“My Pink Crocs” by Emily, my 4-year-old

Are you running out of ideas to keep the kids busy/happy at home this summer? Yeah, me too. But here’s my latest idea. One which I stumbled on by accident.

It seems to be good for about 20 minutes of peace and quiet (a virtual lifetime in mommy world.)

Idea: I give the kids my old digital camera (you’ll see why I italicized “digital” later) and tell them to have fun with it.

A few rules:

• make sure your little ones are past the I-like-to-flush-electronics-down-the-toilet stage (about age 4 or 5 and you should be in the clear)
• tell them to take pictures of their favorite things around the house, including pets and people
• put it on Auto mode so they don’t have to worry about focusing
• tell them they must take turns being the photographer (mine need practice at this)
• give them a 20-minute time limit

When they’re done, upload the pictures right away and see what you’ve got.

To be honest, you’ll end up with a bunch of unrecognizable images (but digital cameras allow you to delete), a few hilarious photos (good for a few laughs) and one or two really amazing shots. The photograph above was taken when our family had been at an all-day picnic at our friends’ house. My daughter was cranky and ready to leave but the rest of us were still having fun and wanted to stay. So I gave her my camera to keep her busy.

The resulting, My Pink Crocs, is one of my favorite photos of all time. 

Give it a try if you dare. Beware, kids are low to the ground and if you end up as one of their subjects, it may result in some unflattering thigh and butt shots. Been there — again, thank goodness for digital and the delete button.

Love Your Home and GO STEELERS!  The first pre-season game starts RIGHT NOW,
Sue