Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Recipe for a Day with 4 Kids




No, this doesn't really have anything to do with food... suck it up


To successfully entertain 4 children between the ages of 4 and 7, you will need (at the very least) the following things. This is an elaborate recipe, though it seems that the more ingredients you add, the easier it is to make :)
Stage 1
4 kids
1 friendly (if a little weird) neighbour kid
Some washable paints (don't be cheap, buy crayola, you want to know that it WILL wash up!)
5 paint brushes
5 really big sheets of paper
10 small plastic containers
2-15 rags- depending
3-5 old t-shirts
As many crayons, markers and coloring things as you can find
1 large tile kitchen floor.


Send kids into the kitchen, hand out containers of paint and water, show them what the rags are for. Cover each kid from neck to elbows to knees in old t-shirts and set them loose.

While you await the screams of anguish (they are sure to come), or the exclamations of a finished masterpiece, do Farm Town.

Stage 2
You will need
1 reasonably nice day
1 reasonably dry yard
some bicycles and helmets
Sand toys or more old containers
Again, the strange neighbor kid makes a good addition
Clear and definite boundaries of play in ALL DIRECTIONS


Sit back, do some more farming, then make lunch...


Lunch

First send neighbor kid home- her parents make good money, they can feed her.
Go over mental list of what each kid will and will not eat.
Make Mac and Cheese
While mac and cheese is cooking, cut up fruit and veggies and pour into trough ;)
Serve mac and cheese, with or without ketchup



after lunch, hold each kid individually under warm soapy water- don't worry, the more they thrash, the faster they get clean. Shake vigorously to dry.

Stage 3.
Believe it or not, by now they are probably ready to sit quietly for awhile!


Now, this part is important- ARBITRARILY decide what movie they are going to watch. Go for majority satisfaction, and make age appropriate for the youngest one in the group.
Turn movie on.


Spend the next 15-20 minutes shovelling out the trough, wiping the paint off the kitchen floor, unloading and reloading the dishwasher, shaking the dirt out of shoes, picking up toys and containers... and when you're done that, you might have just enough time to check your email before they are all bouncing around bored again! :)


How well this recipe turns out in the end depends on a variety of factors; almost none of which are under your control. You may make it once and it turns out beautifully, and the second time might blow up in your face. Be prepared to roll with it whatever happens, and maybe take a Xanax... :)






Have fun!



2 comments:

Anna said...

send neighbour kid home, parents make good money and can feed her lol lish!

Lishes said...

well, there's a limit after all! I'm less concerned for my material resources than I am for my patience! lol