Win It! Shrek 3 DVD

It's very difficult to do a job when you have children to take care. This is really my problem, but I tried my best to gave them educational activities such as puzzle, block and tuning the television to educational channels like Disney and Cartoon Network.

My kids love Play Dough and stay completely occupied for over an hour. They are almost 3 and 5 and play together very well. This works for me every time I need some time around the house. I spread a flannel-lined plastic table cloth under their little table and let them go to town.

I currently own my own company. So it is difficult to work from home sometimes when my toddler is being rowdy. So I discovered a wonderful method to keeping her happy and quiet..I bought her a princess coloring book with 1,000 stickers included in the pages and these new crayons that crayola came out with that has a plastic covering on them that is hard for her to chew on. She gets to color and take out all the stickers she wants out of the book and place them all over her body..its pretty funny!

"Extra super bonus points for people that don’t have kids that admit they probably would sit their future (or imaginary, if you plan to never have kids) kids down in front of the TV sometimes. "
Is it sucking up if it's true? I got my fair share of tv time when I was a kid and turned out all right.

they love play dough, or painting. They'll spend an hour or two in the playroom making art projects

My entry is on my blog, My Adventures in Simple Living, http://am.paulukonisstudio.com/archives/639

My kids sure do watch some TV. In addition to that however I've got a big box of recylcables that they're allowed to do whatever they want with for crafts. Things like paper towel roll tubes, egg cartons, styrofoam packaging, thread spools, yarn, wool roving, felt, etc etc. They're allowed in the box at any time without asking and allowed to build whatever they want.

@Connie : LOL!!

Mornings we have the TV on, tuned to Disney and we do morning routines. 2y/o and I open blinds, fold back linens, pause to dance to Dan Zane's House Party, then it's on to brushing Teeth. We tidy up the upstairs and usually she tags along and helps, but sometimes she stops in front of the TV, gives herself a little shake shake and goes about our business.

Then it's downstairs where Disney follows until we're able to finish opening the house and making breakfast (yum, coffee for me).

We dance and interact with Disney rather than park, so what's the big deal, right?

And I might be hooked on Charlie & Lola. That's when my daughter usually tunes out and colors. Then TV goes off and we set out to errands or crafts.

It's actually pretty cool right now. I'm blessed to be home with just one. She does most of what I do and loves it. Lucky.

But #2 is around the corner. Due in June. I'm going to revisit this page. So Bookmarked!

Good luck, all.

I don't have kids, but I babysat my niece and nephew before and I have an idea of what it is like to have kids taking away most of my time. I'll sit the boy in front of the Playstation 2 system in the basement and I'll sit the girl in front of the living room TV to watch Zoey 101 or Hannah Montana shows.

I have a whole bin of 'high chair activities' for my toddler. Puzzles, play doh, crayons, paint, mr. potato head, stickers... when I need to get something done I let him pick one and have fun while sitting in his high chair! This way I can unload the dishwasher without him climbing into it.

I'll tell you what I do with my grandkids because I can't remember how I got through it with my own! Play-Doh! Always works; they never get tired of it. I knew there was a good reason to install laminate flooring! The other thing is to fill the kitchen sink, pull up a couple of chairs and give them cups, spoons and soap bubbles. Hope I win the movie, though. I'd like to watch it!

Happy New Year, I used to get craft-type kits in the mail. My two boys would sit at the kitchen table working on their projects. Once in awhile, they needed a little help, so I would stop and assist. Also, Legos were a big help for me. My younger son would sit forever building a kit; meanwhile, my older son ( by 3 years ) would play with Transformers or Power Rangers. One other thing that would keep them busy is building a house/fort in the family room. We used chairs and blankets. Thanks,Cindi

I thank SpongeBob for my bloggy success! ;)

When I need time to get things done (and too much TV has already been watched for the day), I help the kids to build a fort out of the couch cushions, kitchen chairs, and blankets. They drag books and games into the fort (along with some carpet-approved snacks), and they can amuse themselves for a few hours. The only tricky part is getting them to help with the clean-up!

toss in a dvd

I've definitely been known to use the tv to entertain my kids. I also let them use the computer, game cube, wii. And a friend of mine and I 'trade kids.' She'll send her son over here so she can get things done and I send my son to her house to help me out too.

I set my kids up at the kitchen table with play dough. They can play for over an hour and the mess is contained and quick to clean up (5 min)

For my toddler I currently have 3 reliable ways to keep her occupied if I really need to get something done or I'm having a bad day:
1. When I clean the bathroom, I put her in the stall shower enclosure, naked, with some buckets and bath toys and occasionally reach in and turn the shower on. She adores playing with water and, besides dressing her and putting away the toys, there's nothing to clean up.
2. When it's warm outside, I give her a bucket of water and a paintbrush. She "paints" everything. Again, doesn't really make a mess - some wet clothes but that's all.
3. In the kitchen, I give her the organizer out of my silverware drawer and she plays endlessly with the silverware and the compartments. This does require end sorting and clean up, but I usually get her to help and she's proud to be useful.

We do all of the dough, paint, and bead play, but that's only when I'm in a good mood and don't mind the real mess at the end. The methods I listed are for easy sailing the whole way through!
If I win this Shrek 3 DVD, I will have a blast watching it (I love Shrek - I admit), but it will be a long time before she watches it. Can't wait to read all the good ideas for entertaining our charges!

Have you tried perler beads? They are little beads and the kids put them together on little boards, and then mommy irons them together. They could play with these for hours. Of course, then there are beads all over the floor, but they are easy to sweep up. Play dough is also a good one. Yes, it leaves little bits of play dough on the floor for mommy to sweep up, but it keeps the little ones busy and not watching tv.

Crayola products are definitely great as is a train set=)

I give my kids squirt bottles with water in them and a clean rag and have them "clean" windows and wood floors.

Im an awful mom by TV viewing standards.. Ill be the first to shamefully admit that I sit my 8 month old son down every morning for at least an hour to watch Seasame St and we have been doing that for at least two months now... he LOVES it.. and most of the time we will get through that and Big Big World.. (sorry.. eek) But mostly to entertain him so I can get something done I will put him in his walker and he will spend a good chunk of time chasing and/or following his Chihuahua around. If I won.. I'd prol let him watch this one too (ok I defently would... *sigh*.. Im loosing mom points as we speak)

I blogged you too :)
http://www.prizeatron.com

I don't have kids, but I have been known to sit a boyfriend down in front of a movie for a couple of hours so that I can get some stuff done. I've also sent them to Home Depot in search of some elusive part that only a guy would be able to find. I've also sent them out for a night out with the guys. Good thing I don't have kids, huh? Sending the kids out for a night of drinking and shooting pool would probably be frowned upon. heh

I do let my kids watch one of "their shows" or they go in our fenced in back yard to play.

Oops, forgot to mention. It's up on my blog here :
http://abookwormsdiary.blogspot.com/

Taco dough is fun to play with and it's real so it counts as food. I roll it out in the form of thin bracelets and rings and load my little one with them. He hates them and spends all his time trying to take them off. Since the dough's sticky, all he does it get on all over him. Lol. This keeps him well occupied. If it occasionally ends up in its mouth, no worries.

Wheat flour boiled into a sort of doughish paste also makes for excellent glue and sometimes I sit him down with some colorful paper and this homemade glue and he's outta my hair (and into his, lol) for a little while at least.

I sit my dogs in front of the TV tuned to Animal Planet. does that count? :)

Actually, my dogs are usually pretty good at keeping themselves occupied. Sometimes a little too good, and if it ever gets too quiet, I have to go check on them because that means they've gotten something they're not supposed to have.

roodbetty(at)yahoo.com

lol...in all honesty shrek is a very popular entertainer for my 2 and 5 year old grandsons i raise...we have the first 2 and they love it! so yea i admit the tv....
We as well love finger paint and more than once they set in the room with me and paint away while i clean house,of course then we clean them.
i hope i can win this for them...
happy new year and i have you on blog..
http://oldwaybecomesnewagain.blogspot.com/

Peanut butter play dough. Its easy to make and with my two older children a hit. They can make play food and eat it. Especially good for my 4 yr old who still has an oral obsession and eat everything in site that's not food. We also love Crayola here. Paints, glitter glue pens, you name it..if its washable and made by Crayola..we have it. I set them at the kitchen bar and they make mini messy masterpieces while I can breath and maybe get a task or two done between inahles. LOL And I admit...I sometimes find myself eating a squished peanut butter masterpiece every now and then :)