Board Game Review: Catan Junior

My wife and I love playing Settlers of Catan. So we were thrilled to find a version that we can play with our kids. Catan Junior is a popular choice for game night in our house. There's just enough strategy to make it fun, but enough luck that our kids have a chance of winning. Their favorite part is buying Coco Cards. If you're familiar with Settlers, Coco Cards are the junior version of Development Cards.
Players can also trade resources with the "Marketplace", build ships, build "pirate lairs", and move the Ghost Captain. Oh, and the resource cards are fun because they're cut in the shape of each resource. Once you learn the rules, no reading is needed to play. Our kids are preschool age now. As they get older, I hope they'll start to understand how their decisions can affect the outcome of the game. In the meantime, it's fun to play even if the kids don't fully understand the strategy aspect.

Read more reviews at BoardGameGeek. Buy it at Catan Shop.

Comcast called today

One of the benefits of not watching TV is that we save money. No more monthly Netflix charge. No more Redbox, Google Play movies, or Amazon rentals. And no more Dora the Explorer DVDs! Selling the Tivo will net a couple hundred bucks also.

Last week I returned our cable box to Comcast, since we don't need it anymore. But I hadn't updated our cable package yet. Today they called me.

Susan from Comcast said that I can't have a TV package if I don't have their equipment (I guess that makes sense). So she offered me an internet-only plan. It's cheaper, and we'll have a faster connection. When did Comcast become so helpful? They have a terrible reputation. Even now, my spell-check is trying to correct their name to "compost". Anyway, I accepted the offer and thanked her for saving me the hassle of dealing with it on my own.

A year ago, we were spending $140 every month on TV, movies, and internet. Now we spend $62 on internet only. We're saving $78 per month. That's $936 every year for us to spend on swimming lessons and a zoo membership, with a few hundred left to put toward a family vacation. 

When we stopped watching TV, we had some ideas about how the change would improve our lives. But we're discovering new benefits all the time. And extra cash in our budget is just another way that it's helped our family.

Board Game Review: Outfoxed

Outfoxed is one of our family's favorite board games. Up to four players work together to catch a sneaky fox who has stolen a pot pie. It's like a cooperative version of  Clue for younger players. You can learn more at Gamewright.com and read reviews at BoardGameGeek.


I like that this game teaches deductive reasoning. The kids can help figure out whether each suspect is guilty based on clues we find during the game.
A clue might tell us that the thief is not holding an umbrella. The kids then check each suspect to see if they're holding an umbrella. Throughout the game, the tension builds as the thief gets closer to escaping through the foxhole. Will we identify the thief before they get away with that pot pie? We all hope so!

Take your game night popcorn to the next level

Movie theater popcorn tastes great. But my recipe is even better. This snack is crunchier, healthier, and more flavorful than movie theater popcorn. And it's pretty easy to make. The stove-top popping method delivers the crunch. And the special ingredient is the Butter-flavored coconut oil. I used to think that real butter was the gold standard for popcorn flavor. But I was wrong. Movie theaters use a flavored oil to achieve their unique flavor. And now you can get that same taste at home. This is actually better because the ingredients are natural. And it fits with most diets because it's vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free.


Notes: We buy our popcorn kernels in bulk at Costco. And we order the Butter-flavored coconut oil from Nutiva's website (no, I don't get a referral commission) . Ingredient amounts will vary based on the size of your stock pot and the size of your family.

Ingredients:

• Yellow popcorn kernels
• Oil for popping (plain coconut oil, soybean oil, or canola oil)
• Salt (Table salt, Sea salt, or Pink Himalayan salt!)
• Butter-flavored coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Place a large stock pot on your stove burner
2. Add Oil for popping to cover the bottom of the pot
3. Add four popcorn kernels
4. Turn the burner on medium
5. Watch for all four kernels to pop
6. Add more kernels to cover the bottom of the pot
7. Cover the pot with a lid
8. Occasionally slide the pot around to mix the kernels
9. When popping slows, remove pot from stove
10. Scoop (or pour) Butter-flavored coconut oil into a microwave-safe bowl
11. Microwave on high until melted (10-30 seconds)
12. Pour over popcorn
13. Add salt to taste
14. Shake or stir popcorn to blend toppings
15. Enjoy!