LadyM: whatever works is what we should be using. I've left the Chore Bingo chart up on the back of a door because it worked for me two days in a row last year.
I found an email I'd sent after the concussion saying that I normally play games to get myself to do things and with the concussion I didn't have the energy to play the game to trick myself into doing the work. My brain is slowly returning to normal but I'm still well off balance.
We had a good time playing outside with dgsM2. We had the snow snake with us and took him into his back yard where his dad has built some paths, and dh and I shot the snake back and forth on top of the crusty snow (not on a track.) Here's an idea of what a snow snake is.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_snakeI'd never heard of it, but dh built one with his father when he was younger. Not sure where his Dad learned about it unless the idea came from dmil since her father was a cook in the lumber camps that would have had a large indigenous workforce. Her family was dirt poor so I could see this being a game they'd play, much like my father would play with an iron wheel and stick, running it down the road.
Once off the paths in dgs' yard, the snow is about up above my knee and a couple of times I sunk into it while reaching to catch the stick. Plus a complete fall into the snow one time. It doesn't hurt (soft snow, layers and layers of padding) but poor dgs nearly was in tears watching me topple over. I played from my knees after the first time and in order to stand up would have to roll back to the path so had to warn him I was going to be lying down in the snow again. He would not take a step off the path and would not walk without holding onto two hands (which is really hard on an 18" wide path!)
The child is so afraid of everything outside, it is wonder he stayed out there for about 40 minutes with us. Of course, half that time he was seated inside his play house (which I had to lower him down into because the snow is up to the windows!) We had tea and milk and chocolate chip cookies, all made from snow. And we shared with the snowman that dsil has built
inside the play house, sitting on a bench.
Once inside, we ended up tidying the playroom and then making pretend corn bread. Then it was his lunch time so I held dgdJ0 for a while while he and his parents had their lunch.
After leaving there we did a bank run and Costco run and were home by 1:30.
I still have chores to do and then some paperwork items to work on. I identified many residents' association items to do while dealing with email this morning.