The rule I stipulated with my kids is that the card is the boss. In other words, if they are so bored with all the toys they have and cannot possibly be bothered to find their own entertainment and must resort to the Boredom Jar, then no matter which card they pull out, they have to do that activity. This served two purposes: 1.) when thinking of activities to write on the cards, the kids actually tried to be creative and choose things they’d like to do and 2.) it stems the, “I don’t like that activity, I’m still bored!” routine.

The activities my kids chose?

• read
• ride bikes
• sew
• play outside
• walk the dog
• work on training the dog
• make a movie (I let them use my Flip camera and my computer)
• write a book (you have no idea how my heart flutters to know that my children love to write!)
• play with Imaginext/K’nex/Lego
• plan a meal (including grocery list, making the meal, and serving the meal)
• draw (my son has developed his own comic series–he blows me away)
• knit (my daughter loves to knit and, once I explained how it makes your hands strong for video gaming, my son was on board too)
• pool (obviously I have to take them, but hey, I love the pool)

So far this summer we’ve done a few of these, but for the most part, my kids are entertaining themselves. I think they like to have the jar available to them just in case, though. I’ve caught them fiddling with it a time or two.

Another thing you’ll notice about this list: it’s populated with things that are, for the most part, free. Yes, the pool costs money, but we join every year. Yes, if they plan a meal I have to spend money on groceries, but I’d do that anyway and this way they’re helping and practicing a skill. The benefit outweighs the bit of money.

Primrose School offers these other inexpensive ideas to help jump-start your kids’ creativity this summer and bust those boredom blues:

1. Stories Alive: It sounds too simple, but reading is one of the most important ways to keep young minds engaged during the summer. Make reading even more fun by finding ways to bring the stories to life.
2. Art Treasure Chest: Gather basic art supplies (child-safe scissors, glue, markers, tape, and construction paper) and put them in a special box along with empty oatmeal boxes and paper towel rolls, colorful magazines, and bits of aluminum foil. Occasionally add a special surprise like chalk, stickers, or stamp pads so there’s always something new for the children to find. Even if you normally have these supplies around the house, it‘s fun for children to know that the Art Treasure Chest is just for them. They’ll probably have some good ideas of other household items that can be recycled to fuel their creative energies.
3. Family Performances: Break out old clothes or costumes and encourage children to make up characters and create a play to act out.  They are the directors, actors, and producers.  They can also make musical instruments out of pots/pans, wooden spoons, empty canisters and have a parade; or everyone can play along to your family’s favorite songs. Record or video the performances, and enjoy the replay.  You’ll also be capturing a bit of family history everyone will enjoy for years to come.
4. Fort Building: Children love to build all kinds of structures–from small towns to large towers. Constructing forts or tents is an activity that can keep children focused and problem solving for hours. All the items you need can be found around the house: some chairs, cushions, blankets…and of course adult supervision.
5. Summer Scrapbook: All you need for this project is a spiral notebook. Encourage everyone in the family to draw pictures of favorite activities and collect mementos from special events throughout the summer.   Children love to go back through scrapbooks and albums and tell about what happened at each occasion.  They will also be building their storytelling skills at the same time.
6. Listening Game: Lie down in the backyard, in the den, or at the park and listen.  What do you hear? Do you hear what I hear? Can you imitate the sound? This is similar to watching the clouds and naming the shapes, and it encourages everyone to slow down and focus on listening.
7. Camping Out: Pretend to camp out in the backyard. Plan a meal, pack a backpack, and set up a campsite. You might even decide to spend the night!
8. Scavenger Hunt: Make a list or picture cards of common household items and have your children find the items on the list. Invite friends or neighbors to join in the fun to make it a competition.

“It’s important to keep children’s minds active during the summer, but it doesn’t take an expensive activity or big vacation to capture their attention,” said Dr. Mary Zurn, Vice President of Education for Primrose. “After all, imagination is free . . . Keeping children engaged with open-ended activities that stretch their imaginations during the summer months helps them develop their independence, creativity, and thinking. We want to help parents keep the ‘brain drain’ at bay while their children play.”

You can find Dr. Zurn’s monthly tips online at DrZandMe.com.

Let me give you my pitch now so we can get it out of the way and move on: You can follow TravelingMom.com on Twitter (@travelingmoms — note the ’s’), join our Facebook Group page, and become a Facebook Fan.

I hope you’ll take a minute or two to stop by TravelingMom.com and look around. Kim offers travel tips for families, those traveling alone or without kids, and so much more. She has a whole repository of interviews with famous travelers and travel deals. It’s the site’s army of women bloggers, though, that sets it apart from other travel sites.

Today I wanted to introduce you to a few of my fellow travel writers (I’m TravelingDisneyMom):

Kim Orlando (TravelingMom) is a mother of three and the extrovert behind TravelingMom.com. She’s building a community for women who love to travel–regardless of how they travel. She offers tips, deals, and puke stories (because, really, who doesn’t have a puke story?).

Marina (TravelExperta) is an expat who has become an expert on Latin American living and traveling. You can also find her at The Travel Expert(A).

Vanessa Druckman (TravelingFoodMom) is originally from France, but now lives in New Jersey (culture shock?). She drives to NYC every Friday to eat at her favorite restaurants. You can also catch her at her personal blog Chefdruck Musings.

Jodi Grundig (TravelingFinanceMom) is not only a writer at TravelingMom.com, she’s on the Disney Mom’s Panel (am I jealous much?). She has an MBA specializing in finance, and a BA in psychology and economics. You can find her at her personal blog, Multitasking Mommy.

Lynn Armitage (TravelingSingleMom) is a single mother who is in the process of moving from Orange County to Northern California. She is the former editor of two parenting magazines, an award-winning, syndicated columnist and the owner of several blogs:

• My Teen, the Alien (support for parents of teens)
• A Mad Mom (good rants about bad stuff)
• Old, My Ass (Lynn’s life)

Mara Gorman: Daytripper Mom’s philosophy is “Every day is an adventure and traveling with kids doesn’t have to mean long hours in the car or transatlantic flights.” She also has a personal blog, The Mother of All Trips.

Desiree Miller (TravelingNewsMom) has four children and her trips are usually in the car to visit family. When not traveling, Desiree is a freelance television news writer whose stories have aired on stations around the country, including New York, DC, LA and Miami. She has her own blog at Traveling News Mom.

This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Steve G., Roxanna, & Sky! I’ll be contacting you via e-mail and you’ll have four days to respond. If I don’t hear from you, then I’ll have to choose a new winner. Thank you to everyone who participated and thank you to Little Debbie for providing the prizes!

Those of you who watch your feedreaders faithfully, waiting for the thrill of the Don’t Try This at Home update . . . today I reward you! Your waiting has not been in vain, my friends. I come bearing a giveaway.

I have loved Little Debbie snacks since I was a little girl. My favorites back then were the Nutty Bars, Star Crunch, and the Swiss Cake Rolls (which I still crave). A few months ago Little Debbie approached me with the opportunity to try their new 100-calorie snacks and I fell in love again. Hello? You mean you just give me a smaller portion but keep the flavor? I’ll take a full flavor, smaller-sized snack over a cardboard snack any day! Then, a few weeks ago, I received another box from Little Debbie, this time filled with five boxes of individually-wrapped muffins. Oh sweet snacks of love! I’m here to tell you I love me some muffins. And Chili, Jr.? Unabashedly devoted to muffins. And Max? He’s macho about it, but yessirree, he loves the muffins too.

So we’ve tried them all: blueberry, cranberry & orange, chocolate chip, double chocolate, and lemon. My favorite is the cranberry & orange; it’s great for a quick breakfast with some hot (who am I kidding?) ICED tea. They are also just the right size for a snack. Which is one of the things I like about the 100-calorie snacks and these muffins–they aren’t a meal. So many snacks today are as big as a meal or hold as many calories as two meals. These are actual snacks that take the edge off your hunger until you can eat a healthy meal. The only complaint I have? I wish Little Debbie would use real sugar instead of High Fructose Corn Syrup. But that’s hardly a Little Debbie issue, I wish everyone would stop using HFCS. It would just be completely awesome if Little Debbie led the way.

So! We love the muffins! We love Little Debbie! And we want to share the love with you! Three winners will receive their very own boxes of Little Debbie muffins to try. Your package will include all five flavors we tried: blueberry, cranberry & orange, chocolate chip, double chocolate, and lemon. Are you interested in winning? Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite Little Debbie snack is or your favorite Little Debbie snack memory. You won’t win if you don’t follow that rule. Comments like “I wanna win” or “Pick me” won’t be chosen.

Also, don’t enter more than once because duplicate entries will mean that you don’t get any entries. Just so you know and all. And no anonymous comments because, hello? How can I contact you if you’re anonymous? Just sayin’.

Finally, the rest of the rules:

• This giveaway is open to US residents only.
• You don’t have to be a blogger to play along, but you do have to have an e-mail address.
• I’ll pick a winner on Friday, June 12 and contact you that same day via e-mail. You have four days to respond. If I don’t hear from you by then, I’ll have to choose a new winner. Make sure you’re checking your spam folder!

I’ve told you my favorite snacks, but my favorite memory is running in from playing outside and knowing that my mom would always have Little Debbies waiting for us in the pantry. Seriously. There was never a time when I didn’t have access to a Nutty Bar, a Swiss Cake Roll, or a Star Crunch depending on what my fancy was. That’s a pretty good memory to have, don’t you think? Now let’s hear yours.

Without further ado, here’s Carol Brown by Flight of the Conchords.

Today is May you say?
Hey, it’s my birthday!

Wait, is it my birthday
on Saturday?

I found this draft in my folder. It explains a dinner I had last spring with some old friends.

Wednesday night I ventured out of my comfort zone. My comfort zone is basically this:

Uh, anything in this general area right in here. Anything below the stereo and on this side of the bicentennial glasses. Anything between the ashtrays and the thimble. Anything in this three inches right in here in this area. That includes the Chiclets, but not the erasers.

Just those three inches. Not much more than that. So when I received a call from an old college friend, a sorority sister of mine no less, and was invited to a dinner for another sorority sister who is moving away, I agreed to go but I broke out in hives as I said yes.

First, let’s get this part out of the way: Yes, I was in a sorority in college. I know it’s hard to believe. I got that a lot in college too. I’m not sure the house or I knew what we were in for. However, in the years I was there I had a lot of laughs and met some fantastic women.

Second, it has been about 15 years since I saw most of these women. If y’all think I’m surly now, you should have known me back then, pre-meds. Oh my word. I was downright bitchy and self-absorbed. I was moody and jealous. In short, I was not a happy person.

Can you even imagine being asked to attend a gathering of people who don’t know you now and only have the “old” you in their heads? I’m not that person any more and I really wanted to show that I’ve changed and grown. I’m happy now. I relish other people’s good fortune. I love to laugh.

That’s the main reason I accepted the invitation to dinner. I wanted to show that I have come a long way. That I’m still good and not completely spoiled. That I can still laugh. That I won’t ruin a gathering a friends and I can contribute to it in a positive way.

Our dinner was wonderful. I met with my dorm roommate from college and her sister (who was my Big in the house), my roommate from the house, and several other ladies that I used to hang out with. We laughed freely and continuously. J and L (the sisters) are two of the funniest people I’ve ever met and they did not disappoint. They could seriously take their act on the road and make a killing.

I found out what everyone was doing now and saw pictures of their beautiful children. I learned that many people have changed in big and small ways. I also realized people accept me for who I am no matter who it is right then. These ladies are open to change and will always see the best.

Thank you, ladies.

Mom arrived on Monday and we all planned and baked and decorated for two days. Max would be hosting the party for his friends, my mom would be the emcee/teacher, and Chilihead, Jr. would be the House Elf (helper and score keeper). I disappeared into my room to write a few articles I was committed to.

Now, before I show you the pictures of the party, let’s be very clear that, while I have great SLR camera, I don’t know how to use said camera. So the picture are not great. Also? While the pumpkin pasties and treacle tarts tasted good, the presentation left a bit to be desired. Bottom line? I’m no Pioneer Woman.

First row: Olivander’s Candy Wands and a close-up of a chocolate frog

Second row: Chocolate frogs and Dragon boogies & Skrewt tails

Third row: Moaning Myrtle’s Bathroom and Pumpkin Pasties

Fourth row: Snape’s Dungeon and the Sorting Hat

Fifth row: treacle tarts

1. Lose the hat and towel draped over the kid’s head – what are you hiding under there?
2. Pictures with food on the face are cute on grandma’s refrigerator, but not so much for judges.
3. Cranky faces are only for family members!
4. Have your camera ready at all times and take tons of pictures—don’t edit yourself as you go along.

To enter the contest: Parents Magazine Cover Contest (3 mos – 2 yrs) and Parents Magazine Cover Contest (2 – 6 yrs). The two winners will appear on the dual cover of the November 2009 issue.

Next up is a contest for military families called Laptops for Flat Tops. AllAmericanDircet.com is hosting an essay contest which will award one laptop with an embedded Webcam (for the family) and an additional Webcam (for the soldier) to two families who have an immediate family member serving in any branch of the U.S. military overseas. Winning families will be announced bimonthly through the end of 2009. Laptops for Flattops, invites participants to submit a 400 word essay that explains why their family deserves to win, and how a laptop can improve their lives and communication with their loved one serving overseas. Families must be able to verify their loved one’s military enlistment.

HP and Dara Torres would like to hear how you have utilized technology to simplify your life, in about 200 words and with a photo submission.  Submission is easy and, along with your contribution to the Moms for Simplicity photo mosaic, you are automatically entered to win a technology makeover from HP worth $5000!

Beginning May 8^th–for 48 hours only–you can download a free copy of the new, award winning book, The Mother’s Guide to Self Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life by Renee Trudeau, a nationally recognized career/life balance coach (a $20 value).

Featured extensively in national media and described as “The best book on balance,” by women’s health guru Dr. Joan Borysenko, author of Inner Peace for Busy Women, this book has helped thousands of women and can help you:

• reconnect with who you are and nurture yourself

• manage your energy and practice saying “no”

• tap into the Transformative Power of Self-Care

Finally, I was asked to submit some video to be included in a Wisk video about why HE washing machines rock the house. You can see me being my smart-aleck self in the second video (several other bloggers make appearances too!) talking about how I like to make my kids do the laundry now.