All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
And Jill the same way
That’s it…I’m making a bucket list of all the things I intended to do as a mom but haven’t yet. Or maybe it’s just been way too long. Does life ever rule you instead of you ruling over it? I think it’s time to prayerfully make a plan. I have always been a work first play later sorta’ gal. But with my oldest being 21 and so many of our older ones studying, volunteering, or working it’s a definite wake-up call that our children won’t always be here or available. So, this is a take action season. I have to plan and purpose to swim and make gingerbread houses with my kids…or it will never happen.
We can help one another by sharing ideas of fun. And, then incorporate the things we really would do with our particular family. No doing the list just because someone else enjoyed it. If kids need to be stretched stretch them but usually it’s me that needs to be stretched.
I rarely ever play games with my kids. I’m much too serious for my own good. Now that its summer, I aim to organize the house and catch up on all the odds and ends I never get to. All-the-while something is gnawing at my mama’s heart to plan something fun into each day. Popsicles and water fights in the heat of the day…picnics in the park with grandma, trips to the creek with friends. In the winter when we cook baked potato fries and they are taking way too long…that’s when we play hide and seek or sardines. It lends itself to a great lights out game. Or silly hat parades at New Years while we are waiting for the clock to pass and were tired of dominoes and hangman.
What is your list of favorites? Do you have a bucket list? Do you have Taco Tuesday, some fun tradition, or spontaneous fun? Share your joy with us.
Here’s my bucket list:
- Read our collection of kid friendly poems together
- Make a fun snack together
- Walk together
- Watch them ride bikes, dune buggies, motorcycles
- Draw
- Do a craft
- Bake
- Play dough
- Field trips (we can do an entire entry on this one!)
When it’s busy:
Music with chores, listen to a story while folding laundry (lamplighter, Focus on the Family Radio theatre, Randy Alcorn’s stories).
* Coming up, we’ll talk about how these ideas have expanded as the kids got older.
Your turn! Please share your tips to sweet moments with your children…
I’m a wife and mom--trying to walk in the steps of Jesus.
Would you like to walk together? 
I remember my Mom putting bubble wrap on the floor and letting us stomp them out! Tons of it!!
Reaching back into my childhood:
My mom would let us play with legos while she read us books (GA Henty or Little House on the Prairie).
We used to listen to books on tape while we trimmed trees.
We did most everything together, so she always tried to make it fun and if we were “bored” she reminded us that our attitude was a choice. We wouldn’t always get to do what we thought was fun, but we could make it fun if we wanted.
And we had people over for dinner a lot, which gave us kids friends to play with, adult conversation for my parents when we were young and it really taught us kids what hospitality looks like.
How moms and dads treat people teaches their kids how to treat people. I have lots of great memories of having people over and getting ready for it (there was a lot of stress too, haha, but it was usually worth it).
Good post on remembering to be intentional! It’s important whatever stage of life you’re in. 🙂
Memories with my own kids: dancing in our big kitchen to the CD player with worship music going and once or twice making balloon critters with a pump. Laughing and singing, I don’t know which was more fun, we did Bear Tunes and Moose Tunes and a variety of others.
Field trips happened more in 1999 when we remodeled our kitchen and hikes and library/park days.
Yes as they got older we had events some more fun than others but we wanted to stay close as a family.
Hiking with a church group, friends and family homeschool fun. Rock museum in North Plains, llama farm, Champogue state park day and on and on.
Biking
Soccer games
Scout days
Music recital
Art award gatherings and potlucks
Hide and seek in the back yard
One or two camp outs in the woods at our house.
Great input, ladies. Thank you for contributing those helpful memories and tips!