Simple Pleasures

It's amazing what a $1.39 pack of balloons can do. We had to buy a pack for a science experiment sarah was doing on electricity. With one gone, the rest ended up in the kitchen drawer. You would have thought I had stashed gold in there. Each of my children exclaimed, "balloons!", when coming upon them while looking for something else in the drawer. For almost two hours now, these little expandable ovals filled with air have kept all 5 of my children entertained. Annie watched as Sandy and Sarah made up a multitude of games- hit the balloon with your head; hit the balloon with your "insect" finger (as sandy calls her index finger); crawl on the floor and be the first to capture the balloon, etc. The creativity kept coming, rug burn seemed to be the only hazard and little Annie's eyes were captivated. Enter the boys. Now the games get a little rougher and louder. The heat is on. With Annie now in bed and Sandy in the tub, the other three are in fierce competition. No Wii game has ever been so enthralling. As I told them they only had 5 more minutes, the reply was "but Mom we're having fun and we're getting along!" As I write this while it is fresh on my mind, I hear one say "just be quiet and we might get to keep playing!" It really is a joy to put a stop to a game not beacuse there is conflict or someone has been hurt but just because... well, I guess there really is no good reason right this second. I'm off to take a bath and who knows what game will be invented next!