The Mediocre Mom's Guide to Greatness

Monday February 15th, 2010

Monthly Goal:

Today I let my kids eat WAY more junk food than I normally would.

Don’t forget to leave a comment about something good you did today so you can be entered in our drawing for a $25 GC.  Go here to learn more about our giveaway.

Today’s Activity:

In remembrance of Presidents day we will focus on honest Abe.  Make a tall hat out of construction paper.  Then sit down with the kids play this honesty game.  Pass the hat around to each other and when it is on your hread you have to tell something that is true.

Note:

Make this extra fun by having your truths be things like, “I love my kids.”

RECOGNITION!

Amy took her kids and their scooters to the skate park this weekend.  She had a blast helping her little 2 year old learn to ride.

Tags: game, honesty, Presidents day
Posted in Average Length Activities | No Comments »

Friday February 5th, 2010

Monthly Goal:

Today I did today’s activity.    Things have been crazy this week with me training for a new job but I made sure I fit in a little bit of Simon Says.

Don’t forget to leave a comment about what you did today.

Today’s Activity:

Play Simon Says.

Note:

This is a great activity if your children are having a hard time listening.  You could even rename it “Mommy Says.”

Evaluate:

This was a great game to play while I was making lunch!  Rather than having them running around under my feet while I tried to get lunch ready I could tell them to run into the front room or jump up and down.  I even had Simon tell them to clean up their toys and they did it!  While we were eating Max kept saying, “Simon Says eat your lunch” and then Elese said, “Simon Says eat a cookie.”  Then I jumped in and said, “Mommy says don’t eat a cookie.  What mommy says always beats what Simon says.”  It was a fun little game that we could fit in on a busy day.

Tags: game, Simon Says
Posted in Quick Activities | No Comments »

Thursday February 4th, 2010

Monthly Goal:

So after some snapping, yelling I was forced to sit down and watch the Justice League with the kids.  They were extremely whinny today and the only way to get them to calm down was to sit with them.  Although it was by necessity, the nice thing I did today was sit and watch cartoons with my kids.

Come on ladies!  Who couldn’t use an extra $25 GC and a little bit of recognition?  Check this out if you don’t know what I’m talking about!

Today’s Activity:

I suppose this doesn’t really constitute as an activity but it will make things around your home more fun.  Rather than just telling your children to clean up their room or do their chores turn it into a race by telling them to see if they can be done before you finish singing the ABC’s.

Note:

Feel free to choose another song depending on how long it will take them to finish the chore.  You could also see if they could finish before you sing it 3 times.  Do your best to let them win this game because then they will want to play it more often.

Evaluation:

I’ve been doing this a lot lately and it’s been working really well.  For the most part the kids get excited about trying to finish as quick as possible.  I have noticed that setting a timer seems to be more effective than singing, at least for my kids.  Today it took them 10 times through the ABC’s but mostly because they would stop cleaning and just sing with me, then about 30 seconds later the house was a mess again.  Thus the lack of a photo, when I turned around from grabbing the camera to take an after photo the house was just as messy as before.

RECOGNITION:

Tracy spent some one on one time with her niece, did laundry, and helped her husband with his homework.

Hannah snuggled with her kiddos while watching a movie and she LOVED it!

Way to go ladies!  Not only did you get an entry into our drawing but you also made the day very special for the ones you love most!

Tags: chores, game, indoor, race
Posted in Quick Activities, parenting | No Comments »

Tuesday October 13, 2009

Format change:

I’m thinking of changing the format a little.  I’ve been wanting to do all the activities the day before I post them so that I can give you pointers on making it a more successful activity and I can share photos so this website will be a little more colorful.  This won’t always work because somethings are connected to holidays or work better on Saturday’s but I will do my best to consistently be a day ahead of all of you.  (PS I am not a trained photographer if the blurry photo below didn’t give it away.)

Today’s Activity:

Go in the yard, rain or shine, and play a rousing game of kick the can.

How to Play:

If you don’t remember how to play check out THIS link.

Note:

This can be an all day activity with the neighbor kids included or if you don’t have lots of time just play it once.

Evaluate:

The kids loved playing kick the can and even invited some friends over to play.  Once I got them going I went inside to start fixing dinner and when I came back out Amber was gone.  I asked the kids, “Did Amber’s mom come and get her?”  Then I heard Elese from her hiding place say, “Yep, Amber went home.”  Just then Ryan, who was “it”, spotted Elese and got her out of the game.  She loved hiding but didn’t quite get the concept of not being found.  They caught on to the rules better than I had expected them too but it was hard for any of them to actually win so we just took turns being “it.”

We also did the puzzle today because we had a little time to spare before bedtime.  My only note on the puzzle thing is that it is a great tool for mommy & kids to learn to be more patient.  I found myself doing the puzzle for them because bedtime kept creeping closer and closer as Elese would force the wrong pieces to fit together.  So, for me, next time I will work on sitting back and letting them learn how to do a puzzle…also I’ll take the time to wipe off the table and put it together there rather than the floor (carpet is not the best puzzle surface.  Also, you always know an activity has been a success when you child says to you, “Mommy, maybe we can do this puzzle again someday.”

Tags: game, kick the can, outdoor, puzzle
Posted in Average Length Activities | No Comments »