Why so few posts lately? It’s August and I’m on vacation, relaxing with the family.
Lazy days at the beach are absolutely wonderful, but we’ve been faced with more than a few rainy days. What’s a family to do? It’s yet another example of that saying, “It is what it is.” We can’t change the weather, so how do we make the best of it? We found a toy store and sifted through shelves and shelves of games until we found some gems. If you find yourself in a similar situation or have listened to your kids say, “I’m bored” too many times to count, check out these games which have provided hours of fun for our family:
Coda is particularly good if you have kids who love to crack codes or enjoy games like Mastermind. Players select black and white numbered tiles and try to identify their opponents’ codes. When a player says the correct number, his/her opponent must turn over the identified tile, making it visible to all players. Play continues until the last person with tiles still standing wins.
Bottom line? It’s a quick, fun challenge game that’s best for kids 10 and up.
I like sports just as much as the next mom, and my son regularly rattles off statistics and scores, but this game still proved fairly challenging for our crew. Game play took so long that we never finished the game. Having said that…if you have intense, competitive sports fans in your family and/or circle of friends, they’ll probably be all over this game. In that case, it would be more fun than many of the other trivia games out there, but I’d recommend that you save it for large groups of kids (who can play in teams) over thirteen who are all sports fanatics.
Bottom line? Family full of sports fanatics? Great!! Family with one kid who likes sports and another who would rather be listening to music? Pass on it.
Life? Seriously? A game that’s been around since the 60s? Yep. Frankly after suffering humiliation with that ESPN game, I enjoyed playing the familiar role as banker, and used it as an opportunity to explain basic financial concepts like the risks associated with gambling and going into debt compared with the benefits of investing in a college education. Definitely more fun for me than all those obscure sports questions. Actually, everyone in the family enjoyed this game (except that sports fanatic) and we completed the game in about an hour.
Haven’t heard about Life? Game tokens are little plastic cars with holes for people-pegs that players insert as they move around the board doing things like getting married, choosing college or career paths, having kids, getting paid, earning salary increases and so on. Simple, silly fun with a spinner (kids always love those). Younger kids will probably lose interest before you finish, but tweens and preteens might get a kick out of it. We had fun!
Bottom line? Simple fun with topics that parents can use to share their thoughts about values or to tell stories about their own lives.
Mille Bornes, pronounced (meal-born) is a fun auto race card game which is easy to learn and fun for the whole family (older kids only unless you play in teams with the younger kids). Recommended for kids ten and up, the objective is to be the first player to travel 1000 miles. Bonus points awarded for safe driving (i.e., making the trip using only low speed cards) and for other strategic game play. Players can try to hinder opponents’ progress by playing hazard cards (e.g., flat tire, accident, out of gas) which can only be remedied by appropriate fixes (e.g., spare tire, repairs, gasoline). My tween and I can’t get enough of this game.
Bottom line? Most people haven’t heard of this game, but when they do, they become instant fans. It’s worth a try.
That tee shirt pictured above is my daughter’s favorite piece of schwag from BlogHer 08. Thank you, Cathy Brooks of Seesmic, who graciously bestowed it upon us before she spoke at a BlogHer session about videography.
We’ve been watching that little raccoon for many months now and were hoping that someday we could have a sticker or a laptop cover or just anything with that little raccoon on it. My son likes him, too. He likes the way his ears reach beyond the circle and his right eye is larger than the other, so he looks as if he’s popping through a hole to come closer and peer at you. And now we have him - on a t-shirt!! Woohoo!
Oh, you have to go and give it a try! It’s a bit like Twitter with video but not nearly as fast. It’s a site where you can record (or upload) video and publish it, then have people respond to whatever you’ve posted. You can ask questions, start debates, host a show, whatever strikes your fancy. One member of Seesmic, Frieda Wolden, has posted thousands and thousands of videos, all of which she’s recorded while wearing a hat. Very nice woman. She makes me laugh.
Take just a moment or two and check out Seesmic. At the very least, watch the video (click here) that the Seesmic folks produced as the introduction to their site (on the landing page). It’s a hoot. Or, if you want to see that little raccoon in action, look at the intro to any of the Seismic du Jour shows (with Loic Le Meur, founder of Seesmic). In this episode, Loic and Freddy Mini of Netvibes tell you about a new Seesmic widget on Netvibes (that you can also put on your own blog).
If you don’t want to leave my site, you can just watch the video below to find out about how Facebook Connect will integrate Seesmic into Facebook:
I’ve been Twittering about how much I wanted a WiiFit and guess what?! I have one!
Even better than that simple fact, though, is the story about how I managed to snag one of these treasured new Nintendo gems.
After a long, exhausting day entertaining 30 people at my home while a couple of sick kids sat in my playroom all day long, I remembered that this day was the day the game would be released for sale at all of our local game stores. Rats! I had been so caught up in my party that I forgot my plan — because I did not pre-order the game, I intended to go to the store when it opened to try to get one of the extra games. I had been advised by one of the game store guys that they usually get a couple extras (beyond the number of pre-orders). But I blew it. Forgot to go. By the time I remembered, I was not at all in the mood to go out and drive to the store (and I didn’t think I had much of a shot at getting one so late in the afternoon anyway).
Do you love it when a song sticks in your head? Maybe it depends on the song, eh? Well, someone recently Twittered about the fact that he couldn’t get this song out of his mind. I looked it up on YouTube and, especially after seeing the video, I feel the same way. It’s fun, uplifting and infectious. After you watch it, let me know whether you agree:
I’ll be over here…dancing…and singing…
"I’m a new soul…"
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If you’ve read the terrific blogs, Busy Dad Blog and BusyDad Tales , you’ll understand why I express such excitement about his guest spot on my new podcast. Here’s the promo video for the show, Soapbox Radio .
Want to know what that big announcement was? You’ll have to listen to the show!
Walking around the streets near Columbia University in Manhattan on a beautiful spring day, I stopped abruptly when I saw the sign. It said “Tom’s Restaurant” on one side of the building and “Restaurant” on the other. I stared for a moment or two, then grabbed the arm of another chaperone and said, “Wait. We have to stop. Do you recognize that place?” As soon as she saw it, she knew.
My daughter and I were in the middle of New York City on Saturday and got caught up in this frenzy. I felt compelled to photograph some of the many people taking pictures. Can you guess what they were trying to capture with their cameras?
No matter which decade of my life I’m in (or nearing), I always want to take time out to play. When I play a great game with the kids, play tennis, work out, shoot hoops, or just walk the dog, I feel better physically and am usually in a better mood. My tolerance level rises and, overall, I’m better able to handle challenges that come my way.
