Games

My kids both love games.  It's great, because Paul and I both love games.  Jack has always been into them because he is fiercely and often annoyingly competitive and has always had a ridiculous attention span.  Dani--not so much.  But she is getting much better and now likes paying attention for more than 1 consecutive minute.  She really enjoys games.  Her favorites are Sneaky Snacky Squirrel, Candyland, and Monopoly (Bonopoly).  She's not competitive at all and doesn't care if she loses.  And therefore, she usually kicks everyone's butt.  But there are two things she cares very deeply about in the board game world.  And if these two things don't happen, all bets are off.

Candyland

Candyland's rules are about as basic as they come.  Draw a card and advance to the color shown.  But there are also treat cards.  Those are pink and if you draw one, you immediately go to that space.  This can be good, if you are near the beginning of the game, or really bad, if you are near the end and get a pink card that takes you backwards.  Getting one of the pink cards is the only way your progress doesn't go forward in the game.  On each of the pink cards there is a treat:  Gingerbread man, popsicle, lollipop, cupcake, etc.  Dani doesn't care if she wins.  She just wants that bloody cupcake.  It just so happens, the cupcake is the closest pink space to the beginning, which means if you are anywhere past that, you don't want the cupcake.  Unless your name is Dani.  If you are Dani, and you are one space from winning, you want that cupcake.  If you are Dani, and someone else gets the cupcake card, you lose your ever-loving mind.  It's awesome.  And by awesome, I mean, horrifyingly awful.

Monopoly

We don't have standard Monopoly, we have a kid version.  Instead of deeds to property, you win various parties (Ice skating party, Princess party, Beach party, etc.)  If you land on one, you don't get the choice, you have to buy it.  If you are Dani, you want the Pizza Party.  If you are Dani and you have every other party on the board, you are not happy because you don't have the Pizza Party.  If you are not Dani, and you HAVE the Pizza party, you wish you were Dani because she is going to make your life absolute hell until you give her the damn Pizza Party card.

Anyone want to come over for Game Night?