Thursday, May 20, 2010

Go Play!

I have a question for you.

How do you play with your kids?

Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? I'm really giving this some thought. I have generally given my kids lots of free play time, which I think is good for them. But I think I've gone too far in that direction, and they're needing more "mommy and me" playtime. This post by Susan Wise Bauer (classical education guru) asks the question "Does go play = go away?" and to be honest, for me, sometimes it does.

I read to them a lot, and do school stuff. But we need Official Play Time.

Here's the rub: Hide and go seek is getting real old, real fast. Honestly, y'all, I just can't. I'll have good intentions of building something with blocks, or another round of go fish, or what have you, and I last about 10 minutes before I get bored.

Does anyone else do this? I know I'm not Mother of the Year here. But I can't be the only one?

So I think some new play ideas could freshen things up. "Just the shot in the arm that our relationship needs," for any Buster fans out there.

I thought about acting out Bible stories with them, complete with props and makeshift costumes. And it can't be David and Goliath, with me as Goliath, every day. Just sometimes.

Swimming was a big hit last summer, but I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do that with the little mister around....maybe during his naps.

We've been fishing for crawdads a lot lately.

I need ideas here! This is when my old "not naturally much of a kid person" thing is made painfully obvious. Help a sister out. Do you have board games or card games that you particularly enjoy? Other ideas?

How do you play with your kids?

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Seven years and counting

Happy anniversary, honey.

Our story, as told by a brief smattering of photographs.
























Happy Birthday, Jonas

Sweet Jonas, you are six. I told you to stay five, and you wouldn't do it.

I saw a story on the news the other day about an eleven year old boy whose mother was being attacked by an intruder with a knife. The boy punched the man in the face, fought him for awhile, and then called 911. The attacker ran away and escaped.

I wept because I knew, deep in my bones and without having to even think about it, that you would do the exact same thing.

For better or worse.

Your response when I showed you the news clip? Fear? Intimidation? Awe?

"It's too bad the bad guy got away. I would have tied him up until the police got there."

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