I've been getting questions. Let me answer the most common ones. Do I need a team? Nope. Solo players are fully welcome and actually get bonus points for going it alone. Does my kid have to participate? Not unless they want to. But several items were specifically designed so kids 8 and under can take the lead and those tend to produce the best content. Do I need to buy anything? Almost everything is designed around stuff you already have at home. A few items involve going outside. None require a budget. Do I have to do all 20 items? No. You need to attempt at least 5 to be eligible for awards. Beyond that, do as many as you want. What are the awards? Community-voted categories like Most Creative, Most Heartwarming, Best Kid Moment, Most Likely to Confuse the Neighbors, and The Purple Dragon Award (which is exactly what it sounds like). What if I try something and it completely falls apart? You get bonus points. We call it the Beautiful Failure bonus. Document everything. Launch is Friday, June 19. The full rules doc drops that morning. Let me know if you will join the fun in the comments below!!

Well, I didn't make it to my own event this morning, the Playful Shift and let me tell you why. Flee, my 25 year old senior cat decided that 2:30 a.m. was the perfect time for a refill on his food bowl, given his age and health conditions, and his very loud meow, I had no choice but to drag myself from bed and feed him and the other two cats. Hmm, I see a sink full of dirty dishes, which triggers "mom" brain to go into overdrive, let me just unload and load the dishwasher and I can go back to sleep. Oh wait, did Ken clean out the cat boxes, let's check - nope. Maybe that's why Flee was yowling - okay, better clean those and then try to nap before my 6:30 meeting. Nah, I'm up and wired, no sleep here, it's 3:30 now so let's check Skool and then maybe play a short game to wear myself out. Wait, how'd it get to be 5:00 a.m.? Hmm, if I'm going to have English muffins for breakfast, time to get them out of the fridge, shaped, and then proofed. Okay, it's 6:15 call in 15 minutes, perhaps I should take a quick nap - nope. Get on the call and then realize, my muffins are overproofing. Grab the cast iron skillet, start to heat it up - 10 minutes, lightly oiled. Dang, oil is smoking and about to catch on fire- pan too hot. Gotta save it. Pour out the oil, burn the finger, still on the call. Get a new pan started, turn the heat down on the old pan. New pan too small, finger burnt, muffins burnt - into the trash we go. Finally get the heat right. Woohoo. We have muffins. How was your morning?

Have you ever watched the TV Show, "Chopped"? Contestants are provided a mystery basket with 4 ingredients and asked to create an edible dish in 30 minutes. Today, you get to play your own version of chopped. Follow the prompt and share your creation. To keep it simple, limit yourself to 30 minutes. Gather Your Gear: - Something sweet - Something savory - Something salty - Something sour - Cutting board - Kid-safe knife or butter knife - Spoons - Small bowls - Plate or serving tray - Napkins Optional extras from the kitchen, seasonings, oil, veggies, etc. Steps: 1. Place your ingredients where everyone can see them. 2. Talk through a few possibilities before you start. Could this become a snack plate, dip, toast, wrap, skewer, tiny sandwich, salad, dessert bite, or something no one has named yet? 3. Create one shared dish using all four flavors. 4. Taste as you go, if it is safe to do so, and make small changes along the way. 5. Give your dish a name before serving it. Twist: Want an extra challenge? Plate it like it belongs in a fancy restaurant, even if the final dish is wonderfully strange. Variations by Age: Ages 3–6 Younger kids can wash produce, tear soft ingredients, spread, sprinkle, stir, arrange pieces, and help name the dish. Keep their part hands-on so they can see their choices become part of the food. Ages 7–12 Kids in this age range can help decide what the dish needs next. Is it too sour, too salty, too plain, too soft, or missing crunch? Let them suggest small changes and help assemble the final version. Ages 13–17 Older kids can help the family make one clear food choice instead of turning the plate into chaos. They can help decide whether the dish should lean sweet, savory, snacky, fancy, messy, or funny, then help bring the pieces together. Share Your Creation: Post a photo of your finished dish and tell us the name your family gave it.

Let’s have some fun, I’ll be popping up a couple poll questions today and tomorrow to help us get to know each other. If your family had to win a competition today, what would it be? What would someone outside your family answer? By the way, this can be the family you grew up in, your current family, or your “family of choice.”

For those of you who were here last week, I wanted to provide a quick update on my daughter and to thank everyone who reached out. My daughter saw the podiatrist earlier this week, no tendon damage and stitches come out in two weeks. She’s healing nicely and in good spirits. I spent the day with her today, chasing a toddler so she could rest.