But there is one good thing about all this snow. Sledding.

We got the kids new sleds for Christmas this year. [And then we forgot all about them and left them hidden in the garage until 2 days after Christmas. We're getting a little forgetful in our old age.] We decided to try them out this weekend when we were between snow storms. We have a big tobaggon (that holds up to four people), two new single sleds (that actually can fit two people) and an old sled that’s all scratched up and doesn’t slide very well anymore. We piled them all in to the car, along with the kids and headed to a nearby school with a very big hill.

I had forgotten how much fun sledding is. We took several wild rides down the hill, fresh snow blowing in to our faces. The hill was steep and bumpy and our new sleds just flew down the hill, going airborne over the bumps. The kids were giggling and having a great time. Even the teen.

Eventually we started racing down the hill. My husband and I flew down on the single sleds. (It was a close battle, but totally beat him by a good 2 inches). Then my husband and our youngest went down on the tobaggon on the longest ride ever. So the teen and his friends tried to beat their distance. But failed. It was hilarious watching the teens and my husband trying to outdo each other on the sleds.

Once our toes were numb and our necks were starting to hurt from whipping down the hill so many times, we piled our cold, wet bodies back in to the van for a trip to Starbucks. We rarely go to Starbucks for hot chocolate so it was quite a treat for the kids.

It was a great (and inexpensive) family day. What are you and your kids doing for fun this winter?

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng.

Post from: Blisstree

Sledding With The Kids

Even though I really want to stay indoors all winter long, I do understand the importance of the outdoors. We all need a little fresh air (now that the windows are sealed with plastic) and Vitamin D (from the sun). Plus we all saw what happened when we were crammed together in the van on a two day trip to Disney World. Clearly we need to give ourselves some elbow room.

But last year we went outside to play in the snow and didn’t know what to do with ourselves. I usually spent 20 minutes crafting the perfect snow chair and then I plopped my butt in it until the kids were whining about being cold and wanting to go back inside (which was about 10 minutes later). So I’ve decided this year we need a plan. Going outside to play in the snow requires some preparation…and I’m not just talking about the 15 minutes it takes to get on all of our winter clothes.

To help with the planning I’ve made a list of fun things to do outside in the snow so you too can have a plan.

1. Create a snow chair. It’s the perfect snow activity for us lazy bums. Just dig a whole for your rear end and then build up the back and sides to create your chair. If you’re really talented you can even make a recliner. Now that’s the life.
2. Make a snowman (or watch your kids make one from our snow chair).
3. If you’re looking for a family vacation, go skiing.
4. And for a real adventure, go snowboarding.
5. Satisfy your need for speed with snowmobiling.
6. Lace up your skates and go ice skating.
7. Head to the lake for some ice fishing.
8. Build a luxurious snow fort (around your snow chair).
9. Play a game of snow golf. Smooth out the greens (whites?!?) with your hands, shovel, or butt (or anything else you can find to smooth out the snow) and use a tin can for the cup.
10. Find a steep hill and go sledding.
11. Have a good ol’ snow fight. Use food coloring to make it a colorful snowball fight. Everybody gets their own color.
12. Catch snowflakes with your tongue.
13. Make snow angels.
14. Shovel. Ok, so that’s not exactly fun, but it has to be done.

Don’t forget to bundle up with your winter coat, stocking cap, gloves or mittens, snow pants, and snow boots before you battle go out in the cold.

Photos courtesy of stock.xchng.

Post from: Blisstree

14 Fun Winter Outdoor Activities

I love the Wii because it is so interactive and has such a great selection of games for 4 players. Our favorite Wii party games are:

• Wii Sports – Bowling is by far the best game made for Wii because everyone can pick it up easily and be successful.
• Smarty Pants: Trivia for Everyone- Wii puts a fun twist on trivia! Play tug of war with your opponents over questions, shoot targets to determine point values, and then there is the ever popular double points dance!
• We Ski – Join your teammates on the ski lift and race, explore and test your ski skills in a very realistic multi player ski environment.
• Game Party- The darts game in Game Party is fun and you don’t have to worry about crazy dart throwers or your newly painted walls being damaged.
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games – Now that the Olympics are over, the whole family can be champion swimmers, trampolinists, canoists, and high jumpers (there’s more).

We are always looking for more fun games to add to our family favorites – what is your favorite?

Post from: Blisstree

Wii Party Night

I suggested that they make the theme of the party a camp out and we get a tent, cook smores by the camp fire and make it an outdoor party. My son thought that was a great idea. We live on 4 acres in a quiet neighborhood so camping in our back yard is only a few degrees of separation from the real thing.

That birthday party was THE EASIEST party I have ever hosted! From the time the boys arrived at 6 until they all went home the next morning, they were never in my house. They had water gun fights in the backyard, we grilled up some burgers for them, they made smores, played football, and generally ran around all evening. They all brought their Nintendo DS game systems and by 11 pm they had all retreated to the tent to play DS as a group, talk, and eventually sleep.

Since the birthday party, the boys have gotten really good at pitching the tent themselves. Every time one of my son’s friends has come over for a sleepover this summer they have pitched the tent and slept outdoors. It is a great way for them to have a little more independence and it cuts down on the noise and clean up in the house!

So we have deemed this the summer of the tent – and something tells me it will extend into fall as well.

Post from: Blisstree

The Summer of the Tent

So what can we do to keep our teens busy? We’ve already given you some ideas to keep your teen busy this summer and each weekday Char gives you another project, activity or field trip from our Camp Weary Parent series. But we can never have too many ideas to keep our kids busy during the summer so here are few more.

• Get a job.
• Go to summer camp.
• Do a summer internship. This is not only a great way to keep busy, but also a great way to get some college credit or experience for their resume.
• Get some friends together, find a dirt field and play some baseball like in the movie The Sandlot.
• Baseball not their thing, then how about a game of football in the grass at the park.
• Head to the YMCA and get in on a basketball game.
• Grab some golf clubs and head out to the golf course with a couple of friends. Laugh hysterically at each other. (Or is it just me people laugh at when we’re on the golf course?)
• Hit the bike trails for a long, scenic bike ride.
• Take a date to the bowling alley.
• Lace up those roller skates (or blades) and learn to skate backwards at the skating rink.
• Sign up for an exercise class.
• Get a pool pass and become a regular at the city pool.
• Start going for a nightly jog or walk.
• Take an art class at a local college or with the city recreation department.
• Join (or start) a book club.
• Clean out the garage and have a garage sale. (This is a great way to get your kids to clean for you. They won’t mind doing it if they get to keep the money from the garage sale.)
• Use that garage sale money to see some of the summer blockbusters at the local movie theater.
• Don’t want to go to the movie theater? Then have a movie marathon at home with some of the guys and/or gals.
• Hold a car wash.
• Take a day trip to a nearby amusement park.
• Throw on your best swimsuit and go to a waterpark.
• Check out the animals at the zoo.
• Go see a ball game at a local stadium.
• Audition for a part in the summer performance at the local community theater.
• Have a water balloon fight. (It takes half a day just to fill the water balloons.)
• Get some good boots and go hiking.
• Buy a tent (again with the garage sale money…or maybe the car wash revenue) and go camping.
• Dust off that fishing pole and head to the river to catch some fish.
• Get some canvas and paints and paint a portrait of a friend or a landscape of the great outdoors.
• Pull out a camera and take pictures of everything you see. Learn Photoshop (or a free program like GIMP) to make the photo masterpieces.

There’s no excuse for teens to be bored this summer. Even if you live in the middle of “nothing to do” like we do. If you are creative and really think about what interests your teen there are tons of activities to keep them busy.

Post from: Blisstree

Squash Your Teen’s Summertime Boredom

Our favorite things to do in Baltimore include:

1. National Aquarium in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor – kids of all ages love it and you can go back over and over. I love the spiral descent from the rainforest down through the giant shark tanks the best. The kids always love the dolphin show, too.
2. Maryland Science Center – we visited the science center yesterday to see the very cool Bodyworlds exhibit (not great for little ones or the easily queasy) since my 9 year old is fascinated by the body and wants to study medicine. The science center has an IMAX theater and tons of hands on science stations for the kids to experience.
3. Port Discovery Children’s Museum – our kids are getting a bit old for the childrens’ museum now, but when they were younger we had to visit every time.
4. Water taxi to Fort McHenry – the water taxi is a fun way to see the harbor and at Ft. McHenry kids can learn about the Battle of Baltimore and the role it played in our nation’s history.
5. Plenty of museums! From Babe Ruth,  the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum,  the Baltimore Maritime Museum, Baltimore Public Works Museum, Fire Museum of Maryland, Lacrosse Museum and Hall of Fame, National Museum of Dentistry, Baltimore Museum of Art, to the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, there is something for EVERYONE!
6. Ride the Ducks – this fun, amphibious tour is the best way to get a family friendly overview of the Baltimore city and harbor.
7. Take in a Baltimore Orioles or Baltimore Ravens game.
8. Rent a pedal boat in the shape of a dragon and cruise around the Inner Harbor.
9. There is a fabulous variety of great restaurants – many with outdoor seating. Our personal favorites – Hard Rock Cafe, ESPN Zone, Phillips Seafood, and the Cheesecake Factory.
10. People watch and street entertainers. Just have a seat on the steps or have a picnic in one of the many grassy areas around the harbor and watch the people go by. There is an outdoor pavilion where you can usually find bands, comedians and group performances – especially on the weekends.

There is certainly more there to do, especially if you make it a 2-3 day trip rather than just a day like we usually do.  If you have a favorite spot or family activity in Baltimore – let me know – I’ll add it to our list for next time.

Photo: my own

Post from: Blisstree

10 Family Friendly Things to do in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor

Let’s kick off the summer with a fun game that will get kids moving, thinking and laughing. The game is called “Here, There and Everywhere”.

What you need:

• A group of kids of any age – the game can be played with 1-100 kids
• An adult or older child to act as the “caller”
• A large enough area for kids to move – obviously the larger the group the larger the space you need. Can be played outdoors, on a sports court, gymnastics floor or even in the pool.

How to play:

• Define your play space and then identify 3 landmarks (a tree, a cone, a tape line, or any other visual) – name them “Here”, “There” and “Everywhere”
• Start all the kids on “Here”
• Then the caller gets creative! Caller says “Go there” and all the kids go to the spot identified as “There” – anyone who goes to the wrong place is out. The next command gets called – “Skip everywhere” and anyone who goes to the wrong place is out. Keep repeating with new ways to get here, there and everywhere until you declare a winner or everyone has had enough.

Command ideas:

• Go here
• Skip there
• Sit everywhere
• Stand everywhere
• Jump here
• Hop there
• Swim everywhere
• Spin here
• Bounce there
• Crawl everywhere

We had a group of 25 gymnasts playing this game on a big floor mat and it was too much fun. Not only did they think it was a lot of fun, but they got some exercise out of it too.

Don’t miss any of the fun – visit the Camp Weary Parent page for a complete listing of all the activities.

Post from: Blisstree

Camp Weary Parent Day 1 – Here, There & Everywhere

So, why would I want to play golf? Well, I have this theory. My thought is that couples who can find an activity to do together that is fun, healthy, and lasts a lifetime, have a better chance of staying together. Same goes for families who play together – whether the activity is skiing, boating, golf, hiking, biking, or whatever it is that your family likes, it is a good thing.

Come to find out, quite a few of my friends also like to golf or want to learn. I think it could be a good Mom’s day out type of activity, too.

Have you and significant other got an activity/hobby you both enjoy? How about the family? What do you all like doing together?

Image: My own

Post from: Blisstree

Mama’s Got a New Game

Last week I read an article in the NY Times about young adults drinking 21 drinks for their 21st birthday. 21 DRINKS?!? WOW! That’s a lot. I’m pretty sure I never came close to 21 drinks on my 21st birthday and I was clearly way too drunk. These young people obviously have no clue how dangerous this binge drinking is.

Although the article is great and a real eye-opener about this new issue, what I really liked was one of the comments. This commenter had suggestions for celebrating the big day without killing brain cells.

Maybe you can convince your friends to pool their money and buy a few great bottles of champagne and caviar and share a single quality toast with your friends. Or try some other indulgence or feat — a 21 minute massage, make all your friends do 21 pushups, take one bite out of 21 different pieces of chocolate, eat 21 pieces of sushi or taste 21 desserts, kiss 21 cute boys, do 21 good deeds and take a Polaroid to capture each one…– there are so many fun ideas to mark that day that don’t involve excessive alcohol and the great thing is you will remember every minute of your 21st birthday.

I love these ideas and have even thought of a few more.

• Give the birthday boy or girl 21 small gifts
• Try to stuff 21 big marshmallows in your mouth
• Try to squeeze 21 people in to your [parked] car
• Tell 21 people it’s your 21st birthday
• Have a scavenger hunt all over town to find 21 items
• Make a scrapbook with 21 big memories
• List 21 things you love about your child or friend
• Visit 21 places you loved as a child (a special park, favorite museum, old restraurant, etc)
• Write 21 letters to 21 people who have influenced your life

What ideas do you have?

Post from: Blisstree

Celebrating the 21st Birthday

Today is the last day of Spring Break and we are taking the kids to Busch Gardens to ride some rollercoasters, see the shows and have a day of family fun!  Speaking of families and fun, what did you do this week with your kids that was fun?

Post from: Blisstree

Positively Friday