Zombies = self-care!! What??
Zombies and self-care go hand and hand for me and some of my family members….WHY??
I know that sounds intriguing or even a little bizarre. But here me out. One of the big areas that keep coming up with Warrior Moms is the need to strengthen their relationships with friends and family as well as the importance of practicing selfcare. We know that relationships are important because being in community, whether with family or friends is an important way for you to feel seen and noticed.
My family has discovered a fun way to interact with extended family is to play board games together. And playing the game Zombies!!! is an opportunity to focus on doing something fun and different and has the strong benefit of strengthening family and friend relationships. It’s a chance to deepen our sense of community by playing a game. We get to know who will form alliances, who likes to go on their own and if anyone in the family likes to brag about how amazing they are and how they’re going to “win.”
I’m not one to remember scores or how a game went…I just remember if I won and love to tease my ultra-competitive family members about the time I “creamed them” or “annihilated” them in a particulate game. They get especially upset, because I tend to say I creamed them, even if I beat them by one or two points. We have one family member that recalls nearly every game and score they’ve ever played.
I learned how to play Zombies!!! in northern Michigan at our family cabin. My husband, kids and I were on a week-long vacation with my parents, siblings and their children.
Zombies!!! is a game where the first survivor to reach the helipad and leave or the first to kill 25 zombies wins. The game of Zombies!!! is constantly evolving. You may be close to winning only to have another player send you back to the center of the game with half your zombies taken away.
We have a VERY competitive family. No one likes to lose and we talk a lot of “smack” during the game. Alliances are formed and it’s not unusual to hear comments like “Come on, who’s your favorite Aunt?” or from my husband, “Hey, that’s not fair. Your Aunt won the last game, you need to team up with me so we beat her.”
One specific game that has gone down in family history had my niece and I working together to make sure that one of us made it to the helicopter pad first. My husband and our nephews were working together to stop us. Since I was the closest, we formed an alliance to make sure one of the “ladies” won. It worked, much to the chagrin of my husband and her brothers. And even now, several years later, I still smile when I think of the fun we had during that particular game.
It’s not too late to play some fun family board games! And if you haven’t played the game Zombies!!! it’s really fun. It’s a chance to create new memories.
A friend recently mentioned her love of Zombie movies – and to my surprise she had never played the Zombies!!! game. I gave her a quick explanation and then found myself lost as I reminisced about how much I enjoyed playing Zombies!!! A few days later, I convinced one of my daughters and husband into playing a game.
Our family habit of talking “smack” has definitely continued to the next generation as my daughter stated, “I don’t care if I win, just as long as I beat mom.” And for most of the game, she was wayyy ahead of me and my husband. But I had a secret card that would protect me when I got to the helipad….so once again….mama “creamed” them. LOL! At least until next time. And surprise, my daughter, loved it so much she wanted to play ONE more game, even though it was late and we all had to get up early the next day.
Enjoy your last days of summer. I’d love to hear if you have any major competitors in your family and if you have any funny stories of changing alliances. I hope this blog encourages you to both practice and incorporate more types of self-care.
One of my BIG self-care items this year was to write and publish my novel.
“UnMasked” was released on June 13, 2023 and is available for order on Amazon at: https://a.co/d/fCkRf8z as well as Barnes & Noble and available in some Indie bookstores.
“UnMasked” features three strong women, Patti, Jen and Kylie; the grandmother, daughter and granddaughter. Jen – is a Warrior Mom that is sandwiched between exhaustion, work, her family and home responsibilities and the increasing needs of her aging parents.
Jen is married to Ben and Ben is the consummate gamer in this story. The Blake/Clarke family play some family games during their extended family summer vacation.
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