So what do you do when the local temperature is a mere 10 degrees and falling?
Why, you drag out the boxes and blankets, of course!
My children’s mom is a wimp, you know. She is not up for outdoor play when it is freezing. Are you kidding? We keep the house at an absurdly high temperature and even then, I’m in my husband’s fleece and still a’shivering. (Sound familiar, ‘Meg?)
Consequently, I do not care a whit that the living room has been engulfed by a mass of bedding, with a few big cardboard monoliths standing tall & somewhat wobbly in between. The little ones are delighted and even the “big” boys are keenly distracted from their more scholarly pursuits.
There is a fortress to attend to, after all. I let them go.
And when I brought out a cute plastic tea set that I’d purchased at Wal-Mart and set aside for just such a day….well! You have never seen such a flurry of creative play.
Except I know you guys. You have seen such a flurry.
Aren’t they fun?
Truly, it’s just priceless to watch all the activity. There are memories being made and time with one’s siblings is a gift.
Do not fret if you don’t have the boxes on hand for your fortress–three or four chairs or the dining room table will do. Add a lamp & a couple read-alouds and you’re set.
And here’s a link if you should need it.
Go! Have fun! And when you’re done having fun, the kids still won’t be. Bonus points! Free time for Mom!
All too familiar…
🙂
IT SNOWED here today!!!
argh.
*still smiling through it, though*
How fun Margaret. I will agree with you that it is cold today here in MN!! Burrr…
Another idea is rolling newspaper into tubes and taping them. Then you can bend or shape them into tents or domes and cover with a blanket! Extra mom time bonus because it takes longer to assemble than the boxes.
Stay warm!
It is cold today, but today is supposed to be like 16, so we are going outside even if only for 10 minutes, Saturday and Sunday are predicted highs below zero!! We have to make use of the above 15 degrees days! Thanks for the great idea, no boxes here, but we will make forts, also known as “hideouts”!
Our heater went out today and it has been only 60 in our house, so we have been snuggled on the couch with blankets all morning! The heater guy just got here, gotta go!
I agree, fort time is a favorite pastime around here too. It is one of those timeless, all-ages activities.
Margaret…we just got a new dishwasher on Monday so the box that it came in is now a throne in the living room, a pirate ship, a reading space – I don’t even know what –
I toast you with my cup of tea and say, “Here’s to cardboard boxes!”
Oh, it’s the couch cushions over here. All day, every day, regardless of weather…forts, ships, castles, bridges, you name it, we’ve had it! I’ve given up trying to have a normal-looking couch that you can actually sit on!