Slice of Life: Snow Day Activities

(This is part of the 2012 Slice of Life Challenge with Two Writing Teachers.)

Here is a rundown of what happened in and around our house yesterday as the first (and last?) snowstorm of 2012 caused schools to close for the day:

    • Three games of chess between my 7 year old and myself. I won all three. But I did give strategic advice on a regular basis. It may not be long before he is beating me. I need to stay sharp!
    • My 11 year old played games of Parcheesi by himself. In honor of the upcoming March Madness College Basketball Selection Sunday, he has been charting games between “the pieces” on the board, conducting an entire tournament of animal pieces versus animal pieces. He refuses to let anyone of us play with him, much to the frustration of his younger brother. But, tournament rules are tournament rules …
    • An impromptu brunch party gathering at our house for some neighbors and family who live close by. We also showed a premiere of my younger son’s movie project: Robbers on the Loose. It was widely hailed as a great piece of work, except from the older brothers who laughed at it. You know how that goes …
    • My nieces and son built a snowman in the back yard. They worked on it for close to an hour. Then our dog went out and peed on it. You know how that goes …
    • A new version of Monopoly was invented. Money tossed into the air, falling like confetti. Houses and motels were lined up along the floor. The dice — left alone in the box. It didn’t end in tears, so you know it was a good game. And no parents were involved in the rule making or enforcement, although we did watch with fascination for a spell.
    • I brought up the “wooden city” from the basement. This is not easy to describe. It’s a plastic tray filled with wooden blocks, assorted super hero figurines, plastic animals and tons of, eh, junk that become the basis for imaginative play. My son and nieces literally sat there, inventing stories for about 45 minutes before moving on. I put it back in the basement, forgotten until another day.

woodcity2

  • Visitors all went home, and the older boys went off to hang out with friends — one to go sledding and the other to engage in a boys’ snowball fight on the lawn of a friend.
  • Reading time as my youngest son and I kept on reading Gregor and the Marks of Secret. We agreed that this series gets darker as it goes along. What will happen to the Nibblers? We still keep reading.
  • A little Wii time. Star Wars, to be exact. We have to keep shouting to our son, “step away from the screen,” as if we were police officers barking out some commands. Watching him play is like watching a dance in the living room. He shuffles around the floor as he plays.
  • More Gregor.
  • We shoo the kids upstairs for the night and my wife and I snuggle in for an episode of Boardwalk Empire.
  • Sleep time.

Peace (in the slice),
Kevin

 

18 Comments
  1. Wow…you packed in as much as possible! I remember the days when my boys were home. Our days were like that too. My snow day was so quiet…boys all grown up now. Enjoy every one of those days as long as you can!

  2. Sounds like a great day–when my sons were younger and lived at home, we had the same kind of days. The games changed as they got older (I proudly retain the Trivial Pursuit crown!), but the fun didn’t!

  3. You all had a very busy day. Filled with fun. I like how the kids didn’t let the rules of the games direct them. Invented rules are sometimes the best.

  4. Sounds like a fun day… especially the chase games.

    BTW: I, too, cannot wait for Selection Sunday! As I’m sure you’ll remember from past challenges, we always make it interesting with our brackets here at home.

  5. Kevin, you superbly captured the essence of a day filled with rich and varied activities. A household filled with activity and conversation. I loved the fact that are boardgames alongside the technology. My nostalgic heart sings. You pianted a wonderful picture with your words.
    I miss the snow…

  6. Kevin-
    I am completely jealous of your day! It sounded amazing. My kids have been dying for a snow day but no luck in Ohio this year. Thanks for sharing.

  7. Sounds like you had a day full of family and fun! I had to laugh when you talked about shouting, “Step away from the screen!” Wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve said something similar!

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