Hopefully women use deodorant, too

Last night we decided to play a game. Aiden got me a new game called The Last Word for my birthday and the kids, who have been gamers in the old sense of the word (not the plugged in console reliant sense) lately have been badgering us to let them play. I have been trying to figure out how to make it kid friendly and how to let them play it and enjoy it while avoiding the Thanksgiving Break SORRY! debacle.

Normal game play is that everyone has a subject card and then you turn over a letter. Players race to think of a word that matches both and then play their subject card. Everyone shouts out answers and whoever finishes before the randomly timed buzzer goes off gets to move on the board. It is a fun time, just not for kids. We remedied this by taking turns starting the subject and timer and then going around in a circle in an orderly fashion so as to prevent fights of who was talking first, etc. And we eliminated the letter cards altogether.

Since Ashley is 4 she was at somewhat of a disadvantage (although she was up against several of us with ADD and the inability to plan ahead and ended up playing on the same level as the rest of us with our handicap figured in) I was whispering words to her so she could keep the game going. This was just fine until she realized she could play on her own. Then she would not use any of the answers I offered up even if she was about to say it anyway.

Some of the answers, by category, for your enjoyment:

All About Being a Teenager:

Mom: High School
Ashley (who was next): Musical!

Water Animals:

Annie: all the answers she wanted to use were said already so she had to think... Aiden tried to help by offering a suggestion but she offered him the "go ahead and die now" look then announced: WATER BUFFALO

Vegetables:

Ashley: after the buzzer already went off: I should have said "banana!"

Things in a factory:

Annie: chocolate!
Mom: Oompa Loompas

Things in Washington D.C.

Ashley: after I whispered "the Pentagon": The pinnacle
Alex: I was going to say that!

Things at the grocery store:

Annie: Connie! (their favorite checker)

Things found at Grandma's house:

Ashley: Wocking Howses
Annie: Dogs

5 letter words:

Ashley: it was hers to start and this would have taken all night. Normally we would have skipped it but the timer is pretty quick... I tried to help her come up with one but she said: birds all on her own.

Pizza:

Annie: Ketchup

Things under the ground:

Ashley: turtles

Things found in a purse:

Ashley: Sparkewly wip stuff

Types of spices:

Aiden to Annie: What do we make garlic bread out of?
Annie: ...... (crickets)
Mom: saaaaalt (to Ashley)
Ashley: CORN! (can you tell what she likes on her corn?)
Aiden: What do we normally use with salt?
Ashley: slaps her head and rolls her eyes at herself: peppewuh

Things used mainly by men:

Alex: DEODORANT!


Every time the timer would go off Ashley would say ME! and move her piece. The end of the game came down to me, Alex and Ashley all waiting for one more space. Aiden and Annie were gracious losers (for the first time ever for Annie!). Mostly this was not their fault as the timing of the game is impossible but crucial. Ashley would get a lot of the last answers because she was holding out on saying what I had whispered to her. Barring that, Alex would get the next word and then the timer would go off. I got a lot because Ashley wouldn't go fast.

Annie and Aiden got hosed simply by where they were in the circle. Only people bookending the slow answerer got a lot of play.