indoor fun

As our winters are about 5 months long in Minn*sota, we always have to find lots to do indoors. In addition to our usual repertoire of crafting and doorway-climbing, here's some of what's been keeping the boys busy after school:

Puzzles, of course.

Every year for the last several years, we've put our tree outside still in the stand after Christmas (and after removing the ornaments), then create ornaments for the birds. We've done garlands, and pine-cones covered in lard and birdseed. It's a nice way to enjoy the tree and share it without all the pine needles in the living room!

The boys have ways of spending time with grandparents too. Grandma often stops by first thing in the morning and walks the boys to the bus on her way to walk at the YWCA. The boys also visit there, and it's so nice that they're only a couple of miles away. To visit with Omie and Opa beyond traveling to see them, the boys Skype and get read to through Readeo - which I highly recommend if you have young kids with far-away relatives that want to keep in touch. The picture of them above is of them being read to by Omie. She reads the book aloud and turns the pages, just as she would if she were sitting right with them. The boys can see her face as she's reading, and she can see them too. Grandma is a better bet for sitting on their cold feet, though.