Dawn M Garcia

30 Day Challenge - Day 22 Pick Up Sticks

2012-01-25T08:26:00.002-08:00

A simple, but tricky game. I had forgotten about Pick Up Sticks but it was an added bonus to a box of games one of the kids received for Christmas one year. Brightly colored sticks held in your hand and let go to topple on the floor or table. Each person has to pick up as many of the toothpick thin sticks one stick at a time without any other sticks moving. It looks easy enough that it misleads you to think you could get all the sticks picked up and win the game but that's just it - the sticks move with the slightest misstep. I think that is the fun part of the game. It teaches us not to be too cocky about winning easily. Not much is easy and you actually have to work at it.

Another lesson learned from a simple game.

30 Day Challenge - Day 21 Cookin' Cookies

2012-01-25T08:26:00.000-08:00

Have you played anything like Cookin' Cookies? Each player gets a recipe card and a plastic spoon wit a suction on one end. The first person to get all five of the recipe ingredients without getting a rotten egg wins the game. It sounds easy enough but the catch - there are a lot of rotten eggs! This game was a long one but it was fun but at the same time discouraging. We could be one away from getting the ingredients to make a chocolate chip cookie and bam! The green rottten egg smiles up at us with a devious look. When you get the rotten egg, you have to throw all the ingredients back into the pile and start over grabbing the ingredients you need for your cookie.

The 30-day-challenge is a lot of fun and going pretty well, however, at times I wonder what I was thinking by suggesting such a challenge. Homework, friends over, supper, showers and baths, piano lessons, boy scouts, work late, Zumba and of course, bedtime seem to rush us on most nights. Knowing we have to play a game helps us stay close. Game night has become another thing we add to our have to do lists each night. I love hearing the kids ask me what game are we playing tonight. I think I will miss playing a game every night but I will definitely not take as long a break in between playing games with my family.

After the 30 days will be over, we will still have at least 100 more games we haven't played so the challenge will continue in its own way.

30 Day Challenge - Day 20 Math Bingo

2012-01-25T08:08:00.000-08:00

My 9yo and I played Math Bingo. The day got away from us and the younger ones were in bed, tired out and not in moods to play a game. It turned out Math Bingo was a bit harder than they would have been able to do anyway. It was a good game for the 9yo, though as he is using mulitiplication and adding big numbers in school. It was a good math lesson for both of us! And, since we were having fun adding and multiplying, we played blackout bingo instead of the one row bingo.

It was a good one on one time, which seems very few these days with any of my children. Lesson learned - spend more time with each of my family members one on one. Not just at bedtime but at other times throughout the day or week. I know how much they would treasure that time and I bet I would love it too.

30 Day Challenge - Day 19 Yahtzee

2012-01-25T07:57:00.000-08:00

Another classic. I remember playing Yahtzee as a family when I was much younger. It is definitely a game of paying attention and knowing what a deck in your hands adds up to. The biggest thrill is getting a Yahtzee but it gets even better when you get another Yahtzee - which is worth 100 points. You know you are going to win the game if you get two Yahtzee's in one game. It is almost disappointing when you roll the fifth dice on the third roll for a Yahtzee and it doesn't come out a match, but it is a fun disappointment knowing you have a few more chances.

What is your favorite "hand" in Yahtzee? Of course the Yahtzee is but if that wasn't an option, which would yours be? I would have to say the large straight. A challenging hand - but my 3yo rolled it twice on the first roll. Peer Luck!

30 Day Challenge - Day 18 Charades

2012-01-25T07:51:00.000-08:00

I hesitated when the boys begged for Charades. Acting silling on cue in front of people is a bit intimidating, even if it is my family but this game turned out to be my favorite so far! The kids really got into it and showed no fear. Even Dad got in the jive. We had to look in the mirror, do some boxing, some eating, walk backwards, skip - and some of them were so obvious we couldn't even guess what it was! I think that is what made the game.

A good family bonding experience where we could act out our sillyness and let loose. I think we will be playing this game more often.

30 Day Challenge - Day 17 Let's Go Fishing

2012-01-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

We had to have a fun, quick and easy game tonight. We chose Let's Go Fishing. It proved not to be so fun, quick or easy! I am not much for cheating on games (or anything for that matter) but I couldn't even hold the fishing pole by the end and catch any of the fish moving around in a circular motion. Everyone's hands got in the way of others by the time the little fishy's mouth opened. It was frustrating enough to just let the kids play. My 3yo quit, too. So, that left the boys to their own fun and once it was just the two of them, I was overjoyed at how well they got along and actually worked together to catch all the fish in the pond.

Although this game was a wash for practicality, it was a lesson of sharing and getting along. Therefore, I loved this game!

30 Day Challenge - Day 16 Upwords

2012-01-18T13:40:00.000-08:00

A challenging game of words. Upwords wasn't all that fun until my 6yo made two words from a t - toot and tax. That put the game to a whole new level of fun words. It was a bit harder for the 6yo to play as he hasn't been forming words for too long. 9yo got a little annoyed at how long it took 6yo to put the letters on the game board and 3yo couldn't play except to pick new letter cubes from the pile for me.

This game took a little longer than I anticipated and rolled over into bedtimes. It was probably a better suited game for a weekend. Nonetheless, it got our brains working to find unusual, but common words. We challenged ourselves to put more than one letter down to create a word tower. And, we never had to use the dictionary.

We have quite a few "word" games in our game cupboards and thsi is the one the kids picked. A good choice, really. It made each of us laugh but it also taught us patience!

30 Day Challenge - Day 15 Pin the Tail on the Donkey

2012-01-18T13:26:00.000-08:00

An old party favorite - Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Another easy and quick game for a weeknight. Blindfolding, turning around three times and trying to walk a straight line took talent. I kept putting the donkey's tail on my closet door. Each and every time. My 3yo didn't want the tail on the donkey at all and when she removed the blindfold, she took the tail off the donkey and pinned (taped) it to the wall beside the donkey. Doesn't seem much, but it was pretty silly. A laugh out loud moment.

Unfortunately, my 9yo thought the game to "young" for his tastes and didn't partake in this one. He was revving up for the next night's game.

Pin the Tail on the Donkey has been around for many, many years. In fact, as I was researching the exact date, I came across an answer someone wrote that an article was found in Good Housekeeping Magazine in 1888. The article was titled "The Children of the Household: Some Interesting Emergency Amusements for Them." Children were blindfolded, then pinned a cloth tail on a picture of a donkey.

Read more: Who invented pin the tail on the donkey? | Answerbag http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2063969#ixzz1jqb9OmZG

What is your memory of Pin the Tail on the Donkey? Did you play it at your birthday parties? I think I have pictures to prove I did!

30 Day Challenge - Day 14 Whack-A-Mole

2012-01-18T13:11:00.000-08:00

A game for the youngster tonight! Another loud burst of energy pounding little moles who supposively pop out of their mole hills. The funnest part was making the sound of the mole each one of us were to smack with a plastic pallet.

Not much to the game but after I put 3yo to bed, the boys took turns playing the solo game which they had to pound out the light of each of the four moles on their own. It reminded me of the old game Simon. Nevertheless, it was a fun night - an easy game that didn't last long... a mother's dream. ;)

30 Day Challenge - Day 13 Life

2012-01-18T12:57:00.000-08:00

A game that represents life. Who thought of that? If only my life were as easy as the game. I didn't have to go to college, became a rockstar and made $100,000 income, which I received in full every time I passed a PayDay. I loved it. My kids did, too. We have played Life before but never with the instructions in tact. There is a lot of neat stuff that can be added to "our" version of the Life game we played previously. Every time someon spins the number on your stock, you automatically make $10,000. This game was all about the money and good conversation from the kids.

It was too hard for 3yo to play but she still took a spin on her turn and ran around with money in hand. The boys loved pretending they worked for their career card. They both wanted to draw the cop career card as spinning a ten meant big money!

It was a fair game as we all had to make it to retirement. It was just a matter of who had the most... you guessed it - money.

30 Day Challenge - Day 12 Don't Break the Ice

2012-01-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

Challenging to put together, even for an adult, but hilariously a great ice breaker for family game night. It didn't take long to play one game. Setup took longer than the actual game. It is a Cootie Game with a purple polar bear who sits on top of "ice" blocks. Each person has a small plastic hammer to gently pound out one white, ice block at a time. The person who pounds the block that makes the polar bear falls loses the game. A process of elimination, we always knew who was going to lose before all the blocks were punched out of the rink. That didn't take the fun out of the game, though. We played three rounds in less than 15 minutes. Good school night game for us!

30 Day Challenge - Day 11 UNO

2012-01-13T11:43:00.000-08:00

Another classic but a family favorite. We played UNO and even my 3yo was able to play. She just matched the colors and was able to play a hand. She even won the game! She loved it and the rest of the family, even Dad, loved it. I personally prefer the older version of the UNO cards where it actually says Draw 2 or Skip instead of the face cards without words but I am a little old-fashioned. I need to modernize on some of that. =)

It does take a longer time to play but is worth the time.

From Wikipedia: UNO was originally developed in 1971 by Merle Robbins in Reading, Ohio and became a Mattel product in 1992.

I could have sworn I played it before 1992 but time has flown for most of my life ... anyone play UNO when they were younger? What is your first memory of playing UNO?

30 Day Challenge - Day 10 Dominoes

2012-01-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

We had to pick a quick game for Day 10 of our challenge as there was basketball practice, late dinner and a movie we got sucked into. The kids were already up late so I rummaged through the game cupboard and found a quick game of Dominoes. No instructions needed for this quicky.

I wanted quick and I got quick with this one. It was an easy matching game for the younger kids. After I went to put 6yo to bed, the 9yo continued playing and matched all of the dominoes into a neat formation. It is a game that can be played solo, too. That is a good concept to have in a game!

Any memories of Dominoes? Any other ways to play beside matching 'em up? We lost the instructions on this game, too. Where does all that paper go? I like the games that have the instructions printed on the inside of the box. What a great concept!

30 Day Challenge - Day 9 Sorry

2012-01-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

A classic I remember playing in my younger years - Sorry. It isn't a very challenging game but it was a lot of fun playing as a family! Even Dad joined in for this one. My 9yo kept getting the sorry card - he counted over ten times. He didn't even have any of his pegs in the start position to use them.

We had to rely on my memory of playing the game as we found out our instructions are in Spanish. I guess I need to look up the "rules" online someday. Other than that, we all took turns going around the board eleven spaces or four spaces back. It was a close game - at the end, we were all begging for a four but fours go backward so that card became a "I don't want that card!" moment.

What is your favorite part of the Sorry game? Sending someone back to start, switching places, or moving back four when you just got one peg out? A game of pure luck of the draw but it deemed a good family get-together!

30 Day Challenge - Day 8 Candy Land

2012-01-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

Got out the classic game of Candy Land so 3yo could play but she lost interest after she realized she couldn't put her gingerbread man wherever she wanted on the board - until I told her it was time for bed. Then, of course she was all over playing the game. It was easy enough for her but she still needed a little assistance.

Do you remember playing Candy Land when you were a child? Was it one of your favorites? I found it was a little intense, even if it was a kids game. I was at the top of the game, just a few color spaces from the win - and I dreaded picking the next card in fear it was the gingerbread man, which would send me back to almost the beginning of the game. Luck would have it though and I never drew any of the icon cards that would send me back. Whew!

30 Day Challenge - Day 7 Huskeropoly

2012-01-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

Even though my parents are Hawkeyes - at least I hope they are!!, they bought my Husker loving husband a Husker version of Monolpoly - Huskeropoly. We have had this game for at least two or three years but I have never brought myself to actually playing the game. Now that Iowa and Nebraska are rivals when it comes to football game day, I thought I would give it a fighting chance.

It turned out to be a lot more difficult than the older and more popular Monopoly version. There were credits to be bought instead of houses and motels. We landed on the "Sea of Red" and "O" Street but the rent wasn't much so it didn't make sense to buy the property and hope someone would land on it to make up the difference of costs.

Aside from that, my 3yo couldn't play and she wanted to sort the cards and hand out money, which she still wasn't old enough to do.

I have to admit that this game, even at the short version we played, was a bit boring and I don't see myself running to the cupboard to play it again. The boys have played it in the past but I think my 9yo only plays because he is also a diehard Husker - poor kid! =)

30 Day Challenge - Day 6 Hungry Hungry Hippos

2012-01-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

Oh wow! What a loud and obnoxious game. We played it for our 3yo, who can't play too many of the games - naturally. This one was a gamer for her but we all had fun. It was a quick and easy game, too. After three rounds, though, I bowed out - graciously. It has to be one of the loudest games I have played in a long time.

We released the little white balls in the middle of the four hungry hippos and pounded on the black handle until all the little white balls disappeared in the hippos tummy's. Yum yum fun!

30 Day Challenge - Day 5 War

2012-01-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

We were cut short time today with working late and basketball practice so we skimped on the game a little. We played an old-fashioned card game of War. Instead of playing with two players, we played with three players. Less cards but still all the fun!

We started getting into throwing the cards down to see who could put theirs down first. We didn't play with the small deck of cards, either. It was more fun to play with jumbo sized cards. Harder to shuffle but who needs to shuffle, right?

The time I am spending with the kids has become invaluable and I am looking forward to playing a game each night just to hear the sweet sound of their laughter and the thrill of the excitement they spur around the room!

The kids are learning that winning isn't everything, that the more you play, the more fun it is whether you win or not. They are learning to take turns and be nice to each other. They are actually starting to like spending time together - and this is a hard feat for two brothers!

30 Day Challenge - Day 4 Jenga

2012-01-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

A game of physical and mental skill, Jenga is a game that definitely takes skill. A 54-block game where players take turns removing a block from anywhere below the top three blocks of the tower and place it back on top. This creates an increasingly unstable tower, creating more chances of a tumble tower.

The kids had so much fun with this one! It almost seemed they were purposelly taking the hardest block just to see and hear the tower tumble! There was much laughter with this one especially since there were really no winners or losers. Just a fun game of pulling out a block without making the tower fall. Even my 3-year-old could take out the easier blocks without the tower tumbling down noisily on the dining room table.

What was your favorite game when you were growing up? What is your favorite game now?

30 Day Challenge - Day 3 Jam Pack Jam

2012-01-05T06:46:00.000-08:00

Get ready to pack the blue car to its fullest capacity and feel your heart beat quicker and quicker with each item you put in the trunk. Within a short amount of time. This Jam Pack Jam game was filled with laughter, but also frustration for one of the kids. After being dealt five cards and one must pack card, we take turns packing six items into the trunk. Some items include a guitar case, a rug, a fish tank, a long table and a tire. The person with the most packed items after four turns wins the game.

It was a fun-filled time and even though someone had to lose and someone had to win, the kids wanted to play it again. Instead, my six-year-old practiced so it wouldn't be so frustrating the next time we played.

The 30-day-game challenge is turning out to be more fun than I imagined. The kids love spending time together, with Mom, playing games. It is a great bonding time and the time keeps us laughing. I am actually looking forward to the next night's game, too.

I wonder, too, if we will get tired of playing a game each night but right now it is too soon to say that could happen.

The kids are so excited about a 30-day challenge that they want to do a 30 day challenge for every month this year. Next month they are thinking "good deeds". What a great idea!

30 Day Challenge - Day 2 Catch-Up

2012-01-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

Have ever needed a little help with conversation at the dinner table? We played Mc Clean Family Catch-Up Game last night during a dinner of shake and bake chicken, mashed potatoes and mixed vegs. My oldest loves this game - it always gets good, honest answers out of mom and dad! For example, have you ever hid something from your parents? It also works great for me, the mom, to find out some hidden thoughts among my youngsters.

It's a thoughtful, playful and ever-so-honest, good-hearted game for the whole family to enjoy.

The kids have been begging me all day what we are playing tonight... Life, Monopoly (Huskers and the good 'ol American version?)?

30 day game challenge - Day 1

2012-01-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

Apples to Apples Jr. - The game that kept us laughing! My 6-year-old thought it was one of the funnest games and both boys kept asking if we could play it again - for two days straight. They don't even want to play a different game for Day 2.

Apples to Apples is a game where a judge who "decides" which card matches the "clue" card after each player lays a card down that best matches the "clue" card. It is definitely a laugh out loud game that inspires creativity and reading skills. Have you ever thought that collecting shells could be crunchy?

Since this game challenge began, the kids are very enthusiastic about playing the many board games we have in the cupboards - even my 3-year-old! She even learned how to play a game of War.

30 day game challenge

2011-12-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

Thirty board games in thrity days. The kids and I are into a challenge beginning January 1, 2012. We have three cupboards full of board games - some we play over and over, others never played. It's time to take them out of the dust pockets and have fun with them. Any suggestions as to which one should be the first? We have all the classics and then some... We will log our process here daily. Stay tuned!

Trust in the Lord with your heart…

2011-11-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

I put my trust in God but sometimes it is harder than I think it could be. I am trusting an invisibleness that can’t talk to me in live voice. I talk and He listens although I can’t really know for sure that He is there. If I weren’t raised with a strong religious background, I would wonder who or what I was talking to.

But, we have to believe in something, right? I once read that I would rather die right because I believed in God than die wrong, not believing in God.

When it gets tough around the house or in one of life's cycles, it is the greatest joy to have trust in God! Even if it is the unknown.

What Do I Do All Day, My Husband Wants to Know

2011-09-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

Last night, I was flipping pancakes, frying eggs and sausage and toasting and buttering bread for a breakfast dinner. In between a flip and a stir, I had a crying two-and-a-half year old begging to be held and a first grader reading to me from his school book. God only gave me two hands and one big heart but I managed to make it through the tantrum and the homework, dinner and showers, good-night kisses and I love you's without feeling any stress at all.

How did that happen? I took a deep breath, said a patience prayer and set the two-year-old to work. We stirred the pancake batter, ate some peanut butter chips before pouring 1/2 a bag into the batter, set the table for five and listened to a great story about a horse.

Dinner was served and mi vida loca was calm for the fifteen minutes it took us to gobble down pancakes, eggs, sausage, toast and a bowl of mixed fruit.

Favorite Memory of Dad

2011-09-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

In essence of my debut novel, yet to be published, I want to know what your favorite memory of your dad is/was. What He Left Behind is a story about a father and daughter. What would you say is your favorite memory? What would you have missed if your dad wasn't around when you were growing up? What would your life have been like?

The Dad I didn't know

2011-08-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

I found out about a year and a 1/2 ago that my biological dad died. There was a note in my inbox from Ancestry.com claiming a man with my dad's name had died. What a great way to find out that the father who left me years ago was now buried six feet under in a state I didn't know anything about - Oklahoma, miles away from where I thought he was living and would live out his life. I was looking for him but to no avail and no luck. I later found out he was homeless. No wonder I didn't find him! Instead of getting angry at myself and at my absent father and living with the regret of not finding my dad in time, I was inspired to write a fictional story about a woman, Kyla Richmond, who was abandoned by her father. Once published, you will have to read the book, What He Left Behind, to find out if Kyla's story ends with a happy ending or a not-so-happy ending like mine.

Redesigned Website

2011-08-05T19:20:00.001-07:00

I have a newly designed website at www.dawnmgarcia.com. Check it out and let me know what you think. Also, be sure to take the poll!

What Do I Do All Day

2011-07-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

Are you a stay-at-home mom? A work-at-home mom? Some days it seems like the world is spinning around me with laundry, dishes, kids, dusting, vacuuming and the list goes on. There are days when it seems I don't get one thing done but I still feel exhausted. I wonder what did I do all day? Those are the days my dear husband comes home from his exhausting work day and wonders what I have done all day. What is your day like today?

Would you read it?

2011-06-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

Would you read this book?

With only a fading memory, a washed-out photograph and a crumpled letter written more than two decades ago, Kyla Richmond sets out to find the man who abandoned her all those years ago. She moves her family to Strome City, South Dakota where she last saw him as she waved from the backseat of her Mama’s beat-up and run down Pontiac. It isn’t until she volunteers at the homeless shelter that Kyla’s search for the man she once called daddy spirals into a heartwrenching discovery. She also learns compassion, gratitude, forgiveness and most of all, she learns how to, again, love the man who left her behind.

Seeking Agent Representation

2011-06-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

Freelance writer, graphic and web designer seeking out agents for representation of my debut novel, What He Left Behind the old fashioned way - the query letter. Not only am I looking for representation of my debut novel but a novel writing career. It really is as hard as others say it is. I have sent out ten queries and have had five rejections so far. So, for every rejection I receive I will send out two more queries. This is just about a full time job!

homelessness

2011-03-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

What are your thoughts about the rise of homelessness in the country? Who do you think is the face of homelessness today? Who would you say is the stereotypical homeless? Would you offer money to a homeless man standing on a street corner with his handwriting scrawled across a makeshift cardboard sign asking for help? Why or why not?

Free Book

2011-03-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

I can't say that I have won too much in my life but I am excited to say that today in the mail I received a free, advanced copy of Night Road by Kristen Hannah. It is due out March 29. Right now on my nightstand is Home Again, a book written by Hannah. Half way through the book and so far the read is pretty good! I can't wait to get started on Night Road.

Aspiring Author wants to know

2011-01-20T12:06:00.000-08:00

What were your thoughts, as an aspiring author, when you first started out, before your novel was accepted? Did you have a mentor? Where would an aspiring author find one? Who read your drafts, if anyone? Did you have a platform before your first novel was accepted? If so, where did you start? Where did the followers come from? And, when you did, if you did, research for your first novel how did you request the information (hi, I am writing my first book, can I borrow your expertise?) - what if it never was published and the people you researched looked for the book?

Character Names

2011-01-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

I caught myself just about to call one of my kids a name from my novel. Now, that is dedication, right?

First Draft

2010-12-31T14:24:00.000-08:00

I finished my first, but very messy, first draft!! What an exciting trip down writer's lane! The revision process seems just as exciting but at the same time, a bit scary... because I think the first draft is just 80,000 words and thoughts on paper. Onward!