Argh! We be pirates in this house!

As happens from time to time, all three of my kids (the boys will be 6 & 8 next month, and Molly is 2 1/2) all played together this afternoon. Really -- the do play together often, but it's just sometimes when they really PLAY together. They were actively engaged in a make believe scenario of them being on a ship -- with the ship being the bottom bunk of the boys' bunk bed. They were running around and laughing, and getting on their ship and sailing. It was great...but then it was short lived. And, darn it -- I was sad that they were about to stop playing.

So...I quickly grabbed a paper from the printer and drew a treasure map. Please know -- all of my art work looks like a second grader did it, and I am apt to just not draw rather than subject myself to people seeing it. But, these are my kids, and Noah is not yet a second grader technically, so I was set.

I got Jack's attention, "Arrrrr...Captain Jack! I be havin' a treasure map for ye!"

"What are you talking about, Mom?" Jack said with a scrunched up brow and his head tilted to one side.

"Here!" I shoved the map at him. "Share this with the other pirates! It be a TREASURE MAP!"

Oh! Now he got it! He started jumping up and down. He ran into the bedroom and declared, "We have a treasure map!"

The kids started to explore the map, and soon I heard some discussion. "I don't know," said Jack, "I'll ask the lady that gave it to me."

"Hey -- what are these orange things on the map?" Yes...I knew rocks weren't bright orange, but it was the markers I had to work with in the kitchen.

"They be GREAT big orange rocks. Watch out for them -- they be dangerous," I called out from the room. I then also shouted out to point out that there were trees, a lake, the ocean and the beach, a trail, and an "X" that marks the spot. As I called out to them, I thought, "I need a treasure!"

So...I went to the pantry and got three snack sized Hershey bars. I drew a big X on a piece of paper. I set the candy under the paper, and set the paper in a hiding spot.

Just then, the kids came out. We played the hot/cold game for them to try to find the X. They were thrilled to find it! And, then shocked to pick it up and find candy underneath. They laughed and laughed, and anxiously ran to the kitchen table to eat their treasure.

And, thankfully -- they also asked if *they* could make some treasure maps. They made maps for each other, and then made maps for me. Even Molly made a map!

My favorite map, though, I must admit, came from Noah. He gave it to me, then told me to close my eyes while he hid the X. We then again played the hot/cold game, and I got close to him and saw an X on top of a desk and he was underneath it. I shouted, "I FOUND THE X." He giggled wildly and then jumped out and gave me a huge kiss. "Did you like that Mom?" he said through a proud laugh, "The treasure was a kiss from me!"

Yes, Noah, I liked it very much.