Sick Day

Could someone tuck me like this?

Today I had a plan, it did not include being sick. I wanted do laundry, work on my paintings, I was going to do a great pantry purge post. Instead, I spent the day horizontally, while my children watched more TV in one day than they usually see in a month. So much for media-free kids.

Fortunately, my husband fed the kids, and even came home from his day-job for lunch. He had to go back to work, but promises to be home for bed time. I don't really feel like I got a sick day. Not as all like when my husband is home sick, door closed, children quieted, occasional trays of tea and crackers. I hate being sick on weekend because I feel like I'm wasting my time I could be spending with my husband , and I hate being sick during the week because I can't really just sack-out the way I'd want to.

Hey, maybe I just hate to be sick. I did get to catch up on reading my twitter feed.  I guess there's the positive.

How do you recuperate, especially when there are the needs of little ones? Its not like I can call in sick or anything.

7 Media-Free Rainy or Snow Day Activities for Toddlers.

Buffalo is not known for it's over abundance of sunny 72 degree days. In most years, by second week of February we are usually sick of snow days and spring is no here in sight! We have a (mostly) media-free household, as far as the kids go, so I resist the urge to plop them I front of the tube when it is too cold or wet to go outside.

Craft: fabric paint & leaves

1) Craft, Craft, Craft! Seriously you'd be surprised how few supplies it takes to make pre-schoolers completely delighted. Paper, safety scissors, empty cereal boxes, yarn, pasta & glue. I have recently fallen in love with the wet-on-wet water color method that my kids have learned in school. The results are so amazing, and the Waldorf curriculum suggest only using one color at a time to start.

2) Bake Something: It just like crafting but you end up eating the results. Cookies are fun! My 32 month old daughter loves putting sun-drops on each one, which is something I always hated. Find a simple bread recipe that can stand up to lots of eager kneading and let them work it out with the dough. Besides it's nice to have an excuse to turn on the oven.

3) Read: I don't have to tell you the benefits. You can read to them or just near them (it sets a good example.) My mom says that she uses to read what ever she was reading to me in a sweet tone, including adult news papers & books etc. I imagine this would work until at least 3.

Not a chore for her!

4) Dance! (and sing): Sometime the little ones just need to work on their gross motor skills. And no amount of indoor quiet play will really make them happy. You could probably use a little booty shaking too, why not give in move the coffee, and pump up the jams. My suggestion is to play some hip shaking party music that you LOVE, because you will have to play it a few times!

5) Clean Something: While you and I may already know that cleaning is a chore, kids don't! Washing dishes is bubbly sensory delight! Put old socks on their hands to dust the base molding and while they are at it maybe the could look for the fairies' nest. I always feel like I'm getting over a bit, and I probably am. But they won't realize for years.

The product of free play

6) Leave the kids alone: (with in reason). Children will amuse themselves, and as long as you're toddler proofed and not far, its good for them. Free play is enormously valuable in early childhood development. Parents don't need to entertain or educate every minuet. It's impossible anyway. Give your toddler a little space for doing something on their own.

7) Go Outside: Yes this is a list of things to do when it's nasty outside, but kids really don't mind the wet or cold as much as you do. Dangerous wind chill or flooding excepted, as long as they have good gear they will likely brave more snow or rain than you'd expect. In fact, I realized that I was the one who needed new boots, the kids were already well equipped! They've yet to be conditioned to hate drips, puddles and cloudy skies. You may discover its not so bad out after all.


What is your favorite way to spend a rainy day? I'd love to hear what other families do to beat the cabin fever!

The Problem of Time

I have two small(ish) children, (please take a moment to meet seeds.) We have two cats. My sweet, talented and ambitious husband has a day job, and is starting a business. This in reality means two jobs. I am trying to find a least one or two careers for myself. I have two blogs, and about two tons of extra-curricular interest, too many to list here. We only have one car, and strangely only one me.

Managing time is the biggest problem I seem to have. This is not an exhaustive list, but it helps. This is how get to all the things I need to, and sometimes I get to do the things that I want to.

• Let some things go. There is cat hair on my duvet. I did not send out any cute holiday cards or organize the cookie exchange this year. I said no. I let some things go. This is the most difficult thing to do. If you read a few blogs – especially ‘Mom-themed’ blogs, you could start to believe that there are women who do “do it all”. They have perfectly behaved children who were potty trained at 18mo.; they blog about designing a line of hand painted greeting cards while their artisan bread rises but only on their days off from underwater Sanskrit brain surgery. Fact: there are people out there who do MORE than you do. So what? It is your life. Spend a little time to prioritize, draw a line and everything below it, LET IT GO. Give yourself a little acceptance. This has given me a handle on my time. It may sound trite, and that’s because you will never have the time to knit that sweater or write that novel or learn to oil paint if the cat hair on the duvet is keeping you up at night. I just read a great blog post about even reusing a few towels to cut on the laundry.

• A little organization goes a long way. I am the least organized person that I know. I know that it is not my nature. If you are someone who can find the stamps right now, I commend you. I know I have a lot to learn. One of my new year’s resolutions was to use organization as a way to get stress out of my life. My 5yo son hates to get dressed in the morning. It takes forever, it takes tears, and it often takes the entire family to get an appropriate type and quantity of clothes on the boy. In the last couple of months, I have started laying out the kids’ clothes the night before. It takes the exact amount of minuets to select skivvies and a sweatshirt, but not the ever-precious and bleary-eyed morning minuets. The same goes for planning meals out for the week, instead of trying to come up with some thing on the way home from swim class. Even, steal one of my dinner (now!) ideas. Whatever that all consuming, stress inducing, time-suck there is, see if a little bit of planning and organization can take some of the stress out of it.

• Use the Technology. I know you have a computer, (or at least a smart phone). There right now you have more technology readily available than all of our fore mothers combined. The trick is to use it and not let it use you. You gotta love the UPC scanning shopping list like Grocery IQ but ultimately you have to get the time to actually go to the store! There are two applications that I rely on: Google Calendars and Toodledo. I use the calendar because I can easily share a “family calendar” with my husband and this facilitates sharing a car, and making plans. It online, in our phones, there is no excuse for not knowing when swimming ends, or Joey’s birthday party starts. The real key is when you are proposing an all family underwear shopping trip, be sure to put it in the penciled-in until the Steelers are out of the play offs. I use Toodledo mostly to prompt me for recurring items, like getting to that cat hair on the duvet. It helps to know that everything does not need to be done right now!

How to you get everything in? I’d love to add a few more tools to my tool kit, because who wouldn't just want to spend more time playing with those two cuties in the picture up there.

Wash the Dishes

Little ones love bubble's! Especially our little girl.

Even if it is a bit wet and messy.

it's totally worth it.

My only regret: why didn't I think if this 'Wash the Dishes' game before I had already washed all the dishes. Well that's just one VERY clean sippy.


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On the porch

On the porch
Sunlit but mostly shade
Wind and winds' chime
She sleeps, head tilted
Resting in stroller strap
I drink coffee and list chores
But they can wait

Kisha Lynn Patterson-Tanski
Sent from my iPhone