I love Books....Again...

Maybe it is the cold weather or the time I get by myself in my car waiting to pick the kids up from school, but book reading has come back into my life once again! My friend Cynthia also had a part in this because she let me borrow a book and I really enjoyed it and kept the reading train going! Here are a few books I have been reading.
*You can click on the pictures for more information on the books.*

 

This book literally made me laugh out loud! It was very witty and catching and had me not wanting to put it down. Which all equal a good book. It is about a man who has a series of unfortunate events happen to him. One very big one, in which his Father passes away and he has to go back home and be around his crazy family while dealing with all the ups and downs of his life. It was a very good book.

 

"Often sidesplitting, mostly heartbreaking...[Tropper is] a more sincere, insightful version of Nick Hornby, that other master of male psyche." --USA Today

The death of Judd Foxman's father marks the first time that the entire Foxman clan has congregated in years. There is, however, one conspicuous absence: Judd's wife, Jen, whose affair with his radio- shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public. Simultaneously mourning the demise of his father and his marriage, Judd joins his dysfunctional family as they reluctantly sit shiva-and spend seven days and nights under the same roof. The week quickly spins out of control as longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed and old passions are reawakened. Then Jen delivers the clincher: she's pregnant.

This Is Where I Leave You is Jonathan Tropper's (One Last Thing Before I Go) most accomplished work to date, and a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind-whether we like it or not.
Via: Amazon.com

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This book was a little slow at first, but it definitely got better. I like an ending to a book that makes me smile and this ended like that. It is about an aging rocker who was in a band with a one hit wonder. He finds out he has to have life saving surgery, but isn't exactly sure he wants to have it and continue with his pitiful life. There were some definite tear jerker parts to this book. I liked the previous book a little better, but this one is very good too.

 

 

The bestselling author of This Is Where I Leave You returns with a hilarious and heart-rending tale about one family's struggle to reconnect.

You don’t have to look very hard at Drew Silver to see that mistakes have been made. His fleeting fame as the drummer for a one-hit wonder rock band is nearly a decade behind him. He lives in the Versailles, an apartment building filled almost exclusively with divorced men like him, and makes a living playing in wedding bands. His ex-wife, Denise, is about to marry a guy Silver can’t quite bring himself to hate. And his Princeton-bound teenage daughter Casey has just confided in him that she’s pregnant—because Silver is the one she cares least about letting down.

So when he learns that his heart requires emergency, lifesaving surgery, Silver makes the radical decision to refuse the operation, choosing instead to use what little time he has left to repair his relationship with Casey, become a better man, and live in the moment, even if that moment isn't destined to last very long. As his exasperated family looks on, Silver grapples with the ultimate question of whether or not his own life is worth saving.

With the wedding looming and both Silver and Casey in crisis, this broken family struggles to come together, only to risk damaging each other even more. One Last Thing Before I Go is Jonathan Tropper at his funny, insightful, heartbreaking best.
Via: Amazon.com

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I am currently reading this book and like it so far, I will give you more when I am finished.

 

 

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I thought I would just share some of my favorite books with you guys in case you are looking for something to take up some extra time and expand your mind!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY READING!

 

 

 

 

 

 







Give These Books A Hug

One good thing about the cooler weather and more time at home, is getting back to my all-time love of reading! Check out what has been capturing most of my days!

 

 

 

 

I literally read each of these books in 4 days. Yes, I said 4 days. That is how good they were! There are drama, murder and mystery in one!

I found these books by looking the the New York Times Best Seller list and they sounded interesting, so I went out and bought them. I prefer to buy a book if I think that I will be really into it. And I am so glad that I did.

I read Dark Places first.

 

"I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ.
Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived–and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her.
The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details–proof they hope may free Ben–Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club… and maybe she’ll admit her testimony wasn’t so solid after all.
As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members–including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started–on the run from a killer." From Gillian Flynn's Website

Sounds good, huh!? Oh, it is REALLY good Wanna see read Sharp Objects is about?

"WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart
Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.
NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg
Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.
HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle
As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.
With its taut, crafted writing, Sharp Objects is addictive, haunting, and unforgettable."


I know you are itching to go get these book now! After visiting her website, I found out that she lives in Chicago! And I am joined on her email list so I know when she does a book tour and I can go and get my books signed. Yep, I said get my books signed!

 

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I heard thispulitzer prize winning auhor talking about his newest book on NPR the other day. But then the interviewer brought up his first book. An memoir of his life growing up. I am actually in the exact middle of this book, but still like it enough to share it with you guys.

 

 

 

"A moving, vividly told memoir full of heart, drama, and exquisite comic timing, about a boy striving to become a man, and his romance with a barJ .R. Moehringer grew up listening for a voice: It was the sound of his missing father, a disc jockey who disappeared before J.R. spoke his first words. As a boy, J.R. would press his ear to a clock radio, straining to hear in that resonant voice the secrets of masculinity, and the keys to his own identity. J.R.+s mother was his world, his anchor, but he needed something else, something more, something he couldn+t name. So he turned to the bar on the corner, a grand old New York saloon that was a sanctuary for all types of men-cops and poets, actors and lawyers, gamblers and stumblebums. The flamboyant characters along the bar-including J.R.+s Uncle Charlie, a Humphrey Bogart look-alike; Colt, a Yogi Bear sound-alike; Joey D, a soft-hearted brawler; and Cager, a war hero who raised handicapping horses to an art-taught J.R., tended him, and provided a kind of fatherhood by committee. When the time came for J.R. to leave home, the bar became a way station-from his entrance to Yale, where he floundered as a scholarship student way out of his element; to his introduction to tragic romance with a woman way out of his league; to his stint as a copy boy at the New York Times, where he was a faulty cog in a vast machine way out of his control. Through it all, the bar offered shelter from failure, from rejection, and eventually from reality-until at last the bar turned J.R. away.Riveting, moving, and achingly funny, The Tender Bar is at once an evocative portrait of one boy+s struggle to become a man, and a touching depiction of how some men remain lost boys."

 

If this sounds like a book for you I would definitely pick it up (I did get this one on loan from the library because I wasn't sure that I would like it, but I really do like it a lot!).

 

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What are you reading right now? If it is worth sharing, let me know!

 

The Hardest Work

“Anyone can hide. Facing up to things, working through them, that’s what makes you strong.”

― Sarah Dessen I received this quote in my email inbox, and to me it really rings true. I have been trying to break through my sadness since my Mom passed away and haven't had that much luck. A former happy image of myself comes to my mind a lot lately. I just want to be there again. I truly believe that the hardest thing to work on is yourself. We can judge others and see flaws in others that we think they need work on. We can give all the advice in the world to everyone else, but what help is it if we do not follow our own advice or the advice of those looking out for us? And what is it worth to give advice to anyone else if we can't take a little help on our end to better ourselves? I know I will be stronger when my road less travelled comes to an end. It is just the rough road that makes it harder to go down. But what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger-right? I am trying to get through a book called On Grief and Grieving: Finding The Meaning Of Grief Through The Five Stages Of Loss. I say I am trying to get through it because it just rings so true that I cry every other page. But maybe that is what I need to do. Just let it all out. Yet, that is the hardest thing for me to do. *Repeat: What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger.*  Working thru my pain will be one of my biggest struggles and since I am not one to share that much about my tender emotions, it will be a hard thing to do. Wish me luck!

No-Sew T-shirt Upcycyling

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.

I love doing this with t-shirts. Who doesn't have an old t-shirt laying around? It is also really inexpensive to go to a local thrift store and find a t-shirt in the size and color to your liking.

There are so many books out there that give you creative ideas for your old t-shirts.

I have done some projects from Generation T. Most of them are really easy and fun and you don't need a sewing machine. Some are kinda boring and don't seem like they would hold together well. But it is something fun to do when you are feeling crafty and don't have a lot of time or money.

This is one project I did from Generation T. It is a shrug made from two t-shirts.

One project I am going to do today was forwarded to me by a friend. She found it at This Old Dress.

It is T-shirt Braided Scarf

MATERIALS NEEDED:

- Fabric OR XL used seamless t-shirt (no need to buy new)

- Fabric scissors

That's it! WOW!

ABOUT THE FABRIC:

You will need approximately 1 - 2 meters of fabric depending on the desired length. I chose a cotton t-shirt size XXL. You can do XL also because the width of the t-shirt will determine how long your scarf is and the length will determine the thickness. Also, avoid using t-shirts with seams sewn on the sides as they will look unsightly when braided. No no no to seams. Make sure you wash your t-shirt before doing this project, ESPECIALLY if you bought it from a thrift store. You never know who wore it before you!

INSTRUCTIONS:

 Make sure you wash and dry your t-shirt before doing this project.  ESPECIALLY if you bought it from a thrift store. You never know who wore it before you!

Next you want to lay it flat and cut out the body of the shirt by cutting off the hem on the bottom as well as the top portion of the shirt by cutting right under the armpit

Cut 1/2 - 1 inch strips along the width of the fabric creating loops. I cut out the strips freehand...you do not need to be exact, but try to make sure that the strips are about the same size. If the edges are jagged it's ok...they will be rolled up anyways.

Once all the strips have been cut out, gently tug along the length of the strips to curl the edges under. Make sure to stretch each loop out evenly, otherwise you can end up with some longer than others.

Cut through one end of the  fabric so you have long strands of cotton instead of circular loops. Leave one strand aside, as you will be using it to secure the braid later on.

You will need to find something to anchor one end of the fabric to keep the strands in place while you braid. I followed This Old Dress and used a table to anchor it down.

 Leave a good amount of fabric to be unbraided as this will form the free flowing strands that you see in the photo. I left approximately a foot of fabric.

Next you will need to divide your strands into three equal sections. Should be about four strands for each section, doesn't have to be...just roughly the same.
 Now it's braiding time!!! I believe that most of you know how to preform a simple braid, but just in case you don't....watch this video here. Braid down the length of the fabric again leaving about a foot of fabric unbraided at the bottom. Make sure you braid a small section at a time as the strands below the braid get tangled fairly quickly. Brush through them every so often to prevent this from happening.

Once the braid is complete, gently remove it from whatever you used to anchor it and tie the two ends of the braid together with the strand you saved earlier. Wrap it around the ends several times and double knot it to secure. Almost done!!

Feather out the strands and cut random pieces shorter to created a layered effect.

All done!! Pretty and simple!

Let me know if you have tried or will try some upcycling from your old t-shirts!

Also don't forget to comment here before January 9th!

Things To Come

It's been awhile since I have posted because I went on a week long vacation to visit my in-laws in Arizona! It was very nice to see them and other family members. The views there were beautiful! I will have pictures up soon.

I thought I would use this post as a "things to come" post. I have a lot of ideas brewing and hopefully telling you about it will get me jump started!

Since this is my oldest sons first year in school, I would like to give his teacher a gift for Christmas. *And also his bus driver because she is soo sweet*. Also, I really like B's preschool teachers. But I was thinking-how many candles, lotions, or cookies will they get this year? So I thought giving them a cute, decorated jar with soup ingredients in them might be a good idea and also cost effective for me! I realized I had this book:

It looks like that's what I will be doing! I will keep you posted!

I found this really cute blog Outoforderdesign.com . She has a full skirt DIY tutorial that I would love to make with some cute fabric I have laying around.

I am also feeling a puppet making kick coming on! I have tons of felt and have made puppets for the kids before by just gluing them together. Now that I have a sewing machine, I think I can do a bit of a better job! I think it would be a cute idea to make puppets for the kids that look like them :). I got this cute puppet template that I can do a lot with it.

The Unconditional Parenting book that I referred to in a previous post was a bust. When I get a book and start reading it and can tell that I am not that interested, I put it down and pick it up at a later date to give it another try. If that doesn't work, then I am done. That is what happened with this book. It was interesting because I had never really heard of the unconditional parenting way, but the book just wasn't for me.

On that note, I would really like to get the book The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I know there has been some hype about this book for awhile, but I actually get it after watching the movie with the same name.

 This is the Denmark made movie so it did have subtitles,but I think those are the best movies. I have never read the book so I had no idea what this movie was about, and WOW! There were some definite disturbing parts to this movie, but all in all, that added to the mystery and suspense of the movie. It was very well made. If you can stand subtitles then a definite must-see. Just not one for the kiddies! If you do not like subtitles, they are making an English version with Daniel Craig *sigh* as one of the main characters.

Last, I would like to share a Double Layer Pumpkin Pie dessert recipe that I made for the first time this Thanksgiving. It is no bake and super simple to make. It was a crowd pleaser because there was none left at the end of the night!

Double-Layer Pumpkin Pie

prep time

20 min

total time

4 hr 20 min

makes

10 servings

What You Need

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup,  plus 1 Tbsp. milk, divided

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tub  (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)

1 can  (15 oz.) pumpkin

2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 tsp.  ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp.  ground cloves

Make It

BEAT cream cheese, 1 Tbsp. milk and sugar in large bowl with whisk until blended. Stir in half the COOL WHIP. Spread into crust.

WHISK remaining milk, pumpkin, dry pudding mixes and spices 2 min. (Mixture will be thick.) Spread over cream cheese layer.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Serve topped with remaining COOL WHIP.

This Blog is Making Me....

This blog is making me accomplish things that I have gotten off track from doing! I used to be such an avid reader and since starting this blog, I feel like I have to finish what I started. I can't leave you guys hanging :).

I finished "The Why Cafe" book. I haven't actually finished a book in awhile! And this book couldn't have come to me at a better time. It was an easy read, but really made me think about who I am.

I have been a stay at home mom for over a year now. At first it was frustrating. I felt cooped up and a bit on edge. I have now become accustomed to it. I feel I have embraced my stay at home mom-ness.
Yet, it brought me to think about my future. What will I do, or where will I be when my kids are both in school?
I am a natural busy body, as you can tell from the projects I do. But those projects are more for my well being. They are things I enjoy doing, but don't feel like they are my true future. Yes, I may be doing crafts and sewing when I am older and my kids are in school, but I feel something different for myself as to what I want to do professionally. As I have mentioned before I am a hairdresser part-part time. I say part-part time because I do my job a few times a month. I really do like it and have been doing it almost 8 years. It is a trade I will have forever in my mind, but I feel something else in my future. This is where 'The Why Cafe' comes into play. This book focused on these three questions:

Why are you here?

Do you fear death?

Are you fulfilled?

There were many parts of this book that resonated with me, but I am going to talk just about one part for this post. The question "Do you fear death?" This was a small chapter in this book, but obviously this is a question close to me. Here is an excerpt from the chapter:

"Do you fear death?...Most people do."

"I don't know," I replied. "It seems like there's a lot to do in life, and I don't want to die before I have a chance to do all the things I want."

"Most people don't have the concept of death at the forefront of their thinking every day. But subconsciously they know that with the passage of each day, they are one day closer to not having a chance to do the things they want in life. So they fear that day that exists in the future when they will no longer have the chance. They fear the day they will die."

"But it doesn't have to be like that, does it? I mean if someone asked themselves why they are here, chose the things they want to do that would fill their Purpose For Existing, and then actually did them, then why would they dear death?

You can't fear not having the chance to do something if you have already done it, or are doing it everyday."

When I was younger I used to cry thinking about the day that I would die. Not just what would happen, but all of the things I would miss out doing in my life. Now, when I was younger, I thought being 30 was really old! But now that I will be turning 30, this excerpt really got to me.

Why fear death if you are doing everything that you want to do and being the person you want to be? Why wait around for retirement or when I have enough money to do things? Why not focus on the steps I have to make now to reach my Purpose For Existence?

The Purpose For Existence, or PFE is talked about a lot in the book. Here is a small definition of PFE in the book:

"When a person knows the reason they are here, they have identified their 'Purpose For Existence'. During someones lifetime, they may find they want to do ten, twenty, or hundreds of things to fulfill their PFE. They can do all of them. Our most fulfilled customers are the ones who know their PFE, and try all the activities they believe will fulfill them."

Now the book goes into much more depth about this topic, but what I got from it are the things I need to do in my life to fulfill my PFE. Which means doing the things I want to do to be happy. It doesn't mean buying a lot of stuff or spending a lot of money to feel fulfilled. Because in the end, those are just things and bought things are not happiness. It doesn't mean going to great lengths and stressing myself out trying to figure this out either. It means doing the things that seem interesting to me. The things that make me happy and my journey is figuring these things out. I would love to go back to school when both of my kids are in school full time and I see that as something that will make me happy and lead me in the right direction to my PFE. Also, I feel this blog is helping me be happy and that is all I am asking for at this moment. I didn't get my life's fulfillment from this book, but it did lead me to the right path and the right mindset to begin to be the future self I see in me. I do not have to fear death if I am choosing to do what I want to do to make me and my life a fulfilled one.

Are you doing what makes you happy? If not, what can you do today to start making yourself happy?

Something that does make me happy is sewing! Now, I have mentioned I am not at the highest level of sewing, but I do enjoy it and feel I do a decent job. This sewing project I got from Skiptomylou.org.

It is a 20 minute sewing project, Now the first one I made took me a little longer than 20 minutes, but the second one I made took me about that.

I have soooo much fabric that I think I will be doing some sewing in the next few weeks!

For this project you will need:

• Two 16 inch tall by 14 inch wide fabric panels
• 22 1/2 inch long fabric pieces
• Thread
• Scissors
• Pins
• Iron
• Sewing machine

First thing I did was cut two 16 in. tall by 14 in. wide panels from fabric. Make sure that if you are using a patterned fabric, that they are going the right direction on both panels. I also cut two 22 1/2-inch long pieces of fabric for the handles. *I don't have pictures of this* I folded the handle fabric in half and ironed. Then I unfolded what I just ironed and folded each side into the center line that I ironed and brought each folded side together to form a long piece of fabric with no raw edges, ironed again, and sewed down one side.

Pin the handles to the top raw edge of the right side of each panel 3 inches from the sides. The raw edges of the handles should match up with the raw edges of the top of the panel. The handles will be facing down as shown. Make sure the handles aren't twisted.

 Sew a zig zag stitch across the top edge, sewing the handle to the top edge. The zig zag stitch should be right at the edge of the fabric.

 Turn the panels so their wrong sides are facing up. Press and pin their top edges with the handles down 1 1/2 inches. Make sure to pin the handles perpendicular to the horizontal sides.

Sew this fold down a 1/4 inch from the top edge and then with a second seam, a 1/4 inch from the bottom zig zag stitch. The handle will now be attached and the top hem sewn down on both panels. Now you are ready to sew the bag together!

 Pin the right sides together and sew along the sides and bottom 1/2 inch from the raw edges. Back stitch at the beginning and end of each seam. Snip off bottom corners. Zig zag stitch along the raw edges of the sides and bottom of the bag. Make sure to stitch right along the edge to contain the threads from the raw edges.

. Now it is ready to be used as an alternative to a paper gift bag at Christmas, so it is like giving two gifts! Or as a lunch bag, grocery bag, purse, or play item for your kids!

If you make this project let me know!

One thing that I am excited about doing for the first time is:

Pictures of my finished ornaments will be up on a later post.

To end, here is a quote that I really like:

“Why should I fear death
If I am, Death is not
If Death is, I am not
Why should I fear that which could not exist when I do?”

Epicurus

Warm Thoughts On A Cold Day

*sigh* I must be used to living in the Midwest for too long. It doesn't surprise me that we had a 70 degree day one week and then rain/sleet/snow and 30 degrees day  the next week. Goodbye fall, it was a short visit! Hello winter!

Today was a busy, but good day.

I have a small Green tea addiction. I need at least two cups to get me started for the day!

*P.S. Loved my comfy, cozy knit wrap too!

My youngest son and I went to the library yesterday and I got a book recommendation from

The Organic Sister's Store. It is called Unconditional Parenting. I am not sure I see eye to eye with everything in this book, but I am going to give it a read and I will let you know what I think.

Something fun that I made for my kids and a couple of my friend's kids, is a 

Bored Box 

A Bored Box is for those days where you kids are just whining "I am sooo bored!" And you have done everything in your ability to keep them occupied and can't think of anything more. Or even for a day where you want to do something fun, but aren't sure what to do. You just grab that bored box, have your child pick out a slip of paper and do what it says. If you are not able to do what it says that day, stick it to the fridge and save it for a day that you can! Here are the simple steps into making a bored box:

First you make a list of some fun activities you want to do. Here are the ones I included:

I then bought inexpensive Chipwood Boxes from Michael's and painted them fun colors and designs.

I then printed up the activities and cut them into strips according to activity. (I folded some of the larger ones so they would fit into the box)

I put them into the box I painted and *VOILA*! Your child's boredom is cured!

You could really use any sort of box or bag to hold your activities. Use your imagination! That's the best part!

Leave me a comment or pictures if you make this activity for your family!

Last night after the boy's and I went on a date night to Schoops burger restaraunt, all the schools in my oldest sons school district were invited to a family night at the high school.

The flyer sent home explained the event as:

"A unique approach, bringing messages to children at their own level. A mission to inspire and help children reach their true potential and help them realize the importance of respecting themselves and others."

Sounds good, right?

Well, it actually was! These two men, Victore Pacini and Bill Buczinsky did such a great job showing the kids about Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, Compassion, and Fairness. They kept their (and mine) attention throughout the hour long performance by involving the children and audience in songs, dancing, poetry, magic, and wordplay. It actually was really great!

I am all about having children respect themselves and others from a young age. Bullying is such a problem in our schools that I feel that respect needs to be taught early and shown in the actions of those teaching. Which in turn means, not just showing respect for others, but respect for yourself. Children hear us when we say "I am fat/ugly/dumb/etc". They will in turn one day feel that way about themselves if we don't teach them, and ourselves, to love who they are, no matter what.

 For readers with children, they are out future. How we treat them and what we teach them will carry into the way our world will be lived when we are long gone.

I purchased their CD's and they are fun for the kids to listen to. Albeit they are not the types of songs I particularly listen to, the lyrics and messages do get into my head. And that can't be all that bad :).

Here are a few things that are keeping me interested:

• Can't get enough of this song, no matter how many times I listen to it
• I am coupon crazy! This is a great website to print them at home.
• I plan on doing some painting and I got some inspiration from a fellow dreadster

Go for a bike ride

Make homemade ice cream or visit an ice cream parlor

Bake a double batch of cookies and deliver one to another family

Have a picnic

Hike or climb trees

Make popcorn or maybe even caramel corn

Blow bubbles

Plan a scavenger hunt for outside.

Plan a scavenger hunt for in the house using every letter of the alphabet.

Draw a map of your block or of your town

Make playdoh

Read a good book aloud

Look through photo albums or view family movies, or videos

Make a collage from magazine words and pictures

Draw pictures with chalk on the sidewalk

Go fishing

Plan a family game night

Work on a jigsaw puzzle

Go roller skating

Paint a picture

Have a candy treasure hunt

Make a paper airplane and fly it

Make an obstacle course in your back yard

Visit a tourist spot near your home

Make a bird feeder

Walk around your block and pick up all the litter you can find.

Go to the zoo

Go bowling

Make your own homemade pizza

Listen to your favorite music and dance around

Go without TV for a day

Make a collage using seeds, rice, cereal, old buttons and sewing scraps

Run around the house outside 3 times

Go camping–or stay home and camp out in your own dining room.

Build with LEGOS

Make puppets out of lunch bags, old socks, felt, wooden clothespins. Put on a puppet show

Have a bonfire outdoors or in your fireplace and roast hot dogs and marshmallows

Write a letter to your grandma or grandpa

Pick wild flowers or leaves and press some of them to save

Make dinner for your family

Sketch a picture of your house from the outside

Play educational computer games

Make a piece of art out of objects you have around the house

Color a picture to send to grandparents

Make a list together of all the things in your house that use electricity.

Plant something

Enjoy a shopping trip for something little, but fun---a jar of bubbles, stickers, paper dolls, a matchbox car

Play store, library, restaurant or school

Play hide-and-seek (inside or outside)

Help wash the car

Draw a family tree on paper and complete it as a family. Add old photographs if available

Go jogging or take a walk together

Give each person a large piece of paper and take turns tracing the outlines of their bodies on it.

Color in the outlines to look like you or use sidewalk chalk

Go to the library

Gather a variety of leaves

Fly a kite

Make a snack

Water the yard, houseplants or flowers

Play with sand toys and trucks in a sandbox

Play a card game

Go to a ball game or play one---football, kickball, softball, baseball, basketball, soccer

Finger paint with chocolate pudding

Make a milkshake or a smoothie

Take a trip to an amusement park, a museum or a planetarium

Clean out your closet.

Make a yummy salad and eat it

Build a fort

String beads to make a necklace

Write and illustrate a short story

I tried to make them appropriate for the season because as I mentioned before, we do live in the Midwest and no one wants to go to the beach when it is 20 below! When the seasons change I will add/remove more activities.