"Mom, I'm bored!"

Hello Moms!  I pray that all is well with you and that you are keeping safe and warm in this wave of heavy snow and cold winds.  Well, if you're a stay-at-home Mom or have the option to be home when the kids are home, you may hear this famous phrase "Mom, I'm bored!".  Or you may look up and see your kids playing video games and watching tv the entire day.  So I wanted to give you ten things you can do with your kids on these cold days inside the home.  Maybe you can try these over the next couple of days and let us know how it goes.  Have fun and make the best of these snow days with your little ones!

10 Things To Do So You Don't Hear "Mom, I'm Bored!" on Snow Days:

1. Do a science experiment.  We had so much fun "making snow" during the last arctic vortex.  It's super easy.  Just boil some water and throw it outside, up in the air.  Before it hits the ground, it'll turn to snow.  The kids love it and I think I got a bigger kick out of it than them! :)  Or try other experiments that have a dual purpose.  A great one is to put some baking soda down your drain and follow it with white vinegar.  Yes, it will bubble up and make a "volcano" but it will also clean your drains at the same time!
2. Build a fort!  There is no greater time to build a fort and imagine that you're somewhere else than on snowy days when you have cabin fever!  Use all of your pillows and blankets and make a nice, big fort.  You could even bring snacks into the fort and "camp out" indoors. 
3. If you're anything like me, you are always trying to figure out when to clean the house.  Snow days are perfect for that.  This is a great time to go through the kids closets and toys and make a donation pile and a throw-away pile.  If your kids are old enough, ask for their help in making these choices.  It will teach them about the importance of donating and make them appreciate what they have (and you'll have clean rooms and closets when you're all done).
4. Get them excited about food! Get your kids involved in cooking dinner.  They can help you get things out of the refrigerator or pantry or they can help put things on the stove for you or stir the pot.  Whatever you have planned for dinner, get them excited about it too.  They'll feel so proud of themselves come dinnertime!
5. Valentine's Day Project! One thing we did in February last year was that we cut out hearts from construction paper and then we each wrote several things that we loved about everyone in our family.  After all of our hearts were filled, we glued them onto ribbon.  Each person in our family had their own ribbon filled with hearts that said nice things about them.  I hung them up in February and kept them up all month long.  It was so sweet to read them and it was a great encouragement on days when we were feeling down.
6. This does require you leaving the house but... Snow days are a great time to visit the amazing museums we have in our region.  I live in Northeast Ohio so the museums that come to mind are the Children's Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, our new Aquarium, and the Science Center.  I love all of these so much and the kids can have a great time learning.
7. Make it a movie day - either indoor or at the theatre. If you go to the first showing of the day, it's typically a cheaper rate for the ticket.  Or if you really don't feel like going out, make it a movie day in your house.  Make some popcorn and some yummy treats and bust out some old family movies or actual kid movies.  Snuggle on the bed together and watch some good movies.
8. Just Dance!  Here is another dual purpose activity.  We love to dance in our house (although none of us are great dancers).  We love to play Michael Jackson's wii game and we have the Just Dance video game.  We will put it on and Just Dance.  It's so much fun.  It brings the entire family together and it's great exercise!!  If you don't have the video games, just throw on some music and have a dance party.  I love sporadic dance parties in the middle of the living room!
9.  Make a dream board.  This is a great way to teach your children goal planning and to stretch their imagination.  Grab a piece of paper and some magazines, glue, scissors, and crayons.  Tell the kids to cut out of the magazines words or pictures that describe what they want for their future.  Maybe it's a house or a dog or the word "peace".  Whatever it is, they can glue it on their piece of paper.  When their paper is all filled up, you can talk about what it takes to achieve those things. And your children can hang it in their room to help them remember what they're working towards.
10. Paint.  There is paint that you can make out of pudding for the young ones (http://babyparenting.about.com/od/miscellaneousrecipes/a/fingerpaint.htm) or you can use actual finger paint.  But just have a good time painting, get your hands dirty, and be creative.  At the end of the day, you'll have your own masterpiece that you can hang on the fridge!

Well, here are just a few suggestions to get you started while you're at home for the next couple of days.  Let me know if you try any of these or if you have any other suggestions to share with our moms out there!  Thanks and have fun!!