The Prince and Princesses of Odd are pretty clever and creative. They are also pretty resourceful. Since we live in Odd and NOT in the Land of Plenty, they have learned the spiritual discipline of being content, doing without, and making due with whatever resources are available. Case in point - rugboarding.Yes, you read that right - rugboarding (btw - this is their name for it, not mine). I'm sure most families probably have some version of this game. All game variants have the same basic building blocks: slick cardboard and carpet. Our version uses, as its raw materials, those handy packaging boxes leftover from $400.00 visits to Costco. Those visits where we buy FOUR boxes of breakfast cereal, each box containing two 
bags each of cereal. Those cardboard boxes make awesome rugboards. We've also discovered that giant coloring books (about the size of a three-year old child) also have very slick covers that make great rugboards.
bags each of cereal. Those cardboard boxes make awesome rugboards. We've also discovered that giant coloring books (about the size of a three-year old child) also have very slick covers that make great rugboards.When I was growing up, my sister and I had our own version of rugboarding that involved the stairs. We've thus far successfully kept OUR children away from lots of craziness on the stairs, praise the Lord! My mother bought a set of new speakers, and my sister and I jumped in them and ROCKETED down the stairs at supersonic speed. The experience is probably not wholly unlike what it would be like to ride over 
Niagara Falls in a barrell. But, I digress.
Praise God you don't need Disneyland, Chuck E. Cheese, Nintendo Wii and HDTV to have a good time...just a slick piece of cardboard.
Niagara Falls in a barrell. But, I digress.Praise God you don't need Disneyland, Chuck E. Cheese, Nintendo Wii and HDTV to have a good time...just a slick piece of cardboard.
Just think of all that space you could save in your recycling bin outfitting the world with rugboards!!!
As the Nana of these resourceful children I have to say how proud I am that they are growing up learning the value of cardboard, blankets, toys that don't have $300.00+ price tags. My sisters and I also grew up this way and we had stairs that we used as a play ground. Our best fun with the stairs was riding the dirty laundry down them every Saturday. Another "fun" home made toy was a rope swing in our side yard that hung from one of many oaks trees. At the end of the rope was a gunny sack with a football in it. As a child it was perfect to wrap your legs around and swing down from one tree careful to not plow into another. My grandchildren one day will sit around a table during a special occassion and recall these "rugboarding" days. I hope I am there to share with them these fond memories.
ReplyDeleteAs the "mother" in this story by Christopher, please explain to me the use of the "speakers" to go sliding down the stairs. I hope you meant boxes. I remember teaching you and your sister how to slide down the stairs on your belly on a stairwell that had a landing wall for safety, but speakers? You got me there, kiddo. Which house was it?
ReplyDeleteI do remember the playhouse we made on the lawn in Costa Mesa from the HUGE computer box gotten from my work. Love ya!
They were cardboard speaker BOXES, not speakers =)
ReplyDeleteAnd it was in the house on Lantern Lane in Lake Forest.
Thanks, Chris, I figured they had to be the boxes. I must not have been around when you did it. Must have been fun!
ReplyDeleteMOM
So I must say that I have truly enjoyed reading about the Land of ODD. During this "rugboarding" post I began wondering if those of you from the Land of Odd have ever tried ice skating....indoors???? I figure being in Monterey you have few choices of frozen lakes or ponds. That then means you have to load up all the princesses and the prince to go to the local indoor ice skating rink (if there is one). So I thought i'd share some "resourcefulness" from the Salehi family. We are in Colorado and we do get COLD weather and snow but we have never been brave enough to try a frozen lake. Afterall we don't know how frozen it is. We may crack the ice and fall through....that never makes for a fun family trip. So we decided to ice skate in the comfort of our own home.....All you need is wax paper and carpet. Cut wax paper big enough for each foot. Stand on the wax paper and slide your feet. Amazing...you're iceskating!!!! Have fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks Becky for the tip! We are always looking for new, and exciting things to do that cost ZERO, and yield high end returns. Indoor ice-skating sounds like a winner *smile*.
ReplyDelete