I have a new goal in life.
My goal is to make dinner.
Not just stir, measure, chop and simmer, but do so without someone climbing up my yoga pants designer jeans while someone else knots my pony tail perfectly coiffed hair.
So I’ve started to break out the Pinterest activities right before I begin cooking dinner in hopes of hypnotizing creatively engaging my children with a new activity, giving me a few quiet minutes to try new recipes that they will refuse to eat anyway for us to enjoy.
My first attempt was the race track created by The Mother Huddle.
I would rather you not look at her pictures before mine because she has fantastically creative details like parking spaces and a dashed line in the road.
There were kids climbing on my head. I did the best I could.
I enlisted the teenager to help tape the outline of a track,
gathered the appropriate parties at the start line,
and let them loose.
I cooked dinner to the echo of VROOMS
the twirl of tutus
and the occasional “Moooom, his toe is touching my knee.”
because no activity is THAT good.
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What an excellent way to let the kids have fun, while you get to do what you love. Simple ideas can go far just some tape, a maze, then there few favorite toys. Awesome
What a pretty cool idea! And here I was using that tape to tie my kids to the chairs all these years! LOL!
Excellent idea! Way to go, mom.
P.S. I heart Pinterest. But I think you already knew that. 🙂
Yep, YOU were the creator of my addiction ;).
You are a great momma! 🙂
Genius.
My mom used to just park us on the back patio with a tupperware of water and paint brushes and tell my sister and me to paint the concrete.
I like your race track better. 😉
Painting the concrete is genius. Too bad Pinterest wasn\’t around back then, your mom would have been a hit.
Wow what a great idea! I need to start paying more attention to the pins people put up. I’m a passive pinner currently. I completely know what you mean though. I would love to cook for the sake of cooking not for the pressure of getting it done “now!” because people are hungry and having them not eat it anyway!
Love it and I loved that Dora twirled! Girl power!
That is SO cool… In the interest of time (an not having NEARLY enough of it) I have been resisting Pinterest… I am also resisting cooking dinner – but that is a completely different tangent to go off on for another time 🙂
Pinterest can help you with dinner too. My time spent there has been well worth it, I have found so much good stuff.
this is such a cute idea!!
I think you did a phenomenal job and that you are an amazing mom.
Great photos, too!
Aww, thanks Liz.
That’s awesome! I love that you can do it instead of the race track rugs. We might have to do that in the toy room!
What a simple, but GENIUS idea!! The weather has been good enough still that I’m able to throw the older boys outside to play so I just have to deal with the baby. But when the weather turns sour, you can bet your bottom dollar I’m going to try this!
What an awesome idea!!! I usually shoo them away and turn on SpongeBob while I’m trying to make dinner 😉
I saw this on pintrest-what an a genius idea! And who cares if you don’t have all of the little details- yours is quick, practical and still an amazing idea
Brilliant!
I love this! I’m trying this soon.
I’ll try anything to be able to cook in peace!
Hey Jessica. How about leading the race track to the kitchen, so they can help you as they park their cars. 😀
I think I\’m better off leading it away from the kitchen, they are always at my feet when I cook.
This whole attempt to actually do stuff from Pinterest and then blogging about them has me feeling all at once excited and overwhelmed. So far, I’ve only tackled cooking new recipes. Which I then forgot to photograph and link up with Julie. ::Le sigh::
But still… cooking I can do. Actual activities? Terrify the bejeesus out of me. But this was a great idea, and relatively simple!
Maybe there’s hope for my Pinterest projects after all.
What a great idea! I am stalking your Pinterest ideas, because they’re that good!!
Thanks Angela, if only some of them were my own ;).
That idea is brilliant. As is Julie’s whole let’s-actually-do-stuff-from-Pinterest. If only I wasn’t so lazy!
Well, at least it worked, right?! CUTE photographs!!
Look at you go smart Mama!!!
Oh that is so very cool. When they are a bit older you can start with duct tape purse making!
I forgot about the purse making, the things we can do with tape.
I get upset when people’s toes touch my knees too.
That is very cool…Of course I’d have to do it in my kitchen and that’s where I am cooking! LOL. But I can definately see how this would be a HIT!!! So cute and you did a great job as usual 😉
That’s pretty good! What a great activity, and I think yours looks fabulous! I have a racetrack rug that my son ignores, but I think something that takes up the entire floor might actually entertain him for 15 minutes!
GREAT way to keep them entertained!
How awesome!! I will have to do that for Dustyn
How cool! I wish we had cool hardwood floors for that! Looks like they had a blast.
That is such a cute idea! I may have to try that with mine too. Maybe it will let me cook some type of meal for once!
i am still sidetracked by the fact that you have a cream sofa 😉
Oh my gosh, that couch is a mess. It has barely survived the last few years but we love it so I\’m only saving it to get it redone.
OH girl, I have a big enough space in my living room. I am SO doing this. BRILLIANT!! So, how was dinner? 😉
Dinner was great because I had five minutes to regain my patience while they played!
Cooking dinner means the boys are watching a show and the babies are in a stationary toy of some sort. This seems much more brain worthy!
The part about them not eating it anyway…. ohmygodsotrue!!!
Seriously, I think the longer it takes to make the less of a chance they are going to eat it.
Love this- so, so much!!
Wow! That is a great idea. I have the same dilemma as you, but Donut is too little to entertain herself right now. If I can hold on a bit longer, one of these days we might be able to enjoy a meal!
Oh you are in the years of having to hold them on one hip while you try to cook with the other hand. My youngest is still coming out of that phase.
Now I really believe in your Mommy Super Powers if you tell me that they actually ate what you cooked for dinner!!!
Very cute idea – and I always say simple is better!
Loving this activity, and I have kids coming over this weekend so I fully plan on stealing it.
Thanks for including all the pics. They make the post.
Oh they will love you for doing this for them!
LOL. You deserve an award for the best/most humorous use of strike-through in a blog post. 🙂
Cute idea too.
Thanks Emily, too bad that wasn\’t a category in your writing contest ;).
This is a great idea!!!!
Now I know what I’m gonna do tomorrow!!!!!
Whatever it takes to get a few minutes of peace!! I need to start implementing some of the jewels I’ve found on Pinterest. So far it is just another guilty pleasure!
That is cool!! I really have to go through your boards one of these days. At least the one with all these awesome kid activities 🙂
Oh what a super fun idea!
They loved it and we have kept it up for weeks, much more durable and less expensive than the race tracks in stores.
That’s pretty smart!
m.
It was lots of fun and they had a great time with it.