My son Paul was invited to spend the night at his friend Isaiah’s house. As we were getting out of the car, Paul asked everyone to get out and see a nest of baby birds they had discovered the day before in Isaish’s backyard. The mother had made a nest on a precarious branch in the lower part of a small blue spruce tree.
We went to the back and found that the baby birds and nest had fallen from the tree and were scattered in the backyard. Paul gently picked up the birds, put them back in their nest, and tucked them safely in the tree.
Paul and the baby sparrows
I noticed that Clark’s eyes were glued to the lake. Something out there had his full attention.
‘Mom, look at that TIki boat – it’s stuck and there are people on it. We should go help!’
Immediately, George, Clark, and their friend Landon, grabbed life jackets, put the canoe in the water, and paddled out.
They arrived at the Tiki Boat and discovered four ladies and the boat driver completely stuck in a bog.
They used their oars, strength and ingenuity to get the boat free … only for it to lodge itself deeper 10 yards away. This time it was REALLY stuck.
Two by two, Clark brought the ladies onto shore. George and Landon stayed on the Tiki boat until everyone was safe. They’d be the last ones to come back in.
George and Landon waiting on the Tiki Boat
Clark bringing in the ladies, two by two
Paul and his friend Isaiah, brought the boat driver safely to shore.
Two EIGHT YEAR OLDS saving the 20-something year old boat driver.
Once the women were safely on land, they couldn’t stop praising the brave young men who rescued them. These women were shocked when they saw the boys rowing toward them. They were THRILLED that help had arrived. You see, there are no motor boats on this lake. The Tiki Boat is the only boat with a motor on the entire lake. There was no one coming to help. They were sure they’d have to wade through the muck and mud, holding their Tory Burch shoes and Loius Vitton purses overhead.
The brave young men who saved the Damsels in Distress and the Tiki Boat Driver.
I gave the ladies a ride back to their restaurant. They looked happy to be off the boat – but I’m sure they had a night they’ll never forget.
The ladies gave the older boys a tip. George and Clark say they don’t want to spend the money. They want to save it for the memory. They are also on the lookout for any other damsels in distress.
Update: The Tiki Boat did eventually get free when a homeowner on the lake used a long rope and a four wheeler to pull the boat from the muck, allowing it to motor back to it’s home base – The Charthouse Restaurant.
Clark had asked me last month if he could get a ride on that Tiki boat, but you have to be 18 to ride. It’s pretty ironic that they are too young to ride, but not too young to rescue the passengers aboard!
Ted took George and Clark to help clean up our city.
I participated in my first ‘peace walk’ – “Moms March for Peace.”
I was invited by my friend Lourdmy – both of us are moms raising four sons. She is black, I am white. She asked if I wanted to join her for this peace march. I was happy to walk with her, to listen and to learn. It was an emotional and beautiful event.
Lots of time outside …
On the water and in the water
Fishing – I watched Luke catch a fish for the first time!
Hiking and Picnicking
Swimming, Sprinklers, and Slip in Slides
Luke
Paul
Paul, Luke and their friend
Luke and a friend
The boys fishing with neighbors
Paul and a friend canoeing
Can you spot me and Clark on the paddle boat?
Luke loves his new tank from Target
Swimming at Orchard Lake
It’s been HOT in Minnesota. You’d think that since we have such COLD winters, we should be rewarded with not so hot summers. Nope. Not this June. It’s been HOT and HUMID with endless amounts of mosquitoes.
However, everything is BLOOMING and BEAUTIFUL! There is NEW life everywhere – flowers, baby ducks, toads and turtles.
Here’s an idea for you: Take your kids to the backyard and play a GAME together.
Playing with your kids lowers your stress level and strengthens the bond with your kids!
Here are 3 games to play:
Select one person to be Mr. or Mrs. Fox. This person will stand with his or her back to the rest of the players.
All other players line up on the other side of the yard/field. The players take turns asking Mr. Fox what time it is. The fox will then respond with a time, such as 3 o’clock. The players must then take the same number of steps forward (in this case, 3 steps). These steps may be as large or small as the players wish, no matter how close they get to the fox.
Whenever the fox decides, she or he may yell in response to the question, “It’s LUNCHTIME!” When this happens, the fox will turn around and begin chasing the players with the intent of tagging one.
The players should run back to the starting line where they are safe. Once the fox tags someone, that person becomes Mr. or Mrs. Fox.
Optional Twist: Similar to Sharks and Minnows, after each round, the person who gets tagged JOINS the first Mr. Fox. The number of foxes chasing players increases until there are no longer any players. Then it’s time to start the game with a new fox!
The first team agrees to call one player from the opposite team, and chants, “Red Rover, Red Rover, send (player’s name) on over!”
The person called runs to the other line and attempts to break the chain (formed by the linking of hands).
If the person called fails to break the chain, this player joins the team that called Red Rover. But, if the player successfully breaks the chain, he may capture either of the two players whose link was broken by the dash, and bring them back to his original team.
Teams take turns calling out Red Rover and challenging a player on the opposing team.
Alternately – if they break the chain, they join hands with that line. We played this version in the video below.
“It” holds the ball and all the other players circle around him.
“It” then throws the ball straight up in the air while calling out a name.
While the player is catching the ball, all other players scatter and get as far away as they can from the person catching the ball.
The player whose name was called must catch the ball and yell “SPUD!”
The players who are running away must then stop in their tracks when they hear the word SPUD.
The player with the ball takes 3 steps in the direction of any person, then tries to throw the ball and hit one of the other players.
If the player hits someone, then that player he hits becomes “It,” if he misses, he is “It.”
Variations:
If a player who’s name was called catches the ball without letting it bounce, they can then throw the ball in the air and call another name. Then that player must run back and try and catch the ball.
If the person takes 3 steps and misses someone, they can take 4 more steps and try and hit another player.
Here’s a video of all three games. Stay tunes for some silly scenes at the end!
The day started as usual … oh, you know, four, I mean, FIVE boys – hungry and asking for bacon.
The boys completed their homeschool (aka distance learning) – as fast as possible because they had ‘important’ things to do.
George and Clark wanted to make a “What’s in the Box?” video for their youtube channel. The idea behind this video is that each boy has to take turns being blindfolded, then reaching their hand into a box, and “guessing” what’s in the box.
George and Clark both wanted to surprise each other with something ALiVE in the box! They commissioned Paul (the animal whisperer) to catch some live animals for them.
First, Paul caught some frogs that were attached to each other. He brought it to our backyard and taught our 6-year-old, as well as the neighbor girl, that these frogs are “mating” and this is how baby frogs are born. (Let’s call this homeschool science) I told Paul that mating frogs like to be left alone and to go put them back where he found them.
Next, Paul found a “non-mating” frog for George. George put the frog in an ENCLOSED container, and hid it in his room until he was ready for the ‘what’s in the box’ video.
Clark asked Paul to find a turtle for him and then hid it in his room – in a SHALLOW dish, with NO COVER.
When he went to get the turtle for the video…
…the TURTLE was GONE!
I was in the kitchen and overheard Clark saying:
Oh no, Oh no!!
Paul…I need your help!
I need some help in here!
– #clarkwayne
I came to check on Clark and he let me know the turtle was GONE and he couldn’t find it.
He showed me the shallow dish. No lid. No turtle.
We started looking around the room and COULD not find it.
We got Paul – Paul can catch any animal. Paul COULD NOT find it.
Ted came and looked – Ted COULD NOT find the turtle.
The door to Clark’s room was open when the turtle escaped. I started looking around the house. I could not find the turtle.
About 90 minutes later, Clark FINALLY found him…under a toy, under his bed.
Thank God it just a turtle this time.
Once the turtle was found, the boys were able to finish their video. Then, they took the animals immediately back to the pond.
Next, the boys had a water gun fight.
When it was time to come in for dinner, Luke said, “Mom, I’m not going to need a bath tonight, I had a water gun fight with my brothers.” (He DID take a bath)
This was just a regular Tuesday. A glimpse in the life of a #boymom! Never boring, always fun. Usually messy. Wouldn’t trade it.
For the record, this turtle was the 3rd creature that my boys have found, and then lost, and then found. Luke once brought a frog home, and accidentally dropped it in my kitchen. The frog jumped under the stove and it took us a LONG time to get him out. The first incident though, was when Clark lost a SNAKE in my car – to read about that adventure: Click HERE.
While raising four energetic boys, I’ve spent countless hours searching for ways to keep them engaged. We’ve endured many LONG, COLD winters cooped up indoors together.
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Pictures from one very long, extremely cold winter. Every day felt like Groundhog Day!
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Through experience (and a few hard lessons), I’ve discovered that when little ones get bored—or are left unsupervised even briefly—they have an uncanny talent for finding trouble and creating chaos!
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I left him un-attended for a few minutes, and he created “SNOW” with packing peanuts
I’ve searched the internet, and gathered my favorite ideas for keeping your toddlers busy!
Each link I’ve included is an affiliate link, so that means if you click on it and decide to purchase the item, I will earn a small profit. Thanks for your support!
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1. Stacking cereal
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Stack fruit loops or Cherries on Spaghetti noodles stuck in play dough!
Set out one item of each color, have your child search the house for items of the same color. (Bonus: see if they can put the items back where they found them.)
My oldest son received the Plasma Car for his first birthday – and each of my boys have been riding it ever since. This “bike” is almost 12 years old, and still one of their favorite toys. If you have an unfinished basement, or scratch resistant floors – this bike is a life-saver!
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Luke, just after his first birthday1 year old Luke loving his Plasma Car!
Step it up a notch with the Balloon Rockets. Kids enjoy watching balloons soar around the room! We purchased our Balloon Rocket set many years ago and my boys still have fun with this! I recently bought replacement balloons to keep them entertained during quarantine.
Spray it on a pan and let them draw or put shaving cream in a large baggie with some food coloring. Let your child “squish it” or practice writing letters on it with their finger.
18. Create sounds with Pots/Pans and Wooden Spoons
Let your kids bang away. (Put in earbuds to keep it from driving you crazy!)
Or:
Give your toddler pots and pans to bang on is a classic parent move, but here is a less noisy idea. Sit your toddler down with a pumpkin, melon, or squash and let them pound the vegetable to their heart’s content with a toy hammer. Most toddlers aren’t strong enough to do real harm with their hammer, so you can still make soup with your butternut squash once they’ve had their fun. She also says this works if you swap the hammer for stickers.
Singing to and with your child builds a unique bond with them. And just like reading to your child, singing songs with them helps to boost their vocabulary and language skills.
This bag has brought hours of entertainment for my kiddos!
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37. Have fun with ice!
Make ice in different colors with food coloring and add to their drinks.
Freeze their toys and allow them to ‘excavate’ with a toy hammer.
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38. Memorize a verse together
It’s the SWEETEST thing to hear your little ones quoting Scripture!
The first verses my mom had me learn were Psalm 91:1 and Ephesians 6:. The first verse I had my kids learn was 1 Timothy 4:12.
Scripture memory is something that will benefit your children throughout their ENTIRE lives!
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39. Clean together
Smaller things kids can do – wiping baseboards, lower cabinets, all door handles, pulling weeds, folding and putting away laundry, bathroom, bedroom, their closet, putting toys away and unloading dishwasher.
I offered my kids a quarter to whoever could wipe down the baseboards and bring me back the dirtiest wet wipe.
*I am an Amazon Affiliate, so I make a small percentage off of Amazon links I share if you click through and purchase. Thank you for your support in this way!
🌞☀️ Summer Fun Alert! 🌞☀️ Are you ready to banish those dreaded words, “I’m bored,” from your kids’ vocabulary this summer? 🎉 I’ve put together the ultimate list of activities guaranteed to keep young minds engaged, bodies moving, and creativity flowing all season long! From outdoor adventures to indoor escapades, there’s something for every kid to enjoy. Let’s dive in and make this summer the most memorable one yet! 🚀
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Note: I put this list together during the 2020 lock down and it came in handy when my son and got Covid and had to spend two weeks in quarantine. When we were finally ‘free” he said:
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“Mom, I’m sad that quarantine is done. We made so many memories.”
Luke, age 7
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Thankfully, the lockdown is long gone, but this list remains incredibly useful for those moments when boredom strikes and you’re in need of some inspiration! Plus, it’s an added bonus that you’ll make ‘so many memories’ along the way!!
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1. Draw a Picture and/or write a letter
Set out Pencils, markers, water color, or crayons and blank paper or coloring books.
Draw pictures and write letters to family and friends!
Find books that will pique your child’s curiosity.
Most early readers (and pre-readers) enjoy comic-strip style books.
Set a timer so your kids know that it’s “reading time.”
Ask an older child to read to a younger child – or –
Read a few pages of a chapter book to your kids. The “Who Was” series is great!
My 12 year old son and I recently finished Front Desk and he LOVED it and kept asking me to read more.
We read Little House on the Prairie in 2020 and laughed at how similar the “little house life” and “quarantine life” are!
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3. Tell/ write a story
My fourth grade teacher once gave us the title “The Entire City Lends a Hand” and had the class each write their own story. Read a rendition of that here.
Give your kids a title and let them write!
Title ideas: The first day of school! Best Vacation Ever, If I were President, Undersea Adventure, You Won’t Believe what Happened!
Have your kids write a little each day about what they are doing during the summer. (It will be interesting to look back on these journals in the future!)
Another option: Have your kids write 1 thing they are grateful for each day.
Thinking about our blessings and what we are grateful for is extremely helpful in building resiliency! I researched journals a few months ago and decided to purchase this simple one for George. I’ve loved watching him open this up (without prompting), and write what he’s grateful for!
Research suggests that keeping a gratitude journal can boost your health and happiness.
George cooling off on the hot dayGeorge on the zip line
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9. Clean together
My sister’s daughters (ages 4 and 7) – She says the girls enjoy the tactile nature of finding the clips, reading them, and then putting them in the container when completed.
There are so many benefits to giving your kids household chores and teaching them to clean!
Some bigger things we are working on together – the basement, baseboards, and cleaning our cars.
Smaller things the kids can do – a junk drawer, the pantry, baseboards, wiping lower cabinets, all door handles, appliance handles, pulling weeds, folding and putting away laundry, bathroom, bedroom, their closet, and loading/unloading dishwasher.
I offered my kids a quarter to whoever could wipe down the baseboards and bring me back the dirtiest wet wipe.
Puzzle races: 1. Time your kids and see how fast they can put a small puzzle together. 2. If you have two 50-100 piece puzzles, race to see who can put them together faster.
Optional Money-saving tip: Trade puzzles with your neighbors or buy some used ones! Dollar store sells some too!
This sticker book has over 5000 5-star reviews! I got this for my son for Christmas and I see why it has so many positive reviews. We love it! The pictures turn out so pretty you could frame them!
Run around your house for 5 or more minutes. I don’t know about your kids – but my kids NEED to burn energy in a healthy way or they start getting mischievous!
If we are outside, I challenge my kids to a foot race so that we can BOTH burn energy and get exercise.
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34. Play some backyard games
Duck Duck Goose
Balloon Bounce – Kids lay down (or sit down) and have to work together to keep balloon(s) in the air.
Red Rover, Red Rover
Red Light, Green Light
Tag
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35. Have a unique conversation
Has months of summer left you with nothing else to talk about than how bored you are? Then you NEED this set of cards.
Each card asks interesting questions for your family to answer or discuss. My kids ask for us to pull the cards out whenever we sit down to eat. One time my kids were eating alone and my oldest son pulled the questions out to ask his little brothers. I LOVED listening to their conversation!
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36. Have a “What’s in the Box?” Challenge
Cut holes a in box
Choose an item to put inside
Allow someone to reach their hand inside the box and “guess” what it is.
Take turns finding items to hide, then guessing “What’s in the Box?”
Kids can learn how to make a flipbook animation in less than 5 minutes. All you need is a pen and a stack of notecards, paper, or a sticky note pad. This video is a great and very quick tutorial.
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45. Play Simon Says or Follow The Leader
Have each child take a turn being the leader
Walk all around your house
Do jumps, turns, stop to hug dad, etc.
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46. Ice excavating
Place some toys in a bowl of water and Freeze. Let the kids dig them out.
A really fun and simple activity that can act as a physics lesson and opportunity for an experiment. Make a simple ramp using cardboard or a piece of wood, and roll different objects down: measure how far they go, how fast they roll, or hold races between different kinds of balls to see which wins!
Print the 55 options listed above, cut apart each idea, and put them in a container. If your kids say ‘I’m Bored’ – have them pull a paper from the jar and complete that activity.
Boredom leads to new inventions. I look forward to what will be thought up during this quarantine!
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Do you have an idea? Leave a comment!
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*I am an Amazon Affiliate, so I make a small percentage off of Amazon links I share if you click through and purchase, without any additional cost to you. Thank you for your support in this way!
Basketball ended and it left us with an entire weekend with almost nothing to do.
I like to have things to do so I started feeling cabin fever…wishing for warmer weather.
My kids handled the free weekend better than me.
Clark watched a really cool video on youtube (see below), and was inspired to create arcade games out of boxes. His brothers saw his creativity and were inspired as well.
They are all working on creating arcade games and will invite neighbors to come over and play.
Clark created a game called “Hit It” – Targets for Nerf Guns
George creating his game called “The Ultimate Maze”
Here’s Clark’s first creation:
Here’s the super cool video that inspired the weekend’s creativity:
Here’s an easy dinner idea – it’s not original but sometimes it’s nice to have a new idea for dinner!
Mini Pizzas!
I love this option because I just set out the ingredients and my kids MAKE THE DINNER themselves. They are less likely to complain about it because THEY MADE IT!!
Plus, they have so much fun creating their own pizza.
Luke loves LOTS of pepperoni.
Clark likes LOTS of cheese.
George is very precise and careful.
Paul can eat his weight in pizza.
Only 3 Ingredients required:
Individual Naan Bread (or pita bread or bagels)
Pizza sauce
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Other optional ingredients:
Pepperoni slices,
Sliced Mushrooms,
Chopped peppers
Olives
Pesto
Jalapeños
Ingredients
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Bake for 5-6 minutes
Set whatever ingredients your family enjoys onto the table. Allow everyone to create their masterpiece and bake for 5-6 minutes at 350 degrees.
Here’s a fun game to get your kids talking! My boys love this game and ask me to play when we are having dinner together or driving.
Because this game needs NO SUPPLIES, you can play during dinner, on a walk, or anytime you want to engage with your kids.
Would you rather….
Be Superman or Batman?
Eat Pizza or Hotdogs?
Ride a roller coaster or a water slide?
Go to Target or Walmart?
Laugh or cry?
Jump high or run fast?
Have summer all year or winter all year?
Be really smart or really funny?
Drive a truck or a sports car?
Go back in time or go to the future?
Be able to fly or be invisible?
Have ONE great friend or 20 pretty good friends?
Be in the Mountains or at the Beach?
Take a ride in a speed boat or helicopter?
Go Skydiving or Swim with Sharks?
Build a Sand Castle or Play in the Waves?
Go Skiing or Ride a bike?
Watch a Movie or Read a Book?
Go Rock climbing or Swimming?
Own a Cat or a Dog?
Write a Story or a Draw picture?
Clean the Bathroom or Vacuum the carpet?
Ice Skate or Roller Skate?
Drink Pop or Water?
Play Inside or Outside?
Take a Shower or Bath?
Take a trip to Australia or Italy?
Go Fishing or Make slime?
Play a Video game or Board game?
Have more time or more money?
VOTE WITH YOUR FEET:
If you’d like to play this game with more than one child, call it: VOTE WITH YOUR FEET! Kids have to vote for which one they’d rather do by WALKING to one side of the room! This gets kids moving and allows them to see that they have something in common with another person.
