3/27/13

NEWS FLASH: Punxsutawney Phil lied. Tips for Surviving Cabin Fever...

Every morning when I go into Oliver's room to pull him out of his crib I think, Awe what a sweet face!  It's a new day...Now what the hell am I supposed to do with you? My baby-toddler-man-child needs so much stimulation now.  He needs to run, jump, climb hills, leap over small buildings, smash things, kick ass, take names and then write a tell all.  So far I can help him with the running part by playing chase around the house, but the rest...I am in WAY over my head! So when Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring I did the happy dance.

Clearly that little furry S.O.B. LIED! So no big surprise when I read that Punxsutawney Phil was being indicted on fraud charges for lying to the country about having an early spring. (True Story)  But due to technicalities, the the charges were dropped.


So far it has snowed everyday of spring, in fact, it is snowing as I type this... Y'all I live in the SOUTH!  WTF?  This extended winter is not cool. Not. Cool. At. All!

FTD, Ollie and I are closing in on shades of 'The Shining'. Its scary. And what scares me the most is the role reversal.  Picture FTD riding the trike around the scary hotel while Ollie types out 'All work and no play makes Oliver a dull crazy boy'. I am still playing the aloof mom in the kitchen opening massive cans of fruit.


REDRUM!

I feel so horrible now that Ollie is at the ripe age of Explorer, yet cannot explore.  He wants to see and touch everything.  He wants to run wild through the grocery store and knock everything off the shelves at Target. He wants to play with other children and go down slides.  Not sit at home with his lame ass parents all day.  Hell, I don't want to sit home with my lame ass either!

Poor kid, he is trying to hide from his reality!
It's just so damn cold that our options are limited. I can only go to the grocery store so many times a week. Or take Ollie on an adventure to the mall for some strollering so many times before bankruptcy will set in.  With little sign of Spring in sight, FTD and I had to get creative before Oliver went crazy...

Too Late...
Here are our a couple of our Cabin Fever survival tips....


1. Make a ball pit... even if you only have a few balls.  Some is better than none!

Damn, it looks even shadier in the photo.
I sincerely hope you have more balls than we do. 
2. Teach your child how to suck snot from a dinosaur....essentially you are instilling some doctor tendencies early on.



 3. Build a climbing mound.  Throw down a couple of couch pillows and cover with a blanket.  Ollie will climb on this thing all day long!


4. Buy a clear plastic storage bin and some stickers.  Voila! You have a clear portable toy box.  Ollie loves this!




5. Put some "Wiggles" on and relax for a few minutes... 




Oh who are we kidding... I think this should be a testament to how nuts we are... But at least we are trying.  Do you have any tips or games you play that keep the crazy at bay?  Please share!


Thanks.  I appreciate it.
Please vote for us by clicking on the lady's head below to throw a vote our way!

Please, we really need your vote.
Just one quick click below (Daily!!) and your vote is cast!
Top Mommy Blogs - Click To Vote!

Two confused parents=One amused baby Hopelessly we are trying raise a baby who is clearly smarter than both of us. April is an award-winning writer and blogger. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more on April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com

17 comments:

Unknown said...

LOL. sorry girl... weather roller coaster sucks this year- but those are good tips! Hell, we have decent weather and we still go bonkers... he's too funny :)

Kristy J said...

Love all of your creative ideas!!! Do you guys have museums where you are? Or a science center? Your bub is older than mine so we haven't hit explorer mode yet. The only other tip I can give you is make a FORT!!! Boys love forts. Good luck and I hope it warms up soon for you!!
Love the pics of Ollie, gosh he's so cute!!

Amanda said...

Any museums in your area? I bet Ollie would love to discover things there! We also build forts out of sheets, an hour of fun for our baby H. What about getting a play tunnel for him? IKEA has one for $15. P.S. I have been a reader for months now and just don't comment, but I do love following your blog! You just keep it REAL.

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

It's crazy! We have a 60s in the forecast but mor snow on Wed?? WTF?? Why do I think you are say FTD is so funny when you say "he" thanks again for the blanket. As you can see... It's apart of daily life. Xx

Alissa said...

Ahh yes... the spring/winter doldrums. Here in MN we are experiencing the same thing... although there are rumors it will be in the 50's by this weekend (when pigs fly of course). Here's a list of some new distractions James recently discovered

1. A metal mixing bowl and rubber spatula. He will drag this around the house for hours and bang on it.

2. Expandable nylon tunnel. I think you can buy them at Target he will crawl through it and chase the cat around and around. Loads of fun!

3. Climbing the stairs (with supervision of course). I figure it burns a little energy

4. Other kids. I'm making it a habit on the weekends of bringing him over to my friends house who has kids. The entertain each other!!

5. Water. The bathtub, toilet, cat's water bowl... you name it he loves to play in it. Now I just have to figure out HOW to let him play in it without the giant mess. We are signing him up for baby swim lessons soon.

6. His own drawer to unload in the kitchen. The tupperware drawer is his drawer. He unloads it about 50 times a day but loves doing it.

Layes Landing said...

I think those ideas are brilliant, building my pillow mound now! We go to the library a lot. Lots of room to run and books to read and kids to play with.
Recently I placed all my spoons (from my silverware) in a metal round cake pan. Kid sat for an hour taking spoons out and putting them back in. Clink clink clink clink

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

Yes we do have a science center. I am afraid Ollie is still too young... but after all of the comments. I know where we are going tomorrow! Thanks for the comment!

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

THE LIBRARY!! Maybe he is old enough for that now too! For now we will have to try the kitchen goods. XX Hope you and O are well!!!

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

$15!!!! AWESOME! Checking that out now. GREAT idea! And thanks to you and another comment I am thinking it's time to try out the science center...

Thank you for your kind comment and reading my blog. I love to know you are out there... HUGS!!! xx

OldSchool MOM said...

When I was a baby there were NO fancy-pants tunnels, buildings with free books, electrified dinosaurs or other GIMMICKS! My father allowed me to play with a potato and mother would read me the BIBLE to get me to sleep! NO "Thomas" and his fire-breathing demonic train friends! NO sexy Australian WIGGLES...gyrating and sweaty, singing about EVIL pirates and mashed potatoes!

In my expert opinion, you should all get back with your natural maternal inner force field energies and REPEL the toys and distractions FOR THEY ARE THE WORKS OF BEELZEBUB!

Return to the OLD ways! Buy a potato!

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

Dammit! FTD!! Potato? Beeezelbub??? Get back to working in tonight's post!!

Firsttimedad said...

Nah...that wasn't me!

Amanda said...

Kitchen goods are fun for a bit! Our little guy had a thing for throwing around the whisk.

Jessica Smock said...

I love this. I live in Buffalo, where it will probably be winter (for all intents and purposes) for the next two months. I'm so done with this weather. My two year and I are approaching near insanity boredom. We've nearly bought out the toy store that's around the corner. (And I feel slightly less guilty because at least it's an "independent" neighborhood business, right? It's not like I'm giving my money to some corporate giant.) But I'm glad I've got some more options. Thanks.

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

WOW! You have a super Explorer too. I'm getting out the bowl and spatula now... Now that you and Amanda (below) said tunnel... I'm heading out to target today, but may check Ikea first... the stair climb drives me crazy, It never ends!! Thank goodness for guards! water and kids make his day too and he has two drawers in his room full of toys. I was tired of refolding clothes at the end of the day, so I dedicated those drawers to him. And wouldn't you know, He puts everything back now when he takes it out! Thanks for the great idea Alissa!

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

LOL! We should shop together. I am a huge fan of rationalizing purchases! And yes, You my friend are supporting your community and child's development. You cannot possibly do any better than that!!

The kitchen utensils and pots and bowls worked like a charm for us!

Layes Landing said...

So glad I stopped back in to read comments and spit coffee all over my iPhone!!! Hahaha!!!