Tag Archives: kids

Ode to my cousins

Family reunion
The Sister and I have a lot of cousins but we grew up in Nova Scotia and all of our cousins lived in Newfoundland, Quebec or Ontario. Needless to say, we didn’t get to know them very well when we were young.

There are some cousins that still remain a mystery to me. I remember images of them from a family reunion or pictures that were enclosed in Christmas cards but they are mainly just names. There are cousins with families that I will probably never meet.

There was one group of cousins, however, who we did get to know better than others. These were the children of my father’s three sisters. Dad was their baby brother and efforts were always made to visit and reunite whenever possible. But still, it wasn’t often enough. Continue reading

Games my children play

International Quidditch at Oxford University

International Quidditch at Oxford University

It’s been a while since I given you a List of 11, so today I present…

11 Games my children play

1) Zip cord – Invented on a rainy day, a string is tied from an upstairs baluster to a piece of furniture in the living room below. Every possible toy imaginable is then slid down the rope. Scores are awarded based on speed of slide and distance travelled.

2) Baby Koala – One of my least favourite because it involves ET crawling around whining like a baby… or baby koala, I guess. CJ takes care of him and supplies the eucalyptus leaves.

3) Hug Match – Wrestling, but given a cute/sly name so that Mommy won’t get angry when they break something.

4) Yeti! Yeti! Yeti! – A throwback to the annoying Pablo the Yeti character from the Backyardigans. My boys’ game has nothing to do with the Backyardigans except for the loud and grating call of “Yeti! Yeti! Yeti!” that CJ makes as he crawls around the floor chasing ET while covered in a blanket. The game always ends when my last nerve is frazzled and I order them outside… NOW!

5) Spy – Self-explanatory, I think. The beauty of this game is that it is inherently quiet and can be played in any venue. Indoors and outdoors, at home or at the grandparent’s… even once in church!

6) Slinky Kitty – This might sound a bit like an adult bedroom game but it’s much more innocent in our home. ET stands upstairs and drops poor Kitty wrapped in the end of a slinky. CJ is down below and tries to grab Kitty before he springs back up.

7) Wipeout – Similar to the TV show but a winter sport played around obstacles involving telephone poles, shovels and snow banks.

8) Quidditch – Just like J.K Rowling’s version but played in our backyard while riding hockey sticks in lieu of brooms… oh, and goals are scored in garbage pails.

9) Minecraft – Yes, I know everyone’s kids play Minecraft but mine play it outside without a computer. From what I have observed, the game is rooted around BDN’s son being a villager who makes an unacceptable barter trade. Of course, this leads to the arrival of an angry horde and chaos ensues.

10) Catch – A pretty standard game of catch but my boys stand only a few feet away and toss gently underhand. Apparently, they are aiming for a world record number of catches rather than an impressive degree of difficulty.

11) Queen Elizabeth – It is played outside with the whole gang of neighbourhood boys and CJ always plays the part of Queen Elizabeth. I have absolutely no understanding of this game.

I’m not sure what this list conveys about my children… I just wanted to share some of the craziness!

Do you have a favourite invented game from your family or your own childhood?

Funny things my kids say #17

roundabout

This is a picture of our local roundabout… with no traffic.

The boys and I now travel this route on Friday evenings, during the height of traffic, on the way to swimming lessons. Last week I found myself in the wrong lane and had to pull off an impressive feat of merging. It intrigued the kids and a slew of questions ensued.

For the rest of the drive, I explained why I had rolled the window down to make better eye contact.  I described how I had  mouthed, “Can I go?” and pointed in front of the neighbouring car. I recounted how my fellow driver had pointed back and given the thumbs up and that my over-the-shoulder wave had been in thanks…  and yes, he had waved back.

After this  long-winded (and slightly self-congratulatory) explanation, there was a pause. Then the 6-year-old asked…

“Is that how you and Daddy fell in love?”

Glad I wasn’t the only one who saw such beauty in the maneuver.

Previous: Funny things my kids say #16

Funny things my kids say #16

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In typical Nova Scotia fashion, our current winter weather is rain on the cusp of freezing and the children are housebound. We’ve invited BDN’s son over to play and he has just earned himself a guest appearance in Funny things my kids say

While digging through our toy box, the eight-year-old exclaimed,

“Wow! It’s been years since I’ve seen a slinky!”

Isn’t it nice to reminisce about your earlier childhood?

Previous: Funny things my kids say #15

Funny things my kids say #15

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CJ’s letter to Santa had me shaking my head (no way will Santa be bringing him an iPad mini) and then roaring with laughter.

Remembering that he is in French immersion and his English spelling is atrocious, allow me to transcribe the 8 year-old’s wish list.

…iPad mini, magic 8 ball, Furby, Max Rebo minifigure,

“… a Mexican hat that goes down to your butt.”

I think he might be watching too much Bugs Bunny.

Previous: Funny things my kids say #14

Funny things my kids say #14

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(Apologies for my extended absence. I was waylaid by the flu last week and have just gotten back up to speed.)

On Friday morning I overheard the 6-year-old start this conversation with his brother,

ET – “On a date, do you think it is better to go to a movie or go to dinner and drink wine?”

CJ – “A movie.”

ET – “No, I mean if you are adults and in love.”

CJ – “Oh, then definitely dinner with wine.”

ET – “Yeah, I think so too.”

I’m not sure who my boys are planning on wooing… but at least they’ve got class!

Previous: Funny things my kids say #13

Sporting wisdom

Not my children...

Not my children…

With a good quantity of parenting years under my belt, I have realized there are certain things you cannot teach your children. No matter how hard you try, they just have to figure it out for themselves. Continue reading

Funny things my kids say #13

tripping

If you are ever being chased by zombies, ET is the person to have running beside you. This kid cannot run for any significant distance without tripping. In fact, it is so predictable, The Husband can often do a precise countdown from the beginning of his run to the anticipated tripping point.

The good thing about all this tripping, is that he is now incredibly resilient and bounces right back up with a hearty, “I’m okay!”

On Saturday, we attended a pre-parade party. It was a beautifully mild evening and the horde of children were outside chasing each other around the house while us adults had drinks inside.  As we were leaving to walk to the parade, I noted ET’s muddied knees as evidence of his usual stumbles.

Walking down the front walk to the sidewalk, the 6-year-old was jubilant, exclaiming how much fun the party had been. He then became very serious, pointed to a low-lying shrub in the yard and said,

“Mommy, see that bush… it’s my arch-enemy.”

Apparently, as he ran laps around the house, the same bush had tripped him every time.

Previous:  Funny things my kids say #12

Friday Flashback – Pax

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When I was young, my first pet was a hamster. I named him Super Ben and even made him a little cape to wear. Sadly, he died in the first month of owning him (nothing I did, I swear). Turns out that replacing a dead pet on the very same day that it died is a great way to alleviate a child’s grief! Thanks to Mom, I quickly recovered from the loss and named the new hamster Super Ben 2. He lived a long and full life. Continue reading

Awkward hilarity

There is a site that I sometimes visit when I need a little pick me up. It is full of love, family togetherness, and awkwardness caught on film. It is Awkward Family Photos. Sometimes I like to tell myself a little story as I flip through the pages. After all, they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Jerry was a lonely man with a cat. He truly loved that cat, but he yearned for more.

writer

He earned a pittance as a freelance writer but, by cutting the cost of clothes out of his budget, he was able to scrimp and save until he could finally afford his dream vacation. A dream vacation where he landed Barbara, the perfect woman.

mermaid

It was a whirlwind engagement and everyone could see that Jerry was head over heals in love… Continue reading