Lots to share today, so let's get started.
Quotable Quotes
"What wings are to a bird and sails to a ship, so is prayer to the soul." Corrie ten Boom
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Five Activities for Toddlers With High Energy - Wear Them Out in Style!
Chances are, most toddlers already do the obvious activities (running, jumping, swimming and walking). Here are five more for high-energy toddlers.
1. Dumpster Diving - No, not a dumpster in an alley. A homemade dumpster that you erect from a large cardboard box.
First step is to find a large cardboard box with enough room inside for your toddler to explore.
Now fill the cardboard box with items such as newspapers, packing peanuts, shredded paper and other things they have to search through. Throw in some empty plastic bottles and cereal boxes to give it more of a dumpster-like feel.
Have your toddler find a specific amount of small toys like cars, army guys, trading cards (whatever you have at home). Hide the toys, then drop the little ones in the "dumpster" and have them search for the items.
2. Tape Road - Create a tape road throughout the house or basement for the kids to drive along. If they have ride-on toys like Big Wheels or fire trucks, make the road wide enough for them to ride their vehicles.
If there are no ride-on toys, narrow the tape road and they can push the toy cars or trucks down it instead. You can leave the road up all of the time, or just make a temporary one to be removed at bedtime.
Blue Painter's Tape works great on wood floors, but using other items to build the road will work, too. (Curtain rods, sticks or towels.)
You can even make a bubble wrap road! Same idea as the tape road, but a lot noisier! Everyone loves to pop bubble wrap, especially the big bubbles. Why not make a road out of it for the kids to pop?
Be sure to tape it down with the painters tape to make for easier "driving." You can even lay down pillows or cushions with a bubble wrap path through them to create hills to drive over.
3. Obstacle Courses - Obstacle courses are a fun way to let your high-energy toddler let out some steam and work on his gross motor skills. You can do this activity indoors or outdoors.
The great thing about obstacle courses is you can use just about anything to set it up! I’ve made super simple ones with sidewalk chalk on my driveway and more complex ones in my backyard using pool noodles, my son’s slide and other outdoor toys.
For an indoor obstacle course, use pillows, couch cushions and so on to build your course. Before sending your toddler through it, just double-check to make sure you didn’t build it near anything breakable! Go through it on your knees to get an idea of what it will be like for your toddler.
4. Outdoor or Indoor Scavenger Hunt - Finding hidden items is a huge thrill to any child, so a scavenger hunt should definitely be on this list. Indoor or outdoor, whichever you prefer depending on the season.
Simply hide toys around the yard and let them loose with a list of what to find. Writing the list on a paper bag works great, too. They can just put the objects in the bag.
If you want to add some learning exercises to the hunt, consider making it a color hunt, a counting hunt or a stuffed animal hunt. Use a little creativity for their special scavenger hunt.
5. Roll Down a Hill - If you’re fortunate enough to live near a nice, safe hill for the toddlers to play on, let them roll down it. Easy enough. They run up the hill and they roll down it again and again, giggling and laughing like crazy.
RANDOMNESS #1 - Camping Story #4 - Our First Camping Trip Ever - We decided to bite the bullet and take our little family camping. Austin was five and Josh was three. Roxie was a toddling baby, so we decided to leave her at her grandparents' house. In my mind, if everything went well, she could start camping when she turned three. (Actually, I was hoping she was going to be a prissy little thing who didn't like camping, and on camping weekends while the guys were out and about, she and I would have manicures and shop and watch chick flicks, etc. That dream never came true... but that's another story.)
With another family who had boys our boys' ages, we planned our very first camping trip. Oak Mountain was our destination... only 35 short minutes from home. We planned a weekend in May (usually a mild month in Alabama). We borrowed the tent and gathered the rest of the equipment from different places.
We arrived at the campground mid-afternoon, picked out our spots and started for the first time ever to set up camp. The boys were thrilled. They had brought their box of dinosaurs (a camping must), other various toys and they had each other in the woods. They were happy. Near our campsite was a large branch which was semi-broken and hanging from a tree almost touching the ground. Our guys were just the right weight NOT to break the branch, and it was like having a tire swing in our back door. They had a ball playing on the almost broken tree branch.
While we were setting up camp, the three year-olds needed to go to use the bathroom and rather than walking all the way to the bathhouse, the dads told them to do what all little boys love to do... skip the bathhouse and find a tree. Life was good.
After camp was set up, we all walked down to the lake to let the boys wade. We hadn't planned on swimming, and we hadn't really packed a lot of extra clothes... plus, if your three year-old swims that means mom has to be ready to swim. We, as the moms, had definitely not packed our swimsuits.
We were very specific in our instructions "to wade" and "not swim." We even went so far as to explain, "Do not put your head in the water. Do not let the water get above your knees. Do you understand?" There was a lot of nodding going on.
And then, Joshua's partner in crime at the time, smiled the smile three year-old boys smile right before they... go completely under the water. Right in front of the parents who had just told him "Do not put your head in the water!" He came out the water, and flashed another smile.
We've all been there. You tell your child not to do something, and they decide to disobey you then and there... and smile at you. He was quickly punished, and we were on our way to the campsite. We had handed all the boys water bottles. "Drink it all. Do not pour it out. Do not waste the water." And then, Joshua's partner in crime at the time, smiled the smile three year-old boys smile right before they... pour the water out of the water bottle onto the street.
Sputtering, the dad of this particular three year-old uttered the punishment then and there.
"NO WATER OR DRINKS FOR YOU THE REST OF THE TRIP!"
Don't get self-righteous on me. We've all done the same thing before. I've told my kids they could never go outside again; never have ice cream again; never watch TV again; never... well, you get the picture. Parenting is hard on the best day... and three year-old boys... WHEW!
"What are we going to do?" I asked the other mom as we walked back to camp. "He'll be dehydrated if he doesn't get to drink until we leave tomorrow."
"I know. I know," she replied. I could see the wheels turning and she walked up to her husband and whispering began.
"We've figured it out," she said as she dropped back to walk beside me.
"What are you going to do?" I asked.
"We're going to give him mercy," she replied.
"Oh. Yeah, that will work," I said. Actually, I didn't know what in the world she was talking about.
When we got back to the campsite, Dad and mischievous three year-old boy went to a picnic table to sit down and talk. A few minutes later, hugs were exchanged and the little boy came up to me. "May I have a drink, please?" he asked.
"Well, what did Mom and Dad say?"
"They said it was okay. I got mercy," he said simply... and I handed him a bottled water.
Mom and Dad had turned the whole incident into a devotion. Every day we do things we are not supposed to do, and this does not please God. But God has mercy on all of us, sinners that we are, and forgives us when we ask. This little guy had asked for forgiveness and, in return, had received mercy (a/k/a bottled water).
Of course, just like all of us (adults, too), mercy isn't given just once and that's it. We need it time and time again as we go through our daily lives. What a great lesson.
And by the way, the three year-olds ALMOST made it to bedtime before mercy had to be bestowed upon them yet again.
Our first camping trip was short, memorable and went well enough we were hooked. I hope your first camping trip will be just as pleasant and fun to get you over the fear of sleeping in the woods, using questionable bathhouses and hearing noises you cannot identify in the middle of the night.
I really, really do!
RANDOMNESS #2 - Zac Turns 21 - That's right! The baby of my side of the family turned 21, and it was very surreal to me and his Mom, I think.
You'll notice this is one of only two pictures I took of the birthday boy.
Considering the "baby of the family" status, that is pretty sad.
Sawyer...
Judith...
And Carly Beth had multiple pictures taken of them during the party, so it was pretty plain to see the four-and-under-crowd ALL took Zac's place as the new babies of the family.
Thankfully, he seemed to handle it pretty well.
RANDOMNESS #3 - Austin Turns 28 - Yep. That isn't a typo. The Boy is practically 30 which means I am...
Oh, never mind.
Melia had Austin's party at Mae's Food Hall in Cullman, and it was a lot of fun.
There were a few who couldn't make it for the festivities, but RT was there.
If cake is involved, RT will always make the effort to attend.
That, and he kinda goes anywhere his Mommy and Daddy take him without question.
Have you ever had anyone look up at you the way Judith is looking up at her Uncle Austin?
Me, either.
This was Austin's Oreo Cake from Cakes by Elise in Mt. Olive.
It was SUCH a good chocolate cake.
And this was one of the cookies made by Melia for everyone to have as a take-home goodie.
One of the things I like about Mae's Food Hall are the swing chairs at some of the tables.
You cannot swing hard, but gently swaying while you eat is very nice, I think.
Sitting still is highly overrated.
Even though everyone said NO when I offered to tell one of my favorite stories (The Day The Earth Stood Still and THE BOY was Born), Mae's Food Hall was definitely the way to go.
RANDOMNESS #4 - Just Keep Smiling (Live With the Characters Dance Party) - This is the THIRD year I have attended this specific event, and I loved it just as much as the very first time I saw the performance!
If you have never taken the kiddos in your family, you will need to correct that error next February!
The pictures you will see in this post are just a tiny, tiny example of the star power present at this extravaganza.
RT needed no help walking right up to Mickey and Minnie.
They are old friends.
Judith and her cousin, Sara Grace, had just as much fun as RT after the show getting autographs and pictures with some of the stars.
It was a Saturday morning well spent.
Before I move on, I wanted to share Just Keep Smiling Foundation's purpose with you.
"The Just Keep Smiling Foundation is a non-profit organization that seeks to assist families with critically ill children. We strive to do so by providing financial aid for immediate needs, offering emotional support based on personal knowledge of a child’s serious illness or death, and sharing spiritual insight that conveys the solace, grace and strength found in God."
The scripture they use on their website is Lamentations 3:20-21. "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail."
JKS is an amazing organization run by equally amazing women, and any time you can attend one of their events, I highly recommend you do so.
Excellent!
Okay, Guys. That's a wrap for the month of February. I'll be back in March with some superlative Spring activities and fun.
Take care, and I will talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Not all who wander are lost.
Some are just Moms...
In Target...
Hiding from their children.
"This year I promise to exercise (my right to say) more (doughnuts)." @veryjane on Instagram
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