How to keep sick, bored, and grumpy children happy and entertained

First things first. Here's a little update on Sir Hendrix who is still sitting on the exact spot he's been sitting on for the past 8 years. We just have not been able to get somebody to go out there and tow this bus home for us. It is quite ridiculous really. You'd think people want your money. What's up with that? We finally found someone who said he could simply tow him for us, instead of pulling him onto a float and driving him home that way, but now the weather has decided to work against us and it just keeps snowing. Arrrgggggh!!! But we won't give up and will keep you guys updated on any progress we're making to finally solve this frustrating situation.

Now, I want to say up front that this is a post for mothers. It will probably be rather boring for everyone else, but so is sitting at home for weeks on end with two kids that can't seem to shake this ongoing cold that is driving everyone crazy. I dare say, there is not a lot that is worse than caring for two sick, whiny, needy, and grumpy kids who seem to have an endless supply of snot running out their noses, while they cough and sneeze in your face without the slightest care for your own welfare. Well, maybe caring for 5 sick kids. What I find even worse than the sneezing though, is the running away as soon as they see you coming towards them with tissue in hand, and the wiping of their tiny noses on anything they can find, including mommy's pants, sleeves, hands, and furniture of any kind. And the hardest part is, you can't really go anywhere to rant about your misfortune or simply have the kids let off some steam by playing and running around with other kids. I take my little ones to play group twice a week. They love going there because they have plenty of toys, books, play dough and best of all, other little people they can play with. But lately, I've been debating whether or not to ever go back there, since we have been trying to get rid of this cold for what feels like a year now, and it just keeps coming back for more whenever we socialize. I do realize the kids need to get out and I can't hide them in the house forever, but I can tell you it's a vicious circle.

The only thing you can do to make life bearable while being stuck in the house is by doing activities and crafts. So I thought I'd share a few things we like to do at our house when we get bored and need a little special time. WARNING! Do not try any of the following things with your own children, if you don't like a messy house. Just thought I'd give a little heads up for all the neat-freaks out there. Personally, I have given up on the idea of a spotless house a long time ago and I don't even feel guilty anymore. I'm waaaaaaay past the point of caring and am simply trying to survive each day without a major meltdown. Here are three things that are easy and cheap to make and last forever.

#1 - Salt dough 

I like this even more than play dough because you actually get to keep what you've made, and whenever I work with salt dough, I think of my own mother and how we used to make hand-prints and little figures together.

Here's what you need and it really isn't a lot:

2 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of salt 
1 cup of lukewarm water  

That's it. Easy peasy, right?

All you have to do is mix the flour and salt in a bowl and gradually add water until it forms a doughy consistency. Knead your dough for about five minutes or longer. The longer you knead it, the smoother it gets.

Now, for the fun part. Play with it. Make whatever your heart desires. There really is no limit, just be creative. You can use it just like play dough and after you're done, you can either air dry your creations or bake them in the oven, which is a little quicker. Bake at 200 F until your dough is dry and hardened. This can take up to 2-3 hours, depending on size and thickness. You could turn up the heat to 350 F but your dough might turn brown. If you're planning on painting your creations with acrylic paints it won't matter, but you could also simply cover it with foil. I don't usually do this next step because I don't think it's necessary, but some people like to seal the dough. You can use urethane, spray on sealer, paint on water based sealer or future floor wax. Our favorite things to do with salt dough are hand and foot prints. Their fun to make, their cute and a real cheap and special Christmas gift for grandparents ;-) Here are some we've made.

For those of you who don't have the money or don't want to spend it on acrylic colors, since they can be quite expensive, you could simply leave it as is. I have to admit it almost looks cuter without paint. Only problem is, unless you're standing right in front of it, the prints are really hard to see. But it's up to you. This is what it would look like painted.

#2 - Play dough

Every child loves play dough and it is so easy to make at home. You can make play dough in about 4 minutes and it lasts a long time, if you keep it in an air tight container.

Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of salt

2 tablespoons of cream of tartar (I have to admit that I've never heard of this before making my first batch of play dough, but you can buy it in any supermarket and you'll find it with the regular spices.)

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Up to 1.5 cups of water (just pour straight from the kettle into your measuring cup). Add in increments and mix with a wooden spoon until it has turned into a smooth texture and the dough has cooled down enough to touch.

food coloring -optional- (We always add a lot of food coloring because we like pretty, bright things to play with.)

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add food coloring to the boiling water, if you choose to use any, and stir until it becomes a sticky, smooth dough. Once it has cooled down enough to touch, knead until the stickiness has gone. This is very important so don't be lazy and stop before it's right. If it remains sticky, add a little flour to it but be careful and don't add too much or you'll end up with dry, crumbly dough and that's no fun either. 

Voila! Playtime

I'm not the most talented person when it comes to making things out of play dough, but I will bite the bullet and share some pictures anyways.

#3 - Colorful rice, pasta, and beans

This is the messiest craft out of the bunch, especially if your children are very young like mine. Noah is two and loves to throw things around. It's impossible to do anything without leaving a huge mess behind. I lovingly like to call him my little 'master of disaster'. But every time I get out the pasta and rice containers, his eyes light up and he gets super excited. Even if I don't feel like doing crafts with him, I simply give him a few different sized bowls and containers, measuring cups and scoops, different sized bottles with lids and last but not least pasta and voila, he's occupied for hours. It's a great sensory activity that relieves stress, promotes fine motor skills as well as mathematical thinking because it teaches them how much each container holds before it overflows. It also helps them explore their senses, since a child learns the most when it involves things they can touch, see, smell, taste and hear. Noah loves to fill up different containers and bottles and shake them. He loves anything that makes a lot of noise really, which drives me crazy because he usually chooses to be noisiest when the baby is napping. But it comes in very handy for those rare days when you just don't seem to have a lot of patience or are simply struggling with it all and need some quiet time. Put a blanket on the ground before you start. It teaches them boundaries, keeps the mess contained to one area and makes it easier to clean up. Keep an eye on young children that like to put everything in their mouth. Mia is currently going through that phase and I have to watch her like a hawk. Don't leave them to play unsupervised. The last thing I want is your child choking because of something you read on my blog.

Here's what you need:

Pasta (All kinds work. Wagon wheels, Alphabet pasta, shells, elbow macaroni, Orzo...)
Rice (white rice is probably best)
Beans (I like to use white, dried beans like Lima beans)
Ziploc bags or air tight containers
Food coloring 
Water 

Take a bunch of any of the ingredients above, put them into a Ziploc bag or container, add a few drops of food coloring, add only a little water (around one tablespoon, depending on the amount of pasta/rice/beans in your bag) close and shake. Make sure everything is getting coated and add more food coloring or a little more water if it doesn't. Dump everything on paper towel and pat it down. Do it right away, especially with the pasta since the pasta will get soft if you use too much water or leave wet for too long. Let it dry and let the fun begin.

You can use your finished product for lots of different activities. You can glue it to paper to make pictures.

You can play what I like to call the color game. I have 4 different colored Lima beans (red, green, yellow and blue). I place 4 containers in front of Noah and let him separate them by color. It helps him learn, it's fun and it keeps him busy. To make it easier on you, you could just buy different colored dried beans at the store, like red kidney beans or black beans.

If you color pasta with holes in them (for example macaroni, rigatoni or wagon wheels), you can also make necklaces and bracelets. Also, if your play dough is getting a little dry and your thinking about throwing it out to make a different batch, think about forming different shapes like balls, dice, and rings and let them air dry. Place them on a cookie sheet or something similar, and put them up on a shelf or cupboard. Somewhere your child can't reach. Turn them every couple of days until everything is hardened and use them to make jewellery as well.

There is so much you can do, by simply using what you've got in your pantry.

And something else that works wonders for us, when the kids are having a really bad day and mommy is about to lose her sh** is going for a walk and get some fresh air.
They're usually pretty content as long as we're moving, fall asleep at some point during our walk and pushing a double stroller is keeping your buns tight as well. It's a win-win ;-) Winter is here and it's cold out you say? Bundle them up and go anyways. Fresh air is so good for them, especially when they're sick.

So this is it for this week's post. I know it wasn't the most exciting post you've ever read and I will try to keep it interesting for everyone by blogging about a wide variety of topics, but please remember that we're first and foremost just a regular family, living a regular life and not every week is super exciting. Winter is here, days are mostly spent indoors and we're currently not traveling or working on homestead projects, due to the weather. But things will change and I will try to keep you entertained during the long winter months ahead. Stay warm, safe and healthy everyone and drink a lot of fresh honey lemon ginger tea to give your immune system a boost and prevent yucky colds. You'll be hearing from me again next week and feel free to ask questions, email me, or leave a comment.