DATES FOR MOMMY & DAUGHTERS
Picnic at the Park
Long Walks with the Dog (what better way to spend a nice summer evening?)
Spa Day- with manicures or pedicures (at home or at a salon). Not too long ago I spent an afternoon with all my big girl’s dolls and we brushed their hair, organized their clothing and fixed them up (i.e. put Ariel’s head back on). She loved that.
Visit a pottery store to make something cool together
Reading books- we read in the hammock a lot on a lazy afternoon and that can lead to just chatting in between books or have a date at a bookstore. Get hot chocolate, take your time browsing the shelves, sit in a corner and read a book or two….
Coffee dates- Try new coffee places and get hot chocolate, apple cider, blended drinks, maybe a treat or two and just people watch. You do it with your girlfriends so why not with your daughter too!
Outdoor markets- the flea market, vintage stores, farmer’s market etc… can be fun places to wander around. Grab a few little snacks and just enjoy wandering with no specific destination. We have some cute small towns that are a short drive away and I can easily spend an afternoon window shopping with my big girl.
Volunteer your time- this month we are going to pack boxes with supplies for troops overseas. My Church also puts together sewing parties to make dresses for girls in war torn countries that need basic clothing (and you don’t need to sew- you can sort fabric, pin things, wrap the finished garments etc…), animal shelters love to have volunteers to walk dogs, soup kitchens or just cruise a nearby beach or park and bring a baggie to collect the trash.
Baking/Cooking- now this can be lessons at home or maybe you can take a class together. I just registered my girls to go to a fancy cupcake shop and learn to decorate cupcakes. You can also do big batches of cookies or lemonade to pass out to friends and neighbors.
Craft activities- my big girl in particular loves crafts. Even if you are not a crafty type- you might do some sort of home project or activity. We have tie-dyed canvas shoes, painted things around the house, planted an herb garden… You can also take classes at stores like Joann’s and Michael’s or Lowe’s and Home Depot have free crafts every few weeks.
Have a special dinner or lunch date. Make it fancy. If you are staying at home, get fun fabric for the tablecloth and napkins, get cute containers… just make things feel special and different. If you decide to go out why not go to a slightly nicer place and dress up a little. Many places will offer Happy Hour discounts (for food silly not cocktails!) or you can just get dessert. Some places offer tea parties for kiddos. My littles love to go to Whole Foods and get amazing gelato or some lovely baked something or other. We sit outside and have a chat and savor the treat.
See a play or a ballet. I was iffy on this because I was thinking my kiddos are too small to sit still but my 5 year old and I went to see the Nutcracker last winter and she was mesmerized. We will for sure go to another ballet or play because she really enjoyed it.
Enjoy the sunset or stargaze. Head outside and sit on the porch swing, hammock or I have been known to drag a big bean bag chair onto the front lawn. Sit there and watch the sunset or the stars. Just sitting quietly can often lead to important discussions- we talk about Heaven, little sisters, boys and nail polish. For some reason my big girl will often use this time to confess to any crimes she has committed during the week (“Mommy I know you said I could only have one cookie but I snuck an extra one and ate it in the closet…”) Bonus points are awarded if the child gets to stay up past their bedtime.
Watch a video together or go see a movie. Now I haven’t “watched” a movie in about 6 years. I am a constant multi-tasker so I have the computer, the iPad, a magazine, piles of laundry and the movie or TV is basically background noise. If you are the same- actually turn it all off and to heck with the housework. Watch the movie or cartoon together and be sure to have a little chat after about what you saw… “So Scooby Doo was a little scared of that Mummy that came out from the bushes… do you think Mummies are real?” My big girl likes to watch craft things on You Tube too. Just last week we got up early on Saturday and just lounged around in bed watching people make cool stuff on You Tube. outdoor beach destination wedding garments
Scrapbook. Alright I am a lame scrapbooker/photobook maker. I wish I was good about doing this and I am terrible. BUT this summer I bought the stuff and it is staring me down. I have been getting photos printed for all the fun stuff we have done so far and we are going to have an afternoon session of putting the scrapbook together to remember our summer.
Tell Family Stories. Children love to hear stories about themselves. They love to hear stories about the family too and if you have girls they might especially be interested in the wedding stuff. I have spent time pulling out photo albums and showing my little girl what my life was like before she was born as well as pictures of her as a baby. We went through all my wedding stuff once- which she LOVED- and I even let her try on my wedding dress. That was a hit.
Build Something- a puzzle, a collage cutting pictures from magazines, play Legos…whatever floats her boat.
Play a Sport. How about putt putt golf? I go to the gym a lot so a few times I have taken my little girl to children’s Zumba classes. She gets to see what I do when I go to the gym and it was fun dancing together and being silly.
Be silly. Go to a play area and actually play. Get dirty- stomp in a puddle. Teach her to do cartwheels. Show her that you can be goofy and fun and carefree too! I believe laughing makes you younger AND it is a great ab workout so do it often.
Take a Class. Williams Sonoma is offering new Junior chef classes where they teach little ones how to prepare various items (smoothies and juicing was recently at our store), Joann’s offers cake decorating classes… maybe you can find some sort of class in your area for you and your little one to learn something new together.