Month: August 2020

One of my projects during this time has been to create a board game. My inspiration was the game of Monopoly. My family loves this game and we took to playing it several weekends in a row. I decided it would be fun to create a travel boardgame similar to Monopoly. 

I started with pencil and paper and drew an outline of a boardgame on it. I used the paper then to brainstorm and came up with all kinds of ideas.  At first it was going to be Hotels around the world and then I changed it to Countries, Cities, and Continents in the world. Every continent is represented in some form or another. It is very much a traveling real estate game. The game changed over several weeks as I continued to brainstorm. 

At first my teenage son, Samuel thought it was so silly of me. When the package arrived from Amazon though he got very excited and started seeing the vision I had. He helped me create cards for the game too and helped with the stickers. I was overjoyed when he started getting excited with me.   

I bought a large blank game board that folds into a small rectangle for storage. It came with its own box for nice keeping when we are not playing. I purchase some blank poker size game cards, some calligraphy pens, stickers, and pawns. Instead of writing on all of the cards, I got some labels so I could use the computer to make nice labels for the backs of the cards.

The board is definitely not symmetrical. I think I started out that way and then decided my idea of a perfect looking board was going out the window. This made it even more fun though. The stickers I bought were so much fun. Travel stickers from around the world. I went through them and started laying them on the board first where I wanted my countries to go.  Then I drew my lines with a sharpie to indicate spaces. I created a whole new set of properties in the middle of the board game. One of the spaces is an Island retreat space and if you land on it, you go to the middle of the board. The Airport is the space that gives you money when you pass through it. The travel card spaces allow you to draw a card. I spent hours researching facts about countries, cities, cultures, and anything else I could find.

Another fun idea that came out of this was using poker chips instead of money. It was a tiny bit more expensive, however the primary reason is we live in a very windy area. We have a river literally a few stone throw away and this gives us a very cool breeze in the summer. It’s built in air conditioning so I do not complain. I like to sit outside though with my family to play board games in the summer. The poker chips will not blow away in the wind. We also decided to use the poker chips for our shares.

The first time we played we did have a few bumps and so I went back and fixed a few property items and created a new space on the board game. My family really liked it though and we learned a lot. We have facts about cultural dances, foods, and customs. We have silly cards about the most haunted places in the World and little facts that most people don’t know. For example, the least populated place in the World, but it is also a research area. I even have a space on the board game to buy the North Pole and the Moon!

This project really brought me a lot of joy. I had not used all of my creative skills in a long time and that was so fun. Picking out the stickers to match our cards like India, Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, New York and so many other places. We put the travel stickers on the board to indicate spaces and then put matching stickers on the property cards.  I did find out the calligraphy pens do not work on the type of game board we purchased. The permanent sharpies did work though and this is what I used to label the board and draw the outline.  We use two dice to roll for play and then I added some spaces to roll a single dice to land on extra spaces.

Really you could create any type of game. The board and cards were inexpensive. You could use anything around the house too like paints, stickers, rocks, or other board game pieces you no longer use. Paper money can be made without purchasing by drawing on paper and cutting them out.

It’s a great stress reliever, you learn something new, and if you have a family they can get involved too. One extra benefit I got from the three weeks I worked on this was reduced stress which in turn helped me not focus on my food intake. I’ve maintained my 95-pound loss although the last few weeks I had been thinking about food more and more. This project really took my mind off of it. I hope you will share your ideas with me too.

Next time I am writing a piece on motivation and inspiration. One of my support groups has a member who made herself a story board/motivation board. I am totally loving this idea and want to share it with you.

Until next time, wishing you all the best,

Mandy

Hello everyone. First, I would like to say I intended to write much more than I have over the last several months. I started out strong and then fizzled out a bit. I have not lost my passion for my journey or for inspiring others. I was struggling a bit with everything going on around me and staying busy with work during this pandemic. I am back now and hoping to have some new and refreshing articles with ideas to share.

The focus of my article today is celebrating the small victories. I’m sure many of you have known people in your personal lives impacted by the pandemic and other world events. Taking the time to focus on the things that are going well and celebrating gratitude will help us stay positive. I do know we must take time to reflect on world events and everything going on because it is a serious time in history. My article is not meant to take away from that seriousness, only to focus on the positive things or ways we can give back. I am writing today about my small victories.

Over the last few months I have been watching my garden grow. We picked beans from it already and spinach. My tomato plant has completely taken over the garden and is almost ready for harvesting. I used spinach from the garden this last week to make a potato and egg pancake and I used it in Lasagna. It turns out I found I’m the only one in my house that likes spinach. It has been so tasty though. I checked my cucumbers this morning and they are getting nice and big. For my first garden, I am very happy.

I had my follow up with my surgeon as I passed my one year surgiversary! I have maintained a weight loss of about 95 pounds total since March. No weight loss for me the last several months although I am thrilled to be maintaining. The one area I could use some improvement in is getting more exercise. Swimming was my main exercise because of my Charcot foot and I’ve had to stop because the pools are closed. My foot doctor though did say my foot is quite stable and cleared me to be on it a bit more. I’m still finding most of my steps get used at work and that’s okay too. The main victory from my surgery was my diabetes is under control and I feel strong and healthy.

Another small victory is my nightly small walk with Penny, my five pound Yorkie. She counts on and gets so excited when I say “walk”. As soon as we leave the patio door, she turns around and bites the leash to show her excitement. Walking her is a chore in itself because small dogs of her breed want to be in control and she decides the path we take. I usually put in my ear buds, listen to my book on tape or my music. I focus on taking deep breaths, listening and feeling the wind, and this helps me center and calm my thoughts and emotions. This has been a big plus in helping her sleep better which also helps me sleep better.

I had the idea to create a world travel game about three weeks ago and I finished it last weekend. It is very similar to other real estate games, but with our own twist. I will write more about it in my next article because I think it deserves more than a paragraph. It was a fun project that took our minds off of a lot and really helped us learn about other cultures and countries.

Over the last week we have been out as a family going to the Zoo and a small amusement park near us. We followed all of the guidelines like reserving tickets ahead of time, wearing masks, hand washing, social distancing, etc. It was nice though to be outdoors and get some exercise while enjoying everything. A black bear at the Zoo really made me laugh. He was picking up lettuce with his paw and throwing it in a box and then he swiped it up out of the box and threw it back on the ground. It was a cool morning so all of the animals were quite playful.

We have been fortunate to keep both of us working during this time so we’ve put aside the money we saved from not going anywhere and plan to have a vacation next summer. This small victory has given us something to hope for. I will say many of my co-workers and others I know have been doing lots of camping and hiking. This might be a great way to re-center, have some fun and relax, while getting some physical activity. My family tries hard to focus on world events when we need to put thought and energy into it and then also finding a space to stop focusing on it when we need to as well. We still have our struggles too although we find trying to stay positive and focus on gratitude has helped.

We live in a farming community and it’s harvest time so enjoying sitting out on my porch or looking at the fields on my small walks is such a blessing. This weekend I’m going to pull out my old cookbook to see if I can find some interesting recipes for harvest time. I know for sure I’m looking forward to apple crisp made with pink apples from my apple tree. I’m super lucky because my neighbor makes us apple pies when we give her apples. She will be the first one getting them this year!

It’s been hard not to see my family very often. When I do see them we sit outside and social distance. I’m beginning to dislike that word, but so far it has kept us safe. When I do get to see them I am grateful and we spend time just catching up. My family does live close so this is also a fortunate thing. Some of my co-workers though have told me they are using Zoom or similar apps to connect. One co-worker told me about a board game she and her family played on a Zoom call. That is very creative and what a way to make use of our technology.

At work, once a year we have a food drive and this is a great way to give back. We’ve also been donating money to a children’s network to feed children. I’ve read so many inspiring articles about people helping each other during this time.

Lastly, another small victory has been working remote one to two days a week. I am still needed at work because I’m a nurse manager, however working remote a few days a week has been really nice. I save money on gas, it saves the environment, traffic is better, and on those days I make a nice dinner in between meetings. It also helps me be connected to Sam, my fourteen year old son during the day. He still plays video games most of the day, but at least I can say hello. He and I carve out time each evening to watch one or two episodes of a show we pick out together. On weekends, we try and watch a family movie too.

I hope you will consider sharing some small victories in your life. Take care and wishing you all the best.

Mandy