Being the Cool Mom

Being the cool Mom isn't very easy, nor is it very practical for most of the time. I find it to be a challenge just to be a nice Mom on some days. Last week, I got the privilege of being promoted to cool Mom and realized I'm not so bad despite my sometimes temper.
Alec had asked his friend J. over to play PS3 when they were walking home from school. Please note- Mom scored her first cool point by allowing Alec to walk rather than telling him no when he came to the car to ask. ;-) They set a time for 4 pm.
Without asking, my sweet child started cleaning up his sister's toys from the day that were scattered throughout the living room. That is how I found out J. was coming. hee hee. Instead of being mean Mom, I took it easy and said, cool, what game are you playing? Score two for Cool Mom!
When J. arrived, he said, "Hi Mrs. Alec's Mom." And rather than laughing out loud at him, I welcomed him in and told him to get comfy. He had brought his own remote and as the boys struggled to figure out how to sync it with the system, I walked over and pulled some magic out of nowhere. I never pretend to even have half a clue how to use these silly video game things. I oftentimes sound like my parents and grandparents with these new-newfangled contraptions. (Sound familiar?) hee hee. But out of nowhere, I figured out to plug the thing in and press a few buttons it will sync. It worked, and I became Cool Mom of the Year. Let's keep it down to Earth and realize that it's only the first week of January. I have plenty of time to ruin that title!

Sometimes, as Mom's we have to be practical, but sometimes why can't we be fun. Did my son invite a friend without asking me first? Yup. Is that against the rules? Yup. But did it hurt anyone? Nope. Or did it make a real impact in how our afternoon went? No., actually, I have to say yes! It did affect how the afternoon went. I didn't plan to have an extra child at my house for the afternoon, but I also didn't plan to have a grouchy 10 year old or fighting 7 year old. Neither of my boys were fighting. Neither of my boys were telling me they were bored and looking for something to keep them occupied. Why? Because I allowed a rule to be broken and I became a Cool Mom.
Let me enjoy that status for a little while before coming back to the real world. Because, as we all know, it is inevitable that I'm going to have to correct, scold and be a disciplinarian. That will strip me for sure of my Cool mom title ;-)

"Children are a Gift from the Lord." Psalm 127:3  Love it, Believe it, Live it!

Family Friday: What can we do for Fun?

Having family time can be so hard with schedules as crazy as they come. Kids have evening practices and lessons. Adults have long working hours. Sometimes family members eat at different times because "the schedule just doesn't allow" for a sit down meal with everyone. Your household ever like that?

Well, I've been wracking my brain to think of some fun things we can do as a family to get us moving together in the Winter and being more active in the new year. Below is a list of 5 of the top activities to get your family up and moving. Join us in trying out those we haven't done yet and enjoying ones we have.

1. Family Dance Off.
       With all the technology around, it's very easy to get more active even when playing video games. First of all, if you watch my children play some of the action games, you would probably see they burn more calories jumping and dodging as they are playing the games. :-) But we love our Nintendo Wii for the action part. There are many things we can do with the games to keep active. One thing I will encourage is Family Dance Off. We have a few of the dance games and love to dance, but we have a rule, you don't have to have a remote to move. All of us have to participate no matter how we are feeling that day. Even our sweet three year old is loving her dance times. Another rule is that everyone gets to hold the remote (we always use one) at least once. If dancing is not  your cup of tea, the Wii has many other games to select, from boxing and tennis to bowling and skiing. It shouldn't be too difficult to grab that controller and pick your favorite sport.

2. Just Hike It.
     It doesn't matter if it is hot or cold outside, nature is still there! It never goes away and neither do those wonderful trails that are made for walking. Look at your local parks to find some Winter Hikes. Our Metro Parks in Columbus has just that. http://www.metroparks.net/UserUploads/UserDocuments/2011-Docs/Winter-Hikes-2012-rfs.pdf.  That is a schedule of the Winter Hikes in my area. You can find yours as simply as typing into your favorite search engine for local parks and Winter Hikes. Ours are as little as one and as long as seven miles long. Bundle up and be prepared for the weather, but enjoy the beauty of the Winter Nature as you show your children that they don't have to be trapped inside because of the cold.

3. Snow Cream.
      Fresh fallen snow on the ground? Snow day from school? How about making Ice Cream with that snow! There are many recipes out there for the looking, but we have our own favorite that we started using years ago.

Prepare the following in a bowl:

• 1/2 Cup Half & Half (or milk)
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Get 4-5 cups of  fresh snow (make sure you get this from a low traffic area where pets have not been. - Yeah, I'm saying no yellow snow!). DO NOT PACK. (Put into freezer if you are not using it immediately.) Start slowing adding snow into your milk mixture, stirring constantly. Once the mixture becomes as thick as the ice cream you like, ENJOY!

4. Shovel Wars
       Sounds dangerous, but can be fun and definitely gives you a workout and accomplishes a task. Freshly fallen snow is not only tasty, but it can be a pain when you find your driveway covered in it. The mailman has to get in to deliver the mail. Pap has to get up the driveway when he decides to venture out, and Dad has to be able to park when he gets home. The task of taking care of the driveway falls on the hands of you. So, put the kids to work! "Divide" your driveway into sections for each of you. Everyone gets a shovel and you have to empty your section. Now, here is the fun thing. You can put your snow on someone else's section to slow up their progress, but you cannot be mean about it! And no one is allowed to gang up on the baby. Sofia doesn't get a large section and no one is allowed to put snow in hers. ;-) Once a winner is declared, everyone is responsible to get the rest of the snow off the driveway. The boys LOVE to do this to see who can clear the driveway faster. And no one has to have a heart attack trying to get the driveway cleaned up! Plus a reward of Mom's Famous Hot Chocolate really helps to motivate my children.

5. Good Old Fashioned Board Games
     Bored of the same old same old? Tired of being stuck in the house for the bad weather? Pull out the old board games. They are just as fun as you remember them. Use any that all of your family can participate in and just have fun. Children don't know and don't want to follow the rules? So what! Make up your own! You'll find the giggles non-stop when you make the rules up as you go.

Enjoy these fun activities. As always, I love hearing your suggestions, so share the fun things  your families do to keep busy!