Taking a break from the tube!

I hate to admit the following but yesterday my daughters killed way too many brain cells watching TV. It started in the morning while I made them breakfast. Then Mia got to watch TV while I was at the Doctor's and Bella was at the library. After returning from the doctor and having lunch, Bella got to watch TV while Mia took a nap. But here's the worst part--Bella didn't even want to watch TV--no--this insensitive, selfish mother made her (almost) 4 year old daughter sit through TWO HOURS of American Idol. TWO HOURS. It was torture for her. In fact, there was a point where she even went up to the TV, turned it off, and told us that "it's way too much TV."

Rather than heed my daughter's advice--I kept watching. Worst. Mother. Ever.

Then I found out that the only time to get my first trimester screening (ultrasound) was 7 that night. So their TV watching continued into the evening as they watched a random Muppets movie while I was getting an ultrasound.

WAY TOO MUCH!

Today was going to be different!

After breakfast, the girls made a sticker collage which was fun for about 15 minutes. Crap. Now what? I knew I needed to pull out the big guns. In an attempt to redeem some credibility in their eyes, I made....drumroll.....homemade dough. WHICH WAS A HUGE, WHOPPING, GINORMOUS SUCCESS.

For an hour and a half (which is like an eternity to a toddler) they happily played at the table. Never once getting out of the chair.



While they covorted over the dough, I swept the floor. Uninterrupted, heaven, I say.



And I even got to vacuum. Can you hear the choir of angels behind me?!



In fact, I got so much done in so little time that I even had time left over to play with them.



Even more silliness



In case you are inspired by the dough, here's the recipe

Cloud Dough
**It gets its name from its soft, pliable consistency. Fresh cloud dough is best, so mix a batch just before your kids use it.

6 cups of flour
Powdered tempera paint
1 1/2 cups oil
1 cup of water

In a large bowl, mix flour with powdered tempera paint until desired color is achieved. Add oil and water and knead well. If dough is too dry, add more water. If it is too sticky, add more flour. Refrigerate in an airtight container.

Yay for our no TV day!