Balloon Countdown [For Kids]

Update: I'll be taking Wednesday off to spend some time with my family but will return with two more deployment posts the following days.  Stay tuned!

I have some amazing news to share!  Our balloon countdown that we've been working on for the last 41 days is finally complete!  What were we counting down?  Well, my darling husband has been away flying his airplane in far off lands.  

I've always had really wacky ways of counting down his deployments.  My usual countdown was how many trash days until he's home.  When it gets closer to his homecoming, I like to find eggs (then, milk) at the grocery store with the date of his arrival stamped on it as the sell-by date.  And when it's gets even closer, I like to count how many "sleeps" until he's home.  ("Only 6 more sleeps!") Lastly, I make my hourly countdown! ("72, 36, 12... more hours!")

I've never made a physical countdown but since we now have a three year old little lady running around, daddy's absence is very wearing on her.  While Bryan and I were spending some time in Hawaii this past winter, my mom watched the kiddos and found out that our daughter loooooves balloons!  What better way to make a countdown?!

I strung up some twine in our window, used clothes pins to hang the balloons, and wrote the countdown numbers on each balloon.

Every day after nap time, we'd blow up a new balloon.  I would first ask her the color of the balloon, then we'd practice her numbers.  

The best part of this countdown, is that the "pre-made welcome home" decorations are ready and waiting!

Using balloons for a countdown could be used in so many different ways.  Counting down until a family vacation, using red & green balloons to count down until Christmas, or color-themed balloons for a birthday party!

So, welcome home, honey!  I'm so glad our family is back together again!

Janice