It is the most fun time ever! I fell in love with Josh while we were dating because he had a massive collection of board games and we bonded over Scrabble. To this day it is still our number one favorite game.

Now that we have kids, our board game collection is expanding. In addition to Munchkin, Scrabble, Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit we have Chutes and Ladders and High Ho Cherry O!

You just cannot beat a family game night. Everyone learns to play nice with each other. Laughter rings throughout the house. Small lessons in good winning and losing are learned. But above all, you just cannot replace the amazing time of bonding that happens around the table.

I love board games. And I am so blessed to have a husband that loves them too.

How are board games a bonding experience for your family? Reply for a chance to win one of five ultimate LEGO® Games prize packs!!

LEGO® Games are the world’s first collection of board games that can be built, played and changed, that delivers a whole new way for families to have fun together the LEGO way. Whether challenging friends or family to a LEGO Game in a variety of themes and types – guessing, strategy, memory, logic and chance – no two LEGO Games experiences are ever the same!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of LEGOSystems. The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the LEGO Brand. Official Contest Rules

Eleven year old Demias Jimerson from Ark. scores a touchdown almost every time he has the ball. His extreme athletic talent created such an inequality on the field the Madre Hill rule was again implented.

According to Fox News, the Madre Hill rule applies to 5th and 6th grade Pee Wee players in the Wilson Intermediate Football League.  The rule states if Jimerson scores three touchdowns and his team is ahead by 14 points, he is not allowed to make any more touchdowns.

Terri Bryant, principal and defacto commissioner of the Wilson Intermediate Football League, said this rule is meant to help the other players on the team develop and have a chance to play too.

I see it her way.  Once Jimerson is in middle and high school, he will be able to compete to his full potential and will take his team to state championships.  I believe sports for grades below middle school should be all about developing a love for the game and learning techniques. Playing in a game with Jimerson can leave young players feeling discouraged, frustrated and unable to hone their skills properly.

He can have his glory for half the game, then give other kids a chance to experience success too.

On the flip side, I am glad this rule does not apply to middle and high school.  Life isn’t fair and telling players to sit out because they are “too good” to play isn’t real life.  But at such a young age I believe all kids should have a chance to play and enjoy the game – they have their entire life to experience pain, misery, and not being as good as other people.

Here is the video from Fox News documenting the story:

I have been searching for ideas on healthy meal ideas for Lizzie, David and Lucy.  I received this guest post and had to share it with you! Let me know your thoughts in the comments – do you agree with it? Do you have anything you’d like to add? Thanks! 

Guest post by Vanessa Burke

With all of the advertising and peer pressure our kids face during meal time, it can be hard to make the correct choices for them when seeking out the best nutritional options. It’s also easy to make the mistake of picking what is fast and convenient instead of wholesome because of our busy lifestyles. Because we lost focus as a society about what we put into our bodies, some negative things have happened. The Center for Disease Control says that childhood obesity rates have tripled over the last thirty years. In adults the rate of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer have plagued us like an epidemic.

It sure did not take psychic readings to predict this happening. We have known about the dangers of unhealthy eating for years. But by keeping track of what your kids eat and making smart decisions, you can stop the trend of obesity with your own family.

Breakfast

The most important meal of the day should start at home. Make sure your kids are eating enough food at breakfast to get them through the day. A good mix of protein from lean meat, oatmeal, and milk will keep them mobile throughout the day, and plenty of carbohydrates from cereal, bread, and fruit will give them enough energy to have a productive learning experience at school.

If you must spoil them with frosted cereals, donuts, or fatty meat products, make sure to do so sparingly so they will not become dependent on the addictive fats and sugars in such foods.

Lunch

Lunch is the hardest time to monitor your kids. Many schools offer sodas, french fries, potato chips, and other processed food items which may make your child sluggish and tired for the rest of the day. By sending your child to school with a couple of dollars, you are relying on them to make the best choices for themselves, which is quite risky. The best way to control your child’s lunchtime options is to send them to school with the classic brown-bag lunch; a sandwich, fruit, and a viable snack option like a granola bar or popcorn.

 Snacks 

If you are able to pick your kids up after school, have a snack prepared before you leave. Carrot and celery slices topped with peanut butter are an excellent and nutritious way to fuel your kids with vegetables and protein. Fruits like raisins and unsweetened dry fruits are easy if you are in a rush. If you can not pick up your kids after school and rely on daycare or other after school service, make sure to monitor what they serve and pack another snack if it you are worried.

Dinner

Instead of sitting at separate television sets during the last meal of the day, try to eat as a family. Prepare a meal with all of the basic components; a protein, a starch, and half a plate of vegetables. By following this methodology ,recommended by many health professionals, you won’t just be looking out for your kids, but yourself and the rest of your family.
Monitoring what kind of food your kids consume is often a time-consuming and difficult task, but if you want to instill good habits into their lifestyle it is a good idea to start early.

Safety with children is important. Ok, it’s like detrimental.  I’ve heard so many horror stories of kids climbing on furniture only to have it all over on top of them!

But those pieces of furniture are very important for keeping DVDs and things organized, I’ll admit.  The best thing you can do if you have wood tv stands is bolt them to the wall.  Sure, you can try and tell your children not to climb them. But it only takes one time when you are not looking.

I think the most fabulous TV invention is the ability to bolt them to the wall. No one is “in the way” when they sit on the floor. And if you use a corner tv stand to store your movies in, you have a lot more room in the house!

What do you think? How have you made your entertainment system safe for your children?

1. Read books

Let them pick out the books and read and re-read the books. More than the educational benefits of being read to, reading books together is relaxing. It is a wonderful way to really spend quality time, snuggle time and share physical closeness.
Here is a short video of me reading to baby David and Lizzie. Such wonderful memories!

2. Get in their world

What do they love to do? Get in that world, don’t just blow bubbles, but pretend the bubbles are magical and become a character in their make believe.  Dress up, carve time just for them. Don’t pause their world to check your email or your phone, make this time 100 % for them. You will be amazed what you learn about your children when you focus entirely on their play.

3. Make them something

This can be as simple as break and bake cookies or you can even make friendship jewelry. If you make jewelry, you can smile from ear to ear whenever they wear it. A child will feel extra special when they know you made something just for them. There is just something wonderful about a hand made gift. And it doesn’t have to be elaborate either! Do it simply, but the thought and heart will bring you closer to your child.

4. Do a good deed for someone together

Maybe make a dozen cookies and take them to a friend’s house or go as a family and visit people in the nursing home with handmade cards. Instilling values is tough these days, but when you live out by example, this effort became a lot easier. Not only are you creating memories, you are teaching your children the joy of serving others.

Josh and I love board games!  When we were dating during my college years, we would play board games on our dates.  He’d kick my butt at the card game “Guillotine” and “Monopoly” and I would whoop his on “Scrabble.”

It was so much fun. But I hated losing, just hated it!

Josh has just started getting Lizzie interested in games and I am so excited!  Board games are a wonderful way for real family time – conversations, giggling, memories made.  And board games can be so very educational, if you pick the right ones.  Currently Lizzie is infatuated with “Hi Ho Cherry O” and she has learned counting with it.

As she gets older, I am going to encourage she play lots of other educational board games and I was just given a fabulous one to review that I know she will like when is reading.

Synonym the Word Game is fast paced and best with 2-8 players from age 10 and up.

To play: Players race their pawns around the board to be the first to collect all the letters of the word SYNONYMS. A roll of the die and a card is selected. The player has one minute to earn a letter by naming the designated number of synonyms- unless a competitor declares a challenge! Minds race at maximum brainpower as each tries to top the other. Pass and Challenge cards add strategy and equalize the odds for all players.

You can buy Synonyms- The Word Game at Amazon.com for $29.99!

It looks challenging, even for me!  You can change up the game and make it as easy or challenging as you want and need.  I love how easy the game is to learn how to play – it won’t take half an hour to explain the rules – just get it out and play!

I love words!  Scrabble is tons of fun and so is Apples to Apples. I just know this game will quickly go up high on my list of favorite board games.  It is very important to me that my children have a large vocabulary and if we can stretch their minds with this game I am going to keep it within arm’s reach!

What are some of your favorite educational board games? Are they the same ones you loved as a child?

I received this game to review. All opinions are mine.

]]> http://mamadweeb.com/2011/03/educational-board-games-thrill-me/feed/ 5 http://mamadweeb.com/2011/02/happy-valentines-day-to-my-blog-friends/ http://mamadweeb.com/2011/02/happy-valentines-day-to-my-blog-friends/#comments Mon, 14 Feb 2011 05:58:26 +0000 Annie @ Mama Dweeb http://mamadweeb.com/?p=4992 Pin itI just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you, my friends! I want to send a link out to every single one of you, but I just don’t have the time. What I do have is mommy brain and if I tried to link to my friends I would forget someone and [...]]]>

I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you, my friends! I want to send a link out to every single one of you, but I just don’t have the time. What I do have is mommy brain and if I tried to link to my friends I would forget someone and I hate excluding people on this loving holiday!

I am especially thankful for all the encouragement you have given me and the hugs, comments and laughs you have shared through reading my posts.  Last week was a very difficult one for me. Josh worked extra long hours and left me exhausted and overwhelmed. I wrote my feelings on how I refused to view myself as inadequate in this very empowering post.  Unfortunately, I offended a girl that I thought was my friend. After her comment it is clear we are not friends, since she berated me for being mediocre, saying Josh deserves more than that from me.

But my friends who know me, who have watched me grow as a mother through my personal blog posts stood up for me and reminded not to give into that terrible feeling of guilt and “not good enough.”

Thank you so much! You have no idea how much those comments meant to me!  I struggle with feeling like the worst mom ever. I fear that Josh will realize he deserves more than me – like a perfect hosuekeeper. But I also embrace my inner Popeye and “ka-pow” those thoughts to Hell where they belong. You my friends are my spinach to my inner popeye.   With your encouragement I keep thinking optimistically and strive to improve daily in my work as a mom to these kids and wife to Josh.

“I yam what I yam” thanks to you!

Every comment brings a smile to my face and I thank you for being there!

I call her a UHO.  Unproven Housekeeping Object.  She arises before dawn, dresses beautifully, complete with makeup and pressed clothes – even accessories. Joyfully she glances at her perfectly organized meal plan and begins working on breakfast for her family.  As it is cooking, she starts in on the days chores so they do not get out of her control.  In perfect time she wakes up the rest of the house and feeds them. As squabbles and discipline problems arise she is able to carefully handle them with a clear mind and stable emotions.  She delights in the fact that she is able to homeschool her children and loves every single minute of it.  Her husband is thrilled with the site of her – she finds time to exercise and only feeds her family organic, whole foods 100% of the time. No processed or sugar-infested junk in this house!

Before going to bed, this UHO can look around her house and breath the relaxing breath of a job well done. Her floors sparkle, her sinks shine. The closets are neatly packed with folded and pressed clothes and the laundry baskets are empty. Why, you could put her house in Home & Garden magazine right now!

She never loses her temper, and if she does it is only but for a brief while. She loves every minute of staying home and caring for her family and helping her husband in every way she can.

What the freak ever.

If you are a stay at home mom, does any of this ring true with you?

Reality?

I stay in bed as long as humanly possible. I open my eyes grudgingly to the sound of my 3 year old saying, “Mommy, can I make oatmeal?” and am half tempted to say yes, but remember what happened the last time I said that. I get out of bed and pour her a bowl of Super-duper-sugar-high-crap and sit to wake up. I hear the baby crying and go get her. Then, after pouring David a bowl of the same sugar stuff I turn on PBS and nurse baby on the couch. After waking up a bit I remember I need to get dressed, so I throw on some clean pants and shirt and brush my hair. The ransacking begins – the toys are dumped out and “mine!” SCREAMMMM cryyyy waillll, starts.  Referee. Call Josh.  Breathe.  Wish preschool was 5 days a week.

I breath and eat a granola bar. Then I try and make cleaning a game. This lasts for a good while and we get something done. Then baby cries. Change diaper and nurse time. Splash! Cry…..”No no baby David!” Put baby Lucy down to clean up havoc in bathroom.

Put on a movie. Let it play on repeat. Remind yourself that 4 hours of television won’t harm children as much as you want to harm them, so they are good. Then dinner? oh yeah….um, pop in a frozen pizza.

It changes day to day. Some days are better than others. Some  mornings I wake up before everyone and am dressed before they are! I can actually drink a cup of coffee before they are done eating their cereal and God refreshes my mind. Others I feel like sanity is a bone hanging in front of my nose like a dog on the race track.

That woman I am constantly comparing myself to? Doesn’t exist.  UHO.  In the craziness I find time to laugh, and the laughter releases endorphins that help me cope with the impending “my world is going to end cause she has my toy” scenarios.  Lizzie’s current favorite movie is “Despicable Me” and she dances with the little girls on it. At the end of the movie I get up and we all boogie!

We play tag, we laugh. We eat cereal on a bowl that I had to handwash over a pile of other dirty dishes.  We snuggle on a couch overloaded with laundry.  And we read books in a toy room that is a walking hazard. But she will remember the snuggles, not the couch; the books, not the sticky floor.  And that UHO? She only exists on my mind, not my children’s.  To them, I am the perfect mother and so are you to yours!

Here we are! Another week! This week I have a full schedule – from doctor’s appointments (yes plural) to playdates and of course Lizzie’s preschool. Heck, she even has a dance part Friday night.

Every Monday that starts a week with such a full schedule I let out an audible breath and tense up. “Get ready for the jet-propelled week!” I tell myself.

It really doesn’t help that my weekend was anything but relaxing. I didn’t exactly tackle the dishes, laundry, or toys. Let’s be honest, I didn’t exactly touch them either.

So starting a Monday with dirty dishes and mounds of laundry exacerbates an already stressful situation. This might take an extra prayer or two (or three, or 10).  I read in the book “Passionate Housewives Desperate for God” that this (brief) period of my life is my “noisy” time. After all, there is a time and a season for everything right? So right now is my season of dirty dishes, it is my season of wrinkled shirts and lost toys. All too soon my babies will blow me off as they speed out of the driveway in their cars. The toys won’t be lost anymore, they’ll be tucked away in the attic! What a scary thought.

That is how I am handling this week. I am embracing it! Bring on the headaches and meltdowns, they are far easier to handle than teenage hormones.

Lucy Mariea
Born 7:42 am
8lbs 6 ounces
21 inches long