Building. Books. Boards.

 

 

This is "the Batcave" by the way (in case you didnt notice at first.....)

 

 

 

And these are these cool magnetic blocks Callum got for Christmas... he built a house and a horse-carriage, respectively....

 

 

 

 

The three Bs.....in the winter time, when we tend to spend more time indoors (well...I would love to go out all the time--winter is my season!) I can think of no better things to do with my kids than build (with legos, blocks, playmobil, etc), read great books (lately, there doesnt seem to be a fave author, since we are so into our legos), and play board games (remember those?) like Zingo, Memory, Sorry!, and I-Spy.

I have to admit--I am getting REALLY into legos with the kids! I never had many legos growing up--I was more of a Lincoln Logs kid (and I had construx and Tinker toys--remember those??) Callum and Maira are growing-up-lego, and I am enjoying it very much. I love the creativity involved (that is such an understatement and cliche I know!). But it is so cool with the little figures they give you along with the 'sets.' And, from an OCD point of view (aka, MINE!) legos COULD pose a total nightmare, since there are so many pieces and parts to keep together. However, I have completely embraced the lego 'way' and conceded to the mess--even dare I say EMBRACED it! One of my favorite parts of the whole lego experience is to fish through the boxes, looking for the parts we need.

Lego is an amazing company--they arent just blocks anymore (for all you oldtimers out there...haha). Lego has theme parks. .Lego has video games. Lego has a whole magazine culture. Lego has partnered with DC Comics superheros so much so that some little kids dont even realize that "Batman" exists "outside" of lego; they think Batman is just part of Lego itself! Anyway, Lego, as a company, must have hired some marketing majors from UNH to reinvent themselves the way they have.

Callum and Maira remind me a lot of myself when I was a kid--in good and bad ways! But, ask my mom, and she will tell you how I used to sit for HOURS using my imagination to set up different "scenes" with my "men" and Lincoln Logs, cars, etc....I used to borrow her cotton balls to create snow-scapes, etc. But, then, I would realize I was alone in the basement, and panic and run upstairs....and this is the OTHER way Callum reminds me of myself! Last week Amanda was in charge of putting on the pageant at church, and Callum, who was supposed to be a lamb, wanted NO. PART. OF. ANYTHING. He was borderline panic-attack kid for some reason. And, if you ask my mom and dad, they will tell you that I, too, refused to be in the Christmas play at good old Holy Cross Church back in Easton!!

And bring on the board games!! I wish I had friends up here to play games with! Actually, I wish I had any friends at all (wah wah wah). I used to play Risk! and Axis and Allies with my friend Tony and some other buddies....and then he got divorced and so did our friendship, apparently. But I love Risk, Sorry, Chess, Cribbage, and all those old games....iin Maine, they havent gone out of style....yet!!