For some reason right when it's time to make dinner, my children suddenly meltdown and can't seem to function without me. The girls get super whiney and need my help for everything and Cam just latches onto my leg, throws his head back and lets out his signature howl that is the opposite of awesome. So yeah, to survive I've resorted to plugging them into the TV or iPad to buy myself some cooking time in a sane environment.
The only problem with that is when Taber comes home, excited to see his sweet little cherubs, he's greeted with stone faced TV zombies instead. Not ideal...
So the other day, inspired by my friend Joanne, (Who has 6 kids and rocks at motherhood) I decided to forgo TV time and set them up at the table with homework, puzzles, blocks and coloring stuff to keep them occupied while still using all their brain cells.
And it worked!!
4 comments:
I have a good friend who had '5 o'clock box" with these kinds of activities and things to do and the kids could only play with it in the 5 o clock hour when she was making dinner--great idea!!
Great idea dude and I LOVE the pic of Cam building his tower! SO CUTE!
I love it! That last picture is so cute; Cam with his tower, Teya with her peaceful reading face, and Brinley concentrating on the puzzle - I love scenes like that. Also, I realized I never answered your question about the TV - I don't let the kids watch anything during the week (unless we watch a show at night as a family), but Friday is movie day, and they can pick out movies or watch a few shows that I've recorded. That way I don't feel mean if they ask during the week - I just say "nope, it's not movie day." Also, it helps me to keep a bunch of stuff downstairs that is totally separate from all the toys upstairs in the playroom - so we have lots of puzzles, magnets, learning activites and drawing supplies downstairs in the kitchen - so if they get bored of playing with toys, they come down and do stuff, and if they get bored of their activities, I send them up to play. Now I just need to figure out computer time - Henry would spend all day at the computer if I let him, and even if it's educational stuff like learning the states, I know I need to limit it. If he's been on there for more than a half hour, I'll make him turn it off and tell him his brain needs a break, and he can't argue with that. Sorry for the long comment - I guess I should have written you an email.
What a great idea. I swear my kids are always hanging on me when I am trying to get dinner fixed (probably a big reason why I only cook 2 or 3 times a week!!). I always think you have wonderful ideas for moms. Maybe you should write a book...it would probably be a best-seller! :)
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