More Activity Ideas

Day Two: The natives are getting restless but so is their fearless (and highly caffeinated) leader. Fortunately, my SOS was answered and reinforcements came in the form of my aunt. Looks like we will survive one more day.

In between the last minute errands before the holidays, doing stuff for my mom, and general housekeeping, I want to figure out some activities for the girls. The weather outside makes it an indoor day, but the girls can only stay inside for some time without bouncing off the walls and making me feel like I was in a padded cell.

I looked through the family fun website and just thought it was so-so. I just discovered that one of my many employers has a great activities website--Savvy Source activities.

Joey and Elysha are really into math right now so the M&M math seems like a great idea. And the crayon resist painting would be a good activity while Sam is napping.

Yesterday, we made New Year's chains. I had the girls cut out strips of paper. I showed Joey a December calendar and told her to write the remaining days on each strip of paper (i.e. 23 on one strip, 24 on the next, and so on). Joey made dots on Elysha's paper strips so that Elysha could practice writing her numbers too. Then I folded each paper strip into an interlocking ring, letting the girls staple each ring together. I also saved the empty wrapping paper tubes so that the girls could make magic wands.

These activities lasted about two seconds, so the other 43,198 seconds of the day, I was hurting. I was relieved when I spoke to two other moms who were also suffering as much as I was. Not that I want other moms to suffer, but it just helped me to feel like I wasn't alone. Though I'm sure they didn't pound on the locked doors of their preschool, wailing, "Why, God, why?" The saga to continue tomorrow...