Passing The hours

hermit-crab

Because I am a man, I did not think that things like making Christmas cards was the kind of thing that men did. After reading your post I'm thinking why not. But I'm still thinking but. Has any other man on old style made his own cards? I know I am older than most of you, and you new men do things differently. I cannot imagine sending homemade cards to my Mason friends.

oops_a_daisy

nice idea in my wellies :T

oops_a_daisy

well if you do make them for you Mason friends make sure you dont reuse the cards they gave you last christmas !

QueenB.

I know everyone has said these before but all types of craft, mine love nothing more than making a mess. Baking is good, and as said reading, both them to you and you to them. Board games and jigsaws are always something mine love and i often print pictures and things to do of the childrens websites. Also what about making up your own story and then tuning it into a play. It keeps both body and mind active and often ends up with everyone laughing.

apple_mint

Things we have done in the past (mine are 18 and 20 now):

Jigsaws - plenty of these at charity shops

Reading - mine have been members of a library since they were very small

Playing board games - we get a new one each Christmas and have quite a collection now (but you can pick them up in charity shops and at car boot sales

Knitting - my eldest still makes very holey scarves (keeps on dropping stitches)

Scraper board pictures - you can often pick these up in pound shops

Painting - we have a house coming down with art bits and pieces picked up over the years from cheap shops. For little ones, drawing pictures with wax crayons and then painting over the top with water paint is fun

Digging in the garden and planting seeds in pots

Going for walks - we used to take some pocket sized wildlife books (often found at car boots / charity shops)

Baking - fairy cakes iced with some strange colours etc. Marzipan fruit making. They do tend to eat what they make themselves

CD nights - each member of the family chooses four favourite tracks and plays them in rotation (accompanied by home made snacks)

Anne_Marie_2

What about learning a new language? You can get the tapes/cds/books free from the library.
Was thinking of something like French as an example, which they teach in primary schools so I believe nowadays, so just a basic thing suitable for young children, and then they can poke fun at you when they absorb it much quicker! Of course you can always have a wee bit of French singing, all I can think of at the moment is obviously Frere Jacques and the French national anthem, can't think of the name of it at the moment, but it starts off - Allons enfants de la patrie, le jour de glorie est arrive. (This is from memory, so please excuse any mistakes). You could always take it a wee bit further, and get a recipe book from library with some French recipes, doesn't have to be anything difficult, could be an omelette, learn the words for each ingredient used. French toast - though not sure if you would find that in a cookery book, doesn't matter, just learning the words and the kids whisking "les ouefs et lait" and soaking the "pain" in - then that is supper done. Also other books from library to explain how French people live, and discuss how different, or the same their life compares with ours? What festivals/holidays they celebrate - you get the gist.
This one could keep you going for ever, and there are lots of nationalities and languages to learn about - and its all free from the library. (Doubt if they will have language courses for every tongue, but there is the internet too!)
Even just learning about how people live in other countries is fascinating, without learning the language, for children. And teaches us older ones a wee bit too. Get them to pick out a country, get a book, and do let them try some of the food, they hopefully won't be picky eaters later in life, but can't promise that one!

PoshPaws_3

hermit-crab wrote:

Because I am a man, I did not think that things like making Christmas cards was the kind of thing that men did. After reading your post I'm thinking why not. But I'm still thinking but. Has any other man on old style made his own cards? I know I am older than most of you, and you new men do things differently. I cannot imagine sending homemade cards to my Mason friends.

My DH thoroughly enjoys making cards. We picked up a Paper Factory machine (kid's toy) from a jumble sale. I couldn't understand the attraction, but he was busting to get it home and start embossing and crimping!
He'll spend ages sitting there with DS, making cards for upcoming occasions, so no - you're not on your own.

moonbeam682

hermit-crab wrote:

Because I am a man, I did not think that things like making Christmas cards was the kind of thing that men did. After reading your post I'm thinking why not. But I'm still thinking but. Has any other man on old style made his own cards? I know I am older than most of you, and you new men do things differently. I cannot imagine sending homemade cards to my Mason friends.

A male friend of ours makes & sends out fantastic christmas & birthday cards using a programme on his computer. They are really special & personalised with our names & pictures of things he knows we like & I could never throw them away. He's ex-army & in his late 40's. I'm sure everyone would love your cards if you made them yourself

tiptoes

how about cross-stiching me and dd make cross stick bookmarks ect so that she has little gift for ppl for their birthdays or glass painting, we use empty jam jars to make tealight holders.

LilacLillie

Can anyone remember a post about saving money OS and things to do while staying in/home?
Please excuse me, but it was a few weeks ago and I've not been well

I did do a search but am never lucky in finding anything I ever search for on the site!
So if anyone can point me to it, or it was one of your posts and you know what I'm on about, please point me to it.
Thanks
LL