Stickyweed

One of the finest inventions is stickyweed - a small plant that (unsurprisingly) sticks to fur or in our case, clothes.

So whilst out for a pleasant family walk the aim of the game is to get stickyweed onto someone else back without them noticing and by keeping your back clear.

Tactics involve sharing a cuddle whilst subtly placing it on their back or throwing and hoping it will stick.  Defence tactics involve wearing clothes which don't let it stick.

As the kids get older I'm sure we'll get a points system going for the number, size and length of sticky weed on the back - but for the moment it's just a laugh trying to get each other without being noticed.

How much do you love me?

One fun thing that we do is where I say to the children (although now they say it to me!): "How much do you love me?" and they show me with their hands apart "this much".

"Is that all?"
They move their hands further apart, "this much!"

And this continues until their arms are outstretched as far as they can go and they declare "this much!"

At which point I tickle them under their arms. :)

Pillow Fight!

"What is first rule of pillow fighting?"

"Never throw your pillow at your opponent!" my children reply.

 Indeed they have been trained well at the academy.  For whomever so loses their pillow shall not gain it again.  Indeed it shall be turned and used against them by said opponent with nothing to defend yourself with.

The humble blanket (3)

Today we played a new game with the blanket.

My eldest daughter and I held each end of the blanket and one of the younger children got in it (like a hammock).  We then rock it from side-to-side and on the count of three throw them onto the sofa.

They loved it.

The humble blanket (2)

This very simple activity involves the children lying down on the blanket longways and then me pulling them around on the lounge floor (we have a wooden floor - suspect this won't work for carpet!).

For the more adventurous whipping them around corners is great fun (bike helmets optional for added protection!).  Also the older ones can sit up and then I jerk the blanket hard and they have to try and stay sitting up.

The humble sofa (1)

My children's favourite game is called "throw me on the sofa".

The name kind of says it all.  I win if I can get all of my children on the sofa at the same time.  They win if they can keep me from doing it until an agreed time (or more likely until I'm too tired to carry on).

This was a lot easier when they were younger - but now requires me to pick up the youngest put him into the eldest daughter's arms and push them both onto the sofa then grab the next one and put them next door but I never seem to able to grab the fourth before one of them has escaped.

Great fun for all the family!

Bath time (1) - bubbly beards!

One of the games we love to play in the bath is bubbly beards. 

I apply bubbles to my chin and then try to kiss the children and cover them in bubbles.  They try to shave my beard off with their hands before I can get them.

Faith

A fun game that we play is faith which I first learnt from David McInnes who was rector of St Aldates when I was a student many years ago.

The children stand on the stairs while I stand at the bottom.  They jump off the stairs towards me shouting "faith".  I then I catch them.  As they get more adventurous and trusting in my ability to catch them (hence "faith") they go further up the stairs.

The ultimate faith exercise is for them to face upstairs, close their eyes and fall backwards waiting for me to catch them.

The sofa burger

This is a classic game that the kids love. 

The idea is to use the cushions and the children themselves to make a human burger. 

So I put down the first cushion and say something like "now I need some Hannah to go in it".  I then pick up Hannah and put her on the cushion.  Then we need some kind of sauce - so a blanket or scarf or small pillow.  Then the second sofa cushion to make the other slice of bread. 

Once we have the burger it's time to eat it.  So we always make a big thing of it and of course they escape by slipping out of the burger as I eat it.  With me exclaiming "where's my filling gone?"  and then starting all over again...

The humble blanket (part 1)

So today after special request from Hannah daddy was the "consume monster".  Basically this involves me going under a blanket and crawling around on my hands and knees trying to gobble the children up all the while saying "consume".

Much squealing of delight, with running away or trying to leap on daddy and ride him like a horse.

When Josiah was younger he used to dress up in his crocodile dressing gown as "Crocodile Man" who would rescue the girls from being consumed but now he needs no such confidence boosting!