(I was pleased to find out, just before Christmas, that I’ve been selected as one of the Fisher-Price Canadian mom bloggers for 2012. What follows is my first post as part of this program. Over the course of the year, there’ll be Fisher-Price giveaways and further content. Stay tuned.)

Since the kids went back to school this month, it’s just been me and them during the day. No more lovely nanny to entertain and shuttle the older kids around while I coo over the baby. No time to coo! Hurry up! Get your snowpants on! Get your boots off! Where are your mitts? Let’s go, we don’t want to be late!

I have my mornings with Callum and Charlie after we drop Oliver at school, and to be honest, I haven’t necessarily been the best at entertaining Callum so far. If Charlie is asleep, I’ll let him (Callum, obviously) pick what we are going to do to occupy our time. He often selects board games, which we play on the floor of the family room while I sip my coffee. And the whole time I’m thinking about what I should be doing instead – tidying, unpacking (yes, STILL), sorting, whatever. Sometimes we manage to do a chore where Callum can help me, like put laundry away. Yes, I’m evil.

I admit, I will turn on the cartoons if I need to feed Charlie. Callum really isn’t into playing independently yet and he wants to talk to me and hang out with us while I’m stuck sitting down.

After school, if I can drag the kids away from the playground despite the frigid temperatures, we return home to a warm house and, normally, a sleeping baby. They usually immediately run to the playroom together to build some sort of contraption or start role-playing some undercover cops-and-robbers-type scenario. Sometimes the three of us bake together. Sometimes we collectively do Oliver’s homework (since Callum can’t resist trying to spell W-H-O and W-H-A-T or counting by fives). Usually I am trying to tidy something up or cook while this is happening.

The best of all, of course, is when the kids manage to have a playdate at someone else’s house.  Even hosting a playdate makes life easier – the novelty of a new kid to show their toy collection to has not worn off yet.

As I thought about this post, I pondered all the things that we could be doing together that we aren’t. I don’t have a stash of arts & crafts (and oh, leaving them alone with anything normally ends up in utter destruction) and I’m not really coming up with a lot of creative activities other than ‘you guys go play while I start dinner’.

Thankfully, Fisher-Price is there to help with ideas for Play and Learn Family Activities on their website. It looks like there’s some great suggestions for all of my kids, up to Oliver’s age.  I need to build up an arsenal of ideas. This is my challenge this winter – keep the kids happy (with all three at different developmental stages) and keep myself sane. How about you? Got any brilliant indoor play ideas that factor in different ages and stages?

Disclosure: I am a Fisher-Price Mom and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Related posts:

1. (almost) Wordless Wednesday: Winter in the Backyard

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