Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Happy Lately #3

 Hey y'all! 

Here are some things that are making me happy lately.



This magnetic yarn holder is so fun! It spins as I use it.
I'm a water drinker. 



My friend Sarah Coller recommended this on her BookTube channel. 


I love fall, but I got a kick out of knowing the precise minute that fall will arrive!


I reviewed this set of size 8 knitting needles from the brand BsHookerI was really happy with them. There's no memory in the cord, and the needles are both lightweight and pointy enough to get into stitches without trouble. 


I was hunting for something in my needlework cabinet and unearthed this yarn. My breath caught! I bought this "Picking Apples" yarn last year in anticipation of September knitting then forgot it! I'm anticipating again. I bought it from Tulip Tree Yarn on Etsy. 


Speaking of Tulip Trees, I was speaking to my daughter on the phone recently. She asked if our tulip tree bloomed this year. I'd forgotten to send her a photo. I walked out to the car a few minutes later and we had about five blooms! I don't remember it blooming in July before. I snapped a photo and told her that God did that just for her. ~smile~ I believe he does things to thrill us once in awhile. 


My husband and I went to the coffee shop this week. He worked; I knitted. 


We went for a drive in the country. It's one of our favorite things to do together. 


This is our favorite place! We love to escape the watchful eye of Google!



What is making you happy lately? Where are you finding little sparkles of joy? 

Prayer request:
My friend, Ellen, has cancer. Please pray for her healing, for strength, and for provision. This is my friend who has fought bacterial meningitis twice and cancer once before. God has brought her through before. I'm praying he'll bring her through again. I'm knitting a soft cap for her for summer. Thank you for praying for her. 


Check out my bucket list, my reading list, and my list of things for kids to do. You'll find something fun. 

Be blessed y'all!
Laura

P.S. There are a couple of Amazon links above. If you purchase anything within 24 hours of clicking my link, they toss a few pennies my way. It adds up to about $10 a year, but it helps buy supplies!






Sunday, July 6, 2025

139 Things for Kids to Do Without Electronics!

139 Things to Do With Kids Without Electronics
by Laura Lane
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash


Are you running out of ideas to keep the kids busy and happy while they are home? I thought about some of the things we did when I was young long ago. I also included some of the things my four kids did with an abundance of time, no video games or tv, and limited videos. My daughters, Emily and Amy, then added their ideas as well. Some ideas are things to do with kids, and some they do without you. All in all, we came up with 131 things for kids to do without electronics!
Here we go!
  1. Blow bubbles 
  2. Catch fireflies 
  3. Make homemade ice cream 
  4. Read a book together
  5. Child reads alone
  6. Play in the sprinkler 
  7. Ride bikes  
  8. Play with balls
  9. Play dolls
  10. Kickball
  11. Play with cars and trucks
  12. Learn to play jacks or marbles 
  13. Have a pillow fight
  14. Water balloons
  15. Science experiments
  16. Picnic under the stars, under a shady tree or under the kitchen table with sheets over it
  17. Sidewalk chalk
  18. Whittle sticks
  19. Playing outside
  20. Dig in the dirt
  21. Play in a sandbox
  22. King of the hill or play set
  23. Jump roap
  24. Play in a creek
  25. Build a fort with sticks or blankets
  26. Find the thimble
  27. Skits
  28. Exploring
  29. Trampoline
  30. Roll down a hill
  31. Play catch
  32. Wiffle ball
  33. Badminton
  34. Volleyball
  35. Hopscotch
  36. Obstacle course
  37. Climb trees
  38. Garden
  39. Look for 4 leaf clovers
  40. Mow the lawn
  41. Cook together
  42. Blow leaves
  43. Pick wildflowers
  44. Make homemade jam together
  45. Pick blueberries or strawberries or apples
  46. Make slime 
  47. Bake cookies
  48. Go to a drive-in
  49. Make ice pops with water, juice, yogurt or pudding
  50. Sing
  51. Dance
  52. Teach your dog tricks
  53. Karaoke
  54. Dance party
  55. Write a letter to the grandparents by snail mail
  56. Play in a home pool big or small
  57. Fashion show
  58. Overnight hammocking challenge
  59. Make a play or skit
  60. Reenact a movie
  61. Wash the dog or pet
  62. Write and perform poetry
  63. Read a play together with parts
  64. Weirdness contest
  65. Staring contest
  66. Walk
  67. Run
  68. Puzzles
  69. Slap jack
  70. Race hotwheels
  71. Race bikes
  72. Sing lots of rhymes and kids' songs
  73. Egyptian Rat Slap card game
  74. Spoons game
  75. War card game
  76. Go Fish card game
  77. Board games like Monopoly, Battle Ship, Chutes and Ladders etc
  78. Paint a room
  79. Reading Marathon
  80. Manicures and pedicures
  81. Dress-up
  82. Makeover
  83. Private concert for the stuffies (stuffed animals)
  84. Bake cookies
  85. Blind taste tests
  86. Lemonade stand
  87. Gymnastics for fun— somersaults, cartwheels, etc.
  88. Trampoline
  89. String games
  90. Clapping games
  91. Magic tricks
  92. Scavenger hunt
  93. Ice cream run (in pajamas one night) 
  94. Flash mob with just your family 
  95. Volunteer
  96. Make daisy chains
  97. Play house (this includes plant soup)
  98. Climb a tree
  99. Identify birds, wildflowers or trees
  100. Get ahead on school
  101. Field trip
  102. Ride a bike
  103. Crafts ~ Shrinky Dink, Clay, Play Doh, make bracelets etc.
  104. Wash the car in the driveway
  105. Write stories
  106. Swing
  107. Adopt a kitten or puppy
  108. Take pictures
  109. Draw pictures
  110. Play the game "Twister"
  111. Play hide and go seek
  112. Eat popsicles (and try to get them open without scissors)
  113. Sleep all night on a trampoline
  114. Coloring
  115. Charades
  116. Blind man's bluff
  117. Simon Says
  118. Teach them to knit, crochet, or embroider
  119. Make a family and world timeline on a long sheet of paper hung on your hallway wall.
  120. Follow a paper map to a destination
  121. Hike a nature trail
  122. Play in a creek
  123. Catch polywogs aka tadpoles
  124. Watch the sun set 
  125. Coin collecting ~ or any other collections they think of
  126. Star gazing ~ Remember Starlight star bright first star I see tonight, I wish I may I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight? Don't forget Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. 
  127. Talk about memories, yours and theirs.
  128. Make a scrapbook together
  129. Nerf gun battles
  130. Fly a kite
  131. Water gun fights
  132. Water balloons
  133. Play at the park
  134. Play make believe (anything they want)
  135. Sidewalk chalk
  136. Swim
  137. Lie on the grass and look for cloud pictures
  138. "Build" things with wood, nails, hammers, and saws (with supervision as needed)
  139. There are also lots of outdoor games that can be played by a group of kids outside. Traditionally, the older kids taught the younger kids, but you can always introduce a group of kids to a game.

My daughter, when she was 18, added the following:

"And above all, give your kids freedom in their play. A lot of amazing childhood memories are made by kids using their imaginations and parents being loving and being supportive! Have fun with your kids, but let them also go and act like pioneers together, or build a fort with random things they find. This builds so much character, forms those memories (and isn't that what we want to do for our kids? Help them create wonderful memories?), and teaches them lots of good lessons. To learn, and be healthy, kids need to do things by themselves (and this can be with help). In doing so, they learn, and also learn independence, knowledge, and ultimately maturity, and sometimes wisdom (even from learning a hard way at times)."

Enjoy this time with your children and teens. You may never have this much time together again. Make it count for good. 

I'm now a grandma to one little boy. Oh how he's brightened my world. This list is for grandparents, too. We need to share the joys of our simpler childhood with our littles and not so littles. In it, we'll relive our joys, and enjoy a new level of joy with them.

So, which of these things have you done? What have I forgotten or missed? I cannot wait to hear your thoughts. 

Hugs to you all! Thank you for joining me here at Harvest Lane Cottage.

Laura
Happy at Home

P.S. Please share ideas that I've missed and your prayer requests as well.

You may enjoy:


Find me online here:

Goodreads:    Laura Lane 2025 Goal 60 books ~ 37 Finished so far
Ravelry:         HarvestLaneLaura
Facebook:     Harvest Lane Cottage
Instagram:    @lauraofharvestlane











Friday, July 4, 2025

Happy Independence Day! Weekend Reading ~ July 4, 2023

 

Photo credit Unsplash

Hello everyone in the United States of America! I wish you a happy Independence Day!


From the Cottage Archives:

Celebrating the Fourth of July

Independence Day, The Fourth of July, July 4th, Freedom! God Bless America!