Couch Potato Parenting

[socal78]

Let's say you're injured, sick, or just plain tired. Sometimes we just need to sit down. Here are some ways to stay engaged with your child. Feel free to add to my list!

1. Let your child use their nose to write a word or draw a picture on your cheek. Try to guess what it is. Take turns. My little boy and I do this. It tickles!! We laugh. This is one of my favorite things to do because it's the best way to sneak in some snuggles! (Don't do this one if you're sick.)

2. Play "Freeze Dance". This is a favorite of ours! I use my laptop to pull up Youtube. Hit Play and they start dancing. Hit pause and they stop. If you want, you can keep score. A point for the person who freezes first when the music is stopped. If it's a group, play by elimination until one winner is left. It gets their wiggles out but it's not much work for you!

3. If you have a crawling baby, play "Fetch"!

4. Ad Lib story telling. Start off a story, pause, and let your child complete the thought. Go back and forth or taking turns in a circle if there are more kids. You'll get some funny stories.

5. Eat An Alphabet. The first person starts with, "I'm so hungry, I could eat an..." - pick something that start with the letter A. (alligator, apple). The next person says, "I'm so hungry, I could eat an alligator and a..." something that starts with B (belly button, blueberry). See who can remember all of the items until you work your way through the alphabet.

 

[irvinehomeshopper]

Using nose to write and draw. I still do that at fancy shopping malls like SCP. I leave a greasy print on the fancy glass mirror in boutiques, glass guardrail, polished nichel elevator doors, and Cartier and Tiffany jewelry display glass case storefront.

Louis Vuitton over the years could not deal with my nuisance and combated my greasy smugges by applying busy pattern Mylar on the glass. 

 

[socal78]

Funny, Ishopr!!

After I wrote that about the nose, I knew some people may look at me funny. I just love to snuggle my "baby". We are a very affectionate family. But if you're not into noses or want to do the game with an older child, you can draw with a finger on the person's back or palm of their hand. Same thing. 

 

[cubiczirconia]

When mommy needs two minutes or twenty, she just tells the kids to write a page about the movie they just watched. Starts with a hook, then the good part, and the bad part, and conclude with how you would end the story. For next two hours I feel like a twenty year old without any children in the house. I can't hear them/ see them

On a serious note, we bring out the board games. I love playing board games with the kids!