This winter has been brutally cold with record low temps. Somedays have even witnessed negative temperatures. There haven't been many snow day school closings yet, but I am pretty sure that with the continuing weather trend, we will have a series of holidays soon.
It can be challenging for working parents to take off from work to stay home and even more challenging to keep the kids entertained, when playing outside is not an option. It has been a struggle for me on such snowed in days to juggle work, blog and a kid. But thanks to my past experiences and present day proactiveness, I managed things like a pro on our last no school day.
I had the chance to partner with Cutiesfor their #100DaysOfSunhine campaign to spread love, kindness and gratitude, so I thought I’d share some ways that we as a family focus on gratitude, kindness and bringing a little sunshine to others, specially when snowed in....
INVOLVE THEM IN THE KITCHEN
Breakfasts are a big thing in our family. Even on school and office days, I'll put a spread on the table, which would include an Indian main dish, a couple side dishes with tea, coffee and juices and an occasional cereal bar. Don't ask me how I do it, but I do it! When it comes to whipping up a side dish, parfaits are our family's favorite and the greatest thing is that Ribhya loves to be the one to make it. She even proclaims of making the best parfait, even better than Le Madeleine ( a French restaurant ).
So why not let your kids put together a simple dish they love. This gives them a sense of responsibility and they enjoy being a help. For our parfait today we used Cuties oranges as our main fruit. They are sweet, seedless and perfectly kid-sized. They make for a healthy snack and the perfect crowd-pleaser.
For this parfait we need :
- vanilla yogurt
- strawberry jam ( thin it with some water )
- granola
- Cuties oranges
I let Ribhya peel the oranges and do it all. I just did the top layer of granola.
PLAN AN ACTIVITY
It would be an understatement to say that Ribhya has a deep affinity for art and craft. She gets this from my younger sister, who BTW is a pro, she even has an event management business. Using the upcoming holiday/event as the inspiration, plan an activity with whatever you have in hand. Encourage them to think beyond the usual. Be a good listener and allow them to share their ideas. As Ribhya loves artsy stuff, I always have things handy. I buy the art materials at the end of season and whenever they go on sale. For instance I had these heart-shaped foam cutouts from last year's class project for Valentine's day and since Valentines Day is just around the corner, we decided to use them and make this easy-peasy wreath for Ribhya's room door.
LET THEM CHOOSE ONE ACTIVITY When I say activity, it could be playing a board game, reading or narrating a story or writing something fun or even playing a musical instrument. Since, Ribhya is learning to read at school, she prefers reading a book over watching television or playing video games. Thanks to her Daddy, who is the bookworm in our family. She is now confident reading long and difficult words and takes total pride in doing so. Choosing to read a book or draw or maybe play with their board games, gives them some downtime, calms them and also facilitates in honing whatever they are doing.
After all this, enjoy the chilled parfait as their reward for being so cooperative and as your reward for surviving the snowed-in-no-school day.
These are some of the ways I like to keep Ribhya entertained on a snow day, feel free to share your hacks !!!
Congratulations to Alma of The Style Cheapskate, she is the featured blogger of the week.
Now it is your turn to share your favorite outfits. An InLinkz Link-up
