Kings in the Corner

I'd like to try to blog every so often about some of our favorite board games. Perhaps you will find one of our favorites at a thrift store or yard sale, and decide to buy it for yourself!

Today's board game is Kings in the Corner. This is actually a game I myself have passed over once or twice at thrift stores. It really isn't eye-catching or impressive. Stephen's grandmother was getting rid of some games and I took it just to try. It turns out to be a game we really enjoy!

Please note: The box says you can play with two people. We quickly found that this is not much fun. I would say three is the minimum you would want for this game.

The Point: 
Get rid of all the cards in your hand. The winner receives a "pot" of chips which are added to throughout the game. First person to 100 wins.

Gameplay:
Each player is dealt seven cards, and all the chips are divided equally between players. Place one card in each tabbed stall on the game board.

Everyone puts one chip into the "pot" (in the middle) before the game starts. The first player will play any cards available to them and will play until they have no more moves to make. Cards are played onto the cards in those tabbed stalls. A player can only play a card lower in sequence AND it must be the opposite color. For example, you could play a red six on a black seven or a black jack on a red queen.

If you have a King in your hand or you draw one, immediately place it in one of the four empty slots around the board.

Cards can be added from stall to stall, or from one's hand to a stall. You may NEVER move cards from a King's stall.

If you empty a stall, you may fill it with any card of your choice from your hand.

When your turn is over, you must draw a card.

If it is your turn and you cannot make a move at all, you must pay a chip to the pot and draw a card.

A hand is over when one person uses all of the cards in their hand. They receive all the chips which equal points. Usually a game goes to 100 but you can make your own rules about that.

If you can't find this board game, you can also play with a regular deck of cards. Just don't use the chips. You can set up the stalls in a star formation. You could keep score by the number of cards left in one's hand (this would mean the lower number is the winner) or by face value of the cards.

Verdict:
We enjoyed it! Like I said, I think it needs three or more players but I've heard of people playing alone, like solitaire. It's very simple, so you could teach a really young child how to play. As long as they get the whole red/black concept and how to stack cards backwards, they can play. There is really no strategy because you just get lucky with what cards you get.

Great for Learning:
Numbers in reverse order!

Store Nights and Holidays

I said I was determined to blog more, and then about four hours after making that proclamation I was the proud recipient of a stomach bug, and you know what they say about "best laid plans"...

Wednesday night the kids had store night at AWANA. AWANA is a program at our church that I never knew existed until a few years ago. I love it. It rewards the kids for learning scripture. (They also have recreation time and a small group counsel time). They earn "AWANA bucks" (think Monopoly money) and can spend it at store night which takes place about once every 6 weeks or so. One room in the church is set up like a store and they can spend their money on anything they want. It didn't take long for our kids to realize they could spend that money to buy us gifts, and it surprises me every single time they bring something home for me. It makes me thoroughly excited to find out what they decided I needed most!!

Hunter has been known to buy me jewelry that says "BFF" and makeup brushes. Brianna likes to buy me body spray and nail polish. They both frequently give me hand lotion, and I think their favorite thing is when they find funky socks they can buy for me! This past Wednesday they were both jumping up and down to give them their surprises. Brianna bought me a package of Valentine's Tootsie Rolls (one of my favorite candies!) and a very cool new pair of Valentine's socks! Then Hunter started laughing and handed over his gifts for me - more candy and another (different) pair of Valentine's socks! They know me so well!

Sometimes they will grab a jump rope for a friend at church who isn't in AWANA, or some coloring books or crayons for one of their friends in the toddler class. I can count on Hunter to come home with some type of Lego or Transformer toy, and Bri will always come home with some self-care item. This week it was a cooling eye-mask you can keep in the refrigerator. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to alleviate the bags under your eyes, but I love that she loves it.

They fill our stockings at Christmas with these items. They're so excited for us to open the stockings on Christmas morning and see what surprises they were able to get us. It's such a simple thing but it makes me so happy to see them so happy. I remember the thrill I got when I was a little kid and I could find some way to surprise my parents. My mom's best friend, Gail, started taking me shopping when I was probably 11 or 12 years old. I didn't think it was fair for mom and dad to have empty stockings on Christmas morning, so we'd go out together and get things to put in their stockings. I don't even remember the type of items I'd get, but if I had to guess it would look a lot like hand lotion... candy... funny socks... trinkets. It's so funny how you can see yourself in your kids sometimes.

It makes me smile when I know it IS possible for them to look outside of themselves every so often. These are the little things I don't want to forget about my kiddos. Sometimes the "big" stuff can take over - the athletic tournaments, the big test at the end of the school year, the major vacations - but this is the stuff that makes my heart happy just on an average day.

Fleeting Thoughts After Midnight

I miss the days when I used to blog regularly. My memory isn't that great, so when I can look back at stories, pictures, and videos on my blog, it really helps me remember what I was feeling during certain phases of my life. I think this is a great time to try to blog again, because I want to remember this phase. I want to remember that I can do hard things!

About nine months ago I took a teaching gig, teaching English to kids in China. I was excited about it, even though it meant waking up to teach at 6:40 a.m. (Mornings have NEVER been a friend of mine!) When the time changed back in the fall, I remember telling Stephen I couldn't possibly get up to teach the new 5:30 a.m. classes! But I was determined, and once I started, it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It's funny now, looking back on that, because...

Now we are in the middle of a health crisis in China. The Coronavirus has struck tens of thousands of people. Families are quarantined in their homes. Schools are not in session. Today we saw that over 1000 people have died from the virus. It's a very serious situation. Due to the children not being allowed to go to school, our company added on extra classes for these kids. And because I am very highly motivated by money and helping out in their time of need, I am GOING FOR IT! Now that I look back and think about how hard it was to get used to teaching at 6:40 a.m., I laugh to myself! I thought I would share here what a typical day looks like for me in this season.

I start teaching at 6:50 p.m. when I can. Wednesday nights and Sunday nights I don't do this because of church commitments. I usually stop teaching around 8:00pm so I can fix dinner as everyone is getting home from afternoon activities. I try not to teach again until 8:50 or 9:30 p.m. so I can at least hang out with everyone a little bit (particularly Stephen since I've been with the kids all day anyway!) And sometimes I can't start until these later times anyway, because I'm responsible for getting a kid to or from their activity.

I have a break at 11:30 p.m. No classes are scheduled from this time until 12:30 a.m. so this is when I take a shower, brush teeth, etc. Basically I do my entire routine to get ready for bed so I'm ready to sleep when I'm done teaching. I usually finish this by midnight so I have time to sit down and read, or just watch some short videos or something to relax. Nothing too stimulating for my brain during this time period - I just want to relax!

At 12:30 a.m. classes start back up. I teach until 3:40 a.m. At this time there are no other classes scheduled until 4:50 a.m., so I try to sleep. I usually get in 45 minutes or so before my alarm goes off. I'm pretty hyped up after doing so many classes in a row, so it can be hard to wind down! Once I start teaching at 4:50 a.m. I'm not done until 8:00 a.m. At this time I'm completely done until the evening, so I can SLEEP!

Most days I am able to sleep until 9:30 a.m. We do have a soup kitchen we work at, we have play dates that are scheduled, geography classes at the library, co-op, etc. If I can sleep until 9:30 I can make it through our scheduled activities without any issues. After lunch is done the kids know I may play a handful of games with them or read a book with them, but then I'm going to have to take a nap. I usually try to sleep from about 1:30 to 3:30. If at all possible, I prefer to take a nap later in the day. For example, tonight I was able to nap from 5:30pm to 7:00pm and that should serve me well in these midnight hours!

I've definitely gotten in a routine. This routine isn't forever. The kids are supposed to be quarantined for about another 2-3 weeks and then life will return to normal. So I'm embracing this right now. What exactly does that mean? I'm not helping my kids with schoolwork as much. They are on their own - they know I will check their work and they save things for me if they have questions, but I am not sitting down to do it all with them right now. It means I have to say no to some stuff. We're spending more time at home in February so I can do this schedule and get some sleep so I'm safe while driving the kids around.

Now, the job is flexible. So I can cancel classes in order to cook dinner, go to a hockey game with friends, or meet up with friends who are in town from Florida. I love that flexibility. I also like that I can work 35-40 hours a week if I want to and not feel guilty about it. I'm still getting in plenty of quality time with my kiddos, and they're also learning those valuable skills called "independence" and "entertain yourselves QUIETLY FOR PETE'S SAKE"!

I'm wearing other hats and this doesn't get in the way at all. I don't schedule 12:30 - 3:30am classes on Wednesdays, only the 4:50-8:00 am classes. I want to be fresh for teaching preschoolers at co-op. I am able to work on that lesson in between classes. I can work on my Sunday school lesson, AWANA lesson, and Children in Action lesson for church in between classes. I can work on Rodan + Fields and place orders. I can do laundry and dishes and organize parts of the house that won't wake anyone up.

I've always kind of been a night owl, so it doesn't surprise me that I've acclimated to this schedule fairly quickly. I do know that it's also because my family is INCREDIBLY supportive. My kids are old enough to take care of themselves and I don't have to worry about what they are doing while I'm sleeping.

What was really tough was when Brianna got sick not once, but twice, while Stephen was TDY and I was working these hours. Fortunately, I was able to cancel classes to take care of her, but I was a major walking zombie the first 12 hours she was sick because I hadn't slept at all and then I was up with her. But hey, that's part of life.

I feel really blessed to have a part-time job like this. The kids I teach are phenomenal and they are so funny. They are smart and want to learn. The pay is great and the hours work with my schedule. Sometimes Brianna comes into my office and lays on the floor, curled up with her pillow and blanket, and listens in on my classes, and then afterwards we laugh about the kid named "Dudu" or how Billy demanded that I call him "Spiderman" or we "ooh" and "ahh" over the art the kids show me.

When I first started working nights it was really hard on Bri. She is a big snuggler and she didn't appreciate the fact that I would be working during her prime time for snuggling! I promised her this is just a season, and I have found ways to get in that snuggle time with her in between classes, or during the day, or if a class of mine gets canceled at the last minute. I've told her and Hunter this, and I hope they realize it - I do this for them. I want them to see that I work hard. I want them to see that you can do all the things that you are passionate about. God will work those things out for you. God gives you these awesome desires in your heart and then He brings them to fruition in ways you never would have imagined.

So while you may notice my dark circles more in February, or I may repeat things in conversations we have, it's all worth it to me. I feel so happy and so blessed to do what I do, and not give up homeschooling, or church activities, or miss out on things with my family. Life is pretty darn good right now.