wellbeing – Whole Heartily

Family Game Night: 25 Tabletop Game Ideas (Ages 4 and Up)

Weekly family game nights, now doesn’t that sound wonderful? Imagine it, gathering around a table and playing tabletop games, familiar or new. Or getting into pajamas and snuggling up on the couch or pillow-strewn floor, playing video games. There are many ways to create happy memories, and this is one of them!

We’ve already had seven family game nights this year and they were fun and relaxed. We played a mixture of board or tabletop games and video games. Our only personal rule (more-so for my husband and I) is no cell phone usage.

I’ve created a list of some fun starter tabletop games for children ages 4 and up to inspire your family game nights!

What games do you like to play with your family? We would love recommendations!

Family Movie Night: 90 Non-Disney Family Friendly Movies (Rated PG and Under)

Weekly family movie nights, now doesn’t that sound wonderful? Imagine it, getting into pajamas and snuggling up on the couch or pillow-strewn floor, munching on a special snack. There are many ways to create happy memories, and this is one of them!

We’ve already had three family movie nights this year and they were fun and relaxed. Our only rule is no screens except for the one the movie is featured on.

I’ve created a list of 90 non-Disney family movie ideas rated PG and under. I did not include many sequels for the sake of length, but most of the sequels are worth watching too! If you have any family favorite I did not include, please let us know!

If you’re looking for animated Disney movies, I’ve created a list of that too! Check it out here and enjoy!

Happy New Year 2024!

Happy New Year Friends! I wish you all the best and sincerely hope all your hopes and dreams for 2024 will come to fruition. These last few years have been rocky, to say the least, but its a time for fresh starts and new beginnings, so let’s make the most of it!

I believe in making resolutions; they give you the focus to complete certain tasks. Resolutions can be made any time of the year, and should be in some cases, but it’s traditional to make them for the fresh start of a new year and it’s all in good fun!

I’ve set 12 resolutions for 2024, check them out!

Become a YouTube Partner.
Delete Facebook.
Learn how to draw in Procreate.
Use Procreate to create at least 12 designs and upload.
Play and complete 12 video games.
Progress in Duolingo lessons.
Read and complete 12 books.
Take Zoey to Universal Studios.
Watch and complete 12 movies I’ve never seen.
Weekly family game nights.
Weekly family movie nights.
Yoga 5 days a week.

Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Welcome back friends!

Who wants some fresh, oven baked chocolate, chocolate chip pumpkin bread to enjoy on one (or more) of these beautiful autumn mornings? Maybe at a table with some coffee or tea and a good book?

I know I do, so let’s bake some!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
1⁄2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1⁄2 teaspoon of salt
3⁄4 cup of unsalted butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
2 large of eggs
1 15-oz can of pumpkin puree
Powdered sugar (optional)
2/3 cups of chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Set an oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat it to 325F.
Grease two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans with butter, then dust with flour.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Whisk until well combined, then set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until just blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and continue to beat until very light and fluffy, then incorporate the pumpkin.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix on a low speed until well combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips and gently stir until combined.
Divide the batter evenly into the two prepared pans, and bake for 65 – 75 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Place powdered sugar into a sifter and lightly dust the top of each loaf.
Enjoy!

Baked Apple Cider Doughnut Recipe

Welcome back friends! Who wants some fresh and fluffy, oven baked, cinnamon and sugar coated apple cider doughnuts to enjoy on one (or more) of these beautiful autumn mornings? Maybe at a table with some coffee or tea and a good book? I know I do, so let’s bake some!

DOUGHNUT INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups of apple cider
1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1/3 cup of dark or light brown sugar
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup of buttermilk (or milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

TOPPING INGREDIENTS

1 cup of granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

INSTRUCTIONS

Reduce let’s reduce the apple cider. In a small saucepan, bring the apple cider to a gentle boil and let it simmer over medium heat until thick and reduced to about 1/3 cup (about 15 to 25 minutes), then set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 350F and grease the doughnut pans with butter or nonstick spray, then set them aside.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a large bowl, then set it aside.
In another bowl, whisk the brown sugar, egg and sugar together until well combined. Then add the butter, buttermilk (or milk), reduced apple cider and vanilla; whisk again until well combined.
Add the flour mixture to the apple cider mixture and beat until well combined and smooth.
Transfer the batter into a disposable piping bag or a zip-top bag with a corner cut off. Pipe the batter into the prepare doughnut pans, filling each cavity 2/3 to 3/4 full.
Bake the doughnuts for about 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, then remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer them onto a cooling rack.
While the doughnuts are cooling in the pan, stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl and melt the topping butter in another bowl.
Once the doughnuts have cooled to a comfortable handling temperature, brush or dip both sides of each one with butter and then dip each side in the cinnamon and sugar to coat.
Enjoy!

*These doughnuts are best served immediately, but leftovers can e kept int he fridge for up to 3 days. Serve them warm or at room temperature.

How to Play – Monster Mash

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Monster Mash by Parker Brothers (and others) for up to 4 players!

If you can’t tell from the packaging, this is a game from my childhood that my mom saved because we loved it so much! There are newer versions being sold now (like this one by Cra-Z-Art), but the premise is the same; press the button on the monster-maker, then find the matching monster and claim it before the other players do!

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX

A monster-maker machine
27 monster cards
4 thwacker hands with suction cups

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove everything from the game box, and set the monster-maker machine on the playing surface so that everyone can see the monster that appears on it.
Spread the monster cards face-up in the middle of the playing area so that no cards overlap and everyone can easily reach them.
Each player takes a thwacker hand and the player closest to the monster-maker machine will press the button to start each new round.
The monster-maker machine randomly selects and shows one monster for all the monster hunters to mash and capture. Look closely at the monster on the machine when the button pops up!
Quickly all the players try to find the face-up monster card that matches the monster on the machine and mash it with their thwacker hand so that the suction cup picks up the card (if two players slap the monster card at the same time, the player whose thwacker hand is at the bottom of all the thwacker hands captures the card).
If a player picks up the wrong monster card, he or she simply returns it face-up to the middle of playing area and everyone keeps hunting.
The player who picks up and captures the correct monster card places it face-up in front of him or her. This ends the round everyone stops hunting.
To start a new round, press the button on the monster-maker machine.
If the monster-maker machine shows a monster that has already been shown and captured, players can try to capture it from the player that has it in front of him or her, unless that player mashes it first with his or her thwacker.
Game play continues until one player captures 5 monsters, the first player to do this is the monster mash winner!

ENJOY!

How to Play – Sophie’s Seashell Scramble

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Sophie’s Seashell Scramble by Educational Insights for up to 4 players!

Zoey has loved this game since before she even knew how to play! She would pull everything out and play with the Sophie and the seashells, honestly it’s surprising that there are no missing pieces! Then we learned how to play the game together, and she loves it even more! She loves picking up the shells with the Sophie pincers; we find it super fun and easy collecting and replacing the seashells to the mats and back.

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX

A game-board (part of the box)
A Sophie pincer
A spinner
20 seashells in five patterns
4 seashell snack mats

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove everything from the game box, then scatter the seashells onto the seascape on the inside bottom of the box.
Give each player a seashell snack mat.
The youngest player takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
On your turn, spin the spinner, pick up the Sophie pincers, and follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn!
- Pattern: Find a shell that matches the pattern (the color of the shell doesn’t matter) and use Sophie to pick it up and place it on your seashell snack mat.
- One Shell: Pick any one shell from the seascape and use Sophie to pick it up and place it on your seashell snack mat.
- Two Shells: Pick any two shells from the seascape and use Sophie to pick them up and place them on your seashell snack mat.
- Big Wave: A big wave is crashing the shell-collecting party. All players lose a shell back to the seascape.
- Hungry Otter: Use Sophie to take any shell from another player and place it on the matching space on your seashell snack mat.
- Otto the Octopus: Take any shell from for seashell snack mat and place it on the table next to Otto. Spin the spinner, if you land on Otto or the pattern that matches the shell you chose you can take your shell back and take any other shell from the seascape. If you don’t land on Otto or the pattern that matches your shell, Otto tosses your shell back into the seascape.
If you’re the first player to collect all of the shells to match the ones on your seashell snack mat, you win!

ENJOY!

How to Play – Hi Ho! Cherry-O!

Zoey has loved this game since before she even knew how to play! She would pull everything out and sort the fruits by color or put the puzzle together, honestly it’s surprising that there are no missing pieces! Then we learned how to play the game together, and she loves it even more! She loves counting out the fruits; we find it super fun and easy collecting and replacing the fruit to the baskets and back.

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX

A game-board
A spinner
A puzzle
10 “apples”
10 “blueberries”
10 “cherries”
10 “oranges”
4 baskets

INSTRUCTIONS (CLASSIC)

Place each basket in the game-board hole to the left of its matching color tree/bush.
Each player chooses a tree/bush and places the matching colored fruit in each of the game-board holes.
The puzzle is only for co-operative games so place it back in the box.
The player whose birthday comes next takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
On your turn, spin the spinner, then follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn.
- One Fruit: Pick one fruit from your tree/bush and put it in your basket.
  - Two Fruits: Pick two fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
  - Three Fruits: Pick three fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
  - Four Fruits: Pick four fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
  - Bird or Dog: Someone’s nibbling at your fruit! Take two fruits out of your basket and place them back on your tree/bush (if you only have one fruit, put that one back. If you have none, do nothing).
    - Spilled Basket: Uh-Oh! Take all of the fruits out of your basket, and place them back on your tree/bush.
If you’re the first player to have all 10 fruits in your basket say “HI HO! CHERRY-O!” You win!

INSTRUCTIONS (CO-OPERATIVE)

Place each basket in the game-board hole to the left of its matching color tree/bush.
Each player chooses a tree/bush and places the matching colored fruit in each of the game-board holes.
Break up the puzzle and place the pieces facedown near the game-board.
The player whose birthday comes next takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
On your turn, spin the spinner, then follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn.
- One Fruit: Pick one fruit from your tree/bush and put it in your basket.
- Two Fruits: Pick two fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
- Three Fruits: Pick three fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
- Four Fruits: Pick four fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
- Dog: Remove one fruit from your basket and place it back on the matching tree/bush (if you have none, do nothing).
- Spilled Basket: Remove two fruits from your basket, and place them back on your tree/bush (if you only have one fruit, put that one back. If you have none, do nothing).
- Bird: Turn one piece of the bird puzzle face up. Every time you turn over a puzzle piece, try to fit it into the bird puzzle. If you can’t do this leave it face up until it fits.
The players win if they pick all the fruits and say “HI HO! CHERRY-O!”, before the puzzle is completed. The bird wins if the puzzle gets completed before all the fruit is picked.

ENJOY!

Homemade Cherry Nutmeg Muffins

Welcome back friends! Summertime is still a good time for baked treats, especially muffins made with fresh cherries! I baked these cherry nutmeg muffins for my family, and they are perfect for breakfast or brunch! Let me show you how to make them!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of almond extract
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of nutmeg
2 cups of cherries, pitted and quartered

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F and spray a jumbo muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar.
Add the milk and almond extract to the butter/sugar combination and whisk until well incorporated, then set it aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking powder, flour and nutmeg.
Slowly add the dry ingredients in to the wet ingredients and mix until they are a well combined batter. Set the batter aside.
After pitting and quartering the cherries, pat them dry with a paper towel and then dust them with flour (so they won’t sink to the bottom of your muffins) and gently fold them into the batter.
Scoop the batter into the prepared jumbo muffin tin, filling each mould 3/4 of the way full.
Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean!
Allow to cool and enjoy!

How to Safely Brew Sun Tea

I have fond memories of my mom and my grandma making sun tea outside when I was a child. I never really drank any until I hit my pre-teen to teenage years, but it always looked so good glowing in the sunshine!

Now I know there is some controversy surrounding sun tea, regarding bacterial growth, and this can happen! If you do not correctly clean out the beverage container or dispenser between each use, if you leave the tea out in the sun for longer than 4 hours and/or if you put any sweetener or fruit in before setting it in the sunshine, there is the potential for harmful bacterial growth!

Fear not friends! I’ve made and drank multiple batches of sun tea with no problems! I’ve written instructions below on what to do to keep your sun tea clean and healthy! Let’s make some!

INGREDIENTS

Filtered water
Glass beverage container or dispenser
Tea bags
Honey, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash your glass beverage container or dispenser thoroughly with hot, soapy water and rinse well (if you are using a dispenser, this includes the spigot).
Fill the container with clean, filtered water.
Select which tea bags you would like to use and place them in the container with the tags on the outside. I used three tea bags for two quarts of water, but you can select how many for how strong you want your tea.
Replace the lid on the container and set it outside in the sun for up to 4 hours, but no longer! If you leave it in the sun too long, there is a higher chance of bacterial growth!
Once the tea is done, bring it inside and add any sweetener while it’s still warm from the sunshine. I used a few spoonfuls of my ginger and lemon infused honey.
Once the sweetener of your choice has been stirred in to the warm tea, place the container in the refrigerator to chill.
Enjoy!