A few days ago, Grace unearthed from the cluttered game cabinet a card game I purchased at Barnes & Noble’s most recent after-holiday 75% off sale. The plastic wrap which still enveloped the game in its short-lived no-pieces-missing state served as a not-so-gentle reminder that the kids weren’t nearly as excited about my find as I was.

The game is called PDQ (Pretty Darn Quick), and it’s either a barrel of monkeys or a gargantuan nightmare depending on which side of the bed everyone woke up on that day.

The way it works is, 3 cards are flipped over, each displaying one letter. The first person who can shout out a word which contains these 3 letters — IN the order in which they lie, forward or backward — wins that round.

The following letters were revealed in Round 4:

A N V

I immediately thought, “Anvil!”

But the thought and the expression of the thought didn’t occur in quick enough succession.

Because George, who’s all of 6 and only recently learned to spell “cat,” shouted out, “Antonio Restivo!” just as I inhaled in preparation to deliver my solution.

He then fist pumped twice. Yes, we’re a competitive bunch.

And, clearly, we watch a bit too much America’s Got Talent.

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What’s your favorite family game as of late? Do share because I don’t have the energy for another 3-hour round of Monopoly today!