Macrame pillow 59.99 | Boho sun pillow 69.99 | Sapsucker 2.99 |Marshmallows 6.99 | Welcome to the jungle mat 29.99 | Outdoor rug 49.99
These are the days I want to remember. The matching dinosaur pj’s, the overly full marshmallow smiles and all the ways we creatively turned rainy days into the most fun adventures.
Macrame pillow 59.99 | Boho sun pillow 69.99 | Outdoor rug 49.99 | Marshmallows 6.99
This week has been a tough one. Pregnancy pains, backaches, and two little boys who have been keeping me very busy despite it all. I checked the forecast praying for a nice sunny week to spend some time with the kids outside and of course, rain every single day.
I knew right away I needed to think of something to keep the kids busy and help them blow off some steam, so we sat down and brainstormed some ideas together. They both agreed they wanted to build an epic fort.
Boho sun pillow 69.99 | Black and white throw blanket 49.99 | Come back snacks popcorn 6.99 | Welcome to the jungle mat 29.99 |
Outdoor rug 49.99
We ran around the house and collected some of our favourite things, colouring books, stuffies, and some snacks, then dragged it all to the kitchen next to the big window so we could sit and watch the rainfall. Just as if we were outside.
Firestarter 19.99 | Marshmallows 6.99
For Christmas last year we bought the boys a nugget comfort. It’s essentially just foam cushions that are designed to build and create different shaped forts. We layered them with some cozy blankets, pillows and added a plastic outdoor rug as our “patio area” for when we ate our snacks.
Macrame pillow 59.99 | Boho sun pillow 69.99 |Black and white throw blanket 49.99 | Sapsucker 2.99 | Marshmallows 6.99 | Giving bear 19.99
Come back snacks popcorn 6.99 | Welcome to the jungle mat 29.99 | Firestarter 19.99 | Outdoor rug 49.99
Sapsucker 2.99 | Marshmallows 6.99 | Firestarter 19.99 | Outdoor rug 49.99
I found an extra set of outdoor lights so I dangled them across the play fort and shut off the lights to add some extra ambiance. We asked Alexa to play us some kid’s music and held hands as we danced around the kitchen, pretending it wasn’t another gloomy, rainy Monday afternoon.
Macrame pillow 59.99 | Boho sun pillow 69.99 | Black and white throw blanket 49.99 | Welcome to the jungle mat 29.99 | Outdoor rug 49.99
Together we read books and told secrets. Watching the kids as they helped each other build the fort and put their imaginations together to get creative was exactly what I had hoped for to stimulate their growing little minds and keep them occupied while I read them books and observed.
Boho sun pillow 69.99 | Sapsucker 2.99 | Come back snacks popcorn 6.99 | Welcome to the jungle mat 29.99 | Outdoor rug 49.99
Maverick wanted marshmallows since it was like a little campsite but unfortunately, we were limited because obviously, we can’t have fires inside. Instead, we created little characters using marshmallows, chocolate sauce, strawberries and a colourful straw since we didn’t have any skewers. I love watching them as they concentrate on creating their little masterpieces.
Marshmallows 6.99 | Sun Parlour Honey with Cocoa 6.50
Easily we could have sat and watched movies all day, and sometimes that’s exactly what we need, a day to do nothing. But with a week of gloomy weather and me being out of commission from all the aches and pains, I needed to come up with an idea to occupy the kids so they didn’t go stir crazy.
Here are a few other ideas the boys came up with for throughout the week.
Homemade playdough:
Ingredients
1 Cup of Plain Flour
1/2 Cup of Salt
2 tbsps. of Cream of Tartar
1 tbsp. of Cooking oil
1 Cup of Boiling Water
Food colouring
Instructions
1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl or jug EXCEPT hot water and colour. The kids can help measure and mix, but the next steps are best done by grownups
2. Pour the hot water into a jug to add the colour. This helps to get an even colour throughout. Keep in mind that the colour of the water will be much stronger than the resulting play dough. You can always add more colour during mixing if you feel it’s not quite right.
3. Add the water and stir. I usually use a butter knife to stir as it’s easier to wipe off than spoons.
4. Once it is all starting to stick together and looks like dough, tip onto the kitchen counter and knead briefly. Be careful, as the playdough will still be hot in the centre.
If you find it is still too sticky, simply add a little more flour and knead through.
5. Wait about ten minutes until it cools enough for Little hands to play with
Scavenger hunts:
Scavenger hunts are a fun and easy way to keep the kids busy. Bonus, it doesn’t require any messes or clean-up at all!! Every parent’s dream! The boys love doing this with grandma. She fills the eggs with a small treat (fishy crackers, smarties, etc) and a printout letter. Once they find the egg they have to shout out a word that starts with the letter then they get to enjoy the treat.
Baking:
One thing I’d love for the boys to grow up and remember is all the messes they made with mama in the kitchen. Baking is a pastime I vividly remember doing with my grandma when I was a kid. Allow yourself to loosen up and be open to eggshells in your cake mix and flower on your floors and think big picture, the kids will thank you later on in life.
The weather plays a big toll on our emotions. Winter blues, gloomy rainy days, we don’t realize how impactful they are until the sun starts to shine and we can feel all our weather-related anxiety melt away.
Whether you have children in your life or not, try and take advantage of days we can’t spend outside. Read a book, create a spa in your bathroom, start a journal. There are so many ways we can take advantage of our time spent inside.
