Friday, May 01, 2009

Spicing Up Rainy Days

This Kansas spring has been cold and rainy....

Cold- I can deal with that. We can bundle up & still play outside. Both kids thrive when outdoors & this keeps Mama sane.

But when it's raining what do you do?

We'll I'm fed up, so I've started planning 1 or 2 fun things to do each day despite the rain- so there!

So what have we been up to this week?

We've used the garage as an extension of the outdoors. Bubbles are soooo much fun in the garage! And while bubbles are a challenge in the normal Kansas wind, this is not a problem in the garage. Ride on toys, chalk, and games of chase work great in the open space of the garage.

I had to get over my fear of messes indoors & let the kids 'paint' with chocolate pudding inside. And you know what? It was so much fun for all of us!!! Isaac was busy driving his tractors through the 'mud' while Brooklyn ate the pudding by the fist full. When that ran out she dove face first into her tray to lick whatever her little tongue could reach. And I just laughed & enjoyed watching the kids have fun!!

One day it was warm but raining, so after dinner we all went for a walk in the rain. Isaac splashed in the puddles & ran and burned more calories than he's consumed in days. Brooklyn pushed her hippo walker up & down the sidewalks. We were all soaked, but had huge smiles on our faces when we came in to dry off & get ready for bed.

So despite the weather I have to make every effort to do my best job as a mom. Not every day needs to be filled with huge memorable events, but the little things do matter. I hope when they're older they'll sit around & talk about, "Remember when: Mom took us to... Mom let us.... Mom helped us make..."

So since more rain is in the future I'd love to have some other tricks in my back pocket. What are your favorite rainy day activities?

**FYI- our camera is dead & we're shopping for a new one**
**Sorry about no pics, we'll resolve that soon!!**

3 comments:

Tamara said...

painting with chocolate pudding INSIDE?! (i saw/heard about it for the first time on Jon & Kate Plus 8)... I AM IMPRESSED! not sure i could get there quite yet... then again, my kids are a bit younger than yours AND my entire downstairs is carpet with the small exception of the kitchen floor and two entry-ways! i'm also proud of you for planning FUN things for you AND the kids to do together. how special! as for ideas.... i apologize that i haven't got any (yet). but thanks for sharing your ideas! (should i rub it in and say it's really nice and sunny right now and i'm sitting outside, watching the kids play, as i type this?)

Anonymous said...

My favorite rainy activities? Splashing in puddles, sitting in a coffee shop for hours reading a book with a hot cup, and watching movies on the couch. Good thing I live in Portland, cause it rains pretty often. And one thing it does not do is smell like worms! -Ruzzi

molly said...

painting with pudding....do TELL!!!