FUN WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT

MEET THE WINNER OF OUR “FUN IN NO TIME” CONTEST AND BE INSIPERED BY THE CREATIVE WAYS READERS MAKE EVERYDAY SPECIAL

BY BREE SCOTT.

Working Mother, November 1999

HOW DO WORKING MOTHER’S FIT frolic into their families’ hectic schedules? In a multitude of creative ways—from turning mundane must-dos like grocery shopping into beat-the-clock scavenger hunts to throwing a spontaneous chickenpox party for the itchy, under-the-weather kids.

On February we announced a contest asking for your best ideas for turning everyday into memorable ones—and hundreds of you responded. Who wouldn’t, for the chance at winning the grand prize: a long weekend of pampering for two at the Green Valley Spa & Tennis Resort in St. George, Utah?

Here, the winning entry, as well as some of your best ideas. Borrow the ones you like most or use them to help you brainstorm your own unique ways to make everyday life more fun!

The Blue Ribbon Entry

THANKS TO DONNA PHALEN’S creative cure for the bad-weather blues, her four-year-old son Joshua actually looks forward to being snowed in at the family’s home in Mokena, Illinois. Phalen, on the other hand, will soon be basking in the warm, serene Green Valley Spa environs with her sister, Carla Alessio, for this prize winning entry. “Last winter the Midwest was hit by a blizzard and my family was snowed in for two days. By the second day, Joshua couldn’t stand to be cooped up anymore: He wanted to go camping. So my husband and I set up camp in our living room,” she explains. They all got decked out in shorts, sandals, and sunglasses—and even slathered on lotion to ward off pesky (if nonexistent) mosquitoes. The family pitched a tent by draping blankets over chairs and then headed to the lake (bathtub) for some swimming and fishing—complete with plastic fish, swimmies for Joshua, mini blow-up toys, and beach towels. As night fell, the Phalens turned out all the lights and carried flashlights around to light their way. For dinner, they feasted on hot dogs fresh off the grill (broiler), chips, apples, and juice. “Joshua’s favorite part of the camping trip was when we sat around the campfire (fireplace) roasting marshmallows, making s’mores, and telling ghost stories,” Phalen says. “Everyone had a great time.”

Now indoor camping has become a regular tradition at the Phalen house. “It’s a good thing Josh likes it so much,” Phalen laughs, “because a new baby just arrived, and we haven’t been on an outdoor camping trip lately!”

Many others entrants share Phalen’s knack for turning ordinary days into something special. Here are the best of the rest—some silly, some sweet, and even one that’s sticky!

Taming the to-do List

IT’S A DREARY FACT OF LIFE: Chores and errands have to be done regularly. But many of you have figured out how to make the inevitable more enjoyable.

  • “Running errands with my two toddlers—Alex, five, and Ivan, three—was torture until we started ‘I Spy Scavenger Hunts.’ Before we head out, I make a list of things to look for at each store: items that are a specific color or start with a certain letter, a kid having fun, something that makes them laugh, and so on. When we find everything, I give each boy a construction-paper ‘ticket.’ At the end of the month the boys cash in their tickets for a field trip, like going blueberry picking or visiting the science museum.” Pam Piligian, Atlanta, GA.
  • “To get my six- and 11-year-old daughters, Sarah and Laura, to help me dust on Saturdays, I started a ‘dirty dusting’ ritual in our house. I put on one of their favorite CDs and crank the stereo up full blast—which usually brings them dancing into the room. Then I hand each one a duster (which doubles as a microphone), and we sing and dance and dust the whole house. Some of our favorite CDs include the Dirty Dancing (naturally) and Animal House sound tracks. My youngest loves dirty dusting so much that she actually asks me ‘Can we dust now?’”
  • “After my kids, Alexis, 12, and Blair, 15, turned the supermarket’s aisle 5 into their version of the Kentucky Derby with shopping carts, I decided I had to make going to the market a more constructive experience for all of us. Now, each week when the grocery store circulars arrive, I cut out pictures of items we need and we divvy them up. Armed with our pictures we go to the store, grab separate carts, and then race off to find our items. The first to make it to the checkout gets to add the treat of choice to our order. Now my kids look forward to shopping—and it takes half the time.” Donna S. Armstrong, Meadowbrook, PA.

Beyond Rubber Duckies

MANY OF YOU HAVE FIGURED OUT clever strategies to get your little ones clean, and make tubtime entertaining! Some standout tips to help lure youngsters into the bath:

  • “My children, Rose, nine, and Georgie, five, were always fine once I got them into the tub—the battle was getting them in there. Eventually, even the promise of bubbles wasn’t enough to coax them. Then one day I asked Georgie if he’d like to have a green bath. That got his attention. So out came the food coloring and we raced upstairs. He loved it—and when his older sister heard about it, she asked for a red bath! It takes only a few drops, it doesn’t stain the kids or the tub, and everyone has fun.” Mary K. Murphy, Glen Ridge, N.J.
  • “When my kids, Sarah, 10, and Kyle, eight, were preschoolers, we turned the much detested bathtime into a good time by inventing special bath games. One of our favorites was an “experiment” we called Sink or Float. I collected an assortment of household items—a spoon, a straw, a button, etc.—and asked the kids to predict whether each object would drop to the bottom of the tub or stay on the surface. After they guessed, we tested their hypothesis.” Susan Barr, Wakefield, R.I.

Calling Mr.Sandman

OF COURSE, EVERY MOM KNOWS that once the kids are clean, there’s bound to be another disagreement about when to go to bed. For many of you, a special nightmare ritual is a good way to ease children into dreamland.

  • “I get my four-year-old son Ryan ready for bed with the help of a puppetlike character called Mr. Pajama Foot—which I make by sticking my hand into the foot of my son’s sleeper suit (before he gets changed for bed, of course). Mr. Pajama Foot comes to life at the end of bath time, and Ryan is always thrilled to greet him. We each take turns playing Mr. Pajama Foot, who usually likes to talk about things that happened during the day. When the puppet says goodnight, Ryan happily dresses and gets into bed.” Colleen Clark, Philadelphia, PA.
  • “Getting my three kids (two-and-a-half-year-old twins Daniel and Natalie and seven-year-old Oren) to bed was a real problem until I created ‘The Race Car Game.’ The kids all line up and I play mechanic—‘building’ and ‘painting’ them while making sound effects and tapping or brushing their knees and elbows. When they’re ready I say ‘Gentleman, start your engines!’ And they rev up and then race around the room. Each time they pass me I ‘bing’ to note the completion of a lap. After a few minutes they run out of gas and crash into bed. Kathleen Berkowitz, Long Beach, California.
  • “My four-year-old son Mark and I always ‘journal’ together before he goes to sleep. We take turns asking each other about our day, and I write Mark’s thoughts on a piece of paper. He draws the pictures. Our five minutes of fun each night has created a forum where my child feels heard and has learned to listen and to work through any anxieties. And we’re creating special memories.” Marisa Bryant Rinkel, Aurora, Colo.

Kids A-Go-Go

TAKING A LONG CAR TRIP with children can be a harrowing experience, from sibling bicker-fests to mournful moans of “How much longer?” Here, ideas for families on the road.

  • “One Saturday afternoon, our whole family was stuck in a traffic jam, and Melanie,15, Brenda, 10, and Morey, five, started arguing. So my husband reached into a bag of marshmallows we’d brought and threw one into the backseat. At first, everyone was shocked. But the marshmallow was soon returned to the front. Before long, soft missiles were flying in a full-fledged battle. By the time traffic let up, we were all laughing together. Months later, we still discover evidence of the Marshmallow War in the car. The remains serve as a reminder of a boring trip that brought us closer together.” Alicia Stone, Merrick, New York.
  • “My daughters, Casey, nine, and Molly, six, now happily anticipate the five-hour car ride to our vacation house because they know that once we reach a certain spot on the trip (about an hour from our destination) they’ll get to hear me tell the new adventures of Stacey and Dolly. These are two alter ego characters I made up in desperation during one long, whine-filled drive. All of these stories start the same way (‘There were once two girls named Stacey and Dolly. They were sisters and best of friends’) but soon the two heroic sisters are doing things like riding on the backs of giant sea horses, sliding down rainbows to discover treasures, or saving trapped whales.” Ruth Trivelpiece, Richmond, Virginia.

Special Days and Nights

SOME OF THE MOST CREATIVE ENTRIES came from moms who dreamed up ways to celebrate family events because you’ve just got to let your hair down once in a while!

  • “My four boys, Carl, 11, Zachary, nine, Joseph, five, and Joshua, two and a half, all came down with chicken pox within ten days of one another. After the first, most uncomfortable days passed, we made the best of the situation by having a chicken pox party. We colored chicken pictures to hang up. Then we had a chicken dinner, followed by a game of pin the pox on the chicken. We even did the chicken dance! Finally we settled down in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn and watched the old movie The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.” Justina Draper, Huntley, Illinois.
  • “When Dad is away on business, my seven-and-a-half-year-old daughter Stephanie and I have girls’ night in. We always order fast food for dinner, then head up to my room and eat in bed (which is usually off-limits) while watching a movie. Our favorites: The Sound of Music, The Goodbye Girl, My Fair Lady, and Pollyanna. Sometimes we take a late night Jacuzzi bath, enjoy a mud mask, or treat each other to hand or foot massages. And then we fall asleep snuggling.” Suzanne Bragdon, Napa, California.
  • “My children, Juliet, nine and a half, and Geoff, six, were born in January and March. This means that once we recover from the holidays and their birthday celebrations, there are eight giftless months. So I started throwing half-birthday parties. We start with half a cake. Then comes half a card and half a present (bikinis and roller skates work well, of course they get the other half before the party’s over). We top it off by singing the birthday song but we leave out every other word.” Laurie S. Held, Laguna Niguel, California.
  • “Every day all family members throw their spare change into a jar. About once a month, I take the day off and declare it a Splurge Day. We take all the coins to the local bank and have the teller tally it up. The kids—Jason, four, and Ashley, six—put half the money into their savings account and we use the other half for our day. We may pick pizza and a video or spend the afternoon at the local pool. I not only get to teach them that saving money can be fun, but we get to spend some great quality time together, too.” Laura L. Arendt, Crystal Lake, Illinois.