December 2006

Got Game?

Friends & Family, Holidays, Toys & Games /

Last week, on what we (and Santa) called "The second day of Christmas" the children all received a game.  A few days ago, my sister’s gifts for the three youngest children arrived and two more games were added to the mix.  Tonight, we’ve played six of the seven (One is a Goth Horror Trivia game that I don’t think the small kids or TW will be very successful with so that’s why we skipped it.  If you want a review, I’ll get Chris in here to guest post – just say the word. )

1) Swipe.  Easy, easy game and fun too.  And there was no slapping involved which is good because the last game we bought by the folks at Uno included slapping and I have vowed never to play that game again.  It comes in a nice little travel case so it would be good for a trip or a soccer game.  Pop it into the glove box of the car or a diaper bag for the older kids.

2) Cing-o.  It’s a dice game and harder than Swipe, but after a round of talking it out, everyone had the idea.  And, you have to do math (math is hard!) so that’s pretty helpful if you have an 8 year old who isn’t sure of the answer to 3 x 6.  It also comes in a travel case, this one has a nice keyring type clip on it.  Do you like Yatzee?  If you do, then this might be a nice travel game for you.

3) Shut the Box.  This is an excellent "back in the day" type of game and my sister sent the nicest version that I’ve ever seen.  If you are going to buy a game then go all out, spend the $50 and give this one.  You won’t regret it.

4) Stargo by Discovery Toys.  It’s bingo but with constellations.  It comes with a bunch of constellation cards that tell you the myths behind the constellation and you also get information about when and where the constellations are visible.  Plus, a compass to help you find each constellation.  It’s a silly game and at first the 13 year old wasn’t thrilled but he ended up having a blast and we played four rounds before they all headed out for a walk with the compass.  (FYI we really played this to celebrate the Sagan Blogathon, it seemed like a good way to remember Carl Sagan on the 10th anniversary of his death).

5) Art fish.  Go fish with art cards.  Simple and interesting.  The only challenge is in properly pronouncing the artists names.  (That’s not always easy.)

6) Loot was the most difficult game of the bunch, but even the youngest child (who is 8) caught on pretty quickly (the game is listed as a 10 and up game) and won.  There’s strategy involved in trying to sink and plunder other ships or save your won merchant ships.  It can get confusing because you are supposed to point the card you play towards you to remember that it is yours. Also, you draw at the end of your turn and that’s not generally the way card games work.  So that was a problem at various points in the game.  We only played one round and I think the next time we’ll see some players who use a little more strategy than was used the first time.

There you go – our game reviews for this holiday. 

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The next Harry Potter book

4 Comments / Harry Potter /

If you want to know the title of the next Harry Potter book, go to Rowling’s site – click eraser on her desk

1. Click doorway in mirror to see Christmas tree.

2. Click on the top half of the door to get the wreath.

3. Click on the top of the mirror to get the garland.

4. Click on the spider web right next to the door to make them go away.

5. Click the 4th chime in the window and get the key for the door.

6. Drag key to unlock the door.

7. Door opens to show a desk with a package.

8. Click the bow on the package and it will open.

9. Click the inside of the package and a game of Hangman is shown where you can play a game to guess the name of the seventh book.

10. You can keep playing till you get it right and when you do a check mark will appear.


Interesting and fun.


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No Reservations Required

2006, Books in Bed, Mystery /

I was right, I do like the Sophie Greenway mysteries better than the Jane Lawless mysteries. I like Sophie better than Jane, which is too darn bad. Jane is so darn wishy washy compared to Sophie.

No Reservations Required is a culinary mystery in more than just name only and that’s what I like about Ellen Hart – her mysteries are never just one mystery, there’s always a secondary mystery to solve along with the main crime. They’re rarely complicated but they’re always interesting and amusing. And for you gay folk who would stick with Jane just for some GLBT principles, Sophie’s son is gay and many of the characters are gay and Jane’s father occasionally makes an appearance as a lawyer for some troubled soul. So don’t feel bad if you switch allegiance to Sophie.

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The Good and the Not so Good

1 Comment / Day to Day /

It’s almost 9pm and I have no idea how we managed to fit so much activity into the day. But, we did it and it hasn’t killed any of us – yet. My ears are threatening to explode any moment and TW is at the laundromat where any number of odd things could happen. But for now, we are all alive and semi-well and I’m ready to share some good and not so good stuff we learned today.



Eragon the movie, not so good if you were hoping to see a film that stuck closely to the book. Good if you’re just into dragons and special effects and such. Not so good if you were expecting werecats and faeries.



Having a sister who sends children Shut the Box (a really beautiful version) and just the right sketch kits for each child and all of the solution books for Treasure Trove and The Alchemist Dar is very good. Not being able to find the original Treasure Trove book on the shelf is not so good, (it should be with the purple books and it isn’t!).


Super Snow in a Bag from Dunecraft is very good but the slippery sidewalks after snow fights, well, not so good. Luckily the postman and the Fedex guy and the UPS guy walked carefully and nobody took a fall.


Vegetarian meatballs from gardenburger, very good. Spaghetti sauce all over an eight year old who wants to hug everyone right this second, including the cats – not so good.


It’s nice when even the not so good stuff is pretty ok, isn’t it?

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The Memory Keeper’s Daughter

2006, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction /

I finally read The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. I was beginning to think I was never going to get to read it. Thank goodness I made the time, it was terrific. Sad and frustrating, but really good.

I think the only troubling bit was the timing seemed a little too convenient in places. Death and accidents – the timing, just too nifty and nicely managed in order to create the proper ending. Other than that, I have no complaints at all. Good characters, nice solid plot, not too rambling and not too short. Just about perfect.

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Feel Better Tea Fiasco

Coffee & Tea, Foodie, Friends & Family, Health and Wellness /

OK it wasn’t a fiasco, nobody died or anything, but I think I have proven to everyone in the house (who is awake) that I am not a foodie.

See, we’re sick.  All of us who are awake.  Russian plague sort of sick.  The kind that sneaks up on you and hits you when you aren’t expecting it.  The kind that doesn’t give you a fever but makes you wish you had one so you’d have a valid reason for going to the hospital and just dying. 

I thought I’d be brill (can you tell I’ve been reading a lot of English books set in the 70’s?) and make a pot of "feel better tea".  Ha.  We didn’t have most of the ingredients so I substituted.  It’s not great.  In fact it’s not good.  And TW is laughing because I thought a can of crushed pineapple would do pretty much the same thing as a few tiny cans of pineapple juice.  She’s laughing more because I didn’t add any cloves (do we even have cloves) or any sugar. 

Well she can keep laughing, laughter is good medicine and I’m sure it will help her feel well enough to spend her day driving kids around town and playing with all of the games Santa appears to have delivered today.  Not to mention those puzzles that still aren’t quite finished.  And there’s the laundromat to visit. 

Oh if she keeps on laughing this way, I’ll be able to stay in bed with my really bitter non-feel better tea while she plays superwoman and knocks out 6 dozen cookies and makes those two quiches tonight for dinner.

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Black Swan Green

1 Comment / 2006, Books in Bed, Fiction /

Goodness it took me a long time to finish Black Swan Green and it really shouldn’t have. I liked it. Jason Taylor and his family, his friends and his enemies – all good characters. A British book set during the Falklands and no Thatcher-bashing (except for a brief bit by the gypsies) – my kind of book. No idea why it took so long to read – maybe it was just the whole 12 days of Christmas thing got in the way of my reading?

I never read Cloud Atlas last year when everyone else did. Black Swan Green makes me think maybe I should grab it from the library and give it a go.

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