I have a 3-week-old baby…which means that I am one happy, disheveled, sleepy momma.
I also have 3 other young children.
And – trust me – they are just as needy, rambunctious, and curious
as before precious baby Jesse arrived.
Just because a new baby joins the family circus doesn’t mean that everything else stops…or even slows down. And for the moment, my energy and creativity supply isn’t quite keeping up with the demands of my little “adventure seekers.”
I. Am. Sleepy. And my kids are not. 🙂
My poor kids. Their momma, who once craved adventure, surprises, and candy like any self-respecting 30-year-old, is now mostly resigned to doing “tired people things.” Like staying in her PJ’s and not putting her play clothes on…like asking everyone to hand her things…like closing her eyes all the time.
But while my eyes have been closed, I’ve been doing a little thinking. (just a little) 🙂
I miss playing and going on adventures with my kids. I know, I know, I know…those days will return soon enough. But my inner “5-year-old” keeps poking me and telling me that it’s pretty outside and I’m missing out on all the fun.
So in the meantime, as I’m still wandering around in a sleep-deprived fog, I’ve come up with a few ideas for some low-key, low-energy adventures that any tired momma can have with their un-tired kids.
Adventures That TIRED Mommas Can Have With Their UN-TIRED Kids
1. Get “lost” in the car.
How thrilling it must be for a 5-year-old to be the one who “saves the day!” That is why I love this game…because it turns my little boys into heroes. And all I have to do to make it happen is, literally, drive around in the car. 🙂
We play this game all the time. When we go somewhere, anywhere, I pretend like I have no idea how to get home…we are lost. It is up to my boys to get us home. We may take the roundabout way, or we may end up in another state, but eventually they find their way. (with some secret help from momma) And when we pull up to our driveway, they are so proud. They saved their momma and earned themselves a piece of candy.
2. Play “disaster” wherever you go.
This is another testosterone-laced game. I really enjoy this one because the comments from the kids’ section keep me rolling.
You can play this game anywhere…in the store, walking down a sidewalk, in the van, etc. As ideas come to you, spring a hypothetical disaster situation on your kids.
Example: As we are walking down the street. “Rudy! A pack of wolves is surrounding us! What do you do??”
He has like half a second to come up with a [hilarious] solution to the “problem.” Rudy’s propensity to fashion a gun out of anything never ceases to amaze me…sort of like the professor and coconuts on “Gilligan’s Island??” 🙂
I surprise my boys with disaster scenarios all the time, and they are always hilarious…and well-received. Momma may be tired and be about as exciting as a tub of glue, but we can still daydream – little boy style – together.
Some other hypotheticals that I’ve used:
In the van:
– Wind just blew a tree on top of our van!
– The van is stuck in super fast speed!
In the store:
– Someone grabbed my purse and ran away with it!
– The buggy’s wheels are stuck in the parking lot ditch and it’s starting to rain!
In the woods:
– Those vines grabbed your wrists and tied you up!
– Our back pack is filled with snakes!
In the house:
– All the doors are locked and we can’t get in the house!
– The pipes exploded and your bedroom is filling up with water!
As helpful as games like these may be in times of Momma Exhaustion, there is one very, very important thing that you must always remember…
If all else fails…
GO TO CHICK-FIL-A!!
Related posts that you might enjoy:
- 10 Fun Things To Do With Your Kids When You Are Bored And Need To Get Out Of The House
- 3 Awesome Movies, 3 Fun Games
- One Disheveled Momma
- Welcome To The World!
- The Summer My Kid Became An “Everything-Ologist”
