We Got Game

Hi friends. It's been a while since I've updated, mainly because pink eye took forever and then I found out that my sore throat was tonsillitis, which was a huge bummer. But through all of that disgusting mess, our family found time to have some fun. We've been playing a lot of games as of late, and here's my review on the classics verses the newer games:

It all started when I finally decided to learn how to play the Scrabble card game I've owned for 3 years and never played. We decided to have a little game night together some random weeknight before heading off the MN for Christmas, so we made some hot chocolate and cracked open the directions.

 I like marshmallows. Anyway, it's actually an awesome game. You can play any kind of poker with these cards, which all have letters and values on them. Some are double letter or triple word scores (etc), and it actually really works as a poker game and as a Scrabble game. So, for those of you who enjoy both, go for it, it's a nice travel-friendly way to enjoy both games.

This is a picture of James playing with me. Doesn't he just look so excited? Don't let it fool you, he liked this game, too, and he won by a lot, thanks to one hand he had with an insane number of points that would be impossible in a normal Scrabble game (2 triple word scores and 2 triple letter scores) Anyway, the one thing I really appreciated is you can trade in if you have a hand like this without penalty:

I mean, it was so early in the game, I couldn't use those blank tiles yet. But in poker Scrabble, you can play 5 card draw and trade in for some consonants. I still love traditional Scrabble, but I like this way, too.

 Mary Kate got us Rockem' Sockem' Robots for Christmas, so naturally we paired off and played it for most of the night while watching football. Kevin and James are pictured here playing it the normal way, whereas Mary Kate and I discovered that the robots have feelings, emotions, and the power of dance. Recently, back in Indiana, we've been making decisions based on the results of matches. 

This is a new(er) and awesome game that I love because I like word games and fast paced games and this is both. It's called Funglish and it is fabulous. You have certain words you need to get everyone else to say, so you use the adjectives provided on tiles in front of you to describe each thing. It's great. Sarah found it at Goodwill or something, so I guess it's time to go thrift store shopping (as if I need an excuse, I just found a copy of "Where In The World is Carmen San Diego the board game" so I think I'm doing okay. I love dated cultural references!).

We also got Twister (the hot spot) for Christmas. It is the best workout ever. After a couple minutes your muscles BURN. I highly recommend it. Here's a nice picture of James playing with me. He had to hold that pose for a long time because I couldn't find our camera. Way to go, James. I don't remember my muscles burning as a child, but in childhood, this game is hard because of balance. If you were a kid with random bursts of growth spurts (like me), you know how awkward it is to be constantly re-discovering how to move with more height and longer limbs. Twister was just testing fate.