Get the Kids Outside, Get them Active

Tim Jr (my son)

With summer coming to an end and the weather slowly starting to cool off. I'm trying my best to keep the little ones outdoors as much as possible before the wintry New England weather comes rolling in and were all stuck in the house. Here's just a FEW simple outdoor activities you can do with your little ones. Get outside, Get active!
**Also make for great day care ideas**

-Sand Fun!!**A rolling storage bin filled with sand and toys makes a great sand/moon dough box. When the kids are done simply put the cover back on so is safe from the elements and or, roll it back into the garage.(ages 3 and up)

-Giant Monet's**Take big pieces of paper on the side of the house or garage or fence and let the kids paint giant pictures. Best part is its outside! (i recommend this for ages 6 and up)

-Eco Friendly Crayons* Cookie cutters, old crayons and tin foil and watch the crayons bake in the sun!(ages 2 and up with help from adult)

-Paint rocks with water colors or your choice of paint.You can also cut out pictures in magazines and glue them on to the rocks then varnish to seal and protect

-Bug Hunt!!** Grab some magnified glasses and a note book go on a back yard bug hunt. Have the kids record what bugs they see and any cool information they find interesting. (ages 4 and up)

-Have a backyard toy car wash- pretty self explanatory (ages 2 and up)

-Have a family dinner outside one evening.

-Make a leaf scrap book** Have the kids collect the different kids of leaves and iron them between 2 pieces of wax paper (adult supervision please) then staple them together as a book and have the kids even go further and have them identify the names of the leaves as well.

My First Post is Mommy *Me* Time! Sippy Cups Down!!

No matter how busy you are with kids and work, it's important to set aside a little "me" time every week. Its not only okay, its required! Have someone else watch the kids, even just for an half hour or so. Take a bubble bath with all your favorite soaps, salts and oils (maybe even light a candle or two) ,put on some music or read gossip magazines, or put your feet up and watch TV, maybe catch up on your DVR. Give yourself a home facial or manicure... or better yet, take a quick trip to a salon. As a mom you never get a break otherwise and at times we feel overwhelmed and unappreciated. We all get a little frazzled with the day to day craziness of running a family and a work schedule. Its ok to allow ourselves to recharge. When we are tired and stressed out we aren’t any good for the kids nor ourselves. Once a week I go grab a DD coffee, turn the radio on loud and go for a little drive. I don’t have much time away from my son so this works perfectly for me. I get to release any of the bad energy I was feeling and I really do feel better as I pull back into the driveway. You are still your own person and although you may have to change a few things in order to get your "me time" it is VERY important for you to stay tapped into the person you were before the family. ~Kat