Special thanks to CostumeSuperCenter.com for providing the dance costume for review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own, as always. 

Every single parent has experienced the tension between playing with your kids and getting some much-needed housework done. I’m not talking about general upkeep stuff. I’m talking about, “If I don’t get these dishes washed we won’t have anything to eat on for dinner” or “If I don’t do a load of laundry, the kids will be wearing their birthday suits to school tomorrow.”

When I find myself in that situation (pretty much daily), I almost always turn on some really fun music (like my Disney Pandora channel) and let the girls start singing and dancing. I will join them for a few dance moves, and then dance back over to whatever chore I’m working on. It feels more seamless to the girls for me to be singing along even if I’m not right next to them, and to have me there every few minutes dancing beside them. It also gives me a little boost of energy and seems to help me work faster.

Putting on some music is nearly effortless for me, and the girls just love it. There are many great benefits to dancing, and I feel good about the exercise they are getting by running around in circles and leaping through the air (or hopping, in Layah’s case). Dancing also seems to be the activity that causes the least amount of frustration between the two girls; they play beautifully together when they are dancing!

I do keep a rather full costume box so that the girls can play dress up during their dancing sessions. Layah has been having to make do with her sister’s costumes that are too big for her, but now she has her own dance costume. And she adores it! While it doesn’t look a thing like Elsa’s outfit from Frozen, she still believes that she is Elsa when she puts it on, and she sings, “Let it Go!” at the top of her lungs while she twirls around. She even does the “throw off your crown” move!

So what about you? Do you ever think to just turn on some music and let the kids sing and dance around the house for a little while? And do your kids like to play dress up any time they are putting on a show? We run the gamut here, from Pink Swan Princess to super hero, and sometimes both at the same time. All set to music. And I always take a moment to look up from my chores and watch my girls loving life and just being kids. It’s one of the most beautiful parts of my day.