Entertainment for the kiddos

So besides the typical PBS shows that keep the kids occupied a couple of hours each day (yes, I'm that parent) I've been trying to give constructive things to the boys to do. 

We really love music around here and the boys can tear up a dance floor (aka: our living room space).  We've recently discovered we like the Kidz Bop type Cd's.  (Wiki) They can be a bit on the cheesy side but I do like that the boys can listen to the current music without a few of the less desirable words.  Also, we dig America's Got Talent and the boys love to emulate the dance moves they see. I can tell they're improving their gross motor skills with all of their dance practice so that's a bonus to their growing bodies, right? 

They do play well with each other when left to their own devices, for the most part, but depending on the day, how one woke up, how one looked at the other, how the stars are aligned, their playtime can sometimes closer resemble, well, fighting.  Then they both end up in time out.

We've had some play dates so they have other kids to play with for a change of pace.  I love play dates.  The kids, obviously, have other faces to look at, but I get some adult interaction, too.  I'm an extrovert.  I need adult interaction to survive.

As a side note, I talk too much.  This is something I've known for awhile and I always try to keep my mouth zipped but words just bubble over and I can't stop myself.  I say too much, I say the wrong thing, I talk too much about myself and forget to ask questions about the person with whom I'm talking.  Every time I drive away from a play date or Bunco I analyze (over analyze?) what the conversations consisted of and I can always find something to kick myself for. 

Back to the matter at hand.  Here are the boys finger painting. 

Annie and her daughter, Lilly, came over for a playdate.  We took some birdseed outside so they could play in it.  They traced letters in the seed and also sorted it into different piles.  Great for their fine motor skills.

Here they are watching a 3-D movie.  (By the way - I don't suggest letting the under 6 set watch Coraline.  Even 6 might be pushing it.  It is a bit creepy.  Alex did fine the first time he watched it so I let them watch it a second time [not the same day, mind you].  He cried and told me he was scared part way through.)


We had gone bowling earlier in the day and they kept their socks on.  You'd think their feet would've been too hot!

Even in the heat Alex wakes up and tells me he's cold.  Here he is eating his cereal with a crocheted blanket that was given to us when Ajay was born. 

(It doesn't really have much to do with entertaining the children but I certainly found it entertaining!)

Ajay has been taking swimming lessons this summer.  Unfortunately, Alex is too young to join the class and there isn't a "parent swim" lesson available at this time.  Next summer, however, Alex should be able to join in.  As for now, when Biju takes Ajay for lessons, Alex and Aren stay home with me.  One evening I got brave and let Alex play with the dry erase board.  (As you know, dry erase markers are perfectly erasable from the board but not from clothing or skin!)


All 5 members of our family are here.  Daddy is the long legged blue, I'm orange, Aren is yellow, Ajay is brown and Alex is the other blue.

One day the boys invited me into their room to see a puppet show.

Practicing their "lines" and getting their puppets set up.



On with the show!