Fishful Thinking Favorite: Take a Detour!

Ever have one of those weeks days when you just feel kind of  blah? Laundry is coming out your ears (as always), the dishes are piled in the sink, toys are everywhere, cookie and popcorn remnants speckle the carpet that you just vacuumed less than 24 hours ago....ugh!  Not to mention your little boy was sick all weekend and would only sleep if he was draped across you all night, but still woke up every half an hour. Sigh.

So when Noah and I picked Abby up from school the other day, I decided to take a detour. First to Sonic for a Cherry Coke ( I really needed one!) and a couple $1 oreo sundaes for the kids. Then, on the way home, instead of just waving at the cows in the pasture that we pass every day on our drive, I decided to pull over into the grass, unbuckle the kids, and roll down the windows so that the kiddos (and the cows) could have a closer look.

There were probably five or six baby calves out there grazing together, and they were looking right at us. The kids really got a kick out of it. Noah insisted on taking a picture with my phone:

Of course, then Abby (and her thumb) wanted to take one too:

Then I figured I might as well get in on the act:

I'm sure those cows were wondering what in the world we were doing.  The brown one on the right was totally staring us down. :)

It was pretty funny and definitely helped put me and my kiddos in a better mooooooo-d.

(hahaha! Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

***It's hard to believe I wrote this post in March of '10. Even two years later, we still love taking those "beauty detours". With spring just around the corner, there will be even more to come! 

Fighting Those Winter Blahs with "BORED GAMES"!

Wouldn't it be great to be a bear and hibernate through the rest of this unbelievably long winter? I am SO READY for spring. Did you hear that, Punxsutawney Phil? No shadow!!!

In the meantime, there is a whole slew of activities on the Fishful Thinking site to help keep our spirits up and focus on "what is controllable" (because this cold weather stuff is definitely out of my hands). This activity seemed to CALL OUT to me -

BORED GAMES : Tired of your kids spending all of their time playing video games, i-chatting or watching television, but dread the inevitable "I’m bored" chorus (or in Noah's case - incessant whining) whenever you make them step away? Try creating a list of "Bored Games."

First, help your children explore some of the things they like to do - cooking, reading, drawing, learning to play an instrument, etc. Then, once you have a good list, put each activity on a slip of paper and place them in a "Bored Jar." When the time comes and your kids get bored, they can draw a random activity out of the jar.

Examples of activities sure to bring a smile: 

• Stacking cups (See how long it takes to stack and unstack plastic cups in the form of a pyramid)

 (How my boy loves to stack cups!)

• Creating knock-knock jokes (Noah loves this one too!)
• Giving mom or dad a fashion makeover (I've had a few of these already. Dad? Not so much.)
• Painting  (perhaps with pudding or shaving cream!)
  
• Baking (Homemade chocolate chip cookies always brighten my day!
• Bake cookies for a neighbor
• Draw a picture (or write a letter) for a grandparent or someone special
• Plan a funny surprise for one of your family members (The kids love the rubber band around the kitchen sink sprayer trick.) 
• For curious kids: reading a mystery book (Abby loves A to Z Mysteries.)
• For adventuresome kids: making an indoor obstacle course

 (cardbox "tunnels" courtesy of Daddy)

Here's hoping these "bored games" keep 'em busy - at least until Valentine's Day.

*What are some of your kids' favorite boredom busters?

Idea from Christmas Past: Holiday Treasures Box

Among the presents sitting beneath our Christmas tree this year will be our very first Treasures Box inspired by none other than that optimism-instilling resource that I have come to know and love - Fishful Thinking!

The holiday season is a time of reflection with family and loved ones. Reflect, collect, and share something good that happened this year by making a Fishful Thinking treasures box.

Here are a few treasured experiences we've added to the box so far...

Abby's treasures:

• 4th of July fireworks
• Daddy buying me a big lollipop at the candy store
• Singing Christmas songs with the primary at church
• Counting all the way to 1000 by myself (just yesterday!)
  

Noah's treasures:

• Fishing with Papa
• Going to the playground
• Seeing the big rockets (at the NASA Space Center)
  
• Hitting golf balls with Dad
  

Daddy's treasures:

• Finding a new job
• Taking the kids to the driving range
• Going to a Dallas Cowboys game in their new stadium
• Playing "mean guys" with Noah (aka wrestling)
• Playing video games with Abby
  

Mama's treasures:

• Snuggling my kiddos
• Our trips to my grandma's house 
• Having family come visit three times since we've moved
• Taking the kids to visit my old elementary school and reconnecting with teachers and childhood friends
• Seeing Abby accept her Reflections contest ribbon for her giraffe drawing
• Singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at bedtime with Noah 
• Taking family walks and catching fireflies 
• Visiting a live nativity with the kids. (They wanted to walk through three times so they could see baby Jesus again.)

There are definitely more where those came from! We will be adding to our Treasures Box this week, and then we'll open our box on Christmas day and pull out some of the "treasures" to read and remind ourselves of the many things in life that bring us joy.

It is my hope that the spirit of Christmas will be felt in each one of our hearts this holiday season and throughout the year as we reflect on and give thanks for the wonderful blessings that we have been given.


*This was posted on my personal blog in December 2009. We'll be adding to our treasures box again this year and placing it under our tree - once we put it up!

Tis the Season To Be Thankful

A couple of Thanksgivings ago, the kids and I made a Grateful Sayings poster - one of my favorite Fishful Thinking activities.  Being that they were only 3 and 5 years old at the time, we kept it pretty basic...

Still, it became a permanent fixture in our kitchen up until we moved this past summer. Seeing it on a daily basis was a constant reminder to be grateful even for the simplest things.

Last November, we each made individual posters as a family night activity and then added to it throughout the month - using these questions to spark ideas and help inspire an ongoing attitude of gratitude.

Now that November has rolled around again, it's time to continue the tradition and reflect on the many things we have been blessed with in our lives. The kids are currently debating between making a "Thankful Tree"- where you write what you are grateful for on a paper leaf and add to it each day - or a "Thankful Turkey" - where you add paper feathers - a clever little idea that my friend, Jenny, shared with us. Their family's turkey is already adorned with plenty of feathers which she'll be posting about this week right here!


*Does your family have a special way of showing gratitude during the holiday season or throughout the year? Thanks for sharing!

Fishful Thinking Favorite: Sardines!!!

My kids love to play hide and seek. I always know when Noah has found a good spot because I can hear him giggling two rooms away. Abby's gotten to be a little more discrete now that she's older. She doesn't start to giggle until she knows you are in the room, but she still seems to think that I can't see the shape of her little body all curled up underneath the comforter on my bed.

So when I looked at the Fishful Thinking site today for a Keeping Kids Active idea to do with the kids, this twist on the game of Hide and Seek caught my eye - SARDINES!

I had forgotten all about this game! I remember playing it as a kid and feeling a little claustrophobic as a bunch of us tried to squeeze into my cousin's pantry...but it was always a lot of fun. We played the flashlight version too almost every night one summer when we got a little older. Good times, I tell ya.

There's a slew of Fishful Thinking game ideas and activities to choose from if you are looking for something fun to do with your kiddos this weekend.

 A favorite Sardines hiding spot! (These boxes weren't normally up against the back of the couch, but Daddy had broken them down so we could make a Halloween decoration.) Noah also thought it was hilarious when he found Abby and me hiding behind the shower curtain.

*Originally posted October 2009...even two years later, my kids still love this game, especially if we play in the dark with flashlights! What games did you love to play when you were a kid? Have a favorite that your family plays together? Thanks for sharing!

Fishful Thinking Favorite: "The Can Do Challenge"

Noah loves to help me do the laundry. As soon as he hears me lift the lid to the washer, he runs in the laundry room, "I will help you wid da laundry, Mom!" he exclaims. He especially loves to spray the stain remover on the clothes. "I can do it, Mama! I can do it!" And he does a pretty good job. I usually get spritzed a couple times in the process, but if his enthusiasm for this dreaded chore lasts through his teenage years, it will be worth it.

As I was folding clothes, I was thinking about how I could "transform this activity into a mastery moment" for him. One of my goals for this year is to start working with Noah more on mastering those preK skills - writing his name, identifying letters and numbers, sorting, etc... So I asked him to find all of the black socks in the pile and count them. He was so cute lining them all up on the bed. He counted 11 of them and then announced - "One sock is missing!" I was so surprised - not that the sock was missing, I swear my dryer eats socks, but that he realized one of the pairs was not complete. He was really paying attention.

I was also surprised this week when Abby got the bread out of the pantry, a piece of cheese out of the refrigerator, slapped 'em together, and made a sandwich all by herself. She even surprised herself.

"Look, Mom! I made a sandwich ALL BY MYSELF!" she announced with the biggest grin on her face.

The next day she insisted on making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - a bit messier process. I had to fight the urge to intervene, but she was so proud of herself that she could do it. Noah had to get in on the act too. It was funny listening to Abby tell him exactly what to do. I did have to assist him a little bit to save the bread from being completely mangled, but yesterday, I did let him do it 95% by himself.

FT Empowerment tip: Creating space for a child's exploration of independence can be challenging, but the opportunities for the growth and confidence it provides are worth celebrating!

So I am challenging myself to The CAN DO Challenge! - resist that temptation to always do things for them (even though it would take me half the time), foster their independence, and create more opportunities for those mastery moments.

I can do this!!!


*Originally posted in January 2010...and I am happy to report that since then my kiddos have made dozens of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

Laugh the Night Away!

Looking for something different to do with the kids this weekend? Here's a fun activity from Fishful Thinking  that our family did together not too long ago. We had a great time!

Laugh Night - We can teach our children to value and savor positive emotions by creating a ritual that shines the spotlight on a positive feeling (love,humor, inspiration, interest, gratitude, joy, serenity, hope, pride or awe.) Positive emotions not only feel good, but they fuel creativity,contribute to resilience, and strengthen relationships. 

We kicked things off one Saturday laugh-afternoon by watching The Slumber Party episode from the first season of The Cosby Show (my favorite!) - the one where Rudy has EIGHT kids sleep over, and Dr. Huxtable does the Bucking Bronco thing on his knee with each one of them. Hilarious. Abby and Noah thought it was really funny too. Then we made giant pancakes for dinner and used all kinds of fruit to make funny faces on them.

Decked out in silly hats, we even had a bubble blowing contest with our milk! The kids were loving it - especially since I'm usually telling them not to do that. We also read some jokes from a kids' joke book and had a couple of laughs - pretty cheesy stuff.

After we finished our pancakes, it was time for a game. I wrote some silly things on index cards - do the chicken dance, make a fish face, pat your head & rub your belly, etc...- and we had to pick a card and do what it said. That probably got the most laughs of the evening...well, that and an online episode of Wipe Out. I tell ya,  the kids and their dad can't get enough of that show. They were cracking up.

All in all, it was a cool family night - easy, fun, and free! We'll have to do it again soon, but next time maybe watch a funny movie instead...'cause this mama can only take so much of Wipe Out.

*Originally posted in August 2010