Comments on: Pandemic prep…just a little fun

By: Amy

Amy — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:42:59 +0000

What a cute granddaughter you have!

By: Dulce

Dulce — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:57:59 +0000

Well if books are the answer, I am more than prepared. I have a book fetish and have well over 1000! I enjoyed reading the poem to my family. It was nice to tell them that I am not a crazy old librarian, but rather extremely prepared for the worst!

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:26:56 +0000

I loved the poem! (Going to print it off and use it for FHE.) We declared a TV/Video game/computer free week this past week. Gratefully, the weather was nice and what fun we all had! The kids played basketball, scooters, rode bikes, searched for bugs, collected rocks, and just wandered around the yard. Wonderfulness!!! Summers are difficult to keep everyone happy for days on end. Thanks for the suggestions.

By: Mindy Jensen

Mindy Jensen — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:19:39 +0000

I like the idea of buying movies and not opening them so they will be new and exciting. My favorite thing for the summer “I’m bored” plea that inevitably comes, is to buy little craft kits when they are on clearance at the craft store or at discount stores. You can get all kinds of different things – frames, birdhouses, card kits, etc. My kids ususally don’t even mind if they are for a certain holiday, it’s just doing it that is fun!

By: miss_k_p

miss_k_p — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:08:40 +0000

Our family of three recently had a 2 week trial of our pandemic preparation. I got the flu, my son got the flu, I got the flu again and then my husband got it. We stayed home from school and work. I learned LOTS about being our preparedness status. We didn’t have enough chicken noodle soup, or bowls or cough drops. We need a bell or intercom to communicate with each other outside the “sick room” and we need more books, puzzles and other distractions. I am so glad to have been through this little test! We have already remedied most of our shortfalls, so we are closer to being prepared if there is a “big one!”

By: Supermom

Supermom — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:01:11 +0000

Actually, over their growing up years, our kids learned never to come to me and say, “I’m bored.” Because I would start by suggesting they read a book or some other activity and sometimes they went off to do that, but on the occasions when they persisted with the “I’m bored,” they soon found that Mom could find work for them to do. There was always dusting to do or rooms to straighten or floors to wash. Even as young as three or four, a child can be given a dust cloth.

I learned that trick from my mother and grandmother growing up in the country. You simply did not tell Grandma that you were bored, if you didn’t want to get put to work.

That said… for our kids we always had loads of board games, decks of cards, books and books on tape. When they were younger, they had a very strict amount of time to watch TV each day and only certain shows they were allowed to watch. After that, the TV went off and they had to find other things to occupy their time.

They had a dress-up trunk filled with hats, old clothes and Halloween costumes for playing dress up and putting on little skits. They had puppets for putting on puppets shows.

I kept boxes of craft supplies… crayons and colouring books, glue and paint.

And of course, we had music… both our favourites and their favourites. Many times there were impromtu sing-a-longs.

Older children can be taught to sew, knit, crochet, make candles, bird birdhouses, etc. And the older they are, the more they can contribute to helping around the house from cooking and baking, cleaning and doing laundry, yard and garden work. This not only stops the “I’m bored,” times but allows children to feel an important part of the family.

By: Rick Boyer

Rick Boyer — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:12:05 +0000

I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.