Coming at you from my hospital bed and I’ve enlisted some help from AI as having coherent thoughts is a bit challenging right now. The next few days our focus is on books, both for the adults here and also those to share with the kids in our lives. Day 1: Have Books, Will Travel Well, this wasn’t exactly on my October bingo card. Apparently, breaking both ankles is one way to get out of doing the laundry. A bit extreme, perhaps, but here we are. Since my grand adventures are temporarily limited to wherever someone is willing to wheel me, I’ve decided it’s time for a different kind of adventure. The kind that doesn’t require shoes, a suitcase, or even leaving the couch. Books! For the next five days, we’re going to explore books for grown-ups. Because Connected Through Play isn’t just about what we do with the kids. Curiosity, imagination, and a little adventure belong to us, too. Today’s theme: Take Me Somewhere Else Some books transport us to another century. Others drop us into someone else’s life. And a few make us forget that we’ve been sitting in the same chair for three hours. Three fiction picks: 📖 The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Two sisters, occupied France, and extraordinary courage during World War II. Bring tissues. 📖 The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Four retirees, a cold case, and the delightful discovery that growing older doesn’t mean behaving yourself. 📖 The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune A wonderfully unusual orphanage, magical children, and a story about finding where you belong. Three nonfiction picks: 📖 The Wager by David Grann Shipwreck, mutiny, survival, and a true story so outrageous it could pass for fiction. 📖 The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown Nine young men, one rowing team, and an extraordinary journey to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. 📖 The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker A fascinating look at why bringing people together matters and how we can make those moments more meaningful. A Little Book-Picking Wisdom

You know that moment when you open the oven and there's somehow flour on the ceiling? Yeah, I'm talking about those moments. Cooking alongside kids is rarely Pinterest-worthy, and honestly, that's exactly what makes it beautiful. There's something irreplaceable about the controlled chaos of a kitchen where small hands are involved, the ingredient measurements that become creative interpretations, the "helpful" taste-testing that happens three minutes in, the discovery that chocolate chips are apparently edible at every stage of the process. The burnt edges, the flour explosions, the time someone thought "extra vanilla" meant the whole bottle, these aren't kitchen fails. They're the real stuff of family cooking. They're the moments that stick with people. Kids learn confidence, mess-making becomes memory-making, and you end up with stories that'll make everyone laugh for years. So here's what I'd like to know: What's your favorite beautiful disaster from the kitchen? The recipe that went sideways but tasted great anyway? The baking adventure that created more memories than edible results? Share your imperfect moment, I'd love to hear it, and I promise yours won't be the messiest one here. I'm still looking for the flour war photo between my kids - if I find it, I will share.

Do you have pets? We currently have four cats ranging in age from under a year to nearly 11 and my daughter is going to be sending her 10 year old Maine Coon to live with us for a while. When your daughter is a “geriatric” pregnancy with a toddler at home, you don’t question the ask. Anyway, here’s Lord Stanley of Cup hard at work🤫

Let’s have some Friday fun. Whether you have a houseful of kids or it’s just you and another adult, we’re never to young to play games. As one who doesn’t always follow the rules, have you ever asked yourself who decided games have to follow the rules anyway? Better yet, ask a teen and see what they say. It’s Friday, I had a crazy week at work so I think it’s time to bend those rules. Today, YOU get to rewrite one! Pick any familiar game and invent ONE completely ridiculous new rule. For example: 🎩 Monopoly: Every time someone lands on your property, they have to SING the rent amount. ♟️ Chess: Before moving your queen, you must announce her royal decree. 🃏 UNO: Every time someone plays a Wild card, everyone has to speak in a pirate accent until the next turn. The sillier, the better! Tell us the game and your new rule in the comments. Bonus points if your rule would make family game night completely chaotic. 😂 I’ll be reading these and wondering which ones we should actually try!

No, not the ones in the cupboard you use for cereal! I’m talking about the trend of creating layered meals in a bowl. Have you ever thought, hmm, where do I even begin or how do I create a healthy meal bowl. Well we’ve got you covered. Join Chef @Andrew Brooks and I next week 21 Oct at 12 CT/1 ET for a fun cook along session. Session link in the calendar. Drop your questions for Chef in the comments.