Our St. Patrick's Day wasn't quite as fun-filled as Jules'...ok, I admit it, I forgot it was St. Patrick's day till about 10 am. Then I talked to Jules on the phone and was immediately guilted into doing something "Irish-y." So I made green scrambled eggs for lunch, whereupon Gabe declared they were "poisoned" and refused to eat them:
Then we tried to find the St. Patrick cartoon movie that we watch every year, but of course, we only found the empty VHS box and had to watch the 3 minute YouTube version instead:
Finally, feeling like I needed to do a bit more, I found some good quotes from St. Patrick and had the children copy them in their best handwriting. So basically, my kids came away from the holiday feeling grumpy, bored...and possibly queasy.
Besides ruining feast days, we have been finding some more productive ways to keep busy until the weather finally warms up and the kids can play outside again:
1. Planting!
I've done a small corner yard garden in the past (the years I didn't have a newborn during the summer), and this year I thought we'd get a jump start on spring and grow seedlings inside. Thanks to Walmart, I didn't have to be creative with the design, and bought a plastic greenhouse planting system that can house 72 seedlings for $5.68. With a small bag of potting soil and a variety of .20 cent seed packets, planting was an affordable and easy project. Each child has 12 squares to his/her name and watching the seedlings is such a fun daily activity.
2. Cleaning!
Yes, yes, I clean occasionally. Don't you see that Swiffer in the picture up there? I enjoy a clean home, I just realize that with this many children underfoot 24x7, there's no point in stressing if it doesn't happen regularly, often, or well. However, if there is ever a time that I almost enjoy cleaning, it is in the spring. Opening a window and letting the cool, not frigid, air inside the house is truly a joy to me. Clean out those closets, move that furniture, sweep, dust, wash windows--put the kids to work, too!
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| Jo ADORES using the magic eraser on my cabinets and fridge! She's a great helper :) |
3. Getting the Stomach Flu!
Nothing passes the time like waiting for the next child to get hit with diarrhea and vomiting. These past 12 days have just flown by! Here are some charming vignettes from our plague:
If you want some more (much more useful) ideas, please refer back to Jules' post about waiting for spring.
In the meantime, I pray you all remain healthy and happy!
Easy Rule #1893: To every thing there is a season...a time to plant, a time to clean, a time to comfort a sick child. A time to eat a whole chocolate cake.
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