Tag Archives: indoor games

Facebook Has Genealogy Based Game

Facebook is filled with dozens of games that you can play. Personally, I enjoy playing several of these games with my relatives who are on Facebook. Now, there is a new genealogy based game on Facebook, called Family Village. I figure it’s only a matter of time before one of my relatives sends me an invitation to start playing that one with them. If I had to guess, I’d say that the most popular game on Facebook is Farmville. Somehow, the idea of growing virtual crops is one that appeals to a lot of people. I started playing this game … Continue reading →

Preview of the Terrible Twos?

Lily will be 17 months old on May 2. Our friends always comment on how sweet and quiet she is, and, truthfully, she is a very sweet little girl who rarely causes trouble. However, yesterday she really decided to flex her toddler muscles. The morning started out OK. She ate oatmeal with butter and some blueberries. We’ve found this is the best method of hiding her laxative. Simply cut the pill into tiny pieces and embed them in the berries. From that point forward, however, she was a little devil. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I take her to the library … Continue reading →

Remembering Your Kid is Just a Kid

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As the parent of a special needs child, I can’t help but think of my child as special or unique. In late 2008, my daughter Lily was born with a detached esophagus that had to be surgically repaired three days after she was born. As a result, Lily never breastfed, never drank out of a bottle, and, until she was six months old, was only able to drink half an ounce of liquid by mouth each day. So without question, Lily is special. There are times, though, when I have to force myself to take a step back and recognize … Continue reading →

Bad Weather and Active Pets

Fall and winter in the Pacific Northwest often means rain. And rain means MUD! There are days I want to walk my dogs in hip boots and a full-length coat (at least I have the coat, in a muddish shade of brown so the splatters don’t show). There are some days I don’t want to leave the house at all. Lally (my boxer mix) is the same way! She’s a funny little girl: she hates the rain, and hates getting wet. On days when the skyfall is constant, it’s hard to get her more than a few steps outside the … Continue reading →

High Chair Safety

High chair accidents occur more frequently than you might think they do. Maybe parents are pretty vigilant about high chair safety when their baby is just starting to use one, but after months (or several children), the safety rules tend to slip. Here is a guide (or a quick reminder) about high chair safety. Use a high chair that follows current safety standards While that antique wooden high chair you saw in a shop or were given by grandma looks lovely, save it as an accent piece in your home to display dolls, plants, old lace, etc. We know a … Continue reading →

Do Aquarium Pets Beg?

This past Monday was the tournament for my Monday night volleyball league. Like I did during the tourney for my Thursday night league, I sat around talking to my teammates. And, like what happened then with that conversation leading to blog material (see “Wives Judging Wives”), Monday night’s conversation also provided blog material. (This time for the Pets Blog, though, instead of the Marriage Blog.) It all started once I told two girls on my team, Jennifer and Susan, what exactly it is I do during the day. Susan’s an ardent animal lover. She’s very involved with rescuing dogs. At … Continue reading →

Autumn Recipes: V is for Venison

Prior to moving to Wisconsin from Hawaii I had never heard of venison let alone allow it to pass by my lips. Now that I have been here a while and become indoctrinated (somewhat) to the lifestyle, I’ve devoured many tasty venison dishes and most of them were eaten this time of year since fall marks the start of the deer hunting season. For those of you who are not familiar with the lean meat, venison refers to any wild game meat, though over time (at least in these parts) it has evolved to describe mainly deer meat. Venison is … Continue reading →

Really, They Can Feed Themselves

Recently, a mom of a nearly 2-year-old child was lamenting that she just couldn’t get her child to sit still and let her feed him–baby food! I remembered seeing a family with a child about that age in a restaurant many years ago trying to do the same thing and as I looked at my own self-sufficient toddler eaters, I rummaged my mind for reasons why a parent might still be trying to feed a toddler–control, not knowing better, wanting to avoid the mess, intolerance at the child’s imperfection, efficiency. I have a very different philosophy about young children’s eating … Continue reading →

Are You a Jekyll and Hyde?

When I told someone about the musical version of Jekyll and Hyde they scathingly said ‘like you would. How could you make a musical of that!’ They continued to look skeptical, when I assured them it was great and contains some lovely songs. The musical is based on the book ‘TheStrange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ by Robert Louis Stevenson. The other night I listened to the CD cast recording of Jekyll and Hyde with Anthony Warlow. (One of my favorite singers) We saw a production of this musical last year by the Orange Theatre Company and I was … Continue reading →

The Cube Challenge

Remember the Rubik’s Cube? If you grew up in the 1980s you likely were as addicted to the mechanical puzzle as I was. The colorful 3×3 cube invented in 1974 by engineer Erno Rubik ignited a pop culture craze in the decade made famous by Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and plastic jelly shoes. Today, those same jelly shoes have gone out of fashion, but the popularity of the Rubik’s cube lives on. In fact, this weekend, hundreds of puzzle junkies are in Budapest for the fourth annual Rubik’s Cube world championship–a three-day event offering big prizes to people who can solve … Continue reading →