Mamapicks used to have a ” what to do this weekend” column and she sort of gave up because there is not enough high-quality stuff to do in the Winter with kids.  But now and then , she will let you know about great activities that she finds.  She will also let you know about places that are not great in the new “It sucks” column.

Home Depot has monthly workshops for kids which are FREE and amazing.  We went to our first one this past Saturday morning with my 5 yr.-old son and he was the happiest kid on earth.  The two-hour workshop involves a different building project every time which is suitable for ages 4-12.  It is held at most Home Dept locations one Saturday morning a month, 10am-12pm.  This past weekend, my son used a hammer and nails to carefully construct a savings shed.  He received a kit to complete with an accompanying adult and a really cute  Home Depot kid-sized apron.  He also received a tattoo sticker which was a really big deal for some reason.  You must pre-register as many locations fill up fast.  The next workshop takes place on Feb.11th. Register online.

Yikes!  Father’s Day is on Sunday.  If you are still looking for something special and inexpensive to make with your kids, here are some ideas:

Simple: Have the kids wash Dad’s car.

————————————————

Common:  Good old Martha Stewart has some great printable coupons on her site that can be given to dad.

————————————————-

Creative: This printable file is available on Etsy for only $10 – all you have to do is print it out on nice paper, put your kids’  hand-prints on it, and frame!  Looks amazing.

————————————————-

Original:  Make your own letters or buy them and return them (NO WAY!) at any art store or Pottery Barn Kids.  Dollar store might have them too!  Read more about it here.

—————————————————

True: As I tell you every year, the best gift of all is to give Dad a break.  Everyone says that Father’s Day is for family time but I have a feeling that if you were to incorporate some alone time for your husband, he would be super happy.    Yes, dads need a break too.  Nice ones, that is.

If  you did something fabulous for Father’s Day, send me a photo or link!  I would love to publish some of your ideas.

I love this list of great ideas from Counting On Me.  The Baby is almost a toddler and some mornings, I feel like I need fresh ideas in order to keep him busy.  Come to think of it, I can keep the other two non-toddlers busy with some of these tips too.  Rain doesn’t scare me any more.

The Boy is now writing.  He mostly writes lists of the names of the kids in his class.  He often makes a dotted outline of a letter for himself (just like on the worksheets at school) and then goes over the dots.  It’s quite charming.  I recently thought about capturing his handwriting style as it develops over the next few years and decided to look for a way to create a font for my computer called The Boy.  I found a website which generates personal fonts.  All you have to do is give your child (or anybody else you want to create a font for) the printable sheet to fill out the letters of the alphabet.  Then, you scan the sheet and the program generates the font for you.  This costs $9.95.  Click here to try it, it’s quite simple…and it’s a really nice way of saving your child’s handwriting, using it for various projects, and sharing it with them when they are older.

Mabel’s Labels has a new Loot Bag Combo for $5 which includes a personalized bag tag and 5 sticky labels.  Fun & useful!

Don’t know about you, but my life is on Facebook.  I change my statuses quite frequently…and a compilation of them reads like a journal, reminding me of what my year was all about.  The app “My Year in Status” allows you to create a collage of your statuses.  You can choose from eight different designs. It makes for a nice keepsake.  My year was all about my kids and lack of sleep, as well as a disdain for cold weather and Home Depot.  What was your year all about?

Disclaimer:  The app was created by a husband & wife team (Mamapicks & Papapicks!)

Simple: Have the kids wash Dad’s car.

————————————————

Common:  Good old Martha Stewart has some great printable coupons on her site that can be given to dad.

————————————————-

Creative: This printable file is available on Etsy for only $10 – all you have to do is print it out on nice paper, put your kids’  hand-prints on it, and frame!  Looks amazing.

————————————————-

Original:  Make your own letters or buy them and return them (NO WAY!) at any art store or Pottery Barn Kids.  Dollar store might have them too!  Read more about it here.

—————————————————

True: As I tell you every year, the best gift of all is to give Dad a break.  Everyone says that Father’s Day is for family time but I have a feeling that if you were to incorporate some alone time for your husband, he would be super happy.    Yes, dads need a break too.  Nice ones, that is.

If  you did something fabulous for Father’s Day, send me a photo or link!  I would love to publish some of your ideas.

In December, I surveyed teachers about their favourite gifts.  The winners were gift certificates to malls and spas as well as personalized stationary.  Losers were soaps, candles and chocolates…

Two personalized notepads from Honey Bunch are currently $23 for the pair and ship in 2 days.  Each pad contains 40 sheets.  Order this week and receive a furochic wrapping cloth for free.  Simply enter the code furochic at checkout.  What’s that?  It’s a cloth you use for wrapping gifts instead of paper.  Don’t worry, I didn’t know either!

Anyone planning a summer birthday party?  Keep those kids active, entertained and happy outdoors.  Rent from a selection of bouncy castles for your next outdoor event.  What could possibly be more fun?  Fun 4 Kids is offering Mamapicks readers 10% off rentals.  For details, call 647-889-5857.

The following is an excerpt from a blog called Playborhood by a dad named Mike Lanza.  His blog is all about nurturing outdoor play in our neighbourhoods and providing our children with this important opportunity that many of us  had while growing up.   I find his blog informative and inspirational and I hope you will too.  Mike Lanza’s goal (below), will tell you what it’s all about.

My Goal

I want my kids to play outside with other neighborhood kids every day.
I want them to create their own games and rules.
I want them to play big, complex games with large groups of kids, and simpler games one-on-one with a best friend.
I want them to decide for themselves what to play, where, and with whom.
I want them to settle their own disputes with their friends.
I want them to create their own private clubs with secret rules.
I want them to make lasting physical artifacts that show the world that this is their place.
I want them to laugh and run and think.
Every day.

That’s what I had.  It’s my standard for a good childhood.  It’s my goal for my kids.

Mamapicks says AMEN.