Rainy Day Kids Craft: Painted Umbrellas!

I looked out the window this morning, and to my dismay, it is STILL rainy and it looks disgusting outside. It can be tough to entertain kids on rainy days – barbies and legos can only entertain for so long! Have fun with your kiddo and turn a gloomy day into one of the prettiest days by painting their umbrella with a fanciful pattern. It only takes a few supplies and a child-size umbrealla. So by the time it dries….they can be “dancing in the rain” with their new fancy umbrella!

Need:

• You will need a kid’s nylon umbrella (paint won’t stick to a plastic one)
• Paintbrushes
• Permanent waterproof paint, such as fabric paint or acrylic

How To:

Note: Follow the manufacturer’s directions: Some fabric paints require the addition of fixative; others require ironing the umbrella after painting.

1.    Carefully cover the work surface with newspaper before you begin, and have your child wear a smock.

2.    Once finished, keep the umbrella open overnight.

3.    The paint must dry completely before you close it or use it.

4.    Tah-Dah!

Another fun idea is singing the song “Rain, Rain, Go Away” with your kids! Here are the lyrics:

Rain, rain, go away

Come again some other day

We want to go outside and play

Come again some other day!

Optional Lyrics – change the third line to say:

[child’s name] and [sibling or friend’s name]

want to play

 

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Fresh Snow in CA? Let’s Play!

Some folks think that California is just one big sun drenched beach, but that is not the case, especially lately, and my family took advantage of that. On a recent impromptu day trip to the mountains, we had a chance to play in the white fluffy stuff. Since we only seem to make it there about once or twice a year it’s always special, especially with a little one whose last memory of it was a whole year before.

1) Putting a nose on the snowman 2) Sledding with Mom 3) Measuring the snow wall

We met up with some cousins that are locals in Tahoe City, California. We only had about an hour or so to play, but with a borrowed sled, we hiked through the snow off the side of the road. Through dumb luck we found a run that someone had already made with twists and turns. My husband tried it out first to make sure it was okay for the little kids and then the fun began. Lilah went down at least 20 times and each time pulled the sled back up the hill on her own since both daddy and I were taking turns at the top (helping her on the sled) or bottom (helping her up). We even did a few runs with her. She caught air more than once, but always landed in the soft snow. Maybe I should have brought a helmet. Next Time! Whenever she complained of being “too tired” to pull the sled up the hill, we told her that if she wanted to play, SHE had to pull it. No pain, no gain is how I was raised! I guess the excitement overcame her exhaustion UNTIL she asked to go home. It was so much fun! Hopefully the snow will last a bit longer and we can do another quick trip.

1) Lilah and Daddy after a wipe out 2) Putting Lilah to work

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Le Top Tip: Check out your local parks

What child doesn’t want to go play at the park? We have our usual places that Lilah deems “hers,” but lately we’ve been trying out some other local playgrounds. My husband found this fabulous park that has an awesome play structure that Lilah can’t get enough of. We’ve met up with other moms and kids and hiked around the edges. There are all kinds of little areas for picnics and walks. If you have one that has a track or a baseball diamond you can even turn it into a full family affair. There is something for everyone to enjoy. Your city’s website will often have a listing of its parks. Get out and off the beaten path and try a new playground each week. You’ll be happy you did!

 

Ah... to be a kid again!

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She’s got the Moves!

My little Dancing Queen

My daughter LOVES to dance!  Lilah at 3 years old really responds to ‘the beat.’  Spurred on by the dance reality shows and a new wave of musical television shows she is responding with typical toddler energy.  Our recent favorite – ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ on the Fox network – launches our routine of dancing with each other while the dancers perform. I started this as a distraction when I wanted to watch the show and she wanted to change the channel to ‘her show.’  Now she insists that I drop everything to lift and spin her or shake our ‘booties’ to the music. It’s really fun, and great exercise for me, but the focus is now on our performance rather than the great dancers on the show!

Lilah dancing so fast she is just a blur

On Wednesday night she decided that she wanted to watch ‘Glee’ (the antics of underdog high school kids struggling in glee club.)  I must confess to giving in to her demands – since I enjoy the shows as well!  They are filled with music, new and old, plenty of dancing and in the musical comedy Glee, a good lesson or two (although the themes are beyond her years, since it is a biting comedy.) Who knows…maybe she’ll end up dancing and singing on TV someday!  Isn’t ‘Fame’ making a comeback?

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Summer Fun and Bicycling with Children

Happy cyclist!

We live in an area that has four distinct seasons. This lets us explore different outdoor activities. The summer season always makes me excited for bicycling. You get to see your neighborhood at a different pace when bicycling as opposed to driving your car. We began sharing our love of bicycling with our daughter at a young age. She first experienced bicycling as a bike trailer rider. We tried pulling the trailer on dirt roads near our house and quickly realized her little 10-month old head was bobbing up and down quite a bit! Maybe that type of road might not be the best for her age (as a licensed massage therapist by profession, I tend to be a bit protective of that central organ, the brain!). All was good as we biked the paved roads. She enjoyed being a passenger and sometimes would bring along stuffed animals and dolls to ride with her.

On her own energy she began to pedal a tricycle, then got the hang of a two wheeled bike with training wheels by the time she was two or three. When she was about three or four, we got a tag-along (trail-a-bike, third wheel – they have numerous names depending on the brands) attached to our adult bike, and she rode behind either my husband or myself. This bike attachment was pretty safe yet made the adult feel like they were riding with a drunk…as our daughter loved to lean from side to side as she pedaled! 😉 Most of the time we made it safely through our town doing errands or riding just for fun.

Dad and daughter bikers pulling into the driveway after a fun ride...

Sometimes my husband would create what he and my daughter called “the triple rig”: she would ride along on the tag-along which was attached to his bike, and the bike trailer would be attached to her bike. This way they could pedal to our local gardeners’ farmers’ market and bring home lots of veggies, fruit and other treats! We were amazed that the years passed so quickly and before long, she was pedaling her own two-wheeled bicycle along with us. It’s been a fun process that we hope becomes a life-long pattern of exercise and enjoyment for all of  us!

Where are you in the stages of bicycling with your kids – trailer, tag-along, tricycle, or 2-wheeled bike?

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Summertime Baseball Fun: Anaheim Angels

Batting last in our MLB West Coast line up are the Angels!

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Angel Stadium of Anaheim
2000 Gene Autry Way
Anaheim, CA 92806

Price Range: $12.00 – $200.00
Fireworks night: Friday nights at Angle Stadium of Anaheim are known as “Big Bang Friday”…hmmm…I wonder why?? Well, you guessed it, the Angels have a fireworks show at every Friday home game! If I lived in Anaheim I would definitely be there! Also this year, if you live in the Anaheim area and want to stay home for the 4th of July, take the family to the game and enjoy the fireworks show afterwards.

Family Sunday: Enjoy an afternoon at the ballpark with your family and take part in the activities in the family picnic zone.

Giveaway Days:
Kids Beach Paddle Ball Set (all kids 2-18) – Saturday June 13th @ 6:05 p.m.

Kids Mesh Jersey (all kids 2-18) – Tuesday June 23rd @ 7:05 p.m.

Kids Rally Monkey Coin Bank (all kids 2-18) – Saturday July 25th @ 1:10 p.m.

Kids School Binder (all kids 2-18) – Saturday August 8th @ 1:10 p.m.

Kids School Supply Set (all kids 2-18) – Saturday September 12th @ 1:10 p.m.

For more information on the Major League Baseball team nearest you, visit each team’s individual website or you can also go to mlb.com

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Kids Movies: What are you most excited about?

MAX RECORDS as Max in Warner Bros. Pictures' 'Where the Wild Things Are' Photo © Warner Bros. Pictures

The last movie I saw in the theater with my daughter was “Monsters Vs. Aliens.” Before the movie came on, there were (of course), a plethora of movie previews. There are so many FUN kids movies coming soon, some are remakes from MY childhood. I’m excited! What movie(s) are you looking forward to seeing?

May 2009

• Up
• Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

June 2009

• Land of the Lost
• Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
• Transformers 2

July 2009

• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• G-Force 3D

August 2009

• G.I. Joe
• Shorts

September 2009

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
• Hotel Transylvania

October 2009

• Toy Story 3D
• Where the Wild Things Are

November 2009

• Disney’s A Christmas Carol 3D
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• Old Dogs

December 2009

• The Princess and The Frog
• Avatar
• Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey
• Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakuel

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