unstructured free-time. No summer camps, sports, productions or classes for our lot this year. Just food, family, friends and fun.

We still want to be intentional with our time though right? There is nothing worse than noticing that summer days slipped by before you got around to all of the fun things you had hoped to do back at Summer's beginning.  We've made a summer bucket list with the intent to do four things each week all summer long, one from each section. We'd like to get to these things each week but there is no demand on our time this way. If we decide that we want to nap, veg in jammies or read books at the park instead that's just great. I refuse to plan out our days this summer.

1. Get out and about- visit one of our 12 picks for summer fun in Kansas City
2.Be intentional about play- spend time together playing, crafting, or learning
3.Get outside- enjoy that beautiful backyard in a new way
4. Cook- make and enjoy a special treat together

 You've all seen those crazy busy summer plans floating around Blogland right? The tediously detailed summer-at-home camps that are designed to keep the day so very full that those precious little ones can't possibly have the time to irritate you with a declaration of "I'm bored!". What about the schedules that give all the days of the week cute little names and rules like "Make Something Monday" and "What's Cooking Wednesday"...It's cute, but it's unnecessary.  It's okay to be bored sometimes. It's okay to respond with "not a thing" when a Mommy friend asks what you have planned for the day.  You don't have to have every moment of the day planned to have an awesome summer.

 We're ditching the rules, leaving the Mommy Summer Camps and Summer Schedules for Kids of Pinterest behind, and trying something different with the hope of creating a restful atmosphere for EVERYONE during these wonderful lazy summer days. Won't you join us? Say goodbye to the drive to be constantly busy. Say hello to a peaceful summer enjoying your family AND having a blast together. By all means, make plans to do fun things with your crew this summer, just remember that summer is about the little moments that happen amid the plans. :)

I've had several people ask me to share the activities I have planned for our summer so be on the lookout for posts in the coming days that round up our favorite Kansas City summer attractions, outside play ideas, yummy food that we want to try, and how we plan to be intentional about time spent playing together this summer.

Andrew at 9 Months

 

Hi! I'm Andrew. I'm 9 months old. I'm pretty sure that my Mommy is NEVER going to get around to getting my photo boards finished so I'm taking matters into my own hands...I'm going to tell you about my 9th month in my own way.

Mommy says that I'm getting big! I love being on the move. Feet are AWESOME.

 

My Mommy is pretty excited that I've started growing hair.  It's slow going but it's there. Sometimes I even have to have it brushed in the morning. What a pain in the rear. Baldies have it so much easier. I think Mom's especially excited that my hair is very dark brown, just like my Daddy. 

 I've discovered how to stand up! Seriously it is the BEST.THING.EVER. I can pull up on anything  and I cruise all around the house. When I think nobody is watching I often take a few steps on my own but I grin and fall to the ground if someone sees me. Even better than all that, I can climb onto everything! Couches, tables, beds, baby gates...everything. Nothing is safe people. Not one thing.

My Mommy tried to contain me in this contraption one day. Imagine her surprise when I immediately escaped! 

See, all you have to do is put your foot up on this little thing here and then BAM! You have the leverage you need to dive over the edge head first at a speed that makes Mommy's heart race. Sure, you whack your noggin pretty good but who minds minor head trauma? My Daddy says I'm made of tough stuff.  I agree. I just get right back up with a huge grin on my face and run off to get into something.

Mommy had to break out the big guns. I haven't figured out how to escape this cage just yet. :( It sits in our living room now so Mommy can do things like "use the bathroom" or "fold the laundry" without my assistance. I don't know why she thinks these things are so important but I love her anyway.

I have a secret weapon that guarantees that Mommy will stop whatever she is doing to pick me up though. All I have to do is peer over the top of the play-yard and smile real big before ducking down and she comes running to play with me. She calls it peekaboo. I tell ya, that game is magical.

I love bathtime! My sis collects duckies and there are a TON to play with. It's a good time in there with all of those duckies and plenty of room to splash around. This one is my favorite, we call him Mighty Duck. He keeps me safe from that weird bucket thing that pours water over my body when Mommy says it's time to wash off.

This is what happens when you try to get my dressed now. Ha Ha Ha, you'll never catch me!

 Mommy is my best friend. We laugh together all day long. She snuggles with me, tickles me, reads to me, chases me all over the house and plays lightsabers with me...I love that lady!

I love playing with my Sisters too, although they don't always seem as interested as I am, especially when their toys are involved. Mostly they yell NO when they see me heading towards their stuff. I don't get it, I'm always game for a good time playing Barbies! See? So I put their heads in my mouth...big deal. Just in case you wondered, Barbies taste AWESOME.

 I'm an equal opportunity terror. I try to get into Big Sissy's things too but since she likes to play with stuff that Mommy calls "dangerous" , like glue sticks and Legos,  they are all kept in tightly closed boxes and buckets to keep me from eating them. Sad story.  I love this shelf though, I may not be able to open these things but I CAN drag them all onto the floor and make her have to pick them all up. He he he. Take that.

I prefer to cut teeth in groups of 2 or more at a time so I almost always have my fingers, or my entire fist, in my mouth.  That's just how I roll.

Speaking of teeth, I have five now. Don't you just love my toothy smile?

I have lots of toys I can safely chew on like the ever trendy Sophie giraffe...

But, I really prefer to chew on the Wii remotes. I don't understand why everyone is so opposed to this. What's the big deal anyway?

I have killer baby blue eyes. I can almost always get my way when I pull a cute face with these bad boys. Well, at least I can with Mommy and my Sisters, Daddy is a tough nut to crack. 

I went on my first trip to the zoo this month. I really enjoy watching the snakes. They wiggle around just like I do!

My sisters were just as entertaining as the animals though. I think I must live in a zoo everyday. Our home is certainly loud and wild like the zoo. I wouldn't want it any other way.

10 months here I come! 

Getting Rid of the Crap

I began an organizing project of sorts this month. I came across a post on Pinterest challenging readers to tackle the task of getting rid of 10 things a day for a week. Sounds pretty simple huh?  However, as I glanced around my house, I realized that I needed to get rid of 10 things a day for the entire month to make the kind of impact I want to see in our home.

Why not do that?

This month I am getting rid of 10 things EVERY DAY for the entire month of April. That's it.  No other rules to follow or "clean ____ on _____ day" charts to dictate my process. Just a promise to get rid of the crap that I've put on a backburner for too long.  No more "I'd like to sell those when I have  time to list them online..." or "Maybe I can craft with that someday..." I'm doing this thing.  Just me and a trash bag tackling the world...er...my house anyway.

Honestly, I've tried a few Organize Your Entire House in 30 Days! thingies before. I NEVER make it more than a week before I'm behind and give up out of frustration. I don't follow rules well, I like to be free to work in whatever area I choose instead of using a "Day 7: Laundry Room" type system. I think this variation will work well for me.

While I'm keeping my plan pretty loose, I've decided to follow the basic organizational guideline of Toss, Donate, or Sell. If I decide to toss something, I do that immediately, into the garbage that crap goes. That's the easy part for everyone though right? It gets trickier when you start considering donating or selling items. Ugh, I don't like tricky. :/

 This is what I've decided to do. I set up two bins in my home- the donation bin is easily assessable in our garage and the sell bin is in my bedroom. You might think that my bedroom sounds like an odd place to stash stuff I want to get rid of but honestly I want that sucker smack dab in the middle of my way each day so I don't forget to focus on getting rid of it. I'm spacey, if I tuck it into my closet or even push it over into the corner of the room I'm likely to allow it to stay there forever and not think about it ever again. Not the goal here. It's sitting at the foot of my bed and anything that goes in there absolutely MUST leave by the end of April. If I don't manage to sell it I'll take it to donation with the other bin.

I'm excited to see the change in our home after getting rid of all of the excess items taking up space and causing extra work in my home. Goodbye outgrown baby clothes! Goodbye unused toys! Goodbye random kitchen gadgets that I don't even know how to use! Goodbye maternity clothes! Can I get an amen on that last one?!?

Now I want to encourage you to tackle a declutter challenge of your own this month. Maybe you're one of the amazing people that would see a huge impact from simply getting rid of 10 things a day for a week. Or perhaps you prefer a detailed attack plan guiding you to tackling all areas of your home according to a schedule. Whatever floats your boat is great! I encourage you to find something that you think will work for you and give it a go with me this month.  We can encourage each other along the way and set ourselves up for a relaxed spring in with less clutter. Sounds pretty good to me.

Let's do this thing.

" I'm Bored! " 7 Simple Boredom Busters You Can Do RIGHT NOW!

3 snow days in a row. THREE. If your kids are anything like mine, you are starting to hear increased bickering and even an "I'm bored!" here and there.  This list of ideas can help you beat the hum drums of another snow day. Check out 7 of our favorite family activities to bust up the boredom and renew creative energy.  All of these ideas use household items and require very little or no prep work. Enjoy!


1. Set up a stuffed animal zoo or vet office.
 Make signs, tickets, prescriptions, etc. Get creative and go all out. Lead zoo tours or treat patients with bandages, medicine and lots of snuggles. Right now my 4 year old is SUPER into Doc Mcstuffins so we frequently play toy doctor. Get in on the creative play with your child. The doc is in!

2. Blocks.
Best. Toy. Ever. The play opportunities for creative exploration with blocks are endless. I love issuing creative challenges for the kids and seeing what they come up with. Here are a few simple ideas to get you started. How tall can you build your tower before it topples? How many blocks can you stack in one minute?

If you have legos around you're in luck, there have been a million brilliant posts from Mommy bloggers all over recently about play and learning activities using these amazing little bricks.  Moms never cease to amaze me when it comes to finding new ways to use basic things. Use those Legos in a new way. My kids love the Lego Mystery Challenge  , for more ideas like it check out the Lego Family Challenge but a quick Google search will give you TONS of options. :) If you'd like to sneak in a little learning I recommend this easy math game and building letters/words with Legos!

3. Build with unusual objects.
 Legos and building blocks are fabulous go-to boredom busters but if the repeated snow days have your kids in a building rut offer up different building options to spark their imagination. Suggestions: toothpicks/marshmallows, cardboard tp tubes and boxes, tupperware dishes and plastic cups, solo party cups, straws/play dough, or go big and build a fort!

4. Play movement games. 
This is a great day for childhood games like Hide and Seek or Simon Says. As kids get bigger charades is a fun game and can be switched up with different themes. Another great idea is to turn some music on (louder is always better) and have a dance party. Break out the dress up clothes and feather boas while you dance like nobody is watching.
My kids also love a game we learned in Preschool that we call the Sleeping Game. I sing out "Sleeping, sleeping, all the children are sleeping" the kids lay down on the floor and close their eyes while I do this. When everyone is settled I say "and when they wake up they are _____!" The kiddos get up and act like the animal or thing I said until I call out for them to sleep again. It sounds too simple to be fun but this is a game that we've played for 3 years now and my 7 year old still joins in with her sister enjoying the family game. It is a great way to get some energy out in a playful way.

5. Set up simple Carnival games in the living room. 
 It's not hard to whip up a beanbag toss(use socks rolled into balls if you don't have beanbags around), shooting range(break out the nerf guns and build targets), or an obstacle course(use things around the house- have them race to put on their winter gear, jump over couch cushions, climb over/under chairs and tables, etc.)  I also love this idea of setting up a laser obstacle course in a hallway with yarn! How clever! These are all fairly easy things to set up that will break up the monotony of another day at home.

6. Try out a new science experiment or play recipe. 
There are great ideas all over the internet for creating goop, slime, flubber, homemade playdough and all kinds of other messy and wonderfully squishy things at home with your kids. Search around a bit and find something new to try with the kiddos. Sometimes the concoctions are amazing and provide hours of entertainment, sometimes they tank but either way it's fun to experiment with your kids! Some of my personal favorites are Flubber and Oobleck. I give both of these my Mama seal of approval if that matters but I do want to note that I didn't think our Oobleck had the consistency the recipe suggested. It was still tons of fun and my avid Dr. Seuss fans got a HUGE kick out of it anyway, playing with it for over an hour until Daddy's arrival home distracted them. :)

7. Get the creative juices flowing again with Art!
One of the easiest ways to break up boredom is to bust out the art supplies. The possibilities go on and on.  Every day I see Mamas showing off beautiful kid-created masterpieces all over Pinterest...that's great and all but please don't get a frown-y face if you sit your child down with the paints or markers and the result is a messy looking brown mash-up of 7 mixed up colors instead of the cute little project you were hoping for. Brag about it, display it on the mantle, blog it and pin it all over the place because it is a fabulous one-of-a-kind creation crafted by none other than the best little picasso you know! So what if the horse is blue and looks like a pine cone. :)

Process is so much more important than product for children. I won't dive into the subject in great detail because it's one of my soapbox issues but I encourage you to rest in the peace that it is still fun even if it's scribbles or so covered in paint smears that it will take 3 days to dry completely.

If you're in an artistic rut allow me to recommend snow paint

 

 or wax-resist "magic" art. To create wax-resist art simply draw on white paper with a white crayon(press hard!) or a white oil pastel if you have it and then paint over the page with watercolors or a watered down tempera mixture. The crayon magically shows up through the paint and wows children every. single. time.

Enjoy some playful time with the kiddos today!