Rainy Day / Snow Day Indoor Activties

Living in the snow we’ve learned that finding fun things to do indoors is super important. Otherwise you get one wild and crazy toddler running around and a mommy with her head about to spin! Below are some easy and fun indoor activities sure to keep you occupied while stuck inside. Please feel free to comment with your own fun ideas!

1. Play Hats.

Take those old party paper plates and make something fun out of them! Simply cut from the center of the plate out to the “ridged” edge of the plate. This should leave enough room for your toddler to slip their little head through the hole to make the base of the hat. From here, let your little one color, paint, glue whatever to get the hat they desire. Then let their imagination run and let the hat be the center of their world. Great hate ideas – crown, pirate hat, train conductor, baseball player…

2. Pet Rock.

Yes, the pet rock is an oldie but a goodie. The key is to run around outside and gather some rocks from around the house (hopefully it’s not too nasty outside and you can do this). Next, take the rocks inside and you and the little ones can give them a “bath” aka wash them. Then paint and decorate to your little heart’s content. Great pet rock ideas: cars, trucks, people, royalty, dinosaurs, and of course trains

3. Make a fort.

The key with making a fort is encouraging imagination and working with your child’s favorite theme. Making a castle fort or a control tower is a fun way to make an old indoor activity fresh.

4. Make your own playdough.

This is a fun way to help your little one see one of their favorite activities from conception. There are a few different recipes I have found online courrtesy of about.com  (basically – use what you have readily availble in your cabinets!)

Rubbery Playdough

2 cups baking soda
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup cornstarch

Mix with a fork until smooth. Boil over medium heat until thick. Spoon onto plate or wax paper.

 

Nature’s Playdough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
beet, spinach, and carrot juice

Mix flour, salt and oil, and slowly add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until dough becomes stiff. Turn out onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the playdough with your hands until of proper consistency. Use as is, or divide into balls and add a few drops of the vegetable juices to make green, pink, and orange.

 

 

Just Like the Real Playdough (so they say)

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon powdered alum
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons vanilla
food coloring

Mix all dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until reaching the consistency of mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and food coloring. Divide into balls and work in color by kneading the playdough.

 

Oatmeal Playdough

1 cup flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup water

Gradually add water to flour and oatmeal in bowl. Knead until mixed (this playdough is sticky, but unique in texture.) Model as with clay.

Tip: Add cornmeal or coffee grounds in small quantity for texture.

 

Nutty Butter Playdough

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup honey
1 cup oatmeal

Mix together and play.

 

Kool-Aid Playdough

2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
2 cups boiling water with 1 package Kool-aid (any flavor)
3 tablespoons corn oil
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon alum

Mix ingredients and knead with flour (may take up to 1 extra cup). Use more if the dough draws moisture in high humidity. Keeps well, has a nice fragrance and is very colorful and very flexible.

4. Telephone

Yes, bust out those red cups that you are no longer using from your partying days. Put a string through the bottom and watch in delight as your little one tries to figure out how the heck he can hear mommy in the cup!

5. Have a scavenger hunt.

Think of easy clues and mark the clues with colors and shapes so that little ones who can’t read yet cans till participate. This is a great time to utilize those flash cards you bought but never really seem to use. Hide fun objects around the house and put the flash card near the object your looking for.

6. Snow Ice Cream?

I saw this receipe today and we will try it this weekend. Stay posted for a review and pictures!

If it’s snowing in your area, take advantage of all that white stuff with this recipe. It’s a great way to get your toddler involved with nature and introduce him to cooking.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 15 minutes

Here’s How:

1. Mix all ingredients together and eat!

Tips:

1. Experiment with other extracts like almond and mint. You can also try orange, lime or lemon extracts for a “sherbert” dessert.
2. To make ice cream even creamier add 1/2 of a mashed banana.

What You Need:

• 1 cup Half & Half
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• dash of salt
• 5 cups of fresh, clean snow

TV – the fourth love of my life.

Maybe I should call it “Filmed Entertainment” so that it includes Movies AND TV?? Oh well, doesn’t really matter. The point is I thouroughly enjoy sitting my bootie in front of our HDTV and laughing and chillen out. Here’s a quick review of some must sees out there now.

1. American Idol.

It’s back and it’s as good as ever.  I like the new judge, and considering how hard it is to join in on a show that is so familiar with viewers and have confidence and a great presence, well, I’m even more impressed. Way to go Kara. And I’m enjoying the talent this year. I do hope bikini girl gets kicked off tonight, and I hope she crys. I also hope that someone tells her she’s not being kicked off because girls hate her, it’s that she’s simply not that good. As far as people I like – I like the widower, the adopt a grand friend girl, the hawaiian guy with soul and ummm…. I liked that one other girl who could really sing – I haven’t categorized her yet.

You can watch on Fox Tuesdays and Wednesdays 8pm/PT

 

2. Madagascar 2

We watch a LOT of kid movies and this one is at the top of my list (along with Surf’s Up, Cars and Harry Potter). I liked the first movie, but this one was better. It has a ton of music and moves at a fast pace. Great for toddlers and ADD mommies alike. I highly recommend it.

It is available to rent this Friday the 6th.

3. Heroes.

The most original and fun TV show out there right now (I’m sure many will debate this, but this is MY blog). I love the writing, acting, FX, plot etc. Just plain an awesome show. If you haven’t seen the past seasons you can watch them for free on Nbc.com or you can rent them. Absoutely worth wasting an hour of your week watching.

You can see Heroes on NBC, Mondays at 9pm

4. America’s Next Top Model

It’s almost time for the new season – hooray! Gotta love super tall, skinny, self indulged teenage girls fighting to be judged by tall, chunky, self indulged thirty/forty somethings. I love every single thing about this show. It’s a great mix of catty reality, fashion and photography.

You can watch ANTM on the CW network Wednesdays at 8pm (starting March 4th)

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Trying to find the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day? Well, you’ve come to the right place. I love gift giving and thinking of the perfect something for that special someone. Here are a few quick ideas below. Feel free to comment and add your great ideas too. Or – if you have read through the ideas below and none are a perfect match – just comment and ask me for some personal ideas. I would love to help!

1. Thoughtful photo collage.

Pick a collage frame.

I like this one from Target http://www.target.com/Memories-3-Opening-Photo-Frame-Black/dp/B000XQMQT4/sr=1-6/qid=1233090626/ref=sr_1_6/191-8873554-8583536?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Aphoto%20frame&page=1

Then, here’s the kicker – take black and white photos of places special to you and yours (ie: where you met, your favorite date spot, your couch . It may seem silly, but put together in a cute collage frame it will be really romantic and something you can display on your wall.

2. Make it a home date night.

Romance doesn’t always equal getting reservations at the best restaraunt, but it also doesn’t mean bringing in food in a box and slapping it down on the table. The key is making the effort. Making your partner’s favorite meal at home and making it a special moment will be a gift to be remembered. Set the table, set the mood with candles – show your partner that you really want it to be a special night – and by making the effort the moment will be that much more special.

3. Family Valentines.

As a mommy I know that getting a date night planned is not always easy, and getting a sitter on valentine’s day is even harder. So here’s the solution.

#1. get a babysitter for an upcoming evening and designate that as your valentines day. (they key here is to not be upset that on Feb 14th your hubby has now assumed the holiday has been pushed back, yet you still expect him to be super romantic. If you agree to put valentine’s day on another date – accept that and don’t put un-expected expectations on your hubby – that he will likely not meet. It’s not fair to either of you).

#2. on Valentine’s Day plan a special something for you and the whole family. Have the kiddos have a craft day and make valentines for everyone - or pretty placemats for your fancy dinner. Plan a nice dinner at home and bust out the fancy dishes. Get all the kids dressed up and let them practice their manners. Then afterwards – don’t clean up. Leave the dishes for tomorrow and spend the evening enjoying the people you love the most.

#Bonus: Looking for a gift to give during your family valentine’s night?? Professional photos are always a wonderful gift – and if you take the time to go and get pictures taken before the date night then it’s even a bigger bonus. Mommy’s love pictures of their kids and their husbands, and pictures of them together are even better.

My favorite local photographer is Holly Clark (she took the photo on my blog header and all my other faborite family pics).

www.clarkcorona.com

4. Where you first met.

Show your valentine how thoughtful you really are. Wrap up something that is a special reminder of the place you first met.

Chris and I met at a hockey game – so here’s a few examples of what we could do:

A budget gift option would be a small hocket souvenir like this: http://shop.nhl.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2504992&cp=1919757&clickid=body_featitems_img

An upgrade option would be tickets to a hockey game.

5. Suprise them at work.

Everyone likes to brag about how fantastic their partner is – well, if you suprise your mate at work everyone in the office will know how fantastic you are – and you’ll get extra bonus points

Take them lunch, flowers and a little gift. Tell them you know their busy, but you just wanted to bring something by to make their day a little nicer.

6. Make it a group effort.

Show the one you love how much you love them, by showing them how much EVERYONE loves them. Send an email to their family and friends saying that you want to share the love this valentine’s day and ask them to write a special note or memory about them. Gather all the notes together and put them in a card or scrap book.

7. Get a custom bracelet made with your anniversary date

I like this one from Things Remembered:

http://www.thingsremembered.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_9951_605638_-1_1?fcref=

8. Give them the gift of a Spa Day

Spa days are very needed in the working mommy world (and in every other world too!) Here’s a few ways to do the spa day.

On a budget?:

Bring home a bottle of wine, great smelling bath salts, candles and chocolates. Easy, affordable and romantic. Done.

Ready to splurge?

If you’re in the Sacramento Area I recommend getting a relaxing facial gift certificate from Jody at Aqua FX. She’s ridiculously awesome and it will be a treat.

http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Pamper.Me.Jody.Aqua.fx.916-608-4444

9. Take a local get away.

There are always fun get-aways in your town, that you often miss because you are too busy living. Take an evening (or weekend) out, but keep it local. It will cut down on travel costs, but will still be fun none the less. Check out your local paper or trip advisor. Here are a few of my favorite California get aways.

Sacramento:

Hotel: The Inn at Parkside

http://www.innatparkside.com/

Activity: Kings Game

http://www.nba.com/kings/

Dinner: Mikuni

http://www.mikunisushi.com/

Los Angeles (go to the OC! – relax by the beach)

Hotel: Surf and Sand Resort

http://www.surfandsandresort.com/

Activity: Laguna is known for it’s art galleries. Take a tour!

http://www.lagunaartmuseum.org/

Dinner: The Studio at the Montage

http://www.studiolagunabeach.com/

 

Ok – that’s it for now – email or comment me if you want more ideas

Thomas the Tank Engine’s Coming to Town

I just bought tickets for a mommy/Gavin date to see Thomas the Tank Engine Live this Sunday. In telling my co-worker about my weekend plans I said “Thomas the Tank Engine’s Coming to Town” – oh wow. Who knew the catchy song could have actually made it’s way into everyday conversation. Only in mommy world.

UPDATE:

Because I’m so used to answering to Andrea Here’s a quick update of our super duper fun Thomas Adventure.

Gavin was as talkative as ever, super excited to see Thomas in person. As we sat and waited for the show to start Gavin explained to everyone sitting next to us how Thomas was on his way. He’s behind the stage on the tracks and he’s going to be here in three minutes. He’ll go “Peep Peep” and then he’ll come on stage – so don’t worry – he’ll be here soon. Then he went on to explain to everyone how the lights work and that that up there is a spot light which will shine on Thomas after he drives on the tracks and comes on stage. (Poor kid, inherited his mommy’s Know-It-All genes). The show was fun, and all the dancing and singing wore my little munchkin out. Needless to say, he napped on the way home.

 

Top Ten Reasons You Know You’re a Working Mommy

#10. Your son has a toy lap top and when he plays with it he says “Excuse me, just one minute – I’m working”

#9. Your screen saver at work is Thomas the Tank Engine.

#8. You have a TV with a DVD player in your office, which have never been used for anything other than Kung Fu Panda on repeat so you can get work done.

#7. Happy Hour is re-defined from a drinking time to any hour of peace and quiet.

#6. You stare at a woman with no stains on her shirt and her hair  perfectly done and wonder “How does she do it?”

#5. The one hour business flight is considered a vacation because you have no access to email, phone or a little one clinging to you.

#4. You realize karma has finally crept up on you for asking your sister in law how she lets her daughter watch those annoying guys in the red, puprple, blue and yellow shirts after you find yourself quietly singing “Fruit Salad, Yummy yummy”

#3. You cherish traffic jams because they are a moment where your child is totally restrained and happy about it.

#2. In your purse you have business cards, cookie crumbs, band-aids, toys, wipes and a pair of 2T underwear – and you realize you’ve forgotten your phone,  wallet, keys (and quite possibly -your mind).

#1. You realize that you should have gone to Circus school just like you wanted to when you were a kid – because you are DAMN good at this Balancing Act!

Wanna-Be MILF

You know it’s the cool thing to be – so don’t hate on my aspirations to be a MILF. And yes, I did just use “Don’t Hate” and “MILF” in the same sentence.

While preggers I had big dreams of becoming a MILF. I dressed slutty and let my big ol belly hang out. (Ok, maybe not slutty, you must know by now I have a thing for the dramatic.) Well, after having a baby I realized that taking care of a baby and working full time is energy consuming enough. Sparing those extra few minutes of sleep to get up and put make up on was just not going to happen. However, I still think I managed to look pretty decent.

Well – the years have gone on and laziness and busy times have become all consuming and the “looking decent” days have long since passed. I’ve decided that I may think about making the effort to put on make up and resist wearing Chris’s sweats around the house. Because I had a dream, a goal and I see it slipping away. I don’t want to own mommy jeans or have a soccer mom hair cut.

Don’t know why I felt like sharing. But this is a blog – and that’s what you’re supposed to do.

Recycling gone Creative! What are your recycling ideas?? Comment!

I love hearing new, creative and  fun ideas. With the recyling and green movement I’ve come accross some really creative new products and ideas. Here are a few of my favorties below – please comment and add your own or links to great sites!!

1. Devi Yoga Mats offers a page sharing “Creative Tips on Recyling Old Mats” . Here’s a quick excerpt: “1. Super Cool Coasters! Cut an old mat into coaster sized circles, using an old coaster as a mold. Take a sponge and some non-toxic paints, and create a funky colorful textured coaster! Using metallic paints adds some extra glam”

Check out the full tips page at http://devimats.com/recyclingTips.html

2. Decorate with pieces made from recyled materials. The Hunger Site Store offers a great range of recyled gift products (and also a grean selection of gifts that give back – so I love them)

http://shop.thehungersite.com/store

3. Creating beauty from something ugly. Check out the Nikaya Brass pieces – each item is made from recycled brass shell casings from old bullets.

www.nikayahandcrafted.com

4. I want to hear more!! Share your great recyled products, finds and ideas here!