What activity do you dread but your child loves?
Do you try to avoid it? How successful are you?

Inside: I am really starting to dread painting. Its always such a mess! I've become much more careful about keeping paints compleltely out of site at all times, which helps. I try to offer other options as well, but usually i have to give in once a week or so.

Outside: Going to see the dogs across the street. They are sweet dogs, and they're behind a fence, but still. Actually, the issue I have is that Maggie NEVER wants to leave. And now she is wanting to do more with them so its getting to be more of a challenge... she wants to stick her hands through the fence, she wants to throw them sticks to fetch. And the are all about Katie, too, and there have been quite a few times while managing Maggie that they have gotten a little too close to Katie for my comfort... a Great Dane head is REALLY big next to a 1yo!

Maggie's fascination with the dogs comes in spurts. Right now, we are at a peak, so I am lucky if I can limit our visits over there to every other day. And even luckier if I can time it when they aren't outside.

I dread letting Madelynn color, because she always makes a huge mess and throws her crayons around the kitchen and then I have to try to keep them away from Ava.

I try to avoid it, but I'm not very successful. SHe loves to color.

Indoors: "Princess Belle"!!! It's this cute little doll that she got for her birthday that has rubbery outfits that you can change. However, Caroline refuses to try and dress her herself, and gets frustrated trying to get the shoes on, so we end up me dressing the doll and then waiting while she plays with her until it's time for her to go somewhere else and change her clothes again! :doh:


Outdoors: Hide and Seek. Our neighbor taught our respective daughters how to play this. There are only a few toddler-appropriate places to hide around here, and they just want to play for HOURS.

Indoors: "Run, Mommy, Run!" This consists of us running the "circle" of our kitchen, livingroom, and diningroom. Avery likes to do this usually after I've finished a meal. :rolleyes: She will keep going around, and around, and Heaven forbid I want to stop. :rolleyes: Sometimes she insists I push her doll stroller, or popper, and of course my back kills me by the time I am done.

Outdoors: I'll have to think about this one. :)

Mr Potato Head. A good idea in theory. But when I sit there for an hour and watch Trey get pissed because he can't get it how he wants it, or he wants to make mommy Mrs Potato Head (He sticks the pieces in my nose, my mouth..yeah..yuck :lol: ) Then we get it all put away, and he drags it all back out. And there likes 40 some pieces with the stupid thing :lol: I try to hide it for a few days, then bring it out just to humor him :lol:

And the other thing, I really hate being outside. Not that I mind the outside, but I have awful allergies, and this last summer he wanted to be outside ALL day. So I'd sit outside and sneeze, have watery eyes, a sore throat...its killing me :lol: I'm going to have to go in to the doctor again before this summer and figure something out to take, because I was just miserable last summer.

Inside -- anything involging glue.

Outside -- Can't think of anything at the moment.

I love this thread! It makes me laugh because I definetaly have things that I try my hardest to avoid with Andrew.

Inside: I am not too picky about the inside but when I am trying to get work done all he wants to do is get me off the computer so he can play on PBSKIDS.org or his reader rabbit computer cds. AGHHHH! He can play on the Teletubby or Clifford website for days if I let him! We try to limit it to when we really need to get something done- because he is so occupied by it.

outside: In the spring, summer, fall, even the other day in the winter we have soooo many children out on our block (of course right in front on my house) and so if I have to get something done in the house such as cleaning or if I have to work at home or make dinner it NEVER gets done if Andrew looks outside and sees all the kids. I have to keep all of my blinds and curtains closed and keep music or tv on to drown out the sound and hope he doesn't look outside and see all the kids. I then of course, feel so guilty for keeping him away from playing and interacting with the kids but if I have to get something done..what else can I do???
Oh, and we fixed up our back yard and added a swing set and sand box this past summer so he would play in the fenced in back yard sometimes so I could bring my labtop out and get some work done. He NEVER wants to be back there. Even when all the kids are at school or not out he wants to be in the front yard to wait for them! AGHHHHHHH!

When inside I don't really dread much, just maybe doing something with crayons or pencils since my 3 yr olds don't exactly grasp the idea of not taking them from the kitchen table. I'm afraid they might write on the walls. But they have a short attention span anyway so usually no activity lasts very long, thank goodness.

When outside I dread having to keep them all out of dirt and mud. It's like they are all just drawn to it. :lol: Oh and keeping them from going in and out, in and out. They like to do that too, then they definitely track in more dirt that way.

Inside: Hmn.....baking. He's always begging me to bake, but I hate the damn mess/cleaning up. I seem to have to give in about once a week just to keep the whining at bay. Also, legos. Chris got him into making things like a carwash or a tunnel w/ his legos, but he gets frustrated and says he cant do it by himself, so he wants me to do it and then he gets pissed b/c he wants to leave it sit out and he cant b/c the twins will destroy it. OH FUN :rolleyes: For now, I hid the blocks and I've been successful :blush:

Outside: Really, I dont mind anything outside. He can do whatever he wants in the yard :lol: Mud --it comes off. I dont care. Cabin fever makes him crabby!!!