Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix

I've hesitated to post this favorite because I know you will all think I am such a nerd... but I can't wait any longer:  Mental Floss Magazine!  This bi-monthly magazine is full of easy-to-understand and not-too-long articles on all sorts of topics - art, literature, history, geography, science, pop culture, and technology.  It explains the interesting parts of these topics with a sense of humor and intelligence without getting bogged down in the gritty technical details.  My sweetheart picked up the first copy for me at a newsstand a few years ago, just because he knew I would like it, then started getting me the annual subscription soon after.  When it arrives in the mail, I have to hide it until I have read it all the way through or one of my kiddos is likely to snatch it and sneak it off to their room.  Yes, it's now a family favorite.  If you like to learn about a wide variety of subjects, I guarantee you will love Mental Floss!


*** Update - After I wrote and posted this entry this morning, I opened up the Wall Street Journal to find an article about Mental Floss being bought by a British company.  Apparently the new owner does not like the name "Mental Floss" as Brits don't floss (ewww!) so don't be surprised if there is a name change in the near future.

Bananagrams!

Do you like Scrabble, but not the LONG time between turns?  Then check out this alternative - Bananagrams!  This fast moving game is a little bit like Scrabble, but each person builds their own little crossword in front of them.  To start the game, you yell "Split!" and to draw another tile "Peel!".  The game is over when all the tiles have been drawn - maybe 10-15 minutes or so.  When you don't have all night for a game, this is a great alternative.  And when you're all done, the tiles store inside the cute little banana-shaped fabric bag.

Keep the tissues handy - you will laugh until you cry - at the Thou Shalt Laugh DVD. This is a collection of six family-friendly stand up comedians, including our favorite, Taylor Mason. This guy is a genius, although I would have not wanted to be his teacher, and especially not his mom! Mason is an amazing ventriloquist. He, along with his puppet friends, Romeo who packs quite an attitude and Paco, the pig with the Mexican accent, will have your entire family laughing hysterically. I picked up this DVD before vacation a few years ago and we received Thou Shalt Laugh Deuce as a gift last year. We watched portions again over the weekend, and it is as funny now as it was the first time. And here is some good news, as I was writing this post, I noticed that Thou Shalt Laugh 3 is now available. Guess what's going on my Christmas list....

Ugh................American Idol without TiVo

My youngest son and I were watching a live episode of AI last week and it was an absolutely horrible experience . . . not because of Jake, he's cool, but because we were watching it live - with all of the long and frequent commercial breaks. Which brings me to my next favorite thing - TiVo. You get to watch the show you want, when you want to watch it - in about 2/3 of the time! Generic DVRs, like the kind we have from Comcast, are ok - but I really miss our old TiVo box. I miss it enough that I think I will stop by Best Buy next week and see what it would take to switch back. For ease of programming, and stopping the fast forward at the exact moment the commercials end and the show starts up again, you just can't beat TiVo - - - and I miss that cute little cartoon guy!