Of Computers and DVDs

Abby(8) proudly says that she's "growing into being a geek". I agree. "Geek" - at Chez Gamers' Babes - is a term of affection, as are "dork" and "nerd". Leanna is often scandalized that we refer to her middle sister as a geek, because she's been in school long enough to view the term as a negative. But what else are you likely to call a child who reads comic books, can segue from Tchaikovsky to Oingo Boingo without missing a beat, and claims to be half-vampire?

The kids' computer has been kaput for ages; it started smoking suspiciously several months ago. I suspect chocolate milk as the culprit. A dear friend of the family has been persuaded to upgrade (by her children and grandchildren) and bequeathed us her PC (thank you, "Auntie S"! I owe you. What's your favorite flavor of Girl Scout Cookie?). This one is a few years old, but it was pretty well top-of-its-not-a-gaming-rig-line at the time, and also, free. We hooked it up this afternoon. We still need to take it apart and drop the wireless card in it, but as our oldest is only ten, nobody will be hurt by having "only" offline games for now.

I used to work for Humongous Entertainment (now a division of Atari) so I have a bajillion "Junior Adventures" that are just right for my kids (as they are rated, variously, for 3-8 and 5-10). I also am in love with games from Large Animal, so the kids have a fun game called Fashion Solitaire to play with, and assorted Interactive Storybooks which were made by Broderbund at the time - PC interactive books by Mercer Meyer, like Just Grandma and Me. Fun.

So, having eaten our dinner, and had some family reading and relaxing time, I now have a 3yo sitting on her bed watching Dora Saves the Mermaids on DVD, and an 8yo playing Big Thinkers First Grade (she's in second grade, so this gives her a thrill, because it's so easy) on the new PC.

Thanks again, "Auntie S"...