(This is a two year old picture of Grace and her cousin Abbie swinging and spinning together on the same swing. They ended up falling off it, but they never stopped laughing)
“As an adult, it’s too easy to take everything much more seriously than you need to. Children know how to laugh and have fun. In fact, children tend to smile or laugh an average of 200 times a day. And, in case you haven’t noticed, children tend to have boundless energy.”
~ Alice Gray
I know some of you ladies and gentlemen already do these things on a regular basis, but just in case you need ideas of “Fun Things to do at Home or Abroad”, here are some activities I found my own children doing lately for fun:
Sing loudly to happy music. Favorite songs should be re-played over and over and over and over.
Play with legos
Watch silly cartoons and laugh
Order a chocolate chip bagel at Panera, instead of the healthy kind.
Build forts for your army men with boxes. Use a steak knife to cut out the doors and windows.
Melt your plastic toys on the glass of the wood pellet stove. This is fun only until your Mom catches you.
Take a bubble bath and splash a lot of water around.
Crawl around on the floor every chance you get, and meow like a cat.
When outside waiting for the bus, walk through the snowdrifts instead of staying on the cleared driveway.
Wear your shoes on the wrong feet. Tell people you don’t care (if they notice)
Make a grown up play “This little Piggy” with your bare toes, over and over
Take all the cushions off the couch and make a fort.
Run around the couch as fast as you can while hooting like a fire engine
Make a “Surprise Tube”. Put a sock on the end of a paper tube, fill it with your favorite things (Caleb used choo-choo’s) and then put another sock at the other end. Carry it around everywhere you go.
Sing in the bathroom, no matter what you’re doing in there.
Color a fancy picture with different bright colored crayons using only circles.
Design and make your own stuffed eagle.
Pull any extra stuffing (for said eagle) out of the bag and scatter it around your sister’s room. It looks like snow, by golly!
Go to sleep at night with your bed full of books, clothes, dolls, and Other Stuff. You’re always happy when you sleep with Other Stuff.
Make homemade brownies and add a tsp of mint extract even if the recipe doesn’t call for it. When they are done baking, cut yourself a big piece right from the middle of the pan.
Stand up in your chair when eating at the table.
When eating popcorn, sit over the bowl and stuff your mouth with it as fast as you can with both hands.
Go sled riding by the light of the moon.
When you’re riding in the car, yell “wheeeeeeee!!!” really loud when you go up and down hills.
Chase your cat around around the house without mercy
Yell “I MADE BUBBLES!!!!!!!” while in the bathroom
I’ve never seen a smiling face
that was not beautiful.
~Author Unknown
I hope all of you enjoy your day and try at least one of the activities off my list. Let me know. 
I am absolutely exhausted but happy because Rich should be back home later on tonight. I’ve missed him more than usual during this business trip, the days seem so long while taking care of five children at eight months pregnant. I would describe myself as “sluggish” (an adjective meaning; 1: averse to activity or exertion 2: slow to respond and 3: markedly slow in movement 
)However, God in His grace has kept us all safe and well. I’m thankful for that. Thank you to all my friends who have encouraged me this week. ((hugs))
Love and Smiles to you all, Shanda
Good to be Home 
Beautiful picture. 🙂 I know I’m always redundant…I’m going to have to go find some new adjectives. 😉
Beautiful picture! Oh wait, she already said that .
I agree with “Unknown Author.” All smiling faces are beautiful!!
Thats really good advice!
Our boys used to do the fort thing, but they also got out both card tables and draped blankets over them and all the nearby furniture to make tunnels and rooms ~ quite the sight ~
Love this! What beautiful ideas!
Thanks for the fun suggestions! I wanted to do one of the things mentioned if you have snow…but here in Alabama we have the cold right now but not the snow! So I’m going to sing loudly to happy music! Maybe Mama Mia! Have a nice day anticipating your husband coming home! Are you baking anything special today? Love pictures of your baking!
Interesting…my kids do a lot of the same things yet we live on opposite sides of the country. Actually, I remember doing a lot of those things before I “grew up”. I’m glad that after so many days without your husband you can still have a smile in your heart for your children. Have I told you lately how much I admire you? Well, I do.
I absolutely love the list! Let’s see… I often watch silly cartoons and laugh. ~~ If there were a Panera here, I would CERTAINLY order the chocolate chip muffin! ~~ I often wear my slippers on the wrong feet. Does that count? Once I even got to church and realized I had two different shoes on! LOL! ~~ I like to sing in the bathroom. ~~ I do play with my grandson’s Legos — when he’ll let me! That’s about all I can do without my husband getting really worried. Glad Rich will soon be home!
I love that picture!! makes my heart smile…..=)
Praying that God will “lift and carry you” too, during this final stretch of pregnancy…..
What a great list! The picture of Grace and her cousin is precious. I love it! I’m glad that Rich will be home soon. You continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. Much love to you, sweet Shanda!
Yeah for a great list!! especially on a day like today. Hope you are feeling well….how is the camera?? blessings!!
I’m all for the minty brownies…and I may cut the middle slab for myself also Many of those activities have been going on here as well. Glad to hear that Rich will be home later today!
We have been known to sing loudly to happy music. I personally know an awful lot of musical scores, like from “Sound of Music” and “Oklahoma” because my younger sis would play them over and over…LOL. I like thinking of your gang doing all those fun things. What a wonderful, happy childhood! Yes, we sometimes yell wheeeeee, when driving down a hill…I am sure to do so more often now. We also say “Look ___________, woohoo _____________ This started when I saw a pumpkin farm several years ago and David didn’t respond so I said ,woohoo pumpkins! But now we use it for other things too Anything you want someone else to notice.
The laughing girls picture is priceless! Such joy! Jenny
GREAT post. Haivng more smiles in your day is definitely a wonderful things I will have to try a few things from your list today, I am feeling a bit under the weather today.
We’re listening to a new favorite song over and over…it’s the one you have playing on your blog. The kids love it! They want me to keep refreshing the page so they can hear it again! We’re smiling in Oklahoma!
I also have a list of things to keep you feeling like a kid – some of my fav things to do is color – paint my fingernails and toenails lots of different colors, Use a Twizzler instead of a straw, Blow up a whole bunch of balloons and spend part of the day playing with them and then popping them, Blow Bubbles, and if it was warm out there is nothing more fun then sidewalk chalk. I think I will do the random act like a cat and meow one – my kids will think I’m cool that way. I vow never to grow up and I loved this post!!!!
I love that picture of Grace and Abs…so cute. I love the list, it cracked me up. I remember trying to melt plastic stuff on my lightbulb as a kid LOL I was a maniac. I’m glad Rich will be home for you tonight…I hope you have a wonderful evening. Love, Trish
It is so true isn’t it. I love to hear my children giggling. Your post triggered a thought…yesterday I came home to another broken lamp (every lamp I have has been broken)We live in a 1300 square foot home 7 people- and baby swings and play pens and toy boxes and school books take up alot of the “walking” room. So I went to check the lamp out to see if it worked and tripped on the baby swing. My heel was caught in my dress and I fell over. I just put out my hands and fell because I knew I was going down and being that my heel was caught, I could do nothing about it. I laughed all the way down. My children all ran to my aid and when they saw I was all right– we all started laughing. You see all the lamps are broke because everyone runs into them. They are placed precariously “in the way” but I try to get them out of the way:). After my husband checked on me —-he said—“You must think you are a lamp now.” That made me laugh till I cried. My husband made a comment today that his father would have had a swearing fit and been mad at everyone after an incident like that. My husband was glad that lighter hearts can prevail. Perhaps that can be something too–not to take things so seriously.
Well, I’d like you to know that one night last week we were hurriedly trying to leave the house and I put one of my boots on the wrong foot but didn’t notice til I got into the livingroom (where there was more light). My daughter cracked up laughing!!! So, now I can work on the rest of your list! Haha! love, Gail
Hugs and smiles right back! I do tend to say Weeeeh! when I drive down hills . . . the kid in my I guess. I found a lot of those things amusing. they say that humor/laughter is medicine and I believe it is but I beleive joy that comes from the heart is the true/best medicine, don’t you? “I’ve got the JOY JOY JOY JOY down in my heart . . . .only by the love of Jesus. Love you, Lish
such good words of wisdom! Laughing is good so good for ya! I should do it more often. I think if I’m ever a mom I would be torn between the kids having fun and having a clean house 🙂
Whew! At my age, I got tired just reading the list of “fun things”! I could maybe “sing in the bathroom” but “stand on the chair while eating” (I’d probably fall and break a hip!) or “chase the cat” (I’ll leave that for the dog!) I admit though that one thing I really missed when my kids got married and left home was all the fun and laughter, especially of teenagers, and now that it’s just me…I guess I’ll have to depend on you young xangians to keep me laughing with your stories of your kids!
As to shoes on the wrong foot….We could hardly contain ourselves once in church when I noticed my friend next to me wearing one black and one navy shoe. All I did was poke her and point, and the bench began to shake!!
I’m glad Rich will be home tonight. Your list is funny:)
great list! speaking of NOT taking ourselves too seriously, you should read the post I just put up!! 🙂 :)happy weekend there!! ps. a chocolate chip bagel sounds YUM right now. i eyed one while in there yesterday but didn’t cave – next time i will… just for you!! 🙂
What healthy bagels at Panera? !!! 🙂
Great smiles, great list. Add: turn the coffee table over and make it into a boat, and go fishing. Have an indoor picnic on the floor with paper bugs and butterflies. Make paper hats and put on march music and march around the house. WOW I miss my kids right now! I am so glad you can enjoy yours sweety.
i love you for putting this post up 🙂
this is a great list!! I have been having a rough couple of days with my kids and I needed this. I even had a tickle fest with my girls before naptime today!!
If Steve sees me standing in my chair while eating and asks why I am sending him to your blog!
Great list, sounds like fun!!!! I saw your blog because whateverstate recommended it, so here I am!
Stephanie
When we had our daughter Brianna I found out you get to “do over” all the fun stuff you did as a child.I played with blocks, baby dolls, legos and Barbies. My husband built her a 3 story tree house and I built her a Barbie house out of cardboard and drawer liners.We made drip sand castles, rode bikes along the boardwalk, played in the ocean, went for hikes in the springtime hills.I fell in love with Burt, Ernie, and the Cookie Monster!Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too….
Children are such a blessing
What a great list~~~ My daughter always puts a dump truck full of toys and misc things in her bed at night.