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 |  is paved with good intentions... |
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Hi, I'm Elle. I'm based in Auckland, New Zealand. I'm the mother of two young adults, the wife of an entrepreneurial gamer and the Queen of Unfinished Projects. This blog will contain poems, short stories, possibly photos and book reviews if you're lucky, and my thoughts on a variety of topics. Hope you enjoy it. |
Write your entry today inspired by one of the emotions listed on the webpage 15 Words You’ve Never Heard Describe Emotions We All Feel But Can’t Explain  ~ "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Zenosyne: (n) The sense that time keeps going faster A few years back (maybe five?), Mum realised that the time she had to spend with her grandchildren was running out Not because she was getting older, but because they were. Because all too soon, they wouldn't want to spend time with their grandmother. She instigated monthly board game evenings where we'd all play board games together. We took turns choosing the game we'd play, and the parents (my sister and myself) kept buying new board games for us all to try. We were a bit board game mad for a while! Then I invented the Song QuizTM and we started playing that exclusively. I've written about that time before in "Invalid Entry" . Sure enough, the time came when Jayden no longer wanted to participate in family get-togethers. If we went to Mum's or Dad's, or to my in-laws', he'd stay home. If they came over, he'd stay in his room. He stopped eating dinner with Steve, Caitie and I this year and started going out at night (presumably to the e-cafe, but who knows). He generally sleeps all day and stays out all night, unless he runs out of money, then he stays home. He's currently run out of money, and despite it being weeks since he finished his job, has yet to file for the unemployment benefit. He is supposed to pay board tomorrow and I know he has no money to pay it. He has an appointment with Work and Income New Zealand (who manage social welfare and unemployment benefits here) today at 2pm. But that's a whole other story and I've been distracted from my original point. We'd given up on 'quality family time' for intents and purposes. I did tell Jayden that he was expected to attend Spooks and Sparks with us, and that his attendance was required for dinner on Christmas Day, and on Boxing Day for celebrations at my in-law's. Other than that, he can do what he likes. And what he likes, apparently, is to avoid us as much as possible. But on Sunday night, we were all home, and Jayden (having run out of money) asked if he could eat dinner with us. We'd given up making dinner for him as it usually went uneaten, but we were having roast beef, and it was easy enough to make him a plate. So we all sat at the dining room table (we usually eat in the lounge) and everyone put their phones down, and we had a family dinner.   It was really nice. Then I suggested that since we were all there and all in good spirits, Steve and I could teach the kids to play Canasta. So we did. I paired with Jayden and Steve paired with Caitie. Steve and Caitie beat the pants off Jayden and me, but it was fun. First time we've done anything like that in a loooooong time.Monday night Caitie asked if we could play again, so we agreed. This time we played Samba in teams. Steve and Jayden, versus Caitie and me. I can't remember who won, actually. Was nice though. Last night Jayden went out (he came back at 2am) so Steve, Caitie and I played. I kicked butt because I got two sambas in one round, although on one round Caitie nailed it by going out before Steve or I even had points on the table. First time I've finished a round with negative points!  It's funny how enjoyable it is just to play cards. I like games - board games, card games, trivia quizzes, everything. Steve's not a fan of board games, but he seems to like card games. Caitie has picked up Samba/Canasta so quickly. I wonder how long this phase of playing cards in the evening will last. Suppose it doesn't matter, we should just enjoy it while it does. It was definitely nice to spend some family time together without anyone arguing or getting grumpy at each other. I wonder if we're starting to turn a corner. Maybe not yet, but it did give me hope. Maybe these last few days have been a keyframe... Keyframe: (n) A moment that seemed innocuous at the time but ended up marking a diversion into a new era of your life |
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