Monster House

Oh, the rain...I keep getting teasing glimpses of spring only to wake up the next day to gloomy skies dumping water droplets everywhere. Another day inside with three rambunctious little boys. What's a mom to do? We have colored, played multiple games of candyland, put together puzzles, played trains and cars more times than I can count, and I am running out of things to do. I have a friend in Virginia who also has three boys, and she was asking for advice on what to do on yet another rainy day. My mind instantly went to "monster house". What in the world is "monster house" you ask? It is a fun game that my niece and nephews have been playing for years. I don't know where it originated. I only know that I have not met a kid yet (including my own) who doesn't love it. Rainy days are gloomy, so this game fits perfectly for those dark shadowy days. The rules are simple. It's sort of like hide and seek except for only one kid hides. This kid is the monster, and they growl quietly in their hiding place while the hunters go looking for them. The other kids are armed with a flashlight (or many flashlights if you have them). Their goal is to hunt down the monster with their flashlight. Whoever finds the monster this round gets to be the monster in the next round. Normally my kids aren't big on hide-and-seek because for one, they have a really hard time being quiet when they're hiding, and two, they sometimes get bored looking for those who are hiding quietly. Add a growl to the hiding monster and a flashlight to what is now an armed hunter and suddenly, it becomes one of the funnest games ever! They absolutely love it! Another fun thing that we play is "tickle monster". I run around the house acting like whatever animal they want me to (monster, dinosaur, monkey, chicken, whatever!) and when I catch them, they get a tickle attack for a couple of seconds before they run off again screaming. It's loud and a little crazy, but it's a good workout for me, and it gets some of their energy out running around the house. When we're all worn out we usually cozy up on the couch, and I give them hugs and kisses til everyone calms down. Then we read a book, talk, sing songs or play something quietly. I enjoy all those moments from the screams when they find a monster to the giggles of a tickle attack to the "I love you, Mommy" that you hear when they're snuggled up in your lap after they've worn out their energy. Being outside is fun and there are so many adventures to enjoy with your kids in the great outdoors, but you can have just as much fun in the great indoors. You just need a little creativity, some energy and some adventurous little kiddos to join you. Have fun!