Keeping the media away from Kaden is a CONSTANT struggle. Whether it’s TV, movies, or video games, he is constantly bombarded with that stuff and it drives me crazy. He would be perfectly happy watching TV all day long, with no breaks. Now I’ve been told that this is partially a male trait too, but still. Get your BUTT up off the couch and DO something!

Family time is really, REALLY important to me, so in an effort to increase family time and decrease media time, I took all of my board games out of storage. Some of them have disappeared over the years, so I just HAD to get more right? My aunt bought me Apples to Apples a couple of years ago for Christmas and we loved it, so I bought Kaden the Jr. version of the game. I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to play, but since he’s an excellent reader now, he LOVES the game!

For anyone who hasn’t played the game, the “judge” puts down an adjective card, and everyone has to lay down a card from their hand that goes with that adjective. It can be challenging because you only have five cards in your hand, and everyone thinks a little differently.

Now I must admit, that playing this game with Kaden is really funny at times. I feel like Will Ferrell playing Alex Trebek in Celebrity Jeopardy on SNL. Remember when Sean Connery is writing the answers for final Jeopardy and they’re ridiculous? Yeah, that’s me while calling out these cards. In Kaden’s defense, you do the best you can with the cards you have – but sometimes his answers just crack me up. There are times though, when his answers made Tom and I look at each other and say “wow he’s right, that’s the best one.” It’s just a matter of perspective sometimes, and Kaden’s is definitely different!

I have a game night coming up, and Apples to Apples will definitely be one that we play. What are your favorite board games for a crowd, and your favorite family board games? Do you guys have any suggestions for games that we can play with Kaden?

Some of our favorites are Parcheesi, Mad Gab, Tripoley, and Guesstures. Give me a night with a yummy dinner, good music, and my family around a game… and I’m a happy girl! :)