Elizabeth Dehn - HER LIFE Magazine

mother’s perspectiveSnow DaysKeeping Kids EntertainedBy lisa TarantoThe weather outside is frightful, but what’s indoorsmay be a little scarier. When Old Man Winter bringscrazy weather, you might be going mad with acrowded house of stir-crazy kids. Children love to get a surprisebreak from reading, writing and arithmetic, but do the math.More than 24 hours of cooped-up kids can bring about boredomand squabbling siblings. No need to flake out, though. Keep thekids entertained and yourself sane with a blizzard of ideas to trythe next time you’re snowed in.Start a Traditionsnow days can be a great time to create a custom. Whetherit be combining your talents to make a family meal or sittingby the fire telling ghost stories, a sure way to get a handle onthe extra time is to know that you have at least one tradition topartake in as a family. Think about things your family likes todo—puzzles, board games, crafts or snow angel contests, but nomatter what you decide, make sure to complete your traditionon every snow day.Get Out!Just as the flakes begin to lighten up, layer up your snowduds and head outside to enjoy the weather. Nothing sayspeaceful like freshly fallen snow and the whole family can findfun in constructing the perfect snowman or building cool snowtunnels. If the wind created drifts, use mixing bowls and plasticshovels to clear away snow for igloos and snow forts. These willkeep kids entertained for hours.For the Birdsthe snow covers the earth beautifully, but it also hidesfood normally found by our animal friends. Use part of the snowday to dole out the bird feed in your feeders or make your ownEarth-friendly version below.gather a large pinecone for each child. Tie a small wire atthe top to hang the feeder. Slather peanut butter on the cone.Use a small spoon to push the peanut butter into all of the openingsand then roll the pinecone in the birdseed. Use fingers topress the bird seed into the cone. Hang near a window and viewthe birdies having a feast on your cone!Head start on Valentine’s Daysnow days usually mean that Valentine’s Day is on its way.This year, make homemade valentines early, so you are not in a34 HERLIFEmagazine.com