King of Tokyo

King of Tokyo Board Game

On By MelissaIn 15 minute Challenge, GamesLeave a comment

How many of you like to play games?  I know I do.  For my “Me Time” today I spent time with my family.  We played a game called King of Tokyo.  I realize that may not sound like doing something just for me like I suggest in my post “The Challenge” but I assure you it was.  You see, by nature I am a very competitive person.  I like a good challenge.  Although sometimes I can get a bit too competitive.

Playing a good board game is as much for me as for my kids (who also like a good game).  It’s always been something I have enjoyed from the time I was little.  I remember having a weekly game night with my brother and my parents.  We played things like Pictionary and Scattergories.  I still love those games and miss those times with my brother and parents.  But now, I have the opportunity to pass those on to my kids.

On the other hand, my husband wasn’t raised playing games.  They just didn’t do it.  So it took him a bit to warm up to the idea of doing it on a regular basis.  But now, he loves a good game as much as the rest of us.  There are games that are his favorites and he would play any day over some others.  Yahtzee is his favorite: That little dice game where you get 3 rolls and score points accordingly.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago. My dad was visiting us from out of town.  My brother, who is an even bigger gamer than me, had a couple new board games.  So he brought them over and we tried them.  One was a game called Splendor which I will share about in a future post.  The other, a game called King of Tokyo.

King of Tokyo Amazon Link

King of Tokyo is what we played this time.  Imagine a game that is Yahtzee meets King of the Hill.  It may sound weird but is actually fun and I have found even our 6 year old can understand enough to play without much help other than reading the cards to him.  You can try and strategize in this game but there is also a huge element of chance.

King of Tokyo Game Play

I want to share a little bit about how King of Tokyo works so you aren’t sitting, scratching your head going “Huh? What is this game she is talking about.”  To play the game each player picks a monster.  You have a card that counts points and hearts for your monster.  Once you determine who starts the game you go around and roll the 6 black dice.

King of Tokyo Dice Roll
Dice roll during the game King of Tokyo

They contain numbers, claws, hearts, and lightning bolts.  The numbers can gain you points if you roll the right combination.  The claws will attack one or more of the other monsters (your opponents) causing them to lose hearts. And if you lose too many hearts, your out of the game.  The hearts do just what you would think.  They gain you hearts back if you have been attacked.  Finally, the lightning bolts earn you little green squares that you can use to buy power up cards.

Play continues around the table with monsters entering and exiting tokyo, attacking others, and trying to gain points without dying.  The last man standing or 1st one to 20 points is deemed the winner.

Our Families Game

My 6 year old began the game.  He hit all three of us with some hearts removed and began gaining power ups.  He loves to get the lightning bolts!  My husband went next followed by me.  On my first roll I was set up to receive several points so I took them.  You see, as I mentioned above you can win by being the 1st to 20 points.  So my strategy began.  Next was my 10 year old and play continued.  I finally was able to knock my husband out with a power up card causing him to lose all his hearts (sorry dear).  Next I caused my 10 year old to enter Tokyo with only a few hearts.  Needless to say she didn’t survive her brother’s next attack (I told you I was competitive, Lol!).  Okay so maybe I’m not the most loving, sacrificing mom when I’m in game mode.  It came down to my 6 year old and me.  Several turns back and forth and I finally beat him (yes, it took a bit and he almost had me)  but I was able to get to 20 points.

My Final Thoughts

This game filled my cup as I was able to have fun with my family.  Of course, I won’t deny that winning helps.  But I love taking that time to be with them.  To hear my son say, “I’m gonna get you mom!”  There is something sweet in those moments.  Something that when he is grown and has a family of his own I can always take with me.  Spending quality time with the people that matter most was the me time I wanted today. It was a little longer than 15 minutes but that’s okay.  So get out a good board game or give King of Tokyo a try and spend some time with your family.  If you do let me know what you played.  Or if you do something different be sure and let me know what you did for YOU today!

Blessings

~Melissa

 

(Note: There are affiliate links in this post and we will be compensated if you buy anything through them)

Top 5 favorite soups found online!

My Top 5 Soup Recipes Found Online

On By MelissaIn 15 minute Challenge, FoodLeave a comment

So for my 1st day of doing something for myself I am going to begin the ever daunting task of organizing my recipes.  I must say I absolutely love Pinterest and the endless number of ideas, crafts, and most of all recipes that can be found there.  My husband and I use it all the time to find recipes to try when we are getting tired of the same old things.  

 

That being said, sometimes it gets cumbersome trying to sift through all the posts on a board trying to find that one dish you want to have again.  Then there is the unfortunate times when you find something you absolutely love and go back to find it at a future date and for some unknown reason it’s gone.  Nowhere to be found.  Yes… this happened to me recently.  We had found a soup we absolutely loved and now I cannot find it again.  The link just disappeared.  Finally, what about making notes that you can refer to quickly and easily about changes to a recipe?  If I had them saved to another location or printed and put in a book of my “Internet Faves” it would be easy to make notes and tweak as needed for my families preferences.  Otherwise, I find myself trying, months later, to remember what the heck it was I needed to do different on a particular dish.  

 

So, I realize maybe my first choice isn’t a “fun” thing to do persay.  But for me it’s something I have wanted to do for months and never made a priority because it was just for my benefit.  So starting today  I’m going to begin saving the recipes I’ve found online that we really like and I’m beginning with Soups.

 

I printed the recipes out and put them in sheet protectors in a 3-ring binder like this one you can get from Amazon.

 

 

I now have hard copies of our favorites and can make notes and adjustments as I desire. 

If you want to know more about what I’m referring to in doing something for myself be sure and check out this post. 

The Challenge

 

I thought I would share the links for the recipes I have saved. So here is my list of our 5 favorite soups found on the internet that are in my new Internet Recipe Book. 

slow cooker creamy tortellini soup

https://cafedelites.com/slow-cooker-creamy-tortellini-soup/

I recently tried this and found it is absolutely delicious!  The italian sausage gave it tons of flavor and just the combinations in this soup were excellent.

 

Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

http://tiphero.com/slow-cooker-beef-barley-soup/utm_content=buffer7782b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_campaign=buffer

I’ve made this a couple times and we really enjoy the flavor.  Plus being a crock pot meal makes it that much better when you need a yummy homemade meal on a busy night, cause who isn’t busy, right?

 

CROCKPOT STUFFED PEPPER SOUP

http://momswithcrockpots.com/crockpot-stuffed-pepper-soup/

This recipe from Moms with Crockpots is simply delicious.  I really enjoy stuffed peppers but my husband isn’t a big fan of the pepper “shell”.  This, however, gives all that wonderful stuffed pepper flavor without the overpowering pepper shell.

Italian-Style Chicken and Mushroom Soup

https://www.blessthismessplease.com/italian-style-chicken-and-mushroom-soup/

My husband loves this soup!  This is one he asks for once a year for something different.  It takes a little bit of work but is well worth it in the end.

 

Taco Soup

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/taco-soup-111547.aspx

This is one of my faves.  It is wonderful on a cold day or for a simple Christmas lunch.

 

I hope you have a chance to give these a try as they all have wonderful flavor.  If you do let me know what you think.  And don’t forget to share what you did for YOU today!

The Challenge

On By MelissaIn 15 minute Challenge16 Comments

Being a Stay at Home Mom definitely has its perks.  I can come and go as I please.  Schedule things to do with friends during the day.  Play chauffeur to my kids for various after school activities. Volunteer for things within our community. The list goes on.  But the one downfall I have found to being at home is a struggle for identity.  

 

This may sound petty but as a stay at home mom I am a jack of all trades, master of none, in a manner of speaking.  For those with careers, there is an identity with your job.  If you think about it you have a title such as “Accountant”, “Business Manager”, “Math Teacher”, and the list goes on. When I worked full-time before leaving my job to stay home I was an Environmental Scientist.  I had a title, a specialty.  Something others could turn to me and look for my expertise when they had issues in the areas I worked in daily.  But as a stay at home mom I find myself lacking in ways to share myself and by sharing myself feeling valuable in the world,  contributing to my family by doing more than driving them from point A to point B.  Do I love my role, my “job”.  Most of the time. It has its moments when I would rather be doing something else.

 

Being a stay at home mom is a thankless job.  How many times do people with careers aspire and work toward a promotion or “atta boy” from their boss?  I would bet most people long for that form of appreciation and job status.  However, what do those of us in the trenches receive?  The occasional thanks, but more often, the “mom, I don’t have clean socks”, “when is supper”, “why do I have to help with that”.  And then there is the mantra that follows when your husband returns home.  “What did you do all day?”  So, it comes with never-ending tasks, little thanks, and no paycheck.  Yep.  Not a dime.

 

As I have been on the home front for the past 8 years, I more and more am realizing that I need to do more for me.  Because of constantly pouring myself into my husband and kids I’m realizing that I need to pour a little into me too.  So beginning today, I am challenging myself to be selfish.  You read correctly.  I’m gonna get selfish for 2018. I’m not talking the kind of selfish where the world revolves around me night and day.  Or I spend money like there is no tomorrow and bankrupt my family.  I’m talking the kind of selfish that is doing something just for me each and every day.  My goal is to do at least 15 minutes of something not for my kids, my husband, or anyone else, but just because I want to do it.  It can be as simple as reading the bible for 15 minutes, working out, going for a walk, baking something just because, or scrapbooking.  It could also be something more time-consuming like visiting with a friend for half the day or getting a pedicure.

 

If your cup is empty you cannot pour out any more into your family’s cups.  So beginning now, I want to make sure I fill my cup every day so I can continue filling the cups of others.  So I challenge you to go on this adventure with me whether you are a stay at home mom, a mom working 3 jobs, or somewhere in between.  We all need to fill our cups in order to pour into our families.  Do something for yourself today and leave me a comment describing what you did to inspire others to get “selfish”!