Fab activity to remain sitting on the sofa while your children get wildly excited and make you feel like a superb parent

[FrannyandZooey]

We have tied a basket on a piece of rope and ds has hung it out of the bedroom window. I am down below (on sofa) and have a stash of things next to me which I am putting into the basket (out of the window) when he lowers it down. He then pulls it up and shrieks with delight.

So far I have put snacks, a letter with his name on and a drawing of us inside, a recorder, some stickers and a notebook, some playmobil people, etc etc etc

the apple came a cropper, but otherwise all is well and he is SO EXCITED and keeps shouting "Thank you mummy oh thank you!"

[Sprogstersmum]

rofl at this thread! We used to surf down the stairs on the sofa cushions - my mum was obviously more laid back than me cos there's no way I'd do that - it's not DD I'm worried about, it's the sofa cushions! My brother also made a cable car from lego that went up to the bedroom window - used the wheels as cogs so it could go up and down.
Sadly basket idea is not going to work here cos of flat roof in the way outside DD's window so might try it over banisters instead.

[lionheart]

The very thing, Happy.

Thank you.

[hester]

My brothers and I used to set Action Man alight and hurl him out the window. Then lean out and spit on the heads of passers-by. We lived in a flat over a shop on the high street, so plenty of potential victims below.

Amazingly, neither Health & Safety nor Social Services ever came knocking.

[HappyMummyOfOne]

Lionheart, try 330162583333 on Ebay

I think the basket game sounds fab fun as well as the sleeping bags for sliding down the stairs.

[lionheart]

[unblinking terror]

[SoupDragon]

[menacing pose]

[lionheart]

That would scare me.

[SoupDragon]

I spent a lot of time (some would say too much) creeping up behind DSs ans freezing into menacing poses following the Blink episode of Doctor Who...

[shortshafe]

ROFL at whole thread- esp 'slightly shot salesman' and the dangling things out of the window when doctor who is on!!!!

Am more than a little though, on own hen weekend aged 24 was seriously told off by neighbours of rented house as we were 'stair sledging' on duvets at 3am. oops.

Also have fond memories of parachuting various things out of the upstairs windows as a child - including the two 10 week old kittens, luckily mum intervened just in time and the kittens lived to see 15+ years! again.

[lionheart]

We were tough in those days, Soupy.


I am wondering where I can get a giant inflatable dalek to go on the end of that string.

[SoupDragon]

KTNoo, leave the cacti in place so as to deter children from leaning too near the window.

My brothers and I used to have huge lego fights across the stair well. We developed a fantastic "scatterbomb" where the bock of blocks would fly part on impact causing maximum injury...

[lionheart]

Me too, Doodle.

[kindersurprise]

you lot are evil, I used to hide behind the couch cause I was scared of the daleks. And the jolly green giant

[Doodledootoo]

Message withdrawn

[Sidge]

Sounds better (and safer) than some of the games we used to play when young - middle brother and I used to make youngest brother lie at the bottom of the stairs whilst we chucked random objects at him from the top... we got more points for a direct hit.

[FrannyandZooey]

No i don't think so

what about the subliminal cigarette adverts on CBeebies

[Nightynight]

sounds lovely.

(of course, your child would have been physically safer in front of the tv, franny)

[stealthsquiggle]

If I did the hard hats only rule I can foresee lots of small playmobil tantrums as we have no playmobil-child sized hard hats.

There seems to be a certain "sliding down stairs" theme developing. I am dead impressed with McEdam getting mattresses from beds - DB and I used to slide down in our sleeping bags, until we got told off for wearing out the stair carpet

[SoMuchToBits]

Ooooh, I wonder if I could make a lift for ds's Playmobil men? A lot of them have helmets or hard hats, as they are mostly either construction workers or firemen (who have to double as lifeboat men these days due to ds's recent lifeboat obsession), so would that fulfil the health and safety requirements?

[KTNoo]

Hee Hee. I want to do this tomorrow. Maybe need to move the cacti from the window sill though.

My ds once cracked an egg down my window so I think he would love this.

I'm so glad there are some people left who are not totally paranoid. Considering the stuff we did as kids I'm amazed I'm still here to give evidence - playing on the train track and playing aeroplanes on the stairs (concorde was jumping right from the top) to name a couple.

[lionheart]

We've got the little safe-crackers and their safe. They are pretty cool.

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

ROFL Stealthsquiggle.
I have got a Playmobil tramp, though they euphemistically called him the 'park bench' set. He has bare feet and a beer bottle. No homeless shelter or cardboard box with little plastic clip-on newspapers, though.

Kindersurprise, the seatbelts sound like a very good idea. You are clearly a caring and responsible playmobil owner.

[kindersurprise]

Rofl at this thread, especially the slightly shot salesman.

We visited a friend's parents recently. The dining area was on a gallery above the living room and our friend told us they used to jump off the gallery and land on the couch below. A drop of about 2.5 metres. They had great fun.

Am going to try out the Playmobilelift. Would I be ok if I made little seatbelts for the Playmobilers?

[FrannyandZooey]

LOL not sure if you are serious or not but I don't do nannying or baby sitting these days

I do however run children's groups and am available for parties... fully insured

[StickleTick]

Hi F&Z,

Going back to the suicidal barbies, and the original thing-on-some-string ... Is there any chance you're still available for nannying? ... a spot of babysitting, perhaps? My dd 'd love it. If not, oh well. Thanks for risking all manner of health & safety retribution, with such a good suggestion!