RAINBOW RICE

Lately this summer, with HOT weather, unpacking boxes from moving, staying home so we don't spend money and little girls who follow me everywhere (literally)- Mama can start to get a little stir crazy.

And when I say stir crazy- I mean, getting real close to locking the bedroom door and then locking the closet door with just ME in there alone with a bag of gummy bears and a glass of tea and Mumford on pandora. Not realistic but...

Sooooo. Rainbow rice is my solution.

My girls love it.
Keeps them busy for a good half hour before they start flinging it everywhere. And give me some much needed relief from the stir crazy blues.

Here are some tips, should you find yourself in DESPERATE need of sanity.

Rainbow rice is super easy to make. Dump some white rice into a bowl. Add a bunch (30 or so) drops of food coloring. Add 4 or 5 squirts of hand sanitizer and stir. The rice will mix right up and dry within about an hour. And then it's time to play!! Obviously, we made a bunch of bowls for a variety of colors.

For maximum ease in cleanup, the best thing is a flat sheet (using our cowhide rug lately instead) with a kiddie pool on top.

[In fact- we have a kiddie pool in a closet and use it ALL the time- corralling legos, when using play dough, rolling marbles (supervised!!!!) around- it's such an awesome tool.]

The kiddie pool is where the rice is contained and the sheet is because there's no way any normal kid can keep that rice all in the pool. Overflow protection.

I usually toss in the gallon jug we keep our rice in, a funnel, some spoons, measuring cups, whatever. The girls love to pour it in the jug or use the funnel. It just feels great on your hands- I've been in that pool, too!

After the fun wears off or the kids start getting careless and flinging rice across your living room, just have them stand up and dust off their feet and shake those shorts and shirts out. I make mine get up on the couch while I pour it back into the jug -use that funnel and don't worry about every last grain and then I take the pool and sheet into the yard and shake it out. And we're done until the next day. So fun. Not too messy.

I've done this in a carpeted room, too. Not too bad. Just vacuuming afterwards. There WILL be rice in random spots. Let it go.




There ya have it.  Something to do each day, right around 3:30.  Still too hot to play outside and too early to do dinner and bedtime.  You'll make it yet.