Leap Day Fun: Fruity Frogs and "Tic Tac Toad"

Here they are - our Fruity Frogs (idea courtesy of FamilyFun)!

These were a lot of fun to make and eat - especially with cream cheese caramel apple dip. (I figured I had the cream cheese, might as well throw some brown sugar and vanilla in there too!) Good stuff!

Noah and I played a few rounds of "Tic Tac Toad" (idea from TLC family) earlier too. Yep! We drew our own frogs...

 

Now to gather all the blankets and pillows an set up camp in the living room for our sLEAPover (and American Idol fest up until 9 o'clock - DVRed it from yesterday). Oh, and our leap contest! The kids have been practicing for that all afternoon. The dog has even tried to get in on the act. :)

Here's hoping the kids actually go to sleep! 

Happy Leap Day!

Leaping into Leap Day!

I love the whole idea of having one extra day to spend with my kiddos so I've been trying to come up with some fun little things to make February 29th extra special.

Since the history behind Leap Day is all Gregorian calendars and Julian reform (???), we are keeping it simple and sticking with FROGS!

Here are a few ideas that I am tossing around for Wednesday's festivities...

1) Teach them the game of Leap Frog (...or at least attempt it) or let them LEAP and measure how far they jump (- throwing some math in there.)

2) Play a few rounds of "Tic Tac Toad" (I saw this while I was browsing and cannot find the link again, but you cut out some paper frogs in two different colors to use as markers - my boy loves tic tac toe.)

3) Most definitely make this Fruity Frog (from FamilyFun) - Granny Smith apples, grapes, cream cheese, and chocolate chips. How cute is that?

4) Break out the Froggy books, of course! Froggy Plays T-Ball is always good for a laugh.

Last, but not least...my kids will LOVE this one...

5) Have a sLEAP-over in the living room! The kids love when we all camp out together (and we haven't done it in awhile) so I'm sure they'll be excited about this, especially since Leap Day is on a school night.


*Have anything fun planned for your extra day?

Shadow Tag Anyone?

 Have a little Groundhog Day fun, and head outside for a game of Shadow Tag!

Just try not to let the kiddos catch you when you stop to take a picture!

*Here's hoping that Punxsutawney Phil doesn't see his shadow! Catch a live webcast of the big moment on Groundhog.org or set your DVR on the Weather Channel's morning forecast. My kids look forward to seeing Phil's furry little face every year.

PILLOW FIGHT - Freeze Dance Style!!!

My attempt at an action shot when a Saturday afternoon game of Freeze Dance took a crazy turn!

I convinced the kids to let me start and stop the music (to avoid being pummeled with pillows) and discovered a great way to make sure their pillow fight didn't get too out of control.

Those blurry smiles speak for themselves - so simple, yet SO fun!

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!