What to Do When Trapped in the House?

Snow can be a wonderful thing.  People love to ski, sled, and play in it.  Having grown up in the west my whole life, snow was a common sight.  From the months of September through April, we usually had snow on the ground.

I love snow for Christmas, and I really like the first few snowfalls.  I love really, really deep snow.  However, after five or six months, I usually start getting a little tired of it.  By that point, it usually gets black, hard, and disgusting.  The February through April snow if often too stubborn to melt, but not good enough to do anything else with.  It basically becomes frozen mud-ice.

I am pretty excited today, because it is snowing right now.  I'm excited for Kevin to learn to play in the snow.  I'm excited to take him sledding and to build snowmen with him.  

The snow has come pretty late this year.  Usually by Halloween, there is already snow on the ground and we are already half-way through November.  The snow might be around to stay.

Which brings up a new difficulty.  Usually, when Kevin and I get bored, we head outside.  We go on walks or go play on the playground.

Kevin is too young to enjoy some indoor activities, but too old to keep his attention on things for long.  Some days I am struggling to find age-appropriate things for us to do together.  Especially when I'm trying to get things done.

I would love to hear some ideas that other people have had to activities to do with an eleven-month-old who can walk.

We play soccer and we play with toys a bit, but I'm running out of ideas. He likes to help clean and do dishes, but often 'helping' turns into 'getting hurt' or 'not helping'.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions that have worked for you.  Otherwise, it's going to be a long winter.