Sometimes Simple is So Sweet

Last week it rained. A lot. And when it wasn't raining, everything was still wet and gross which meant I didn't really want the boys running around outside. Sometimes I bite the bullet and let them do it anyway, but I wasn't really in the mood to scrub grass and mud stains from their clothes last week. Let's get real, I'm never in the mood to scrub stains out of their clothes, but sometimes I'm a better sport about it than other times.

That being said, Asher and Aiden were feeling extremely cooped-up and I was really at a loss as far as what to do with them. I didn't want to go anywhere and take them in and out of the car in the rain, and they had thoroughly exhausted their limit of playing "peacefully" with their toys. Between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. is usually when they're crabbiest; they're hungry for lunch, and they're starting to get tired before naptime. Those couple hours often make the difference between a "good" day and a "bad" day. They're the "dread hours" . . . What to do, what to do?

Lightbulb!

Clearly we didn't pick up the toys first . . . 

We had a picnic lunch in the basement. It was so much fun! I put a movie in and spread out a tablecloth on the floor with their plates and drinks; they absolutely loved it. Asher was so excited at the idea of a picnic (since it's new to him) and Aiden was just excited that it was finally time for lunch. :) Usually, Friday nights are our movie-nights, but since we were going out of town on Friday I didn't feel guilty letting them watch a movie in the middle of the day.

That simple, seemingly insignificant trick let us sail through those "dread hours" right into naptime. Crises averted, and it was a good day.

"Last time, Mom. Stop asking us to say cheese!"

I definitely recommend small-mess foods. (Let's face it, no food is a no-mess food with toddlers.) We went with cubes of cheese, whole grain crackers, and baked chicken nuggets. Easy to eat, easy to clean up!