Staycation Day #3

Todays activities really stem off of the idea of taking time to do the things we usually do not do.  I can count on one hand the number of times I have been to Chuck E Cheese's in the 10 years that I have been a parent.  That includes other's birthday parties too!  I just don't care for the place.  The pizza has a lot to be desired, it is usually crowded and I can't keep track of my kids, and the ever dreaded "store" at the end where the kids get to redeem their tickets.  Well, today was different...

Activity #1:  Chuck E. Cheese!

The kids were glowing with excitement!  I have a feeling McKinley is not going to be too thrilled to be included in this type of activity for much longer as she enters her "tweens", so I was happy she wanted to go.


Our timing was perfect.  We showed up at 10 am and ordered our pizza.  I had a coupon for a large pizza, four drinks, and 50 tokens for $19.99.  Who can beat that?  We didn't need a large pizza, or four drinks, but anything less would have cost more.

We pretty much had the place to ourselves.  Chuck E. himself came out and threw tickets in the air for the kids to catch after they danced to "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes".  Everest ran in horror, and McKinley stuck with it despite the embarrassment so she could catch some tickets.  Hagen clung to me for dear life as if he didn't know why anyone would dress in such a crazy suit.

We left at noon when the crowds started to swarm in. We all had smiles on our faces, and the kids had their hands full of plastic trash, umm I mean toys to play with.  Hagen fell asleep in the car within minutes.  I'd say it was a hit!



I always love getting my Family Fun magazine (also a Christmas gift).  I flip through the pages and wish I had the time to do some of the crafts with my kids.  Well that's what this staycation is all about, so that's where I got the idea for...

Activity #2:  Let's make miniture furniture out of egg cartons.

I will show the pictures of what we made so far, but this is obviously a work in progress (which makes it all the more fun). 

Colorful Couch

Rainbow Chair, Lamp, and Book

Justin Beiber's Bedroom.

Twin Bed, Desk, Lamp, and Chairs

This project reminded me of when I was younger I would make my own Barbie furniture out of Kleenex boxes.  I just love the idea of showing the kids how to make things out of items we have around the house.  It is a wonderful feeling to be a "re-user" rather than just a "consumer".  And how refresing it was to use the creative parts of our brains!


McKinley and I got so into this that we started creating our own furniture pieces, not just what was in the magazine.  We plan to make the house to put the furniture in too.  Check out this link from Family Fun where we got the idea:

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/carton-furniture-workshop-1001221/

I have to admit, Hagen and Everest were not as thrilled with this activity as they were with Chuck E. Cheese.  Here's what Hagen did instead...

And Everest spent the afternoon playing Lego Star Wars on the Wii.  But that's okay because this is Spring Break!

We worked well into the evening on the furniture then ended the night with brownie sundaes and American Idol.  Another perfect day!