Things to do in the dark (and the rain)

Say what you want about the rain in Oregon, either love it or hate it, but you have to admit that it does affect the ability go play outside. As does the fact that it gets dark at 4:00 now. Lucky for you, I have a few thoughts on fun things to do in the dark, and/or in the rain.

1. Take advantage of the dark and play hide and seek inside!

Since my kids are the worst hiders of ALL TIME

                                                             

…we usually put a spin on that game and instead of people hiding, I hide toys, and then they come find them. The classic around here is hiding Little People. Fun every time.

Or, another fun spin, which I KNOW I saw a pin for, but now cannot find, is to cut out a bunch of bat shapes (here are some Martha Stewart templates), and tape them on to the ceiling in various spots. If you are awesome like us, you have a 3-pack of headlamps from Costco, and you can go hunting for bats. We just had “B is for Bats” day during Halloween week, so bats are on my mind.

Speaking of headlamps….

2. It’s still ok to go for walks if it’s dark

If you have small kids, you are well acquainted with the super fun few hours between dinner and bedtime. You know, when you are at your peak of exhaustion, and the kids are simultaneously bouncing off the walls. It’s a good time for everyone to leave the house and get some fresh air. Historically, we have always let the dark stop us for going on walks. We have all been sick in various combinations and ailments for a solid month, including Thatcher with bronchitis and Thad with Croup. Since cold fresh air is good for Croup, we took an after dinner walk in the dark a few weeks ago, and it was so much fun! The best part is that the boys both wear headlamps, which increases the fun factor by about a million. You could even take it up a notch and go kick around a soccer ball, play baseball, etc. Go nuts.

3. Enjoy some extra cuddle time with a good book

In attempt to battle the afternoon meltdowns, I re-instituted naptime for Thad a few months ago. A half our or so after Thatcher goes down for his nap, Thad and I go lay on my bed and read a chapter book for a while, and then I leave and let him rest. Most of the time he falls asleep instantly, but sometimes it’s just a good time to take a break and have a few minutes of down time. It also has been a great time for us to read some bigger kid books Thatcher-Free. I recently polled a bunch of people on their favorite chapter books as young kids (you can also find a bazillion book lists on Pinterest), and then the boys and I took a trip to St. Vinnies, where kids books are all $0.50. We stocked up on some good ones, and are currently reading Stuart Little.