Friday Five

I have really enjoyed adding this feature to my blog. I hope my readers are enjoying it,too. It's such a challenge to find something interesting to post about each week.

OK,in the interest of keeping this from getting lengthy,let me get right to the point. I am NOT impressed with TV for children,at all. When Julie was younger,I would let her watch a show here and there so I could get a few things done. As she got older,she started to ask more and more frequently to watch TV. Then,as soon as she woke up in the morning she asked me to turn the TV on. Um,no. Soon after she started bartering with me over every.little.thing to earn a show. Quite frankly,it was distracting and exhausting! I quickly realized that there was only ONE way to rid myself of that little problem. Turn the TV off,for good. I didn't do it all at once,but I started by only letting her watch a show right before bed,and then it was every other day,and so on,until one day I didn't turn it on at all. Yes,it was a bit of an adjustment. However,my life is less stressful without having to hear her say "have I been good enough to watch a show? can I watch a show now?" Whew. Now,that said,there was also an adjustment for ME,because I was using the TV as a tool to keep her occupied so I can do things without her under my feet. So,this week,here's 5 things to do besides watch a "show"

5) Read/Listen to a book on tape. We are so in LOVE with books on tape right now. Our audio library is ever expanding,and truth be told,I like listening to the books as much as Julie does! There are so many topics to choose from,and we have a lot of Christian books,but there are others mixed in,too.

4) Just Dance. That's right,I said shake that boo-tay! ;) Julie girl is very good at getting her groove on,and it's great to get that last bit of energy out before nap or bed.

3) Crafting. We looooove to do crafts around here,and I try to get some things together at the beginning of the week,so I can set her up with an activity quickly,and get to work!

2) Outside time. Of course,depending on the season,the times we can spend outside changes,but I purpose to get outside for fresh air every day. In the Summer,we go out first thing in the morning,and last thing at night. In Winter,we go out in the middle of the day. Also,we don't really have any outside toys,and Julie finds plenty of things to do to entertain herself.

1) Play games! Ok,let me admit something. I really dislike playing games with Julie. It is only fun for one person,and that person is not me. However,I make myself get down on the floor and help her with games. We have matching games mostly,but I've even gone as simple as cut out squares of construction paper,throw them out onto the floor,and have her run to pick up matching colors. (This one works greats if you're feeding a baby and trying to entertain a toddler.)