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in Blog on December 27, 2021 by Emily Roark

Stay Cozy Inside: Six Ways To Entertain Your Family Indoors This Winter

The air is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter, and it’s dark outside by 5 p.m. If you are prone to the winter blues, as I am, this is the time of year when we really begin to feel it. I miss the warm, summer air and playing outside until dinnertime. My kids miss it, too. The reality is, my family and I live in the Midwest, and we have at least three more months of winter weather. Possibly more. I can’t curl up under the cozy covers all weekend long because I have three young kids, but I have learned a few things that keep us happy and entertained even through the dark days of winter.

Hot Chocolate And A Movie

My bigger kids, at four and six, are finally old enough to enjoy this activity. We love sitting in front of the fireplace while watching a good movie on Disney+, and they enjoy the whipped cream on their hot chocolate more than the hot chocolate itself.

Play Outside To Appreciate The Indoors

Winter days feel long, and cabin fever is real. Sometimes the best way to cure the winter blues is to get some fresh air, no matter how cold it is outside. Our family enjoys bundling up and playing in the backyard, visiting a nearby playground, or taking a walk around the block. When we come back inside, we appreciate the warmth even more and we all feel a little bit better after getting a dose of vitamin D.

Homemade Play Dough

I have memories of making this with my mom when I was little, and I’ve carried on the tradition with my own kids. If my kids are in an arts-and-crafts rut, pulling out the play dough ingredients always make them happy. This easy homemade play dough recipe doesn’t take too long to make, and it lasts for months when sealed in a Ziploc bag.

Have A Dance Party

On cold winter days, my kids love to turn on music and play freeze dance. I open Spotify on my phone, and the kids have to freeze anytime I pause the music. Dancing together as a family is silly and fun, and the perfect way to burn some energy. When we want a little more structure, we turn to Jack Hartmann, Go Noodle or Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube.

Bake A Sweet Treat

I might not be a mom who loves to get on the floor and play with toys, but I will bake with my kids any time. When my oldest was a toddler, my husband and I asked for a learning tower for the kitchen, and five years later it’s still going strong. My kids love climbing into it to help me measure ingredients, pour things in, and of course, eat the batter. If baking isn’t your thing, cooking as a family, or even washing dishes together (my kids really do love helping with this chore) can be fun.

Cozy Up With A Good Book

Depending on the age of your child, reading together as family, or even separately in the same room, can be one of the most peaceful ways to spend a cold, winter day. We now have a reader in our household, and our kids love to play “library,” which is really our oldest reading books to our younger kids. In the meantime, my husband and I can relax on the couch and even get a chance to read our own books if our toddler is entertained long enough. When our kids were younger, we would lay stacks of books on the floor and let them go through them while we read something aloud. A librarian once told me that just because your child isn’t looking at the book, doesn’t mean they’re not listening!

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: preschoolers, toddlers, winter

About Emily Roark

Emily is a stay-at home/work-from-home mom living in the suburbs of Indianapolis, Indiana, with her husband and three young kids. When she’s not filling milk cups or sweeping up Cheerios off of the floor, she works as a freelance editor. During her alone time, she enjoys working out, baking, and binging her favorite TV shows.

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One of our most popular blog posts EVER is refresh One of our most popular blog posts EVER is refreshed for 2022! Click this image at the link in our bio to read the just-structured-enough approach Sarah took during those long AZ summers at home when her kids were 6, 4, and 1.5. 😎 

#stayathomemom #preschoolers #summermomlife #arizonasummer #summerschedulefortoddlers #summerscheduledforpreschoolers #samplesummerschedule #summerdaysathom
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Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts #endlesscleaning #housework #cleaning #tidyingup #
Math Quiz: If 3 kids dirty an average of 15 dishes Math Quiz: If 3 kids dirty an average of 15 dishes per day while away at school 7 hours per day, how many additional dishes will they dirty while home all day for summer break?

67. The answer is 67. Yes, I’ve checked my work! Maybe someone who passed calculus can explain? 🤪 -M

#mommath #drowningindishes #summerbreakisnotreallyabreak
Happy weekend - and a big thanks to our June spons Happy weekend - and a big thanks to our June sponsors! Every month, we like to take a little time to shoutout our partners who help support the show + remind our listeners of some of the great deals our sponsors are offering. For more info, specific promo codes, and links, just search the brand name on our website, and they'll pop up in our episode show notes. We also collect ALL our active promo codes (even the old ones that are still working!) in our email newsletter - which is full of other great things we want to share with you, too. Tap on this image at the link in our bio to subscribe today. 

Meet our NEW partners this month . . .
🗣️ @connectspeech (early language support!)
💙 @appahealth (1st month of mentorship free!)
💄 @thrivecausemetics (15% off your 1st order)

And welcome back to . . .
⭐️ @paireyewear (15% off your 1st purchase!)
⭐️ @autoapprove ($100 when you refinance!)
⭐️ @outschool ($15 off your child's 1st class!)
⭐️ @mindandchild ($20 off Parenting 101 course!)
⭐️ @flowkey_com (20% off subscription piano app!)
⭐️ @stitchfix ($20 off your 1st purchase!)
⭐️ @publicgoods ($15 off, no minimum!)
⭐️ @scholasticinc (books for kids of all ages!)
⭐️ @hiyahealth (50% off 1st order!)
⭐️ @kiwico_inc (30% off your 1st mo!)
⭐️ @ritual (10% off 1st 3 mo!)
⭐️ @athleticgreens (1yr of Vit.D + 5 travel packs!)
⭐️ @vionicshoes (free shipping on cute shoes!)
⭐️ @project_wren (10 trees planted when you sign up!)
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Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts #travelingwoes #travelingwithkids #familytravelmishaps
New on the blog this week from @kiamhammond: Learn New on the blog this week from @kiamhammond: Learning About Juneteenth, As A Family.

"Like many families, mine is still figuring out how to teach our children about Juneteenth, as learning the history wasn't part of my education or my husband's when we were kids. The good news is, books written for children and families are a great way for the whole family to learn (and there are a lot of them!)."

Click this image at the link in our bio to read Kia’s book recommendations and more ways to start the conversation at home with your family.

#juneteenth #history #blackhistory #parenting #juneteenthbooksforkids #summerreading
New episode! As moms, we can be hard on ourselves New episode!

As moms, we can be hard on ourselves…and sometimes we just need to hear the simplest, oft-repeated pieces of advice and encouragement to remind us that it is all going to be OK. Join Meagan and Sarah for a reflection on eight pieces of wisdom that have carried us through motherhood struggles at every age and stage. We are offering them to you, to ourselves, and to all of our future selves in Episode 369.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts #momtruisms #momtruths #parentingadvice #motherhoodstruggles
Just a “hello” from last-week-me, who spent 30 Just a “hello” from last-week-me, who spent 30 minutes moving 25 chickens by hand from their home to the new chicken yard, because they refused to go on their own. And then an hour moving them back, because same.

It reminded me a lot of mothering a toddler, and got me wondering: what’s the most ridiculous thing mom life has brought you in the past week? -M
New episode! Have you ever fantasized about atten New episode!

Have you ever fantasized about attending a camp-like environment for grown-ups? Much about the classic summer camp experience is appealing to us (though not EVERYTHING--we could certainly do without the bugs), and the idea of simply showing up for a perfectly curated experience without any responsibility, or planning, sounds AMAZING. Listen to this fun More Than Mom to hear all of our must-have activities (like food and wine tastings, yoga, personal style consults and more!), things that would be a hard no (like swimming in the gross, murky lake or participating in corny, guided crafts) and our daydreams about creating a Mom Hour Retreat (maybe someday?)!

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts #summercamps #womenretreats #momretreat
New on the blog this week from @jaymesherrod: LGBT New on the blog this week from @jaymesherrod: LGBTQ+ Resources For Parents (And Anyone Who Wants To Learn!). 

"The fact is, none of us will get it right every time. Not with each other, and certainly not with our kids. But it’s important that we keep showing up and having the conversations anyway."

Click this image at the link in our bio to access Jayme's roundup of resources.

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