get moving! winter inside and outside.

This time of year is about moving as much as it is also about pulling in and slowing down for the dark cold winter. With two boys we have to keep moving, no matter the weather!

Both A and G have a lot of energy and love being active. For us that means that while we do still like to get outside in the winter, a lot of what we do is inside (it gets cold in WI in winter!). The challenge is to find a fun variety of things to keep it interesting without taking up much space in our small house. We do have some out of the house action - A has karate a few times a week and both boys take a private dance class together weekly. We also have many other ways to go go go right here at home.

• We have a small exercise trampoline in the living room.
• The boys love the yoga ball for balancing, jumping, and tricks.
• We have table tennis and electronic darts.
• We love active games like twister or wii sports.
• We have been known to rollerblade in the dining room and sometimes pull out a futon in the living room for gymnastics extravaganzas.
• Of course I can't leave out daily dancing to loud music. Every day!
• The boys have wooden crossbow and bow & arrow sets and a felt target for the front door.
• We try to get outside for a walk or to a park whenever the weather is do-able, even if for a short time.
• If it ever snows (!) we will be outside sledding and playing in that too!
• We have rings to mount in an archway (I just need the anchors!)

This month the boys decided they wanted to do a 30 day wiiFit challenge, and so the 4 of us are doing 30 minutes a day each of yoga, balance training, strength training or cardio. It feels good to get moving even when it is blech outside - and it is a necessity when our winters can be so long.

What do you do in the winter to keep moving and active? What is your favorite in the house get moving activity?

splash.

"...We run through the sprinkler, water on our lips. Water dripping from eyelashes. Water like fat raindrops that fall from skinny trees when you're not looking. I run like a monkey in my orange swimming trunks, jumping up and down, pounding the mushy grass with my feet..."
~ Gary Soto

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camp.

You might have noticed we like games. Card games, board games, dice games, math games, strategy games, role playing games. We spend time every week at the table as a family with something happening. One of the games A got for his birthday last month is a game called Camp.


It is nice because it has 4 levels of questions/play, so each person can play at their level, from young child (says ages 4 & up) to adult. It is a board game where you move along the squares, but it also has multiple choice questions to answer - all related to nature, environmental issues, etc. A question at level one might be "What is a male deer called?" and the level four "Which of these trees is a gymnosperm?

It even has a little secret decoder to confirm the correct answer (which 6 year olds MUST be in control of at all times). It also has fun fact cards to read aloud when you land on certain spots - like "Nocturnal insects are attracted to light, a response called phototaxis" and "Emus can't walk backwards." (Yep, lots of giggling.)


The board game itself can go quickly, but we usually will play 4 or 5 games at a time. My guys want to keep playing over and over and over just to read the cards! And talk nature facts trash at each other. Of course.


It is nice to find a game that is nature based like this -- my guys have memorized a few of their other games in this vein like the naturalist bingo games and earthopoly which they really enjoyed for a long while. This gives another whole big stack of information and with all the levels I can't see them memorizing the entire set of cards for awhile - and when they do, there is even a booster pack you can get with a new set of questions!

Did you know a group of owls is called a parliament? Or that a chicken can't swallow while it's upside down? Lots of fun!

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prism.

We went from 7 days of one sick boy...and on the 8th day when he felt a little better, his little brother went down. So, we know we will be doing this another week or so. Seems what is to expect |this| |time| of |year|.


We are looking forward to some big snow this week (finally! we haven't had much). Perfect for staying in, taking care of a little asthma boy, and finishing up some great creative and kitchen projects we've been working on.


The boys have been working on some music, air dry clay crafting, painting, baking, (playing with prisms) and all kinds of other goodness.


Here is to another creative warm week at home, watching the snow fly.


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inspiration.

“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.”

~ Albert Einstein


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to tuesday.

"If you never did you should.
These things are fun and fun is good."
— Dr. Seuss

minnows.

Today we were so happy to get to a pool for the first time this summer, and we were spoiled to have it all to ourselves almost the whole time we were there. That gave A a chance to relax and just swim (he has a hard time if it is crowded). He had brand new snorkel gear that he has really been wanting to try -- outside of the bathtub, of course.


As soon as we got to the pool he put on his new gear, got into the water, head in and just swam off! And from there he swam for over an hour. I guess he knows how to swim now (and snorkel!)! Back and forth, back and forth, head down, no problem. He even figured out how to chat with the mouthpiece in, and not surprisingly he chattered away the entire time his head was underwater - he is A, after all. ;)


With A showing off his swimming and snorkeling skills, G was next to me, trying his out. He wasn't as much a fan of the snorkeling, so he instead floated around happily, basking in the sun, chasing his brother, playing their edited version of sharks and minnows.


I love seeing how quickly kids learn new things, how focused they are when they really want to do something, and how much joy they have from accomplishing whatever they set out to do! Oh, it fills my heart to overload.


And of course we just love spending time together, having lots of fun, and enjoying a beautiful summer day in crystal blue water. Ahhhhh.

lucky boy.

moments to remember...

Me: "Whatcha doin'?"
Him: "Standing on the table."
Me: "Yes, but, um, why?"
Him: "You just parlished the table."
Me: "Yep, I did just polish the table."
Him: "Well, I want to see if my footprints show up on the parlish!"

waiting...watching...

"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life." ~John Burroughs

Happy Friday!

street sports.

While A found the perfect sparring gear at a garage sale over the weekend, G found a skateboard. A has one he rarely uses but G did NOT want to ride that one, he wanted his OWN. He was so excited he found one, and when we got home he immediately looked for some gear to go with it so he could get right outside. A has the full set of pads for his rollerblading (the boys love gear) and we found some kneepads and gloves for G. The boys got decked out and went into the alley - A on his blades, G with his new skateboard.


As was expected the always graceful G stepped on and skated off immediately like he had been skateboarding his whole life (I knew he wouldn't need those kneepads, but he wanted gear!). He even had a few tricks down within 30 minutes. Sweet!


He wanted me to take some photos of him, and was pretty cute giving me his skateboarder attitude.


Of course this guy was pretty cute all decked out, playing street hockey with a giant plastic golf club he found. :)


Love it!!!

weekend adventures.

We went on an adventure yesterday, to a (not too) far away place that the boys had never been before. We needed to add to our camping supplies for the summer, and knew the boys would find the 165,000 square feet of Cabela's pretty interesting.

The boys had a fun day strolling through the aquarium and checking out tents, boats, fishing poles, ATVs, camping supplies and so much more. I think the two most exciting things included a) both boys getting their own new fishing poles, and b) both boys getting turns in the archery range where they were able to use a bow. They did not want to leave, and A definitely wants to take an archery class this summer.


Of course the first thing they wanted to do today was practice casting with their fishing rods. They both had a quick 'how to' with us, and then got started. They spent a lot of time outside today casting over and over and over - they even put out some markers so they had a spot to aim for. Fun!


I only got bonked in the head with a practice weight once (and that was because I thought I should rake the beds while the boys were casting). Not bad!!!  ;)

happy halloween!

Happy Halloween!

What a fun day. A's jedi costume turned out super cute. It actually lasted through karate games ("Kicks or Treats" at his karate school - fun!), trick or treating, and a get-together at home afterwards. The cloak has a hood too, which was on for most of the evening. Verrrry jedi.

G, well...As I suspected, after his insistence on being a ghost, G changed his mind. He is 3 after all. Nothing could go on his body or over his head. We had a moment of octopus costume from last year, but then it was decided that G was going to be G. He did wear a big fancy wizard hat to trick or treat in though - perfect!


This evening before friends arrived, the boys visited with all of the neighbors on our block who were outside. One neighbor was skooting throughout the neighborhood with streamers on his back passing out coins. It was still very warm outside (on Halloween! we usually freeze!) and pretty light, so everyone was outside enjoying the weather.


The boys had fun trick or treating - with 4 spunky boys out together it made it just that much more exciting. I think this is the first Halloween we didn't have to come home to warm up! Fun night.

Happy Halloween!