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 season wrapped up, leaving us with a full weekend and no scheduled plans. I’ll admit—it didn’t take long for me to start feeling a little stir-crazy. With cold weather still lingering, I found myself daydreaming of warmer days and something (anything!) to do.
But my kids? They handled the downtime way better than I did.
After watching a creative YouTube video (linked below), Clark got an idea: Why not build arcade games out of old boxes and things around the house? He got to work right away, and before long, his brothers joined him.
Now our dining room has transformed into a mini arcade workshop. They’re designing games, building them with cardboard and hot glue, and planning to invite neighborhood friends over to play.
What started as a slow weekend turned into a burst of imagination, teamwork, and fun—and I’m here for it.
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Clark created a game called “Hit It” – Targets for Nerf GunsGeorge creating his game called “The Ultimate Maze”
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Here’s the super cool video that inspired the weekend’s creativity:
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It’s weekends like this that remind me kids don’t need much—just a little time, space, and maybe a cardboard box or two. Sometimes the best memories are made when we don’t have a plan.
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.
The winter of 2019 was so cold we didn’t get to spend a lot of time outside. 2020 has started much more MILD and we’re all happy about that. “Mild” in Minnesota means the temperature is a “warm” 30 degrees.
Here are some fun things we’ve been doing this winter:
Skiing
Luke learned to ski! I signed him up for a 90 minute class, and 6 hours later…he still didn’t want to stop skiing!
George and Clark joined the Ski Club at school. Once a week they go directly from school to the ski hill with their classmates.
Luke learning to ski and LOVING it!
Clark and Paul about to begin
George and Clark
I was just there for the hot chocolate! 🙂
Sledding
We found a huge sledding hill near our home!
Clark’s “homemade” sled…it didn’t work that well
George’s new sled – Christmas gift from his Grandma and Papa Chris
Luke
Shoveling
George and Clark are earning extra money by shoveling for neighbors.
Christmas
Christmas was a fun family day with just the 6 of us. We made pancakes and played lots of games.
The boys playing Hungry Hippo
Clark got a new jersey and signed card from Don Beebe
RataTat Cat – fun family game!
Luke, Paul and Ted playing Yeti in my Spaghetti
A Visit from Family
My sister and her family came to visit from Indiana. We got to go out to dinner, swimming, sledding, and visited Mall of America. This is their second annual trip to Minnesota. They come up and spend the New Year with us – and we spend 4th of July with them in Indiana.
Fun Day at MOA
Date night at Colita
Basketball
George, Clark and Paul are finishing their first season of basketball and they’ve loved it. We were all surprised how much fun this sport it. They’ve enjoyed playing, and the rest of us have enjoyed watching them play
Winter is for watching Movies:
Little Women – A friend invited me to go see this with her. It’s nominated for a bunch of Oscars and now I know why – it’s an INCREDIBLE movie! Watch it!
Where’d you Go, Bernadette? I really enjoyed the book and thought the movie was fantastic! (Get it from Redbox or the library)
Something we have NOT enjoyed this winter: The FLU 🙁
It started with Paul, jumped to Luke, and then to Ted. Thankfully, I only had one rough night! We are all better now!
He had the flu, so I probably shouldn’t be this close…but look at him. You’d hold him too, wouldn’t you?
Last night I was laying in bed with a high fever. I was waiting for my mom to come and check on me and bring me a cool cloth for my forehead.
And then I remembered…
I AM THE MOM!
I heard little footsteps running around. One of my sons was up past his bedtime. This is one time I was HAPPY about that.
“Come here,” I weakly called to him, “please bring a cool rag for my head.”
A minute later, my son gently laid a wet hand towel across my forehead.
“I love you” he said as he walked out of the room.
He then tripped over a nerf gun.
I smiled as I realized we had switched roles. He was taking care of me, offering a cool rag and “I love you” …and even tripping over a toy in the hallway!
I felt so loved!
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand beside me to take this picture to remember the moment.
My son does these little acts of love for me because I’ve done little acts of love for him. And I learned those things from my mom – who did the same for me. And even if you didn’t have one of those moms that did that for you, it’s never to late to be one!
Keep doing little acts of love, moms!
The care you give, and values you live, will develop in your children as they watch and learn.
They may soon surprise you with their own acts of love!
By the way – My husband has been down with the Flu, but still got out of bed to give me water and Tylenol. Thank you Ted!
I prayed that night and asked God to heal me. I woke up this morning feeling SO much better! Thank you God!
I’ve been ordering from Hello Fresh for several years. I’ve tried other subscription meal services, but keep coming back to this one. I usually order 1 box every 4-8 weeks.
You can choose from an assortment of meals each week. There’s a vegetarian option, seafood, pork, chicken and/or steak.
The 3 that I chose for this week were:
Chimichurri Steak with a Sweet Potato, Poblano, and Tomato Jumble
Balsamic Fig Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Mixed Greens
Shrimp Pasta with a Kick with Garlic Herb Butter and Zucchini
Here’s how it works:
Hello Fresh sends me a box of colorful recipe cards and perfectly portioned ingredients, allowing me to prepare a balanced, delicious meal for my family without having to spend the time planning and shopping as much as I normally would.
I love that someone else takes care of all the parts of dinner that I don’t enjoy – especially the DECIDING what to eat! With Hello Fresh, we make and try things we would have never made or tried before.
Here are some reasons why we like Hello Fresh:
#1 :
We get to cook together – spending time side-by-side!
The recipe guide has pictures and instructions that are step-by-step and easy enough for a child to follow. My sons feel great about being able to prepare a delicious meal for the entire family.
#2:
It’s an ADVENTURE!
A cooking adventure of trying and preparing something new and discussing what we like about each meal, and what we want to cook again. We discover foods and recipes we would have never tried if it weren’t for Hello Fresh.
#3:
We all sit down to eat together!!
This is my favorite part of ordering from Hello Fresh. It’s a well-balanced meal that really encourages sitting down and eating together. Hot dogs and chicken nuggets don’t do that – I warm those up and hand them out.
Cooking these delicious Hello Fresh meals has us sitting down and enjoying a meal TOGETHER!!
Many of us know that everyone benefits when we sit down and eat meals as a family.
Here’s the rundown about how we felt about each meal:
Chimichurri steak – My boys LOVE steak so this was a hit. I didn’t put the chimichurri sauce on their steak, but I loved it on mine. We all enjoyed the sweet potato medley too!
Balsamic Fig Chicken – Chicken is something we eat on a regular basis, so trying this new recipe was fun and it tasted great!
Shrimp Pasta with a Kick was DE-LICOUS! Clark and I loved the meal, just as shown in the picture – pasta mixed with shrimp and zucchini. The other boys liked all their items separate, not touching. Ted, not much of a pasta eater – just ate the shrimp and zucchini.
My version – not as pretty as the picture, but definitely tasty!
I order from Hello Fresh to add some variety. To save money, I order the smallest meal size and just add my own ingredients to make enough for 6.
If you’d like to try Hello Fresh, I have a $40 discount for you.
