Winter Day Activities

Any mother, childcare giver, school teacher will tell you that rain is the enemy when it comes to entertaining antsy kids. While we have had our share of rain so far this winter, the unusually cold temperatures here in Northern California has also been a thorn in my side in terms of forcing us to spend more time indoors. Let me tell you, keeping two boys entertained all day is no small feat! Thankfully, since we are just coming off the heels of Christmas, we have a lot of new toys and books to help pass the time. Here are some of the things we've been doing to avoid cabin fever.

Giant puzzle

First puzzle he's completed on his own

Santa left a very cool stocking stuffer which is a magic volcano. Cruz poured in some warm water into the container and the volcano began "erupting" before his very eyes. As the volcano erupts and breaks down, a small dinosaur emerges - another bonus! Over the next 72 hours the dinosaur grows bigger and actually fills almost the entire container at the end. This is a really fun, simple activity for kids.

Magic Volcano

With kindergarten in the not-so-distant-future, we also spend time prepping Cruz by completing workbook activities for Math, Reading, Phonics, Patterns, and letter and number writing. Our favorite workbook so far can be found here. He actually enjoys it very much and I am always surprised by how much he knows and his critical thinking skills. My little boy is growing up so fast.

My little student

One of Cruz's Christmas gifts from Mommy and Daddy was a planting kit since he has shown a real interest in gardening and planting. We have only completed the first step so far which is to soak the growing medium that are basically like soil pellets. Once it has soaked overnight, we can start planting. Check back to see an update on this fun activity.

Putting the pellets in a bowl

Pouring in the water

This weekend we put up a small pop-up tent that we bought at Ikea a couple of years ago and the kids had a blast playing in it. It has become their new "clubhouse" and they immediately brought in pillows, a cozy blanket and some toys to make it feel like home.

Another stocking stuffer being put to use:



Wooden brain-teaser puzzle

And sometimes, you just have to let boys be boys. Cruz is fighting the ceiling fan/light with his light saber, while Lucas is his back-up with a roll of gift wrap.

Although Lucas isn't captured in most of these pictures, we try to include him as much as possible in every activity. Truth be told, he is much more interested in playing with things that he shouldn't, such as the remote controls, dishwasher, laundry, our home computers, iPhones, etc. You get the idea.



If you have any other ideas for keeping kids busy at home, please share!



A REAL body pillow

I put Lucas to bed most nights. This usually means laying next to him as he rolls around, babbles in his baby talk and tries to find a comfy spot to fall asleep in. Many times that comfy spot is right on top of me, as was the case tonight. I AMA real-live body pillow for my little guy :) Do you like how I'm surfing the web on my iPad as he snoozes? Haha! I love his warm little body sleeping contentedly on me...one of the perks of being a mom.

"Friendliest" time of year

I am so fortunate to work for a company that affords all regular employees a holiday shutdown at the end of each year. We are given fully-paid days off from Christmas to New Year's Day. With the way the holidays fell this year, I was able to have two full weeks off by just using a couple of vacation days. The gift of time is priceless so for that, I am extremely grateful.

During the holiday shutdown each year, I try to balance my time between getting things done around the house and spending quality time with the kids. But the biggest treat? Getting some much-needed "me time". I am a huge proponent of people taking time out for themselves and as a full-time working mother, I know this is not easy to do, BUT it is a necessity. I will never forget when a former boss told me "I am a better mom when I'm a happy mom". That has resonated with me ever since and I try to keep that simple idea in mind. So in years past I have taken my holiday time off and gone to the movies alone, had a spa day by myself, watched TV, napped and read books all day, etc. while the kids were at daycare. It is so liberating and reinstates my sanity!

Another favorite activity this time of year is getting together with friends, which is how I spent the week after Christmas. Here are some snapshots of my time well spent.


Visiting the Legion of Honor for the first time





Beautiful courtyard



Posing obnoxiously by "The Thinker"




Stately hallway





With my old college friends



With cousin Jude in Oakland



With my Ate Sheila





Cousin's lunch at Homeroom in Oakland



Lucas playing with Caroleen at the park

 As someone who counts her blessings, I feel very lucky to have people in my life who make time for me and my family. We are all so busy, including Randy and myself, so I am appreciative of friends who think my friendship is worth spending their valuable time on. What a wonderful way to end my year!

2013: Year of the Snake

Happy new year friends and family! What a whirlwind this last year has been, a controlled chaos really, at best. Reflecting on the last 12 months, our family has been constantly on the go:

February: Gigi returned to work full time
April: Cruz's 4th birthday and a trip to Disneyland
May: Gigi traveled to Vermont for cousin Jude's graduation
June: Randy completes Residency
July: Family vacation to Oahu and Maui
August: Randy's graduation party, Cruz starts preschool
October: Lucas' 1st birthday, Gigi completes the Nike Women's Half Marathon
December: Another trip to Disneyland and a busy holiday season

Whew! See what I mean? And those are just the highlights, that doesn't even cover our day trips, mini weekend vacations, other family events, visits from friends and relatives, other holiday festivities, etc. I am also happy to report that we made some progress on our family resolutions - you can read here if you want  to see what they were. While 2012 was extremely busy, it was very fulfilling, productive, and chock full of happy memories; I wouldn't change a thing.

Looking forward to the Year of the Snake, I am taking a different approach as a wife, mother and as my own person. While most people decide they want to do more things, I am actually choosing to do less, in order to do more. I know, clear as mud, right? In other words, I am choosing a quality over quantity approach. I'd like to spend more time doing the things I already do so that I can improve them, rather than taking on new projects. By not adding more to my plate, I can focus my energy on what I'm already doing, and hopefully, excel at them. For example, instead of taking on a new volunteer project, I'd like to explore more volunteer opportunities for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society which I just got involved in last year. Let's see how it goes - Randy is usually skeptical of my ability to NOT take on new projects, so these may be famous last words!

In any case, I am optimistic about the year ahead and I am grateful for what my family already has. Here's to a year of positivity, growth and of course, fun! Happy 2013!