It is becoming more apparent every day that I have a lot to learn about being a mother.
The teacher? My kids (four and one-and-a-half).
The classroom? Our living room, mostly and sometimes, the kitchen.
And the lesson? How to have FUN.
Did we adults get so caught up in mortgages and jobs, car tax and pensions that we forgot how to have fun along the way?
When I catch myself saying to my son, 'Just give me one minute here' because I'm trying to peel the spuds when he REALLY wants to try to run through my legs without my being able to 'catch' him, I realise that I am so, so terribly unused to having fun just for the sake of it.
One of my main aims for 2016 is to lighten up with the kids, to acknowledge that the most important thing to them is my time and when they ask 'Play with us?', to immediately respond with 'Of course I will!'
With that in mind, here are are three great games to play with your small kids this weekend - all you need is them and you!
1. Dancing on mammy and daddy's feet
My one-year-old daughter randomly coerced me into doing this with her during the week and we had SO much fun. It reminded me that I used to do this with my dad all the time and loved it. This is definitely one that we'll be continuing with in our house.
(Pic via
Salto Alto)
2. Feet aeroplanes
Lie your back on the floor, bend your knees and see if you can lift the kids up into 'superhero flight position' with your feet. Jacob at four gets a bit more out of this one as he can practice balancing on his own without holding our hands. He really enjoys 'landing' on the couch after a minute too, so park yourselves close to it before steering him towards it. It's pretty good exercise for mum and dad too!
(Pic via Elephant Journal)
3. I Spy
My kids haven't quite grasped the concept of this one just yet, what with them being unaware of the alphabet and all. So we use colours instead. 'I spy with my little eye, something.. yellow'. Of course, you have to pretend that you DON'T know it's the Minion's lunchbox sitting right under your nose and go through imaginary yellow things in the entire house until you give up. Them's the rules, parents!
What are your plans with the kids this weekend? Let us know in the comments! 
