Playing dress-up

My children have been very much into playing dress-up lately. We have a bin in my daughter's room with fancy dresses, scarves, purses, play heels, and fashion jewelry. My daughter loves getting dressed up like a princess and parading around in all her glory.

Of course, her little brother idolizes her and he wants to dress up too. We don't have many masculine dress-up gear, so he usually ends up with lots of jewelry on, holding a purse, and wearing high heels. He says, "Don't I look so beautiful?" I think this is very cute and harmless, and he likes to dress like Spiderman or Batman sometimes too. So although most of his influence is feminine, he does have a masculine streak as well.

Paintball

As a parent, it is startling how much violence is a part of our everyday life. Almost all movies, video games, or TV programs have some elements of violence in them. And we all know boys are drawn to "action-packed" themes, even if you don't promote it. At least there are non-violent outlets for these feelings. One such option is paintball guns. There are paintball arenas where players can get together for a game.

From the novice to the serious players, Ultimate Paintball is an online paintball store which carries all the paintball gear you need. They have the best prices and they offer free UPS shipping on orders over $200. Ultimate Paintball is a member of the Better Business Bureau's Online Reliability Program, so you can shop with confidence.

Playtime

One thing you can always do indoors when it's cold outside is play games. When was the last time you sat down with your family and played a good old-fashioned board game? It's always great fun, yet families would rather sit in front of the TV together, which is a far cry from "quality time".

If you are a serious gaming family, you may even consider purchasing a Poker Table and gaming chairs. That way, if you are in the middle of a game and dinner is ready, you don't have to pick up everything and move it off the dining table. The poker table is always stocked with cards and chips and ready to go.