Yesterday I decided to take my 2 year old {almost 3!} out for a treat after school. So we headed over to the local yogurt shop and he got to pick out his favorite 'ice cream' - the pink one, aka strawberry. He's even upgraded to enjoying M&Ms and sprinkles on top! He used to hate the different textures in it, but he's all for it now.
There were no other customers in at the time, so we had the place to ourselves and enjoyed a fun yogurt moment together. Talked about school, and yogurt of course. Can you tell he loves the stuff? It's not a common thing, so it is a treat when we go. :)
So I got to thinking about other small treat things we can do, aside from sugary sweets of course. So here's my list of ideas. Some may not be for you, so you may love, but the general idea is to think of fun things to do for one on one time. {Even though baby sister was also with us, that can't be helped sometimes, but she quietly enjoyed the time as well.}
1. As above, frozen yogurt places are a sweet trend right now and make fun stops for the kids. Plus they're all over the place! You probably have one within a 15 minute drive too. Pick your flavor, pick your toppings, and pay by the ounce. Love!
2. Cook! Or bake. My son LOVES to help in the kitchen. It can be nerve-wracking sometimes, but maybe he'll be a fancy chef someday. Find a easy, and relatively clean recipe {no nasty meat juices or egg} and dive in. I love the idea of a egg-less cookie recipe. He gets to have fun stirring, or squishing, and lots of time to watch them bake in the oven. {He's always requesting that the oven light be on while we're baking so he can watch.}
3. Puzzles are always fun too, at least for me. I love a good puzzle. Though I generally prefer the ones with tons of tiny pieces, but I'll compromise and do a large piece puzzle for my kids. I'll live. :) We've even found character puzzles that are black and white and ready to color, double the fun!
4. A classic, read a book. Let them run and pick it out. My little man tends to choose his football or potty book. I think I must have those memorized by now...
and... 5. Go for a walk. Seriously. My kid loves to walk, or usually run. It's a major win for everyone, get some fresh air, some exercise, and if you're lucky... a bit of a tan! Don't forget the sunscreen on the kiddos though. Talk about what you see, count things, and talk about what they did at school that day. You can even do mini races - from this tree to that light post, etc. And if you have a tiny one too, like me, they're generally portable and love the fresh air and walking too. Buckle them into a stroller, or wear them. I use my Beco Gemini and she stays happy 90% of the time. :)
We usually have busy, hectic days but it definitely helps lower the stress of the little ones {and me!} when we can sneak in a few quiet moment to just be.
There were no other customers in at the time, so we had the place to ourselves and enjoyed a fun yogurt moment together. Talked about school, and yogurt of course. Can you tell he loves the stuff? It's not a common thing, so it is a treat when we go. :)
So I got to thinking about other small treat things we can do, aside from sugary sweets of course. So here's my list of ideas. Some may not be for you, so you may love, but the general idea is to think of fun things to do for one on one time. {Even though baby sister was also with us, that can't be helped sometimes, but she quietly enjoyed the time as well.}
1. As above, frozen yogurt places are a sweet trend right now and make fun stops for the kids. Plus they're all over the place! You probably have one within a 15 minute drive too. Pick your flavor, pick your toppings, and pay by the ounce. Love!
2. Cook! Or bake. My son LOVES to help in the kitchen. It can be nerve-wracking sometimes, but maybe he'll be a fancy chef someday. Find a easy, and relatively clean recipe {no nasty meat juices or egg} and dive in. I love the idea of a egg-less cookie recipe. He gets to have fun stirring, or squishing, and lots of time to watch them bake in the oven. {He's always requesting that the oven light be on while we're baking so he can watch.}
3. Puzzles are always fun too, at least for me. I love a good puzzle. Though I generally prefer the ones with tons of tiny pieces, but I'll compromise and do a large piece puzzle for my kids. I'll live. :) We've even found character puzzles that are black and white and ready to color, double the fun!
4. A classic, read a book. Let them run and pick it out. My little man tends to choose his football or potty book. I think I must have those memorized by now...
and... 5. Go for a walk. Seriously. My kid loves to walk, or usually run. It's a major win for everyone, get some fresh air, some exercise, and if you're lucky... a bit of a tan! Don't forget the sunscreen on the kiddos though. Talk about what you see, count things, and talk about what they did at school that day. You can even do mini races - from this tree to that light post, etc. And if you have a tiny one too, like me, they're generally portable and love the fresh air and walking too. Buckle them into a stroller, or wear them. I use my Beco Gemini and she stays happy 90% of the time. :)
We usually have busy, hectic days but it definitely helps lower the stress of the little ones {and me!} when we can sneak in a few quiet moment to just be.