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!

Games on a Plane - How to Pack for Flying

beach day - the other 2 went to a baseball game

I just got back from our Florida vacation, and it was awesome! We had a very nice condo with plenty of space, a few quirks, but a terrific location. We went to the Theme Parks and the Beach with some down time to play games and rest. As vacations go, this was one of the great ones!

Some of the keys to a smooth vacation are Planning & Proper Packing
But I think the most important key is Flexibility!

Here are some Travel Tips:

• When you have a tentative schedule, it will help you plan what to pack.
• When flying, you don't want to over pack. If you can fit everything into a carry-on, you'll save the extra money for checking a bag, depending on your airline.
• Sometimes, we ship our stuff to the place we're staying. It depends on the cost. 
• We love playing games, but with the tight packing for flying, it's hard to fit those clumsy boxes... so I get out my ziplock bags and cut the size of the games down by 75%!

before

after!

Ziplock bags are the best! They're great for:

• packing lotions and shower items
• packing powders and sprays
• packing snacks
• keeping the phone dry at the beach or pool
• keeping credit cards or park tickets easy to find in a cluttered bag!

And when things don't go according to plan, or if it rains on a day you're supposed to go to the beach - have a backup plan, like going to the movies or playing games! Plans change, even on vacation. There's no point getting upset when things go wrong--we just have to deal with it and adjust!

Your vacation is as fun or stressful as you make it. Don't worry about the things you can't control - like the weather, nature, and personalities! Do you have any travel tips?

Hope you've had a great summer so far!

Easy Beach Tips!

Sand, sand everywhere!

so long ago... miss those days!

Well, I'm on vacation in Florida this week so I thought it would be a perfect time to give some summer vacay tips!

First, check out this post by Liz: Life's a Beach for some awesome sand aversion advice! Great minds think alike, as I have an essential, go-to packing list too (I love lists!) But my favorite is the Sheet Seat:

"I’m lazy. I hate lugging chairs and stuff to the beach. I throw a few sheets in my beach bag and I’m good to go. I can dig a “seat” in the sand, cover it with my sheet, and I’m comfy. Then when I’m ready to go- sand whips off a sheet much easier than a towel or blanket. No more gallons of sand going in the washer!"

Thanks, Liz!

Here are a few more beachy and vacationing tips...

• Apply sunblock before you get on the sand - then it won't stick as much, and you won't have to keep your kids from having fun as soon as you arrive. And don't forget the lip balm with SPF!
• I'm going to re-emphasize the importance of resealable bags:
• to keep stuff protected - phones, money, sunscreen, a book, snacks
• but also, to bring back souvenirs - shells, driftwood, even sand and critters!
• A golf umbrella is a saving respite if you've had too much sun - I need shade! And it's usually several degrees cooler, a good place to put phones and drinks.
• Freeze bottled waters the night before - when you're at the beach all day, they melt slower and stay cold longer.
• Don't forget your sunglasses:
• easily lost and broken, I suggest having a cheap, fun pair just for the beach
• but if you wear prescription specs like me, you're blind for the day with regular shades or get a headache with perma-squint. (I've tried the specs that shade in the sun - not a fan; they always looked dim, even inside!) So, I found these clip-on shades for my glasses. They're not too expensive, and they come in lots of sizes/styles (thank you, Walmart). I love them!

• Back at the "house" we love playing games, so we always bring some with us. And we even come up with a few of our own (look for an upcoming GAMES post!)
• Lastly, check out this video I found on Facebook with a bunch of easy, demonstrated beach tips. I especially love the Flip Flop Fix (with a pop can tab!) and the Frozen Aloe Sunburn Relief!

So, get out there and enjoy the blistering summer! Do you have any summer vacay or beach tips to share?

Shaking Off the January Blahs

Happy January! Or should I say, Ugh, it's January again...

December is such a sparkly, festive, pepperminty month. But when January 1st rolls around, you better get those decorations down or feel the wrathful stares of your concerned neighbors.

This year, I happened to get those lights down lickety-split! And now that Christmas is put away and the company is gone and the vacation is definitely over, the house seems so dreary and bare. So mundane and unscented. And since the weather outside is still frightful, we have to spend more time inside wallowing in all the boring drabness of it!

So here are some suggestions to Shake Off the January Blahs:

• Game and/or Movie Night - Just because the holidays are over, doesn't mean the fun has to be! A family night of games or a movie will liven and lift everyone's spirits. And doing this on a regular basis will bring your family closer, keeping your house warm with smiles all year.
• Slumber Party by the Fireplace - A spontaneous night cuddled up by the fire or any out of the ordinary surprise - baking cookies, going through old photos, making funny videos instead of just watching them! - can spunk up any dull January weekend.
• Change out the photos - January is for new beginnings, so put fresh faces in your picture frames. Time for an update!
• Rearrange the furniture - Another way to give the old homestead new life is by changing the foot pattern, switch the seats, shed new light. And sometimes you'll find some lost items in the process...
• Have a Mom Party - Christmas was mostly for the kids. Now how about some pampering for the head of the house who did most of the decorating, shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc (two or three times as much in November and December as the rest of the year!) And if you're like me, you probably had to return a few things anyway, so now you can get something you really want!
• Sales - I love finding a good deal. And this is one of the best times of the year to do it. Sales, sales, sales! On Christmas stuff for next year and closeout winter clothes.
• Treat Yourself - I know. January is also the time we try to avoid treats because of all the December parties and candy and scrumptious snacks. But the treat doesn't have to be edible. This section is more about "Me" time. Give yourself some alone time with a book, a couple of episodes of Netflix, a hobby you've neglected, or just a snuggle with someone you love - like the cat! Maybe even 30 minutes of exercise. Do something for you to recharge your batteries and January won't look or feel so bad!

Hope your 2018 is off to a tremendous start!

The Need to Catch 'em All, Pokemon!

To my recollection, the craze started with the cards.

My first son was a preschooler (that's been about twenty  years ago!) when the Pokemon card craze hit him.

Then came the figurines, stuffed animals, video games, posters, and movies. At one time, my four boys' bedroom was a Pokemon den from sheets to windows.

They were true Pokemon nuts!

But as time went on, the figurines went into storage, the cards lay idle in the game cabinet, and their room got revamped to blue and gold and half-naked ladies.

I missed you, Pikachu!!

Then, this summer, like a refreshing wind on a hot summer day, Pokemon was back.

Pokemon Go.

Have you heard of it?

It's a new video game app for hand-held devices. Kids run around neighborhoods "catching" Pokemon, joining teams, and battling other Pokemasters.

Every single one of my boys are back to Pokemon crazy.

My youngest son goes out so long, he takes a battery back-up for his phone.

It's surreal. It's like these video game/internet addicted guys have morphed into pre-80's kids- unplugged (well, with the exception of a smart phone and in my son's case, a portable car charger with an AC plug-in) and outside moving around.

Personally, I don't see the harm. I saw a few posts on Facebook where people were complaining about the new mania, but mostly the posts were fun.

Like this:

But, wanting to be a well-informed parent, I decided I'd go with my guys a day and see what the fuss/fun was all about. Five hours and several miles later, I decided this was one of the best inventions since Twister for active fun.

But they don't call me Momma Kill Joy for nothing, so here is the list of rules I came up with after my day of Pokemon collecting:

1. Never catch Pokemon while driving. Only if you're the passenger can you feel free to catch'em all.
2. Be mindful of traffic. A Poke Ball will not save you from a collision with a bumper.
3. Only trample the grass of neighbors whom you know will tolerate you trespassing.
4. Be respectful. Even if it's a rare Ponyta that is hanging out in a busy funeral home parking lot, stay out! That's an inappropriate place to add to the collection.
5. This one isn't so much for my kids, who are all over 16, but for younger kids...

Parents, be very cautious. In the game, players can set out lures to draw in Pokemon. All the other players in the area can see the lures, so they can physically go to these spots where Pokemon will gather. Me being the cautious (possibly paranoid) mom that I am, can see a situation where pedophiles could set out lures that could bring in small, unchaperoned kids. My kids called me crazy, but I can see this happening as adult players and child players intermingle.

That's what I came up with. Anyone else have any suggestions for keeping an awesome game from becoming a problem?

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!

Identify the Body Part game

Aloha,

Thanks again to Liz, Tara and Ashley for having me here this week! I’m not used to guest posting on a Really Real Housewives blog, so I’ve been a little outside my comfort zone, but I’ve enjoyed myself, and speaking of fun, here’s a quick story for this Free-for-all Friday.

I was recently hanging with my youngest boy, (he just turned 4 last week) and he was busy playing the “identify the body part” game as we relaxed on a chair. (He’d touch my ears or eyes, say the name and move on to the next item…)

All was well until he rubbed my “Dad bod” belly. He turned to look up at me and I could see he was a bit worried.
“What’s up, buddy?”
“Papa?” (Belly rubbing continues...)
“Yes, son?”
“Papa, are you going to have your baby soon?”

And, to make matters even funnier, he stares at me for a second and then adds, “Papa, why do you have so many hairs up in your nose?”
Out of the mouths of babes….
Sigh.

Mark Koopmans was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. In 1989, he spent the next several years working in Holland, Spain, France and England. In 1994, he won his U.S. "Green Card," and is an American by choice since 2003. Koopmans began his writing career that same year with a feature for a regional magazine in California. Since then, he's worked as a staff writer for newspapers in Florida and Texas. Koopmans is also a proficient blogger and is working on his next book. He lives in Virginia, and is "Papa" to three active boys under the age of nine. He writes at night.



A BIG ROUND of THANKS to Mark for starting our year off right! With great tips and laughter!

Winter Break Activities!

Oh no. School's out for two weeks! Time to entertain the kids - or let them play on their electronic brain-scramblers. Unfortunately both of those options are not good!

Here are some suggestions to keep those little brains active over the break:

• Crafts - you can find many easy Christmas/Winter crafts in magazines and online
• Volunteer - most kids don't have any idea that others are suffering in the world. We need to show them how good they have it and that we need to give back.
• Read! - Any time is a good time to read.
• Help Decorate - also a nice time to reminisce when the old decorations they made as little ones come out, especially the ones with their cute little faces on them.
• Help Bake - always fun and they get to lick the bowl.
• Help Clean - not fun, but necessary and they should earn their screen time!
• Play board games - I love playing board and card games. Lots of laughter and good times.
• Family movie nights - cozy, cocoa, cookies, and camaraderie.
• Hide the Pickle - a tradition to find the pickle on the tree each day, friendly competition, ha!
• Make a movie - my boys get wild creative hairs once in a while and want to record their inventiveness... dummies on film to enjoy in perpetuity. Harmless hilarity.
• Thank yous - make sure they thank their relatives for gifts!

We are all open to suggestions if you have any to add! Keeping it merry and bright!