Candyland and a card...

I decided to get Tanner the game Candyland for a gift this year and we pulled it out last night to play it for the first time. I purposely waited because I know how kids can get frustrated with taking turns and not getting to win every game. The box clearly reads that it is intended for ages 3 and up, and Tanner is almost 6 (Holy Cow!) and Chloe is 4...and I was thinking that we were finally ready to play the game, and have a great time doing it! I am always looking for things we can do "together" as a family. If you have kids then you know that a lot of times when you play with one...the other gets hurt feelings because they wanted to play with you too. Only in our case, it's hard to play Barbie's and dinosaurs all at once. You have to get really creative to make it work. LOL. (Barbie is almost always very "afraid" of tyrannosaurus rex you know.)

So we start out and being the teacher that I am, I explain the entire game board and even quiz them on what the characters names are etc. I explain carefully all of the rules and then we get down to business. Of course, as luck would have it...I start winning. I couldn't think of what would be the best approach and how to handle it, besides downplaying the winning or losing part like it isn't a big deal. I was thinking...this is life, you aren't always going to win every time, but I kept telling them that the game could change and really anyone could win. Luckily the next card I drew sent me way back to the beginning of the board and Chloe ended up winning. It didn't matter who won though, because all that mattered to Tanner was that HE didn't. There were tears and then he didn't want to play again, so Chloe and I started the next game. Luckily she was winning again, but at the very end she drew a card that sent her back to the beginning. Now I was the one close to winning! She started crying because now she wasn't winning and we never finished the game. Needless to say, it wasn't exactly the "fun" evening I had planned. The more I thought about it though, it made me realize how much we try to protect our kids. We always want them to "win" in life, to never feel like they are a loser. But wouldn't it be better for them to feel like a winner whether they won or lost? That is so important to me, as a parent, to teach my kids that it doesn't matter what happens in their lives...that they are winners, and that they can choose what kind of attitude they will have whether they are winning or losing! I think your attitude determines whether you "win" in life. Even as adults...have you ever felt like you were sent back to the beginning of the game board we call life? I sure have! You work so hard to get ahead whether it's in your job, or your relationships, and the fact that it can completely change in just one split second is alarming! My attitude is that whether it appears that you're winning or losing isn't important, it's what you are learning through it that counts! (Sometimes I wish I had a little less to learn. LOL.)


I also wanted to share a little birthday card I made for my good friend Christy last night. Today is her birthday. So Happy Birthday To YOU! We love you Christy!
I mostly used scraps from our March kit "Paperweight" and added a Heidi Swapp silhouette (presents) and a few buttons and brads. It was quick and simple, but I hope she likes it!
Hope you all have a great night!