Fun for free

Are you looking for some ways to have fun without leaving the house or spending a dime? Take some cues from these kiddos of mine:

Curl up in a comfy chair with a pile of books. This is always more fun if you are wearing a tutu. That way, when you realize your mom is taking a picture, you can quickly hop up and bust out your best dance moves. See below.

Pretend like you are a crazy animal about to escape from his cage. You must make a lot of scary animal noises if you really want to be taken seriously.

Take some painter's tape and cut it into letters to spell out a message on your dad's back while he's eating dinner. For extra fun, see if he can guess what you wrote without looking in a mirror. (It's also more fun if it's a word you're not allowed to say but you convince your parents that you shouldn't be in trouble because you didn't actually say it.)

Take a cardboard box to the kitchen table and insist you must sit in it for every meal for a week. To make it more comfortable, steal a pillow from the couch and bring your blanket.

Raid your closets with your friends and dress up like hippies and go trick-or-treating in your neighborhood in August. It's always a good idea to get a head start on the other kids. (They actually scored a good amount of candy. I was a bit surprised.)

So, here you have it. The next time you think you're bored, think again. I'm sure you can come up with something.