Me: A Compendium - A Review

This journal is the cutest. It has so many pages to fill out. My daughter has loved looking at it with me and asking me to read her the questions so she can doodle. She is a bit too young for the book, I would think that the intended audience would be 6+ years, but nevertheless, she's enjoying having a book of her own she can color and scribble on. And that's worth it to me.

**I received this game from Blogging for Books for review purposes. All opinions are my own.**

Punderdome: A Review

If you're like me, you've played Apples to Apples before and loved it. Not only was it fun, but it's one of those games where even when you lose you don't regret playing because laughs were had and from now on you have new inside jokes with your people who are now your friends if they weren't already before. Yet, admit it- even with as good as the game is, you feel guilty playing it. Deep down you know that as funny as the game was, it was all luck- the creativity comes down to sheer dumb luck and timing. What if you could eliminate that guilt without sacrificing the laughs?

Enter: Punderdome. It plays basically the same as Apples to Apples (and other similar games), but you are in charge of the creativity. If you win the round- you've earned it! The game gives you a subject (i.e. Michael Jackson) and situation (i.e. fishing) and gives you 90 seconds to write down a pun with the two (i.e. "It don't matter if you're cod or pike!"). The "judge" of the round picks their favorite pun and awards it to its creator. Obviously coming up with a pun is much more difficult than choosing a card at random and hoping that it's funny enough to get picked, but sometimes the worst pun wins with the right judge (one of mine used "Taxes" and "Grocery shopping" to be "Who will do the taxes this year? AISLE do them!"). Even if it doesn't win- your worst puns are guaranteed to at least award you an eye roll.

Yes, this game is fun. Yes, you'll be surprised at just how creative you've been this whole time. Yet, it does seem to lack polish. The game suggests that it ends by choosing an actual object to award the winner. The instructions actually suggest prizes such as a microwave or a used napkin. This idea is so bad and overkill that I suggest everyone considers this optional. My only other gripe with the game is the lack of mechanic for what to do when you just can't think of a pun in 90 seconds (for example, 3 times a game they can write "CHEAT" and switch papers with one in the pile of puns). Such a mechanic might help others be more willing to come and play- which is imperative to this game's success as it requires at least 3 people (or teams) to play.

Overall, this game is a wonderful idea. It doesn't quite feel like it's in its final, polished form, but with the right group of people this could just be a game you'll never forget.

**I received this game from Blogging for Books for review purposes. All opinions are my own.**

Eating in the Middle {A Cookbook review}

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I knew something about Andie's story, but I was mostly interested in the recipes.

I love that the book is hardcover. It's beautiful and the recipes look delicious. I've tried 2 so far. We love the Italian Salad, which reminds us of our favorite salad at Olive Garden, but better. I recently made the Lemon Roasted Chicken with Moroccan Couscous and I loved it as well. The meals are wonderfully balanced and the flavors seem to go together well.

I have many recipes of hers that I want to try, especially anything from her decadent side.


**I received this book complimentary from Blogging for Books for review purposes. All opinions are my own.**

Everyday Detox {A (Cook) Book Review}

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I'm a wholesome food eater. I like to eat whole foods, unrefined sugar and using the best ingredients. I love that more and more bloggers are changing recipes and making more whole food based recipes--which is where my love for Megan comes from. I first found her website when I made her Chocolate PB Banana Milkshake, which, to this day is still one of my favorite recipes. So, when I knew she was writing a cookbook, I knew I wanted it. I loved this book. There are plenty of recipes to try and plenty of pictures that make you want to try them,

The cover is gorgeous. I have already made many recipes from the book and most of them have been successes. My new go-to recipes are the Tropical Smoothie and the Coffee Cake with Macaroon Crumble.

I love this book and highly recommend checking out Megan's website for more delicious recipes.


**I received this book complimentary from Blogging for Books for review purposes. All opinions are my own.**

Inspiralized {A (Cook) Book Review}

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I was so excited about getting this book. I can't remember how I found Ali's blog, but when I did, I was hooked. Ali uses a tool. called the spiralizer, (although she just came out with her own, the Inspiralizer) to turn vegetables into noodles that can be used as a replacement for wheat noodles, rice (and even buns!) in delicious recipes, turning those cheat meals into healthy meals after all. The taste is not compromised, because these meals taste just as good as the originals, but without the guilt and the sluggishness after. When I found Inspiralized, I bought a spiralizer and my journey began. Then I stopped using it for some reason and recently decided to pick it up again. When I saw Ali's cookbook and new Inspiralizer, I knew I had to get them.

The book is beautiful. What I love about the recipes is that they are all either new or upgraded from the ones on her blog. No repeats! Everything I've made so far has been wonderful. My favorite is the Rutabaga Turkey Casserole with Gruyère-Broccoli Bread Crumbs. So delicious! This weekend, Ali's Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Muffins are on the books!

I love love love this book and highly recommend checking out Ali's website for more delicious recipes.


**I received this book complimentary from Blogging for Books for review purposes. All opinions are my own.**

City of Stairs {A Book Review}

I just couldn't get into this book. It seemed too political for me. I have a hard time getting into fantasy unless it catches me from the beginning but this one didn't. It felt like a chore to read.

The names were terrible. Way too hard and I couldn't remember them most of the time. I couldn't connect to the main character, because everything seemed to fall on her lap. I know nothing about Russia and India so the references to those countries were lost on me.

Too historical, too economical, too political, not my cup of tea. Sorry.

I received this book complimentary from Blogging for Books for review purposes. All opinions are my own.