Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Please Me

1. I snagged a bunch more Blogger Blowout pictures you can find here.
Please do note all the new pictures of me molesting Crazy Legs the blog frog!

2. I have a new poll up over there to you right. Take a look and VOTE!

3. I need help.
This week has sucked so far. It's been rainy, foggy, yucky weather and I think we've all gone STIR CRAZY. I've been cooped up in the house with the Lummins and and the old crotchety dog whose instinct is to herd cows and small children. Hendrix has been a bit snipy at the kids since he can't go outside to escape them.
Sophie has been nasty and attacks when provoked. She has bitten her brother three times in the last two days.
Holden has been nothing but clingy and fussy. He immediately begins crying if I stand up, walk 5 inches away from him, try to go to the bathroom, or dare leave his side. He's been sleeping a total of 30 minutes each day.

I can only come up with so many ideas on a rainy day before we've run out of things to do and I resort to Sunny Days, or that Spanish Girl who always needs her Backpack and a Map, or those Aussie's who like to jump around...

I would like to compile a list of Rainy Day Activities to keep on hand for days like today. I can come up with plenty of ideas for Sophie, but the problem is finding activities that Holden won't eat, choke on, or otherwise harm himself with.

So far here's my list:
tampons

Please help.

17 comments:

Candy said...

I have NO clue. My 2 are driving me absolutely insane too. All they do is fight! Ugh! If they aren't fighting they are figuring out ways to do things they shouldn't be doing and get into trouble (looking at financial statements I had to redo because someone found the highlighters).

Must.Not.Kill.Children.

Me said...

ROTFL. Tampons are good. ;)

Get both of them completely and utterly into Barbies. Then dump a bunch of barbie crap on the floor and let them play for an hour. Hee hee hee.

Spikey1 said...

I was going to vote for hooker but than I thought.. how can a hooker be free?

Odd Mix said...

PLAYDOUGH

Here is the recipe:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tarter
1 Tbsp Oil
1 cup boiling water

mix dry ingredients. add oil and water. stir till smooth. cool. play.

You can add food color if you like. They wont usually eat it because it is so salty, but it won't hurt 'em if they do (I know from experience x4). Mine will play with the stuff for hours and Sophie can help you make it.

Odd Mix said...

And at least it isn't rainy, foggy, yucky snowy weather. :D

Horse farms covered in slushy mud are very messy.

Kat said...

Hmmm, that's a toughie. Gymboree? Chuck-E-Cheese? Wait, those both cost money.

Make an indoor sandbox using a large drawer or plastic container and fill it with dry rice, pasta, or beans... at least if Holden eats it, it's real food.... :)

Kami said...

Benadryl.

Nap Queen said...

LMAO at Kami. Yes, Benadryl. I wouldn't go with cookies because that just gets them more hyper. What about some cheap activity CDs that involve moving and dancing (they're guided movement, so they tell the kids what to do)? That way they are entertained and it burns off steam? We had some really silly ones at the preschool that the kids loved.

Lucky Lum said...

I appreciate your suggestions.
While Sophie enjoys her bean or rice bins, uncooked rice and beans are major choking hazards for Holden.
He is 11 months old and puts EVERYTHING in his mouth.
We've made the playdough a few times. Sophie loves it; Holden eats it and barfs purple.

Kate Giovinco Photography said...

Lucky damn choking hazord. I agree with Kami give them the Benadryl.

But then they could have the opposite reaction that you want and be even more hyper and crazy!

Kat said...

I guess muzzling children is frowned upon? :)

What about fingerpainting? Mix a tablespoon of cornsyrup with a drop of food coloring. Tape butcher paper or heavy duty paper in a large area over the floor, block the area with baby gates. Put the various colors in different areas so Holden has to crawl to each, plop him down in the middle and let the fun begin.

No? Well, it sounds like it would be fun. Messy, but fun. :)

Leska McCall said...

The garage thing is good. Also finger/body painting in the tub works. I've used reg. fp or pudding, either way it's non-toxic:) Another thing I've done with them forever it seems: take all the cushions/pillows off the sofas, pile them on the floor and let them go at it. If you cover them with a blanket the pile stays fairly stable. A ton of fun.

Memphis said...

Tampons! BWA HA HA! You crack me up. When I have kids I'm going to remember the tampon fascination trick and make use of it as often as possible.

"Look kids, the packages even come in assorted colors!"

I used to draw a lot when I was a kid stuck inside. My whole family was artistic so maybe it was a learned tendency and maybe inherited? I have no clue. I guess it depends on how old your kids are as to what to do with them.

You should break your poll up by sex, 'cause all the women are voting for the housekeeper and you can guess what the men are voting for.

Leska McCall said...

Another thing
blanket choo-choo; and if you can teach them to pull each other, it totally wears them out.

Tammy said...

Wow. Um, I sing the praizes of whomever invented the Game Cube and Gameboy. Keeps 'em busy for hours!!

For the little one . . well, um. . . Yea, what Kami said.

Anonymous said...

Do you want me to send you the Wee Sing video that Sophie likes so much? You know, the one that celebrates Sally's birthday. You could all sing and dance along with Sally, her brother, and the dog Bingo!

Holden is probably clingy because he's tired of his sister biting him and picking on him. It won't be long before he's big enough to get back at her.

mmc had some good ideas. The blanket choo-choo sounds fun. I can picture you putting a blanket on the floor. The Lummins could lay down on it and you could pull them around. They'd have to hang on so they wouldn't fall off, of course. You could pretend that you are all riding the train to go visit Oma, Grammy, Grandpa Lum, or Ryan and Hailey. Sometimes the train would have to stop for food or so you could go to the zoo (I know the kids have a play zoo). Or you all could stop and have your nails painted (pretend with H). Maybe the train could go other places too. What do you think? If you don't want to use a blanket, use a box or big laundry basket. I bet if you did it once, Sophie would be doing it over and over again with Big Baby.

How about some fingerplays/songs? You could teach Sophie and she could teach Holden. How about the paint with water pictures that come in books like coloring books? Ryan used to LOVE those!

Here are some more ideas:
Another thing that always seems to work with kids is to bring out a new toy or a toy they haven't had out in a while. It seems new to the kids.
Of course you can always get out the flashlights and show the kids how to shine them on the walls, ceiling, etc. Try to shine the light on each other or the dogs.
Save up your toilet paper rolls. You can stand them up and let the kids roll (or throw) their ball at them to knock them down (kind of like bowling). I guess the tampon tubes would work too, but they are a lot smaller.
Make paper hats out of newspaper and let Sophie decorate them by coloring on them or gluing on yarn, ribbon, etc. Remember our "Ya-Ya" hats? H won't get a thrill out of it, but you could make all sorts of different hats for Sophie - a cowboy hat, fireman's helmet, floppy hat, derby (have her color dots on it or use colored circle stickers to make a "dotted derby"), clown hat, etc.
USE YOUR IMAGINATION and the possibilities are endless!

Love, Mom

Mama Duck said...

Pretty much looks like my list at this point.