This Hamilton family is playing board games every day to get through the COVID-19 pandemic

Tonight, Lori Paquette will sit at the dining room table with her husband, Yvon, their eight-year-old son, Maxime and their 10-year-old daughter, Élissa. 

The TV is off, the phones are off and the game is on. Someone may leave in tears, but most usually will walk away happy and eager to play again tomorrow. 

Regardless, this is their new daily ritual of playing cards or board games during the COVID-19 pandemic. That's 73 straight days (counting since the beginning of March Break) of family games.

But it's more than just a fun way to spend time.

"We had to find a new routine," Lori said. "Our life was very busy with Élissa in figure skating, Maxime playing hockey and piano lessons, so when every activity in our life stopped, we needed to find something new."

It was a difficult transition for the kids, both of whom enjoy their time on the ice, but while COVID-19 is pushing people farther apart, the Paquette family is becoming closer than ever because of it.

They decided to play a game together as a family each night before bed. First, they went door-to-door asking neighbours if they had any board games they could lend.

Their collection of games is up to about 11 different board games, which Maxime said includes Pay Day, Life, Monopoly, Yahtzee and Exploding Kittens, among others.

"It does get competitive," Lori said, "we have had some tears, stomping off to their rooms, I will admit."

Still, they look forward to playing and usually more than once. The family adds that Maxime has won the most.

The games have also taught the kids some life lessons and lessons about money (Pay Day). The biggest lesson of all, of course, is spending time together as a family, an opportunity created by the pandemic.

"It's changed our lives, actually not for the worse, for the better," Yvon said, as the rest of the family agreed. 

"When are we going to have another opportunity to spend this much time together? I don't think it'll ever happen again so we're enjoying it."