Getting in the Game

Naturally you love to entertain. That’s one reason you come here, right? I assume it’s one of the many things we have in common. But sometimes we all decide at the last minute to have friends over, kick back and relax (kids or not). So when Mr. Monogram and I have friends over, one of the things we love to do, is to play games. Yep, the secret’s out. We are BIG, HUGE, ENOURMOUS board game loving people. And if you come over, like it or not, be prepared to sketch your best rendition “crybaby” in the game of Pictionary (on dry erase boards no less because we are serious over here) or, whip off some quick descriptions for Taboo, or even sit down to challenge us in the Newlywed Game (sadly, no belated all expense paid honeymoon trips for prizes at the Monograms though). So sit back, grab your pen and pencil and take note of a few great games that can often be found at the Monogram’s and make fun housewarming gifts, shower gifts, and just gifts for your own game cabinet.

LCR Dice Game We were first intorduced to this simple little game back in August when we hosted the dinner party for Mr. Monogram's staff. And I must say, this is a super portable, easy, and FUN game. Seriuosly folks, this is a $6 game that fits easily in your pockets and is really fun to whip out. The more people the better, and we like to switch it up by putting money in the pot ($5 per person in the game for instance) or instead of using chips, use quarters. Just when you think you're out of the game, someone else can drag you back in!

UNO Attack I know we all grew up playing UNO and I have to say, to this day, it is our all time favorite card game. Our UNO cards have traveled the world with us from Italy to the Caribean! But UNO Attack is a new version where the cards are stacked in a little machine thingie (I know, I'm using strictly technical terms here today) and you never know when you draw a card if your going to get just one card or 12 cards could get spit out at you. It's tons of fun!!

Pictionary Another all-time favorite of the Monogram's! We like to play men against women (need I tell you usually ends up winning?) and as I briefly mentioned, we have white dry-erase boards that we break out when we play Pictionary. It's easier to draw and erase and also much easier for your team to see what your doing.

Dirty Minds I swear this game is PG! But this game is great for that group of people you get together with who tends to read something dirty into everything someone says. So the dirtier the mind you have, the worse you're going to be at this game because all the answers area actually clean!

Battle of the Sexes Another good game that puts men vs. women. The women answer male related questions and the men have to answer female related questions. Typically if there are one or two metrosexuals on the male team they do tend to dominate this game (although between you and I MR. Monogram is really horrible at this game!).

Scrabble So this one is only good for 2-4 players, but it is a true classic, and very nostalgic for Mr. M and myself. When Mr. Monogram and I were dating, we spent many a boring summer evenings challenging eachother in Scrabble to see who was smarter than the other! To this day, we regularly break out the scrabble board on vacation and here at home when there's nothing going on on a Friday or Saturday night (yes, I realize that is quite sad!).

Taboo One of my all time favorites! remember the Million Dollar Pyramid? Well it's sort of like that but with a really fun and annoying little buzzer you get to push when the other team messes up!

Catch Phrase Another portable game that is great to throw in your vacation bag or take with you to a casual dinner party. It's sort of like an electronic version of Taboo but at a much faster pace and a timer that soundd like a detonator. This one will really keep you on your feet!

Scene It TV Version We don't have this one ourselves, but I've played it and it's a blast! There is a movie version, a Friends version, etc.. but since we are big TV people at our house, I really enjoyed playing this game

Mad Gab We bought this game for our brother-in-law and it's a hilarous game that's a twist on words. This game is great for 2-12 players.

Ourburst Who doesn't love a game you can yell at?! This game is loads of fun and a great party game!

The Newlywed Game As I said, we also have this one and it's a really fun one! It doesn't matter if your newlyweds or not, but it is a ton of fun to play with a few other couples (and one of the only games where we don't put men against women!).

I would love ot know what games Martha like to play. Think she plays the Apprentice board game?! Anyway, this is by no means a complete list, but just a few of our favorites, that I highly reccomend for get togethers. So when you make that daily stroll into Target today, make sure you pick up one or two for your weekend social gathering, open a bottle of wine and have a fun evening of a little game competition!