SAHMs -- Are You Bored?

I often wonder how other SAHMs pass the days. A sweet friend, who also stays home with a daughter W's age, asked the other day if I ever get bored and then feel guilty for feeling that way. Yes and yes.
There are some days all I want to do is take care of the household things I want and need to do all morning. There are some days I want to take care of errands instead of knowing the value of staying home and and playing in jambes all morning. There are some days I feel I just cannot draw another helicopter in chalk on the driveway. There are some days we've run the gamut of toys and I'm all out ideas and don't feel like being all Pinteresting in my parenting. You get it right? You have those days too right? Because I refuse to believe my friend and I stand alone.

But these days aren't that often, and we do have lots of fun in the meantime.
W,the  little human sponge Sheriff that he is, and I have found some activities that we love for this age/stage:

1. Go for a walk, minus the stroller. Just me, the toddler, and a whole wide world out there. There is an anatomy of a neighborhood walk post in the making.

2. Find a body of water. Be it a community splash pad, your own backyard pool, a neighborhood lake or pond, maybe just a fountain. Magic happens around a bit of splashing or even carefree observing. 

3. Run errands. What? Did she just say that? Yep. The errands themselves not so much, but car rides have turned into adventures for locating cement trucks, dump trucks, buses, ambulances, firetrucks, rollers, big rigs, diggers, crankies (also known as cranes), and bulldozers. He's entertained, and oh so proud for finding one of the above and naming it.  I even find myself getting excited by each find, and yes, playing along when riding solo.

4. Read books in interesting places. Our current fave is Momma's bed. Reading here often turns into jumping, "seat-dropping,"and pretend sleeping turned ticklefest.

5. Find a passion on You Tube and allow some screen time to be education. One of our favorites:

And yes, it's a series. Kid knows when there's a "new one" somehow. I think it's pretty interesting, and what other almost two-year-old knows what a swashplate is? What non-engineering adult knows that? We've both learned so much! Sometimes you need a break from the likes of Thomas, Elmo, and that jolly Mouse we all know and love.

6. Blow bubbles, lots of bubbles. Visit a dollar store and grab a few different wands to try out. These from Dollar Tree are our favorites. We love them so much we have a reserve since a few have had their last bubble days here on this earth thanks to the neighborhood toddlers.

You've also found yourself another opportunity for learning and reinforcing concepts -- big, small, up, down, float, pop, windy, high, low, you get the idea! 

7. Build towers, helicopters, houses, flowers...wherever our minds take us with Legos (or some version thereof).  I cannot wait to see where The Sheriff's imagination takes him with Legos as he grows older.  For now, I have my own adult fun and invite him to the party. See below:

Winter is coming. Momma, don't think that wall is gonna cut it. 

That's for you Game of Throne watchers. 

8. Move. We run and dance and jump and do yoga and turn the grout lines in the house into balance beams.  We take our helicopters on fly-bys and play hide-and-seek, well, a toddler version of sorts, I suppose.

I feel like this list should go on. Eight just feels wrong like I've said too much and should have stopped at five or that I didn't have enough for a post to make it to ten. But I'll take eight. Maybe you've got some ideas to add. That means at least two people have to comment which will take us to ten, but if more than 2 comment, then we've got to have 7 comments right? Kidding. Unless you're gonna do it!

Happy Almost Friday!