Playing Cards in the Bathroom? It works!

As you can see from the lack of blog posts I am having trouble making the time to write.  With children life can be very hectic at times as most of you know.  Between work, after school schedules and a little one each day seems to fly by and the Christmas season is making it pass even quicker.    Lately, I have been trying to make time during busy times to play with the children.  Here is what is working right now (doesn't mean it will work next week - haha!):

1.  Playing cards in the bathroom - I know sounds weird right?  But actually the two year old will stay in the tub happily entertaining herself which means I can pay some extra attention to the older children.  They take turns coming into the bathroom and we play a round of cards on the bathroom floor.  It is a win-win situation.  The little one gets clean and I get to play cards with the older ones.

2.  Cooking - My children love to cook and bake and obviously we need to eat.  During dinner preparation or baking desserts the kids will always help.  I don't have all of them help each time but rather one or two.  Makes it less overwhelming for me and they can tell me about their day without being interrupted.

3.  Travel Toy Bags - My older children are involved in sports which translates into lots of running around and some down time for the younger kids.  We have a few bags that come with us with small toys, trinkets and always paper and crayons to entertain us while we wait or watch.  The two year old obviously does not sit still for a basketball game nor would I expect her to.  This allows us to sit and play while I sneak peeks at the games.

What are your favorite activities to squeeze in?  I would love some new suggestions.