Can we drink from mugs, like men?

This was my son Jeffrey's question to me after he, Sarah, and I came in from playing in the snow in our backyard yesterday and snowboarding on the giant snow mountain across the alley behind our house where Ramstad Middle School used to be. I haven't done that with them yet this year because there was either not enough snow to pack together or I couldn't be outside at the time. But we all got some good time in after church Sunday afternoon -- and after I'd gotten a decent nap in, hallelujah, I truly needed it! -- and Jeffrey asked me before we got back in whether we could drink some hot chocolate and play Feudal, essentially a chess game with our kingdoms on opposite sides of the board and the goal's to either capture all an opponent's royalty or invade their castle. We hadn't played it in a while so I said yes, and then as we're getting out of wet things he asked me today's title question. Oh, and I won in six moves -- he bunched all his people together.

Turns out he decided he didn't really want to play Feudal but decided he'd rather play chess. Quoth Jeffrey: "Chess is fun!" So we went upstairs after his SECOND change of mind saying that he wanted to play Farkle, the dice rolling game where if you don't get a one, a five, or three of a kind you "farkle" or go back to zero. Jeffrey got out that glass chess/checkers/backgammon set Martha and I got as a wedding present that we still keep in the box that is falling apart and we played chess on his bed (I checkmated him, but not without a fight!) and then rolled the bones for Farkle (which I also won, because I saved up the small amounts I won and build a total that eventually surpassed him). I'm glad we ended the day on a high note, especially because I had to send Jeffrey to the front office because he was being a problem in Sunday school where I taught that morning. Five first and second graders, my teaching/confirmation assistant Dalyce, and me.

Unlike last week, we did get through the whole play about the conversion of Saul! (Even sang the song; I'd adapted the song "Gaston" from Disney's Beauty and the Beast to lift Saul up to go persecute some more Christians!) Through the afternoon Martha and her mini-me Sarah sat on the couch and mostly fought fatigue and caught up on reading and games and a few shows on Hulu Plus. Right now my NOOK is being a pain about allowing us to play any games on it, and I wonder if that's not a good thing ... I could definitely use more rest, as I found out yesterday AND this morning after I'd brought Sarah and Jeffrey to school! Saturday night ... more accurately, Saturday afternoon after I'd gotten off work a few hours early -- a lot of what needed to be stocked had already been and after lunch it was mostly make-work and there were two of us there and Jerry asked me if I would like to head out or have him do so.

I promise to make it up to him. As it was, I was able to get home early and take Jeffrey to his classmate and friend Michael's birthday party up at North Hill Bowl -- his parents had rented several lanes and strongly encouraged the whole family; of course, the families of everyone who could come. Pizza was there, drinks were provided, they brought the cake, and Michael's mom Eliane was SO effusive about us staying and bowling -- which only Jeffrey and I chose to do, and he was so proud that he'd be bowling for the first time without bumpers to keep the ball out of the gutters -- that I invited the girls to come up too! They didn't bowl; Martha's still recovering from her concussion of a few weeks back (and it's still slippery out here even at 42 degrees with more pavement showing than snow on the ground, so watch it!) but they had no problem with what became dinner for Saturday night. And I'm glad I could come too, even bowled a few strikes!

Mr. Churchill, you will get in here tomorrow, you have my word on that!

David