Games

Ever noticed how the most creative games seem to also be the messiest? Favorite games in the Tanner house these days:

The bag game: This game involves putting anything and everything in bags. The more random the better: Bowls, crayons, books, legos, headbands, sticks, blankets, stuffed animals, Mom's calculator, dish towels, lotion, other bags with more random stuff inside. You need at least four full bags per person. Abandon the bags somewhere. When Mom or Dad asks you to put them away dump all the stuff out all over the living room and put a couple of the bags on the floor of the closet.

The soft stuff in tight spaces game: Collect every soft or snuggly thing you own. Put all of it into a small thing like a plastic bin (make sure to dump all the toys out first), wagon, clothes basket, or random bowl thing from the dismantled waterfall in the backyard. Squeeze yourself and all of your siblings into the small tight space. Bring books for added fun. Leave everything overnight.

The bag and soft stuff in tight spaces game: Repeat option 2, except add your eight bags of random stuff to the tight space.

Nests, aka Piles: Put every soft or snuggly item in your home into a pile. Pull all the couch cushions off too. Pretend to take naps, act like baby birds, jump around giggling hysterically, and scream piercingly when your sister is sitting on your favorite blankie. Side effect warning: When it's time to clean up you will magically feel very tired and your legs will hurt so bad you can't walk.

Princess at the ball: Pull all the dresses and hangers out of your closet and toss them all over the room. Try one on and run all over the house in it. Leave the rest, including your diaper and the outfit you were wearing before the game commenced. If Mom's not watching, this game is especially fun outside.

Library: Pull out roughly 50 books. Make sure to include several of the fat chapter books that you won't be able to read for at least ten years, and leave the dust jackets on the floor. Doctrines on Salvation and Immanuel Kant are good options. Don't forget Heidi and Beauty. Use the laser on the computer mouse to "check out" the books from the "library." Dance with abandon through the piles of books until they're scattered fairly evenly throughout the house.

Boxes: Get a pile of boxes. Frolic in them freely. Color all over them.

Pots and Pans: Pull out all the pots and pans. Bang on them as loud as you can. Fill them with play food mixed with all the contents of the silverware and utensil draws and pretend to make dinner.

Legos: Set up your factory on your bedroom rug and commence multi-week projects that prevent any possibility of picking up the legos. Bonus: Your mom will be impressed with your tough feet.

Nail polish: Pretend to be coloring a picture for Mom until she's lulled into the delusion that she can trust you with the markers for three seconds. Color all over your fingernails and toenails. (I love Crayola Ultra Washable markers!)