what the heck do you do to keep toddlers occupied??

[purplemonkeydishwasher]

I'm struggling here. HOw do you keep your toddlers out of your hair while you get stuff done? (or MN )
DS will be 2 next month and he always wants me to play with him. i cna sometimes get 5 or 10 minutes out of him (like now) but generally my whole day is taken up with 'MUUUUMMMMMM'!!!!!!!
I took him for a long walk this morning thinking it would tire him out but he's given up naps too.
we have too many toys in the house that he's not interested in. ANd we can't afford to buy him more. He's driving me up the wall!!!

When my ds was about 2 I used to get him involved...probably too much.On the occassions I did involve him I would ask him what we should do first eg wash up or hoover. TV was never really on in our home as I made sure I had every opportunity to take him out and do things with him. Housework can wait until bedtime, it will be clean for the morning and day then. Ds would be in bed by about 7.30 I would have a cup of tea and then get on with whatever needed doing. Which wouldn't take long as I would not be running backwards and forwards to ds. Then the next day was ours. I would always cook dinner for his father (long been gone now- 7 yrs) him and I. 9 out of 10 times I would cook dinner early in the day so all I had to do was heat it up, unless of course it was a roast then I would do it in time to sit down and eat freshly cooked. If i cooked a stew, soup or something similar I would cook enough to have one on the day and one in the freezer, so that on the days when it was hectic there was always a dinner to heat and eat. DS now 9 and loves to help with housework and cooking....because as a toddler I encouraged it. Don't get me wrong there are days when like us all he doesn't want to but he has his routine chores to do.

ooppss soz rambled there. I do think leaving it until the evening is the best policy as when they are in bed you can whizz around and get it done in half the time. Even hoovering never disturbed ds he got used to it.

Teaset. I was amazed when my DTS would play with this for ages.

Also, they love the Henry vacuum cleaner so I allow them to pull out the cord and then wind it in again. Keeps them happy!

Also, a broom and bucket & mop works a treat. Also, water in sink or bucket if outside with various containers.

Duster so he can clean with you

Photo album. My DTS love looking at a slide show on the pc of photos containing them!

Simple jigsaw

Old magazine with scissors, glue and paper to stick things on.

Watering can and gardening tools.

Baths and beauty treatments. Dressing up. Tidying, sorting and hanging up washing. Helping with household chores.

Dolls' house. Dolls and dressing. Puzzles. Stickers. Drawing.

Can you tell I have a girl .

Thank goodness school starts in France in the year of their third birthday...

Agree re photos on the pc - if they can work the forward and back arrows they can just get on with it. Is great.

Weirdly ds (2) also likes watching the weather forecast video on interactive text or the pc - strange but there you go.