All Child’s Play

Family Board Games

It just cracks me up every time I hear on the news or talk shows how the recession is bringing families back together.  Now that people don’t have money to spend on going out to dinner or the movies, they are somehow “forced” to stay home with their families and find new ways to create entertainment!

What the heck is that about?  It shouldn’t take a recession for families to realize how important it is to spend time together at home to connect with each other.  Yes, we all lead hectic lives.  But moms and dads need to take a step back and think about why they started a family in the first place.  First, it is important to remember that family bonds are not born in the delivery room. Family bonds have to be forged and strengthened over time.

My family has always had the family dinner table and planned family nights.  I can’t even tell you how many games of Candy Land, Operation and Who Woke Daddy I’ve played.  Yes, it was tedious and boring at times…but there’s no taking away the bonds that were built with our children and the laughs that we all shared.  My husband and I used to sneak the “Queen Frostine” card in the stack so my daughter or son would chose it and go straight to the almost end of the game.  To this day our kids still talk about that and share that story with everyone.

I was updating my website All Child’s Play yesterday, and as I was adding the family board games to the site it brought back memories galore. Our family has always played board games together, and still do to this day.  As our kids got older the “family game night” soon evolved into family and friends game night (friends of our kids that is).

At first it began as a planned night, but soon evolved into something that occurred in our household several nights a month.  It didn’t take a recession for us to drag out the family board games…we just did it because we all wanted to do it.  Those nights were always enjoyable (despite the competitive fights and arguments) and dragging out the Monopoly board games or board game of Life is something we still do when we’re all together.

The boxes are ripped and torn and despite my best taping efforts may soon need to be replaced, but the memories those family board game boxes hold will last forever and ever.

It shouldn’t take a recession for families to understand that time is fleeting and short.  We don’t get to have our kids at home with us for that many years, and we need…NO, WE SHOULD WANT…to spend as much time with them as possible.  My kids are grown up and no longer at home, but I still get to stack the deck with the “Queen Frostine” card for my grandson, and I still get excited when someone shouts out “let’s play Life”.  I love love love those times!

Family board games are an investment in your family.  Pop the popcorn, set up the snacks, and settle in for a night of fun enjoying and sharing the bonds you will be building with your kids.   And, when the recession ends and there no longer seems to be a need to cut back on the budget…keep those board games available and instead of going out to the movies, bust out a board game and enjoy your family.

Hey guys, what was your favorite family board game.  Leave me a comment below.  I love to hear about other games you played with your own parents as a kid or games that you and your kids enjoy playing together.

It’s Sunday evening and the family just left from their weekend visit.  We had a little incident yesterday that put me into Mom Crisis mode to find a quick cleanup solution.

In the process of trying to solve our cleaning dilemna, I came across this list of helpful household cleaning tips and organizational ideas.  Thought I’d share them here so if you ever have that little cleaning emergency like we did yesterday, maybe you’ll find your answer here.

Some of these are also some great money saving ideas, and with these tough economic times who doesn’t want to know how to save  a buck or two here and there.

Oh, and I no longer have links to where I got these tips from.  Some of them are my own, and others were stolen from the web.

If you have a tip you’d like to share, please leave it in the comment section below.  Have a nice weekend everyone (or what’s left of it).

A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a Knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. ( I’m not going to say how to use this technique or why you may need to, but I’ll leave it up to your imagination).
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Use empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls to store appliance cords. It keeps them Neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to. (We all keep those extra cords around that we aren’t using right away, and then when we go to find them we can’t remember which cord belongs to which applicance).
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For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won’t Refreeze. (wish I had known this for the Last 30 years!)
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To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for A few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The Wax will fall out.
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Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped In baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).
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Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
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Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of Scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted, unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. Now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get “sharpened” this way!
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Blood stains on Clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little Hydrogen Peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time!
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Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows.This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don’t wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.
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Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on.
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Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.
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Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.
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To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!
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To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove top.
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Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring In tomato based sauces and there won’t be any stains.
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Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks..
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When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn’s natural sweetness.
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Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
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Don’t throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
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To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.
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Ants, ants, ants everywhere … Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
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Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
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When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, and then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.
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Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer…….. Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes,! Brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China .
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Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water And drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.
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Polish Jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the Jewelry for two minutes.
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Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
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Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, and then run the hot water.