A Play Day

Just recently we had a 'home day', a day for me to catch up with the house a little, and for the children to just take some time to hang out at home, without being ferried around in the car, or be tied to a schedule.

This was really the perfect play day, because I had just recently received one of those HUGE boxes from an online retailer. The minute I announced I was going to empty it, The Little Guy, who is four years old, was waiting impatiently to take ownership of the box.

It's a boat ... and a castle .... and an airplane ... and a rocketship ... !

From there it was a short step to getting out the pop-up tents, and playsilks, laundry baskets and cushions.

At one point I overheard The Little Guy telling his two little siblings, "Let's find alllllll the junk in the house, and put it in our tents", which I think they made a valiant effort to do! *sigh*

Of course, the close of this story is this ...

Flattened cardboard boxes and tents, toys everywhere and no kids to be seen!


What are your Little One's favorite ways to have simple Play Days? Do you have particular toys or household items that you put out to inspire and encourage imaginative play? Feel free to share in the comments below; I'd love to hear from you!

Unplugged Mama

I was so excited to read about Simple Kid's 31 Days of Unplugged Play, and eager to follow along and let the Little Ones play; no light up battery operated toys, no television, no gimmicks or what-have-you, just good ol' playing.

Until I realized, that we already do all of those things.

And then, horror of horrors, I realized that the one who needed to become 'unplugged' was me!

That the only one who turns on the TV (after bedtime!) is me ... or My Good Man, but this post is about me, not him :-)

That the lure of the computer and the internet can be a little too seductive, some days.

That while I could be spending more time completely engaged with my Little Ones, they are putting up with me just answering one last email, checking out one more blog.

Ouch.

And then, the second wave of horror; I'm not only showing my children how I want to spend my time, but also what is important to me.

It's just so easy to get pulled into the computer, and I don't have any magical answers. But this sudden realization is a little horrifying to me.

So ... here's me, closing the lid of my laptop, putting away my smart phone, turning off the talk radio and spending more time with the Little Ones playing, tickling, singing, dancing and laughing.

(At least until after bedtime ;-)


How unplugged are you? How do you self-monitor your computer, TV and smart phone use?