Find Your Inner “Fun” Mom

The other day my children were being…let’s say, their ages. And I was being…let’s say, a seven-time, ancient-of-days mother with a newborn. After one more round of LOUD, OBNOXIOUS INTERACTIONS WITH THEIR SIBLINGS, I got the concept that they were bored and said, “Hey, let’s do a game!”

For the record, I did not feel like doing a game. But, I decided to take a dose of my own speaking-to-women medicine and do an impromptu Fifteen-minute Jar—a glass jar filled with little ideas of fun activities children can do in fifteen minutes (and hopefully draw out to an hour…or more).

I have to say, this worked like a charm. Better than a charm. Maybe even a whole charm school. Because we pulled out “Make a commercial” and it was like a lightning rod to their energy karma. I gave them some nearby props to choose from (as in a binky and a TV remote) and they went gang busters. They had ten minutes to create the commercial and then it was filming time with my iPhone.

You would have thought an Oscar was on the line.

The whole experience was utterly hilarious, and wonderful, and a stroke of genius from somewhere. I was able to sit on the bed nursing my not-so-little wubba now, and they were able to go at it and exhaust their hyperness, at least by a degree. After rehearsal, they performed, I filmed, we reviewed, and all agreed it was a total success. How can you go wrong with the Pester Zester Remote Zapper (a remote zapper for pesky younger sisters—and said sister was in agreement), and the Magic Baby Binky (magically makes the baby go to sleep). So successful were these initial runs that they pleaded (yes, pleaded) to do another one.

Knock yourselves out, said I.

So give in to your fifteen-minute side and encourage your kids to brainstorm some fun quick activities. At the very least, it gives you fifteen minutes of peace and quiet while finding, and appearing to be, the Fun Mom once again.

P.S. For Mommy Author blog followers ONLY, receive a FREE Life is Too Short for One Hair Color ebook when you purchase my new Life is Too Short for Linoleum (the above is an excerpt) for only $2.99 on Amazon.com!