HELP -- what can we do to pass the day with Mr. Owie Foot?

The boys are so active -- I'm really struggling here with keeping them entertained. I have a cartoon movie we picked up at the library recently and they're watching it now (Ice Age and surprisingly it's holding their attention!) I told them we'd go in the hot tub after the movie. But this is going to be a very long day... we've already had a meltdown over wanting to wear shoes but it's too painful to put them on. I may hide all of the shoes at naptime :lol:

 

Deb - :hug99: SO sorry!!!

Ok, these are the things that we do. Don't know how well it will work at that age. Can't remember when we started some of them.

I would bust out the water colors, paints, finger paints, washable pens. COVER a work area with (we have rolls of paper) newspapers or paper etc...and let them paint and have a blast! The love it and we go from thing to thing and it can take hours! We do glitter glue and beans, noodles paper scraps etc....

Give them stickers to put on a piece of paper etc.... those are the one's that will help me in a pinch. Otherwise I will let them watch extra TV or movies when I get super desperate!!

Good luck!! :hug99:

 

-Playdough
-making cookies that need cookie cutters
- fruit loop or cheeries on a string.

 

bubbles - I realize this may only kill a few minutes but nothing turns a frown upside down like a bottle of bubbles!

 

Sorry, Debi....I didn't see this until now (have been thinking about the two of you today)...Art/craft ideas are great, but I think you mentioned they don't seem to hold T&Ts attention much.

My boys are big diggers, so I would find a close park with a sandbox or somewhere on your propery you can dedicate to a dig-zone. I would bring out some of the smaller (easily washable) trucks, toys to play with in the sand. Would he sit in a pile of dirt/sand and happily dig for a while w/o being on his feet?

If you're worried about going outside without shoes that will fit over a swollen foot, you could do a 'rice' sandbox inside. My boys couldn't handle this one, b/c they'd just eat the rice, but maybe yours are old enough to? I would throuw a pile of rice (or beans) into a medium or large rubbermaid bin and then hide some smaller toys inside the rice and they'll have to find them with their hands. You could also just have water play with cups if you didn't want to waste the rice.

How did the stroller ride go? Did they tolerate it at all?

Don't you guys have Power Wheels? Is that old news now? If not, it would give him fresh air, but sitting down, even if only for 5 or 10 minutes.

Can you make a game of sitting in a circle and rolling/throwing a ball to one another? (Okay, I can hear you laughing snarkily, "With my two? Yeah, right!"

Are the boys big readers? How about a trip to the library or bookstore for some 'fresh meat'?

"Bonus bath" is my secret weapon when we're stuck at home.

"Really long errand" is my secret weapon when I need to get the hell out of the house. I can convince them that being stroller-condemned isn't so bad if I keep throwing them pieces of dried fruit like its candy.