Hump Day

A rose by any other name...
Last night, we watched American Idol. Up until now, I've been strictly a "Survivor" girl, but my oldest likes AI, so we watch. As each of guys came on and start their performance, within 15 seconds, she will ask me "yes or no," wondering if the judges would like the performance. I can say that I'm not a very good judge, except that the guys, on the whole, were much better this week than last. As the last performer came on, my daughter stumbled with the name a little bit. I helped her out. She started to giggle. So did I. So much for teaching the whole, 'we don't laugh at another's expense' lesson. "Mommy, that is the funniest name for a boy." They flashed the name again. We giggled again. Sundance Head.

Picnic...
During the summer, we eat outside as much as we can. I like having the option of hosing off the table. During the winter, it's a little more difficult, but we make due. I think of it more as passing on a tradition. Growing up, we ate at the table as a family. Sit down, plate of food, conversation... All that. As we got a bit older, the occasional treat would be sitting in the family room eating in front of the TV. On a blanket, lest the carpet get dirty. Lately, ok, when my husband's gone, we take our dinner to the basement and watch a movie while eating. On a blanket. It truly is easier to wash a blanket than the carpet, plus, I'm passing on a family tradition.

Cause it's one, two, three strikes you're out...
I do love the winter, but it's a bit hard to play outside in sub-zero weather when it's dark at 4:30 in the afternoon. Problem is, kids don't really have that 'hibernate' instinct that most adults do. I mean, when it's cold and crappy I love nothing more than snuggling in with a book or movie. The kids still need to work the ants out of their pants. To counteract this, one of the games we've developed is "Marshmallow Baseball". It's pretty easy, really. A bag of marshmallows and a bat. The bat can be about anything - from a plastic bat to the cardboard out of a roll of gift wrap or paper towels. This is one of my husband's favorite games to play with the kids. There is no base-running - the kids are simply trying to hit the marshmallows. The other two are outfielders. Generally, the batter is out when someone catches a hit marshmallow, or 10 hits. They take turns and are expected to be good sports. We do need to be careful, as occasionally Marshmallow Baseball turns into a Marshmallow Fight. Which is fun as well. The kids think it's pretty funny to see Mom and Dad crawling around on the floor, whipping marshmallows at each other. Put that in your rainy day box. I guess necessity really is the mother of invention. What's your favorite crappy day activity?