Family fun

There will probably come a time this winter when the weather is awful, the kids are bouncing off the wall and you feel like tearing your hair out.

Fear not. Clip this page, hang it on the fridge and dare Old Man Winter to give you his best shot.

Build the ultimate fort: We're not talking about one measly sheet stretched from couch to coffee table. If you're going to ward off the winter blahs and really keep kids busy, build a fort to end all forts.

Empty the linen closet of every sheet and blanket you own, and build a tent city. Tuck sheets underneath couch cushions or into dresser drawers. Use anything sturdy and upright, such as a music stand or tee-ball tee, to fortify your structure in the middle of the room.

Provide a few pillows, flashlights, books and snacks, and you won't likely see the kids for several hours.

Make a movie: Don't just watch movies - make your own. Charge up the video camera battery and create a cinematic masterpiece that's sure to be a hit for years to come.

Encourage children to write an original script and bring it to life. Or enact The Night Before Christmas with one person serving as the narrator. Or film your own family newscast, with journalists who report "on location" from the living room, kitchen or back yard.

Have a dance party: Clear some space by pushing furniture out of the way. Then turn up the stereo and boogie.

Play your kids' favorites, or try something new. Tune the radio to an all-Spanish station and listen to musical styles such as Tejano, Cumbia and Ranchero. Or blast classical music and pretend you're a ballerina. Give young children a scarf or some ribbon and let them twirl it about.

Feed the birds: Throw a picnic for your birds with homemade seed sandwiches hung from the trees.

Use a cookie cutter to cut a shape from two slices of bread. Spread one piece with peanut butter, the other with honey. Sprinkle birdseed on both sides of the sandwich and press the two slices, sticky sides together.

"Drill" a hole with a pencil near the top of the sandwich, thread string through the hole, and hang from the nearest branch.

Save a snowman: Here's a nifty snow-day idea: Make a small snowman and pack him away in aluminum foil for a long winter's rest in the freezer. (Store him in one piece, because separate pieces don't stick together well later on.)

Come summertime, display your snowman in the yard, maybe even during a Fourth of July gathering. Award a prize to whoever correctly predicts how long it takes Frosty to melt.

Knight Ridder News Service

The family pet

Bailey, an English Mastif, is 1 today. She will celebrate with her family Jeff, Della and Emily Lohrey of Fairfield.

Mona Bronson-Fuqua

Contact Mona Bronson Fuqua by phone at 768-8675; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: mfuqua@enquirer.com.