Summer Boredom

4 yr old boredom is a constant battle here in our little house, and with the way that all the banks are dragging their feet about our new house project, it will be well into fall before we have a yard to allow them to run off steam. Alex is obsessed with video games. He comes by this tendency naturally of course, being that I was not too long ago addicted to FFXI and his daddy comes home every day to camp in front of his computer and World of Warcraft. If we would let him, Alex would play video games of various sorts all day long, and we have A LOT of video games. We have an old super Nintendo, a gamecube, a recently acquired play station 2, 2 desk top computers, and a lap top that is DH's own personal toy. We are techno geeks here. I have a brother that builds computers from spare parts as well as several other male family members who actively participate in the computer and gaming world. I remember one Thanksgiving where 2 of my brothers spent most of the meal arguing over which of the new game console systems would do better in the marketplace. They argued the capabilities of both systems and what the general gamer would want. It got very heated and I eventually had to step in and say that was enough.

Anyway, I know that Alex comes by his video game talent and addiction honestly, it just concerns me that my 4 yr old is constantly talking about, begging to play, or generally whining about video games. As we speak he is sitting in my room on my bed playing a new PS2 game DH brought home for him. He doesn't completely know what to do, but that doesn't stop him in the least. We have had to restrict game use. He can only play video games for 1 hr during the day. We got this idea from my SIL who also has a video game obsessed son. He is 15, but like Alex, if he plays for too long in a row he gets mean and is no longer able to interact with the real world. He's too wrapped up in the game. So, finding things for the kids to do during the day when I don't feel like camping out on the apartment complex's front lawn (where kids are likely to run out into the street if I take my eyes off them to fix a messed up knitting stitch) becomes a major problem of my day. I'm afraid that I'm probably just lazy. I SHOULD really get up and actively play with them. I SHOULD pull out some books to read to them every day. I SHOULD really try to talk and interact with them far more that doesn't involve yelling "STOP THAT!" Instead, I opt to sit here in my chair and watch them, or passively hold them. Alex is not into lap sitting and holding. That seems to be Shaya's department.

Well, yeterday, I found a new game to break up the boredom of sitting inside on a hot summer day. It's called "wind the ball" My kids are also obsessed with my ball winder. They have been since the day I pulled it out of the box. I have to be careful if I leave yarn unattended on it, or it will end up a snarled mess because one of them walked up and started winding the opposite direction. Both my dining room table and my coffee table have a beveled edge and thus are completely useless for attaching said ball winder. It needs a flat square edge to clamp on to. I, therefore, had it on my desk for quite a while. This meant that I had to wind the darn thing with my left hand (I'm right handed) and that every time I wound wool, wool dust flew up into the air everywhere and into the computers. DH was not pleased. So, I found a piece of wood to attach the ball winder too. It is a shelf to our entertainment center that we are not currently using.

Yesterday, I recycled a pink cotton sweater. It was a V-neck and half the V-neck was in a pile on the floor at my feet. Alex decided to claim it. Apparently this pretty pink scrap yarn was just what he always wanted. So, I tied all the bigger scraps together in a long string and let him and the ball winder have at it. He'd wind it into a ball, pull it off, and do it again. This was great fun until of course mommy went to take a nap and it got tangled up. DH was not about to untangle it for him and so the game ended. After I woke up, Alex then decided that his yarn had been wound enough and that it needed to be washed... Luckily I got a hold of it before he dunked it ball and all in a sink in the bathroom. I REALLY didn't want to untangle it again. Isn't it great how kids will play with the simple things.... once you yank the video games away? Apparently my 18 month old niece's favorite thing is ice. She'll play with ice for hours apparently....lol

On another note, Monday was my mom's birthday. She was presented with these:
These cute little Knit Picks simple stripe socks came from a single skein! I don't like any of the colors currently up, but I have to say, you do get your money's worth! These are knit toe up and used every last scrap of yarn. The best news is that my mom LOVES them. She wants me to make her at least 2 more pairs. She says that they are comfy, breathe really well, aren't too hot, and fit well but aren't too tight. They are knit over 60 stitches on size 1 needles. That's one of the things I love about hand knit socks, they can be loose around your foot (as in not cutting off circulation) but won't slouch or slide around because of the construction. I REALLY like how heal flap socks fit. The ankles on these are loose even on my mom and may bag just a bit, but they'll never slip down inside her shoes because of that great heal flap. :D