Have You Forgotten How To Be A Fun Mom?
Did you ever have a friend who’s mom was the cool and fun mom? You so wished your mom was like there mom.
There is a couple of moms that come to my memory.
It was always a blast staying at their house and you got to do things your mother would never let you do.
If we’re being honest here I will confess that they may have let us do some drinking.
Always in their presence but still totally illegal.
I’m a parent now and I wouldn’t be cool with that. I now know that this was a pretty bad judgment on their part.
Growing up I didn’t talk with my mom about anything too deep. She wasn’t much for showing emotion.
But that’s a whole other post for another time!
I don’t believe I was really a cool fun mom when our 2 oldest girls were growing up. There were moments but overall I was pretty strict with them.
I’ve definitely gotten better through the years and I think I’m much more relaxed and a much more fun mom these days.
I still believe that you are your child’s parent first before you are their friend.
Until they become more accountable for themselves it’s best to keep those separate.
Don’t get me wrong you can be a friend like and what I mean by that is, you want your kids to be open and be able to come to you.
So you can be like a friend and have an open mind but without being judgemental.
You are still wearing that parent hat so you want to give them advice they can trust.
You can still be an awesome fun mom and still be parental at the same time.
Let’s stop worrying about everything we need to be doing and have some fun with our children. Those days go by so fast.
Go out and let’s make some memories!
So I want to give you some advice and tips on how that looks.
Give you ideas on how to expand your mom duties and have fun at the same time.
Making An Impact With All Those Small Moments
You don’t have to make every time you play magical and lengthy.
I found when you are playing with your toddler or preschool-age kids that there usually done playing and have moved on to something else.
Just proves that you can take time and spend 20 to 30 min a day with your child.
Giving that time totally devoted to just them will make an impact.
Here you will find a list of some activities that don’t take much time and will put smiles on your faces.
- Read a book to your child – Pick a short book or read a chapter out of your child’s favorite book. Or what’s better than that, is to read one of your favorites growing up.
- Play a simple game – Card games are a good option such as UNO, Go Fish, Old Maid, and a simple matching game.
- Sit down with your child and color from their favorite coloring book
- Go for a walk and play a simple game of I-Spy.
- If you have older kids play a game of charades. Write down your favorite movie, book, or TV show.
- Have an impromptu dance party in your living room.
- Sit down and just have a fun conversation. Make a conversation jar and once or twice a week pull one from the jar and have an open conversation
- Have some silly time such as dress each other up in clothes that your child picks out and take some selfies.
- Depending on the age of your child, you can let them fix breakfast or lunch for everyone. Let them choose what to serve.
- Buy a mad libs book. My kids have always enjoyed this because they can really make funny stories.
Whatever you choose to do, you can see that just taking those small moments will make a big impact in your child’s life. The will forever remember those moments.
Free Or Inexpensive Ideas To Have With Your Children
So I really wanted to give them some thought, I want to give you ideas of what we have done, and also suggest other low-cost ways you can spend valuable time with your children.
Some of these ideas may take some extra planning to work into your schedule but well worth it.
Day trips are always good to do if all it takes is a tank of gas and the destination is either free or low cost. You can pack your snacks and lunch and you are set.
We plan on going to Independence, Kansas soon to visit the Homestead of Laura Ingalls. It’s about 2 hours away and is $3 for adults and $1 for kids.
Of course, it always depends on where you live and what is available in your area but there are a lot of museums that are either free or low cost to get in.
When we take the kids to St. Louis for doctor visits there is always a lot of free things to do there.
The zoo, science museum, and forest park has some beautiful structures to look at.
The Arch has a phenomenal museum inside and is also free if you don’t ride the tram to the top.
Here are some other ideas that either is low cost or free to do with your children:
- Make a craft together. The dollar stores are full of great stuff that’s cheap. Of course, Pinterest will give you loads of ideas.
- When fall rolls around this is a good time to go to the corn mazes. Look for Family Days because they are usually cheaper with all the activities included.
- Look for places within an hour drive that will pique your child’s interest.
- Go to your local library and attend story hour. I know at ours they include a simple craft that you and your child can make together.
- Have movie theme night including food that is related to the movie and dresses up as the characters.
- Have a lego building competition.
- Go for a nature hike in a national forest.
- Paint rocks-Look for smooth rock or rocks that have unique shapes and paint pictures on them. My kids loved this activity when they were young.
- Visit a farmers market. We love doing this and it’s a great place to get fresh fruits and vegetables. Plus your children can help pick them out.
Out Of The Ordinary Holidays To Celebrate
I want to share some really cool ways you can turn an ordinary day into something really special for your kids.
Someone gave me a calendar one year that probably had over 300 unique holidays you can celebrate.
I was so surprised on the range of crazy things you can celebrate.
This is definitely a good way to stand out as the cool fun mom when your children share what they have done to their friends.
Celebrating these cool holidays can definitely rack up those brownie points and give your children lasting memories.
Kick Up Your Heels And Be A Fun Mom
January
- National Rubber Ducky Day (14th)
- Winnie The Poo Day (18th)
- Popcorn Day (19th)
- Backwards Day (31st)
February
- Thank Your Mailman Day (4th)
- Icecream For Breakfast Day (6th)
- Making A Friend Day (11th)
- Love Your Pet Day (20th)
March
- Incredible Kid Day (15th)
- World Storytelling Day (20th)
- National Goof Off Day (22nd)
- National Puppy Day (23rd)
- Make Up Your Own Hiday Day (26th)
April
- International Children’s Book Day (2nd)
- National Siblings Day (10th)
- World Penguin Day (25th)
- Tell A Story Day (27th)
May
- Mother Goose Day (1st)
- Clean Up Your Room Day (10th)
- Eat What You Want Day (11th)
- Frog Jumping Day (13th)
- Scavenger Hunt Day (24th)
June
- Say Something Nice Day (1st)
- World Environment Day 95th)
- National Chocolate Ice Cream Day (7th)
- Best Friends Day (8th)
- Eat Your Vegetable Day (17th)
- Forgiveness Day (26th)
- International Mud Day (29th)
July
- International Joke Day (1st)
- Teddy Bear Picnic Day (10th)
- Ice Cream Day (24th)
- Aunt And Uncle Day (26th)
- International Day Of Friendship Day (30th)
August
- Watermelon Day (3rd)
- National Creamsicle Day (14th)
- World Photo Day (19th)
- Women’s Equality Day (26th)
September
- International Literacy Day (8th)
- Positive Thinking Day (13th)
- Mayflower Day (16th)
- International Peace Day (21st)
- National Good Neighbor Day (28th)
October
- Taco Day (4th)
- World Teacher Day (5th)
- World Smile Day (7th)
- National Dessert Day (14th)
- Dictionary Day (16th)
November
- World Kindness Day (13th)
- Take A Hike Day (17th)
- Universal Children’s Day (20th)
- World Hello Day (21st)
December
- Human Rights Day (10th)
- Bill Of Rights Day (15th)
- Go Caroling Day (20th)
- Festivus (23rd) Watch Seinfield Episode
If you liked this post then you may find value in these post with more other positive parenting tips and advise:
How To Build Confidence In Kids
Building A Strong Parent Connection
So as you can see there are so many activities listed here that you will have endless options to show your kids that you know how to cut loose and be a fun mom.
Don’t let to much time go by and miss all the opportunities you could be having.
Rember you can’t get that time back. I wish I would have taken more time with our oldest 2 daughters.
Give yourself a break and prove to yourself that you can be a happy, joyous fun-loving mom.
Domestic Engineer Mom
Robbin