OMG this picture cracks me up SO MUCH :) During some evening playtime with Dad! hahaha
So, daylight saving time (See, Ben? I wrote it correctly for you this time, I hope you are happy :) means that it is dark at like 4:30pm. Normally I don't care about this, as it indicates that the holidays and my birthday are right around the corner, but it does present special... challenges, shall we say, with a toddler.
We're a family that definitely likes to stay busy (well, I am, and Ben just follows along) so I tend to get bored if we are home for many evenings in a row. The main issue? We really just don't have that much time in between making/eating dinner and bedtime for Annie at 7:30pm. We CAN go outside, but, uh, it's really dark. And kind of scary out there. I really can't see how playing outside in the dark can be fun, but hey - maybe it is? Ben can handle that one I guess.
Entertainment one night was found by finding my socks and putting them on. HOW EXCITING!
I posted about this on twitter and got a number of helpful ideas for things to do with toddlers on weeknights, but many of them sound like kind of an ordeal for what ends up being about an hour of time actually doing said thing. I think what we will end up doing is maybe just trying to schedule more weeknight playdates (those who live near us, take note!) and re-stocking Annie's toys during the holidays. I think a weeknight class (music, swim, something else) might just stress me out more and turn into a burden, not to mention the fact that ain't no one doing ANYTHING come late February... so if any class schedule lasts longer than that, it's just not going to happen.
This wasn't a weeknight - but, how cute :)
As a toy hater myself, even I can see that her toys are B-O-R-I-N-G lately. She's pretty much over all of them. Until Ben or I can get the motivation to ACTUALLY do something about turning the office into a playroom, we're still limited by space, so we need to get creative with the toys we bring into the house. We do have a butt ugly "baby station" (similar to the link, but uglier :) coming our way via my friend Jen, whose 6 year old is now over it, which I know she'll love. I'm thinking in the playroom we will have that, a little kitchen, and a table/chairs. Currently, most of the evenings are spent reading books, coloring and playing some form of going night night which is apparently a very thrilling game. We also have neighbors, but unfortunately can't hijack their house EVERY night ;)
Blanket, bunny, book - I guess she wants to go night night in a basket :)
So basically, what I'm wondering is - what do other working parents do on weeknights to entertain your children? (and, most of all - let's be honest - entertain YOURSELVES...) I'm thinking I just need to learn to love toddler play a little more :)
20 comments:
Nothing. I get home, make dinner and we eat. Afterwards he drinks his milk and wanders around pulling books to read or riding his truck around and then we give him a bath and put him to bed.
I never expected having a child was going to be fun or exciting and it's not. My life will not be fun or exciting personally until the kid is 12 and can stay at home by himself without a sitter at night.
One other thing I thought of that we used to do a lot last winter was walk to Whole Foods and pick out dessert. I don't know if where you are there's any place like that close enough to walk to and back (I can't think of anything) but having a destination really makes walking in the dark make a ton more sense to me.
I also really like the swim class we do in Saint Paul (right across the street from Central) - the winter lessons run January to February 28 (on Tuesday evenings), which might not work, but the good thing is that any adult can take the child, so my mom usually takes Kiernan but sometimes I will or Baxter's sister or whatever based on schedules. It's also certainly not the worst thing in the world just to skip the last one, either. :)
Hahaha, oh Bill :)
We try to rotate the toys. We have a play room going as my wife is getting ready to open a daycare and we just bought a climber that keeps her entertained for a while. My wife has bought a ton of used secondhand toys for the daycare too so that doesn't hurt. We've also visited the library and go out to stores or the mall just to walk around somewhere lit and warm, even if we don't buy anything.
@KBK - great idea. Ginkgo is walking distance, and they have some toys for toddlers (sometimes live music too) and semi ok desserts. Sometimes we all just need a change of pace other than just sitting around at home.
Butt ugly? BUTT UGLY?!?!?! I am OFFENDED by that description. I purchased that baby center precisely BECAUSE I find pink plastic so aesthetically appealling. Perhaps I should give it someone with better taste.
To answer your larger question: I think I mitigated the boredom of toddler play with wine. Unfortunately, you don't currently have that option, but you brought that on yourself. :)
In all seriousness, though, if you ever want to distract Annie with a 6 year old some weeknight, let me know. We'll be happy to make a cross-river trek to visit!
Oh yes, boring weeknights. I hear you. I think we are very much alike, but my husband is not as go-with-the-flow as Ben, and gets sort of annoyed with my constant need to be busy and "doing things". He hates when I plan anything on weeknights. :)
Anyway, weeknights now that it's so freaking dark are definitely a challenge, and keeping the kid entertained and the damn tv OFF while getting dinner on the table usually takes up most of our time. And then laundry. Yeah. BORING. For me definitely, I don't know that Gus minds it though because I think he likes to wind down at home after a day at grandma's.
I have sort of started to accumulate lots of simple crafty stuff, crayons, stickers, coloring books, play-doh, glue sticks and magazine cut outs for collages, all in a big basket that we pull out on occasion when it starts to feel like we're just wandering the house counting down the minutes until we start the bedtime process.
Have you put together a sensory bucket/tub thing yet? We've got a big tub full of colored rice and measuring cups, etc. that is usually a pretty big hit when we pull it out.
My get out of the house ideas in the evnings usually just involve food and desserts. Or Target. A bookstore. The mall, just to run around. Thrilling.
Yeah, this time of day is more challenging when you can't go outside. I don't think we do much. It's easier when my H is home (half the week) bc Miles seems content mostly just to hang out when we are both there. One on one he needs more entertainment.
I guess I just kind of follow his lead, and it can be a little boring at times. One new development is he likes it when WE play darts in the family room, he just watches and bounces on the couch... easy!
Well, we're lucky enough that Jesse get's home early and takes Riley outside while there is still light. By the time I get home at 5:15 she's ready for dinner, bath, a little playtime, reading books, and then bedtime at 7:00. It actually feels like we don't have extra time to do anything, but our typical eat and then get ready for bed routine.
Riley often gets bored with her toys as well so we've created little play areas in various places in the house. For some reason this has helped to just change up locations (and toys).
Oh, and get a cat. Riley will spend a lot of time keeping herself occupied walking from the kitchen (where we keep the cat food) to the dining room (where the cat dish is) one cat kernel at a time. : )
Two words: Dance parties
@Jen - technically, I brought that upon her :)
We just bought a new toy kitchen, really looking forward to playing with that. I figure that, along with dance parties at home and hopefully some play dates will get us through the winter.
But I don't mind staying at home, even though I work from home and am here all day.
Are kids amused with the weirdest things? I can't tell you how long Ryann has spent putting flashcards in a box this week. She is happy as a clam, but I am BORED OUT OF MY MIND. I would just play on my computer or something, but I feel guilty about that a bit, not to mention if I get on it... "Push da buttons? Watch Mickey? Talk to Grammy? Whats dat? Whats dat? Push da buttons?" Sheesh.
Ummm, good luck? Let me know what amazingness you come up with :)
@Jen - I'll just eat brownies. Problem solved!
@AliRose - I also don't think Annie really minds it - it's more us being bored :) Craft stuff is a great idea - she loves doing that at daycare. I also will at some point make a sensory table/bin thing - but space is an issue at our house... we can make a small one though.
@Erin - Some weeks it seems like we have a ton going on, others there are stretches of several weeks in a row of nothing... so I just need to be better about scheduling things not all in a row I guess, but it rarely seems to work out that way.
@Jo - Play areas are a great idea - another reason for me to get the motivation to clean out the office, and move some things into her room as well. Oh, and ... cats are a no-go here - we're both allergic :)
@Navigating the Mothership - I'm guessing I'd last 10 minutes into a dance party at this point :)
@ben - thanks SO much for clarifying that ;)
@Moe - It's weird - sometimes I crave being at home, but I think I need 1-2 nights of plans a week to have a good balance. I still always want to be home by 8pm to unwind, though, where I could stay out late and not care pre-kid. I definitely value my alone time more now!
@Ashley - Yeah it's not so much Annie that's the issue, it's more us! Also, sometimes I feel strange letting her play alone on weeknights anyway - then what do I do? I am already on my computer enough, and if dinner is made/cleaned up... just stare at her? I know it's really good for her to have independent play because she's with kids all day long, but I have trouble letting her lately (and she's been a little needier lately too) because I don't know what to do with myself, since I try to not be on my phone/laptop at all between work and her bedtime...
I have to laugh at the photo of Annie in the adult socks! I came home the other day to find Clara wearing the same thing. Too funny - glad I'm not the only one! mamie
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that first picture is freaking awesome!!!
And weeknights are hard here, too. I just try to use our toys/sink/dance parties as much as I can until T can 'help' with dinner and then we do bedtime.
erin, since when are you allergic to cats?
Do you have a library nearby that you could hang out in the kids section or attend an evening drop-in storytime? There was also this "glurch" (?) that was in our ecfe class that the kids loved. It's kind of like a silly putty type thing that you can make with a few household items. Maybe she'd get a kick out of playing with it. The 5-7pm time is hard for us too. Usually my husband will take Greta downstairs and play with her after dinner because I've had her all day and I think he's more fun by the end of the day than I am:)
I have been stocking up on art supplies for us to do together. Paint, markers, playdoh...things I don't want my girl using alone. (Too messy for a 2 year old!) We also do a lot of reading. I am a full time stay at home mom and all my friends work at least part time so I am dreading the winter when we won't be able to just go outside and play even during the day.
We are finishing up a swim class and it has been a lot of fun. The saint paul community ed ones are cheap (there is one at como) and only last 25 minutes (and 8 weeks long). I guess you could look at it as a burden, but it seems like an enjoyable way to spend an evening in winter to me. Also the pool is really warm, and only one of you has to go.
You can borrow our snow shoes and frame kid carrier backpack anytime, there are a few lighted trails around the metro.
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