Give a kid a box

Does anyone remember when a box was the greatest thing to play with? I would make all kinds of things out of boxes--from Barbie condos and cars to homes for critters found in the wild! Do kids even do that stuff anymore? Not for long once the growth sprouts in their hands.

I see kids younger and younger playing on devices--I cringe or shake my head every time. I hate seeing the world deteriorate into mindless, addicted zombies. Where has all the real life interaction gone? I really love my school for outlawing phones during the school day and sticking to it! The kids seem much more engaged than at most other schools.

I continue to promote creativity and imagination without technology (as you read this on a screen, ugh). And I still love boxes and use them for all sorts of things. So, here are some non-screen activity ideas for kids with just a box!

• Large boxes
• Pretend Vehicles and TVs are good old standards for large boxes.
• Puppet shows are great fun and imagination stirrers.
• Forts are always a big hit--and if you don't have enough boxes, use sheets and chairs!
  
• We made a Fun House Tunnel once and it was hilarious!
• Open them up and cut them up for armor or props or sliding down a grassy hill!
• Paint on them or use them under art projects
• Large boxes are also great for keeping bigger toys organized

• Smaller boxes
• Tissue and shoe boxes are a perfect size for vehicles or furniture for stuffed friends and action figures
• boxes are great for making up games, like tossing stuff into them or stacking them...
• Even toy-makers know the value of a box, selling brick-painted boxes for kids to build with. How nice of them--but I say, collect your tissue boxes and you're all set!

  

  not what I had in mind
  but this is cool!

• Plant herbs or flowers and watch them grow
• Make a photo box for grandma
• I used to make robots with my little guys out of the cardboard and duct tape
• These boxes are also great for storing the small stuff--from art supplies to happy meal toys

These are just a few suggestions. And though you know you can find tons of ideas and instructional videos online, sometimes sitting down with the kids and brainstorming creativity yourselves is part of the fun. We have to keep trying to balance tech with hands-on. Make those brains work instead of vegging out looking at a screen all day!

I'd love to hear your suggestions, too. Old or new, boxes are fantastic imagination kick-starters!

Make Monday More Fun

We'd are excited to have Stephanie Faris with us at the House today! She's a fabulous friend, mom, and children's author!


Books Make Everything More Fun

I first discovered audiobooks in my 20s. Back then, you had to pay full price for audiobooks on CD or cassette, unless you could find them in the used bookstore. When I realized my local library had them, I was so excited.

I read Stephen King’s The Green Mile while cleaning the house. I read Nicholas Spark’s Message in a Bottle while making food for a New Year’s Eve party. I read countless books during my work commute or while doing mundane duties at work. Now, thanks to apps like Audible, you don’t even have to leave the house to pick up the latest bestseller.

Yes, audiobooks make everything a little easier to bear. Last year when we packed to move to a new house, Harlan Coben books helped take my mind off of the grueling work. That same author got me through deep-cleaning the house so we could sell it. I actually look forward to my three-mile walk at the gym every day because I know I’ll get to enjoy the next chapter in whatever great book I’m reading.

Listening to books isn’t for everyone. I actually found that celebrity biographies and nonfiction books were better if you were doing something that might distract you. The popularity of the Serial podcast a couple of years ago prompted me to figure out how to work the podcast app on my phone. It’s surprisingly easy, by the way. I’m a true crime addict, and there are a billion true crime podcasts out there—all 100 percent free!

If you can’t afford audiobooks or an Audible membership, podcasts aren’t your only free option. Many local libraries now offer digital lending. You can use your library card to reserve audiobooks and load them onto your phone. It isn’t for everyone, but if I have to scrub the toilets or try to match up socks from the laundry, listening to something interesting can make it so much more bearable.

Stephanie Faris is the Simon & Schuster author of the middle grade books 25 Roses and 30 Days of No Gossip, as well as the Piper Morgan chapter book series. Her freelance work has appeared on NYPost.com, Mental Floss, The Week, and Your Teen magazine.

Identify Your Beast

 We don't promote our books here, although all of us RRH bloggers are writers.

So, this isn't a promo. It's just some fun that our own, Tara Tyler, came up with to promote her middle grade book, Broken Branch Falls.

Here's the deal:
You take a short quiz and at the end, you are assigned a character name and trait.

I was an elf, and my name was Dodee, which was much closer to my reality than the first time I took the quiz and got goblin- that must have been pre-coffee me.

Just for fun...take the survey below and let us know...what sort of character are you?

Beastly Survey

                                                          Want to read the book?

                                                          You can buy it Here!

Not in the mood to read? 
How about a movie?

Summer 2017, the sequel, starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, is coming to one seriously fun movie. 

Jumanji
Starring Robin Williams, this story centers on a 12-year-old boy, Alan, who starts playing a mysterious game. The game causes a shift in reality that unleashes all sorts of action, adventure, and total mayhem. Alan and his friends must finish the game in order to set their world back to rights.  

So, before watching the sequel*, grab the original. 

Or check your local library! Did you know your local library often has movies you can check out just like books? 

*A little movie trivia for you...Jumanji 2017 was originally set to be a sequel, but the writers quickly rewrote the script to be a continuation to the original story rather than a remake. So glad Hollywood got smart. There is no need to tamper with perfection and Robin Williams in this film is perfect. 

Camping Down-Time Activities

As an adult, I think of camping as down time, but when you're going with kids, that's not usually true. In fact, it can be a bit chaotic. One great thing about camping is the variety of activities to do that you may not usually have access to - like fishing, hiking, or playing in a river or lake. All of which are fun and entertaining, but there comes a point where you need a little "down-time" activity for everyone to do, (or even the kids to do) while the adults are getting dinner ready. (It's probably obvious that my kids are still young enough to need supervision).

In Monday's post I mentioned that my kids are card sharks - yes, even the 6 year old! - and that we love puzzles, but I didn't mention another favorite... ORIGAMI!!! Yes, the Japanese art of folding paper! Don't knock it till you try it! It's not only fun, but challenging too!

A couple of years ago I went on a treasure hunt through Barnes & Noble (one of the best stores ever!) and found origami books with activities for different skill levels. One book I bought was for animals and another for dinosaurs! How fun is that? They even come with paper in all sorts of  perfect patterns to make learning and folding more fun.

Basically, what I ended up with was the perfect down-time activity for any occasion, even camping! My kids love it, and while we sometimes work on our own, or race to see who can finish first... we also work together on the more difficult patterns to help one another and implement that whole 'teamwork' thing people are always talking about. Yay us!

So there you have it! Origami --- Japanese art skills in the great out doors! Give it a try!

Well, I want to run out and get an Origami book - just for me! But I bet my little guy would do it with me. There's still some summer left for us to do it, too! Thanks so much for the awesome tips and posts this week and sharing your sweet family photos!

Leigh Covington is the mother of three active children and a full time student at Grand Canyon University, finishing her Bachelors in Secondary Education emphasis in English. Fueled by Coca-Cola, she spends the majority of her time watching soccer games or gymnastics lessons, while sneaking in a sweet treat to satisfy her chocolate addiction. She also teaches the youth at church and loves spending time reading a good book whenever she can find a free minute.

How to keep kids from whining this summer!

The resourceful Lyndsay Johnson is back today to offer us a creative way to keep kids from telling us how bored they are!

Summer is here! But the whining was just too much. Something had to be done. I bought some tickets, and made a plan!

After a little creative brainstorming, I decided we needed a rewards system. We've done marbles in a jar, monetary rewards for chores, and other promises of greatness. But this summer I need something motivating and simple. I had been thinking about the fair coming up in August, and it dawned on me: RED TICKETS. I ran to Walmart and came home with a gigantic roll of red tickets. The kids were speechless for the first time in a week. "How do we earn them?" they implored. "I will share with you all of my secrets," I promised, and set about making this system work for us.

First, I gave them each an envelope for ticket storage, and found a big jar for "payments." Then we came up with a mutually agreed-upon system. You want to watch TV? Pay the jar 1 ticket per show. You want to go to a friend's house? 5 tickets. Family movie night or snow cones on mom? 10 tickets. Go to a movie? 50 tickets. Trip to the museum? 100 tickets...and so on.

And they have to work for these rewards! 1 ticket for every 10 minutes of reading. Picking up toys, 5 tickets, etc. Some rewards and payments are set in stone (they HAVE to read at least 20 minutes a day, but my 9 year old is now averaging about 70 minutes in order to earn an many tickets as are humanly possible).

But I also can use these tickets to keep them in line while, oh, say, having to shop for summer clothes with all three kids in tow. "You keep playing hide and seek in the racks, and that's going to cost you 10 tickets!" Boom. Angels. And if they are extra helpful and go above and beyond, they earn bonus tickets! Helping with little Lena (2) has earned Finn (9) and Maya (7) quite a few tickets to pad their envelopes. We even have a Friday Toy Chest where they can choose a 5 Ticket Toy from a treasure bin (thank you Dollar Store). It's the perfect motivation to keep everyone on track this summer!

What's working for YOU?

Lyndsay Johnson is a stay/work/play-at-home-mom to three littles. She is a graphic designer, author, and beauty maven who helps women gain confidence and grow their business through social media. She loves secret naps, watching movies in the dark, and admiring the mountains out her window. She lives in Heber City, UT with her children and filmmaker husband.

Lyndsay’s Blog: www.lyndsayjohnson.com

Lyndsay’s Beauty Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1615220915368450/

Ziploc Ice Cream

It's the last day of the A2Z.

What better way to end than a recipe for making ice cream in a Ziploc* bag!
*Any storage bag will do, but for the purpose of the letter Z, I'm using Ziploc

This is fun for young school kids. We once did this at a third grade class picnic and it worked out pretty well. A few kids got salt in their ice cream, but we had enough ingredients on hand for do-overs.



Ingredients: 

1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups crushed ice
4 tablespoons salt
2 quart size Ziploc bags
1 gallon size Ziploc freezer bag
a pair of gloves (the bags get very cold!)

Is there anything better than ice cream?

Mix the milk, vanilla, and sugar in a quart sized bag. Seal the bag tightly, squeezing out as much air as possible from the bag. If your bags are thin, you might want to double bag the ice cream mix to keep it from puncturing and getting salt in the mix and ruining it. 

Drop the ice cream mix in a gallon bag with the ice, then sprinkle the salt around the ice. Zip that bag and begin shaking, or turning the bag gently, making sure the ice surrounds the ice cream mix. This is where the gloves come in handy. This mixing makes hands cold! 

Shake and turn for about 8 minutes. 

Open bags and remove ice cream. Dry off the salty water from the bag before emptying the contents into a bowl or a cup to avoid salting the ice cream. 

Grab a spoon and enjoy. It's delicious!

This A2Z post was brought to you by the letter Z. 

Fun for Kids - a New Game

Remember the old Telephone game? You whispered something to your neighbor and passed it on down the line to see if the last person got the phrase right.

Well, how many of you talk to text? I use it all the time, to the annoyance of my hub... But I love it because I'm so slow typing and usually mess up. The only problem is, many times the words don't come out right. I'm sure you've seen posted funny mistakes.

So here's my game. Tele-text!

Speak a long phrase into your phone and send it to a friend, no corrections. The friend speaks and sends it to another, and so on. The last player speaks/sends it to the original and sees what jumbled mess they end up with!

Anyone up for a game? I suppose email would work as well...

Happy Friday!

GPOB - SCIENCE!

GEEK PARENTING ON A BUDGET – SCIENCE!

Geek parents love to imagine their children growing up to be chemists, physicists, astronomers, and mad scientists. We teach them about math, the elements, and wormholes. The best way to grow a love for these things is through fun science experiments. But science isn't cheap.

Have you ever looked at the prices of a chemistry set or a self propelled rocket kit? Yikes!

I love reading experiments geek parents do with their children. But I wonder how they can afford all the materials. I can do the vinegar and baking soda volcano, but after the first couple of times, my little geek is whining that he already knows what will happen.

So in the interest of science, I have found a couple of ways to play and experiment while on a budget.

1. Slime. Whether you're creating a baby for the Blob or some ecoplasm, kids love slime. It's very easy to make too. All you need is some water, glue, borax, and food coloring. You can find borax-free recipes online as well. It's easy and fun to make, and you can make all different kinds.

2. Cloud jars. Learn how clouds hold liquid. All you need is water, a jar, shaving foam, and an eye dropper with colored water. The foam will float on top of the water in the jar like a cloud. As your little geek drops the colored water into the cloud from the dropper, it will eventually become too heavy and rain.

3. Gummy bear torture. Oh yes, they're yummy and can teach us about science! All you need is gummy bears. Put them in various containers of liquid like water, salt water, vinegar, and liquid nitrogen (if you have any around!). You can eat the bears and watch as the candies bloat and explode. Researching this, I didn't realize how popular torturing gummy bears was. There are tons of videos online.

What fun and cheap science experiments have you done with your little geeks?

Christine Rains is a writer and geek mom. She is married to her nerdy best friend, and they have one adorable little geek. All of them are too smart for their own good, even their cat who knows how to flush the toilet. Christine has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood but make her a great Jeopardy player. She has one novel and several short stories and novellas published. You can visit her website here.


It was so wonderful having Christine here this week! These are terrific ideas - and almost all of these activities were done without electronics - it CAN BE DONE! Thanks, my geeky friend - GEEKS RULE!

GPOB - Family Outings

GEEK PARENTING ON A BUDGET – FAMILY OUTINGS

It's not cheap to take the family out for a day of geeky fun. The admission to comic book conventions, science museums, and zoos are high. And that doesn't even include the price of food and parking. Around here, it costs more than $120 to bring the family for one day at the children's museum in the big city.

My wallet won't even consider opening for that. But I have ways of making the poor thing feel better.

1. National and state parks. We get a park pass every year. It's more than worth it. Take advantage of their nature centers and free programs. We all get to be outside and explore nature. A great opportunity to fill your little geek's head with fairy lore and wilderness survival in case there's a zombie apocalypse.

2. Ask for adventures as gifts instead of items. Every year, my Nana gives my son a yearly pass to our small local children's science museum. We've spent countless hours there having fun learning. They have free programs for people who are members too. Last December, my little geek was on stage with a reindeer. He still talks about it. Zoo and museum memberships usually only cost the price of two or three visits. We go at least twice a month to our local museum.

3. Geo-caching. All you need is a handheld GPS and the determination to find treasure. Another awesome way to have fun outdoors. Go to the geo-caching website and find caches in your area. Punch the coordinates into your GPS and go hunting! Some caches are small like a photo film canister while others are big like old ammo boxes, and they contain items to trade. Old coins, key chains, and toys. Children young and old love the rush of finding treasure.

What budget friendly things do your family like to do together?

Christine Rains is a writer and geek mom. She is married to her nerdy best friend, and they have one adorable little geek. All of them are too smart for their own good, even their cat who knows how to flush the toilet. Christine has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood but make her a great Jeopardy player. She has one novel and several short stories and novellas published. You can visit her website here.

GPOB - Dress-up Time!

So excited to have CHRISTINE RAINS guest post with us this week! She's sharing some economical tips from her cute geeky point of view!

GEEK PARENTING ON A BUDGET – DRESS UP TIME!

Every kid loves to play dress up and pretend they're someone or something else. As a geek parent, this is one of my favorite things to do with my little geek. We pretend to be superheroes, robots, and talking cats.

Costumes are expensive, though. Never mind all the special props like a sonic screwdriver or Green Lantern's lantern. I'm jealous of those geek parents who can afford to buy the awesome outfits so the whole family can be the crew of Serenity or the Power Rangers. And those clever nerds were are talented enough to make spectacular costumes.

Every time I try to sew something, I end up with bandages on all my fingers. We also live on a budget. There are still tons of ways to have dress up fun. Here are a few tips:

1. Post-Halloween sales. Costumes, make-up, and accessories all on sale for 50%. And if you wait a week, it'll be 75% to 80% off. I stock up on the face paint because my little geek loves to pretend he's different animals. Children's costumes do sell out fast, but no worries. Buy adult ones and cut them to fit the kids.

2. Recyclables are your friend. You might only see trash, but through a child's eyes, an empty tissue box can be turned into a treasure chest and the paper towel roll into a telescope. One of my favorite recyclable-made accessories is a jet pack. Grab two 2 liter plastic bottles and tape them together. Have your little geek decorate them and use construction paper to make straps. Then blast off!

3. Second-hand clothes. Whether you get them at a yard sale, a thrift store, or from the back of your closet, don't underestimate the value of these old duds. Adult size button-up shirts make excellent robes. Black for a Hogwarts student and white for White Mage from Final Fantasy. Big t-shirts can be tied around the waist with ribbon or string to make them tunics for knights in training.

What costumes have you made on a budget?

Christine Rains is a writer and geek mom. She is married to her nerdy best friend, and they have one adorable little geek. All of them are too smart for their own good, even their cat who knows how to flush the toilet. Christine has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood but make her a great Jeopardy player. She has one novel and several short stories and novellas published. You can visit her website here.

Signs of Fall

You know Fall has arrived when the bugs come inside...

Spiders are great for eating other bugs. And I love seeing them in a beautiful web...from a distance.

We used to catch the little jumpy ones, then catch other bugs and watch him eat them - yep, I'm one of those boy moms. Did that with praying mantis too - so cool!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

A couple of years ago on Oct 1, a tiny spider floated down from the ceiling into the middle of breakfast with my sons - you should've seen those boys jump!! I laughed!

Anyone else got a good bug story for this nice cool weekend?? I <3 Fall!

Savor The Last Days of Sumer

This time of the year, a lot of us have those end of summer blues. Kids going back to school means the return of early mornings, am battles (Isn't it funny how they can be up before 7 ever.single.day. They don't have school but can't be woken by a tornado as soon as school starts), and more work for Mom. And if you think school is more work for you, believe me I'm feeling it too. When you drop your kids at the curb next week, I'll be there to meet them.

No use complaining though. It's either those 7 am mornings or home school, and I'd rather be trapped with 26 of your kids than attempt to tell mine something else she isn't going to listen to. LOL.
Since we can't avoid, let's make the most of it. Slip in an end of summer trip. That place you've always wanted to go, wanted your kids to see? Pack up and go there.

Not an option? Limited time or money? We can work with this. Do an end of summer day trip. Think of things that might be two hours from you in any direction, use Google if you have to. They can be corny. It's okay to do something kind of cheesy or touristy. The point is to do something you're about not to have time for, right? And if you can't find anything in that radius from you that you think might be interesting, find a nice lake, beach or state park area and head up. If you want to be frugal pack an ice chest with snacks and lunches. But I plan to accidentally "forget" the cooler. There is no excuse not to cook like a Monday.

Cheap and Easy Beach Craft

It's Friday!!! Can I get a woop woop?

On Friday, anything goes- as long as it's fun.

And today, I'm sharing a fun craft.

I'm going to be honest. I am NOT the least bit crafty. All those cool ideas from Pinterest? I am the Nailed It lady, every time. Sure, it looks so easy...until my two left hands start working on it.

Find more hilarious Pinterest Fails at
Just Something (Creative) 

So, when I say, "This is easy." I mean, it is easy. No art degree or June Cleaver status needed.

Last year at the beach, I stopped at the Dollar Tree. I bought a picture frame, three bottles of school glue, and a play bucket. I poured all the glue in the bucket and mixed it with sand from the beach. I smeared it on the frame and let it dry in the sun.

When I got home, I hot glued seashells my kids found on the beach.

I half expected the sand to dry out and crumble off, but it's been a year and it's good as ever.

The trick, I think, was to have much more glue than sand,

My guys from this year's trip in last year's craft, 

You need:
1 cheap frame
3 bottles of glue
1 sand bucket
seashells
hot glue and gun

Oh, and be sure to find us Really Real Housewives over on Pinterest. We're there- screwing up crafts one fluffy bunny at a time.