Fun and Games

My kids love to play games of all shapes and sizes. Major is getting old enough to be able to understand how to play lots of games. With those that aren't age appropriate, we usually just improvise so that he can play. I really enjoy games too and like to encourage them in their game playing/game inventing.

One day this week we played Skip Bo, an old favorite, during one of Mary Alice's school breaks.

For a couple of months now, one of the kids' favorite games has been played with a balloon. They use the same balloon for about two weeks until it is "used up." The object of the game? Keep the balloon from hitting the floor. This game keeps them entertained and laughing for hours a week. Yesterday, Major came out and let me know that the only balloons left in the craft dresser were pink. The balloon that he had been playing with was no longer usable, so he asked me to blow up the pink one for him. He wrote his name across the balloon. His name was written (rojaM). About half of the time, he writes his name this way. We are still working on the whole left to right thing. :)

Today, Mary Alice and I played an invented card/board game to help her get a firm understanding of place value. After we finished the game, she said, "I LOVE Math! I used to not like it, but now it is FUN!" That made me excited, because, at least for today, she likes Math. I think it is game playing that she really enjoys, though. :)

A few days ago, the kids and I played one of our favorite games together---"Loaded Questions". They LOVE to play this one. You take turns moving around a game board and answering various questions about different types of things. Then, you write your answer down and then guess who gave which answer. For our version of the game, we asked the question first. Each person wrote (or drew) their answer to the question. Then we shared our answers. It was so funny to see the kids' minds working as they decided on an answer. Playing this game was a good way to get to know them better. I love my sweet kids! I enjoy my time with them so much!

Here are the questions and answers that were given during our little game. These questions were all from the actual board game. (The wording of two or three of them was slightly altered to make them easier to understand.)

#1- Who is your favorite person in the movies?

MA- "Mrs. Price" (Angela Lansbury)
Me- Julie Andrews
Maje- Lightning McQueen

#2- What is the grossest thing in your refrigerator?

MA- cheese food
Me- cheese food
Maje- cheese food and celery

(by the way, we didn't tell our answers until everyone had written theirs down, so there was no copying)

#3- If you could do something fun, what would you do?

MA- go to Six Flags
Me- hug and kiss Josh
Maje- ride a roller coaster

#4- What makes you sweat?

MA- summer time
Me- working out
Maje- riding my bike for a long long time

#5- Where do you not like to be tickled?

MA- my armpits
Me- my neck
Maje- When dad comes home and horseplays with me and tickles me, I like it. :)

#6- What is something that you often forget?

MA- to wear leggings under my dress
Me- jobs that I was supposed to do/places I was supposed to be
Maje- to put my shoes on before TAFA

#7- When is the best time to have a party?

MA- birthdays
Me- Christmas
Maje- my birthday

#8- If you had magical powers, what would you do with them?

MA- make movies like the Wizard of Oz
Me- Keep my house clean
Maje- Turn people into super heroes with special powers

#9- What is something that you would need to get up very early to do?

MA- go to public school
Me- Christmas morning
Maje- daycare (His picture of a daycare very closely resembled his picture of a shoe from question #6)

#10- If you could make a delicious dish out of eggs and one other ingredient, what would you add to the eggs?

MA- "rosemerry" (original spelling)
Me- tomatoes
Maje- cream cheese

#11- If you were in charge of a sports team, what would be your mascot?

MA- the bird that comes to Red Robin on Fridays and Saturdays
Me- ?
Maje- a bear

#12- What is the best thing about staying in a hotel?

MA- sleeping with Major
Me- a bigger bed
Maje- eating breakfast (He drew a pancake.)

#13- What is the best Christmas movie ever?

MA- White Christmas
Me- It's a Wonderful Life
Maje- It's a Wonderful Life

#14- What is something that should be done every Sunday morning?

MA- worshipping God
Me- listening to music, worshipping God
Maje- get dressed

#15- What is your favorite part of the Willi Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?

MA- when they are eating chocolate
Me- when Charlie finds the golden ticket
Maje- when they are flying high up in the elevator

#16- What is your favorite dairy product?

MA- ice cream
Me- ice cream
Maje- milk (He is his daddy's son.)

#17- What is your favorite thing to do with snow?

MA- make a snow man
Me- make a snow angel
Maje- throw snowballs at each other

#18- What is something that makes you very excited?

MA- going on a vacation
Me- going on a trip
Maje- riding a roller coaster/ Powder Keg at Silver Dollar City

#19- What is one of the biggest problems with the American school system?

MA- The kids have to sit all day.
Me- Too much is expected from teachers.
Maje- The building explodes and it is on fire. (What?!?)

#20- What is one thing that someone can do to make a mess of their life?

MA- not worship God
Me- not follow Jesus
Maje- break someone's toy (This recently happened to Maje when a destructive friend intentionally broke one of his favorite toys. Major hasn't quite gotten over it yet.)

#21- What is something that would be very rude to do during a funeral?

MA- scream
Me- talk on your cell phone
Maje- hit someone

Addendum: Josh just reminded me that I forgot to include this one. I can't believe I left it off of my initial blog!

#22- If you were to invent a deodorant, what would you call it?

MA- Smelling Good
Me- Fresh Scent
Major- Hiney (He showed us a picture that we first thought was a picture of the Ten Commandments until he explained that his deodorant was simply called "Hiney". I don't think that product will be flying off of the shelves. :)

The day can't be all about fun and games, though. I have work to do! I have had so much to blog about these past couple of weeks, but absolutely NO time to post. I will write more soon.

Have a wonderful day!