Tag: kids

This is what Saturday morning looks like after 9 years of marriage and two kids.

You know that thing where you wake up on a Saturday and your bed isn’t full of small children and stuffed animals? And your husband is there, and he’s all warm and smells nice and it makes you think, hmm, maybe…and so you kiss him, and you’re thinking, yeah, this is nice…so cozy…

…and suddenly, a flurry of thundering footsteps, a stampede of one. A young child, sensing a disturbance in the force, bursts through the door and flies into the bed, wedging herself directly between the two of you, crushing a few of your more sensitive body parts in the process.

Happy (belated) anniversary to us!

(And yay for bedroom door locks.)

Me: Do you know who Chewbacca is?

Ellie: Do you know who Chewbacca is?

Me: No, really, I’m curious.

Ellie: No, really, I’m curious.

Me: Ellie…c’mon, remember how we watched Star Wars yesterday?

Ellie: Ellie…c’mon, remember how we watched Star Wars yesterday?

Me: …

Me: WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION ESTABLISH JUSTICE, ENSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILLITY, PROVIDE FOR THE COMMON DEFENSE, PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE, AND SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY…

In other news, I’m finally putting all that fifth-grade memorization to good use!

An interview with Gwen, age 4

  1. GoobWhat is something mom always says to you?
    “Be quiet.”
  2. What makes mom happy?
    “Coffee.” (Mom’s note: Accurate.)
  3. What makes mom sad?
    “No coffee.” (Mom’s note: Also accurate.)
  4. How does your mom make you laugh?
    “Tickling me.”
  5. What was your mom like as a child?
    “Me & sissy.”
  6. How old is your mom?
    “18.”
  7. How tall is your mom?
    “18.5 inches long”
  8. What is her favorite thing to do?
    “Play with me.”
  9. What does your mom do when you’re not around?
    “Work.”
  10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
    “I don’t know.”
  11. What is your mom really good at?
    “Working.”
  12. What is your mom not very good at?
    “Making snowflakes.”
  13. What does your mom do for her job?
    “Team chat!” (Mom’s note: Theme Team, you’ve made an impression!)
  14. What is your mom’s favorite food?
    “Cheese.”
  15. What makes you proud of your mom?
    “Your glasses!”
  16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
    “One of those robot thingees from cartoons.”
  17. What do you and your mom do together?
    “Play.”
  18. How are you and your mom the same?
    “We have the same skin.”
  19. How are you and your mom different?
    “Our hair.”
  20. Where is your mom’s favorite place to go?
    “Hawaii!” (Mom’s note: Highly accurate.)

Game nights (and days)

This winter, we’re all about the games.

After Santa brought Exploding Kittens for Ellie for Christmas, we’ve made a point of playing a game almost every night after dinner. Gwen is a bit young to partake, but likes to sit alongside us and “help”, or play with LEGOs. It’s nice to have regular family time that doesn’t involve a screen.

Teaching Ellie how to play the X-Files board game
Clue for my birthday
Munchkin!
Nice outfit
That was a fun fight

Our favorite is Munchkin, because it’s humorous and easy to play, but still feels like an RPG. We bought two of the expansion packs (there are tons to choose from), and we’ll probably invest in more when our current cards start to feel too familiar.

We play Exploding Kittens or Zombie Dice when we’re running short on time. The X-Files is reserved for weekends, since play is more advanced and can take a while. We’re getting the expansion pack for that in a few weeks, which will make it even more interesting.

Other games in the rotation include Clue (my birthday present from the kids), Go Fish (Ellie’s favorite), and One Hit Kill. I love that the renewed interest in tabletop games gives us options that balance ease of play for the kids with enjoyability for the adults.