Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Game Day

It's School Vacation week
That week when as a parent, I feel pressured about indulging Lucy in as many activities and and attending as many events as possible
In the days leading up to Vacation Week, I scour the internet and the local Groupon site looking for things to do that wrap culture, education, physical activity and together time all in one
Really, what I want to do is just hang out at home, watch movies, read and maybe play a game or two
But instead, I am frantic in trying to find things to do
I feel this overwhelming need to schedule whatever days we have off together right down to the minute to ensure we make the most of it all while trying to appear spontaneous and free spirited
So here we are, February Vacation
Saturday we started off super strong
My friend and I took our girls to the Theater - not the movie theater but the real live theater with real people
Lucy was super impressed
Even more so because they were selling Sour Patch Kids at the Concession stand
We spent the afternoon visiting then made dinner together
We capped off our night watching basketball
Day One was full of culture and out of the house time along with socializing
Off to a strong start
Sunday we spent in Rockport and Gloucester
We wandered through the little shops in Rockport, ate lunch at The Causeway and then wandered around Gloucester all whilst educating Lucy on fishing as an industry, rocks, the tide, the ocean and, we got a walk in
Capped the night off yelling at Syracuse as they fell to Georgia Tech
Education, a little bit of culture and physical activity
Day Two and we're still holding our own
Day Three, President's Day nothing planned but we had options!
We had grandiose plans to get out and do something fun and exciting and borderline cultural/educational
We kicked around another outdoor excursion, a museum or possibly Disney on Ice
We lounged in bed until 9ish
Lucy and Sean played Star Wars Operation while I did a bit of work
Then, still clad our in our PJs, we started a game of Cat-op-oly and yes, it is just what it sounds like: a cat version of Monopoly
The properties were cat breeds and the utilities were cat accessories or characteristics
We figured while we were playing, we'd decide what to do for the day
It started off as every game of Monopoly does in every household: giggling, teasing, friendly heckling which turned to a bit of trash talking
Then the shit got real
Lucy had a property Sean wanted
She was broke, I was slipping her money under the table from my own bank
He dogged her until she was reduced to tears and crying as she handed over her favorite property (read cat breed, it was a Maine Coon)
He was ruthless
There were more tears, deals being brokered, rejected and reneged
There was pressure to sell, yelling, and finally, a bankruptcy
Lucy lost it all - literally and figuratively
She absolved her corporation selling out to me before collapsing on the couch emotionally spent and exhausted
Sean and I kept going, with Lucy back at my side as a team, until finally, he took me for every penny and property I had
I was broke, homeless and mortgaged up to my eyeballs
Sean stood with his hand out stretched as I owed him $1400 in rent for landing on his property that was as built up as it could be
I looked on the floor to make sure I had not dropped any money, tried to figure out if I had any properties worth anything to pay him with instead of cash and I'm not going to lie, I almost stole from the bank just to shut up my sweet husband who had morphed into a smug Trump like Real Estate Mogul right before my very eyes
But I had nothing
I was tapped out
 I gave up and admitted defeat
Lucy took refuge on the couch hiding under the blanket
Sean let out a whoop and rolled around the floor in his play money and property cards gloating
The game had started before 11 and ended at 3:15
Day Three of Vacation:
No culture
No physical activity (unless you count jumping up and down and waving cash in people's face as physical activity)
We did not get out of the house
Hell, we did not even get out of our PJs or brush our teeth
And I am not sure reducing your 7 year old to tears over a game of Cat-op-poly can really be counted as educational even though were some math lessons in there
Day Three, we've crashed and burned
*sigh*

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