July 29, 2010

Countdown to cottage: 1 night.  Know that spot where you are rushing around madly before vacation:  I am right there.  One more load of laundry to go, still looking for the water shoes, just in from getting an antihistamine cream (my youngest swells badly with insect bites - would you call that hives?).  I've got the checklist, in my head, of activities...

FOOD

Want to save your sanity on a cottage or camping trip?  Meal plan!  (and it is amazing of how much food a family of 4.5 eats on a daily basis - I can't imagine what Julie Cole packs for her large family).   In addition, to usual meals we're doing some "activity" foods (why not?). 

Like made-by-kids cheese pizza (to make my life easier - I got the flatbread pizza kit at the store).  Of course, s'mores are a great campy activity food (damn - why didn't I buy graham crackers?!).  And a friend told me about spider hot dogs - where you split the ends of the hot dogs up then put them on a stick over a campfire - as the dogs cook the ends curl making it look like a spider. 

RAINY DAY ACTIVITIES

Rainy day activities can be a life-saver.  Paints are great (paint rocks, paint wood, paint the kids).  I have a birthday-present-closet (and I know you do too!) and there are two paint-by-number kits in their that will be unveiled at the cottage.  Even if it doesn't rain - the kids can do them post-swimming on the deck during parent happy hour.

Other cool camp crafts are putting google-ly eyes on things; pine cones, rocks, bark.  Draw a face on an acorn and you have a friend with a french beret.  And if, you ever wanted to try that ALKA-SELTZER ROCKET activity I blogged about - the cottage/campsite is the perfect place! 

OL' SKOOL COTTAGE/CAMP ACTIVITIES

There is something about spending the whole day in a bathing suit which just screams childhood to me.  Making mudpies in the morning, swimming in the afternoon, going for a boat ride before dinner.  If you're cottage or camp site is on water - the best activities are those which are wet.  (and please people - use these tips to keep track of your kids when they are near water - drowning is preventable!)

Flashlights - check.  Sleeping bags - check.  Now, where are those water shoes?!...

Labels/Tags: Caroline Fernandez, Nick of Time, Activities, Summer, cottage, camp, crafts, sanity saving

Posted by CarolineF at 15:42:40 View Comments | Click Here to Comment

July 26, 2010

We have way TOO MUCH stuff.  Specifically, at my house, we have way too much KID stuff.  There is crap kid stuff in every room.  And as we are looking for (free) summer activities (and as I'm expecting a new baby - which will be accompanied by a whole 'nother load of crap kid stuff) I thought it was time to have a garage sale.

A garage sale done-by-kids (supervised by Mom).  The incentive for kids:  all proceeds to go them.  Kids do it - kids get the $.  Kids were on board with that activity idea.

We spent a few days going through bedrooms, art areas (yes, we have more than one) and toy room sorting "WHAT I DON'T PLAY WITH ANYMORE" Vs. "WHAT I WANT TO KEEP". 

To add to the Garage Sale Stuff pile I went through my own "stuff" - cookbooks, tea cups and the like.  My prince got out an old computer that still worked but worked slowly.  Grandparents and neighbors also chipped in with boxes of board games and even a desk & chair (our Garage Sale Stuff pile started to look a bit like Good Will).

We spent a lovely afternoon in the backyard - where the kids happily painted GARAGE SALE signs (they needed help with spelling - but I think they made about 20 signs).

The day of the sale, we - the parents - carted everything out to the front lawn.  My oldest was "the Bank" - which meant she held the float and made the change (hello?  teachable math moment people!). 

Aside: to the woman who tried to get my 9 year old to haggle the price (a loonie) of a dress-up costume...She's a KID - it's a LOONIE - buy the costume or walk away - 9 year olds don't "get" the concept of bargaining (and frankly made you look very cheap).

In the end, this activity was one the kids could completely own AND we got rid of all our extra "stuff".  The kids made $100.* 

*We went shopping the next day for clothes.  "Because, Mom, clothes last FOREVER".

Labels/Tags: Caroline Fernandez, Nick of Time, kids activities, activities, summer, free, garage sale, saving sanity, teachable moment, math

Posted by CarolineF at 14:11:19 View Comments | Click Here to Comment

• PAGE
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14
• 15
• 16
• 17