Funky Friday Finds - 12/4/09

There's no stopping it now... We're all really gearing up for the holidays! One of the things I look forward to most every year is playing games with my family. Everyone is very competitive so the games are taken seriously, but there's still a lot of laughter and teasing.

This week, in lieu of the regular Funky Friday Finds I'll share some of my family's favorite games:

Monopoly is actually my favorite game! I actually learned to deal with money as a child by playing with Monopoly money. Nowadays, I often have a hard time finding any willing competitors because the game is so time consuming. I was thrilled when this electronic banking version came out because it really speeds the game up!

Taboo will make you stop and think before you speak, but - be careful - you're racing against the clock! You have to get your teammates to guess the word on the card, but there are forbidden - or taboo (*gasp* I get it now!) - words that you'll really want to say but can't!


Guesstures is great for a party! Basically, it's charades with a timer. It always has us rolling on the floor with laughter!


Boggle is my Dad's favorite. The rest of the family agrees to play merely in an attempt to beat him. Trust me, the Boggle King has been dethroned many times!


Cranium is another great party game. Players move around the board and have to perform various tasks that include trivia, verbal puzzles, acting/charades, and drawing/sculpting. It probably exercises every part of the brain - and it's fun!


Bananagrams was a new one for us last year. It's similar to Scrabble in that you make words with tiles...but that's where the similarities end. Everyone makes words simultaneously (no taking turns) and the first person to use all their tiles yells "bananas!" I'm not doing the game justice. Trust me, it's fast-paced, short, and fun!


Another great party game! In Catch Phrase, you can say whatever you want in order to get your teammates to guess the word in the display window. Play passes quickly back and forth between the two teams and the buzzer goes off randomly. The team still holding the device when the buzzer goes off loses that round!

But if you need a quieter game, try Jenga. But watch out, the tower may quickly tumble, and you'll al be laughing and squealing in delight!

Warning: When playing these games, you will act like a child again; you will lose track of time; and you will laugh!