and the winnah is...

#10 - jennifer c. - way to get in there just under the wire!

#6 - holly - i don't think i have ever wanted to play stratego OR othello

#9 - sherilyn  - i cannot believe we never played pitch together. i love that game (but don't know how to play well enough to teach other people).

congratulations everyone who won! to everyone else (and i know how competitive you all are!), thank you for playing. and thank you for sharing...i feel like i've learned about some new games to try out. (and thank you to those who came out of the proverbial woodwork to comment--i'm glad to know you are out there even if this is the only way i can get a comment out of you!)


and keep playing games with your family (even if you didn't win!)

are you up for doing "one nice thing"?

i think that i am pretty nice person in general.  as far as i can tell, people generally like me.  but sometimes i feel like that just isn't enough.  it seems like when it is time to put kindness into action, i'm just not sure where to begin, what to do or how to do it.

debbie tanzer wanted to make a change so she committed to doing one nice thing a week.  i like someone who, like me, keeps the goals small and attainable.  i recently received her book, do one nice thing, and also discovered her website.  in the book and on the website, she has a whole list of ideas from small things to big things that we can do to be nice to someone else.

take a look at her website or follow her on twitter and you too might find yourself inspired to "do one nice thing."

family game night prizes!

did you experience a fabulous family game night?

whether you did or you didn't have a family game night tonight, any night can be a family game night...as long as you have the games. maybe you had a good excuse for not having a family game night: maybe you ran to your family games cupboard, closet or drawer and couldn't find anything that looked fun or age-appropriate. if this was your problem, i would like to help you with a little extra family fun for your next family game night.

for your game-playing pleasure, i have three sets of hasbro card games to give away. have you ever tried playing scrabble slam, crazy old fish war, pictureka! card game or monopoly deal? i haven't either but doesn't it sound like those games have a ton of potential for fun?

if you would like to be one of my three winners of these four card games, you must answer the following questions:

1) are you an ultra-competitive player who always has to win?
2) what was your favorite game when you were growing up?
3) what is your favorite grown-up game to play now?

i know, having to answer three whole questions is fairly demanding, but i have confidence that you can do it! inquiring minds want to know the answers to these questions!

i will randomly select three winners from those who answer all three questions in the comments section on September 30 at 9.02ish central standard time.

happy game playing!

i did not receive anything for hosting this giveaway on your behalf (except the games i mentioned in the previous post).

family game night

while our family loves to play games, it seems that we rarely find the time and opportunity to sit down as a family and play together.

hasbro has set aside a day for all of us to take advantage of the good times that can come with a family game night.  research shows that families say the happiest times they have together are when they sit down to play games as a family, but this rarely ever happens (see above).  with this in mind, hasbro has given us an opportunity to put a night on our calendars that will be fun for the whole family.

do you even know where your family's games are?  we keep most of ours under tate's crib, for some unfathomable reason (well, really it isn't that hard to fathom, we simply had no other place available when we moved in).  since it is time to move tate to a big bed, we are going to have to find a new place for the games.  personally, i'm hoping to find a place that is more accessible, so we can have more family game nights after this one.

the other day i received a package full of games from hasbro, and everyone was excited to discover the games inside.  we had a spontaneous family game night that night.  everyone took a turn playing bop-it.  bill got the high score of course, even if he did make tate cry!  then we played a few rounds of boggle.  tessa and zoe played each other with a little help from mom and dad.  it turned out to be a totally unplanned, really great time.

what game will your family play together?  if you need some tips, take a look at the website or follow them on twitter.  happy playing!

i received 5 games from hasbro but no other monetary compensation for this post.

okay, obviously i am still new at this...

maybe having your giveaway end on your birthday is not the best idea.  obviously i was partying so hard (or was so depressed, you pick) that i forgot about posting the winner to this fabulous giveaway.

actually, it was a fun giveaway to do because i honestly wanted every person to win (so i'm dealing with a a little sadness for the five of you who didn't).  but only one person can win and that was...

kristin! (KAA)  congratulations, and maybe this time you will have a girl!

disney definitely knows magic

thanks to mom central and feld entertainment, the kids and i had the joy of going to disney on ice last night.  we had an absolutely phenomenal time.  highlights included having pictures taken with mickey and minnie, having seats very close to the ice, and watching a great show with characters from all our favorite disney movies.

i was a little nervous about handling the show without bill, who had an unexpected meeting to attend, but everyone did very well.  tate sat entranced through the whole show.  tessa stood for the entire first half so she wouldn't miss a thing.  zoe couldn't tear her eyes away from the ice, but offered a running commentary throughout.

a few of my favorite quotes from the night:

zoe:  "i feel like i just can't stop staying thank you enough.  thank you so much for bringing us here."  "thank you for not saying we couldn't come because daddy couldn't come."  "thank you so much for bringing us by yourself."  "i can't wait to tell the kids at school i got to see disney on ice!"

when i told her we got to be here because of my blog...

"i hope that you keep blogging so we can keep going to things like this!"

tessa: "his head is an apple"  it took me a little bit to understand what she meant but if you ever see the event, check it out.  jiminy cricket's head does look like an apple.

tate:  "nemo.  talk."  i guess he was quite excited that the characters were talking.  they tell the stories from the movies by playing clips from the movies while the characters skate.

unfortunately, tate was focused on a hope that pooh would be there.  i have no idea why.  he doesn't even really know who pooh is.  for the last 20 minutes of our trip to get there, tate kept repeating, "pooh."  "yep. we might see pooh there."  "talk?"  "yes. you can talk to him."  finally, tessa couldn't take anymore.  "i am not excited about going to this if tate is going to keep saying, 'pooh, talk?' over and over.  i'm not excited about going any more."  this cracked me up more than anything else.

i think disney does a great job putting on a fantastic show.  i would recommend it (even after dealing with cranky and tired kids today--it was worth it!)


i received free tickets for our family to see the show, along with parking and a reception before the show.  i did not receive any other compensation for this review.

my first review (and a giveaway at that!)

when tate was born, i was pleasantly surprised to learn that the hospital included in our take-home package a halo sleepsack.  this was an item that i did not yet own, but i knew many who thought they were perfect for keeping their baby warm at night, without the danger of suffocation, thereby alleviating the fear of SIDS.

my mom, after observing the baby in the picture on the package, immediately pointed out her concern that the baby's poor arms might get cold.  while i did not share her concern to such an urgent degree, i did wonder how to handle the fact that my babies have always slept better when swaddled.  i ended up not using the sleep sack until later, when tate was ready to sleep without being swaddled.

to my delight, halo sleep sack has combined the best of both worlds.  you may now purchase a sleep sack that comes with a "removable, adjustable swaddle band."  how wonderful is that?  it "adjusts to fit [your] baby snugly and safely" but removes for when your baby still needs to stay warm safely without being swaddled.

i love the soft material they have used.  the two sleep sacks i was sent came in the softest baby blue and delicate baby pink.  in addition, you can buy different sizes to adjust to your growing baby's needs. 

for those of you trying to figure out what the basic needs are for your new baby, i would suggest one halo sleep sack over the millions of blankets that you will inevitably be tantalized by at the store.  not only does the SIDS alliance recommend the sleep sack as the number one safe sleep product, but you will sleep better knowing your baby is keeping warm and safe.

for one special reader, i have a pink sleep sack to give away.  it is a size small, designed to last from birth to 6 months (10 to 18 pounds).  all you must do to enter to win is leave a comment telling me your number one essential baby item.  think of it as the one item you would take with you if you and your baby were stranded on a desert island.

i will pick the winner for this drawing on september 12 at 9.34 pm (cst) this seems like a great way to celebrate my birthday: by offering a gift to you!

for this review, i received two halo sleep sacks, one to keep and one to giveaway.  i have received no other remuneration for this review...