Category Archives: family fun

Inexpensive Family Fun

January 29, 2009family fun, finances, Midwest Parents, vacationKirsetin

One of the things I quickly realized after relocating to the Midwest, is that down-to-earth, fiscally responsible Midwesterners have an affinity for the state of Florida.

photo credit: Jenah Crump

But in this difficult financial year, even Midwesterners are re-thinking their annual pilgrimage south. Are you looking for inexpensive family fun closer to home? To find out how my family enjoys the winter months without breaking the bank, check out my article over at Midwest Parents today.

Wii-Free Family Game Night

January 24, 2009family funKirsetin

Have you tried it?

I know, it’s tempting to go Wii bowling or do the hula, and I freely admit that I love to play these things on our friends’ Wii (thanks Sharee’!). But since we remain one of the only Wii-free homes in America (until, maybe, my birthday), our game nights still involve flipping cards, drawing pictures, or rolling the dice.

photo credit: Thunderchild

The boys didn’t have school this Thursday or Friday, so we were able to spend more time playing darts and foosball than usual these past few days. No nasty homework or early bedtimes interfered with the intense competition, thank goodness! And tonight, after I cooked the highly nutritious pizza from Costco for dinner, we all sat down to a game of Yahtzee.

All right. It’s true. I totally cheated. Okay, the boys knew it, and I didn’t take the points, but still, I had the worst Yahtzee rolls in history which was completely unfair. So, occasionally I asked my partner (the 6-year old) to roll again, when we had already used all of our rolls. I didn’t matter. We still lost by a bazillion.

And, you know, it worked out okay. Because I used this unfortunate situation to demonstrate a long-standing truth to the boys: Cheaters Never Win. Bah!

Maybe next time.

The New Year

January 6, 2009family fun, New YearKirsetin

Through the many that we’ve known each other, my husband and I have celebrated in myriad ways.

There were the those years, closer to the dark ages, when we attended some sort of fancy dinner and dance and rang in the New Year with a swig of champagne and a smoldering kiss. Please don’t dwell on the dress. I borrowed it from a friend and, at the time, thought it looked swell. Not really sure how it stayed up.

Other years, we’ve celebrated with friends. On this particular occasion, we got together with friends from our church. You know we were a rockin’ crowd. I think board games were involved. (Still friends with all of them. Must’ve been good board games!)

But the last two years, we’ve celebrated with my mother, father, and still-eligible younger brother. Because, you know, nothing says New Year’s Eve like hanging out with the family. And playing homemade Pictionary.

Yep, ladies, he’s still available. If you are looking for a fine young man who works a lot, golfs a lot, and is willing to play Pictionary with his nephews on NYE, he could be yours!

They got it!!

Even though it wasn’t a crazy night out on the town, things did get a little crazy on my parents deck. I think the neighbors especially appreciated the banging of the pan lids. It’s a lovely family tradition that I’m sure we’ll carry on through the ages. My grandchildren, no doubt, will think it’s a thing all normal families do on New Year’s Eve. God bless ’em.

Happy 2009. Here’s to nights on the town, nights with family and friends, and boys who haven’t yet ditched us for their friends on this night.