Saturday, May 23, 2009

Friday night with one child



Since Sylvan was watching a baseball game with a friend last evening, we got to have dinner with just Jonas, followed by dessert and lime yogurt cake (from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg) and a game.

Me looking fab in my new apron

Something you should know is that Jake and Jonas have a passion for strategy games with about a million rules (Wizard Kings, Settlers of Catan, Carcasonne, Race to the Galaxy---I call this last one Race to Boredom, and I always win!). The games take forever and I usually forget many of the rules all the time, and just ask Jonas for his opinion about what I should do. He's very fair that way. Jonas is also a cutthroat Monopoly player and collects various editions, and I will never, ever play this game with him. Frankly, I'd rather knit or sew. Or watch my fingernails grow.

Thankfully, his two grandmothers introduced him to Scrabble (my cup of tea), and for a beginning player and speller, he did great. I look forward to playing with him.

So what I am saying is that finding a family game that we can ALL (even Sylvan) play, is somewhat rare. We have found lots of fun in Pick Picnic, which is great for all ages, if you can handle that sometimes the wily fox makes off with one of your flock.

Jonas scored a $2 game of Life at the Goodwill this week, circa 1991 edition. It is so totally devoid of strategy, so dorky in its "American Values," so patently ridiculous, but somehow we all love it. We pick our spouses at random (because you fall in love with who you fall in love with, right?), so sometimes we have same-sex partners, which is our token towards a reflection of our own values.
Boringly, you can see I drew the career of Doctor, but love that $100, 000 salary!

And Jake, last night's winner, started out as A Super Star globe-trotting playboy (he kept winging off on trips to Florida and Africa) and turned out to have also found a solution to pollution, won a Nobel Prize, among other honors through his collection of Life cards. But do you love this graphic or what?

You CAN be a winner at the game of Life (this was the advertising jingle I remember from childhood)! What's on your weekend agenda?

4 comments:

  1. Oh goodness. The limes alone looks absolutely glorious this bright Saturday morning. I know Jonas enjoyed a wonderful dinner with his mom & dad. A little one on one is good, isn't it?

    And I'm so glad the apron fits as I hoped it would. You look smashing!

    But, what I can't believe is that I have never once played the game of Life. I think I must have been the only kid of my decade who didn't. Weird. But, I'm thinking if I come across it in a yard sale or thrift store I may just have to bring it home. A little retro game night would be fun, for the graphics alone! :)

    Grillin' and chillin' this weekend here in NC. The farmers market had delicious produce yesterday, including an elephant garlic I'm so looking forward to. I've bought it at the store before, but have never had fresh from the "garden." YUM!

    Peace and sunshine to you & yours this weekend!

    XXOO,
    Ana

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  2. LIFE was my most favorite board game as a kid. I'd forgotten all about it! I was always trying to cheat and find a way to end up with more kids (who would never all fit in the car) . . . a kind of funny premonition about what my real life turned out to be, lol.

    It gives me such hope to read your posts about Jonas. He just sounds so lovely and fun and it makes me so excited for what life will be when our kids are a few years older (not that we don't enjoy them now already, but you and Jonas make the pre-teen years look very appealing).

    Love the apron too!

    xo

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  3. Well, not to paint too rosy a picture of the pre-teen years...I mean we certainly have our share of lovely around here, no mistake, like Friday night. But we also have sulky, oppositional, spacey, eye-rolling anti-chore, nose-in-a-book, teasing, and edgy.

    The biggest challenge is the balance of his need for down time when he returns home from school with home chores, violin practice, and (usually minimal, thank goodness) homework. AND get to bed by 8 for a full night's sleep. This often results in overwhelm...

    Can I really have a pre-teen?!?! Yikes!
    XO
    Iris

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  4. That cake looks scrummy.

    We never had the game of life, but all our friends did and it was one that I desperately wanted us to own, along with Operation.
    At the moment we are playing this cute little retro round-the-board NZ game- "The Holdson Tour of NZ Game" and it has all sorts of cute little patriotic quirks. Just right for a 5-year-old and his Mummy!

    I'm glad that games nights continue to the pre-teen years!

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