We've been trying to have our friends over to dinner one night a week and last week, Molly brought PIE FACE, which holds the current title as messiest and also funnest game in our repertoire. Basically, the idea is Russian roulette but with whipped cream -- you roll the die, turn the lever the appropriate number of times and hope that you escape without pie (whipped cream) on your face.

The best part is that every single person who plays makes the same face while playing their turn. You can see it up there. That squinched up wait-for-it face. Makes for the best pictures.

What are you guys playing lately? HAPPY WEEKEND!

Every year we rent a house and spend New Years with friends -- lots of eating, some drinking, talking, and tons of board games. This year the board game that dominated was SO GOOD that I have to share it. My friend A. bought it as a gift to give to a preteen relative but we broke it out and now I don't think that it's going to make it to the recipient.

Suspend! is a balancing game and the point of it is to be the first one to place all of your metal rods on a precarious hanger, if you knock any off they become yours and you have to start all over again. It's addictive -- we played over and over -- and good for both kids and adults, everyone in the house could play. It's also one of those games that you can play without thinking too hard or breaking the conversation (or explaining rules for hours and hours -- I'm looking at you Carcasonne). Which makes it perfect for big group gatherings.

Who knew that Melissa and Doug would be the latest all-family favorite?

What's your family playing nowadays?

It makes me feel a little guilty to admit it, but I'm not much of a play pretend type of mom -- I really can't make myself sit down and play Barbies or dolls for too long without wanting to bang my head against the wall. Enter: board games, the perfect way to occupy a toddler for an hour or two without it being too painful. With the winter months coming up, and the prospect of many hours indoors looming on the horizon, I've been stocking up on board games lately and we've amassed a pretty impressive collection.

Anouk just turned 3 and a half, and knows her letters, colors, and shapes, but even so, some of the more complicated board games are still a little advanced for her. Through a little investigation, though, we've come up with a good stock of games that are advanced enough to hold her attention without being too much.

Here's our list so far. What have we missed?
Penguin Pile Up: Balancing the penguins on a slippery iceberg is the aim of this game (first one to get all of them up there wins). For the littlest players, the iceberg can be set flat on the table so it's not so much of a challenge. A little difficult but satisfying when you get it and tons of fun.

Green Eggs and Ham Game: This one involves matching images with squares on the board to win. A must for Dr. Seuss fans.

Eeboo Tea Party Game: The first person to collect all of the pieces (plates, cup, food) wins. But beware of hungry bees! This game is an award-winner and probably Anouk's favorite right now. It also comes with its own tablecloth, which is pretty nifty.

Hi Ho Cherry-o: A counting game that's quick and easy. Keeping track of all the little cherry pieces, on the other hand...

I Spy Bingo: Find each of the items on the cards on a square on your board and you might get bingo! Teaches letters and letter sounds, with a more difficult option for older kids.

Go Fish card game: The old classic and you can find it everywhere, even the dollar store. There are some adorable vintage versions available on Etsy.

Memory: We have several versions of this matching game, but our favorite is probably one we made ourselves out of card stock and stickers. Pinterest has some great ideas if you're looking to DIY.

The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse: Created by Eric Carle, this coloring game combines creativity and fine motor skills. We previously reviewed it here.

ThinkFun Move and Groove: Not really a board game but we're including it anyway. Roll the soft plush cube and choose a card to act out the movement. We really appreciate that nobody "wins" with this game, it helps a lot with the meltdowns (we're still working on how to lose gracefully). ThinkFun sent us this one to review and it's still a favorite.

Just as a side note: A good number of these games A. and I picked up at the thrift store, on various shopping expeditions, for a dollar or less apiece. It never occurred to me before to look at the board games section but it's turned out to be a pretty stellar resource for games. Just be sure to check and make sure that all (or most?) of the pieces are there before you buy!

This post was sponsored by ThinkFun. I received a free version of their Move and Groove game in return for writing an honest review. The opinions in this post are my own.


One of the most difficult things to deal with as a stay-at-home parent is figuring out a way to keep Anouk entertained and active while the weather is less than cooperative. The answer? Board games.

But some of the traditional little-kid board games are just a wee bit too complicated for my only just three-year-old, with all of the many rules/dice/moving parts. Enter ThinkFun's innovative Move and Groove game, which was developed specifically with the active toddler in mind. The focus is on getting up, getting creative, and getting silly instead of getting competitive. It's a simple-but-fun concept: you roll the soft colored cube, choose a corresponding card, and then act out the action on the card (like "dance like a ballerina" or "do the swim" -- which J. and A. are doing below).




Anne's favorite part of playing just might be taking her turn to roll the cube (she's gotten extremely creative with how she kicks/bounces/throws it around the room) and also laughing at mommy and daddy as we march in circles or crab walk or raise the roof along with her. For our parts, James and I are happy that she has a new way to get active and we love the opportunity Move and Groove gives us to spend time together doing something as a family.

Besides Move and Groove, other games in the ThinkFun catalog that sounded intriguing to me include the brand new Last Letter creative card game (for ages 8+) and Zingo! Time Telling and Zingo! Word Builder games (ages 5+). In addition, some old favorites (Rush Hour Jr., Hoppers, and Square by Square) are being re-released with new challenges.

Do any of these sound like something your kids would go gaga for? Well -- you might just get the chance to try it out! ThinkFun has generously offered to send a choice of one of these above-mentioned games to a lucky (U.S.) reader. You can enter to win below -- the contest will run through Sunday, April 6, and a winner will be randomly chosen and announced next Monday.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We've been enjoying all of our Christmas presents over the past few weeks but one of the big hits for us as a family has been a little unassuming board game -- a coloring game called The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse, based on a book of the same name by Eric Carle. Anouk got it from her Aunt Bonne, who has a knack for picking out some of the best presents. Thank you, Auntie B.!

The concept is simple: each player gets a handful of small drawings and has to take turns coloring them in. The one who finishes the first is the winner. There are very clearly defined rules (you can only use the color you are given at any certain point) but there's also a lot of room for creativity, too (you can color your drawing in any way you want). Which makes it pretty much the perfect game for the wiggly, I-do-it-myself toddler stage (though I think older kids, and even adults, would enjoy this game just as much. James and I can get pretty cutthroat over it, it brings out our competitive streaks.)






This is the first board game we've ever played with A, and it's gotten me really excited about doing it again in the future. What board games do you play with your family? And am I the only one who thinks there's something incredibly soothing about coloring?

Happy Monday!