And then one day my husband left for work and it was just me and the boys, a 2 year old and a newborn, all day, all by myself… now what?!! What a scary day that was – my first day as a full time stay at home mom. What do these moms do all day to pass the gaping amount of time between husband’s exit and entrance? Now almost 20 months later (and another baby on the way) I feel like I finally have a handle on things. Sometimes I fantasize that going back to work as a teacher would seem like going on vacation – hey, at least I would have a lunch break – but being home with my guys is a special thing that I certainly don’t take for granted. So what in the world do we do all day? We have our routines, classes, and playdates, but there are many times when we are just home. In an effort to keep the boys busy, here are a few things I have tried and the reality of how they went down.

Activity: “Mess-less” Painting

Gist: Squeeze paint into a ziploc bag, seal, tape to surface, then let child finger paint through plastic.

Mom-Cents: Super easy prep, very high hopes that I could find a way to have paint in my home without it ending up on walls!

Kid-Tested Results: Total flop!! Within minutes my 1.5 year old had poked holes in bag with his fingernails and paint was oozing out. Not gonna fly in a brand new house! Quick! Hide the evidence before 3 year old wakes up from nap!

Activity: Felt Christmas Tree

Gist: Create felt Christmas tree affixed to wall with felt ornaments. Kids decorate tree.

Mom-Cents: Inexpensive materials, lots of cutting involved, but can be reused each holiday season. Might distract kids from taking ornaments off real tree if they have their own?!!

Kid-Tested Results: Success!! I totally thought my boys would play with the tree for 5 minutes and be bored and move onto something else. They loved it – my 3 year old especially. Every night before my husband came home he would “decorate it for daddy”…cue the dramatic reaction from dad each night when he came home!