Family Game Night Basket: Making Time For Family Togetherness

We love family game nights. We love playing games as a family any time day or night. Playing games as a family is one of our favorite ways to spend time together.

Recently we just took our family togetherness outside to play some board games on a blanket. We picked out a few of our favorite board games and put them in our newly made Family Game Night Basket. Made by simply spray painting an old picnic basket.

Then we grabbed some snacks, got cozy, and set up the games.

 

Family togetherness is so lovely when it is around a board game and without electronics. That is one of the reasons I love playing board games with my little family: just family and no distractions.

Well, there are no bad distractions.

Just cute ones.

And some, "Oh Mom, why are you making that embarrassing face?" distractions.

It has been fun to be on the mom side of playing games as a family. I have so many awesome memories of playing board games as a family when I was a kid. Back then it was loud and rowdy. However, everything was less complicated. When I was growing up we would play games in our pajamas on Sunday morning before church. We would play games on all big family holidays. We played games on the weekend.

There were no cell phones. Heck, we didn't even have a home computer or Internet for the longest time. There were so little distractions. It was glorious.

Nowadays there are so many distractions. There are so many things that get in the way of family togetherness. I want my kids to unplug from all the distractions, i.e. the electronics, and for us to spend time together. I want them to have the same loud and rowdy time I did when I was growing up playing games with my family.

I want them to remember the obnoxious victory dance of a sibling. I want them to remember laughter around the game table. I want them to remember the plastic cars in the game Life and the silver top hat from Monopoly. I want them to know the joy of a Yahtzee and the joy of a victory over everyone else in the family. I want them to know the sweetness of helping a younger sibling "win" by some selfless cheating.


I want to pass on family togetherness through playing games.

Some of the games I played back then might be different from what we play now. Some are the same. Same games or different games, the purpose is all the same. The purpose is to spend time as a family, growing closer, and creating memories.

Turn off the electronics. Shut off the television. Grab some board games, or a card game or two. Gather your family around the table or pack up the games in your Family Game Night Basket, lay out a blanket and take the games outside.

Just enjoy some time together as a family.
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1. Standard on LS and 1LT.  Available on 2LT. LTZ seats 7.
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Family Camping: A Glimpse of Us

I have really slowed down blogging. Like a lot. Especially this Summer. Blogging and I are redefining our relationship a bit, but more on that another day. One of the reasons I have slowed to an agonizing pace this Summer is because of things like this little family camping trip we had a few weeks ago.

At the beginning of the Summer I admitted to myself that I personally wasn't enjoying the juggle of blogging and enjoying the Summer with my kids. I also was ashamed to find that my camera had a few more blog pictures on it than family time pictures. So the blog took a back seat and Summer took a front seat.

I just wanted share a bit of our Summer and to share A Glimpse of Us, which I may be doing more here and there in order to promote better documentation of our life on my part.

So we decided to go camping.

We packed up our camping gear. We drove a few hours away from home. We set up camp. We waited for the arrival of our friends who joined us.

We were out of cell phone range. It was glorious.

We enjoyed our outside home away from home.

There was getting along amongst siblings.

We didn't worry about doing hair or keeping our clothes clean.

Or washing our faces.

We ate. We ate some more. We hiked. We ate again.

We disturbed the peace of some bugs.

We took in all the sights and sounds.

We climbed. We laughed.

Did I mention we ate?

These campfire donuts were my crowning glory. They were amazing.

They were enjoyed by all.

Camping really is the best. This coming from a non-camper too. While I may not love dirt, bugs, and sleeping on the ground, I can't think of a better sacrifice. The time away from electronics, schedules, and all the crazy is one of the best things. I wouldn't say not to a pop up camper though. Ha.

I hope you enjoyed this Glimpse of Us.

He Turns Two Today

Our Baby turns two today.

Does that mean I have to stop calling him my baby? I hope not.

He is our baby and always will be. I am sure there will be many times he doesn't like that fact, but there will also be more times he more than benefits from it.

This Little Man of ours is delightful. He is cuteness, happiness, smartness, and squeezableness all in one pint-sized little package.

He is our only blue-eyed boy.

He is so many things and amazes us every day. We are biased we know, but we think he is awesome.

He talks so very well. He is constantly carrying on conversations with us and everyone he is around. He is so observant and learns things really quickly. He is always on the go. From the minute he wakes up (very, very early I might add) he is chatting, running, and pointing things out.

He loves all things sports. He especially loves football. We are going to have to train him to be a running back, since speed and not size is probably going to be his asset. 

He eats almost anything. He may not eat much, but he will gladly eat almost anything. He especially loves vegetables. Broccoli is his very favorite. 

He loves to climb on anything. He is super strong and has monkey-like grip with his hands. With his love of climbing comes a host of battle wounds. Hence the both the scare and bruise in this picture. I am sure this is just the first for our rough and tumble on the move little man.

I can't get over this boy of ours. He lights up every single day. "The Brothers" as he likes to call them, love and adore him. I am in awe of how they cater to and care about him. They are patient and loving and he loves and trusts them because of it.

This Little Man that was a surprised addition to our family has brought so much joy and completeness to us. He is truly a blessing.

Today he turns two. TWO! Time goes by too quickly. Today I will try to freeze time and enjoy this toddler of ours. We will party football style of course.

There will be cake.
There will be presents.
There will be laughing.
There will be squeezing.

There will be loving on you Little Mister Bean.

Happy Birthday, we love you!

Family Game Night Favorites

Have you all noticed that it has been particularly chilly as of late? Those of you in warm climates, feel free to not rub it in too much. Also, have you noticed that it isn't just chilly, it is at times impossible to leave the house. My brother and his fam were actually housebound.

So what should you do when you are housebound, everything is cancelled, and the mom your kids are stir crazy?

You should throw a Family Game Night. Or a Family Game Afternoon. Or a Family Game Just-Finished-Breakfast-And-Already-Stir-Crazy.

In light of all this chilly weather and the eminent case of the stir crazies, I thought I would share a few of our family's favorite games.

They are games for all age groups, because we are at that stage in our family.

The games can all be played by the whole family. The older kids can still enjoy the easier games, especially if they know they will get to play one of their games next. The younger kids can play the harder games if rules are adapted or good old mom and dad assist.

So without any more delay, here are a few of our family's current favorite family games.

1. Zingo: a fun spin on bingo, that uses cute pictures.

2. Clue: a classic, but always fun.

3. Guess What I Am: a guessing game. It includes caricatures cards in which 

you insert your face. This is pretty much hilarious.

4. Monopoly Empire: a much easier and kid friendly version of the original.

Plus, it is WAY shorter.

5. Memory: another classic. There are so many versions, you are sure to 

find one that fits any child's interest. 

6. Apples to Apples Junior: a really fun word game that will be sure

to get giggles trying to match words and/or people with a definition.

 

We really do love these games. Like I said, we play them often. Sometimes our three older boys will just go in a room and play one together.

Pop a bag of popcorn, whip out a family game, and you should be able to bond and solve the stir-crazies for at least a little while!

We are always looking for more game suggestions. I would love for you to share with me some of your family's favorite games.

Our Christmas Fancies and Merry Christmas

We had a lovely Christmas full of family, childlike excitement, love, giggles, and quiet moments of reflection on the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I had planned to wish you a Merry Christmas a little sooner than December 30th, but we were happily wrapped up in Christmas festivities (Not to mention not-so-happily experiencing momentary illness...which by the way, did it seem like almost everyone you knew had some form of illness around Christmas?).

So here it is several days after and I am hoping you all had a very Merry Christmas.

One of my favorite days leading up to Christmas is Christmas Sunday, i.e. the Sunday just before Christmas. The absolute best is when Christmas falls on a Sunday. I love celebrating the birth of Christ through sacred hymns and inspirational messages of His birth and life. I love that we dress up just a tad bit fancier than normal. I love that the congregation is busting with visiting family and friends, even if they aren't ours.

I just love it all.

This year, I didn't really get the boys anything new to wear to church, specific for Christmas anyway. I pulled together a few things we already had that looked fancy and "Christmasy".

My wardrobe rummaging explains how this precious little Christmas lumberjack look came to be.

My blue-eyed handsome boy is still just a tad too small for a suit. However, he happily wore this black and red flannel with a black paisley tie I made for the boys two Christmases ago.

The other boys all wore their normal Sunday suits, spruced up with a bit of red in their ties.

It is killing me with how old Oldest is starting to look!

Middle, my stoic handsome one as always.

Then there is Little, always photogenic and always too cute for his own good.

We didn't have mistletoe, but that didn't keep us from smooching it up in front of the Christmas tree. Oldest got it all on camera.

This particular Christmas Sunday, we were miraculously ready quite a bit early for church. So that means I got to snap a lot of pictures...okay, as many as my rowdy boys would allow.

A Christmas hug for dad.

A cute little Christmas "cheese".

A little extra pose, which he came up with all by himself.

I really feel blessed to have this family of boys. I am lucky to be the lone lady amongst all these gentlemen.

I hope you had a warm and wonderful holiday season, and that you continue to feel that warmth into the New Year.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving wherever you are.

Even if you are somewhere where it is not Thanksgiving today.

Happy Be Grateful Day. 

We can all be more grateful.

I never got around to doing the "I am grateful for..." everyday post to Facebook or Instagram.

I enjoyed reading other people's daily gratitudes (totally a word).
They often led me to think of what I was grateful for.

So now, on this day of gratitude, I am going to make up for the lack of sharing my gratitude and I am going to list 30 things I am grateful for...

Yes, I know you are excited to read them all. Hahaha.

My list of 

I-Am-Grateful-For

1. my insanely hard-working and handsome husband

2. my oldest son who is so smart and quick to learn

3. my very honest and sincere Mr. Middle

4. my glasses wearing Little who is very generous with his hugs

5. my teeny tiny youngest who makes me belly laugh everyday

6. a strong body

7. a warm home full of love

8. the gospel of Jesus Christ

9. Jesus Christ

10. knowing I am a Child of God

11. Thomas S. Monson

12. scriptures to lead and guide me

13. the smell of rain

14. a functioning car

15. good friends who care about me

16. good friends for my boys

17. parents who raised me right

18. five of the funniest and bestest siblings a person could have

19. parents who raised my husband right

20. food on my table

21. exercise

22. an education

23. talents and strengths

24. opportunities to overcome my weaknesses

25. music that stirs my soul

26. family who loves and supports us

27. lazy days

28. opportunities to serve

29. The House of the Lord

30. patience shown me

Thank you for letting me list some of the things I am grateful for.

I am grateful for all the support I get. From you, my readers, as well.

I hope that you have a very special and family and/or friend filled day.

In a Nutshell: Family Photo Shoot FAIL

I can't even remember the last Week in a Nutshell post I wrote.

I have not written about this cute family of mine in awhile. I used to be really good at documenting our week and all our antics. I probably should get better at that.

I just had to share our Family Photo Shoot FAIL. First, because it was HEE-larious (looking back of course). Second, because it was definitely one of the "keeping it real" moments.

We got awesome family photos taken last July. They were perfect and beautiful, taken by a professional. When it came to our Christmas card photos though, I needed another another photo. I wanted one a little more seasonal. So I decided to do what I have done before and take care of it myself.

It is getting colder around here, so I knew I was running out of "good" weather. So this week I gathered up outfits from their closets. I warned them that after school that day we would be going to take pictures. I even offered a bribe of hot chocolate if they did well. They seemed on board. I was pretty excited.

I knew the location I wanted and it was close to home.

I figured, it was in the bag.

I figured horribly wrong. There was no bag. There was no "on board". There was definitely no hot cocoa drinking...well except Oldest, he was very helpful as the photos will document.

Instead I had four boys (one being a toddler), vanishing sunlight, cold weather, and stinky attitudes.

My best laid plans, rapidly came crashing down. The first problem came when I forgot that Oldest had piano lessons, so we couldn't leave until 4:45. That wouldn't seem like a big deal, but here by 4:45 the sun is getting ready for it's farewell for the day. No begging would seem to stop it.

By the time that we got to my warehouse location, there was pretty much no sunlight. So even with a good lens, I knew the pictures probably wouldn't turn out.

I thought I would give it  try anyway.

However, then the baby wrangling began.

He was less than pleased being wrangled.

He was less than cooperative. Even with all my "helpers".

Even if I got him to sit still, or took one with out him, silly faces abounded.

There were also angry faces, and "mom-this-is-lame-faces".

There was yelling, crying, kicking, rock-throwing, and not all just by me.

So I gave up. I figured I would either try another day or I would just send another photo.

I had failed to plan for all the contingencies, mainly one very cute, but very active toddler.

I can't say it was all their fault. I rushed it. I was a tad cranky.

Oh well. What are ya gonna do but laugh at it all. I have since recovered. They have since recovered. We have since done a different photo shoot that turned out much better. So fingers crossed I can get a warm and fuzzy Christmas card sent.

I sure do love being a mom to boys, even on the days that I want to pull my hair out.

Monsters University Giveaway

What did you dream about being when you were little?
A ballerina?
A teacher?
A rock star?
A rocket scientist?

Or maybe...
A Scarer.

What did you dream about being when you got a little older?
Was it the same or did it change a bit?

Having dreams is a wonderful thing. Dreams can drive, motivate, and fulfill us.

Dreams can be big. They can be small. They can seem impossible. Yet they can be crazy possible. They can be simple.

Whatever our dreams may be, they are ours.

In Monsters University, Mike Wazowski's lifelong dream is to be a Scarer for Monsters, Inc. A dream that starts when he is young and drives him his whole life and leads him to Monsters University.

Mike eventually finds, that sometimes our dreams turn our to be a little different than we expected. However, he finds that there is one important thing that can drive the dream, even if it changes. Simply, it is our belief and self-confidence in our ability and strengths.

Can I just tell you how much I love, love, LUH-VE this movie?

Well I love it a whole lot. I love the message it represents. This movie is all about believing in yourself, persevering, and never giving up. When you believe in yourself, than others will too.

My Little Men love this movie as much as I do. I hope that they take to heart the movie's message as well.

Dream big.
Work hard.
Believe.

I asked at the beginning of this post if there was anything that you wanted to be when you grew up.
Well, if you were like me, you probably had several dreams through out your childhood...heck you probably had several through out your life up to this point.

When I was younger I can remember wanting to be two things--

1. a famous pop star
2. a mom

I would day dream about the first, and pretend to be the later.

As I grew older, the famous pop star dream kind of faded. I won't say I crossed it off completely, but it didn't hold as much interest for me.

However, I held fast to my dream to be a mom and then added a few other dreams to the list.

1. mom
2. teacher
3. party planner
4. author

I planned, practiced and imagined these roles. To be truthful, my primary goal was always my driving force. My desire to be a mom influenced my decisions, altered plans, and drove me on a daily basis.

Now here I sit, a marriage and four kids later. I have been a mom for almost ten years. TEN!

The reality is better than the dream...it is WAY harder than the dream, but the pay out is WAY better. I have sacrificed a bit maybe even smaller dreams, but nothing sacrificed compares with living my main dream.

Plus, I have found a way to incorporate some of those other minor dreams into my role as Mom.

I teach.
I write.
AND...
occasionally I party plan...

Look for my Five Simple Tips

for creating a fast and easy party table coming soon. 

Most recently I planned this little movie preview party for my Little Men and a few friends.

 

 They all gathered together and soaked in Monsters University. I watched them soak it all in.

I watched and wondered if I knew what my boys' dreams were. I wondered if I had been supporting them in their dreams. If I had encouraged them to believe in themselves. If they knew how much I believed in them.

I hoped that they thought their dreams were possible. I watched them and hoped that I had given them the tools to be self-confident.

Mostly, I sat in awe and thought of all their possibilities.

So what are some of their dreams...

Have you felt all the warm and fuzzies this movie has evoked?

Are you as excited as we are for the release of Monsters University?

Own It First On Digital HD on 10/8.

Or get the Blu-ray Combo Pack on 10/29.

OR...

You can enter the sweepstakes to win your very own 

Monsters University Blu-ray Combo Pack. 

WAIT! That isn't all though. You can also enter to win the sweepstakes

for a $50 Visa gift card.

All you need to do is leave me a comment telling me, 

How you believed in yourself and achieved a dream?

This sweepstakes runs through 10/13.

Good Luck Friends! 

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “”#SweepstakesEntry”"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post”
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 10/3/13 – 11/3/13.
Be sure to visit the Monsters University Page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!