Friday Favorites: Kid Time!

FRIDAY! FRIDAY! FRIDAY! It's time to link up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci!

Coming off of my last two Thursday posts (being a boy mom and being a girl mom) I figured it was only appropriate to make this Friday all about being a mama! Here are my five FAVORITE ways to spend some fun time with my kiddos!

One-on-one time

Mother daughter dates, father son dates, mother son, father daughter? There are lots of combos when there are five people in your family! Every month one of us will take one of the kids and go on a date. John usually takes the kids fishing or out for BBQ, I usually hit up an ice cream shop (surprise!) or take them for some beach or park time. No matter where we go, the rules are simple:

• Have FUN, goof off, ignore that there may be other adults around!
• No phones unless it's for photos!
• Say "YES" unless it involves money or danger! LOL (yes, we can race, yes, we can dance like fools, NO, we cannot buy that toy for $69.95)

One of the most uncomfortable kid dates I've been a part of was when my daughter wanted to make paper dolls at Starbucks. Seemed easy enough. Until I realized that she wanted to sit at the FRONT table (the one in front of where you pick up your drink) and put on different "plays" for the staff...fun voices and all...she better remember that! 

Family movie nights

Family movie nights are very important for us. Our kids rarely watch TV and we like to be with them when they do in the instance that questions arise. On top of that, we are suckers for pizza and a good themed party! Most often we just make a pizza and throw on a good 'ol Disney classic, but sometimes, we put a little extra effort into it, like our Grinch Night or our Great Pumpkin Night! For our pizza recipe, click HERE!

Time in the kitchen

My kids love to be in the kitchen as much as I do, so whether it's all out pie baking or just simply mixing up some Krispie Treats, we pull up some benches and get to work together! It definitely takes more effort on my part to get things done, but I hope that it's worth the memories they're creating!

"Brave mom days"

The beach with three kids? The library with three kids? Disney World with three kids? None of it's easy, but sometimes we all just have to throw on a cape and call ourselves Supermoms. The truth is that I can't wait to have my husband home on the weekends in order to live life with my babies, so M-F, I just realize that it isn't going to be easy, but it's totally going to be worth it, and so we GO. We go out to lunch. We go to the barn. We go to the movies. And when I just can't do it alone? We call GRANDMA!

 

Tech free time

We generally turn off the ipads and TVs from 8am to 8pm. It just seems to be a time frame that works. They usually wake up about 6:30 and I allow them to cuddle up with a blanket and watch some Disney JR or play on their iPads. Same rule applies for me, because Lord KNOWS I can't stand playing barbies, so it just wouldn't happen if the computer was accessible! The only exception to the rule is when we need YouTube or something for our school day. Then in the evenings after 8, I allow them some time to read on their kindles or watch Veggie Tales in their rooms until about 8:30. What we DO use electronic wise is a radio or some Pandora on my phone in the living room. A little peaceful music goes a long way. 

What are some of your FAVORITE ways to spend time with your little guys?