It would only be apropos that we start off the year by playing. Seeing that it is so incomprehensibly cold outside (so much so that the Governor cancelled school statewide this coming Monday) playing was pretty much our only option.
Bennett suggested we institute our traditional "one hour with each parent" routine. We had nothing else to do and nowhere to be...so why not? I always love these sessions so much, I don't know why we don't do them more often.
Bennett and I started off by drawing. We each picked a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon book and went to town. After thirty minutes of drawing the next thing Bennett wanted to do was cuddle on my bed. I loved laying there solving world problems together and listening as he shared his heart with me. We rounded out our time by playing Farkle - which he won.
Time up. Next kid.
I moved on to time with Gavin while Chuck spent his hour with Chloe. Gavin was excited to teach me how to make my own world in Minecraft. I was supposed to do it all by myself but apparently I'm a slow study and he couldn't stand my ineptness with the controls. So I ended up explaining what I wanted my world to look like while he did all the hard stuff. We were pleased with my multiple tree house world. I even got to enjoy a sunrise and sunset which I asked him to take a screen shot of and email me because I like all sunrises and sunsets, even those artificially programmed by Minecraft geniuses. After that, he didn't know what to do. I don't do logic/strategy games (which are the only kind he likes), so Risk, checkers and chess were out. After mulling it over for a whole minute he decided that he wanted to make a budget with me for whenever he gets his first job. He wants to know how to budget the money hasn't earned yet. Typical Gavin. We had such an awesome time talking through real world scenarios and figuring out what type of job he might want, minimum wage, taxes and deductions. Loved it!
Meanwhile, Chuck and Chloe were making a webpage. Chloe apparently didn't realize that Daddy knew how to do this (since she had just learned some simple programming/coding at school the day before she now was super interested in all things computer related). After Chuck taught her to create her very own webpage they still had time to play with the medicine ball, play a game of war as well as play iphone games.
Buzza, buzza. Next kid.
Chuck moved onto Bennett while Chloe and I spent one on one together. Bennett wanted to play table football, floor hockey and floor soccer. Lastly they also did the medicine ball together. Chuck was getting a ton of work out during his play time. Chloe and I spent time curling her American Girl dolls' hair. When that was over we did each other's hair and makeup. She looked like the cutest little Swedish girl when I was done with her. I looked interesting too. I don't typically use chocolate brown eye shadow. It was nice to see what I am missing out on. Lastly, we made the dough for our pizza.
As I was getting the pizzas ready, Chuck and Gavin were spending their time together. They played laser chess, iphone games and tower defense.
Then it was the all important time of pizza consumption. We enjoyed our pizza as we watched "Secretariat" and stayed warm by the fireplace. What a wonderful way to start the new year, spending time with our favorite people who still want to spend time with us. I'm soaking up every moment of this as we are embarking on a new phase of life. We will have two teenagers and a 10 year old this year. It doesn't seem possible, yet here it is.
Carpe Diem...every day!
