Mommy Mondays: The Fun List

I see you...let me out!

I am always looking for ways to make the most of our quality time together. In my effort to make every minute together count to make up for the weekdays at daycare, I am probably not giving him enough alone play time. I am trying to get better at letting him play on his own in a pack and play. He screams for the first minute but usually starts to entertain himself.  I try to limit his alone time to 15 minutes while I get some stuff done and then more play time together. A few weeks ago, I attempted a handprint/footprint project. The footprint turned out great. He giggled as I painted the bottom of his tiny foot blue. With him in his high chair, the foot was easy. The hand was a completely different picture. After five attempts, I finally decided the smeared handprint was the best I was going to get. Smeared and crumpled, it was a true reflection of this time period. He didn't understand press and lift. Or maybe I didn't understand press and CRUMPLE paper! I realized the laughter and precious memory was far more important than a perfect handprint. Now, they are hanging in his nursery with their stories. 

We had so much fun making these prints together. The same toys and same activities every day can get redundant. Not just for me but for him too. The fifteen minutes it took to create these prints was such a refreshing change and new learning experience for us both. The activity gave me the idea to once a week come up with a new toy, game, activity or experience. It will be great fun and a wonderful way to learn as well! Some ideas that I want to try include:

1. Create a hand/foot print in plaster...he may not be able to crumple that one.
2. Do a finger painting project with the canvas and paint in a Ziploc bag. No mess but a masterpiece will still be created!
3. Take him to the baby swings in the park. We have been in a heat wave but we will go as soon as the heat breaks.
4. Take our strolls to new places. He loves to stroll so we need to check out the sights beyond our neighborhood!
5. Play with a ball. He hated the beach ball at the beginning of the summer. In fact, he was scared of it. We put it up for a few months but now I am anxious to get it out and see how he reacts again.

I will post as I come up with more ideas!