Best Family Board Games for Bored Kids (Aged 3-6)

With the threat of a COVID-19 quarantine looming, some people are panicking over toilet paper and hand sanitizer. My mind, however, has wandered to the daunting task of entertaining children indoors for 2 weeks straight.

I don't have answers for a lot of what's about to happen, but over the past couple of years I have discovered some really great kid friendly games that I thought I would share with you. Hopefully not many of us encounter a full on quarantine, but board games are also ideal social distancing activities, and are actually pretty fun even without the threat of a virus taking over our world.

Here are my tried and true board games (I use the term 'board' lightly - mostly meaning these are packaged games with rules, as young children often need something a bit more interactive than traditional board games allow). Most of these are for kids aged 3-6, but some skew younger or older. Also, one of my prerequisites is these games must be fun for parents as well (sorry Toilet Trouble).

Spot It! 

This is essentially a twist on a card game, and is pretty fun for parents too (my husband and I have been known to have a head to head match after the kids tire of it). Each player flips over a card with images on it and tries to match the picture with an overturned card in the middle. There is one matching image on every card, so it's a matter of who finds their's first. My son is 5 and loves this game, although when I play with him I sometimes give him a few extra seconds to look for his match. 

Chutes & Ladders (Snakes & Ladders)

One of my favourite games as a kid and the only true 'board game' on this list, Chutes & Ladders basically teaches the consequences of rolling the dice. If you land on a ladder you move up, if you land on a chute (or snake) you move down the board. Easy to play when assisting younger kids, and older kids can have fun counting the spaces (bonus: LEARNING).

Cootie 

This game has been a staple in our house since my son was 2 years old. The point of the game is to completely build your bug, and the rules can be as loose or rigid as your child's development allows for. It's fun for the whole family and really easy for young kids to grasp. I tired looking online to purchase it and couldn't find any retail outlets selling it in Canada - so the link in the title is to Amazon.com. If you find one second hand grab it up!

Go Fish

I think my favourite thing about this classic card game is that you can play it with any card like items you have. We play it with matching games, a regular deck of cards, or specific decks, like the one I linked to. It is awesome for memory, learning about numbers or animals (or whatever is on the deck you are playing with), and is easy to understand for younger kids as well. 

Connect 4 

I must admit, my 5 year old has legitimately beat me in this game. We have been playing since he was 2 years old and at first it was just fun for him to put the pieces in one by one as we took turns. Now that he's 5 he is fully committed to lining up 4 pieces in a row. While he still doesn't quite grasp connecting the pieces on a diagonal, he sometimes beats me because I'm paying attention to my offensive strategy rather than defensive. 

Magic Sketch Boogie Board   

Although the word 'board' is in this title this is actually a writing/drawing tablet that erases with the push of a button. My favourite thing about the Boogie Board is that my toddler can't draw on my walls with it.

There you have it - a list of my favourite board games for bored kids age three to six. I just did an Amazon panic purchase of a few more - Trouble, Guess Who?, and The Floor Is Lava - so I'll keep you posted on how those turn out. What gems am I missing? Drop me a comment with your favourite games to play with your kids. Let's share our entertainment knowledge with each other to make these uncertain times a bit easier!

xo

Because Of Las Vegas

This probably sounds cliché and a bit morbid, but I can't stop thinking about the parents that died senselessly in Las Vegas on the weekend; Young vibrant people with small carefree children. What a huge shift in day-to-day reality these families must be experiencing now.

It makes me, selfishly, think about how if I was to leave tomorrow, my kids might not have a memory of me. And it hurts me so deeply for them.

I've been quite open about how parenthood has been challenging for me, but the challenges have always been because of my own shit, never ever because of them. They are the most amazing kids. They make me laugh every single day, and at least once a day I think of how lucky I am to have them in my life.

I tell them probably a hundred times a day that I love them. Every night I whisper in my oldest's ear 'I love you so much'. We joke back and forth 'I love youuuuu more!', but I know I will always love him more. My youngest can't talk yet, but he brings so much joy to my world I actually can't even comprehend it myself. He's the happiest baby and my heart bursts thinking of him.

Parenting can be really difficult, and it's easy to get caught up in the bad moments when life is busy and crazy. But in spite of all the complexities, nothing can ever change how much I love my family. I can only hope that one day I get the opportunity to express that immense love to my children, when they are old enough to truly understand it.

Roy's Home Birth Story

*Disclaimer: Trigger warning for those that have dealt with birth loss or birth trauma. 



I had been worried sick about going into labour naturally since I found out I was pregnant for the second time. Being induced with my first son was one of the toughest experiences of my life, and I wanted to try to avoid it at all costs. So much so, that I planned for an all natural no med home birth. I'm not really a 'granola' person, I just knew that my first birth had all the drugs in the world and was in the hospital ... and it still sucked big time; there had to be a better way. So I figured, why not try the complete opposite?

My biggest fear was that my body just wasn't built to go into labour on its own, and the same medical induction process would have to happen with baby number 2. As a result of my paranoia, for about a week leading up to Roy's birth I tried all the old wives tale tricks to 'naturally' get things going: dates, evening primrose oil, sex, walking, acupuncture, bouncing on a yoga ball... you name it.

The morning I went into labour I had gone to chiro and then for a 30min walk. As soon as I got home, around 11am, I started having contractions 10 minutes apart. They weren't too strong, especially compared to the manufactured contractions I experienced with my first birth, but they were regular enough to pay attention and start timing. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I was excited. Maybe I could trust my body after all...

The contractions got closer together and around 2:30pm I called my midwife Tiffany to say maybe this was it. She listened to a contraction and told me to call her back in an hour or when things were unbearable. At 3:30pm I called and told her to come check me - things were getting intense. It took Tiffany an hour to get to the house because it was now rush hour. By the time she got through the door things had ramped up a whole lot. I was moaning and really needed to focus to get through each surge. At one point I remember looking into my own eyes in the bathroom mirror between contractions and saying 'you can do this' over and over. At another I remember puking pretty hard. At another I remember feeling so infinitely tired, and another every single part of my body shaking.

When Tiffany first checked me around 4:30pm I was 7cm dilated. In the midst of the intensity I was so happy my birth was actually going as I had hoped, but was super scared to be doing it drug free. Fortunately things were happening so fast that I didn't really have time to opt for a different plan even if I had wanted to. Tiffany told me to switch positions every 15 min: shower, stairs, hands and knees, etc, until I made the transition to 10cm. This is when shit got real; Not only because of how overwhelming the labour process was, but because just a few minutes later we lost the sound of Roy's heartbeat on the doppler.

My husband called our doula Sydney, and she arrived around 5pm. At this point I'm on my bed in the fetal position. Trying to change positions at this deep in the game was pure agony, but I had to because we weren't getting a good reading of the baby's heart rate. When I moved to my hands and knees the primal urge to start pushing kicked in, and it was like nothing I have ever felt or can accurately explain. In this position the heartbeat was gone completely. The other problem was Tiffany's back up midwife had not yet arrived to help deliver, so she was on her own.

At this point things get a bit blurry, but I remember being told to lie down and push the baby out RIGHT NOW. Sydney was instructed to call 911 for fetal heart rate. During my first contraction pushing Tiffany told me I needed to push harder; but I was giving it everything I had. I thought to myself that I was failing my baby, I wasn't doing my job good enough, and I wouldn't be able to get him out in time to save his life. On my second contraction I pushed with everything I had in the whole fucking universe, and he actually came out.  Not only did he come out, but he came out just a screamin'. I heard my husband say "You did it, you did so good!" I've never been so happy to hear a baby cry in my entire life. He was perfect - strong heartbeat, big, healthy. I had pushed out a 8lb 7oz, 21" boy in 10 minutes. It's absolutely amazing what our bodies can do.

Just a few minutes later both EMS and the second midwife arrived. They were told the baby was all good, but checked him out just to be sure. At this point it was placenta time (yay!), however nothing seemed to be happening in my body to facilitate this process. The midwife flagged the problem to the EMS attendants and asked them to stay just in case I needed to go to the hospital; apparently the placenta should be 'born' 15-30 minutes after birth, otherwise there is a risk of bleeding. Time was ticking away and it was still inside of me, and a lot of blood started pooling behind it in my uterus. Then a bunch of stuff happened really quickly which included the midwives hands and arms inside my lady bits, and I got an oxytocin IV to slow the bleeding. Then the cord broke off the placenta, which was apparently very bad, and I was told I was being transferred to the hospital.

I somehow managed to walk down my stairs and was then loaded up onto the stretcher and pushed into the ambulance. Just then, I felt major cramping and suddenly out came the placenta. Because we hadn't drove away yet my midwife asked if we could just wait in the back of the ambulance for 10 minutes in front of the house. My blood loss leveled out, and I was brought back to my bed with my new baby boy... all in all I lost 600cc's of blood. I guess we just had to put on a show for the neighbours before wrapping everything up.

Even with all the unexpected events, and no medication, this birth experience was better than my first. It was powerful, emotional, scary, and intense, but I was actually in control of everything. Even though at times my body took over, and I was forced to go along for the ride and not know where it would end up, it was better than being forced to lie on my back in a hospital bed for hours on end trying to manage contractions that weren't actually doing anything. 

Roy Zander - 8lbs 7oz

I know some people will read this and think these scary moments could have gone way worse because I was at home rather than the hospital. But I trusted my midwife immensely, and although the transfer time in the ambulance would have been a factor, she would have been administering the same medical attention as a doctor would have during that time. Obviously you can't predict what will happen, at home or in a hospital. I'm just grateful that my boy is healthy, I was surrounded by caring knowledgeable people during one of the craziest days of my life, including my husband, midwife, and doula. I had a healthy baby boy and am recovering well, and I actually got to experience the birth I wanted. 

Above all else, in spite of being so happy to have my 2 sons and the crazy life giving experiences that go along with them, I am extremely ecstatic that I never ever ever ever have to be pregnant and give birth again.




If you have any questions about how I prepared for my home birth (there were many things that actually really helped) please feel free to message me or post a question in the comments. 

Things Don't Get Easier, Only Different.

Recently a few friends of mine have had babies, and it got me thinking about being a new mom. Also, my son turned two and I've been reflecting about those first few months. For me, it was such an overwhelming experience. Not only was I learning how to truly take care of another human for the first time, but the personal changes in my lifestyle were hard to accept.

New Baby, New Mom

Looking back now, there are times I actually wish I had a new baby instead of a toddler. They were so easy... sleep, eat, cry, coo, repeat... right? But when I was in it, it wasn't easy. The lack of sleep was severely impactful. Feeling like I was doing everything wrong when I couldn't get him to stop crying was soul crushing. Barely finding the time to eat, shower, or brush my teeth made me feel like I had lost my identity; My only purpose was to be a mom... and that was hard.

During the first months of being a mom I never thought I would look back in two years and think that time was easy. And it reality, it wasn't -- because I was learning an immense amount of shit in a very short amount of time. It's like when you look back at a relationship and only remember the good times even thought there was a lot of strife. Maybe this happens for an evolutionary reason; so we forget how bad it was and want to procreate again. At any rate, while I certainly don't know everything about raising a baby now, I ended up figuring out a system and process that worked for me, and things got easier. But here's the catch: as those things got easier, other crazy hard new things began to develop. And there I was, clueless again.

I'm sure if you asked older mothers, this is just the nature of raising a child. You finally figure out one milestone and the next comes and kicks you in the ass. This is why I say things don't get easier, they just get different. This is why looking back I remember more good than bad; because I figured those early trials out, and they don't seem so challenging anymore. The upcoming unknowns and the ones I'm currently in the thick of seem much more daunting than the stuff I have already made it through.

Having a toddler is a lot easier, and a lot harder than having a baby. He can tell me what's wrong, he sleeps through the night, he's super funny, and he has basic needs that I understand how to fulfill - which are all great. But he also expects fairly constant entertainment with parent participation, and the games he enjoys at this stage I personally find so boring and hard to get into. He is starting to do bad things like hit, yell, and throw stuff when he's mad, and if I don't watch him for one minute you better believe he's into something he shouldn't be.

I love my son, and I love that he challenges me every day. I feel like a bad mom when I admit to finding his stages a struggle, but the reality is going through these periods with him do make me a better person. It's this perspective I try to keep when I am tired of it all. Being a mom has made me learn more about myself than I ever thought possible, and while it's hard, it's a process that only expands my knowledge and perception. For this, I am grateful for all the daily struggles.

Name Calling

Cheerios scattered on the floor
reminding me of my inadequacies.
A sinking feeling in my stomach.
The boy's in bed and I'm relieved.

I'm not cut out for this.
But it's something I can't quit.
I'm a bad mom.
Too bad. So sad.

How To Cope On A Group Camping Trip With Kids!

Before I had kids going camping with a group of friends was my happy place. Granted, the booze involved gave everything a rosy glow, but beyond that I just don't think it gets much better than being with people you love out in nature.

Having a child, especially when you are the only family, could easily put a damper on those group trips.... if you let it. However, I recently went on an adventure with my toddler and it turned out pretty damn good. Here is how I coped..

Read More...

I Have A Baby, But Don't Know How

I am getting to that time of my life where many people around me are having babies. I, obviously, also have a child. But every person's journey to how that child comes to be is different.

Before I started 'trying' to have a baby I assumed it would take a couple months to get pregnant, at least. My husband and I got engaged because we knew we wanted to start a family. So once the engagement was over, I thought we might as well throw caution to the wind and stop using any birth control.

I've had conversations with friends about what I did to get pregnant. Did I track my fertility? Did I do strange cultural practices? Did it take a long time? The truth is, I did nothing. Well that's not totally true... I did track my period on an app for my own knowledge, and the app did tell me what days I was more fertile. But other than that, I did nothing. The first time it was possible to create a human, we did. 

About Getting Pregnant Again...

The Look

Out running errands with my toddler in tow, I often find myself giving other parents The Look.

Sometimes this look is reciprocated, and it makes me feel connected to them, like we are all part of the Borg or something - thinking with a shared brain going through the same motions and experiencing the same thing.

There are other times I give the The Look, and I feel like I might have done something wrong. Like I'm a bad parent or I offended the other parent or embarrassed them. This is never the intention of The Look.

I think, mostly, I give The Look because of a need for connection. But it's meaning is constantly changing.

At first with a newborn The Look meant "OHMYFUCKINGGOD what have we got ourselves into?!" It was a much more desperate look.

Not Quite Ready For Baby #2

When is the right time to have baby #2? That is what I find myself wondering lately. It seems everyone and their dog has an opinion about it.

"Oh... you are going to have 2 before 2? That's going to be hard."

"Three years apart is the perfect age gap."

"When is the next baby coming? You don't want them to be too far apart!"

You wouldn't believe how many complete strangers have asked me if I want another child. I feel very awkward answering them.

Essential Accessories for Camping with Children

Taking your littles camping this summer? Check out the article I wrote for FamilyFunCanada.com about the essential accessories for camping with young children! 

....Oh, and an excellent tip about camping with wine is included! 

Read More

The "Every Single Month" Sleep Regression!

I have to get something off my chest. I am so sick of people talking about sleep regressions like they actually exist. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely believe children have worse periods of sleep, but is it just me or does it seem like every moth of a baby's life there is a 'sleep regression'?

The 10 month, 11 month, 12 month sleep regression....OK come on. Can we just call it like it is? Sometimes kids are jerks and they refuse to sleep! We don't need to label absolutely everything. I get that calling it a 'sleep regression' is a comforting feeling because it means it's normal; Other people have gone through it too, oh what a relief! But when literally every single month of a child's life has a period of sleep regression, I think we need to come to grips with reality.

I even did a little research before doing this blog and one of the most reputable sites was confused about where the legitimate sleep regressions happened. Just check out this screen grab from their site:

8..no wait, 9....um scratch that...10 month sleep regression!

Are you kidding me!? Even the sites claiming to help with these so called sleep regressions can't determine when they happen? Ugh!

OK... real talk for a minute: I get that every child develops as a different rate, and realistically the reason they have periods of troubled sleep is because their little brains are developing so rapidly. And this difference in development is why you can google any month of a child's life with the words 'sleep regression' after it and hundreds of articles will come up. But this is exactly my point. Can we drop the 'my kid is in the 6 month sleep regression' talk and instead just say 'my kid is sleeping like shit this month!'.

In reality it's not a big deal. I guess if it makes you feel better to use a term like 'sleep regression' then all the power to ya. It's just a pet peeve of mine that makes me cringe every time I see it! So what do you hear parents talk about or see posted on mom groups that you can't handle? Tell me in the comments below!

Parenting On the Bad Days

Most days I don't focus on the fact that I'm a mom. I still feel like myself and go through the motions without much thought about the immense responsibility I now have in my life. But the days that things go totally sideways, the days where everything is shit... those are the days parenting really gets in your face. And it's fucking hard.

In the past I would either drown my sorrows in booze or have a pity party in order to cope with a bad day. Now, neither of those options are available to me because I have a child and need to be sober/engaging for them. Dammit!

What If Your Office Job Was Like Being A Parent?

Believe it or not, before I was a mom I worked for a living. I worked a lot. I loved my job and I invested passion and energy into my industry. With over a decade of work experience, it's hard not to compare parenting to a regular job. What would the differences be? How are things easier, or more difficult? 

Check out this comprehensive list below, and if you can relate, have a laugh with me at the reality of our new-found parenting lives.

Living In The Online Parenting Present

The internet can be a pregnant woman's best friend. With such a new, scary experience it's reassuring to be able to google every strange pain or weird sensation. But delving into the depths of the interwebs can also be a black hole, especially when it comes to parenting.

Have you ever been suck in a wiki loop? It's that thing where you go to look up one thing on Wikipedia, and before you know it you have clicked on 20 links and you are learning about something so far removed from your original mission. That happens when you look up parenting advice all the time, and it is so overwhelming.

One of the best things I have learned is to stay in the present. Not with life in general, because that is way too zen for me, but specifically online. Sometimes I catch myself thinking about things that are so far ahead in the future: potty training, discipline, kindergarten, puberty... it goes on and on, further and further into time. 

If you start looking up all of these future parenting issues now, are you going to remember anything you read when they actually come around? More likely than not, you are going to be re-reading all the same articles and blogs, or there is a new best way of solving that problem, and the time you spent 'future parenting' will be time you could have gone and grabbed yourself a beer and done something for yourself for a change.

Not to mention the anxiety that already comes with all the predictable, but certainly not understood, parenting milestones to come. It seems like once you finally have one thing figured out, a whole new set of challenges comes your way. If you start thinking about current parenting stresses, the ones that could possibly come up next, and the distant ones, you are going to be a head case.

So fellow parents, lets all just live in the online parenting present. Forget first sleepovers and first boyfriends and first cars, and just google the things you need to know today. Ask your mommy groups about the most pressing of problems, and forget the fear of the future unknowns. Because doing the best you can right now with what you have is pretty much the best gift you can give your child, and yourself.

Why New Moms Avoid the House At All Costs

Before I was a mom I believed that all moms of babies would rather stay at home than go through the hassle and stress of going out with their newborns. This could not have been more opposite for me, because as soon as I was well enough, (about 3 weeks postpartum), I used every excuse in the book to get out of my house.

Babies Line Up For One Of Many 'Mom Classes'

At first I joined as many classes as I possibly could. There was Mommy Connections Tuesday afternoon, mall walking Wednesday morning, Mom and Baby Yoga Thursday morning, and every day I didn't have something scheduled for, I desperately befriended another mom from one of my classes and made plans with her for a walk or lunch date. (You'd think with all the fitness I was doing just to avoid the house I would have gotten into amazing shape, but that's another story).

As my son got older, walks turned into play dates, and the classes available for mobile kids got fewer and further between. This led me to create a plan; scheduling my out of house chores for each day of the week so I had an excuse to get out at least once a day.

Except for the very first week of leaving the house, I never found being out and about with my son to be stressful. It gave me an excuse to put on clothes that day. It gave me a reason to shower, and converse with other adults. It made me feel more normal. Like most other first time moms, up until my son was born I was used to working full time. I had a reason to make myself look presentable every day, and I talked to colleagues and new faces. When you are a new mom all of that changes, and for me, being out of the house felt more normal than staying inside.

It's just now that I am starting to enjoy my home again. I'm not sure why; maybe it's that every day I am getting more and more used to my new routine, or maybe it's because my son is finally having moments where he can just sit on my lap for 5 minutes and we can enjoy each others company. Whatever it is, I'm glad that being home is finally not seeming so daunting.

I still try to leave the house every day, but the times I don't are starting to become less boring, and more comfortable. It's nice to once again feel at home, in my home. The memories I have of my house as a child are so comforting, I truly hope I can create that same feeling for my son. I guess the first step to getting there, is me being happy and comfortable with what I have.

Genevieve

I Don't Care If My 1 Year Old Celebrates Christmas

I'm usually a pretty big fan of Christmas, but this year, I can't really be bothered. Last year was a write off because my son was only about a month old, and I was a frazzled new mom. So what's my excuse this year? I don't really know. Maybe I'm just lazy.

Recently I was asked if I was putting up a Christmas tree. Haha... good one. Hell no I'm not putting a tree up! I don't care if my son would get 20 minutes of holiday joy a day looking at the lights and decorations. Do you know how my entire day would be spent?

"No, get away from the tree!"
"Don't touch the decorations, they are for looking not touching!"
"Please don't put the 'everything-you-can-touch' in your mouth!"
"Be Careful! You're going to pull the tree down!"

And all of this talk, every minute of every day, would be to a person who either doesn't understand what I am telling him, or doesn't give a fuck. I haven't quite figured out how smart he is yet.

I was also caught off guard the other day when someone asked what Santa was bringing my son for Christmas. I say caught off guard, because Santa is not bringing him anything for Christmas, and I didn't know what to tell her. My kid doesn't know who Santa is, so why would I bother? It's not like he is starving or desperate for anything at all. Whatever he needs, I buy him, and more. So is it really necessary to get him a gift, when he doesn't care?

I feel like I will invest more into this all when he does. Right now I'm focusing my energy on things that are actually important. Who knows though, maybe this whole Christmas thing has just become too overwhelming, and I'll always be shit at it.

So what do you think? Am I a lazy Grinch mom, or does it make sense to not do much for a 1 year old for Christmas? Let me know, I can handle it.

Genevieve

The Truth About Why Being a New Mom Is Hard

I've been doing some reflecting recently on the first few months of motherhood. I really found being a new mom challenging. With a one year old now running around and getting into everything, I look back at those early days and wonder what the hell was so hard? Babies have such basic needs: they don't move around, you have complete control over them... so why was I crying every day? Why was it so damn difficult?

After careful thought, I think I finally have some answers:

• It wasn't the baby that was hard, it was the reality finally hitting me that my life was never going to be the same, and having to actually accept that. 

Pictures With Santa Are Damn Expensive

I recently went to go check out my local mall Santa with my one year old son, and got serious sticker shock. What the hell has happened to Santa? This is all new new to me, so how long have pictures with Santa been so damn expensive?

Price Sheet for Santa Photos

My family is doing fine financially, and I do not know if I can justify the expense of a picture with our local mall Santa. Where is the harm in letting my son meet the big guy in red and allowing me to take a couple photos myself? Or even charging me a nominal fee to take my own photos? At my local mall the cheapest option is to have one photo printed for $22.

I can understand paying a good amount of money for a photo shoot with a professional photographer for your Christmas card. These people capture your family in a variety of poses and and provide a good quantity of edited pictures. But how the hell does a mall production where you sit on Santa's knee and smile end up costing up to $100?

I Don't Know How to Raise A Boy

Approaching 20 weeks into my pregnancy I was excited and nervous. Not only would it be the first (and only) time I actually saw the baby growing inside of me, but I was going to find out the gender of my child. 

I didn't realize how important gender was to me until I actually heard the words 'It's a boy'. I had wanted a boy. I was elated. But about two days later my head started to spin. I didn't know anything about boys! What the hell was I going to do with a little boy?