Surviving Super Bowl Sunday

It's Super Bowl Sunday.  You're not going to a party and you're not hosting one.  You know your husband will be checked out today and you're wondering what you will do with yourself (and maybe the kids).  Here's a few last minute (desperate) thoughts:

1.  Watch the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet (my personal favorite).  If you don't know what this is, you are really missing something fun on Super Bowl Sunday.  Here's what the Washington Post and L.A. Times say about it.  Your kids will LOVE this.

2.  Use your family as guinea pigs.  This is actually a reference to cooking, but not just any cooking.  Super Bowl is a great time to try out the recipes you've been afraid to try.  Your family (and maybe your football friends) will eat anything during the game so it's a win-win.

3.  Watch the Super Bowl commercials and halftime show.  Even if you don't like football, everyone loves the commercials.  They're usually the best/funniest commercials out this year.  I'm not sure I can say the same thing for the halftime show, but it's a spectacle, good or bad.

4.  Watch a chick flick.  I guarantee you will be able to get into the movie theater today.  Or, rent one and watch it on your other TV.

5.  Have a pajama party with the kids.  Play board games (yes, they make some even for little kids), watch videos together, eat junk food in sleeping bags on their bedroom floor.  You don't usually get a chance to do something like this, so have fun.

6.  Craft, sew, crochet, knit, scrapbook, BLOG - let your creative juices flow while the kids are in bed and your husband is otherwise occupied.  Most of us would give a kidney to have this kind of creative time.

If your husband insists that you watch the game with him or you otherwise must watch the game, pick a team and get excited.  Set up a series of gambling propositions (score at halftime, number of sacks for each quarterback, number of penalties) and see if that keeps you engaged.  Important to know - the San Francisco 49ers (gold and maroon) are playing the Baltimore Ravens (black and blue).

If you don't understand football, now is not the time to ask your husband to teach you - unless he really doesn't care about the outcome of the game and will look upon your request to learn as a bonding moment.  When I was a kid, I realized if I was going to get any attention from my dad or brothers on Sundays, I needed to understand football.  That doesn't mean I had to understand ALL of the nuances of football, but basically the idea of downs, punts, field goals and a few more.  Men love a woman who understands football, so it can be a valuable life skill.  (O.K., please don't send me nasty-grams about how sexist that sounded or co-dependent.  Just sayin'.)

Make sure you do something you enjoy today.  It's one of those few days when people stay put (wherever they are) for 3 hours.

cindy