> If life feels dull, there are things that you can do
> to jump start
> things. They can be really simple things, like
> setting up a puzzle,
> or baking a cake, or cleaning out a closet and
> finding lost treasures,
> or buying or making playdough, or pulling out a
> game. Those things
> can work for older kids too, but other older kid
> things can include a
> movie or 2 that they've never seen, an interesting
> website, a trip to
> an arts and crafts store, a walk through a different
> neighborhood, a
> trip to the thrift store, etc. Those things can
> lead to big things.
Someone once suggested I keep a list of possible
things to do when we're not sure what to do:
- Make monkey bread
- Make homemade play-do
- Build towers with marshmallows and toothpicks
etc
I have a drawer in my dresser that is all "new stuff
to do" kind of stuff ... maybe something I bought on
sale and tucked away for later, or a game they're too
young for, etc. I just opened it up today and my
daughter spent some time working on the kids'
cross-stitch we found in there.
OtherJenny
(the one who never posts)
Visit me and my family at my blog!
http://beanmommyandthethreebeans.blogspot.com/
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How do you make monkey bread? Sounds fun!
Some people think it's a waste of time to do something besides
homework or housework if there's work "waiting to be done.
What other things are considered "time waste"?
I like this question. Let's write out how we feel about that even if
it comes out goofy.
Sandra
wasting time
spending time
using time wisely
using time profitably (a really obvious example)
letting time slip away
saving time
making time (can we really make more time?)
losing time
time is money
valuable time
Try rephrasing this: I would rather not waste my time going to the
play. How would you say it if you were to phrase it outside the "time
is money" metaphor?
~Katherine
As to wasting time: it depends on the goals one has and whether or
not some or all of them have been reached. There's a reason for doing
things and sometimes even when there's not a reason, one develops
along the way or something happens. It's like Bilbo Baggins says, "if
you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept
off to." That's probably my favorite quote ever.
~Katherine
As for things like waiting in line or being stuck in traffic, I don't look
at it as wasted time. I look at it as opportunity: What can I do with this
time? I always have a book with me for that reason. Or I use that time to
focus on my breath--bring myself to the present moment. It's all how you
look at it.
Amy
What other things are considered "time waste"?
I like this question. Let's write out how we feel about that even if
it comes out goofy.
> What other things are considered "time waste"?
I've actually had to work on this *a lot* in my life. My father was very
big on not "wasting time". I still have issues with the concept from time
to time. Like if I'm watching a tv show and "vegging out" I'll think "I
should be doing something else". Or if I'm watching the kids play I'll snap
out of it (the "it" being present in the Now) and think "oh, I could be
doing something productive while they play".
I'm catching myself more often these days. I'm really feeling like very
little is a waste of time. If anything I spent that time breathing and
keeping my bodily functions alive; and that certainly isn't a waste of my
time.
be at peace,
Maisha
Khalfani Family Adventures
EarthSpirit Journeys
"Don't be afraid of showing affection. Be warm and tender, thoughtful and
affectionate. Mankind is more helped by sympathy than by service. Love is
more than money, and a kind word will give more pleasure than a present."
~ Jean Baptiste Lacordaire
I think clock time is an important construct; it helps us figure out when to
take a trip, visit a friend, etc. Outside of that time just becomes jargon
for being on some imagined hamster wheel of life. Just an excuse to keep
going and to not be present in life at that time (imo, of course).
Safiya and Dakari wanted to know when Spring "started". It led to an
abstract conversation about time. How Spring doesn't start on March 21st -
it starts whenever it wants to. And how the calendar is not the best guide
for seasons. And how nature doesn't use "time" like we do. And how other
cultures didn't even use years. They would say "I've been here for 20
moons" or something like that. And how our calendar isn't an accurate
measure of time anyway, because people have been around longer than 2,008
years. For instance the Chinese calendar is over 5,000 years old.
I suppose quantum physicists have these types of conversations on a level
that would go beyond my comprehension; with the bending of time, alternate
realities, etc.
<<So my guideline about wasted time is really simple.
If it is a relationship-building thing, it's time well spent. If it's not, it
isn't. If I died tomorrow or in a week or in a year, would I be happy about how
today went? Who would I need to call to my deathbed, and what would I need to
say to them? How about I save us both the hassle, and just behave in a way that
makes it clear from *right now* where we all stand?
It's counterculture, but by that standard, days spent cuddling, never gotten
out of jammies, taste-testing pears, are better spent than days pursuing a
bigger paycheck.>>
And there is the blessing in having yourself in an environment with people who have lived a bit more life, and who understand what life is really about. Much to-do is made about the burden of caring for older parents and grandparents. And I’m sure it can be felt and seen that way for some. Or it could be an opportunity to learn from someone who has been-there-done-that, and to make food, and to learn about forgiveness.
Your post helped me change my perspective even more Laureen.
Amy-=-
SNAG! I've just linked my too-short, too new "Breathing" page on
AlwaysLearning and I'm rushing off to add this before everyone has
looked.
http://sandradodd.com/breathing
Anyone else want to contribute a story, suggestion or an outside link
or quote?
Sandra
~Katherine