bored enough for a board game?

Anyone remember those things that came in boxes, sometimes with dice, and colorful little pawns, sometimes a flicky-spinner thingy, or a popper-not to be mistaken for a pooper-in the middle?  I think it started with B.....oh yeah, board games!

My childhood memories are filled with evenings and snowy afternoons around the table playing Yahtzee, Sorry, Bible Trivia, Monopoly, RISK, Chess, Checkers, and my personal favorite, The Farming Game, or maybe it was a lively card game like Crazy 8's, Uno, or Slap-Jack.  I seem to have a vivid memory of the 'idea' of playing these games, but I don't seem to have a clear memory of how the actual 'playing' went.  I mean, it seems that we had fun.  We must have, right?

We have always played age appropriate games with our kids, which has meant for most of our adult lives we have been playing, Candyland, Hungry Hippo, or Chutes & Ladders.  And I am here to tell you that hanging onto your sanity after playing 14 straight games of any of the above is a feat not to be taken lightly.  These games require little thinking and no strategy.  Although, I'm pretty sure my husband still always found a way to beat the kids.

As our kids have begun to move into the age of more 'thoughtful' games, we have introduced a variety to them--games that have an element of competition AND fun.  I had the wonderful idea of teaching them Monopoly a few months back.  Dumbest thing I ever did.  We broke out the old Monopoly game, dusted off the box, sorted through the money and Community Chest and Chance cards and sat down for a fun evening around the board.

Holy Moses, that is the longest stinkin' game ever.  What were we thinking?  I swear I could have baked three cakes, planned a month's menu, cleaned two bathrooms, and done 6 loads of laundry in the time it took to set the dumb game up!  Okay, I COULD have done that, but I wouldn't have.  More likely I would have wasted an evening on Pinterest or Facebook.

The maiden voyage of Monopoly went moderately.  No one died.  Some cried, or maybe that was just me.

But attempts 2-10 have proven to be less 'fun' than the first.  There is nothing like a complex (okay, complex for kids ranging from 3-12) game to drain a person of all patience and suck the fun out of the very concept of family 'fun' night.  The funny thing is, we all gather around again to try it 'one more time' seemingly forgetting how badly it ended the last time. 

I'm pretty sure in ten attempts we've only completed the stinkin' game once, and that was with some highly questionable tactics being applied by the banker.  Lets just say that many were living solely on governmental assistance.

I guess that is the point.  Trudge on despite adversity.  Times aren't always easy and we aren't all basking in the wealth of the 'Boardwalk' folks.  Some of us are Baltic Avenue people, doing our best to survive.  Of course some of us, ie ME, spend most of the game in jail because our luck is minimal. 

I suppose if I were to ask my parents they would remember a few dramatic outbursts while playing with us as kids too.  And maybe even a board or two knocked over.  Being a family means we stomp off to our rooms, sulk and pout, then move on and do it all over again.  That my friends, is the game of Life.

sunday tv---woo-hoo, NOT

When I first learned that Sunday's were not included in the 40 days of Lent, I have to admit that this is the thought that crossed my mind:  "Ha!  Catholics.  They call this a fast?" 

I came from an evangelical upbringing, where fasting was as common as speaking in tongues.  I remember, as a kid, noticing that my own parents were not eating on a particular day and when asked they would respond with an explanation of "fasting and praying" for one particular intention or another.

When I converted and experienced my first Lent as a Catholic, I was a tad mystified by this idea of 'fasting' being used so....shall I say, loosely.  Of course, my own understanding of the Church's official teaching, was severely sparse. But on the complete food-fast days of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, when it was explained to me that two small meals and only one 'normal' sized meal constituted a fast, I thought..."Seriously?  People in most parts of the world call that a week's worth of food!"  In the years following, when I was pregnant during 5 Lenten seasons, I was very appreciative of the fact that food was included in the 'fast' days, allowing a broader participation by the Church family.

My knowledge and understanding has improved, (at least in my beautiful Catholic faith), to say the least, over the years.  I have sought out answers to my semi-rebellious questions and self-righteous inclinations.  I have come to better understand the overall intent and purpose of fasting, and the Lenten journey, and as with every part of a spiritual or religious action, it all centers on the faith with which we apply.  The action itself is useless without our faith.

So, back to the intention of my post.  Sunday's are a FREE day!  No, not a day to fall into the pits of bad habits once again.  But it is certainly not a day to be sorrowing or mourning.  Sunday's are a mini-Easter each and every week.  Not focusing on our own sacrifices but on the ultimate one, one that didn't end in the grave.

Television on Sunday's stinks.  Especially when you only get 4 stations.  I'm just saying.  And not wanting to sorrow or mourn, we just shut it back off again.

spiritual growth & home improvement

Who needs television?  I am privy to some of the best theatrical and dramatic performances around, and the actors are all related to me.  I don't need reality TV.  I live it.  We are an episode of The Nanny, The Voice, and 18 Kids and Counting, all rolled into one.

So with extra time on our hands, like the half an-hour when we used to watch the news, we decided that a little demolition was in order.  Actually, neither my husband nor myself are ones to take on extra work when it involves the home improvement/decorating type.  We seem to find more than enough to fill our schedules between parenting, working, volunteering and sleeping, and quite frankly I feel that if time is freed up somewhere, it should most definitely be spent in the area of sleeping.  Home improvement is something we consider frivolous.  And personally I feel that way about cooking and cleaning too.  OK, maybe we just know our limitations.

However, when our middle daughter came out of the shower a few weeks ago holding one of the tiles from the tub surround in her hand, our days of being passive homeowners were over.  My suggestion of ignoring it went unheeded, and my husband's suggestion of slapping it back up there with a little adhesive of sorts (not duct tape) seemed most reasonable until two or three others fell beside it.

Dang. 

Thankfully we know people.  And those people know people.  So we were not left to tackle this job alone.  But we did spend a very romantic Friday night standing in the tub/shower together, butt to butt, prying 50 year old tile off the walls.  Sigh. 

We have scored a visit from my brother and nieces out of the deal though.  And Lent is the perfect time for out of state visitors.  Entertainment without television!

Got me thinking:  I wonder what else may need some fixin' around here.

day three of no tv

So one of the many problems with Facebook is that a simple 'like' is sometimes very difficult to interpret.  Many must have read yesterday's post.  Many 'liked' it on Facebook.  Without written explanation it is somewhat vexing for me to know what exactly you 'liked' about it.  Of course, for those without mild tendencies towards OCD, one would simply take the 'like' and move on. 

So what exactly did you like?

-Maybe it was a connection felt in that we still observe Lent and apparently take it somewhat seriously.
-Maybe it was a strong feeling about the evils of television and a supportive 'like' of our initiative.
-Maybe it was a 'like' in sympathy for me, thankful that it is my household and not yours.
-Maybe the throngs of fans that I once had during the glory days of blogging have returned.
-Maybe it was an accidental key stroke, meant to 'like' the picture of the cuddly kittens sharing a Valentine below my post.

I guess I will never know.  The voices in my head with keep pestering me about it for days to come though, you can be sure.

So what is planned for my household today?  Sans television that is?  Lord only knows.  And hopefully He is very proud of us. 

Rearrange the furniture?  Yes, I believe we'll start there.

day two without television

So for about 10 years now we have made it part of our Lenten tradition to pull the plug on television.  One would think that with the modern technology being what it is, DVR's etc., we could simply keep recording our favorite shows and watch them on Sunday's.

"What kind of a fast would that be?"  (Said in the deep voice of the man of the house.)  Not sure if it's the fast that motivates him or simply his pocketbook, but we dump cable every year at the start of lent and live (barely) without it until the end of summer--  Hooking up just in time for football kick-off.  Nice plan, eh?  Especially if you're the person who spends the least number of hours in the house....with five kids.  Five kids who do not have iPods, Xboxes, or any other state of the art gaming devices.  Yeah, I'll be honest--this wasn't my idea. 

Having said all that, it works somehow.  Like any change in routine it hurts the most a day or two in.  Well maybe more like two weeks in.  But like any change, if it doesn't kill us, it makes us stronger.  And honestly it isn't so bad.  In fact, on the days when the kids aren't totally annoying the heck out of me, it's rather nice to be disconnected from the boob tube.

So on day two of no television, I have already seen the benefits this fast produces. 

-I took a nap with my youngest and oldest.  Okay, so we three are medicated because of a lovely diagnosis of strep...but still, a nap?  How amazing is that?
-The play-dough made a reappearance.  But to be honest, only the kids would consider this a benefit.  Like glitter, sequins, glue, and pretty much anything kids enjoy, play-dough really gives me anxiety.
-A box of old walkie-talkies were suited up with batteries (emptying my end-of-the-world stash) and all five kids ran wildly throughout my house, which by the way, I have now decided is much too small, playing a thrilling game of hide-n-seek.  For which they insisted the lights must be out.  I just sat in the dark thinking about how much I love my husband.
-Duck call practice.  If you don't know what this is, be thankful.  It is ear-shattering bliss.  Yes, the oldest son has a nice little collection of duck calls, which apparently must be practiced so that you don't accidentally call down a pigeon instead of a duck while out hunting.  Because, well, we all know how embarrassing that would be.  I would send him outside to do it, but I'm afraid the neighbors might shoot him...accidentally mistaking him for a duck, of course.

I could go on.  And tomorrow I will.  Lucky you---apparently I blog when we don't have television.

Happy Lent!  Wait...that might not be the proper acclamation. 
Holy Lent!  No, that sounds like a blasphemous exclamation after winning the lottery.

Happy trails.

Sometimes it takes a smack to the head

So often I find myself all caught up in the day-to-day that it isn't until someone or something smacks me upside the head with a full-blown reality check that I realize that changes are brewing and I need to re-assess, re-examine, and re-affirm what is truly important, valuable, and worthy of my time and energy. 

Whether it is a prayer request sent through the local prayer chain of an unexpected illness, a news story about a tragedy that seems a bit too close to home, or maybe it is something nearer to my inner circle than that...something that truly disrupts the flow of my daily interactions--forcing me to stop and acknowledge the fact that change is indeed a very real part of life.

My first reaction is always the same.  PANIC.  Why do things have to change?  I am so good with routine and so... NOT-good with change.  At least change that I cannot control.  And maybe that's the point.  God knows that I tend to think I'm in control a bit more than I actually am.  He knows when that slap to head reality check is most needed.

It isn't until I have vented (sometimes over and over again) to the safe and loving ears of my husband, cried a few tears of frustration or hurt, challenged God to show me the reasons, that I finally surrender to the truth that life is all about change.  Despite how uncomfortable it sometimes makes me. 

About that time, God has this amazing way of bringing to my mind all of the images of 'change' that He brought to my life that have been the most earth-shattering, life-altering, amazing blessings.  Things that I could not have imagined or hoped for with my own limited understanding.

I guess I can choose to find comfort in the certainty that changes are a part of life.  And while I maybe can not control the changes, and while I usually don't always like the changes, I know that God is bigger than my doubt, discomfort or fear.