The Game of Life, our way

We're having a small family birthday party this week, featuring an event from the cottage we're doing here instead. There's no television, DVR, PVR, VCR, DVD player or computer at the cottage, so we read, do jigsaw puzzles and play board games, in addition to going to the beach, walking and eating too much.

I'm aware that in some families, playing a board game can be an invitation to squabbles and hard feelings, so herein I present our way of playing the Game of Life. It won't end all the squabbling, but here goes anyway.

Those "Share the Wealth" cards seemed too complicated when the kids were little, so we don't bother with them. Sometimes, as in writing, there are rules that can be ignored.

When we get to the square where you get married, we have to choose a celebrity or fictional spouse. For instance, I could marry Mr. Darcy or Colin Firth, at different times. In fact, I think I have.

When we land on the squares where you get kids, we name the kids and the more creative, the better. We just about died laughing when our young son came up with "L'Roi" several years ago.

Divorce is allowed, after the game where our daughter, then married to Mr. Kennedy from Horatio Hornblower, kicked him out of the car because she kept landing on squares requiring her to give money to his deadbeat relatives.

Winner cleans up. We have this rule for all games, because why add insult to injury by rubbing the loser's nose in it?

So tomorrow, hopped up on chocolate cake, let the Game of Life begin!