When I was in college, back in 2010, my friend and I decided to make Bucket Lists for fun. One of the things I wrote on my Bucket List was to say "Yes" to everything for a whole day. Here we are eight years later and I can finally mark it off my Bucket List.
My husband and I decided to have a "Yes Day" with the kids. For those of you who don't know what a "Yes Day" is, it is a day that you says "Yes" to everything all day long. From the moment you wake up to when you go to bed.
Now you may be wondering why anyone would want to do that. What if the kids ask to do something crazy or super expensive that I don't want to do and can't afford?
Don't worry, you CAN have a SUCCESSFUL "Yes Day" without breaking the bank and without saying "Yes" to everything your kids ask for. It takes some creative thinking, but it is possible.
My husband and I managed to have a successful "Yes Day" with a 21 month old, three and four year old. The only money we spent was on ice cream which we usually have but were out of.
Find out HERE how to have a successful "Yes Day".
My kids are little so they don't really understand the whole meaning of a "Yes Day" but as soon as we asked my kids if they wan't to have a "Yes Day", my daughter started cheering "Yes Yes Yes". We decided on a day that worked best for us and didn't tell the kids what day we were having our "Yes Day". My daughter kept asking if "Today was a Yes Day?" everyday leading up to the day we chose.
YES DAY - July 17, 2018
My kids woke up, chose to eat pop-tarts for breakfast and watch a movie. Once I was fully awake, I asked my kids what three things they'd like to do?
My four year old daughter said, "Pool, games and pillow fight because we've never had one".
My three year old son said, "Pool, animals and ice cream".
My one year old doesn't talk much and goes with the flow so he didn't really have a say besides pointing and saying "that" when he wanted more to eat.
We started off with playing a game. I tried to teach my kids how to play Spoons the night before so of coarse they chose to play Spoons again.
We then had lunch in our PJs because the kids decided they didn't want to get dressed yet. They chose to eat a PB&J sandwich and banana for lunch, Yum!
Don't mind my son's plate. He had Spaghetti the night before and it stained it.
Since the forecast called for rain, we decided to go see some animals first. My son never specified what kind of animals and I really didn't want to drive two hours to the zoo so I decided to check out a local exotic pet shop our friends told us about. We got dressed, were about to leave and my son excitedly yelled, "Yay the zoo!".........
Well it's no zoo, but the exotic pet shop was FREE and tons of fun. They had all kinds of animals from exotic fish to birds, snakes, a ferret, lizards and more. They had cats randomly wandering the store and an open pond area full of turtles and fish - sounds like an accident waiting to happen. It was a fun experience and my kids loved it!
I think my favorite part was the lizard who tracked my finger and kept trying to eat my kids finger every time they touched the glass. Check out the video HERE.
While we were out, it rained so I'm glad we waited on the pool and didn't make the long trip to the zoo. Since we were out we ran to the store and let the kids pick out some ice-cream for after dinner. When we got home I suggested a nap time and they of coarse all yelled "NO" (what happened to "YES"?!) so we decided to get out the kiddie pool and the sprinkler and have some fun.
A pool is a pool right?
Next up was dinner. My daughter wanted Orange Chicken and fruit and my son wanted Pizza and Orange Chicken so that's what they got. My husband cooked up some Orange Chicken and warmed up leftover pizza for my son.
While dinner was cooking, someone asked for milk and crashed in my lap - so much for no nap.
After dinner the kids got the ice-cream they picked out which ended up being sherbet but they don't know the difference yet. I picked out some fudge bars for me, yum! The kids then asked for a snack, followed by another snack and another. We finally had to say "I think you've eaten enough, lets do something else." Man my kids can eat.
After dinner, ice-cream and numerous snacks, the kids settled down and watched something on Netflix. We ended the night with a pillow fight and a dance party.
It was a long, fun day and we will most likely do it again next summer. Saying "yes" to everything helps open your eyes and your kid's eyes to new and exciting things. It gives your kids the confidence to ask for what they want and hopefully teaches them to make good decisions.
Society makes parents think we have to spend all kinds of money on our kids to have fun but that is not true. When it is all said and done your kids will remember the experience and the time spent with you, not the money you did or didn't spend.
Yes I could of taken my kids to the zoo or gone to one of the fancy pools in our town, and spent a lot of money on activities my kids asked for but they said "pool" and "animals" so I was able to make it work to fit our budget and as you can tell by the pictures, my kids had a blast!
By having a "Yes Day", I learned that my kids are not spoiled and we are raising them right. Yes they are still young but they didn't ask for anything to extravagant, they managed to pick out their own clothes and pick out healthy meals for themselves. I was shocked no one asked for candy or gummies as a snack and that we got by only having to buy ice-cream.
My husband and I did not give into our kids every wish as my daughter asked to play Spoons about twenty times throughout the day and we replied with "Not right now" or "maybe later" but we did not tell her no. We let the kids choose what they wanted to do and we went from there.
I recommend giving "Yes Day" a try. You'd be surprised at what your kids come up with and who knows, maybe you will both learn something new. It is a challenge but keep an open mind, think outside the box and you will make it through just fine!
Check out my blog, How to have a Successful Yes Day that touches on setting ground rules, alternative words to "No" and if you should tell your kids you are having a "Yes Day".
Don't worry, you CAN have a SUCCESSFUL "Yes Day" without breaking the bank and without saying "Yes" to everything your kids ask for. It takes some creative thinking, but it is possible.
My husband and I managed to have a successful "Yes Day" with a 21 month old, three and four year old. The only money we spent was on ice cream which we usually have but were out of.
Find out HERE how to have a successful "Yes Day".
My kids are little so they don't really understand the whole meaning of a "Yes Day" but as soon as we asked my kids if they wan't to have a "Yes Day", my daughter started cheering "Yes Yes Yes". We decided on a day that worked best for us and didn't tell the kids what day we were having our "Yes Day". My daughter kept asking if "Today was a Yes Day?" everyday leading up to the day we chose.
YES DAY - July 17, 2018
My kids woke up, chose to eat pop-tarts for breakfast and watch a movie. Once I was fully awake, I asked my kids what three things they'd like to do?
My four year old daughter said, "Pool, games and pillow fight because we've never had one".
My three year old son said, "Pool, animals and ice cream".
My one year old doesn't talk much and goes with the flow so he didn't really have a say besides pointing and saying "that" when he wanted more to eat.
We started off with playing a game. I tried to teach my kids how to play Spoons the night before so of coarse they chose to play Spoons again.
We then had lunch in our PJs because the kids decided they didn't want to get dressed yet. They chose to eat a PB&J sandwich and banana for lunch, Yum!
Don't mind my son's plate. He had Spaghetti the night before and it stained it.
Since the forecast called for rain, we decided to go see some animals first. My son never specified what kind of animals and I really didn't want to drive two hours to the zoo so I decided to check out a local exotic pet shop our friends told us about. We got dressed, were about to leave and my son excitedly yelled, "Yay the zoo!".........
Well it's no zoo, but the exotic pet shop was FREE and tons of fun. They had all kinds of animals from exotic fish to birds, snakes, a ferret, lizards and more. They had cats randomly wandering the store and an open pond area full of turtles and fish - sounds like an accident waiting to happen. It was a fun experience and my kids loved it!
I think my favorite part was the lizard who tracked my finger and kept trying to eat my kids finger every time they touched the glass. Check out the video HERE.
While we were out, it rained so I'm glad we waited on the pool and didn't make the long trip to the zoo. Since we were out we ran to the store and let the kids pick out some ice-cream for after dinner. When we got home I suggested a nap time and they of coarse all yelled "NO" (what happened to "YES"?!) so we decided to get out the kiddie pool and the sprinkler and have some fun.
A pool is a pool right?
Next up was dinner. My daughter wanted Orange Chicken and fruit and my son wanted Pizza and Orange Chicken so that's what they got. My husband cooked up some Orange Chicken and warmed up leftover pizza for my son.
While dinner was cooking, someone asked for milk and crashed in my lap - so much for no nap.
After dinner the kids got the ice-cream they picked out which ended up being sherbet but they don't know the difference yet. I picked out some fudge bars for me, yum! The kids then asked for a snack, followed by another snack and another. We finally had to say "I think you've eaten enough, lets do something else." Man my kids can eat.
After dinner, ice-cream and numerous snacks, the kids settled down and watched something on Netflix. We ended the night with a pillow fight and a dance party.
It was a long, fun day and we will most likely do it again next summer. Saying "yes" to everything helps open your eyes and your kid's eyes to new and exciting things. It gives your kids the confidence to ask for what they want and hopefully teaches them to make good decisions.
Society makes parents think we have to spend all kinds of money on our kids to have fun but that is not true. When it is all said and done your kids will remember the experience and the time spent with you, not the money you did or didn't spend.
Yes I could of taken my kids to the zoo or gone to one of the fancy pools in our town, and spent a lot of money on activities my kids asked for but they said "pool" and "animals" so I was able to make it work to fit our budget and as you can tell by the pictures, my kids had a blast!
By having a "Yes Day", I learned that my kids are not spoiled and we are raising them right. Yes they are still young but they didn't ask for anything to extravagant, they managed to pick out their own clothes and pick out healthy meals for themselves. I was shocked no one asked for candy or gummies as a snack and that we got by only having to buy ice-cream.
My husband and I did not give into our kids every wish as my daughter asked to play Spoons about twenty times throughout the day and we replied with "Not right now" or "maybe later" but we did not tell her no. We let the kids choose what they wanted to do and we went from there.
I recommend giving "Yes Day" a try. You'd be surprised at what your kids come up with and who knows, maybe you will both learn something new. It is a challenge but keep an open mind, think outside the box and you will make it through just fine!
Check out the video I made of our "Yes Day".
If the video doesn't work you can find it HERE!
You may also like:
- 5 Reasons you Should take your Kids to a Creek
- FREE Summer Activities for the whole Family
- How to have a Themed Family Fun Day
- How to have a Successful Yes Day
- Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt Bingo
- Stop being Boring and Reclaim Imagination
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4 Comments
What a fabulous idea! I'll try and get my hubby on board and give it a go! x
ReplyDeleteGood luck, I'd love to know how it goes!
DeleteSounds like a good idea with little kiddies! however not sure i would try this with my 7 or 13 year olds without a few rules in place first lol!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, the older the kids get, the harder it will be that's why I also wrote a post called How to have a Successful Yes Day. It talks about setting rules in the post, you are welcome to check it out, the link is at the top and bottom of this post!
ReplyDelete