Acquire [Board Game Review]

This is going to be my favorite review to date. It’s not because it’s my favorite game - Agricola and Power Grid co-own that title. It’s not because it’s the best-looking game. It’s because it’s the first “real” board game I played. It’s the game that got me started in the world of strategy gaming. I can very fondly remember joining my dad and uncles when I was 10 or 11 to learn this game and was in awe that there were games that were like this.

The old 3M edition of Acquire - the version of the game I own

Acquire is a game for 3-6 players and takes around 90 minutes to play, though more like 120 minutes as you add more players. The goal of the game is simple - accumulate the most money through your investments in hotel chains (or technological companies depending on your version).

Photo courtesy dandechino @ geekdo.com

This is how your turn goes - you play a tile on the board and then purchase stock in any hotel chain currently on the board. If you create a group of 2 more tiles with your placement, you may "found" that hotel chain with one of the available color tiles. If you lay a tile that joins 2 (or more) chains together, a merger occurs, and the majority shareholders in the acquired hotel chain receive a bonus. As I always say, this is not a full explanation of the rules. That is what the rule book is for.

So what do I think of this game? It is great. Sid Sackson, the designer, was ahead of time really. The game is so elegantly simple in its design, but "mastering" the game is the challenge. Which hotel chain do you invest in? Which chains do you merge? When do you merge them? All things you have to consider. All key decisions you have to make. When you look at this game, you can clearly see its influence on other games - Airlines Europe immediately comes to mind.
If you are looking to take friends or family beyond Monopoly, Life, etc, Acquire could be a good start. It would be very easy to teach the game as you go. If you are a more serious board gamer, then this should definitely be in your collection. 

Happy Saturday!
-D

Five Minute Friday: Mercy

This week I'm joining Lisa Jo's Five-Minute Friday link-up. Come join the fun and read what others are saying about the word of the week. It's amazing to read what others think of when they hear one particular word! And don't forget, you only get 5 minutes of writing time!

GO.

Mercy.

Do I show mercy to others?

That's what I think of when I think of the word "mercy."

I'd like to think I've been shown mercy a time or two. Not by Jesus because I've definitely been given His love and mercy. Thank goodness for His mercy! But by others. We all do stupid crap. We all have tough times. Some would argue others have had it tougher. I'd agree with that. Honestly, I've had an easy life but I guess that's another topic for another day.

Do I show mercy to others?

Hmm. This is an interesting question and not one I'm sure I can answer. I'd like to say that my kindness and compassion comes out when I meet people. A few people in my life have described me as a "sweet spirit" and I hope that's what comes out and that goes toward showing mercy to people. There are so many who need our mercy and our compassion. Are we really giving it to them? Can we honestly say we love our neighbor and would show them mercy if they came across a tough time? I hope I would but I honestly don't know. I'm a selfish sinner who looks out for myself and my family. They are my bubble after all. But others? They get put on the back burner. Ouch.

STOP.

The Company We Keep

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." -Proverbs 27:17

I'm sitting here in the quietness of a late Saturday night, the sound of the fan whirring the only noise in the house. All of my ladies are asleep. I'm still awake, thinking about this verse in Proverbs.

What I take away from this verse is the advice that the company we keep, in part, molds us into who we are. Let's be honest here... our friends have a significant impact on our lives. Positively and negatively. Not that we all just become the same people, but think about it, we begin to value what they value. And vice versa. The ones we are closest to have a tremendous impact on the trajectory of our lives. 

Which can lead to some difficult moments if you get down to it. Do you really value what they value? Or do you just want to fit in with them? What matters most to them? What do they value? What is important to them? Are those values values you want to aspire to or hold onto? 

As I have grown through my 20's I see just how much this matters. The saying about being known by the company we keep is very accurate. Because once you get lumped in with a group of people, it can be hard to escape that. It can be painful to escape that. 

If your friends' ideas of the weekend include bar-hopping, partying, and staying out late, and then you decide that's not for you anymore, that's a tough spot to be in. If you are striving to grow closer to your spouse and becoming a better parent, but they don't, that's hard. If you're trying to grow in your faith but others around you don't care, that's a challenging position. The examples can go on and on...

So what do you really value? What are your goals? What kind of person do you want to be? Can you reach that with the company you keep right now? 

Up until now I've only spoken about the negative. But imagine the positive. And maybe you're here. If you're around people who want to have great marriages... If you're around people who strive to raise their children to be the best they can be... If you're around people who recognize that the journey of faith is a long, winding path and can be difficult at times... Your trajectory is that much better.

And with two little girls who will be teenagers before I know it, this verse, this idea, well, it makes me wonder... What will they value? What company will they keep? And then I think back to myself. Because I'm showing them what I value. I'm showing them the company I keep. And they watch. They learn. They see. They know if the people I am friends with bring me up. And they know if those people bring me down.

We're known by the company we keep. For worse. But hopefully, for better.

-D

Gratituesday: Little Moments

I don't always appreciate the little moments I have with my two little girls. They drive me up a wall somedays, sometimes all day. They ask a million questions over and over again, spill a drink or food four thousand times a day, are at my feet playing with dolls when I'm trying to prep a meal, color all over the table and not on their paper. This list goes on and on.

Sometimes it takes looking back at pictures, even from just a few days ago, to fully appreciate how blessed I am to stay home with these girls. I look back and these pictures and laugh at their antics. Naomi wants to wear my sunglasses all the time and I happily oblige. Can I get a picture of the two them together and smiling at the same time? Not a chance at this stage in life but I can tell from their faces they're happy.

I love that homeschooling them means I won't miss all these moments as they get bigger. If Naomi wants to wear sunglasses all day and she still gets her work done, so be it. If Nyla spills yet another drink but cleans it up without being told, I know I'm doing a good job as a parent. Training up young minds and learning life skills is what it's all about after all.

The days are long but the years are short. I like not missing a moment with these two crazies! :)

Yes, we're in the bathroom. ;)

Sweet girls

Cheese!? Or maybe not. :)

Our visit to the zoo last week

Before church this past Sunday. 

Nyla is getting so big. She was copying me with her legs crossed.

These girls love to color!

Naomi's first haircut

Nyla can write her name

A cool day in August meant a picnic lunch on our driveway

Having fun after bath time.

This post is linked to Heavenly Homemakers for this weeks Gratituesday. Come link up and share what you're thankful for in your life!

Menu Plan Monday-September 9

September 9-September 15

Happy Sunday! Can you believe it, I'm posting my menu plan again?! Shocking, I know. :)
I try and post here  and I have too many posts in my draft pile. Raising girls and running a home keep me pretty busy these days. And unfortunately, this blog is on the back burner for the most part. We're trying and we're here. We read your comments and are encouraged by them. Please keep stopping by!

Monday- chicken nuggets, twice baked potatoes (from the freezer) and veggies

Tuesday- slow-cooker chicken marinara over whole wheat pasta, breadsticks

Wednesday- turkey burgers, fruit

Thursday- italian chicken breasts (from the freezer), brown rice, veggies

Friday- pizza

Saturday- leftovers

Sunday- leftovers

What's cooking in your kitchen this week?

This post is linked to Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday. Hop on over and get more great ideas for your dinner menu!

Room Time

I bought over 100 e-books/pdf's a couple weeks ago and one of the books included was Jamie Martin's, Steady Days (she writes at Simple Homeschool and has her own blog, Steady Mom). I was excited to see it among the list of books I received and started reading it immediately. She is one of my favorites! She's real, funny and is a busy work at home mom who also home schools her 3 young children.

One of the things she mentions is having a routine, flexible to you and your family. She even gives printables at the end to fill out and make your own. I printed it off and started filling it out. So far, it's been very helpful. I consider myself a fairly organized person but our days weren't going like I thought they could, some days at least. I struggled to find productive things for the girls to do at times and just got frazzled. The flexible schedule has helped!

One of the ideas, in the schedule, that really struck me is what she calls "room time." This is a 30-40 minute block (morning or afternoon, whichever suits your family) where your kids go to their respective rooms and play independently. It's not punishment, it's just a chance for everyone to recharge their batteries. Let's just say the girls haven't taken to it all that great. I'm starting out in a 10 minute block of time (she says to start small if your kids aren't used to it) and that's worked well. We'll build up each week and hopefully it won't be an issue in a couple weeks. It's hard getting them up to their rooms, they fuss and think they're being punished. I explain, in a few words, it isn't punishment, but a time to play with your own stuff and not have to share. The girls spend ALL day together and some separation time is helpful to them. I know it'll be good in the long run.

Not only is "room time" good for them, to learn some independence, but it's good for this mama. I can catch up on emails, this blog, switch laundry, get lunch together or just put my feet up. I need a few quiet moments just like they do. Who doesn't?

I can see that this will be a good thing for all of us. We'll build up to the 30-40 minute block and I think they'll be disappointed when "room time" is over. At least that's what I keep thinking in my head. Who knows, maybe we'll do 2 a day.

What routines have you established in your home that make you feel less frazzled?

Airlines Europe [Board Game Review]

Hello again, readers. It is I, Daniel, back with another game review for you. You can check out the previously reviewed games here. This time, I will be taking you through the game Airlines Europe, a fun and relatively fast-paced game about, well, airlines in Europe. Imagine that.

Airlines Europe is the brainchild of Alan Moon, who also created Ticket to Ride. When you open the game box, you can see the similarities, both in the components and in game play.

Airlines Europe is a game for 2-5 players (although a quick search of the Google should yield rule changes for 6 players) and should take about 15-30 minutes per player. Ginny and I played a game Friday night that took under an hour, but a 5-player game could up to 2+ hours. The goal of Airlines Europe is to accumulate the most points through investing in airline companies and expanding their routes across Europe.

On your turn, you have four options: 1) Claim a route for an airline company, paying the money to the bank and advancing the company up the share track and drawing a share of stock into your hard; 2) Lay down shares of stock into your "portfolio," earning money for each share laid down; 3) Exchange shares of stock for shares of Air Abacus, a government-run airline company; 4) Receive money from the bank. Three times during the game, a scoring card appears, and you award points based on ownership in each company. Total all the points accumulated through each scoring round, and the one with the most points wins. As always, the rule book details these steps further.

What I like about Airlines Europe is the simplicity of the game yet complexity of the decisions. What airline do you expand? What stock do you add to your hand? What stocks do you add to your portfolio? When do you add them to your portfolio? When do you invest in Air Abacus? Those decisions make the game fun for me. The game can turn quickly if a scoring card appears right after (or before) you lay down stock into your portfolio.

This game is one of my favorites. It is easy to teach, easy to learn, and a lot of fun. If you've introduced Ticket to Ride to people, I think this would be a good next step game for them. I give it an 8.75 out of 10. A fun game that you should check out.

Happy Labor Day!

-D