How to Annoy TLC During Summer Vacation

This is the time of year that kids bemoan the start of school and full-time Moms shout for joy. I doubt any mother will celebrate as much as The Lovely Cynthia (TLC). Having a newborn the entire summer, and trying to entertain two rambunctious boys has proven to be too difficult.

The boys' solution for all the extra downtime...video games! The boys (and I) have enjoyed bonding through a number of games on the Wii and computer throughout the summer months. Only one problem: TLC hates video games. So this list shows the games that have ticked off Mommy the most.

Angry Birds

Die, pigs, DIE!!! Most have this one on their phones, we have it on the PC. We got this just about a month ago, and I'm sure it will take a while to get through the 900 or so levels. We paid 5 bucks, and have probably spent 30 combined hours on it.

Kirby's Epic Yarn

This game is undeniably cute. Everything is drawn in a way to look like textiles; every level is like a work of art. Kirby's typical vacuum abilities are replaced by the ability to transform into various vehicles and it's a refreshing change. I was slightly disappointed that the game is solidly aimed at kids, but the boys LOVE it. We bought it for $25, and the boys have probably spent a combined 100+ hours. Kirby has replaced Scooby-Doo as the most played Wii game.

Tinker

Tinker is a simple puzzle game with great classic visuals and soundtrack. A tiny robot overcomes a variety of obstacles to reach a goal with a limited number of moves. I've liked this game because the boys really test their problem solving skills. Sometimes the boys come up with the solutions before I do. We got this game from the Xbox Marketplace (previously Games for Windows Marketplace) for the low, low cost of $0, and have so far spent about 18 combined hours.

Viva Pinata

This game is the inspiration for this list, principally because IT NEVER ENDS! I can't tell you how many arguments TLC has had with 'the men' over this game. It's an open-ended game where you build gardens full of candy-filled-anthropomorphic-animal pinatas. As the game involves 'romancing' pinatas to produce babies, the boys have had fun educating us on the birds and bees. All the pinatas are named after candy so a bee is called a Buzzlegum, a lion is a Roario, a bat is a Sherbat, etc. This is the first game that I've gotten all the achievements on because...well...it's fun! We bought it for $1 on the Xbox Marketplace, and have probably spent 150 combined hours.

Civilization V

Civilization is one of my weaknesses in life. I have owned all five and have wasted many an hour on them all. I still remember one summer that I was playing Civ II; I played until 2am one night when I passed out and then woke up at 6am and immediately resumed play. I'm not that bad anymore, but geez, I love this game. Civ V is greatly streamlined over its predecessors, which works well for me because I don't like all that micromanaging anyway. I do miss a few elements of Civ IV, but this is by far my favorite in the series. Cost was $40, Steam tells me I've played 61 hours. (To my credit, most of that time was when the family was away last summer)