rainbow rice

This is a great little activity to have up your sleeve when your children are bored-bored-bored, and want something different to do. You can use the technique below to dye pasta as well, which can then be used for a multitude of things- sensory tubs, crafts, threading necklaces...

A few quick notes:

*If you use hand sanitiser, be viligant about watching that it doesn't end up in any little mouths, and make sure hands are thoroughly washed afterwards.
*There are no specific measurements- the 'wetter' the mixture, the longer the drying time.

Divide your rice/pasta among large ziplock bags- one bag per colour of food dye. Add in a few squirts of liquid hand sanitiser, or a little white vinegar {about a scant tablespoon}, along with your  food colouring- a few drops or the equivalent gel-{if it helps, the pink in the picture above was cheap liquid food dye from the supermarket, the other three colours were Wilton Gel Pastes}.

Close the bag, and use your fingers to rub and scrunch the colour through, until it's evenly distributed among the rice/pasta. Spread onto a sheet of baking paper until it's dry to the touch, and then let the fun begin.

surviving the tired days.

I'm currently curled up under a blanket with my laptop, caffeine coursing through my veins. Scarley's gone into a toddler bed, out of a cot- and switched rooms to boot, and she's not taking it well. My head is swamped with that hazy-sleep-deprived feeling that leaves you unable to do anything but consider what overprocessed carbohydrates might give you a hit of energy to shake the desperate tiredness.

What follows, then, is a guide of sorts to getting through those exhausted days relatively unscathed.

-First step. Look after you. For me this means dry shampoo, lip balm, and forcing myself to drink loads of water. I normally also keep containers of cut-up vegetables in the fridge for a quick, easy lunch {paired with some crackers and white bean dip}, but of course, I don't have any today, do I?

-Get the basics taken care of with your child/ren {breakfasted, dressed, clean faces and teeth} and whatever done in your house that you need to do to make it liveable for you. For me, it's beds made, curtains and windows opened, and breakfast mess tidied away. Now is not the time for rigorous cleaning.

-Make a little checklist {mental or otherwise} of low-effort, low-mess activitives your child/ren can do that day. Be realistic about what you can cope with. Some easy ideas: making pikelets, drawing, Lego, sending them outside to find butterflies/ladybugs/beetles, water play {either with a water tub or with measuring cups and plastic containers in the bath}, drape a sheet over your table for an instant cubby- just add pillows and blankets and books.

-Some slightly more adventurous activities: set up a simple obstacle course outside, paint fingernails and toenails, draw a road on the driveway with chalk, play a board game, make necklaces {with string, cereal, actual beads, or pasta}.

-Tell your child/ren that you are tired. Ask them to amuse themselves for a little while.

-Use the television. Put on a movie and give them a snack. There is no limit to how many Peppa Pig episodes you can tolerate in one day.

-Give yourself a snack, when you need it. A snack, a drink, and putting on some music {that you like, not a Playschool CD...unless that's your thing} can be oddly helpful.

-Lower your standards. Does it really matter if you still have a child in pj's at midday, eating instant noodle omelettes? Ahem. {If you're wondering, to make instant noodle omelettes, cook, drain, and cool instant noodles- I omit the sachet and just cook in a little Massel stock. Add in a lightly beaten egg or two, and cook in a pan until golden, then flip and cook the other side}.

-If you can, use your village. Ask, bribe, beg someone to take over for even an hour while you get some rest. If your child/ren are old enough to be bribed rewarded, give them tasks to do in exchange for stickers/stamps/pocket money/whatever.

-Do not underestimate the brilliant cleaning power of baby wipes. Ten minutes walking around with a few baby wipes, or even five minutes, and the house feels a lot fresher. {They're particularly satisfying to use on bathroom countertops and smudges/handprints on walls}.

-Remember that this will pass. It won't last forever.

-

circus for a day

Well, yes, my house is a circus- that much feels true.

Today, however, driven to depths of school holiday boredom I didn't know were possible, we hosted our own circus. The possibilities really are endless, but given my loathing of going to the supermarket with three small children, we worked with what we had on hand here.

Cardboard and crayons did nicely to make some circus tickets, and the dress-up collection- along with some leftover face paint and hair chalk from Halloween- took care of the costumes.

A small ladder, laid horizontally along the grass, made a perfect tightrope. Socks for juggling balls, though obviously there are better substitutes. Hoola hoops, balloons {both for decorating and for balancing on noses}, and ribbons for twirling. I seem to have an overpopulation of pom-poms at the moment, so they went on to the trampoline for extra-fun bouncing. The bubble machine went on {you can pick them up really cheaply, and they're well worth it}.

We attempted some acrobatics- somersaults, handstands, and cartwheels. It appears I can still cartwheel. Yes, I'm amazed too. They created their own circus tricks. Like, riding their bikes with no hands and trying not to crash. Or jumping off the couch.

Then came time for some circus snacks for the hungry performers. Apple slinkies, popcorn, and the 'rice bubble bars' {known to the rest of the human population as rice krispie treats}we'd made that morning.
All in all, easy, inexpensive fun that cured boredom. For a little while.