Well Played: The Ultimate Guide to Awakening Your Family's Playful Spirit by Meredith Sinclair
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
For children, playing comes naturally…or at least it used to. But today that kind of easy-going fun is harder to come by, for both kids and their parents. With hectic lifestyles and constant technology overload, families have simply forgotten how to play. The solution? Relearn how to integrate fun and creative play into our day-to-day lives.
A how- to guide that reminds me to enjoy life. Stop what you're doing now and read this. Take breaks to enjoy your life and then pick this book up again for more reminders!This is Required Reading for moms!I don't know where I heard about this book. Perhaps the Today show, but I swear it was the Hallmark Channel because that's almost always the channel that's on at my house. Anyways, I saw someone talking about it on tv somewhere and I put it on hold at my library and woah am I glad I did. 
First of all let me say, Meredith's writing style (yes, we're on a first name basis - you'll feel like you're friends with her too when you finish reading this book)... I loved it. It's conversational and witty. If she didn't watch Gilmore Girls she should have because I read her cadence in a Stars Hollow fashion. I loved all the sections in the book. The biggest sections appealed to everyone but I feel like especially Moms who are required to play with their day and are like- "ya, this sucks and I have too much to do." But if I've lost you because you're kidless, this book isn't just for moms. There are sections on bringing playfulness to your mate, your friends and to yourself. They were all great but let's talk about some of wording of the little subsections: “sitting is the new smoking,” "puppets could pretty much rule the world if they wanted to,” and “the tablecloth of awesome.” Just witty.Here's a little snippet of advice found in the book:If you're in the throes of falling in love as we speak, make sure you're exploring your potential mate's playful side along with their front side and backside! How someone handles a water balloon to the face is a pretty good indicator of how they'll parent a toddler. You'll send me flowers later for this little insight.The overall best part of the book were the practical measures. Okay so I'm not gonna get a lake house where I can whisk away my family for tech- free vacations (stop rubbing my face in it, Meredith!), I CAN do so many things I've never thought of. Don't you HATE reading a book that's supposed to help you but it leaves you saying “ya, I agree, that's why I'm reading this. But how?!” You won't be saying that after you read this book.
I was tempted to make this a coffee table book (oh hello again - The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living
Put your phone away.Listen to: Girls Just wanna have funEat: PizzaWatch: the bubbles from a bubble machine blowing in your general direction