To-do list of the sleep-deprived
- Get more sleep.
- Go to Ikea and finally use big-ass gift card that's been sitting in the house unused for about 2 years.
- Take a long daytrip up to the shore, just me and the baby, to visit rentals and figure out where we're going to stay this summer.
- Renew dog license for Small Dog (who is allergic to leaf mold, we've recently discovered, and will be on antibiotics till all the fallen leaves are gone).
- Move contents from safe deposit box in old bank branch (where we haven't been since moving a couple of years ago) to new bank branch.
- Figure out where the hell the key to safe deposit box is.
- Decide what I'm going to cook for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm doing a small turkey, but I haven't decided what I'm going to do with it yet (haven't done a turkey in years, but on holidays past my birds have always turned out nice and juicy). Most of the side dishes are set in stone (stuffing, the ubiquitous green bean casserole), but I haven't figured out which sweet potato dish to make. Any suggestions? Nothing with an orange glaze--I always find those way too sweet.
- Continue making my way through my Netflix queue (currently in my house: Happy Endings, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Ocean's Twelve).
- Keep knocking things off my Christmas shopping list. I've already gotten some things for my parents. I think Angry Boy is ready for some games. Are there any games your kids play that don't drive you nuts when you have to play along? (I am a fan of CandyLand and Chutes & Ladders.) Has anyone actually played this game? It caught Angry Boy's eye.
posted by Angry Pregnant Lawyer at 11:55 AM
10 Comments:
Good first games:
Cariboo (by Cranium)(this was good at about age 3)
Cranium Balloon Lagoon (good around 4 or 5)
Jr. Master Mind
Kids on Stage (a charades board game for pre-readers)
there's a Dr. Seuss game that's good (has elements from 4 of the books)
Chutes and Ladders
Friends of ours recommend "Who Am I?" as another good early game, and we also like Uno (we have the Dora version). CG is currently having lots of fun with Don't Break the Ice.
What's your criteria for finding a place for the summer?
Offspring really enjoyed in her young years a game called "Go Away Monsters!"
http://tinyurl.com/yhwxbj
It teaches shape recognition, and Offspring liked the fact that she could throw the monsters out of her room for good.
She also loved all kinds of memory games, like concentration, and matching.
We're in a Candyland place right now. Haven't tried Cariboo but want to. I remember Hi Ho Cherry-o but fear its small parts might be bad for a baby-ful house.
As for movies, loved Eternal Sunshine and (of course) Oceans 12. Nobody else loved Oceans 12 but me and Spouse. Of course, we were timing contractions when we first saw it. Good times. :)
I know nothing of games, but I do love my root veggies... I like sweet potato (and other root veggies can work too- it's great with carrots, parsnips, and butternut squash- I usually use a mix of these. You dice them into maybe 1 inch cubes, toss with a little (2TB?) olive oil and some salt and pepper, then roast in an oven on a cookie sheet lined with foil- bake at 425 for 25-35 minutes, turning once. The high heat makes them carmelize a little on the outsides which highlights the natural sweetness but they're not too sweet- and if you have leftovers, you can throw them in a blender with a little broth and puree them into an awesome soup. They're a Thanksgiving favorite at our place.
No thoughts on games here... but I have The Best Sweet Potato Dish Ever.
I'll get you the recipe (especially if you remind me). Basically mashed sweet potatoes with cream and a teeny-tiny bit of maple syrup. NOT too sweet... but completely fatty and divine.
Easy peesy too.
Yes to the roasted root veggies. We made those one T'giving and then they've always been requested since.
Alton Brown's roast turkey recipe is AMAZING! My family begs me to make it every year.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_8389,00.html
And Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Bake is also life-altering. Can't find the recipe right this second, but it's in her original The Lady & Sons cookbook.
Games: I can't say enough good things about Cranium's Hullaballo. You can sit on the couch and cheer as Angry Boy plays, or play along. It's a get up and get moving game, and my boys (2 and 4) both love it. Cariboo is on my list for them this Christmas. Also, card games: snap, go fish, war, concentration. LOVE to play cards!
sorry about the lack of sleep. hope it's better now.
food - martha stewart's baked brussell sprouts, creamed spinach and E always enjoys a side of beef. Seriously. The man loves his beef.
Games - we are game playing FOOLS. Ants in the pants, cooties, candyland, chutes and ladders, toss across, guess who (although that might be a little old, but still a hoot), checkers, dino monopoly jr.. Plus black jack. You know, to teach addition.
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