Ready, SET, Go!

For posterity's sake I must document a recent family obsession....

JJ's Boss Ed and his family very kindly gave us some games for Christmas. Amongst them is a new family favorite called SET. My kids have become obsessed with it-playing it non stop for the last month or so. It even beat lasts year's Master Mind binge. SET is a great thinking game for minds with short attention spans. Since I am always a fan of games that require some neurons to fire, I have joined wholeheartedly in the fun.

In the beginning... I was the queen of set. Then one day I looked into my magic mirror to ask

“Who is the greatest set player of them all?”
and it was Princess Laney.

 She is definitely the most consistent winner, but all the kids have become quite good. One day we decided to do teams, kids against parents, and the kids kicked our butts! I mean really kicked our butts. Their sharp eyes are able to register sets before our  brains even register there are cards. Since that day we have challenged them numerous times and at best tied them once.  My own personal performance has suffered as well. I rarely ever win now and when I do, it's close.  One day I realized the exact direness of my position...

 It was while I was playing Jordan, desperately trying not to be shown up by my five year old, that I realized playing this game with the kids is really just a lose, lose situation. Since there is no luck involved- If he beats me, I suffer the humiliation of being bested by him at this thinking game. If I win, I suffer the humiliation of finding satisfaction at being able to beat him.

There truly is no real way to win, but nevertheless, I still love playing it, which I think is the surest sign of a great game!

But...now that I think about it...

there just may be one way for me to win

And So I offer this to Kirin - (Ed's college age daughter that completely skunked us the night they gave us this game) 

We have some challengers.

Watch them and weep.

Oh, yeah --it's game on sista' my kids are going to whoop you!

 

Here's How to Play Our Favorite Game

The game is made up of cards with with four variables.

3 different shapes,

3 different colors of shape,

3 different numbers of shapes per card,

 and 3 different shadings for the shapes.

You deal out 12 cards face up at a time. You call “Set” when you see one and scoop it up. Then replace the 3 cards and keep looking. When all cards have been dealt the person with the most sets wins.

Here are all the beautiful Set Cards ....minus two:(

What is a Set?

A set is made up of 3 cards in which any one attribute is either all the same or all different.

A Sample Set

Same shading, different shapes, different color,

different number

(I love the striped sets, they are so pretty!-- I know I am a nerd!-- but I am not the only one. I mentioned this preference out loud one day and the girls echoed agreement, Apparently I wasn't the first to think it.

These are sets

 These are not

 Ready for a brain Squeeze? ......

How Many Sets Can You Find????



The Evolution of a Hockey Game

 With the onset of some hacking coughs we ended up staying home from church this Sunday. This isolation led to the birth of a new version of hockey some of us like to refer to as Tennis Hockey.

It all started when Isabel asked her dad “want to play air hockey with me?”

“Sure,” he said “how do you play?”

Isabel showed him her version played on the floor between two pillows. Using tennis balls, they hit the tennis ball “puck” into the other pillow to score a goal. After a little while of playing, JJ disappeared into the garage for a few minutes and returned with a 2x4 board with a goal sized hole cut out. A few more minutes and another one. He has a habit of taking a simple idea and bringing it to a whole new level- must be the Engineer in him. A problem of the boards tipping during play arose. Talk of making a solid frame was tossed around, one thing led to another, and pretty soon we were designing a fitted frame for our counter complete with sensors and automatic scoring. Like I said, a whole new level.

Here is the evolution of our Hockey Game

 This is Where Jordan was bambuzzled by his dad with the ole' "what's that over there?" trick!

Trying out the New Frame

While the kids were asleep, he finished the programming for the scoring. We even got mileage from this little  project by sticking a Happy Valentine's Day sign on the finished product. 

"Oh the cleverness of us!"

Trying it out before school

We still need to finish painting it since we ran out of spray paint, And there's a few other kinks to work out to make it a little faster. All in all, I'd say it's a fairly successful prototype of Isabel's idea and all from what we had lying around the house.  We are thinking of marketing it and selling it under the name  Table Tennis Hockey -- Catchy isn't it!

The Fabulous Baker Boys

We had the what we like to refer to as “Jordan's Brothers from another mother” for the weekend while Alicia and her hubby had a much needed get-a-way. Alicia's boys fill the great testosterone void in Jordan's solitary life with his sisters. Even though they can no longer remember the days when they used to live down the street from each other, her kids still remain his best friends. Whenever I ask who he wants to invite to his birthday he lists every member of the entire family before any others.

Back in the glory days when Alicia was my neighbor, we had a 10 kid minimum cover in order to get together. We were constantly shuffling kids to find seats for everyone. Friday was no exception as I found myself 3 seats shy getting Laney and Jordan to their first tennis lesson 20 miles away while still watching her kids and the kids we babysit swap. But it all worked out thanks to the help of some creativity and a very non-judgmental and accommodating friend-- Thank you Katie! We made it there in time, and I just looked like an irresponsible breeder who only provides tennis instruction for her favored children--No big deal!

The kids had a great time together here are some highlights...

Hanging with some other friends

Playing guesstures...

 

Our trip to the park

Jordan's best Pals

Kids are so much fun!

This little Guy enjoyed eating the sand and blowing out his diaper. I've forgotten how much stuff can come out of one little bum! Pee-yew!

We all scream for Icecream! Gotta love Scooptacular! 

Where's mine???

One of our Valentine's Traditions is to decorate a mailbox for little love notes to be passed during the month of February. The boys joined in the fun, making thier own.

It wouldn't be a visit if we didn't make cookies- It's tradition!

Poor Jordan was sick and missed the cookies :(

Oh He's So cute!-  such a happy little guy.

Twins born 5 years apart.

I spent the entire weekend calling the baby- Roman, and JJ who couldn't remember his name continued to call him Rodriguez as a joke. He's going to be one seriously confused kid.

My Favorite Quote of the weekend...

Roman: "Wouldn't it be funny if Michael Jackson married Jesus?"

And then there were none...

Whenever the stomach flu hits a member of the family I am always reminded of that book by Agatha Christie. I look at each member of the family wondering who will be next. Is it me? Did I eat off any of the kids plates recently? The next few days are spent a bit cautiously waiting for an outbreak. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not. This time it started with Jordan and I didn't have to wait long. He woke up Sunday morning throwing up, I felt pretty nauseous and crummy that night. Then there was Laney in the middle of the night. Finally. by morning Isabel was wretching in the bathroom thankfully before school started. JJ had already left to go out of town early in the morning  and appearently took the bug with him. He told me tonight  while I was writing this that he lost it tonight after dinner. 

I have to admit, I was grateful it hit everyone at once. I secretly am happy when the kids are sick. Not because I enjoy watching them suffer, I don't. But I do enjoy having them home for a day and today it was all of them. Since no one likes to be shut up in their room (I like them around anyway), Standard Protocol is to quarantine them to one section of the couch covered in a blanket and that is where they stay to rest until they get better. It has become so ingrained in routine, that one day there was a blanket by happenstance sprawled over a section of couch, and each kid that saw it asked who was sick that day.

Today we covered the whole couch and hung out together reading Harry Potter.

My Little Patients

I have been reading the seventh book out loud to them over the last month or so because I wanted them to at least experience one book before they saw the movie, having missed their chance with the last 6. We had 200 pages left and it was a really exciting part. It's been so long since I read it the first time, I didn't remember anything. We ended up spending the entire day on the couch reading and sleeping until we finished the book.

I know the rest of the week I will be the lunch packer, chauffer, tutor, chef, nagger, disciplinarian, etc But today, it was nice to take a day off from those roles and just be nurse and friend. Never do I feel more appreciated than when I see those looks of gratitude as I hold their hair back while they lean over the toilet, replace a wet wash cloth on their head, or just snuggle by them.

Tonight as I lay cuddled by Laney when she went to bed she gave me a happy little sigh and said, “I feel loved.” I reflected on the day, and despite how little was accomplished, I think it was probably one of my most productive days as a mom in a long time.



BFF's Reunited

When I was ten, my family moved back to California and I sadly left the only friends I knew back in Chicago. Thankfully, I met Erin right after in the early days of 5th grade and we became best friends instantly.  Our friendship has lasted through, those awkard middle school years, the awkward Highschool years, the fun College years, marriage, kids etc. Our relationship ship bears the mark of a true friendship in the sense that no matter how much time passes between phone calls or visits, when we have them it feels like no time at all.  Such was the case with her visit to Phoenix a couple of weeks ago. We hadn't seen each other in 4 years. I hadn't even met her youngest daughter Abby who is 3. She came out with her sister and Abby to visit her aunt and uncle and planned to sneak in some time with me too.  Through an unexpected turn of events we ended getting much more time to spend together than I thought-- which was lovely.

In thinking about all those years as we grew imagining what our lives would be like and picturing our children playing together, I can't even express how much it warms my heart to see it unfold in reality. I get a little shudder when I think about how Isabel is just a few months younger than we were when we met- it reminds me how quickly time passes- but it also gives me hope that many of the friendships she has now, have the potential to last through the years. After all, Erin and I are going on 22 years this year. I wish her other daughter Anna, who's Laney's age, could have come out, but hopefully there will be more visits in years to come with more chances for our kids to become friends.

It so neat to see a little miniature version of Erin, with beautiful wispy long blonde hair like her mom!

The Highlight of the Weekend was definitely our trip to the Zoo

Erin , Erika, and Abby

I really enjoyed seeing Erika again too, she's such a great Auntie!

We fed the Sting Ray, I don't think Abby knew what to think about the fish food

Can you lean in any farther?

 One of my few pet peeves about going to the zoo is no matter how much fun we are having just seeing the animals, it seems the kids still want something that costs extra, from the Carosel, train, or camel rides, to kettle corn, or even yes, these stupid viewing telescopes that cost 25 cents. Honestly couldn't they just make them free or not put them in at all.  I don't have a problem saying no, but it just kills me that here we are at the zoo, but I still feel like a loser mom when they look disappointed because I can't provide a quarter. Who carries quarters in their pocket these days? Too bad I can't just swipe a debit card and save the grief.

You are never too old for a ride in the stroller!

I think my kids spent more time in it than Abby.

Lovely Sisters

Instant friends

Laney Left her camera at home so she spent most of the time

taking pictures with Erika's camera-- what did I say, best Auntie ever!

Oh, she so cute, I just love those little bounce curls and tendrils

Closing time at the zoo is my favorite time to be there. It so relaxing and peaceful with the setting sun and cooler weather. Usually JJ and I lallygag our way to the exit a few minutes after closing, I know they are relaxed about it, but this day we pushed the limits farther than ever. It was so nice, we had the hardest time leaving.  We very slowly mosied our way out, thinking someone would eventually kick us out. But the rare people who drove by just looked our way and smiled. We stopped and were playing at the caverns when I realized we hadn't seen anyone in awhile and I looked at my watch it was 6pm , an hour past closing. All of the sudden I got a little nervous-- the place seemed really empty. We hurried a bit towards the exit and all the guy said to us on our way out was thank you for coming and come back again soon. I love the Zoo! (so much nicer than the library Nazi! )  On our way out a bus load of kids pulled up with their sleeping bags and backpacks. Night Camp. Maybe that's why they were so nice, we were nothing compared to what was coming! 

Here are some pay offs for staying after hours....

At the Lion Enclosure

The Lions were quite active roaring at each other for a few minutes before going back to sleep!

Close encounters watching the Rhinos go in for the night!

The zoo lights even started coming on. The looked so pretty in the dusk light.

The best part was this beautiful Sunset on the Lake as we walked out!

It was such a great memory and weekend

I reiterated a card that Erin once gave me that said  "May our 8 years turn into 80" Well we are about a quarter of the way there, Now if we can just live to be 90.