Fun Things To Do When It Rains

Yeah, another blog/comment/post about the stupid rain. We're nearing Noah's record, I think, so that means we're all a little stir crazy by now. Personally, I've spent more time looking out my window than Jimmy Stewart; the majority of my blog posts recently have started out "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

It also means that my children have been going insane for something to do. So here are a few fun things the Brooks household has discovered can help pass the saturated hours.

• Movie Marathons - this works fine for about a day. But eventually your children will want to watch the entire Alvin and the Chipmunks trilogy, the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, and The Smurfs back to back to back. If the sun doesn't appear soon, you'll consider doubling up on your medicine.
  
  
• Video Game Competitions - nothing beats a little friendly escapism-turned-athletic event. Enjoy racing cars around the Mediterranean, or taking the helm of your favorite professional football team while spending time with your son. Then realize that because he's four and you've never let him touch a videogame controller, you'll end up having to work his controller AND yours, which leads to someone melting down into a screaming fit. At which point your wife tells you to suck it up and act like a man.
  
  
• Crafts - glue, glitter, paper and scissors. What could possibly go wrong?
  
  
• Charades - What, you didn't get that my waving my arms above my head in a distinct pattern was actually my using semaphore signals to spell out "Iron Man rocks!"? And how was I supposed to know that your pointing your finger at your head like a gun was your way of saying "This game sucks" and not "Hitler's final thought"? On the plus side, we all know what the kids meant when they fanned their bottoms. Might be time to offer a sacrifice to the Sun god.
  
  
• Pet Grooming - "Come on, everyone! Let's save the money we spend at the groomer's and just trim up Fifi ourselves! How much you want to bet we can make her look like an Ewok?"
  
  
• Baking - a good, simply activity the whole family can be involved in. Most any dessert can be made with standard cupboard ingredients, and your kids will love sampling the various cookies, brownies, cakes and pies coming out of the kitchen.
  
  
• Dieting - After eating all those freaking cookies, brownies, cakes and pies, you'll get sick of the kids calling you "Chubs". Plus, your daughter will become distraught that she suddenly looks like an Oompa-Loompa.
  
  
• Quiet Time - this is a last resort, a final effort to pass the time by sending everyone to their respective rooms for a couple of hours of personal space. Which each family member will use to plot the deaths of the other people in the house.