What to do ... what to do ...

One of my old coworkers used to tell his students ... "Only boring people get bored."

And, goodness knows, I don't want to be boring. I'm actually pretty good at keeping myself busy and I've always enjoyed time alone. Some of my recent endeavors:

• Baking (I'm convinced this has something to do with the weather. Winter makes me want to bake -- pumpkin bread, muffins, any type of cookie...)
• Playing around with my 30-day free trial of Adobe Lightroom (it's amazing what you can do with your pics in this program. Wish it wasn't so expensive to buy!)
• Watching the Bachelor, American Idol, Grey's Anatomy, or Private Practice
• Reading

I could go on ... but I won't. After all, this post is not meant to be about me.


Or even about him.






It's really meant to be about him.

Yes, my poor little boy who was just today diagnosed with a double ear infection and a sinus infection. Yuck Yuck Yuck. Needless to say, we won't be venturing out anywhere for the next few days. (Not like we go that many places in the dead of winter anyways, but I digress). This post is really meant to be about ways to keep my little guy busy. This handsome fella loves to be entertained and really doesn't play very well independently, but he does get excited about anything I'm smart enough to call a project.

I am definitely not the authority on this. But, I thought I'd share a bunch of random ideas I've collected in hopes that you might share some of your ideas with me. Lots of them we've already done. Some are on our to-do list. So, here goes:

• Bagel Birdfeeders: Spread bagels with peanut butter, top with birdseed, and hang on a tree outside
• Suncatchers
• Puzzles
• Decorate the windows with window-clings
• Fingerpainting
• Watercolors
• Play-doh
• Body Tracing: Have your child lay down on a large piece of paper, trace them, then have them draw or glue on clothes, hats, facial features, etc
• Counting with Stickers: Divide a piece of paper into several squares with a number in each square. Help your child to put the correct number of stickers in each square.
• Beading: Macaroni noodles on pipe cleaners work great!
• Foam Kits: You can find these little craft kits at most craft stores or Target/Walmart. Make lots of cute little things with self-stick foam. We made a "birthday crown" this weekend. You know ... for his June birthday.
• Paper Plate Smiley Face: Have your child glue googly eyes, and a large mouth onto a paper plate. Cut out several small white squares and have them glue them into the mouth like teeth. Makes a funny looking character! We twisted up orange pipe cleaners and poked them through for hair.
• Baking (of course!)
• Decorating Sugar Cookies: valentine cookies would be fun!
• Making Valentines
• Lots of VERY CUTE craft ideas on this website and this website
• And tons of other great ideas on this website
• Friends and Family Book: Do you still have all those Christmas Cards that everyone sent you? Put them together into a book that you can go through with your child. They will love looking through it all year long. We add birth announcements and any other photo card we get in the mail throughout the year.
• Play a Game: Memory, Candyland, Don't Spill the Beans, Don't Break the Ice, Cootie
• Indoor Picnic: Set out a blanket and eat lunch on your living room floor.
• Make a snack mix and put it in to-go bags: We mixed together cereal, nuts, dried fruit, etc, and put in snack size bags. It was fun to make together and fun to eat, too!

And if all else fails, pop Toy Story into your DVD player, cuddle up on the couch with your little one, and enjoy. :)

How do you keep your little one busy during the winter months?