This Christmas Eve we spent time over at the Mast house with the family, but it didn't quite feel right with one of the family members gone (Kurtis is in Zambia for 2 more months). We had a great German dinner followed by a few "House" episodes (what could be better?). As the presents began to be unwrapped (or 'untied' in our household) we all noticed a rather large box waiting until the very end. In it was mom and dad's surprise--ours--a new TV! Stefan and I have joked around about it because we have never had to buy our own TV--ever! The first one I received from my mom a la upstairs, and our second was a family friend's gift to us as he got a new one and had no use for it. The little 12 inch box TV (no remote, no antenna, no nothing) has suited our family just fine for the past 3 years, and we had no intentions of getting cable or using it for any other purpose than watching a movie or two a week. However, Stefan and I got a 26inch HDTV flat-screen from his parents and we've been glued ever since! Really, the screen is massive to us, and SO CLEAR! We've already watched over 10 hours of TV in two days...in fact my eyes are straining even writing this. What a funny thing...I wonder if we'll ever buy our own TV, or just wait until someone doesn't want their 'old 45 inch flatscreen' in the year 2030...we can wait that long!
My children have recently become enthralled in the world of board games. I was never a board game player. Sure, I remember long summer hours (days? it seemed like it..) spent around a Monopoly board, but I was never one to suggest to get out the cards, or a game. As my children have grown and they are now able to do activities with me, I started noticing that they really took to puzzles (when done all together) and the one or two board games I happened to have kept in the storage room. They were always asking to play Candy Land and so I figured I should branch off a bit. Over the course of the last year, I have found GREAT games, even ones that I love to play alongside them. The amount of 'teaching' they have gotten through games is jaw-dropping. Counting, team-playing, math related patterning, are just some of the skills I've watched develop. I asked before Christmas on facebook what my friends and their own kids loved and I was thrilled with the response. We have found ov
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