Outdoor Family Fun for Memorial Day Picnics

The smell of hotdogs and burgers is in the air. The long Memorial Day weekend is almost here. And so far, it looks like we're going to have sunshine. But if the thought of spending a hot afternoon in Uncle George's backyard with nothing to do but listen to Aunt Marge complain about her bunions has you dreading the weekend, we're here to help. Here are a few fun ideas that all ages can play outside.

1. Boochie: This bean bag and ring toss game is great fun for all ages. Pick your color and put your special score-keeping, instruction-giving wristband on. As you click your wristband to keep your score, it tells you how you have to toss your items: between your legs, with your eyes wide shut, etc. Toss yours the closest to the Boochie to score a point. The first one to 11 wins. Great, active fun that is simple enough for a 5 year old and challenging enough to keep adults entertained. Different wristbands have different challenges, so switching them up will keep interest high for a long time!

2. Water Cannon: If you don't mind getting a little wet, bring a water cannon (or 3!) to the family picnic. All you need is a bucket of water to go with it, and let the fun begin. Shoot at each other, or set up fun targets to see who is the sharpest water shooter. It's easy to load and easy to empty. Just keep it away from the grill so those burgers don't get ruined.

3. Stomp Rocket: Okay, I know I've talked about these before. But they really are that fun! No one can resist stomping on the launch pad to see how high he can make the foam-tipped rockets go. Kids can't seem to help chasing them either. Just be sure you're far enough away from the potato salad to avoid a messy landing.

Hopefully, at least one of these ideas will work for you and yours so you don't get stuck rubbing Aunt Marge's bunions. Enjoy the holiday weekend! And look for us with Mrs. Fisher Cat in Hudson's Memorial Day Parade!

Active Play That's Easy on Mom

I am tired of standing in the sun, pushing my kids on the swing. There. I admitted it. My kids, like all the others on this planet, love going to the park. Of course they do. Why wouldn't they? And I like to encourage it. I like keeping them physically active and breathing in fresh, summer air.

But there is the reality of what park time can mean for adults. It can mean feeling the sand stuck to your sweaty forehead while you pretend to eat the 100th sand ice cream cone your twins just made for you. It can mean yet another round of tag where you try to strike the balance between running fast enough to keep them on their toes, but no so fast that they can't get away. And the swings. Please tell me I'm not the only one who dreads when her kids want to swing. Pushing them on the swing is fun for about two minutes for me. Then I just start to feel miserable. I even find myself wishing to be back in the sandbox; sand in your underwear isn't that bad, right? But I do it, and I even try to smile.

Still, I need a break. But I still want my kids to be outside playing. So here is what I tried. I got them a stomp rocket set. What great fun! They played for hours, taking turns jumping on the pad to launch the foam-tipped rockets into the sky and then racing to retrieve them. They could work it all by themselves! No mom standing in the hot sun for a couple of hours required!

When they complained the other day that it was too hot to be running around, I simply turned on the sprinkler and let the rocket launching begin again. Their creativity soared like the rockets as they pretended launches were delayed or dangerous because of the rain. They stayed cool and active. I gained a couple more hours sitting in the shade on my porch swing, sipping iced tea. Now that's the kind of swinging a mom can enjoy!