I’m so proud to tell you that last night David just finished the final requirement of our high school so he is cleared to graduate. He finished his senior project and presented the presentation to a panel of judges yesterday evening. I was so nervous, but I shouldn’t have been. He passed with flying colors. Now all he needs to do is show up to class and then show up for the graduation ceremony.

So…we are gearing up for another party. I just put the graduation announcementsin the mail today. No, I wasn’t really waiting for him to pass his project last night…honestly…that was just coincidence. I had every faith that he would pass. So now the invitations are in the mail and the party is one month away.

I was really impressed with the announcements we received as a part of the graduation package ordered from his school. We got engraved announcements with his full name, an inner envelope, an outer envelope, seal stickers and return address labels. It was reasonably priced and they look so nice.

Anyway…now it’s time to gear up for the party. Decorations, food, drink, making a slideshow, cleaning, etc. etc. etc. I get rather manic about throwing parties so my family is not really looking forward to the next month. Oh well…it will soon be over and it will be a dim memory.

Then we will be readying ourselves to set David on his way to the Marine Corps. THAT is another whole story in and of itself. Stay tuned — life is never boring, right?

As it turns out, doodling can have therapeutic benefits. Not only does it stretch your imagination and encourage you to think creatively, it can be a peaceful escape from stress.

You can choose to follow the rules…or not. Here are some suggestions:

1. Put pencil to paper and make a closed loop. Strive for a never-ending shape without openings.
2. Go back and fill the areas with different patterns and shading techniques. You can even add handwriting, geometric patterns or cartoon pictures.
3. Increase the size of the shape to fill the whole page.
4. Never erase — even if you make what you think is a mistake, try to build it into the design.
5. Go back and add color with color pencils.

My senior son is playing on the high school basketball team this year and my other two sons still at home (12 and 5) have made a standing date to go and cheer on the Cardinals at every home game. We might even try to make a few away games, if I’m really brave and energetic!

Anyway, home games start next week…so Michael, Isaiah and Mom will be in attendance in the bleachers of the high school! Can’t Wait!

An update: You’ve Been Sentenced is now the proud winner of 17 national awards to recognize its high quality. Not only that, this year you can buy it at Barnes & Noble, Kohl’s and Toys R Us! How cool is that?!?

If you don’t remember my original post, here are the highlights:

We are game lovers in my family. Since we try to avoid television to some extent and look for alternative ways to spend time together, board games are one thing we spend a lot of time doing. As soon as children become readers in our household, they quickly move up to active game-players, participating with everyone else in rousing games during the evenings.

I was recently happy to receive a game to review. The game is called:

You’ve Been Sentenced!

This game combines several key aspects of a successful game, in my opinion. Not only is it exciting and enjoyable, it is educational as well. I love it when my kids can learn while they have fun.

Recently, we sat down to see what this game had in store for us.

Each player receives ten cards and then must build a grammatically correct sentence using as many cards as possible. The first player who finishes building a sentence starts a sand-timer and then the remaining players have until the sand runs out to finish their own sentences. After the sentences are finished, the judging portion of the game begins. Players can “object” to other players’ sentences on the grounds that the sentences do not make sense or are not grammatically correct. If a player’s sentence is challenged, he or she must then defend it. After each sentence is judged, it’s time to score — some words are worth more points than others.

Play additional rounds and the first player to reach 200 points is the winner.

I have children in a wide range of ages so playing some games can be a challenge. This game was fun for us because we buddied up with some of the younger children and I think everyone learned something.

I expect this game to be a favorite this winter as we while away the chilly evenings.

Don’t remember it? Well, here’s a quick recap:

Blogging has it’s perks. I have found an awesome company that really appeals to me as a home educator. One of the most important things to me as I teach my children is to help them develop a love for learning. The best way to do this? Show them that learning is fun. To this end, I have found a company who’s philosophy and purpose is to create fun games and products “designed to help create brighter minds.”

About a month ago, we reviewed “You’ve Been Sentenced,” a word game where players take turns making sentences. We now have all of the add-on decks that make this game even more enjoyable. This game is perfect for family game nights.

Now, I am so excited to tell you about the newest game we received called “Twisted Fish.” My kids are really loving this game. You know the old “Go Fish” game, right? Well, here’s the newest version with an engaging twist. In fact, since you probably already know how to play Go Fish, you’ll learn Twisted Fish in only a moment or two. Get ready for hilarious memory-building fun!

Go check out the engaging games available from McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds so you can see what I mean. I promise you won’t regret it!

It’s now been over a year, and these games are still at the top of our gaming list!

I would encourage you to add these games to your shopping list this year. You can find them at:

• Toys R Us
• Kohl’s
• Barnes & Noble
• Hundreds of independent stores, catalogs and websites

Wonderful games!