Let’s look at a day in the life of a toddler. Typically they will get up, have breakfast and then play. Next it is lunch and a nap and more playing. They’ll play until supper, eat and then play again. Bath time, which is more playing, is probably the last thing they will do before they go off to bed for the night. Some will say “what is so hard about that?”

Let’s take a look at it. A toddler doesn’t have a lot of knowledge. All they have is what they learned as an infant. As a toddler they will learn how to walk better and then even run. Their communication skills will develop more, and they will also learn about cause and effect.

For adults it is common knowledge that hitting, biting, etc. is not a good thing to do. That is not the case with a toddler. They will hit or bite a few times and be corrected on it before they learn that it is something they shouldn’t do. Building blocks would be another example of what toddlers could learn about on a daily basis. They have no idea that one block will stay on top of another when you place it there. They also don’t know that as you pile them up you can only go so high before they fall. This is all something they learn through trial and error.

I know if you tried to imagine yourself constantly learning all day, every day, it would probably give you a headache. Well that is the life of a toddler! So the next time your toddler does something wrong remember it is part of their learning process. Work with them and help them learn everything they can. What you do with them now contributes to who and what they are as adults. Above all else remember to always have fun with them!

Fun board games are a great choice any time of the year, but we are fast approaching a season that calls for new games, new challenges, and new ways to spend time with family.

Christmas is coming! The smell of pine, twinkling lights, Christmas carols — all of the wonderful sights and sounds and smells of Christmas are right around the corner. And somewhere in between Christmas cookies and “Silent Night” you’ll need to sit down and make a Christmas list so that the special people in your life can get the perfect gift from you.

There are so many gifts available to you. You could choose a great tie for your brother or a small bottle of perfume for your sister. You could find pajamas for the little ones, or any of a dozen vague, impersonal presents to spread around so that those you love will receive a gift that has virtually no connection to who they are. Or…

Give a gift especially matched to the “givee.” Board games are the perfect gifts for all ages. Don’t believe me? Give it some thought. Haven’t you had terrific fun in the past just hanging out with your family playing games? You agonize over the answers you can’t remember and hoot with glee when you get it right. You groan and yell and run to the kitchen for more snacks and debate and chat and laugh until you cry. You can spend quality time enjoying the company of people that you love, all while using the gift that you gave. So, how about some ideas?

Is your brother a sports fanatic? Give him a “Find It Sports Edition” game. The manufacturer says “it features 35 different types of sports and over 40 challenging items for you to find. Spin it, twist it, shake it, be the first to find the hidden penny, racing flag, boxing gloves, ping pong paddle.” What the manufacturer doesn’t say is that you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to beat your brother at his own game. Great for family get-togethers and easy to take along, you’ll have hours of fun with “Find It Sports Edition.”

Have you tried “Apples to Apples?” If not, give it to your sister just so you can play it yourself. It’s easy to play right out of the box – no learning curve here – but the possibilities and results are hilarious. You’ll be comparing all kinds of people, things, places, and happenings. Just try not to spit on the cards as you burst out laughing. But if you do, don’t worry. You can always order extra cards!

Consider “Buzzword” as a choice for the whole family. It is a team game – think boys against girls at your holiday family gathering – that gives your team a limited time to solve 10 clues connected to one “buzzword.” Picture your family trying to come up with the answers all at the same time. Picture your family trying to come up with the answers all at the same time quickly and loudly. Now imagine that you started all that fun with your gift of a great board game. Now smile.

Christmas is the perfect time for a raft of new fun board games. Start making your list now!

Patient to his psychiatrist: Doctor, I can’t remember anything! I forgot what happened yesterday. I forgot what my car looks like. I can’t even remember my own name.

Online casinos offer better value to gamblers than brick and mortar casinos. They do not have the overhead of a Las Vegas or Atlantic City casino and can therefore offer better odds and bigger bonuses. Traditional land based casinos attract visitors with glitzy hotels and fancy restaurants. In 1976 gambling was legalized in Atlantic City. Las Vegas casinos realized that they would need to do more to attract East Coast visitors than just offer casino gambling. This was the beginning of the Las Vegas Mega-Resort. The Mega-Resort caters to the entire family in order to become a vacation destination. It now costs an approximately $5 billion to buy the land and build a resort on the Las Vegas strip.In 1986, Foxwoods opened as a bingo hall on Indian land. Foxwoods added casino table games in 1992 and slot machines in 1993. Atlantic City was now in the same position as Las Vegas. They needed to offer more than just gambling. Atlantic City handled the problem the same way that Las Vegas did; they threw money at it. Foxwoods location attracted millions of visitors and they continued to grow throughout the 1990’s and the early 2000’s until a downturn in the economy forced states to loosen laws regarding casino gambling. Today Foxwoods is the largest casino in the world and their business is being stolen by smaller casinos. They have opened the MGM at Foxwoods in order to bring in top line entertainment. This again costs money.The next step in this cycle is online gambling. Online casinos are more convenient than any local casino, so no one is going to open up closer to the gambler. When an online casino is losing business they also throw money at the problem. Online casinos do this by offering bonuses to the player, not with white tigers in the lobby.Online casinos are run out of small offices with a limited number of employees. These offices are in small countries with legalized gambling and limited taxes. The casinos pay licensing fees for the software that they use. You would not be able to tell an online casino from a telemarketing office just by looking at it.
The low overhead allows internet casinos to offer “Better than Vegas” odds and bonuses on deposits. How often does a land based casino match your first deposit? The competition for new cyber gamblers is fierce and the bonuses continue to increase. The problem is that online gambling is not exactly legal in the United States. Why not? Because it is not taxed! This is where the problems start.The US Government has no interest in the individual gambler. They are trying to choke the money supply. The theory is that once there is no money to be made by offshore casinos they will go away. Then either gamblers will go back to traditionally taxed land based casinos or the taxing laws will change and the casinos that are paying tax will be allowed to open online casinos. Las Vegas has a new law that allows e-gambling in hotel rooms while several states are attempting to tax internet sales. Will this create the new “Atlantic City” for current online casinos? Will they figure out a new way of throwing money at the problem? The answer is yes and the cycle continues.