Where a kid can be a kid

I decided against buying toys for the nephews and niece this year. They have everything you can imagine (and then some). They seem to lose interest in a toy less than 5 minutes after receiving it.

So...for Christmas I thought it would be fun to treat them to an afternoon with their aunt instead! I took them to Chuck E. Cheese's first, then topped it off with a visit to Friendly's for some ice cream.

The outing took 5 hours! I'm not complaining (we had a blast), I'm just surprised it took so long. I had three of my six nephews/niece with me. A 3 year old, a 6 year old, and an 8 year old. The toughest part was keeping them all together. Actually- that turned out to be impossible. I just kept strategically placing myself so I could see the three of them at all times. I also figured out that I should only give them 2 tokens at a time...that way I was making it necessary for them to seek me out and come back to me every 10 minutes or so. It was fun seeing them enjoy themselves...playing "skeetball", video games, virtual roller coasters...climbing in the "climbing tunnels"...playing "tv star" on the video screeens. I knew it was time to go when they started playing "tag" all around the perimeter...not exactly an activity that is made for Chuck E. Cheese.

Now- I am exhausted! Taking care of little human beings is a very draining task. But I have to admit, it was wonderful to spend 5 hours devoted 100% to the well being of others. I did not think of myself, my needs, my life, my stresses...for even one brief second.

Turns out my Christmas present to them was an even bigger gift to myself. :)

Happy Holidays everyone!