You get to see us out and about the town (our towns and other towns) in our race recaps. But we thought we’d take some time to share what we’re doing when we aren’t jet-setting. Which, let’s be honest, is way more often than not!
Cam:
When we’re not scrambling to get baths and make school lunches, we like to play a little non-competitive game! Yep, we’re a family of gamers, from Candyland to XBOX, the Cam Fam likes to get their game on.
My kids enjoy games like Kinect adventures or Wii Bowling. They usually play until they get bored or until one of them loses and blames it on the other one. I’m more of a First Person Shooter RPG kind of gal, choosing to kick a little zombie ass on Left 4 Dead or taking on dragons in Skyrim. Once in a while, when we’re feeling classy, we’ll play chess or cribbage. And we can’t forget Rock Band! I totally got skills when it comes to playing the fake drums on easy.
Brooke:
I actually can’t remember the last time we had a night “in” as a family! We’re a “work hard, play hard” bunch, so we’re usually out at the local arcade, bowling, at the movies or spending time with friends.
Met some pals at Downtown Disney to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.
The kids love to play board and card games- UNO is a current favorite- but that’s more of a Sunday afternoon activity for us. We also take the cards out to restaurants.
A recent date with J- to celebrate a friend’s wedding. Yes, he’s working and I’m…happy.
On nights that we don’t do family outings, we get those kids in bed early, and Josh and I go out on a date. We love to try new restaurants or visit our favorites; usually a local sushi place or the best Italian restaurant in town (where we’ll be tonight for my birthday!).
Vic:
Hubs and I stay in – a lot. It’s not a bad thing, as our nights in actually save a bunch of dough.
Sure we love a nice meal out, but we both have odd diets and quite honestly, what hubs makes in the kitchen is FAR better than most of what we find in area restaurants. Our typical “Friday night in” scenario involves one or both of us cooking an incredible meal, often using vegetables and herbs from our own garden, paired with Finger Lakes wine for me and some sort of scotch for him. We cook at a leisurely pace on our evenings in, and often, I’ll make a dessert too — banana bread or apple crisp are my favorites. The latest treat was pumpkin bread with chocolate chips… NOM!
Once we have our dinner set to go, we will watch a movie or a DVRed TV show recorded earlier in the week. Who am I kidding, it’s usually Law and Order: SVU.
Mer:
Scouts. Piano lessons. PTO meetings. Late nights at work. It always seems like there’s something to keep us apart, lately. That’s why I love when we actually all get a night in at home together.
There are four in my brood, six if you count our dog and fish. Activities vary but usually include cooking dinner which is most often my task, although my kids love helping in the kitchen. After Jay arrives home (to the sounds of cheers), we eat dinner together and then it’s either “roughhousing” time or games. A lot of that depends on energy levels of the adults!
Two of the favorite games of the moment – both are cute and age appropriate for my 4 and 8 year old boys.
We’re a very routine driven family, which helps my kids immensely so once it’s winding down time, they know what to expect:
1. Bath (or shower)
2. Books – These days “books” consists of Little picking out a zillion books and everyone in the family reading to him. And sometimes, he reads to us!
They are obsessed with each other. And I can’t get enough of them.
3. Bed
After both boys are in bed, Jay and I usually veg out on the couch with a tv show or movie. We catch up on the afternoon’s events (we’re able to have most lunches together too so we’re really lucky in that respect), chatting as we remember things. And hang out for as long as we can stay awake! 😉
Jess:
Since Bug is still a baby (but not for long, wah!), his bedtime is super early. It’s all we can do to get home, eat dinner, and get him ready for bed. It’s like a sprint to the finish line every night.
Needless to say, when he’s all tucked into his crib, Mister Jess and I sprawl out on our couches and chillax (as the kids call it). We DVR most of our shows, so we’ll catch up on those, watch a movie on OnDemand since our movie theater days are few and far between right now, and just generally bum around.
Once in a blue moon, I’ll go out with friends, but oftentimes I’m tucked into bed by 9:30 PM. That kid of mine is an early riser. We do all our partying at 6 AM!
So there you have it! Bec is off with her fam, spending quality time! What do your nights look like? Who’s family would you fit in with? And we’d like to take a moment to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our October Chicks! Vic’s birthday was last Saturday and Brooke’s is today. Big hugs to you both!