Activities for Boys

Hi, I'm Kristen.  I'm a former classroom teacher, turned homeschool Mom.  I live in Houston, Texas with my super fun husband, two beautiful kids, a scottie dog, a white cat, parakeet, Beta fish and various other creatures that my kids collect.  

 Early on in our parenting years we knew that we wanted to limit our kids' screen time.  Before we had children, we occasionally cared for three young children while their parents traveled.  It shocked us when their instructions to us were: "no TV." Honestly, neither of us had ever heard of such a thing.  Fast forward a few years and we found ourselves facing the same choices.  Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the value of a fun cartoon, movie or iPad game, especially when I need a few quiet minutes to make dinner.  However, as kids get older, the tendency is often more and more and more screen time.  As we fight this continuous, uphill battle, we've had to work a little harder for engaging activities for our children.

Here is a round up of a few things that we've found keep our 11 year year old boy, Henry, happy and busy.  

Puzzle Cubes: one of the best "toys" we ever bought Henry was a Rubik's Cube.  We found some videos on YouTube that taught him how to solve and the rest is history. Henry carries a cube everywhere we go, always working to memorize another algorithm or pattern, so as to become faster at solving.  This has turned into a full time hobby for him, so much so that we've starting attending competitions where he can compete against other solvers.

Games:  many boys are competitive by nature, or at least enjoy challenges, thus they love games! Over the years we've picked up a great collection, mostly from thrift stores and garage sales.  It's a great opportunity to work on problem-solving skills, strategizing and speed.  Henry's current favorites are Dutch Blitz (so much fun!), Rummikub, Monopoly and the many, many games that can be played with a good old fashioned deck of cards.  Speed, Spit and War to name a few. 

Creatures: boys love taking care of animals. By around 2 years of age Henry would be outside collecting bugs and worms to be his pets.  At first I was like:  "uhhhh, how about if we leave the beetles outside," but I quickly realized how much joy he experienced collecting them, setting up habitats and taking care of these small creatures.  Over the years we've had pretty much every backyard bug, worm, frog, turtle and lizard in our house.

Creativity: I've found that if I keep a supply of blank journals and fresh Sharpies on hand, he is very likely to use them in a creative way.   If we are reading aloud a great book, like Harry Potter or The Hobbit, he'll often create a Wizard's Journal,  design his own Hobbiton, or sketch some of the many creatures that he's collected from the backyard. 

Time:  boys need TIME to be boys!  My husband and I try really, really hard to limit our kids' daily screen time, whether it's movies, computer or iPad.  We also have a screen-free week every few months.  I (and they) continue to be amazed at how quickly both our kids will tap into their creative and adventurous selves without having the pull of the screen. Removing the temptation of technology is worth it, and is a great way to experience spontaneous fun and bonding as a family.  

There is so much more I could add - stop motion animation, Legos, Mindstorm Robot building, woodworking/woodcrafting and collecting (boys LOVE collections, amiright?). But for time's sake I'll stop here.  If you have anything to add, I would love to hear it! 

Thanks so much for having me, Whitney! 

You are already a wonderful Mama, and I know you are going to love being a boy mom!

 

 

Great Boy Toys

Hi friends of Whitney! I’m Ashley and I blog over at Perks of Ponder. I started this new blog after getting divorced. My old blog Mrs. Mama no longer fit. Ponder is my last name and in this season of my life I’m looking for all the perks of being me. Plus, who doesn’t love alliterations?

I’m raising a very spirited 3 year old named Jack. He is the reason I laugh, play in the dirt, and eat goldfish crackers off the floor. He is also the reason I worry all the time, why I want to day drink, and why I’ve been known to cry in the floor because he refuses to use the potty.

I spend my weekdays as an elementary librarian who services 711 kids each week. Librarians are no longer just the keeper of the books. I teach lots of technology skills and spend a lot of my time researching resources for my fellow teachers.

Jack and I are currently living with my parents while I focus on paying off debt and building a house.

I blog as a way to record the moments of our lives, to document my everlasting quest to be the best me, and for the blogging community connection. I really am so amazed at the friends you can make through the connection of sharing thoughts and ideas.  

I was quick to say yes when Whitney contacted me about writing a post for her Boy Mama series. I’m writing about toys. Our lives, my paycheck, and our furniture revolve around toys. I consider myself an expert and if you don’t believe me, just ask the man who delivers the Amazon packages. 

Boy Toys

When we found out we were having a baby boy the first thing we purchased was a toy football. We are huge sports fans so it just fit. Now that I am three years and four months into this boy mama gig I have lots of knowledge of which toys were worth it and which ones were a waste of money.

First year toys that Jack loved

1// Alphabet bath stickers. I bought these a few different times because they provided lots of bath time entertainment. There were times (and this is true today) that I put Jack  in the tub just to play and calm down.

2// Wooden blocks. I think these are a staple for a reason. Santa brought Jack a set of these for his first Christmas. Once he got old enough to play with them, they provided hours of entertainment. Mama just loves building towers for Jack to knock right down.

3// Boats for the Tub. They connect magnetically and Jack has always loved toys that connect. Is this a boy thing?

4// Rattle. Pretty standard baby toy and Jack loved the loud noise.

5// Footballs. We bought him a blue and white one for his very first toy. He still has it today and will always be a keepsake for me.

6// Rattle guitars for car seat. Another standard baby toy. I liked that they provided that extra boy edge. There are a lot of neutral baby toys so it was nice finding these that were a little more masculine.

Year one (and beyond) toys that Jack loved

1// Holy Stone Dump Truck with remote control. Super easy to use and was a wonderful first remote control vehicle.

2// 12 piece Wooden Engines & Train Cars. This was a toy that was a big hit with Jack. Once again, they connect which he loved and we still have most of them today.

3// I Love You More Than Bananas Monkey. This was a gift from a family friend and it actually came from Dollar General. It sings this really fun song and although it no longer sings, we still sing that song to him.

4// Road Rug. Jack enjoys pushing trains and cars on this rug.

5// Vtech Sit-to-Stand Learnign Walker. This thing was such an entertainment piece for Jack. He played with it long before he was pushing it around. This thing was key in getting him walking.

6// Where is Baby's Belly Button? All of the Where is Baby's.... books are so much fun.

Toddler toys that Jack loved

1// Kindle Fire (Kids Edition). This thing has been wonderful! It has apps, books, and videos already on there. They are age appropriate and centered around learning. Not only does it teach them the usual stuff but also things like clicking and dragging.

2// Kidoozie Foam Pogo Jumper. I got Jack and my nephew Bennett one for Christmas. These boys love hopping around the house on them. Plus, adults (up to 220 lbs) can use it also. I've been hopping around the house quite a bit and it is a great workout.

3// Happy Trails Plush Rocking Horse. I think every kid needs a rocking horse. I have great memories of mine.

4// Little Tikes Trampoline. Jack loves to jump so I knew he would be a fan.

5// Melissa & Doug Top This Role Play Hats. Jack has always loved hats and he looks so cute in them. These hats have been through life with this toddler. When other kids come over they always enjoy them also.

Like most kids, Jack loves his toys. I’ve noticed that his toy likes have stayed pretty consistent. If it connects, moves, or makes noise then he will enjoy it. Overall, his favorite toys have been trains. He is obsessed with trains. He uses anything he can find around the house to make tracks, tunnels, and ramps for his trains. When you have a toddler boy it is smart to always have on hand boxes, duct tape, scissors, and a flashlight. You will ALWAYS need those items and will entertain your child more than anything they will find on tv. Homemade toys are the best toys.

Does your child have a favorite toy? Is there a must buy toy that your child couldn’t live without? 

Why My Boys Wrestle

My name is Haley Devine and I'm Whitney's sister!  I blog over at haleylogann.blogspot.com and mostly use my blog to document what my family is doing and our favorite new recipes.  I'm married to Kevin (yes, my sister and I both married Kevins!), and I'm a stay at home mom to four kids.  
I have two boys (ages 7 & 2) and two girls (5 & 3).  

 

To keep with the spirit of a boy themed post, I thought I'd tell you a bit about my boys.  Our oldest is Hayden.  He's very much boy!  He loves to fish, wear boots, play in the mud, and pick up worms, but he's got this amazingly sweet sensitive side.  He loves taking care of people, he picks me all kinds of flowers from the yard, he gets his feelings hurt easily, and he generally stays out of trouble.  Austin is the baby.  He's got a big personality and can be louder than all the other three kids combined.  He's a bruiser and everyone knows not to pick on him.  He's the best hugger and tells everyone he's "Mommys boy".  And he is.  They both are.

(This photo was taken about a year ago when the kids all still wrestled together)

Today I wanted to talk about one of my boys favorite things to do.... Wrestle!  Because of all the violence in society, in video games, in movies, I know there are moms that have strong feelings against letting their little boys wrestle.  But at our house, we wrestle.  I say "we" meaning the kids wrestle their dad.  Every now and then the kids will call for backup and I'll come tickle daddy so the kids can pin him down.  

Here's 3 reasons why we encourage this:

1.  Bonding time with their dad.

Dads are just naturally good at wrestling.  I actually enjoy watching them interact like this.  Most nights when my husband gets home from work, the kids first question is, "When can we wrestle?"  Of course my husband does other activities with them too (fishing, washing cars, measuring/building/fixing things) but this is their favorite way to bond with their dad!

2.  The boys love it.

When our youngest was about 6 months old, he understood wrestling.  When the other kids were piling on daddy, he'd crawl over and slobber my husband!  Boys naturally have aggression in them.  They have competitiveness in them.  Wrestling is a positive way for them to practice both.  My boys get so much enjoyment from this time with their dad and they are usually all smiles and giggles.

3.  Teaches confidence.

Our boys are bookends (meaning they were born first and last and we've got two girls in the middle).  I expect my boys to look out for my girls when they go to school and as they get older.  I want them to stand up for my girls (really, any girl) and I don't want them afraid of being bullied.  My boys are confident.  They aren't the strongest or the most athletic, but they are confident.

As with most things in our house, wrestling does have some rules and guidelines the boys (and girls) have to follow.  Here's a run down of the wrestling rules we've come up with over the years:

1.  No biting/scratching/pinching

2.  No hits to the face or private areas

3.  Girls wrestle separate from the boys (mostly because he boys are more aggressive, and the girls end up hurt).

4.  Ask if you can wrestle, don't just start tackling.

5.  When daddy says, "We're done", then it's time to stop.  

If you allow wrestling at your house you may also end up with some great stories like this: Hayden had a very loose front tooth that he wouldn't let us pull.  One evening when the boys were wrestling Hayden got a hand to the mouth and realized it knocked his front tooth out.  When people would say, "Oh you lost your tooth!" Hayden would say, "Yeah my dad knocked it out!"  Hayden told that to a group of strangers and they thought we practiced having him say that to be funny, but we told them no it was the truth, they were wrestling though.

So what are your thoughts on this subject?  

To wrestle or not to wrestle?  

I respect other moms opinions; this is just our stance on the subject :)

 

 

Tuesday Talk: Life Lately

Things are slowly, but surely settling down at our house.  We're figuring out life with two kids little by little and trying to get some sleep.  Kevin's still working full time trying to wrap up the semester and we're enjoying family visitors coming through town.  Olive is doing really well and still holds the title for being the most well rested person in our house.  We try to sneak in naps when we can and it feels like I won the lottery if both kids nap at the same time!

This week has been filled with highs and lows so let me share a little bit about life lately...

Daily Grind
We're spending a lot of time hanging out at home in our pjs.  The kids are often bathed and dressed and I'm the last to get it together.  I'm sure we'll figure out a good routine in the mornings, but for now we're taking it easy and not worrying about it.  I'm happy to have sweet baby snuggles while in my pjs.  I always buy new pjs for myself after I have a baby because I feel like it's a nice treat to have new pjs to lounge around in.

We did our first bit of post-baby baking.  Olive and I love baking together so we were both excited to get back in the swing of things.  We were both in our pjs, made a big mess together and had some delicious Chunky Monkey Bars to enjoy.  She is very curious about all of the baking vocabulary and learning the names of utensils and supplies.  I love teaching her these things.

CAT-astrophes

Our cat, Oliver, has been sick off and on for about a month now.  He's required more attention, vet appointments, medicine and such in the last month than he has his entire 8 years of life.  We're hoping we have figured out his issues, have a good plan going forward and that he's on the mend.  It's tough to give your pets the same amount of attention as you did pre-kids, but we're trying hard to get him well.  I felt a bit like a 3 ring circus parading into the vets office with my whole crew.  Good thing the office staff were all super sweet and adored my entire entourage.  Here is Olive pretending to be a cat while we wait on the vet and Oliver scoping out the newest member of our family.

DONUTS

We had two drive through donut dates this week.  Olive was super helpful & a good listener on a few different errands so we celebrated with a special donut treat.  She was thrilled and it was a great way to celebrate her being such a great big sister. $0.75 VERY well spent!  The sweet donut shop ladies will even sprinkle donuts special for us if they're all out of sprinkle donuts.

SUNSHINE & Smiles

The weather has been beautiful this week.  We've played outside and picked our share of flowers.  I put on my sunnies and Olive insisted she wear hers, too.  She said, "I be just like my Mama!"  Olive adores her little brother and has adjusted really well to life with another kiddo around.  The hardest days for her really were the days I was in the hospital.  I caught her singing lullabies to Fletcher when he was crying, bringing him his paci, asking to help me feed him and always saying "He's such a cutie!" or "Hey there little fella" or calling him "Baby Fletch".  I also gave Olive a haircut this week.  Her hair has been growing like crazy and we're loving her new bob.

SWEET BABY SNUGGLES & updates

Fletcher is a really great baby.  He cries when he's hungry, gets a little cranky late at night and is happy as a clam when we hold him.  His mohawk is coming in nicely, his hair is lighter and has a completely different texture than Olive's did.  He had a great follow up appointment for his lip/tongue tie lasering and should be healed up in a few weeks.  He joined the 10lb club this week at 10.1lbs so he is eating and growing like a champion.  He outgrew all of his newborn things this week and it was sad to pack that stuff up. Although he's thrilled to have bigger clothes to stretch out in now.  He's loving eating, sleeping, swinging, snuggling and being swaddled.  Little boys really are the sweetest!!

NEW HOUSE

We spent some time at our new house this week.  My dad was in town to work for a few days so we had a picnic lunch out on the deck and are loving seeing all of our projects coming together.  Can't wait to move in :)

Our backyard:

My dad is in the middle of painting everything this perfect shade of gray.  It was a buttery yellow goldish color and the fresh coat of gray really updates the space.  Kevin's been working on the wood floors - cleaning and finishing them so everything is coming together nicely.  I can take zero credit for the projects that are getting accomplished.  However, I am the project planner - making lists, picking out paint colors and the guys are executing my ideas :)

Baby #2

It's funny how different thing are with a baby AND a toddler running around.  I have to be a bit of a baby body guard to ensure that Fletcher doesn't get squished or stepped on most days.  Olive loves him so much, but she's not always that gentle.  So tummy time comes with a body guard and I do my best to always keep an eye on both of them.

Fletcher seems to have skipped right over that floppy newborn stage of life.

Preppy popped collar :)

He's starting to stay awake more during the days and be less of a little night owl :)

Hope you're having a great week!!  Follow me on instagram @polkadottyplace or check back next Tuesday to see what we've been up to.

It's time to link up with my favorite ladies this week.

Join us with your best post of the week.

We had almost 200 people link up with us last time.

Beth at Our Pretty Little Girls | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram 

 Becky at BYBMG | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Jessica at Sweet Little Ones | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Emily at Raising Barnes | Pinterest | Instagram

Stephanie at Wife Mommy Me | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Stasia at Our Life on a Budget | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Sarah at Abiding In Grace | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Ruthie at Rear. Release. Regroup. | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Laura at Life Is Beautiful | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Christina at Waltzing In Beauty | Pinterest | Instagram

Michelle at Grammie Time | Pinterest | Instagram 

Tina at Go Big or Go Home | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

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An InLinkz Link-up

5 Ways a Non-Athletic Mom Can Raise Athletic Boys

Hi everyone!! 

I'm Jessica and I blog over at Little Bits of Joy... a place that's all about the beautiful, the ugly, and the funny parts of life and motherhood. 

I'm so excited to be guest posting for the lovely Whitney today, 

and to share my experiences of being a Boy Mom with you all!

Let's talk sports... shall we? One thing I quickly learned about raising boys is that they are super duper, ridiculously energetic... and if you don't want them to completely destroy your house and furniture, then sports is a great way to get them to burn off all that energy! 

But what do you do if you yourself are really non-athletic?? That is my problem... I mean, I tried to be athletic growing up.. 

I had the look down... frizzy hair in a scrunchie, hot pink laces in my shoes, spandex under my up-to-my-belly-button shorts.. totally LEGIT.

I mean, not everyone can be a superstar like I was...I'm still not sure how my dreams of the Olympics never came true...

I did realize the point of pole vault was to go OVER the bar... right?????

Yeah. Impressive, no??? More like impressive at how bad I was.

But despite my lack of athletic skills, when it comes to raising boys who ARE athletic, I developed a few tricks!!!

Five Ways an Non-Athletic Mom Can Raise Athletic Boys

1. Invent New Sports

We invented a game called Punch Ball. You take a beach ball and toss it to your kid who then lunges towards it, punching it back to you. Odd use of everyday items like fly swatters (demonstrated by Owen) to hit the beach ball are also encouraged. 

Inventing new wacky games is not only fun and delightful for your kids, but they don't have to require any skill from you! Anyone can toss a beach ball! Get creative with new rules, fun challenges and find ways to use everyday items!

2. Be The #1 Fan

My husband is very athletic... that is definitely where my boys got their genes from... because... well look again at the pole vaulting pic of me. #NoSkills

He plays on a baseball league during the summer and my boys love to go and watch and participate as much as they can. Is it my favorite way to spend an entire Sunday?? Sitting on the hard bleachers watching baseball? Not really. But being the #1 Fan for the activities my boys are into IS really important. 

They will blossom and be encouraged to keep participating if you show how much you care about their interests. Just bring some snacks along if you've got an all day baseball game. Gotta have snacks.

3. Fake It Till Ya Make It

Hockey? I don't know the first thing about hockey... despite endless hours in middle school watching The Mighty Ducks movies.... but when Austin wanted me to play hockey with him... how could I say no?

Hit the ball around, do silly things to make them laugh ("watch me this time, I can hit the ball hopping on one foot!!")... the important thing is that you are playing with them, and creating that memory in their minds of "Mommy is fun and plays with me." So you don't know all the rules of a sport? That's ok... just fake it!!! 

4. Let Them Teach You

Is your kid showing interest in a sport?? Awesome! Ask them about it. Play dumb, really... 

"What's the name of the guy who throws the ball again?"

"Da pitcher, Mommy!!"

"Oh that's right.. and you're... the quarterback?"

"No Mommy!!! I'm da batter!!!"

Asking questions engages them in the activity, and proves to them that you are interested in what they are interested in. Plus... what young kid DOESN'T like to be right and be the "authority" about something?? Buy them books about the sports they like and read them together... that may or may not be how I learned some of the positions in football.

5. Leave It To The Experts

Thankfully there are tons of camps and programs in communities to get kids involved in sports. We signed Austin up for a little soccer camp and he loved it!!! I can't manage to kick a ball without tripping over it and face planting on the ground.. so some things are just better left to the experts!! 

See what kind of camps or programs your community has and sign your kids up! They will feel so cool and special to get to do something out of the ordinary, and you'll get to just sit back and watch!

Thank you again to Whitney for letting me take over your blog today, while you are busy being a Super Momma to your sweet kiddos!!! Welcome to the Boy Mom club... you'll need some wine, FYI!!! And better get that beach ball ready for some games of Punch Ball!!! 

xoxo- Jess

The monthly Target Haul link up is going on today.
Head over to Becky's Blog byBMG to link up your $10 Target finds!