The Power of the WII

So this summer, we got the WII system by Nintendo. I actually thought very hard about the benefits and the downsides of having a gaming system for our family. We never had the PlayStations, or the PSPs, or the Xboxes..........we didn't even so much as have Atari floating around. What we did have and loved was the V-Smile system from VTech. The boys played those games almost every day and we have quite the collection of Super Hero games. But, as Ian gets older, I realize that he is completely in the minority by not having a gaming system. Spend any time in a second grade class, and you realize that a lot of the language being used is that of gamers, and classwork becomes dimensions of other worlds. I convinced myself that Ian was at a disadvantage by not having that commonality with his peers. He almost needs that tangible conversation to be able to socialize and break down the barriers that are self-imposed. So, we embarked on the journey of finding the right gaming system. John would have liked to have PlayStation 3 because it plays Blue Ray Disks. I wanted a system that maybe the kids would have to get on their feet once in a while to play. In order to remove the "mine" component of the system, we decided that it would be John's Father's Day gift, and therefore, belong to him, with all of the powers of ownership attached. Of course, we couldn't find it in June and bought him the WII Lego Starwars Game instead. In hindsight, maybe having the game around, but not the system to play it, led to the highly anticipated day of getting the WII. I almost wish that I could have been a fly on the wall of Ian's mind as he imagined for 6 weeks what is was going to be like to play. Mid July, we finally found the system at Best Buy and bought all of the necessary trinkets and gadgets to play with multiple kids. We have had the system now for a month. I am ready to get rid of it. My friend Kathy has told me that we are in the "Honeymoon" phase with the system and that this too shall pass. I hope she has access to a crystal ball, because I see no end in sight to the addiction. My boys will wake up early and play the games before I even get up. They yell at each other that one killed the other, that this car ran off that road, that it's not fair he's a pro bowler. They have no awareness of the passage of time, they forget to eat the lunch that is placed in front of them, they knock over glasses of lemonade with literally no realization of what has happened. When I tell them to turn it off at night, they have melt downs that they need to finish just one more level. I welcome the arrival of school because I have steadfastedly said that there will be NO WII during the school week. I have heard every imaginable plea that has been uttered, have been offered every penny from secret hiding places, and have been assured that rooms will be picked up and cleaned. I am standing my ground. There will be NO WII during the school week. I was determined to close my ears to the wails of deprived boys, to be as stern as any rehab director staging an intervention, to have no wiggle room. Then came TS Fay. School started on a Monday, I put up my reminder signs.........."don't ask, there is NO WII" and they canceled school for Tuesday. Ian woke up, ran downstairs, and announced that it was no longer a school week because they had no school to go to. So, during the first week of standing firm, they played for 36 hours...........that's almost a full time job. So, today starts another Monday, a real 5 day week, and I am once again determined that there will be NO WII during the week. Wish me luck! If you come by the house after 10:00 pm, I'll play you a game of tennis.

summer vacations

Wow! I almost can't believe that summer is over! We had such a busy time, doing lots of day trips here and there. We started off with a camping and canoeing trip, (see my blog about camping in the wildernesss) and then we stayed at a local condo with other family members for a week. The kids went fishing with their older cousins, played at the on site water park , and participated in the daily arts and crafts. We played family tennis, shuffleboard, and volleyball tournaments. As a family, we bought SeaWorld, Aquatica, and Busch Garden year passes. We went to Aquatica, which the kids just loved, and we spent two days at Busch Gardens, which I think they loved even more. If we lived closer, we would be there a lot! We also broke down this summer and bought a WII. So, we've had a very busy summer and Mommy is really looking forward to the beginning of school!

Emma's Tea Party

Emma turned 4 this year and wanted a Tea Party in the worst way. I was thinking of my house filled with all of these little girls in fancy dresses, and wondering where I would find the time to clean my house, what I would do with my two boys, and where I would send my husband so he wouldn't go crazy. Even admidst all of these obstacles, I was determined to give her a tea party. Then, thanks to my friend, we discovered this county park with a splash pad. Not at my house, entertainment for the kids (playground AND splash pad), the boys could come and hang, (both old and young) PERFECT! Thankfully, Emma was up for the prettiest bathingsuit-splash pad-tea party too. John's Mom had bought Emma a tea set a couple of years ago and had kept it, and so she and I were thrilled that she had an appropriate gift, and I had a cake topper for her purple and pink cake! Emma loved having all of her friends over, loved serving tea, and loved generally being the center of attention. She declared it the best way to turn 4, and I agree. Also, as part of her birthday gift froom Mom and Dad, she got to design her big girl room. Can you guess what she picked?? A garden with flowers and fairies, with purple and pink walls, of course! Since I am no Martha Stewart, I was so excited about how it turned out and wanted to share a picture of it!