RANDOMNESS #1 - Nana B Stories - The Joys of Water Play - I am not saying they do not exist, but I have yet to find a young child who doesn't enjoy some sort of water play in all my years of working or being around little ones.
That being said, I wanted to share MY personal favorite forms of water play...
1. Frozen water in a tray - A couple of weeks ago, I froze 9" x 13" aluminum trays filled with blue water, ocean animals, coins, etc.
A beach towel per child, a small tool (wrenches work well) and 20 minutes under a shade tree turned out to be a lot of fun.
NOTE - Because using a real tool is kind of mandatory, the beach towels were spaced far apart. No accidents allowed.
2. Indoor swimming - Young children (two and three year olds) on a rainy day like putting on swimsuits and "swimming" in a bathtub filled with water and blue food coloring.
A handful of plastic ocean animals and three or four cups for pouring, and we're talking 20 to 30 minutes of fun!
I kid you not.
3. Two inches of water and 200 balls in a baby pool - Judith is 18 months old.
Judith loves baby pools and balls.
Loves them, I say.
4. Water balloon wars - We used to have water balloon wars when my kids were growing up with other families and the neighborhood kids.
As a Mom, you were responsible for a certain amount of water balloons per each of your kids (30 to 50). We met in a specific backyard, and with just a few rules to follow, we let the war ensue.
NOTE - No hitting above the neck was a HUGE rule.
HUGE!
5. Sitting in a tub with constantly running water - My kids liked this when they were between one and two years-old. Judith likes it now.
As long as there is water running out of the bathroom faucet, the kids are happy clapping in the "waterfall," splashing in the "waterfall" and drinking from the "waterfall."
Another 20 minutes well spent before naptime or bedtime!
6. Bathroom sink - A box of dinosaurs and a bathroom sink filled half-way with murky green water is heavenly for the three and four year-old boy crowd. Austin and Josh would stand on stools in front of the sink and play with their dinosaurs FOREVER. For some reason, the mirror makes it more fun, too.
Yes. I had to wash a load of towels when they finished, but the floors and the countertop were pretty clean!
7. Hose pipe wars - My kids and the kids across the street loved playing hose pipe wars on hot summer days. Garbage can lids and swim masks were used as protection.
At the end of the war, there were lovely, giant water puddles at the end of both driveways, too.
Any kind of action figures OR plastic animals OR dinosaurs in the puddles, please.
8. Puddle jumping - Nothing better for the "just started walking" crowd.
Nothing better at all.
RANDOMNESS #2 - We celebrated the 4th of July at my house this year.
Along with the things we did below, we watched three patriotic YouTube videos before and after lunch.
One of them was an old Red Skelton monologue about The Pledge of Allegiance, and it was very, very good.
Another was the acapella group singing Lee Greenwood's "I'm Proud to be an American." Beautiful!
The videos definitely set the mood for the rest of our day together.
Judith knows how to dress for the 4th of July.
And The Chick knows how to make a patriotic pie!
Last year I gave away a car wash to the person who wore the best 4th of July garb.
This year, I changed it to craziest 4th of July hat...
AND the prize was TWO movie passes.
Courtney won last year, and she and Josh came to play the game again this year.
However, so did Zac and Mallie. I don't know if you can tell, but they had tiny toy soldiers and a flag on top of their hats...
Which looked exactly like the Hiroshima Monument in Washington, D.C.
Thankfully, our neighbors were home, so they became the judges and delivered the news to Josh and Courtney.
Zac and Mallie won.
Courtney's already thinking about next year, so we'll just have to wait and see!
Also, because of the massive heat outside our front door, we opted for a cool game of BINGO inside for our mid-afternoon entertainment.
A movie pass, two car washes, candy bars and free Red Box coupons were the prizes, and everyone played until the last prize was gone.
Not one, BUT TWO, baby pools were set up for Judith under the shade trees in the front yard.
And while she waded...
A few others played Spike Ball.
Some with shirts on and others...
Not so much.
Excuse me.
Does anyone see Judith in the pools?
Anyone?
Austin and Melia.
Josh (with a shirt) and ME!
Also, my hat wasn't meant to be crazy as much as festive...
And I didn't plan on wearing it the whole party, but when I tried to take it off mid-way, I found I had MASSIVE hat hair.
I don't know why, but I just thought you would want an explanation.
Mallie and Zac.
Katie and Bev.
Here is a look at what's coming up!
Stephanie and Brad's babe, Sawyer, will be here before we know it. We attended a Baby Shower for him this past weekend, and I will share a few more of those pics next post.
Roxie, Bev and Katie.
Roxie, Stephanie, Katie and Melia.
We have some very pretty girls in our fam.
Just sayin'.
Have a great day. I'll be back in a few!
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
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