I was wandering around some blogs and forums a little lost today, and stumbled on a blog post on Eccentric WAHM Bloggers all about Fitness in Your Day to Day. There’s three really awesome ideas here, and it got me thinking. With it being winter and reaaaaaally cold outside, going for a bike ride or a quick trip to the park is just out of the question. And now that I have one kid at home, finding some indoor activities is going to be pretty important. So let me add some fun (and productive) activities to do: 1. Wii! Eh, I know we don’t all have a Wii. But I really, really do think this is an important addition to any household. It’s not “just another game system”, but is just AWESOME for physical fitness. I think this is an absolute must for homeschoolers. (On a side note – we went to the “real bowling...
If you have some older kids that play the computer alone (but still supervised), we stumbled on a great site for the older ones wanting to get into community based sites that are safe. KidzWorld is a safe community based site featuring chat rooms, message boards, games, and loads of activities. The chat room was the biggest draw for my 9yr old boy, who was finding chat rooms he should NOT be on more than once (there was a few times the computer was taken away from him for a week). But this chat room on KidzWorld I have no issues with him being on, since it’s filled with other kids 13 and under. We’ve gone over the rules of chat rooms since it’s not a “you can only say these pre-written statements” type of chat room. No, it’s a real chat. I had some big concerns when he first started not knowing what they’d...
Alright so I’m a geek. What started as a game for the girl has become one of mom’s favorites. I was absolutely in love with the first We Cheer, and now I’m even more addicted to the second one. Now granted the girl DID play the first one, but she’s not exactly the most coordinated kid out there. Some of those moves were just too difficult for her, so we ended up playing all the levels together so she could pass them. Maybe that was a bit of cheating, but she was trying her hardest and getting exercising done (the most important part right?). The second one, however, is even better. There are now three levels for each song instead of two, and it’s really only the last level that’s extremely hard. Kids can now unlock things a bit faster, and enjoy more than just a handful of songs. Now while admitting this...
I never thought 15 degrees would feel this warm, but after spending this much time with below zero temperatures, it really does. And how excited am I to see the temperatures climbing to above 30 this week! Time to get out and about, that’s for sure. I feel thankful we escaped the cold snap with just a frozen pipe or two. There was at least 2 or 3 days last week we couldn’t take showers, run the dish washer, or wash clothes, but we survived. Thankfully the main pipe didn’t freeze, so we could still use the bathroom and had hot water for minor stuff. Of course we’re not in the clear yet. It’s still only January and still Iowa. Snow, ice, and cold still lurks around the corner. As does a house that may NEVER be clean, and more “I’m bored” cries. Since we got a boat-load of toys and entertaining...
My daughter loves crafts of any kind. Hand her a piece of paper and she does some pretty amazing things with it. Also a tad of a mini-scientist, she loves “making experiments” that usually end up with her in trouble. So for Christmas I got her the Scientific Explorer’s Spa Science Chemistry Kit off of Amazon. It was an absolute hit, but lacked in some supplies. When Elements Bath & Body landed in our inbox as a new advertiser on Idea Queen, it got me thinking…and surfing. Little kits that make just a handful of various items are fun and all, but they’re also just a tease for kids that really want to dive into doing stuff like this as a real hobby. Maybe not a business, but a hobby at the very least. I guess I hadn’t really looked to close into places that sell supplies, simply because they quantities...
Being a mom is a full time job, there’s no doubt about it. We all need a break sometimes. Just a few quick minutes for a game of solitary, or some other easy game to play on a whim. That’s why we’ve added a brand new page on Idea Queen designed to give parents the short break we all need. On our new “Games for Mom” page, you’ll find several different online games to play right in your browser – no downloading or sign up required! You might even find a few games to play along with the kids. So what are you waiting for? Go play! (Just remember to bookmark the page and come back often ). Read More →
If you are looking for a few last minute Easter crafts over the weekend, be sure to see our full page of Easter Crafts at Idea Queen. I know I’m guilty of not pulling out the egg decorating kits just yet, but it’s something we plan to do over the weekend. On the page linked above you’ll find some additional craft ideas, including a different way to color eggs, plus some traditional crafts for Easter. Have a great weekend! Read More →
April Fool’s Day is my favorite holiday next to Halloween, mostly because I get to torment my kids freely without any backlash. I’ve had several fun pranks on this day, but I’m always looking for more. Here’s a few successful pranks of the past: - Tape down the sink sprayer If you have a sprayer on your sink that only turns on when you turn on the water, then put a piece of clear tape around the handle. Last year I asked my son to water the plants for me after school, and he fell for it! The look on his face was classic, and one I’ll never forget. - I’m moving This one was played on a friend one year, who knew I’d never leave the area. Play this one on family members near by to freak them out a bit. This works especially well on family members. -SOLD! While this is more business related, you can still...
Last week my kids were on spring break, and they got a bit of a raw deal. The weather wasn’t so great, and it rained most of the week. On Saturday we even saw a rain/snow mix! Seeing the weather forecast ahead of time, I knew it was going to be up to me to entertain them at least part of the time. So we decided at least one day would be spent at our local YMCA where there’s a good sized indoor pool. We don’t have a membership since the closest Y is a good 25 minutes away from us, and just isn’t worth it for how little we get over there. However, we were able to get in for just $12 for all of us, and spend as much time as we wanted there that day. The kids had a blast and so did I! This is the perfect time of year to seek out local indoor pools, since it’s still just a bit too early for the regular summer pools....
There’s nothing harder than coming up with a craft for an 8 year old boy who would rather spend his time in front of the computer or video games instead of being with his family. Although while hanging out in a local craft store one day, the foam sheets caught my attention like they always do, and I finally figured it out. This particular boy loves to read, and has a large library of books he cycles though. Because of this (and his tornado of a room), we have to keep him well stocked on bookmarks. A foam sheet not only makes a “cool looking bookmark”, but is cheep too. If folded correctly, you can make six bookmarks from one 8×11 sheet (standard paper size, that is). Two bookmarks “sideways” and four long ways. They won’t all be the same size, but it’s a bookmark, so it doesn’t matter....
