Family Fun Night

Since Jay was noticeably absent last week, he figured we needed to do something a little more special for our weekly Sunday afternoon/evening family night. Off to the zoo it was! Spring at the zoo is a wonderful time! The temperature was seasonably cool and cloudy which made it perfect for animal viewing! Zoo babies abound! This little guy was so very adorable!

Peacocks were busy showing off for all the peahens!

My very favorite part of the zoo is the wild cats!

(someday Jay will take me on an African safari- someday!)

After the zoo, it was supper time so we picked up some subs and headed to the adjacent park for a picnic supper. There happened to be a football in the van so we all participated in a little catch.

I had to tackle Pepe to the ground - he beaned me in the head with the football - I think it was on purpose! Everyone was trying to save Pepe from me - gotta love it!

Finally, we went to very-newly-opened Children's Nature Playground.

They had large beds filled with tulips! It was so beautiful!

Earlier in the day Jay promised Slurpees to everyone so at 8:45 at night, on the way home, Jay stopped to buy MONSTROUSLY huge Slurpees for the kids. The boys shared one, the girls shared one and Jay and I shared one. Needless to say, the volume and energy level in van was at an all-time high as the sugar and caffeine kicked in! We had such a wonderful time with our family! I know I really would like to have more children but it was so very wonderful to take them on this adventure with every child being so very independent. It was a new and wonderful experience for us!

Do you take time each week to focus on your family? What are some of the fun things you like to do?

Simple Family Fun

Want to know a great use for all those small individually wrapped packages of chocolate so easily found this time of year?

Bingo prizes! I found a Bingo game at Dollarama the other week and bought it on impulse. Then, because we purchased a certain amount of groceries, we were given a box of those snack sized Hershey's chocolates for free. Enter the Bingo game. Sometimes after a particularly good day of school or as a fun time after supper, we pull out the game and chocolates and have at it! Everyone is only allowed to win Bingo once and, upon winning, they get a chocolate of their choice! We play enough times to allow each child a win. They love it! It even teaches a couple of different things. First of all, the boys help the girls with their Bingo cards so cooperation and helpfulness are practiced. Secondly, RJ is getting better at recognizing many different numbers from 1-60. Finally, it is just a great time together with the kids and chocolate - what could be more fun? (Well, being able to EAT the chocolate would be more fun for me but, alas, I must wait 58 more days. Really, that's nothing compared to the 307 I have already done but I sure do look forward to it!) So, if you don't already have a Bingo game, go out and get one then stock up on those chocolates that are now half price! Your family will love you for it!

Demolition Day (#1)

"Hey, mom! I found something really cool! Come take a look! It looks like a place bees might have lived." Who knew such an innocent statement would turn into this kind of work!

Pepe took me over to one of the old sheds standing on our new property (I have really got to get a name for that place!!) and pointed to small hole in the back of the shed. Sure enough, you could see a bit of honeycomb. Knowing that building was coming down, I ripped off one board. And then another. And then another. When I stopped ripping boards, this is what I found!

Totally cool in a not-so-cool kind of way. It is awe-inspiring to think that little bees made this honeycomb all by themselves. God is such a creative God! The not-so-cool part is thinking about all the bees that called this shed home. And the wasps. And the mice. The birds I don't mind. So, because bees and I have a hate-hate relationship (though I do appreciate them in the garden, I almost get panic attacks when I see them - freak right out at times!) I knew that shed had to go. So, with my own two hands, I started ripping it apart. I got about 2/3 of the back boards ripped off on Saturday. Then for family night (that is what we do every Sunday) we went back to see that building fall.

All the kids pitched in to pry off the boards (Ari was cheering us on from her car seat in the van parked a safe distance away!). Eventually all that was left was a lot of framing.

After lots of banging and pushing on our part (Jay and I), it went down! The kids were thrilled. So are we. The title says #1 because there is another shed that needs to go. Maybe next weekend? Some people go for walks for fun, we push over sheds! Now for that massage . . . .

Family Night Fun!

Sunday rolls around and the excitement builds as we contemplate the adventures that lay ahead! Today, surprisingly, it was warm and sunny with no rain in the forecast (we have had way more rain than we need and not nearly enough sun - summer has been more like winter in BC - cold and wet)! Obviously an outdoor activity was needed. Since we spent a bit of money on bowling last week we decided to go the free route and went park hopping! Winnipeg has many, many parks and many, many play structures that are free for the visiting! We made sure to visit 2 of them! Looking for fun places to take your kids on a limited budget? Most public elementary schools have fantastic play structures in great condition, each one a bit different from the next! My kids are at the age where finding new structures is like finding their very first structure - it is that thrill and excitement all over again! We ended the evening with icecream, most of which was free! Pepe had a free Frosty coupon from playing baseball and the next two had DQ coupons! We bought 2 more icecreams and we were set! A beautiful, fun, free (for the most part),family night!

Little monkeys!

Anything the boys can do, I can do (better?!)

Me and my little people!

Family Fun

Sunday nights are family nights so, since it was raining, we decided to go bowling. Glow bowling! We rented the bumper lane for one hour and had a great time watching the kids bowl. I was amazed they actually make bowling shoes in sizes small enough for kids - and they are sooo cute, complete with Velcro! I was not sure they would have Ali's size (size 5-6) so we brought her Robeez along and she wore those.

The first thing the lady tells us is to watch that the kids don't pinch their fingers. Okay. Sure. Not a problem. Not really sure where they would pinch their fingers but I am a responsible parent. They won't wander down the lane and end up in the pins or anything. Nope, no pinched fingers here. What a good parent I am! Until I hear Ali crying. She pinched her fingers. Between those shiny balls she just had to get from the ball return. Oooohhhh. THAT'S where they can pinch their fingers! Lesson learned!

The rest of the evening was uneventful pinched-fingers-wise -- we got smart and set up one parent to guard the shiny balls. The kids had so much fun, even 2 year-old Ali! Imagine being allowed to throw balls inside (a no-no at our house!). Sure, her ball needed some coaxing to get to the end (that's why they put the bumper lane at the end so you can walk beside it and "encourage" the balls along) but who cares?? The really sad part is that my 4 and 6 year-old almost had the same score as their mother! Okay, so its been a while since I played and they DID have the bumpers, but, come on! I think I need some practice. Though it is not the cheapest evening, it is one we will definately do again!

{I apologize for the poor quality of the photos - this was glow bowling, which means it was dark and not conducive to photography!}

Sunday Nights are Family Nights!

It has become tradition around here to spend Sunday evenings as a family engaging in some activity enjoyable for the kids. Sometimes it is as simple as popping some corn and watching a kids movie. Other times we hitch up the bike trailers and take a long bike ride around town, stopping at various playgrounds or indulging in slurpees and icecream. Today, we went to the zoo. The temperature was a balmy 21C with overcast skies, which means the cats came out to play! Look at the leopard posing for me!

And, seeing as it is the middle of summer, babies are showing up all over the zoo. I was able to capture some moms and their babes.

Of course, the best babes of all to watch are my own! Here are the oldest 3 enjoying the sights!

Thanks to my friend, Leah, over at averysweetlife.blogspot.com, we have now incorporated one more element to end each family night - our family journal! The concept is quite simple but oh-so-fun! Take a journal of sorts (ours is a sketch pad) and record noteworthy events of the week in drawing form. The three oldest, along with J and I, take turns adding our images of favorite, or maybe not-so-favorite, memories of the previous 7 days. Though this is only the second week of recording, the kids already look forward to it.

The whole point of our family nights is to intentionally create memories with our kids! We want them to grow up knowing that we can and do have fun together as a family. Do you intentionally connect with your family? Are family nights a part of your routine? What are some of your favorite things to do?

PS: To all of you who have stopped by to check out my blog and leave me a comment, THANK YOU!! This is way more fun than journalling! Have a great week!