New Years Resolutions

We asked the kids what they wanted to do this year to make our family a better family; closer, happier and more healthy and more fun. Everyone wrote down their answers and then we read them. "play more board games together" was very high on the list. Which is great, because I had that same idea, for us to play more games together rather than watching so many movies. We love movies, but I think the games would be better for us as a family. We have a TON of board games. Really fun and creative ones, all those Cranium games, Pictionary, Monopoly, Clue, Chess, Connect Four, Checkers, card games. You name it, we likely own it. So, why haven't we been playing these games regularly? I m beginning to realize that logistics seem to rule the roost in our house. Simple placement of the board games geographically in our home could make the difference. We have them up very high in a closet. No one can really reach them, and when you do try to get one down, many game pieces and such fall right down on your head. I have recently moved some puzzles to a more accessible locale and so I have been seeing kids doing more puzzles. If I put big white clean paper out on the art table and take the basket of crayons out of the art closet and put it in the middle of the table, my kids WILL draw without me even mentioning it. So, my plan has to have a strategy. The games need to be in an accessible, luring location, but not be reachable by the 2 yr old. This may require some moving of books, some relocation of videos and some reorganizing of the downstairs shelving, BUT in the end it will be worth it. After all, if I set up a game, they will come! And if that is all it takes to fullfill the New Years Resolutions, then I can handle that! (project for tomorrow - relocate the games : ) Also I don't want to forget: -took Scotty and Ben and Charlie to the mall today. Ben kept wanting to do this trampoline thing that seemed too scary for him. We talked him out of it by talking him into doing some other fun stuff, but maybe I should have let him try it - you never know how brave they are if you don't let them try I guess. I, personally, was probably the one who really was scared for him. -Ben is starting to try out "being a stinker" a little bit. nothing terrible, just making me say things more than once to him, burping really loudly, being a bit hyper. All normal 5 yr old stuff, but on Ben it is surprising, because he has been so easy for me. Truth is, I kind of like this side of him, it seems that he is becoming a bit more extroverted. -When we were at the zoo yesterday, a squirrel jumped into the prairie dogs home. I said, "Hey look that squirrel is like, "Hey I would like to live here too." and Charlie goes, "Squirrel says, wank you. (thank you)" He is funny.