While there are real problems to be faced this year, some new, and some eighteen months in the making, we are also faced with some superficial ones that we must learn to face together. 1. The show you are binging is still filming new episodes, you are all caught up, and now have to wait […]
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It’s spring break in many places, and gas prices are going crazy in many more. This means having a staycation and giving your toy cars a Mad Max-style makeover. I have seen a growing number of modelers who have made original models of cars, trucks, and bikes styled after the post-apocalyptic and dieselpunk worlds the […]
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Gullet Cove is not our first time playing Animal Adventures, and I feel confident in saying it won’t be our last, but it’s probably been our most exciting set of adventures so far. I have two kids A (age 11) and W (age 8) who helped me first test out Animal Adventures from Steamforged Games. […]
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So many incredibly picture books come across my desk, and there have been an increasing number of historical non-fiction ones in recent years, especially those profiling people. Here is a round-up of some recent books that are perfect for Women’s History Month, each one profiling a different important woman in history. In addition, please check […]
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If there is one group of beings that know all about hunting, gathering, saving, and hoarding, it is video game characters. From old-school Pac-Man to today’s first-person story-driven games, there is always at least one item we seek to collect. For all those who love their video games, try a “savings container” as a quick […]
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Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil completes Timothy Zahn’s latest Thrawn trilogy. While I thoroughly enjoyed the previous installment, Greater Good, Lesser Evil failed to inspire me and ended up feeling like a slog to the finish line, although it did have a few highlights. Please note: This post contains affiliate links. Spoilers from the previous Thrawn […]
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When I was offered a review copy of The Last Firefox by Lee Newbery I didn’t even have to think about my response, how could I say no to a cover that cute? Please note: This post contains affiliate links. The Last Firefox is an adorable middle-grade story set in the fictional town of Bryncastell […]
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My kids have been into Minecraft for a long time, their obsession dating almost back to the stone age, ahem. We have playsets and LEGO kits, we have stuffies and action figures. We have interactive toys, and wall art. When Ravensburger came out with Minecraft: Builders and Biomes in 2019, I knew it would be a hit. […]
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The sixth and final season of Peaky Blinders is here, and fans of the Shelby family and its allies are bracing themselves for what looks to be an explosive final chapter. One of the things I absolutely loved about this fictional story inspired by the real turn-of-the-century Birmingham gang of the same name is the […]
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Oh, TOFT! Last Christmas I gave you my heart, and the very next day I spent more money on you than a person should spend on imported yarn and patterns. In the mid-pandemic Christmas of 2020, my middle son gifted me a book of crochet patterns from UK-based company TOFT. I began with a sheep, […]
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King Alfred, or Alfred the Great as he is otherwise known, is known as the Anglo-Saxon king who united all of England into one kingdom. We know more about him than most of the kings who came before, because we can read his own words. Unlike many of his predecessors, he was an intellectual king […]
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Back in November, I got the chance to review one of the first three puzzles from Ravensburger’s new Escape Puzzle Kids line. For anyone not familiar, these puzzles are one part standard puzzle and one part escape room with a scenario and a series of clues hidden in the completed puzzle. Recently, Ravensburger sent me […]
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Kokoon Nightbuds (retail $250) hold the secret to a good night’s sleep for those that need a little noise to help them slip into their Zzzzs but don’t want to disturb their partner. Unlike other sleep headphones of this price range, the Kokoon Nightbuds also work as daytime headphones for the office or gym. Key […]
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Have you ever come across an abandoned hex nut while out on a walk, or dug one up in the sand while playing with your family on the beach or park? I have often, and nearly every single one of these little stray hexagons have found their way in my pocket or purse. There’s something […]
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My two sons A (age 11) and W (age 8) have recently joined the world of tabletop gamers. The thing that really kicked off their inner tabletop gamers was the Animal Adventures line from Steamforged Games. We used the Animal Adventures RPG Starter Set to let them get a feel for things (I wrote about […]
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Voyager has always been my favorite Star Trek series, and as I write this I’m partway through an (admittedly very slow) rewatch, so when I spotted The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway edited by Una McCormack in my Audible recommendations, I knew it was a must-read. Even more exciting, the audiobook is narrated by Kate Mulgrew […]
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Mardi Gras World in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA is a one-stop-shop to learn all about the floats that hit the streets each year for the Mardi Gras parade. Held in Kern Studios itself where the floats are designed and built, this is a must-see attraction, especially if you come during the Mardi Gras season (starts […]
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Call out to my fellow Studio Ghibli fans!! Dust off your passports (or renew them–it has been a while). It’s time to grab that travel planner and book your holiday time. We’re heading to Japan! Ghibli Park is officially opening on November 1, 2022. Japan is taking its time to re-open to international travellers but […]
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Last week, we learned to turn old, goofy vintage valentines into fun and spooky “Valoween” messages. Here’s another quick way to mash-up Halloween and Valentine’s Day by taking old classic (or semi-classic) horror movie poster images and dressing them up for your creepy sweetheart or fiendish friends. Just like the vintage card craft, start by […]
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Last week, we learned to turn old, goofy vintage valentines into fun and spooky “Valoween” messages. Here’s another quick way to mash-up Halloween and Valentine’s Day by taking old classic (or semi-classic) horror movie poster images and dressing them up for your creepy sweetheart or fiendish friends. Just like the vintage card craft, start by […]
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When I was a kid, my dad and I would retreat to the living room, snuggle up on the couch, and watch The Simpsons together. Most of the humor went over my head, but what I loved I loved. To be honest, I think my dad got as much out of watching me not get […]
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Sophie Cleverly has been one of my favorite middle-grade authors for several years now, ever since I discovered her Scarlet and Ivy series. A Case of Misfortune is the second book in her latest series—The Violet Veil Mysteries—and follows thirteen-year-old Violet Veil, an undertaker’s daughter who lives in Victorian-era London with her greyhound Bones and […]
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When I was a kid, my dad and I would retreat to the living room, snuggle up on the couch, and watch The Simpsons together. Most of the humor went over my head, but what I loved I loved. To be honest, I think my dad got as much out of watching me not get […]
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I love a game with tactile elements. Something you can touch, feel, and blame on your uncoordinated chonky fingers when everything goes pear-shaped. Floating Floors is precisely that, and more. It was first previewed with PAX Aust 2021 (I mentioned it here) and is now ready to launch via Kickstarter on February 8, 2022! Time […]
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I don’t think I have met a geek who doesn’t know of John Williams, and if they don’t remember the name, they always recognize the music. That’s what he is known for: the most iconic music of the entire geek genre. Yes, the entire geek genre. Any collection of movie and game soundtracks will feature […]
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Last year my kids discovered the wonders of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland thanks to Mad Tea Party from Funko games. It was only recently we realized that they hadn’t actually seen the movie. Watching it with them was surprisingly joyful: they were taken aback by the absurdity, taken in by the episodic nature of the […]
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It’s been a while since I tackled the latest from the Star Wars ongoing canon, but with a new year comes new stories and the first book I’m looking at is The Fallen Star by Claudia Grey, the next installment from the High Republic. Please note: This post contains affiliate links. Spoilers ahead for The High […]
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I don’t think I have met a geek who doesn’t know of John Williams, and if they don’t remember the name, they always recognize the music. That’s what he is known for: the most iconic music of the entire geek genre. Yes, the entire geek genre. Any collection of movie and game soundtracks will feature […]
Continue Reading
Last year my kids discovered the wonders of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland thanks to Mad Tea Party from Funko games. It was only recently we realized that they hadn’t actually seen the movie. Watching it with them was surprisingly joyful: they were taken aback by the absurdity, taken in by the episodic nature of the […]
Continue Reading
In the late summer of 1922, a Curtiss JN-4 Jenny biplane roared over a crowd on Long Island near New York City. The audience gasped as the plane soared through a complex routine of daredevil stunts. One moment the plane was high in the sky doing a figure 8, the next it dove impossibly close […]
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