Who's using Whom?

My boys have a five-year age difference,
which has its benefits and disadvantages.

For the longest time, they didn't fight.


They do now.



At 11 and 6 years old, they have power struggles, but are also good buddies.

I've noticed that my older son, Donny, thinks that Remy is his personal servant.
He attempts to bribe his little brother to run make him drinks or do other things.
I have to double-check to make sure they're being fair to each other.

I've shared with you how much we love this video game, right?
Well, we have to take equal turns playing.
And I noticed that Donny kept weaseling playtime out of Remy's turn.
And I grew concerned.
I don't want him taking advantage of his little brother.

Then I discovered that Remy was actually the one taking advantage.
He was using his big brother complete the hard parts of the game...
so he could enjoy his own turn better.

He's a smart little bugger.
I'm not as worried anymore.

At least, not about that.

I've got plenty else to worry about.



(don't miss yesterday's post of silly family antics in short video clips!)

Sucked In

I have a secret to share with you.

A secret addiction.
Ok, I admit it, one of many addictions.

I've finally found my green thumb.

For the last few weeks I've been tending to my own garden.

It's amazing.
I dig holes, bury the seeds, water them and watch it grow.
I can add fertilizer for bonus growth.
I've grown buttercups, daisies, turnips and pumpkins,
blackberry bushes, water lilies, apple trees and banana trees.
and many, many more.

And, I've learned what plants attract which animals.
taking the many required steps to tame the wild animals and let them live in my garden.

I have bees that produce honey in my honey hive.
I have sheep that produce wool and cows milk.

I pay helpers to come work for me.

I build houses for the animals, so they can romance and make babies.

Now I have a mine, with diggers who find treasures.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about,
then you need to get on board quickly.

This game is the best I have ever played.

Viva Pinata!

We discovered it two years ago and played it all the time.

and then this fall the newest version came out,
so the boys and I have been sucked back in again.

We play together, each having our own gardens.
We share money, so we have to balance out who spends what and who works on making more money for the collective.
We all work together at attracting the hard-to-get animals
and figuring out how to keep them.

You can put up decorative accents in your garden, fences and such.
and there are lots of secret ways to do things that you have to figure out.

And you have to be creative about keeping the bad guys out of your garden.
They're called Ruffians, and they like to destroy things.

And then there are the sour pinatas you have to turn good.

It's a game for all ages and all types.
The boys and I have a blast playing it.
It's seriously addictive.
We've been sucked in.

And it's the only place I don't seem to kill plants.

Doomsday Vault and seeds for thought

I just read a National Geographic news article about a Doomsday Vault built on a Norwegian artic island to store seeds. It stated that this vault "is designed to keep millions of seed samples safe from natural and unnatural disasters: global warming, asteroid strikes, plant diseases, nuclear warfare, and even earthquakes."

Wow. On one hand, I am thrilled we have a secure place to put seeds in case of disaster. I'm glad someone's paranoid enough to prepare ahead like this. On the other hand...oh, my gosh, how scary that we might need a place like this! Yikes.

I bet governments all over the world have tons of secret vaults full of stuff we don't know about and probably never will. It should would be fun to have a guided tour of some of them.

Speaking of seeds, and on a less serious note, an incredibly fun family video game is Viva Pinata. It's a life simulation game where your job is to take neglected land and turn it into a beautiful, fruitful garden. You have to plant seeds to grow plants, which in turn attract certain pinata animals. You must romance the animals to produce offspring and unlock achievements. You learn what different pinatas require to become residents of your garden, etc. It is a blast. I had so much fun playing this game with my children.

I'd love a garden in my backyard. I'd love a secret vault back there too! Heck, why not have a secret garden IN my secret vault. That's be awesome.

Would you build a vault in your backyard if you had the space and funds to do so? What would you keep stocked in your vault?