How Two Bouncy Balls Saved An Afternoon

The other afternoon, I knew I was going to have to kill an hour with the boys while my daughter finished choir practice at school. {Cue moment of dread.}  I needed a plan to ward off the guaranteed whining that would plague the longest sixty minutes of my life.  Nobody likes to wait, and everybody gets bored.

So, I let (or made ) my mommy brain slow down and get a little creative. Too often I rush past this simple and necessary moment, because I really don't want to think about one more thing.  I just want the kids to be more patient and considerate with each other.  
 
Dear mom, those are some high expectations! Since it's unlikely that a 6-year-old and a 2-year-old will graduate the good manners program early, I had to switch gears from "hurry up and get there" to "how can we make this fun?"

I dug around a toy basket until I found two bouncy balls.  

It's amazing how that one stop-and-think minute saved our afternoon!  Equally miraculous was how a couple of bouncy balls and a nearby basketball court so easily entertained two boys.  

House rules thrown out the window. Running, throwing, and screaming allowed. No electronics were involved and zero arguing.  Just precious moments of watching how high or how far the balls would bounce, laughing and furiously trying to catch the runaways, and challenging their hand-eye coordination.

All Mommy had to do was suggest something new.  I should do that more often :-) 

What simple activities are in your Mommy tool belt for those waiting moments (inside or outside)?  Share with the rest of us!