I LOVE - LOVE - LOVE playing GAMES!!!

When I was a young child we played lots of games - I played games with my siblings and with my parents.  Some of the old favorite games I remember playing either with family or friends were Hide & Seek, Ennie-I-Over, Jack’s, Marbles, Freeze Tag, Hopscotch, Jump Rope and many many more.  I remember one time in 5th grade, playing Alan Sherman with the tether ball.  I wanted to beat him so bad, but he was bigger and much stronger and it seems like he just hit it once and that ball and rope flew so fast to encircle the pole, I didn’t have a chance.  We had kind of a black-top as part of our playground area at school.   We would chalk circle lines and then proceed to play marbles.  Of course, the boys were always better than the girls at that game.  But the girls of course won out with Jack’s and Hopscotch.  We played softball on the big field behind the school.  

I remember as a young child, my parents had 1 or 2 couple friends come over, either Ralph and DeOra Blackham, or Cliff and Uarda Blackham (sometimes both couples).  They would get the card table out and mom would put candy treats on the corner edges of the table.  We would all hound mom and dad to have some.  We usually got told we could watch one round of the game, have a couple pieces of candy, but then we must go to bed.  They would play either Rook, or Canasta, or Pinochle.  Rook was the favorite one though.  I will also say that my Dad was one of the best card players I’ve ever known.  It was always amazing how he could take a poor hand that was dealt to him and get a terrible widow, and still play in such a way that he would win the round the majority of the time.  He would always laugh and just say it was luck, but we new different.

Ralph & DeOra Blackham, ? my parents LaMont and Olive Blackham, Uarda & Cliff Blackham
(They were at a Norbest Turkey Meeting when this picture was taken)

Monopoly was a favorite board game growing up even though it seemed like it took forever to win it sometimes.  We also liked Sorry, and my Mom would always play Chinese Checkers with me.  I was always trying to find someone to play games with me.  My Mother liked to play games too, so through the years we have played lots of games together.  Of course, it’s always exciting when you finally learn how to play a game well enough that you can beat your older siblings or parents.  (**Be sure to read the special memory I have playing cards with my mother just a few months ago** at the bottom of the page).

Games after I got married.  As we moved a couple of different places, we got friends that liked to play games also. Our children were still very young and along the same ages, so they had friends to play with while we played too!  I remember playing a lot of card games with Ron and Roxanne Larsen (a class mate of Gary’s), also Judy and Gary Clawson and Danny and Jeanette John.  Later when we moved to Thatcher, we played with Gary and Edith Austin and Rex and Naomi Rasmussen.  We had fun playing Rook and different card games with all of them.

Remembering those fun times we all had playing all those new games especially at Christmas time, I made sure Santa brought anywhere from 5 to 10 new games to carry on that tradition while my own children were growing up. We laughed so hard and had so much fun.   My children’s friends always knew they could come to the Mack house and find people playing games.  It was great to have those friends come and have fun with them and get to know them and their personalities.  If anyone was going to have a party, a lot of times they would come to our home to borrow some fun games.  If my siblings wanted to get games for their families, they sometimes would come to me and ask me what the newest and greatest games were to have fun with their kids!

This game is HedBanz – these pictures were taken in 1993. We just all got new HedBanz games a couple of years ago so the Grandchildren could have fun with it.

Kelsey, Karen, Kristin, Kim & Mitchell

Tess Nelson (friend), Kelsey, Levi, Mitchell (baby), neighbor Chad Smith

LOL - see all those games on the counter behind Jared

I still have that game tradition today with my Grandchildren.  I love playing games with them.  I get to talk to them and ask questions and ask how they are doing. We laugh and cry together as we play.  We learn how to play on a team, how to not get mad if you don’t always win and how to be good losers.  We learn how to be excited for the other person that wins and what a good job they did.  I learn their personalities and what is important to them and many more things.

**A special memory I have playing cards with my Mother just a few months ago**.  I was home for a visit and we decided to play some Rook – she is 91 years old.  We were having a great time I thought, or should I say I was having a great time winning.  All of a sudden I got an idea and I decided I wanted her to win and to win big – she had not had very good hands or good luck and seemed a little down.

What a game that was. I've never cheated so much and so hard in my life to not win a game. (I might add - I don't cheat to win a game either).   I just kept getting the right cards constantly.  I had to really work hard at losing.  I would play points on different hands that she would get so she could set me back and get more points for herself.   I really played it up big.  I would grumble about the bad cards I had and how I couldn’t do anything and how she was really beating me.   It makes me cry happy tears now to think about and remember how excited she was to be winning!!!  I don’t think I will ever forget her bright eyes and happy face.  She really was happy that she had won and so was I.

My 9 children all love each other so much and are very close to each other.  I am very close to my own brothers and sisters also.  I know that it is because we were together a lot and we played lots of games together.  When I go home, I still get to play games with my brothers and sisters and mother. Spending time with family is the best time ever! 

PS:  Can anyone guess what my usual gifts are to my families at Christmas time??? Yes, that's right, new games!

Favorite Family Games

Jump Rope Sayings

Rules for several favorite dice and card games - Click Here

Awe Heck
I Doubt It
Nerts
Scum and Bum
Old Mexico (Dice)
Liar's Dice (Dice)