2011 News

We all know, dinner time is the most important time and probly the only time during the day where you can get your entire family on a table and spend time, have fun and interact. In the Crazy Mom's house, dinner is a must as a family !!! I will not allow anyone skip dinner, eat early or whatever the reason may be. Of course I make exceptions if one of the boys spends the night a friend's house or if there are school activities, but just because you don't want to have dinner with the family is not excuse!!! I remember a few years ago, hubby always had dinner ready and him and the kids ate before I even got home from the office; I was so up sad, because this is the only time during the day where we all will be able to sit down and spend time together. Finally he realized and now everyone is waiting for me to get home from the office. I love our dinner time, I get to catch up on current events, news from school, what happened at work/ school that day or just all kind of chit chat, no phone call allowed and no visitors.. just my family!!!

I recently was approached about a game called Gather 'round Dinner Game by Family Fun Time. I was excited to have a dinner time conversation starter that got everyone hyped up and talking. Once the game arrived that evening I put it in the middle of the table, and the Tween and Teen immediately started pushing the button and giggled over the questions like "; name the 7 continents"; or "Say 3 things that you are good at"; and many many more, this game includes 11 discs with 12 questions on each for a fun filled dinner time with lots of laughter.

The game has a button in the middle that you push and wherever the light stops that's your question for that round. You can make it as simple as possible by allowing everyone to answer or put a time limit on for everyone to answer within 30 seconds or whatever rule you come up with. This is a fun game; my entire family got laughs out of this game and the best part, I was able to learn more about the kids that they may not share with me like "Name a relative you would like to see more often and why?"; or "Guess everyone's favorite fruit, vegetable.. etc"... this is a wonderful conversation starter.

This is what's included in the game:

* The game piece, which also doubles as a storage case
* 11 discs with 12 questions
* 2 AA batteries

This game won't take much space on your table and you can actually take with you in a bag if you are out and about, I think it would also be a fun to have in the car while you are waiting in line at the bank, or waiting for the older kids to get off the bus, or while you are at the soccer/ baseball fields to keep the siblings occupied… Wonderful idea. This game retails for $24.95 and can be purchased through Amazon.com; for more information check out Family Fun Time online, and show them some love on their brand new Facebook page.

As life becomes more and more complex and technology (cell phones, computers, video games, iPods and iPads) more ingrained in kids' lives, finding family time is difficult at best. Add in other activities like sports, music lessions, friends, homework, and more, it's easy to see that in order to have some quality family time thoughtful planning must take place.

Decades ago, without all the modern distractions faced in the 21st century, families spent much more time together. Television was in its infancy and even if a family owned a TV, there were only two or three options to watch each evening. What many families did was play games.

From Scrabble to Monopoly to Clue to Parchesi, board games were a way for families to spend a fun evening together. Today, there are hundreds of games to choose from and every family is sure to find a few that they can enjoy together. Why not start a dedicated family game night each week?

Board games and puzzles are a great way to bring together family members of all ages for moments of fun. The effort to spend merely 30 minutes playing games will be richly rewarded as playing board games together strengthens family relationships, sparks conversations and brings everyone together in silliness and laughter.

"There are many benefits to setting aside a night each week as family game night," explains John Pandiscio, founder of FamilyTimeFun (www.ftfgames.com), a company that has created several interactive family games.

"Besides the impact of making the family unit so important that you set aside dedicated time together each week, family game night helps in many other ways, as well."

Here are five reasons to have a dedicated family game night:

Quality Time

The importance of spending quality time together as a family cannot be overstated. It is important for bonding, building relationships and improving communication.

Learning Opportunity

Children can learn many important things from family game night. Along with good sportsmanship and the importance of following directions, they can hone their communication skills, as well as testing and improving their agility and coordination skills.

Inexpensive Entertainment

In a day and age when even activities like going out to the movies can be economically out of reach, a family game night is affordable. Games are generally inexpensive, last a long time, and can even be borrowed.

Healthy habits

Having a family game night is healthy. It is good brain exercise, can be good physical exercise (depending on the game being played), and keeps kids from simply sitting in front of the television for hours on end, which has been linked to many negative consequences.

Fun factor

Family game time can be a time when the family has fun and laughs together, each week. That alone will help to create memories and good times!

"Many people may think that it will be difficult to schedule a family game night, but they probably catch several weekly shows on television," says Pandiscio. "Those shows will never do for you and your family what a family game night can do!"

FamilyTimeFun has created several games that are ideal for family game nights, including Racers Ready, Original Dinner Games, Gather 'Round Dinner Games and Pizza Night Game. The games have been designed with family quality time and fun in mind. Racers Ready, which will be available beginning in May, promotes agility and coordination as families are encouraged to be active and focus on teambuilding.

FamilyTimeFun games are available online at www.ftfgames.com, as well as through select retailers. Founded in 2006, FamilyTimeFun™is the brainchild of John Pandisco a father of two young children who experienced, first-hand, the joys of engaging in word game play with his own family at the dinner table. For additional information, visit the website.

Decades ago, families often spent more quality time together. There were significantly fewer distracting options than there are today, where we now cope with 300 channels on the television, personal computers, and sophisticated video games. Today, family time often takes a back seat to all the other directions that people are pulled, when it comes to work and entertainment. One way to bring back that quality time is to start a dedicated family game night each week.

There are many benefits to setting aside a night each week as family game night. Besides the impact of making the family unit so important that you set aside dedicated time together each week, family game night helps in many other ways, as well.

Here are 5 reasons to have a dedicated family game night:

1. Quality Time. The importance of spending quality time together as a family cannot be overstated. It is important for bonding, building relationships and improving communication.

2. Learning Opportunity. Children can learn many important things from family game night. Along with good sportsmanship and the importance of following directions, they can hone their communication skills, as well as testing and improving their agility and coordination skills.

3. Inexpensive Entertainment. In a day and age when even activities like going out to the movies can be economically out of reach, a family game night is affordable. Games are generally inexpensive, last a long time, and can even be borrowed.

4. Healthy habits. Having a family game night is healthy. It is good brain exercise, can be good physical exercise (depending on the game being played), and keeps kids from simply sitting in front of the television for hours on end, which has been linked to many negative consequences.

5. Fun factor. Family game time can be a time when the family has fun and laughs together, each week. That alone will help to create memories and good times!

Many people may think that it will be difficult to schedule a family game night, but they probably catch several weekly shows on television. Those shows will never do for you and your family what a family game night can do!

John Pandisco, founder of FamilyTimeFun™, a father of two young children who experienced, first-hand, the joys of engaging in word game play with his own family at the dinner table. With a product line that appeals to individuals from age three to 93, FamilyTimeFun entered the market as the only manufacturer of family dinner games, quickly filling an untapped niche. The company's signature game, "The Original Dinner Games," won five major toy awards: The National Parenting Seal of Approval, Creative Child's Family Game of the Year, Toy Tips' Seal of Excellence, Family Review Center's Recommended and 4 stars from Able Play. For additional information, visit www.ftfgames.com

So family TV Episode 2 - So family had a play date at the 2011 International Toy Fair in NYC. We found some amazing toys and other fun goodies for the kids in your families. Monica J shares it all with you on So family TV. Check out episode 2 now!