How to Survive a Rainy Day with Children:
What kid likes rainy days? Mine do! Take a look at these incredible ideas!
This collection is ever lasting. It’s great for the very young to the older ones. A real keeper. which will you try?
Binocular Scavenger Hunt
Make a list of outdoor things you can see from various windows, using—surprise— binoculars. Be sure to vary the items from the teeny-tiny (say, a broken but beautiful bit of
green glass) to the exceptionally large (say, an oak tree in the shape of a jolly giant), as well as from the very far to the very near. The first child who checks off every item on the list as “spotted” gets a prize. Our favorite reward: freedom from sharing toys for 15 minutes.
Create an Art Gallery
Take a cue from The Style Files, and put the kids’ original artwork on display. If you have an excessive amount of old paintings and drawings, then use this as an opportunity to have them sort through and organize the keepers vs. those that they (and you!) can do without.
Shoot Your Own Movie
There are really only three acceptable plots: robbers, ghosts or Daddy slipping on a banana peel.
Play Hide and Seek
There’s nothing more classic than a game of hide and seek, but playing in the great indoors is much less stressful on Mom and Dad (fewer places to hide!). It also helps young tots learn the concept of object permanence. We recommend getting in on the action and hiding yourself. You’ll love seeing the smile on your kids’ faces when they find you! 
Build Your Own Terrarium
A glass vessel, some sand, some dirt, and a few plants make a fun rainy-day project that will last long after the sun comes out. For simple, step-by-step instructions, click here.
Bake a Rainbow Cake
With a little effort and a lot of food coloring, whip up a masterpiece worthy of Betty Crocker.
Make a Ruffle Cake
Ruffle cakes are not only extremely beautiful, but they’re also surprisingly easy to make. Watch atutorial here, and then let older kids practice their cake-decorating skills!
Write Letters to Relatives
Whether they’re states away or right down the block, what relative doesn’t appreciate a letter from their favorite little one? Set them up to practice the lost art of letter writing with stationary or construction paper and crayons.
Have Fun With a Cardboard Box
They say tots love the box a toy comes in more than the toy itself. Pull one out on a rainy day and watch a child’s imagination come alive. Convert the box into acostume, transform it into a vehicle, or use it as a fort for some great indoor play.
Family Fashion Show
Each person in the family draws the name of another out of a hat. Everybody dresses up
in the clothes and accessories of the person they picked, then saunters down the catwalk, posing wildly, while Mom takes pictures with the camera set to flash. Added fun: Include the family pets…unless Grandmother is involved. Grandma does not swap clothes with the dog. Grandma does not wear a leash.
Magic Sack 
Have the kids decorate a magic paper bag. Put seven or eight books into the bag. Draw one book out slowly, slowly, slowly and—presto!—the kids will instantly want to read that book. You’ll never understand why, and they’ll never be able to tell you why. Nevertheless, the miracle will repeat itself until all the books are read.
Create Kid-Friendly Pizza Bagels
Making your own dough can be daunting, but grab a couple bagels, slice them up, and let your kids add their own toppings. If you want to get really creative, then make these adorable pepper, tomato, olive, and pepperoni critters from Betty Crocker! Who knew
eating pizza could be even more fun?
Source: Betty Crocker
Have a Classic Game Marathon
Put away the video-game controllers and go old-school with classic kids’ games like Candy Land, Twister, Chutes and Ladders, and Operation. They might not be as high tech as the PlayStation or Wii, but there’s a reason companies have been making them for decades.
Sort Through Old Toys and Plan a Garage Sale
Use the promise of an upcoming garage sale as motivation to get the kids to sort through
their old toys. Have them propose prices for each of the items they’re giving up, and discuss what you’ll do with the (eventual) profits. You may want to consider making a donation to a charity of the kids’ choice to make the project especially meaningful.
Create Your Own Personalized Decoupage
This fun, original decoupage activity is an easy way to bring all the kids together on one project! Simple and quick, it’s an easy way for them to create some new decor while spending some quality time with you.
Blast Off! 
Let your little one’s inner moon man come out by building a DIY rocket-fueled jet pack from cardboard, two-liter bottles, felt, and straps! Practice for takeoff with some indoor flying until sunny skies return.
Spa Day
Break out the nail polish for at-home mani/pedis. To create an extra-authentic spa environment, have everyone wear bathrobes, cut up some cucumbers to soothe the “clients'” weary eyes, and turn on some New Age tunes.
Make Your Own Pompoms
If you have a budding cheerleader on your hands, then use layers of tissue paper wrapped around dowels to create your very own rah rah-ready poms!
Make Your Own Ice Cream
The kids will all be screaming for ice cream with this easy recipe — best of all, no ice cream machine is required, just a few active hands!
Hanging Crayon Hearts
These translucent hanging crayon hearts, made from waxed paper and crayon shavings, can cheer up a room in your home.
Get Active
Crafting isn’t only sedentary. Pull out those empty cans and create something that gets kids moving like these elephant feet. If you have several cans stored up, get multiple kids on their feet and have elephant races across the room!
Make Noodle Necklaces
Create a dye solution with food coloring and rubbing alcohol, and then transform ordinary pasta into a rainbow of shades. String the noodles on a piece of yarn or ribbon to create a one-of-a-kind necklace or bracelet.
Newpaper Forts
Forget the traditional blanket and pillow fort and followAll For the
Boys instructions for these fun and eco-friendly hideaways.
Write Letters to People You Admire
Brainstorm favorite politicians, athletes, or any other role models that your kids might have, and embark upon a letter-writing project. Who knows? It could end with your kiddos
Make a Fingerprint Family Treescoring an invitation to the White House!
Use an ink pad and kiddie thumbs to create afingerprint family tree. It’s a great way to teach your lil ones about their family history.
Have a Tea Party
Every little girl loves a tea party, so gather up the stuffed-animal guests (and maybe this eco-friendlytea set from Land of Nod) and start brewing. The addition of cakes, tea sandwiches, and British accents is optional but recommended.
Finger Paint
Get messy with finger paint — no explanation required! 
Croon to Karaoke
If you have a karaoke machine or your cable provider offers a karaoke channel (it sounds silly, but many of them do — pay your “On Demand” section a visit and check), then unleash your inner rock stars and start singing!
Give Play Dough a Makeover
Who needs plain old play dough, when you can make your own Sand Dough. The easy to make recipe is made for lil helping hands!
Make a Sock Monkey
Everybody loves sock monkeys—even the parent who supervises making them. Why? A sock monkey doesn’t really look like a monkey. So, should you lack sewing skills and end up with a sock monster, nobody gets frustrated, flings themselves on the ground and turns into a child monster.
All-Room Obstacle Course
Jump off the bed. Roll across the room. Crawl under the table. Run upstairs. Hide under the armchair for 30 seconds. Stick your head in the fridge and smell the milk. Skip around the dining room table three times. Then, the long, hard, do-or-die dash to the finish: Lie down on your bed for 20 minutes. Without moving one muscle.
Marble Racetrack
It’s one thing to race cars around the house, but it’s another to race marbles. This fun activity involves little more than a cut pool noodle (follow My HomeSpun Threads’s instructions and a marble!
Create an Indoor Herb Garden
While you probably want to mount the herbs with the help of another adult, your kids will love getting their hands dirty to help you plant herbs in mason jars. It’s a great way to add fresh flavors to your family dishes all year round!
Make No-Bake Granola Bars
Kids can help stir, measure, mix, and press theseno-bake granola bars into shape. Just pop the yummy, chewy bars — full of toasted oats, nuts, coconut, raisins, cinnamon, and molasses — into the fridge for a bit to let them set, and you’ll be snacking healthfully in no time.
Make Wooden Block Prints
Try a new use for all of the blocks in your home with this wooden block print that’s as simple as collecting a few of your toddler’s wooden blocks and adding some paint.
Build a Fort or Tent
For some good, old-fashioned fun, hit the linen closet and construct a fort or tent with sheets and pillows. The process of creating the hideaway is only the beginning; as once they’re done with the hard work, playtime can begin!
Make Glow-in-the-Dark Drinks 
If you still have some glow sticks hanging around from Halloween, then pull them out, along with a few paper and clear plastic cups, and in no time, you’ll have glow-in-the-dark drinks (get a full tutorial here), best consumed with the shades drawn and lights out!
Source: Giver’s Log
Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint – And Use It
Chalkboard paint’s expensive, but this easy recipe for homemade chalkboard paint and fu
n craft to do with it, is the perfect indoor activity.
Search For Buried Treasure
Create a treasure map, and hide some special prizes around the house — scavenger-hunt style. Spray paint spare change to make it look like gold coins, or use candy prizes.
Source: Flickr user Unskinny Boppy
Make Some Goop
No, we’re not talking about Gwyneth Paltrow‘s site, but some slimy, silly concoction that only requires three ingredients.
Pull Out the Puzzles
Puzzles are great for brain development, but be sure to pick one that’s age-appropriate. This vintage Superman option should appeal to kids ages 3 and up.
Source: Pottery Barn Kids
Combine Science and Crafting
Here’s a project that’s perfect for your lil science geek. Even if your child doesn’t care for the flavor of mushrooms, he’ll totally be a fan of this fungi afterdoing this crafty experiment.
Create a Bubble Wrap Print
The next time you get a Bubble-wrapped item in the mail, don’t toss that wrapper. Along with being a fun way to encourage fine motor skills by popping those itty-bitty plastic bubbles, your lil one can use it for creating a really cool painting.
Create a Piece of Sand Art
Turn a glue bottle into a drawing tool with this funsand painting craft. Between squeezing the glue and focusing on pinching and sprinkling the sand, this art activity is perfect for honing fine motor skills and boosting hand-eye coordination in kids!
Button Jewelry
A button necklace or bracelet is easy to make, inexpensive and super fun! Have the tots help you sort, pick and thread the buttons.
Source: Yellow Blackbird
Tear Up Some Paper, And Then Do Something With It
If you’ve got a tot who’s not thrilled about getting crafty, this torn paper collage craft will
Make Life-Size Paper Dolls have his fingers excited about creating.
Forget little dress up paper dolls that can easily be lost after use, go big with life-sized versions that your tot can play with day-after-day.
Create Art For Grandparents
Nothing will make Grandma and Grandpa happier than receiving a package with your child’s original artwork! Ship paper pieces (signed by the artist, of course) in mailing tubes
. Or work that technology again and transfer a piece to a postcard, magnet, note card or mug. These days, the art-sharing and gift-giving possibilities are endless!
Make No-Bake Cookies
“Baking” doesn’t get easier or faster than no-bake cookies, and these chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal versions from Brown Eyed Baker look simply divine. The only ingredients are butter, sugar, milk, cocoa powder, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and quick-cooking oats. Thirty minutes from start to the in-your-mouth finish!
Source: Brown Eyed Bakerh
My families favorites:
Here’s one Deada doing tonight after dinner- click to see it
Cassie’s trying this pom-pom idea and these Crayon Hearts
Eaim will do this simple science project!
With Amen, & Tehun, I’ll make dough and paint with them. Try one of these today & share the fun indoors while recycling, reducing and reusing!
As a mom, you must be able to think outside of the box, save money and look for learning or bonding moments. The suggestions listed are all afordable and simple to do. Go ahead and pick a few. Come back & share what you’ve done. I want to know! Till next time, QC Supermom
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Moms aren’t easy! We aren’t. Recent polling finds mothers are making careful spending a part of their long-term routine as they shun inessential purchases. With the IRS official opening tax filing season yesterday, now is not the time to stop.
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This year, there are some purchases that we must make. First up is a new mattress for my room- our last one lasted 10 years. A laptop, for my home schooled children, a family gym membership- we need it badly! And yeah, we’ll take a mini vacation. We haven’t had one in two years. The rest of it will go into savings.How will you spend your tax refund? What did I leave off up there? Be sure to click he links above, leave a message below or tweet me on it! 
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QC Supermom 
