Scrabble Spells Mom’s A Winner!

While watching TV Wednesday night, I saw a commercial for Scrabble and it reminded me that we allowed family game night to go to the way-side. I chided myself because even though life gets in the way, there is NO excuse for NOT making time for what’s important and there is NOTHING more important than family fun! I grabbed a post-it and wrote S-C-R-A-B-B-L-E  G-A-M-E. That note would remind me, in case I forgot, to get the game the next morning so that we could begin our ritual once again.

 Thursday night, after dinner, dishes and homework, my husband and I opened our Scrabble game, which hadn’t been used in quite some time, so neither of us remembered the rules very well.

 “How do we play again?” I asked him because he had the box and the sheet of directions.

Pulling out the sheet my husband said, “I can read. They’re only two pages long. It’ll only take me an hour.”

 I shot him one of my you’re so not funny looks then said, “Give me that tablet.” I left an orange tablet in the box for score keeping, which he handed me, and as he read aloud, I ignored him to write notes for what I hoped would be an interesting blog post. I figured he could explain the rules as we played and it would all come pouring back like a welcoming rain shower on a hot summer night, only it’s kind of cold and it’s almost winter (brrr).

“Okay, we have to turn over the tiles and each pick one to see who goes first.” He told me as he began turning over tiles. Of course I helped, because I’m nice like that. And once they were all turned over we each picked a tile.

“I got an ‘N’. You’re gonna get a ‘Z’,” I taunted. Shit, an ‘N’ was like a freaken Jack in cards! I’m not all that competitive but he IS! Actually it runs in his family. His four brothers are competitive too and it’s fun playing games with the bunch of them. We wives get the best laughs watching them get all irritated when they lose, even at games like Catch Phrase! My boys are just like their father—definitely got that Zydel gene. Although, my dad is pretty competitive, too, so my boys are doubly cursed (that’s what I call it).

“HA! We’re tied!” He plopped his ‘N’ down on the table. “We have to pick another tile.”

“Mine’s an ‘O’. You’re gonna get a ‘Z’ this time.” I was adamant about him getting the LAST letter of the alphabet so I could go first. And wouldn’t ya know…

“Shit it’s a ‘Z’.” He pouted.

 “I go faahherrsst! But let me take a picture for my blog! Hold on!” I exclaimed and skipped (well not really but gloat with me here) to get my camera. He had a hurry up already look on his face but I didn’t care. THIS was priceless and I needed proof! I’m almost psychic! Or at the very least psycho.

The game proceeded well enough. I did have to get the dictionary at one point so we could look up the spelling of a couple words. It just so happened though that HE was using it to try to FIND words! He had the letter ‘Q’ and was quite unhappy that he couldn’t use it for a triple word square. Poor baby. I told him that using a dictionary was in essence CHEATING but if he wanted to play it THAT way…I went and got two–count them, two, mini spelling reference guides. One for him and one for me. They really didn’t help. He never got to use his ‘Q’ and in the end I won 155 to 114.

 When Austin got back from basketball practice, he and I played a quick game. It really wasn’t fair because he never played Scrabble before. He prefers Monopoly (I hate that game!). So it was more of a learn as you go game. He did really well though and even used a Spanish word.

I was excited about this game because I got to make two words on one turn, one of which was our last name and I turned how into howl. It gave me 33 points! Had I done that with my husband, he might have tossed the game into the trash can (just kidding) but he might have sworn to never play with me again, like he did when he taught me to play Backgammon and I won. We haven’t played…since.

 Austin had fun and wants to play Scrabble with all four of us. So I’m pretty sure we’ll be doing family game night again very soon. It will definitely be interesting, me with three competitive males. Yikes!