Now we're in 2011- will it be the same as last, or will we work to make the changes that are in our control to make? Controlling spending, temper and weight are all goals of mine.
We had a very modest Christmas. We’d explained to our daughter that money was tight and there wouldn’t be any “big” (expensive) gifts this year. We bought books primarily, because she loves to read. Between the books we gave her and what Santa gave her, she was very happy. Santa also brought “Apples to Apples”, the Jr. version, and we have had a great deal of fun with that. (I highly recommend board games with children, especially those that teach in a fun way.) Some board games are mind-numbing for adults- don’t get those- get the ones that are fun for everyone and you’re more likely to play them. Apples to Apples expands vocabulary, by teaching words that are similar to a particular word, but in a very fun way. If your child already has a pretty good vocabulary, Boggle is another very fun game. Lettie reads so much & has a good vocabulary, so we’ve been playing this for the past 3 years or so with her. We’ve modeled how to learn by writing down the words we don’t’ “get” next to the words we saw in a particular Boggle board. I’ve told her that way I will be more likely to see them on future Boggle boards. One thing I really like about Boggle is that it teaches us to look at things in different ways. If you don’t know the game, it is a small box with small cubes that have a different letter on each side. You close up the box, shake it and then let the cubes fall into “slots” so that only 1 letter is showing on each one. The object is to make as many words as you can from what is showing. They have to be adjacent letters, but can be straight, diagonal, or even zigzagged. This is a game that can be played by 1 to as many people as can see the little Boggle box and is lots of fun. These are great games to play at night after supper when it is too dark to be outside. It is great family time, and if you have “game night”, I’ll be willing to bet your kids won’t be begging for TV instead (especially if they’re younger.) Older children get more competitive and like to try to beat their parents. That’s OK, just remind them it is about having fun.
Other ways of bonding is reading together. That can take the form of reading one book out loud, maybe taking turns reading chapters or pages, or even everyone sitting down and reading their own book silently. This is another good after dinner activity that takes the place of TV. Our daughter loves it when we all 3 sit down and read a book together.
As you know, I’m a big advocate of being outside, but right now, for our family, outside is not friendly to us. We all suffer from a “cedar” fever, so we try to stay inside other than in early morning or after a rain when the pollen has been knocked down. This is not my favorite time of year. This can blow up all sorts of New Year’s resolutions, but there are ways to exercise as a family while avoiding the “cedar” pollen. Dancing is fun- put on some old rock & roll records and dance to your heart’s delight. Our daughter loves to do “freestyle” dancing to “The Nutcracker.” If you belong to a gym, you can go work out there, but beware of the kids’ area. Our gym (LifeTime) for some inexplicable reason has a whole bank of computers, and every time I go I see children sitting there, mesmerized, playing on computers instead of playing with each other. I tell the childcare workers there that our daughter is not allowed screen time and is not to go into the computer area at all. They put a red dot on her nametag so that they can remember.:)
Afterwards, if the indoor pool is open, we can both go swimming in there, great exercise, and it keeps her swimming skills up for the summer.
I can hardly wait for March, when spring arrives and the “cedar” pollen goes away. Of course, we have other pollens then, but we’re not as allergic to them, and while we may sneeze, at least we don’t have such itchy eyes and running noses that make you want to amputate them!
My weight has gotten out of hand, so I’m back to Weight Watchers this month. I downloaded some very good sounding WW breakfast recipes, and we’ll be using them, as well as WW recipes at night. Our daughter has no idea they’re “weight loss” recipes, but some of her favorites are indeed WW. They’re healthy, have lots of vegetables in them, and are very, very tasty. Particular favorites of ours (and our daughter’s) are the hot Reuben sandwich and Shepherd’s Pie. We had Shepherd’s Pie last week and Reuben’s are on screen for tonight (if hubby will stop by store on way home for cabbage- I forgot to pick that up and don’t want to waste the gas on a single item trip.:)
Here’s to a healthier and tighter-knit family 2011 for us all!
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