Mancala Before Bedtime

Sometimes at night before bed when Arowyn is needing some extra Mommy time she'll bring her game of Mancala  to me and we'll play a couple of rounds together. This is almost always her game of choice because she is really good at the strategy that this game requires. It's such a simple and straightforward game but if I'm not paying close attention to every move she's making next thing I know she's completely stomped me. I am a naturally competitive person and have to work so hard to beat her and yet half of the time  she still manages to win. Sometimes when this happens it is accompanied by and exuberant "YES!" from her or if she's on a winning streak every now and then she'll say things like "it's ok Mommy I'm sure you'll win the next one". I never knew I could feel so proud to give it my all and yet completely lose to my own child.

House Rules Chess

While I was working at my computer in the living room today I was completely absorbed in what I was doing because out of the corner of my eye I vaguely notice that the kids keep walking in and out of the living room but didn’t really think anything of it. When I finally stopped what I was doing and turn to look I at first I was about to read them the riot act because the living room all of the sudden looked like it had imploded with all of their stuffed animals but before I could open my mouth to say anything I stopped to watch what they were doing and I quickly realized that there was an actually reason behind what I first perceived as a big mess, that reason was that they were playing chess.  They had lined up all of their animals and decided which animals would represent what chess pieces and they played chess. Now don’t get me wrong this was not a legal game of chess by any means because there was no chess board so the distance the chess pieces moved were really quite arbitrary most of the time but they had fun playing and using their imaginations which for me was really quite entertaining to watch. Unfortunately at the end of the game I had to step in and explain to Teagan that when the king’s out of the game the games over which he was quite disappointed to find out.

Arowyn & Teagan with their chess pieces all lined up

Arowyn & Teagan playing chess