novicehomemaker

[novicehomemaker]

Got to check out My Funny Family and Acting Out from DSS Games over the weekend. It was easy to jump right into playing. We enjoyed My Funny Family the most. I feel like this game could be played anywhere. The box is a little smaller than most board games, so a little more portable. We laughed out loud several times during the game. Both games had great quality cards and boxes. They should last a long time. We wished Acting Out came with a timer as players were supposed to have 15 seconds to perform. We found the points a little confusing, but will likely make up our own points in the future. Overall easy to play and good for family fun.

[novicehomemaker]

Got to check out another great game through Tryazon! Minecraft Heroes of the Village by Ravensburger. This fun Minecraft game is a resource gathering game. While it did take us a bit of time to get through the directions (our usual game master was not available), we enjoyed this game. I think seasoned players of games of this type would have found the directions easier, but once you've got it play proceeds quickly. The object was to finish building before the Illagers advance. I liked that you play against the Illagers instead of the other people playing, so you are working together instead of against each other. My guests enjoyed the game as well. The quality of the game is good and should last. I am looking forward to playing this game again.

[novicehomemaker]

Personalogy is a compact game that gets people talking! I had the opportunity to test out this game through Tryazon. I ended up taking it to three different get togethers. Two at homes and once at a restaurant. The small box size makes it convenient to take along wherever you want to go. The quality of the box and cards is very good. It should last a long time. The box is a thicker, hard cardboard and cards are a little thicker than an average card as well. We played conversation style with no points. It seemed to go over well with all who participated. The questions were unusual, so it really got people talking and made getting the party started very simple. On two occasions we played it until the late guests arrived. This was a great way to fill time and get people in the party mood.

[novicehomemaker]

Danger The Game by Origami Whale Games is a fun way to get your mind working. Using tool and skill cards you explain how you would save the victim. The victim decides who has the best plan and awards them a Danger card. The first to get 3 Danger cards wins. Great game. This game was a hit with my group.

[novicehomemaker]

My husband is a collector of Monopoly board games. I signed up with Tryazon to check Monopoly Go! out for him. This game is too cute! With cute tokens and adorable tiny boards for each player. The game itself is well made with nice hefty pieces. I remember my first Monopoly game that we had in the 70's/80's. The pieces were much lighter weight. (I was especially fond of the dog token. Our dog one short leg and tended to fall over, but I loved that little guy. Anyway... back to Monopoly Go!) The pieces in this game are nice and sturdy. This game is cool because everyone is playing at every turn. One player rolls all the colored dice and each person moves their token for their color. There are twists that keep the game exciting including bank heists and shutdowns. Each player plays on their own tiny board. Instead of houses and hotels you are building a landmark. First to build wins! My guests loved it and hubby is excited to add it to his collection.

[novicehomemaker]

This game is so cute! Oh My Pigeons! from Ravensburger was a game that my flock loved! Fast play with twists that keep you in the game. The object is to collect pigeons on your park bench. (The tiny pigeons are adorable!) First one to fill their bench wins. We played with ages 10 to 78. It was a hit with all. It is "a ridiculous party game of fowl play". It was truly fun to play. I give it all the stars and thumbs! Looking forward to playing again.

[novicehomemaker]

Yum! Got a chance to check out Country Orchard Organic Juice Freeze Pops through Tryazon and Kisko Freezies. They were awesome! Everyone at the party loved them. These pops are made with 100% juice. The information I received says they are "free of the top 9 allergens making them school safe". They are vegan and kosher. The flavors are strawberry-mango and orange-pineapple from the first box and tropical passion and berry blast from the second. I tried the tropical passion and the orange pineapple. Both were delicious, but the tropical passion is my favorite so far. There was no clear winner from the party... it seems there was something for everyone as the favorites were distributed pretty evenly across the board. Loved them, would purchase again. Perfect treat on hot Arizona afternoons.

[novicehomemaker]

Pub night at home! Ultimate Pub Trivia

Sample party!! We played Ulltimate Pub Trivia from Areyougame.com . It was a hit with my group. We are already planning another pub night to play again with a larger group. There are 6 categories of answers for each round. Name 4, who said, what decade, number, and draw. (We enjoyed that it was not just plain old questions and answers.) The categories are we're booked, geek chic, past present and future, athletic feats and pop culture. I think the more we play this game the more fun it will become and the more the merrier! Can't wait to play again with my big group. It is recommended for 4 or more players aged ten and up.

[novicehomemaker]

I am getting ready for another theme party! A tea party in the Red Queen's Tea Garden. I purchased this crown from At Home during their 90% off sale for Christmas items. Originally this crown was supposed to be a tree topper...guess it still can be, but I will be using it on a table scape. I spent 99 cents on the crown itself. I also purchased two bags of rose shaped buttons for 99 cents each. I only used the red roses out of the bags. I already had the valentine's and red glitter ribbon. I most likely got those for around a dollar each as well. The red satin heart is from Build-A-Bear at sea, and was given to me free I sewed a metallic thread through it and tied it on so that it would hover in the top of the crown. I then used Gorilla Glue to attach the red roses. The black hearts were originally pastel which I had from another project, so I painted them and glued them on with the same glue. I glued the glitter ribbon on with hot glue. The heart ribbons are also hot glued. I took an empty kcup and cut off the bottom of it for the ribbons. I didn't want to see the messy ends of the ribbons so I painted the kcup gold and added glitter to get it to match the crown a little better. I glued the ribbon ends into the kcup end and glued the cup to the crown. I cut a slit so it would wrap around the post in the center of the crown. I then glued the hanging ends to the base of the crown with hot glue. Admittedly it got a little overwhelming with the heart ribbons, but they are on their now so there they stay. I can't wait to host this party. I never count the whole amount of craft supplies if I don't use the whole package... It was 99 cents for crown, 50 cents for the red roses, guesstimate of 25 cents for glue, same 25 for glitter (although both were probably less) and another guess at a buck for ribbon. So three dollars for a table decoration that was fun to make. Oops, forgot the candy hearts. They were probably 5 or ten cents each at most.

[novicehomemaker]

OOH! I won a contest! Affy Tapple is 75! I won this delicious gift basket. These are really delicious and I would even say the best I have ever had. If you like caramel apples these are totally worth checking them out! www.affytapple.com

[novicehomemaker]

Totally fun new version of an old favorite. Great quality pieces will last a long time. Love sliding the pieces across the board! If you have ever felt like swiping the pieces off a game of Monopoly this version is for you. Can't wait to play again.

[novicehomemaker]

Thankful for great family/friends and great games! Friendsgiving done right with plenty of fun!

[novicehomemaker]

Look at this adorable game from AsmodeeUSA! You know you gotta have a nacho bar for this party! Each player gets a little plate and your goal is to collect the most chips. So cute!

[novicehomemaker]

I sampled Exploding Kittens Good Vs Evil card game. This game was fun. Quick to learn and play. We played two rounds in one evening. Guests decided it was a good one to put into our game night rotation. Exploding Kittens provides quality games both in construction and play. We have sampled quite a few and have not been disappointed.

[novicehomemaker]

Tried out TwisterAir from Hasbro through Tryazon. Our group was aged 17 to 76. Everyone took a turn and most of us opted for multiple turns. It is a fun game. Gets you moving while having fun.

The game is basically Twister in the air instead of on the floor. (Much easier for us moms and grandmas to be able to play with the kids.) It also has a mode to play hands only making it very easy for people who may not be able to move around as much. Matching your wrist and ankle bands to the dots on the screen is the objective. There are different styles to match. Poses, swipes, claps, etc. I loved the "Twister Time" part of the game where you end up reaching across your opponent like good old fashioned (floor) Twister, just without the falling over part. I think we were actually all surprised at how fun this was as we were all thinking this was a little kids game. I can imagine that we will be playing it again at future gatherings.

We did have a bit of trouble with the sound on the game. This was our only issue. (Could be me as I am not too tech savvy.) The sound came on before the game started when we were making out choices on play, but did not play the music after starting the game.

Over all this game was really fun. I think it would be great for trips. You could easily just take a few of the bands (or all of them) out of the box and toss in your suitcase or bag. It works on an app, so you will likely have your phone with you anyway and there is not much room taken up.

[novicehomemaker]

Bestway® Airbeds you'll be surprised!

Back in the day you did not want to be the person who had to take the air mattress. No one wants to wake up at one in the morning with their hip on the floor or taco-ed into the center of a squishy mattress.

I was genuinely impressed with the quality of this mattress on the other hand. I think you would enjoy sleeping on this Bestway Airbed.

My son wanted to set it up for me. He unfurled it and plugged it in. Less than three minutes later it was ready to go.

I tried it out and was perfectly comfy. No body part touched the ground. The mattress was nice and firm, feeling like a regular bed mattress. As a plus sized person, I found this pretty unique for an air mattress. Additionally I loved the built in pillow.

After we all tested it's comfort level, we packed it up. Again less than three minutes to deflate and fold up. It fit nicely back into it's included tote bag ready to go into storage and wait for guests or a fun trip.

Bestway has many to choose from. You can check them out at https://bestwayusa.com/air-mattresses?p=2&product_list_limit=36

[novicehomemaker]

Wow! Played this with my mom and adult kids. Without Fail is a lot of fun. Great game to get you laughnig with your family or friends. It has elements of games you may have seen before, but is a fresh take and will definitely liven up your party or get together. As I have said before and will now say again... You can't go wrong with an Exploding Kittens game! My family has checked out quite a few and have not been disappointed yet. They are all funny/fun, quirky and enjoyable! I honestly love them all. I predict Without Fail will be one of our go to games for family nights in the future. Check out Without Fail and all their other games at ExplodingKittens.com. Without Fail https://www.explodingkittens.com/products/without-fail