7 (plus 1) of Our (Current) Favorite Family Games

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We enjoy board games in our house.  A lot.  I'm not sure how many we own at this point.  There are games in the cabinet in the library, in the trunks in the living room, in the closets, and probably more that I'm forgetting about!  Family game night . . . or afternoon . . . or morning . . . is a common activity.  Both Catherine, age 8, and Dominic, age 4, enjoy all eight of these games with us.  (I should note, that while our youngest player is a mere four years old he has somewhat shockingly advanced game skills.)  Sometimes we adjust, or bend, the rules for the kids, but not always! 


1. Ticket to Ride

I'm a huge Ticket to Ride fan.  It might be a little silly, but I own the majority of the series.  The concept is simple enough for young players.  Some of the versions are a little more challenging and there's enough strategy to fully engage everyone. 

2. Ticket to Ride App

Yes, I know this is a rehash of #1; however, Dominic and I play the Ticket to Ride app almost daily so it seemed like it deserved a place of its own.  When it's just the two of us it's nice to not have to set the game board up, plus I find it easier to play while nursing, cuddling, holding, and playing with the baby.  The app is also a great way to play with far away family members.  My Dad, who lives several states away, is able to play with us!

3. Blokus

We lucked into this game at a thrift store.  The concept is simple.  It's easy to learn but (somewhat) difficult to win.

4. Spot It

My husband spotted this one at a community yard sale.  It's so much fun!  It's a quick paced game.  Do you only have three minutes?  This is the game for you!  When the kids were first learning how to play I would challenge myself by having to (silently) find their match before finding my own.

5. Splendor

In our family we've had the youngest player (while three years old) be the "gatherer" for one of the parents.  This has worked out really well for us.  Now that he's four he plays independently.  We tried giving him a handicap (extra resources at the start of the game) but then he won handedly, so that had to stop!

6. Karuba

There are a few ways to make this "addictive tile laying game" a family game for everyone.  We've played this successfully as a family for over a year now.  At first, we had the youngest player simply line up his tiles in numerical order (since every player has his own board this won't affect anyone else's game play!) 

8. Settlers of Catan

Ok, I know, it has officially been rebranded to just "Catan".  But . . . they're wrong.  If you absolutely must shorten it, then it should be "Settlers".  C'mon.  All that aside, this is simply a great family game.  We've had some shockingly tight four player games.

There's one more game that I'd like to add as a +1. It's not quite the same caliber as the above games, but we've had lots of great family fun with it!

8. Pictopia: Disney Edition

This was yet another yard sale find!  The questions are pretty easy, I would say too easy, but maybe that's just me.  (As you might have noticed, I am a bit of a Disney fan girl, as it pops up every so often her on the blog.)  The kids love being able to answer trivia questions, and it never gets too frustrating for them since so many questions are answered as a team.

What are games are your (current) family favorites?  Do you adjust the rules to make it easier for younger kids to join the fun? 

Halloween Shirts for the Whole Family

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I made coordinating Halloween shirts for the whole family. There's a "secret ingredient" that I used for all of these shirts that might surprise you.  Can you guess what it is?

Catherine's shirt is a heavily modified Free Hoodie from Brindille & Twig.  I shortened the sleeves, omitted the hood and pocket, and added a ruffle to the bottom.  Removing the hood meant that I had to add a neckband; I used the 80% rule and it worked splendidly. The ruffle was a width of fabric and then gathered and attached with a serger.  I am super happy how her shirt turned out!

Dominic's shirt is the School Bus T-Shirt from Oliver + S.  (I won my pattern during a sew-a-long with Whimsical Fabric.)  Dominic really, really, really loves green right now so he was quite happy with his shirt.  

My shirt is the Lane Raglan from Hey June Patterns.  (This one is actually from the pre-updated pattern.  I have yet to print the updated version.  I will.  Eventually.)  I think this is my favorite pattern to wear.  

Don't worry, Hubby isn't missing out on the fun!  (It is "fun", right honey?)   He's getting a GreenStyle Men's Hudson Hoodie.

Did you guess my "secret ingredient" for these shirts?  It's a pair of leggings.  Well, two pairs actually.  I found cute pumpkin leggings in the juniors department at Walmart for less than $4 and all I could see was fabric.  I snatched them up and I think they worked wonderfully for these shirts!  What do you think?  Surprised?  Or did you see it coming?

The black cotton lycra is from NR Fabrics.  It has a great weight and stretch.  It's definitely a quality fabric.  The green is from Girl Charlee.  It's a bit lighter weight and the stretch is a bit less.

Happy Halloween!

Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education

If you vacation, or live, in the Outer Banks, be sure to check out the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in Corolla.  It's a great family friendly outing.  It is located in Currituck Heritage Park, which is a must see spot anyways, so you can just make a full afternoon of it!

Inside the building kids are fascinated by an 8,000 gallon fish tank.  There is also a giant diorama, a decoy display, and short documentary.  Additionally, the Wildlife Center hosts enjoyable classes for all ages.  The schedule is online and registration is easy.  Catherine and her cousins enjoyed an afternoon of learning how to fish.  Before casting into the water they practiced on land with magnetic fish, which you can see above.  My husband, brother-in-law, and I enjoyed a class of archery basics.  We all had a great time.

While there, you will want to visit the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.  The above picture of Catherine with the lighthouse in the background makes me smile.  That facial expression!  (I think this picture is from 2012.)  Below, Catherine is learning the fundamentals of baseball on the large lawn near the Wildlife Center. (This one is from 2014.)

By the way, this is not a sponsored post.  Whenever we visit the OBX the whole family enjoys spending some time at this location, and I wanted to share it with you.

Dupont State Forest and The Hunger Games

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Waterfalls are simply beautiful, aren't they?  I've always been fascinated by them.  There are four gorgeous falls in Dupont State Forest.  The forest is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina.  It is just about an hour car ride from Asheville, NC.

A few weeks after Dominic was born we decided to take a little trip out there.  We saw two of the magical waterfalls.  While there are quite a few trails, there are over 10,000 acres of forest after all, the trails that we hiked were extremely easy to navigate.  (I use the word "hike" loosely here, I was still recovering from my c-section, was wearing an infant, and Catherine was wearing a sundress and sandals.  We weren't ready for anything too adventurous.)  We only encountered one fairly large hill.

My husband carried a small cooler with water and snacks, which was great.  (I do recommend bringing water with you!)  We took a break near one of the waterfalls in a picnic area.  We did manage to take a wrong turn (or miss a turn?) on one of the trails, so we didn't quite make the loop we had originally intended, so be warned -- pay attention to the trail markers!

Source

The geeky side of me also appreciated that some of The Hunger Games was filmed at Dupont State Forest.  (Actually, most of the Hunger Games was filmed in North Carolina.)  According to Wikipedia, most of the outdoor scenes, including those from the arena and those from the outskirts of District 12, were filmed in DuPont State Forest.

If you have a free day, or even just an afternoon, and are looking for a family friendly outdoor adventure in Western North Carolina, I highly recommend visiting Dupont State Forest.

Have you been to Dupont State Forest?  What did you see?  

Did you know that some of The Hunger Games was filmed there?

Shipwreck & Fish Feeding Tour in Grand Cayman

This post is part of a series about our cruise aboard Holland America's ms Noordam.

{Quick Overall Review} {Cruise Cuisine}

Are you looking for a fun family excursion in Grand Cayman?  If you're visiting for a while, or stopping by for an afternoon on a cruise ship, check out Cayman Islands Submarines.  The Grandparents and kiddos had a marvelous time on this Shipwreck & Fish Feeding Tour.  Even Dominic got the opportunity to check out the fish up close and personal.  (And he can't swim or wear a scuba mask!)

This super cool semi-submarine does not fully submerge, although the company does offer some fully submerged excursions.  A submerged effect is achieved because the (air-conditioned) hull is five feet below the surface level.  The Grandparents and kids saw tons of marine life and a shipwreck.  Catherine excitedly told me all about the scuba diver who fed the fish -- bringing hundreds of fish right to their window.  This is a particularly great excursion for multi-generational families traveling together, because age doesn't matter.

The grandparents found this particular excursion on their own, however, if you're the type that likes to book through the ship this company does partner with many cruise lines, including Holland America.  (Here is one of Holland America's excursions aboard a Cayman Islands Submarine.)

Please note: I personally did not go on this excursion, I was busy scuba diving for the first time!  This is not a sponsored post (I was not compensated in any way in exchange for this post) the family simply enjoyed the trip so much that I just had to share!

Some Thoughts and Ramblings about Wildfire

I just finished watching Wildfire, an ABC Family series.  I have to say, I really enjoyed it!  It's not great, and I'll probably forget about it soon enough, but it was good.  It also fit perfectly into my "chick-flick-watching-something-without-my-hubby" need.  Of course, the series ended in 2008, so no one probably talks about this show anymore!

Except me.

So, here are a few of my thoughts!  If you've seen the show, I'd especially love to hear your comments, and since I love comments, I'd love to hear what you have to say even if you haven't seen the show!

There were a few cons:

I think that the audience (me) was supposed to really empathize with Matt Ritter.  I found his character annoying.  I *think* he was supposed to be the good-cowboy-all-American-boy-next-door, but for me he was just a moody dude who was too easily led which-ever way.  Basically, I just saw him as weak.

The series as a whole certainly suffered from a little too much "soap operaness".  Relationships rarely lasted more than a few weeks, and they were on-again-off-again to the point of ridiculousness.  I like seeing relationships come together early and last (seriously, Hollywood writers, a little more Chandler & Monica and a little less Ross & Rachel, please!).

Also, super cliche insofar as the two main guys are fighting over the main girl.

 Even though it was an ABC Family show I would say it is more on the adult side.  No graphic sex, but certainly some sexual innuendo and heavy making out that we know where it ends up, even if we don't see it.  There are a few instances of mild language, fighting, drinking, and gambling.  


I said I enjoyed it though, so dear reader, you might be asking where are the pros?

Nana Visitor.  'Nuff said.

Beautiful horses.  Again, 'nuff said.

The stories are griping and engaging.  Whenever I finished an episode I wanted to see another one.

Even though it is a teen drama and somewhat of a guilty pleasure, it is enjoyable.

While I found Matt's character to be lacking, I did think that Junior's character was awesome.  He had very believable development from the beginning to the end.  Ok, so it was somewhat cliched as the rich -kid-who-needs-to-find-himself; however, it was pulled off in a likable manner.

Finally, (SPOILER ALERT!) the right girl and guy end up married in the end.  I just love having a show end in marriage--not just getting together or hooking up--but honest to goodness MARRIAGE.

I think that this is finally what did it for me, I just loved the happy ending for the two people that I was rooting for from (almost) the first episode.  I am still basking in the simple joy of a happy ending.

Anyways, I liked the show.  Maybe you will too!

Get the show from Amazon:
Season One
Season Two
Season Three
Season Four

7 Quick Takes

ONE: My absolute favorite pizza is LaRosa's.  Sadly, it can only be found in the Greater Cincinnati area. Happily, their sauce is now sold in local grocery stores.

TWO: Cincinnati style chili is quite a bit different from "normal" chili.  Special ingredients include cinnamon and chocolate.  It is more like a sauce than traditional bean chili.  Also, I didn't even know that beans were considered an integral element to chili by most until I was in college.

THREE: Did you know that when you fly into Cincinnati (CVG) you don't land in Cincinnati?  You don't even land in Ohio.  The airport is located in Kentucky.

FOUR: I am loving this crazy "winter" weather!  We enjoyed some time at the park--with just a light jacket!  Catherine is becoming very independent.  While at the park she managed to climb around on the kiddie section without help--including going up steps and going down slides all by herself.  On the big kid section she still needs lots of help but she does go down all of the slides all by herself.  Even the super-duper-fast one.  (I wish I had a picture picture to share, maybe later!)

FIVE: February 27th marked the nine year anniversary of my hubby and I being together.  We began dating in 2003 while we were in college, he was a freshman and I was a sophomore.  We were married in June of 2006.  It is funny, I both can't believe that its been that long and its hard to remember life without my best friend at my side. 

SIX: I am currently reading the Princess Diaries Series.  (Yes, I have a thing for teen fiction!)  It might be the first time that I significantly prefer a movie's portrayal of a character over the book's.  I just loved Julie Andrews as Grandmere.  That is NOT how she is in the book.  So far I am only finding the books to be average--to be honest, I am a little disappointed.  Oh well, they are quick reads.

SEVEN:  Catherine and I are having a lovely visit with my family.  I love watching her interact with all of her extended family.  She is old enough now to both recognize and be excited to see people.

Read more 7 Quick Takes here.