A Hurricane...Not Necessarily A Recipe For Disaster

For many, Hurricane Irene means downed tree limbs, flooded basements, and power outages. For some, a day without leaving the house can be a respite from the harried weekend race of sports, sleepovers, and lawn work.

A rainy day, much like a snow day, can mean precious time to catch up on that favorite novel, organize closets, and connect with family by pulling out some favorite board games.

My children's favorite and fondest memories are not flying around on screaming rollercoasters at Disney World, but being at home together gathered around the dinner table playing cards.

"Can we please play hearts together," my eldest son begs.

"Sorry Cole, daddy has a proposal due," we often reply. " I have a ton of laundry to fold, and you have a test to study for."

For many of us, the daily demands of our busy lives prevent us from carving out time together as a family.

If you find that you are with or without power this week, take advantage of the time to gather the family together and play some board games.

Here are a few of my family's favorite games:

Scrabble: Scrabble is one of the best and most loved word games. Scrabble helps inspire language skills and visual perception.

Monopoly: An all time favorite that helps kids develop math, reading, reasoning, and social skills.

Banana Grams: A new word game, like scrabble, that features lettered tiles. Kids create a grid of connecting and intersecting words as fast as they can. A Banana Gram book features coinciding puzzles for kids to follow along.

Uno: A fast paced card game that promotes strategy and color recognition.

Cards: War, crazy eights, go-fish, hearts, and spades. Card games teach kids strategy and are excellent for teaching addition and subtraction.

Set a time, turn off all the electronics (although you may not have a choice...) set up your families favorite board game, and enjoy some time together!

Goodnight Irene!