Everybody Wins!

My kids have declared that Fridays shall be pizza for dinner and Family Game Night.

Of all the things they demand of me, this one makes me the happiest.

My son is at an age where I am sure that he would much rather be hanging out with his friends.  My daughter is usually a bear by Friday night, she's been exhausted from school and we haven't even begun dance and soccer for her.

This gives us all something to look forward to at the end of the weary week.  We try and come up with a different pizza every week.  This week, thanks to a friend , we made a Hawaiian pizza.

It's really fun playing games with the kids.  We've decided that my daughter is old enough play older games now.  We've all had our fill of Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders.  We figured we could have teams or modify the rules a little, but it was time to use ALL those games we have.

The first week, we played  Pictureka and Hangman.  My daughter actually won Pictureka, so her confidence had a nice little boost.  We teamed up for Hangman and the boys won, thanks to words like Phalanx and Babies. (a reference to my daughter and I protesting the use of a gun name that we were totally unfamiliar with).

We have a tradition of writing the names of the winners in the game box top.  It is a very coveted honor, and I get such a kick at looking back at the winners.  Friends and family have all made it onto the box tops and when we open a game , you never know what memories of past games will come up.

This past week, we played Uno Attack.  This is a big favorite for us because you really get to trash talk.  Surprisingly, my daughter is really good at it.  My son attacks like a ninja, quiet and stealthy.  Ultimately my husband won, he's very crafty at card games, very hard to beat.

I could care less if I win, I really treasure these nights, and I love that my kids insisted on it.  It makes me feel like we're not doing so bad if they want to hang out with us.  Who knows how long it will last and I am happy to oblige as long as they want it.  Now, what kind of pizza to make this week?