What do you do on week ends?

It's been tough. Yes it's getting nicer out, but still, there just isn't that much to do around here (unless it's indoor play places at $30 a head or something)... We're bored out of our minds.

 

We always go to the library at some point during the weekend to stock up on books for the week, or if there is a program I sign them up for that. Even if it's cold out, my girls bundle up and get outside. We do craft projects or they just play with each other, by themselves, or have a play date. I love our unstructured weekends.. It's so nice after a week full of schedules.

 

It has to be *really* cold for my boys not to go outside. I don't know how they do it! But really, kids are so active that the cold doesn't bother them. They spend hours outside everyday. We also play games, they play all kinds of things together inside, we run errands, but like Leighann, we're very unstructured. The week is so busy with work and school - I love our laid back weekends.

 

Add us to the group with kids who go out no matter how cold. They're currently loving making half frozen mud puddles. ardon: Our weekends are also very laid back. Some things we like to do as a family are the library, the mall (ours all have free play spaces), coffee shop for hot chocolate, swimming, dinner at grandma & grandpa's, movie night at home, etc.

 

My kids go out no matter what too! We also do sleepovers in the living rm, movie nights, crafts, or they just play. They're currently building a "big couch" on top is the regular couch with a bunch of pillows and blankets

 

We also enjoy unstructures weekends without having to pack everyone up and head out at a certain time. Usually, we do things like a visit to the library, maybe a visit to a farmers' market, cooking and baking together, bigger craft projects we don't have time for during the week, relaxed play and reading. We all need to slow down after the week.
 
Sometimes we do bigger chores or projects around the house as a family - yes, it takes longer to switch from winter to spring clothes (planned for this weekend) with the kids but if we have the time its a family effort and the kids learn a lot doing chores with us.
 
Special outings like the zoo, swimming or the museum happen but not on a regualr basis.

 

My oldest son has science olympiad practice from 9-12 most saturday mornings, so I have to take him and pick him up from that.  Then my two oldest have karate from 11:30-1pm every saturday.  So I drop Kaelyn off at karate at 11:30, go to the middle school and wait for Sean to get out of Sci Oly at 12, drive back to the YMCA while he changes clothes in the car for karate, and then sit and wait for them until 1.  After that if it's pretty out we go outside for most of the afternoon, if it's ugly out (or the pollen count is thru the roof like right now), we stay inside and the kids play together, or we play a game, or play wii/DS's....etc.  It's pretty rare for them to be completely bored.  Sometimes I save my walmart run for saturday if I know it's going to be rainy.

Sunday we have church in the morning, and the afternoon looks just like saturday's does.

Ocassionally we will head to the zoo, to a play place, or the children's museum, but only if we have the money for it.

 

Now that the weather is nicer, we head to the playground or the kids play in the back yard.  My daughter has a dance class on Saturday mornings.  Our weekends are very unstructured and we don't rush from here to there if we possibly can avoid it.  
Inside stuff we do: read books, play games, my kids very good at spending hours playing with toys, performing their own shows, and drawing.

 

Add me to the list of go outside and play. I usually threaten mine...go outside or help me clean. They usually go. If mine are bored I give them a couple of options, but I don't entertain them. If I have my house clean and school work done, we will bake cookies or something crafty. This past weekend was gorgeous so we spent time planting seeds for our garden, and did some hiking at a local park. We normally don't go anywhere on the weekends, though. My girls play well together, so I honestly don't have a ton of trouble with them finding something to do.

 

generally lay around a lot - clean, kick them outside to play, errand running and shopping and lately its been birthday party season so we've had multiple birthday parties each weekend for kids in their classes

 

We are laid back too. I love the "go outside or help me clean" threat, Rachel. I'm going to have to use that. This past weekend was inside and outside play, laundry, groceries, Target run, and a special trip to the shoe store because none of us have summery shoes and we're going on vacation this week.

 

Mine were outside yesterday from 10am until 6pm! They came in briefly for lunch and a costume change but I love that they were able to play happily outside all day!!! Spring is here

 

We're lucky in that we don't have very wintery winters here. We did have some colder than normal weather a few times this season, but still I'm all about bundle up and go outside. But typically my two are all about being outside. I also give them a fair amount of freedom (until they break a rule) so they really enjoy that. And here recently with the weather warming up, Jason and his group of friends have been fishing in the pond that in the middle of our complex. And there's been tons of bike and scooter riding too.
 
This Saturday I finally had to threaten extended inside time for Jason if he didn't come in and eat lunch. By that time it was nearly 2pm and he'd been outside since around 9am. And playing hard, so I knew he needed to eat. I think my slow eater ate in record time. I had to make him sit and finish chewing his last bite and it was like he had ants in his pants.
 
We do very unstructured weekends when we can. Sometimes we have things planned, but I like for the kids to have that time to free play and just be with no agenda. I like it for me too!  

 

The other night my DH was in charge while I was at a PTA meeting at dinner time. DH wound up making the girls sandwiches and letting them take outside to eat since the kids just started to play "baseball".

 

Mine don't go outside yet for very long without us, but we do try to take them out to a park or something at least once/weekend.
 
We usually get groceries, clean the house a bit (vacuuming, etc) and take advantage of any community-wide things that interest us. Then we do church on Sunday.

 

We go on hikes, bike rides, play board games, go to the movies, or just play outside on the trampoline or a game of kickball or something. We live in a neighborhood with tons of kids and they are usually happy to just run around and play with their friends while Seth and I get things done around the house. Our weekends are NEVER long enough, it seems.

 

I'm jealous of all the "go play outside, relax" weekends lol. Why are we so darn busy?!?

Let's see...soccer for three, on two different teams(under 6 and under 8). Baseball is starting for Anthony. So it's either practices or games on the weekends. And various birthday parties or play dates. Dh works Saturdays during tax season so it's just me and the kids.

When we are home and it is nice out, which hasn't really happened much on the weekend-I send them outside, or we do go to the park, picnic lunches, etc. After being home all week, I usually want to go and do things as a family.

 

 
That's exactly my problem, lol. Staying home is pretty much the last thing I want to do on week ends.

 

Our weekends are skating on Saturday mornings, breakfast out afterward, running errands (groceries or whatever), usually a stop at the farmer's market for the play area or grandpa's for a couple of hours, then home for movies or nature shows. Sundays are often more unstructured and the kids just do what they want all day. It's been a loooooong winter, but it's finally nice out, so I am making lists of "summer" activities so we get outside more often. I tried to get them out a bunch this winter, but toward the end we just couldn't be bothered with the cold and snow and all the gear anymore.