Family Game Night Planning

New Tuna Noodle Casserole a "Welcomed Retro Remake"

2010-01-29T07:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a recipe I found in So Easy by Ellie Krieger (she has a great cooking show on Food Network), my husband gave me this recipe book for Christmas, I'm so glad he did...I LOVE the recipes. She has some new ways to bring back an old recipe a lot of us can remember from our childhood. Tuna Noodle Casserole, I used to love it when my Mom made this for my family growing up. Ellie has a new twist on the old recipe by using a simple from-scratch cream sauce and chunks of fresh mushrooms subbing for the condensed soup, plus lots of green veggies and pasta that is tender but not mushy, she calls it a "welcomed retro remake". I saw this recipe and immediately wanted to share it on my blog for a great addition to your family game night!! Pasta such a great food for Kickin' back and joining in the competitive spirit and bringing together of the family for some good old fashioned fun!

Here's the recipe:

3/4 pound whole-wheat fettuccine
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large stalk celery, finely diced
10 ounces white mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
1/4 cut all-purpose flour
3 cups low-fat (1%) milk
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 6 ounce cans chunk light tuna in water, drained
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 10-ounce box frozen peas, thawed
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Break the fettuccine into thirds, and cook until tender but firm, a minute or two less than the package directions call for. Drain
Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 minutes. Add the celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their water, about 5 minutes more.
Sprinkle the flour over the mushroom mixture and stir immediately to incorporate. Add the milk and broth and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has thickened, about 8 minutes. Add the salt and pepper, cooked fettuccine, tuna, broccoli, and peas, and toss to incorporate. Pour mixture into a 9X13-inch casserole dish.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle them over the casserole and bake until bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

Serving size 2 1/2 cups

Excellent source of calcium, fiber, folate, iodine, iron, manganese, protein, riboflavin, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K

Good source of copper, niacin, pantothenic acid, phosphorous, potassium, selenuim, thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin D

Download electronic coupons to your grocery store savings card

2009-11-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

I have found a great website to download electronic coupons directly to selected grocery store savings cards. Great to include in your family game night snack planning!

This is a free service. The website is Shortcuts.com. When you register on the site it will ask for your name, zip code, birthday, e-mail address, password and security question and answer. Next the registration lists the featured grocery store savings cards. The selected stores include Baker's, Carrs, City Market, Dillon's, Dominick's, Fry's, Fry's Marketplace, Genuardi's, Gerbes, Hilander, JayC, King Soopers, Kroger, Kroger Marketplace, Owen's, Pavilions, Pay Less, QFC, Ralph's, Randalls, Safeway, Smith's, Smith's Marketplace, Tom Thumb, and Vons. Select your card, enter the number. Follow the rest of the registation process and you are good to go. The site will list those electronic coupons featured for the card you choose. As you select the coupons to download a list updates on the screen so you can see how much savings you will receive. Also lists savings to date.

Oh My Goodness! I have 100 followers! Yipeee!!!

2009-10-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who have chosen to follow me on my blog! I can't believe I already have 100 followers!! How cool is that?? I would love to get suggestions from you as to how I can improve on my blog. My intent was to create something to keep the family together by giving suggestions on how to plan one night a week to spend with the family no matter how big or small the family is. Also, keep the communication alive. I have a tendency to keep things inside and the nights we have planned with our family has allowed me to open up a lot more. In these tough times (even though they say the economy is getting better...yeah, right...what about the jobs??? Where are they?? Alright I'll get off my soapbox...) it is vital to keep the family together.

Top 10 Classic Board Games for Kids

2009-10-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

I found a website called familyeducation.com which gives all kinds of great advice for family life. While researching this site I found the "Top 10 Classic Board Games for Kids". I've included the link to Familyeducation.com as well.

There are as follows:

Scrabble
Clue
Sorry!
Chinese Checkers
Chutes and Ladders
Life
Chess
Monopoly
Twister
Candyland

Shabby Blogs!

2009-10-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

I have seen others use this free blog background site and decided to use it as well! I love what they have!

Okay we have a new game to love in our house!!! JENGA!!

2009-10-12T06:17:00.000-07:00

Jenga is the best game! Thank you Hasbro for introducing it to our family!

My 4 year old, Phoebe, absolutely loves it! I gave it as a gift to a 7 year old and she went bonkers! My 2 1/2 year old, Owen loves it, not to play but to build things with (he is our little engineer, loves to see how things work!! I thought I'd add this cute pic of my little red headed cutie patooootie head!)

They say it is a game for 6 years and older, but, Phoebe plays with no problem, can set it up with no problem. Really, I think it is for all ages!

Basically the objective of the game is to take as many blocks out of the tower as you can each piece you successfully take out without knocking over the tower is put back on the top. Phoebe says if you knock over the tower though you have to yell "JENGA".

Here are the official rules:

The object of Jenga is to remove one block from the Jenga tower and then stack it on top. The last player to stack a block without making the tower fall wins the game.

Jenga consists of 54 hardwood blocks.

Why not introduce this game to your family game night? I'm sure glad we did!

Nacho Dip

2009-08-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a great recipe for nacho dip for your family game night:

2 small containers of cream cheese
1 small container of sour cream

mix well together

layer with the following
1 jar salsa
chopped green onion
chopped green pepper
top with graded sharp cheddar cheese

serve with dip style chips

Spongebob Squarepants Memory Game

2009-08-27T10:05:00.001-07:00

Okay, Phoebe now has a new favorite! This is the traditional memory card game where players turn over cards until they get a match. This one is Spongebob themed.

It is a fun game! Players can play from 3 years old and older. Phoebe and I played at least 4 times last night! My husband Allen had to get into the game as well, he could see how much fun we were having! Of course, Owen (my 2 year old) had to walk off with cards when we weren't looking...obviously, not a game for his age group!!

Chicken Quesadillas

2009-08-21T01:18:00.000-07:00

My kids love Quesadillas. They are so easy to make, what a great idea for your game night snack plan! Here's how I prepare mine.

Ingredients:
Cheese (I usually purchase Sargento's Mexican Cheese mix)
Flour tortillas

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees

I start off by getting a cookie tray and putting foil down with a little spray of Pam. I put down my flour tortillas, add my cheese and top it off with the other flour tortilla.

Cook your quesadillas for 7 minutes or until your cheese melts.

That's it! Sometimes I will add some grilled chicken and or bell pepper and onion. For a quick lunch or dinner this one takes the cake!

Go Fish!

2009-08-21T00:54:00.000-07:00

Hasbro sent the games I requested, I am so excited to get started!

When we received the box my daughter, Phoebe immediately had to open a game and play. We sat down and I taught her how to play 'Go Fish'. This particular game was "The Littlest Pet Shop Go Fish Game". Since Phoebe is 4 years old it took a little bit of understanding, but, she picked it up pretty quick. This game is great for learning numbers and memory. Phoebe loved this game and wanted to play several times. When my husband got home we played again and my 2 year old even got into the game (he of course wanted to walk away or throw the cards shouting "mine" with the cards rather than actually play the game! :-)

Here are some instructions for how to play "Go Fish" with a regular deck of cards.

Number of players: Two to six

Object: To win the most sets of four cards (books) by asking other players for them.

The cards: A regular 52-card deck is used, but you might shorten the pack in order to have a quicker game by removing all cards of a few different ranks.

To play: When two people play, deal seven cards each; otherwise, deal five cards each. Leave the undealt cards face down as a draw pile. Starting with the player at dealer's left, each player asks another for cards of a specific rank. For example: "Kevin, do you have any 6s?" In order to ask, you must already have at least one 6. Kevin has to give you all the 6s he holds, but the other players do not.

Whenever your request for a card is filled, it remains your turn. Continue with your turn, asking any player for cards of a specific rank. When the player you ask can't oblige, you'll be told to "Go Fish." Pick up the top card of the draw pile. If it's the rank you called for, show the card at once, and your turn goes on. Otherwise, your turn ends.

Play proceeds to the left in this fashion. Whenever you have collected all four cards of one rank (a book), show the other players, then place the book next to you in a compact pile.

Scoring: When all the cards have been drawn and all the books collected, whoever has gathered the most books wins.

Tip: Pay attention to who seeks which cards, for you will inevitably draw a card someone was looking for earlier. You can capture those cards at your next turn if you can remember whom to ask!

Variations: Call for cards from all players at once -- the game moves faster when everyone must give up the wanted cards. This also makes it a better move to ask for a card when your book lacks just one, since whoever might have drawn the fourth one must give it to you. An interesting scoring variant is to assign each book a value equal to its rank. Aces would then count 11, picture cards 10, and all other cards would be worth their face value.

Look for more posts coming soon!!

New opportunities!!

2009-08-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hasbro has allowed me the opportunity to play some of their new games and review them on my blog! I look forward to sharing them with you soon!

How to Play Ker Plunk

2009-08-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

I remember Ker Plunk when I was growing up. Now I can show my 4 year old how to play!

Here's the rules of the game:

"Ker Plunk is the game where you take your pick and pull a stick. If all the marbles fall, you lose it all! You're only sunk if they go...Ker Plunk!"

This classic game of skill can be learned in seconds, but it offers a fun test of hand-eye coordination that is challenging to people of all ages and skill levels. As a result, Ker Plunk was a popular favorite among skill-game enthusiasts throughout the 1960s and '70s.

The game consists of a clear plastic tube, 30 thin sticks, and 32 marbles. Play begins with the players inserting the sticks through the tube and then pouring the marbles into the top of the tube. The sticks act as a web that block the marbles at the top of the tube. At this point, the players begin to carefully remove the sticks one by one. The goal is to get the stick out without making any of the marbles sitting on top fall through. If any marbles fall through, the person who made them fall collects them. Once the last marble has fallen, players count their collected marbles, and the player with the fewest marbles wins the game.

Ker Plunk was first published by the Ideal Toy Company in 1967, then later by Mattel and finally by Tyco in 1991. Mattel also published a variant of this game called “Super Ker-Plunk!”

How to play Trouble!

2009-07-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

Trouble! is one of those games that gets passed down from generation to generation. It's fairly easy and compact. The rules are simple, too. Trouble! can keep your family entertained for hours at a time and provide endless laughs and fun.

Step 1. Get started with the game Trouble! by placing your colored pegs in the corresponding colored holes at the edge of the board. Your opponents should do the same. Only use the pegs that you will need for the game. The rest of them can be put aside.

Step 2. Pop the dice in the middle of the board. The person who gets the highest number goes first and the game proceeds clockwise. Your peg can never be moved from the start position unless you pop a 6. You can then move forward. When a 6 is popped you can choose to either move a peg from the home base or one of your pegs that have already been moved from it.

Step 3. Move your peg forward the number of times that corresponds with the number popped by the dice. If you pop a 6 you get another turn. Each time a 6 is popped, you can continue your turn until you don't get a 6. The object of the game is to get your pegs back in your home base before your opponents do.

Step 4. Return your opponent's peg back to their home base by landing on their colored pegs if the number you popped puts you there. For instance, if you pop a 3 and you land on your opponent's peg, he or she must return the peg to their home base where they started. Be careful that you don't get into Trouble! and get sent back home.

Step 5. Approach your home base and you will see numbers marked 1 to 4 on the board. This is where you want your pegs to ultimately land. You can only move your pegs into these slots when you pop the exact number you need to move all the way into the holes. For instance, if you have a peg that you want to move into the 4 slot, and you pop a 3 then you can't move into that slot. You have to pop a 4 to move that particular peg. If you do have other pegs on the board, you can choose to move one of them.

Step 6. Pop a 4 with the dice and you could move your peg into the spot marked 4. Then you have to pop the exact number to move your next peg into the 3 slot and so on. Land in slots 1, 2, 3 or 4 and you are safe from being in Trouble! and can't be sent back to the home position by your opponent's pegs.

Step 7. Win the game when all of your pegs are in the in slots marked 1, 2, 3 or 4. If your opponents wish, they can continue the game to see who comes in next and so on.

How to Play Sorry

2009-07-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry is a classic board game first popularized in the United States in 1934. It is descended from the many Pachisi variants (like Parcheesi), and involves moving four colored tokens from the start to the finish box at the end of the board. Gameplay uses cards to determine the way in which the pieces move, and it's possible to end up knocking opponent pieces back to the start (hence the name "Sorry!").

Step 1. Choose the color you wish to use and place your four pawns in the start box that corresponds with your color.

Step 2. Select a card from the deck and move one of your pawns according to the instructions. You must select a pawn that can move the exact number of spaces. For example, if a pawn is two spaces away from home, but you draw a card that instructs you to move three or more then you much choose one of your other pawns.

Step 3. Take advantage of slides whenever they present themselves. You must land precisely on the start of the slide in order to use it.

Step 4. Take advantage of cards that instruct you to move back by choosing a pawn that is close to the beginning. Often you can play a backward card and end up, instead of far from the home, a single move away.

Step 5. Be aware of the opportunity to send opponent's pawns back to their start. If you draw a card that would place one of your pawns on the same space as an opponent, you get to move your piece there and move your opponent's pawn to his start.

Step 6. Try to get your pawns into the "Safety Zone" (the last 5 squares closest to your home) as quickly as possible. Since they are immune to pushes (being sent back to start), you'll be able to leave them there until you draw a card that gets them home.

2009-07-21T03:27:00.000-07:00

z3nwsiabrp

Pizza Quesadillas

2009-07-13T05:20:00.001-07:00

Here's a variation on traditional pizza! Add this to your menu for your game night.

Pizza Quesadillas

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pizza sauce
6 7-inch flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers or Monterey Jack cheese (8 ounces)
1/3 cup finely chopped pepperoni
3 tablespoons sliced pitted ripe olives

Directions
1. Spread some of the pizza sauce on half of each tortilla. Sprinkle Monterey Jack cheese atop pizza sauce on each tortilla. Top with pepperoni and olives. Fold tortillas in half; press down edges gently.

2. In a large skillet or griddle cook tortillas, 2 or 3 at a time, over medium heat about 4 minutes or until cheese melts, turning once.

3. Cut each tortilla into three triangles. Makes 9 appetizer servings.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 9 appetizer servingsCalories 194, Total Fat (g) 12, Saturated Fat (g) 6, Cholesterol (mg) 27, Sodium (mg) 427, Carbohydrate (g) 13, Protein (g) 9, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Yahtzee

2009-07-13T05:14:00.000-07:00

How To Play Yahtzee

Yahtzee is a great game of chance, but also of smart thinking, and planning ahead. Yahtzee is very easy to learn, and can be played by almost anyone of any age. In order to play Yahtzee, you will need a set of dice, and a copy of the different value sheets.

1.To begin Yahtzee, determine your turn order, and let the first person roll the dice. After each turn, pass your dice along to the next person in a clockwise rotation. Remember that play only lasts for 13 rounds before the Yahtzee game ends and scores are tallied.

2.During your Yahtzee turn, you must roll all five dice. Based on what appears, you have multiple options and ways to score points. You are allowed to make up to three rolls in a single turn. When you decide to make another roll, you can roll whatever dice you want; it could be one or all 5. Remember that if you choose not to roll a die, it stays as is, and when you've used all three rolls in a turn, the dice values remaining are final.

3.In order to score points in Yahtzee, you have to decide which pot to add your score to. Each pot has a different way of adding the dice. For example, 6's means you get six points for every six. All of Yahtzee's other special pot values give you the amount of dice that you rolled, as long as the condition is met. The only pot that is not calculated by adding the dice involved is yahtzee, which is five of a kind and worth 50 points regardless.

4.The Yahtzee scorecard is divided into upper and lower point values.
The upper column in Yahtzee features all of these number values. Points for each pot are determined by how many of that particular number you got, and multiplied by that value. So three 1's would be 3. Three 6's would be 18. If a player manages to score 63 points or higher on the upper score card, she will receive a bonus of 35 points!
The bottom portion of the Yahtzee scorecard is played as the different pots indicate. In order to score any points, you must complete the requirement. Three of a kind may be scored only if the dice show three of a kind. Four of a kind means you must have four of the same number rolled. A full house means a three of a kind and a separate pair. Straights are sequences of consecutive numbers, small straights being four numbers and large straights being five. The chance box lets you score when you have a mish mash of numbers, and yahtzee (the hardest box to get) is 5 of a kind.

5.The skill of Yahtzee however, is that you must pick a column where you just add zero points if you cannot get points from anything during a roll. In other words, if you rolled three ones, but your only pot you hadn't used was four of a kind, you would have to accept zero for the pot. All pots can only be used once, and since the game runs for 13 rounds, they must all be used. It is very important in the game to be constantly thinking ahead. You can score big points for some of the harder pots to achieve, so it is advantageous to leave things like your one column until the very end when it is worthless.

6.The key to Yahtzee is to not leave yourself in a position that makes you have zero points for multiple pots. Target the less probable-to-roll pots early in Yahtzee. Leave pots like 1's and 2's, which can never be worth many points, until the very end. This ensure that if you do have to add a zero to a pot, it is not one that could potentially have been worth many points. If you roll four 6's, go straight for four of a kind before you go for 6's. Your number pots in Yahtzee should be the last ones you use.

7.Once all 13 rounds have been played, each Yahtzee player must tally the value they have added to each individual pot, and compare their total to all other Yahtzee players. The person with the highest score wins the Yahtzee game. Remember, the name of the game is Yahtzee. Rolling five of a kind is hard but exciting, be sure to scream out "yahtzee" if you are lucky enough to do so!

Here is a complete list of the scoring options for the varying pots in Yahtzee:

1's: add up all the ones.
2's: add up all the twos.
3's: add up all the threes.
4's: add up all the fours.
5's: add up all the fives.
6's: add up all the sixes.
3 of a Kind: reward 20 if there are 3 dice of the same value.
4 of a Kind: reward 35 if there are 4 dice of the same value.
Full House: reward 25 if there are 3 of a kind and 2 of a kind.
Small Straight: reward 30 if there are 4 in a row.
Large Straight: reward 40 if there are 5 in a row.
Yahtzee: reward 50 if all dice are of the same value.
Chance: add up all values.
When playing Yahtzee, remember these simple tips that will put you directly on the fast track to winning.

1.Go for your high point totals very early in the game. Things like getting 5 ones would obviously be better spent on a yahtzee, than having that many ones. You'd even be better off using this as a four or three of a kind.

2.It can be advantageous to take four of a kind in your upper half of your score deck if you roll 4's, 5's or 6's, because of the bonus you receive if you score high enough in the upper half if you score over 63 points.

3.Go for your long straight if you roll a short straight right off the bat leaving one or six open. Your chances of rolling a 1 or 6 in your following two roll are very high!

4.Go for yahtzees, but make sure you have the corresponding upper half pot left to still fall back on. Nothing would be worse than rolling 4 ones, when you've already used your 1's and your four of a kind.

5.Finally, the best pot on the board is your chance, hold onto it until the very last moment possible, because somewhere along the line you'll get a bad roll, and will need to put it somewhere that doesn't leave you completely broke.

Plan a Family Game Night - wikiHow

2009-07-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Plan a Family Game Night - wikiHow

Pictionary

2009-07-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

Ready? Set? Draw! This is a great word-guessing game with pictures you draw as the clues for your team partners. You don't need to be an artist to draw in this game, where the originality of the players creates a lot of fun. You will need at least three people to play the board game version.

Difficulty: Easy
Fun for all ages!

Things You'll Need:

Timer Or Stopwatches
Card Tables
Chairs
Prizes
Beverages
Party Snacks
Pencils
Paper
Pencils
Paper
Pencils
Chairs

Step 1 Divide the players into teams.

Step 2 Name a permanent "picturist" if you have only three players. He will draw all the clues for the other two players.

Step 3 Have each team select a picturist to do the drawing for
the first word if you have four or more players. This duty rotates to all players in turn. The remaining team members try to guess the word being drawn.

Step 4 Have each team place a playing piece in the start square on the board. Roll the die to see who gets the highest roll to go first.

Step 5 Let the beginning team's picturist select the first card. She has only 5 seconds to study the word she will sketch.

Step 6 Start the timer, and give the picturist 60 seconds to sketch clues for her teammates.

Step 7 Allow the picturist's teammates to try guessing the word for the full 60 seconds as long as the picturist draws no words, letters or numbers and uses no body gestures.

Step 8 Have a successful team that has identified the word within the time limit roll the die. The team moves ahead on the board by the number of spaces indicated on the die.

Step 9 Let the same team then select the next card and continue with a new picturist. Only when the time expires before a word is identified does play rotate to the left to another team.

Step 10 Continue play until a team wins by landing on the finish square and identifying the word selected.

Tips and Warnings

Each card lists different words in five categories. The correct word to be sketched is determined by the location on the board of the team's playing piece.If the playing piece is on a space marked "All Play" or if the word to be sketched is marked as an "All Play" word (with a triangle mark beside it on the card), then all teams sketch and guess at the same time to see who gets it first.The die is not rolled at the beginning of a turn. It is rolled at the end, only when a word is successfully guessed. A turn begins with the selection of a card.A playing piece must stay on the same square as long as its team does not identify the given word.The picturist duties rotate to a new player on your team every time the team must sketch.There are different versions of Pictionary, including Pictionary Junior for ages 7 to 11 and Pictionary on CD-ROM, which can be played solo or over the Internet. See Related Sites and Things You'll Need.In special "All Play" situations a picturist from each team gets to look at the word and sketch it for his teammates. All teams do this simultaneously, and the first team to identify it wins the word. Winning the "All Play" situations is very important since you are competing against everyone at the same time. And since the normal rotation of play may be changed, you might miss a turn if the team to your left wins the word.

Scrabble Board Game - How to Win!!

2009-07-06T10:10:00.001-07:00

Here's a game we are all familiar with! Scrabble!! My husband and I played on our last game night, Phoebe was my able bodied assistant! It was a great way for my 4 year old to sound out words and letters. I found this great article "How to Win at Scrabble-Board Game.

This word game presents a number of unique challenges to its players. Memorizing the entire Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary would be great, but it's also unrealistic. Start with these basics first.

Ages 8 years and up
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: n/a

Here's How:
1.Consider balance as you look at the letters on your rack. It might be smart to form a word eliminating double letters in your rack even if it's not the highest-scoring move you have available.

2.See what's on the board before making a move. If few E's have been played, you might chose to create 'were' instead of 'ware,' reducing the chance you’ll draw a double tile.

3.Plan ahead to be able to create long words, possibly even using all the tiles on your rack in one turn (and thus earning bonus points).

4.Don't concentrate so much on one word that you blind yourself to other options.
5.Don't fear the Q! This tile (as well as the somewhat less-frightening X, Z and J) offers some high-scoring potential.

6.Even if you don't have a U to go along with it, there are 16 legal words you can spell with the Q (such as qanat, an underground system of tunnels in the Middle East, and qindar, a monetary unit of Albania).

7.If you get stuck with a lot of vowels, think about iodine -- and the dozens of other vowel-rich words available. (Cookie, anyone?)

8.If you have a lot of consonants, there are legal words without vowels -- myrrh, rhythm and tsktsk, for example.

9.Avoid giving other players easy access to bonus point squares.

Tips:

1.Practice. You can buy Scrabble books, and there are a lot of useful practice tools available on the Internet.

2.If you study, concentrate on unusual words. Two-letter words are useful in a lot of situations. Q words, X words, J words, Z words and words with lots of vowels also are good to know, as are longer words.

What You Need:
•Scrabble Board Game
•Opponent(s)

Cat-in-the-Hat's hat cookies!!

2009-07-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

Check out this creative snack idea shared by Amy Wyatt. Find out how to can make a treat that looks like the Cat-in-the-Hat's hat!
Materials Needed:

•Round Crackers
•Marshmallows
•White Chocolate
•Red Icing
•Wax Paper
Instructions:
Place the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt it. Stir until smooth.

Start off by dipping a round cracker in the white chocolate, tapping off any extra. Place it on a piece of wax paper. Before the chocolate cools and hardens, place a marshmallow on the center of the cracker so it looks like a white top hat. Once the chocolate cools and hardens, the marshmallow should stick.

Now all you need to do is pipe red icing into rings around the hat. Also spread some over the top of the hat. If icing stripes seem to run, place them in the refrigerator to set icing more quickly

Pictureka

2009-07-02T05:25:00.000-07:00

Pictureka! is a new kind of game, both in mechanic as in artwork. The mechanic is invigorating with its large square gaming tiles. The game board is composed of 3 by 3 game tiles, so the game board on which is played is a huge square of 63 cm x 63 cm. This is large enough for several players to be able to play the game at the same time. The game board is “alive”, it is not a static board as the tiles are flipped over, turned and moved. So it is not possible to memory map the board. The mechanic of an ever changing board makes it not only fun; also the challenge is kept into the game all the time.

A game turn
Players will have to throw a color dice at the beginning of their turn. According to the color thrown (3 possibilities) they must draw a mission card of the same color. There are 3 kinds of missions.

How to win the game?
Be the first one to have successfully accomplished 10 missions. Each successful mission gives 1 point, so be the first one to get 10 points.
The artwork is something not to be found in ‘standard’ games. The personal drawing style of the artist Eugene makes this a kind of playing artwork.

Ages 6 years and older.

Honest reviews from the mom in the know

2009-06-29T09:01:00.001-07:00

The attached link is reviews on popcorn seasoning:

\Honest reviews from the mom in the know

Shared via AddThis

Cranium

2009-06-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

How To Play - Cranium Game - Game Rules

Cranium is the hot, outrageously fun board game that brings family and friends together through a variety of activities celebrating your whole brain. Whether you're an aspiring actor, artist, trivia chap, or wordsmith, Cranium gives everyone a chance to shine.

Divide into teams of two or more. Each team chooses a game piece and places it on the purple Planet Cranium® labeled S T A R T.

Give each team a pad and pencil.

Now you’re ready to play Cranium!

Set out the four character card boxes:

Creative Cat®, Word Worm®, Star Performer®, and Data Head®.

Set out the die, timer, and tub of Cranium Clay®.

Cranium is the outrageously fun party game for four or more players that will get you and your team sculpting, acting, puzzling, and even spelling backwards to win!

OBJECT
The object of the game is to be the first team to move clockwise around the board and into Cranium Central™, where your team will attempt its final activity for the win!

On your first turn, and every time you’re on a purple Planet Cranium, you get to choose which box your card will be drawn from.

In Cranium you roll at the END of your turn, after you have successfully completed an activity.

REMEMBER
If you’re successful...Roll the die and move to the next color indicated on the die. You must stop on every purple Planet Cranium even if your roll would otherwise take you past it. If you roll purple, zoom ahead to the next Planet Cranium.

Your turn is now over. Play passes to your left. If you don’t succeed... Don’t roll or move. You must wait until your next turn and try again. Your turn is now over.

On every Planet Cranium you have a chance to get on the fast track. If your team is successful on the first activity you do on the Planet Cranium, hop on the inner fast track. Otherwise, take the outer scenic path.

Getting on the fast track scenic path Planet Cranium fast track star performer® creative cat ® word worm®

Your team does the activity described on the card. 2 data head®

The team to your right draws your card and reads it aloud to you. Your card is drawn from the character card box that matches the colored space your team’s game piece is on.

ON YOUR TURN At the start of the game, the team with the person whose birthday is coming up next goes first.

SETUP
A Club Cranium card pauses the game for an outrageous all-play activity, with all teams competing to earn a bonus roll. The first team to shout out the correct answer before time runs out wins an immediate bonus roll.

After the Club Cranium is played, the winner of the Club Cranium card takes one bonus roll and moves. Then the team whose turn it was when the Club Cranium card was drawn takes its regular turn.

Just follow the instructions on the card.

If you draw Club Cranium card while you’re on a Planet Cranium…

•If your team doesn’t win the Club Cranium and it was your first activity while on a Planet Cranium, don’t worry——you can still try for the fast track on your regular turn.

•If your team wins the Club Cranium and it was your first activity while on a Planet Cranium, roll and move onto the fast track.

hint

Everyone plays this Club Cranium Cloodle! Choose one artist from each team to draw clues on paper with no talking, letters, or symbols. The first team to guess the answer wins an immediate bonus roll. If this card was drawn on your turn, you get another card after the winner’s bonus roll. cloodle® thing

PLAY IT SMART, AND HAVE FUN.
Enter the Cranium Circle on a roll at the end of a turn. Move to the name of the character card box that matches the color on the die.

If you roll purple, you can choose your starting point on the circle.

Now wait for your next turn.

Each time you successfully complete an activity in the Cranium Circle, keep the card, move clockwise to the next character name, and wait until your next turn to do an activity from that box.

Club Cranium cards count, too. If you win a Club Cranium card while you’re in the Cranium Circle, keep the card if it’s one you need. If the card you won matches the character name you are on, move clockwise to the next character name.

If you are not successful, stay where you are and try again on your next turn.

Once your team holds one card from each character card box, move into Cranium Central.

On your next turn, the other teams collectively choose the character card box for your final activity.

If you are unsuccessful, you must try again on your next turn.

If your team is the first to successfully complete an activity in Cranium Central (Club Cranium cards count, too), congratulations! You’ve won Cranium!

Take your family night on the road

2009-06-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

Every now and then it is a great idea to get out of the house and take your game night on the road. Is there a local mini golf center or bowling center around? Make sure to pick something that you are all able to do together. For instance, while it is great to get out and catch a movie, it doesn’t really have its place in family game night. You are not interacting with each other and may as well all be at home watching TV.

Do a little research and make a list of places that may be included in family night. Whoever has a turn in choosing the game for the night may also include one of the venues on the list if they so desire.