With the holiday . . . I’ve been doing other things . . .
Just as I imagine you have, too.
Time to get the tinsel out of your mind and spring forth with a brand new year. A time for making resolutions and planning ahead. I don’t know how that has worked out for you in the past, but this is a new year . . . one of moving forward in a positive manner.
I’m not one for making resolutions. I make suggestions as to how I would like things to be for me. I do need to remind myself that I can only change myself and my attitude about things . . . not necessarily change others or circumstances around me.
I try to stay away from the negative. Negative comments, negative news, negative situations . . . negative thoughts . . . And when I do encounter them, I choose not to be engaged in them, but to move on with something more positive. Maybe a bit of a Pollyanna style of looking for the good in everything.
This is making me think about any product reviews I put on this website . . . Well . . . if a product doesn’t work, it is not truthful to say otherwise . . . So, I may have reviews in the future that may be negative.
I don’t think that contradicts my earlier statement of looking for the positive . . . There are just some products I can’t promote, especially if I find they don’t work or I wouldn’t buy them or they aren’t that good. We’re talking about your money and my money. Don’t buy junk.
Now that we’re on the subject of products. I think a review may be in order. I want to revisit a product I reviewed some years ago . . .
Keurig K55 Single Serve Programmable K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker
I do like the concept of having a freshly brewed cup of coffee — nothing setting in the pot.
The Classic Keurig K-Cup Single Serve Coffee Maker includes:
4 K-Cup pods
a water filter handle
2 water filters to help your beverages taste their best
This coffee machine brews multiple K-Cup Pod sizes, 6 ounce, 8 ounce or 10 ounce. If you like your coffee strong, use the 6 ounce brew size.
The large 48 ounce water reservoir allows you to brew 6 or more cups before having to refill it. This is great when you have a group of family and friends who want their favorite brew — maybe a flavored coffee, hot chocolate, a regular cup of coffee . . . or other variations. It’s always fun to give your family and guests what they want.
I do like the concept. We do drink a hot beverage one cup at a time and we do want it fresh brewed. So, I think this fills the bill. Also giving you several flavor choices, too. It’s great for everyday and for special occasions, too.
Let’s see what else we can buy along with our new Keurig Coffee Machine:
That should get you started.
A single serve coffee machine has great appeal. I like the concept and think this could be great to have for everyday use and also for entertaining.
I probably got that wrong . . . Not into horse racing . . .
It does seem to apply to Christmas shoppers.
I have been delighted by the number of sales I’ve made by having one or more of the links clicked . . . Thank you very kindly. I believe many more of you have done the majority of your shopping online. I know I did and everything is wrapped and tucked away.
There is something about being caught up in the Christmas rush madness . . . but I think I’ll stay away from the malls an
d downtown shopping areas. I’ll even refrain from driving by. I would avoid it all, but I do have to do some grocery shopping. I am prepared for the long check-out lines.
I’ll also be filling my car with gas . . . I don’t plan on traveling, but I do want to be able to take a quick trip to the store for any items I discover I forgot.
Yes, indeed this is a busy time of year . . . I’m looking forward to relaxing when it is all said and done.
I’ll work on some crafts and also play some games or put together some jigsaw puzzles. Just a way to kick back and relax. I could watch some DVDs and also read a book. Goodness, there is so very much that I could do . . . after all is said and done.
I’m curious about solo board games.
Dungeon Raiders Board Game by Passport Game Studios, Zombie 15′: Left Alone Solo Campaign Board Game by IELLO, Friday Board Game by Rio Grande Games, Ravingspire: Assault on the Tower of Madness. A Deck-Building, Rotating Dungeon Board Game for 1 to 6 players. Sylvion Board Game by Z-Man Games, and Q-Bitz Solo: Magenta Edition by MindWare.
Do any of these catch your attention? They all have promise, but I was looking for something that would be fun . . . and light . . . maybe even silly.
Mohawkz — Dinosaur Edition — Family Game with 8 Bouncing Mohawk Balls and 2 Target Ramps — Educational Fun for Kids and Adults (8 years and up) by Rooster Fin.
I think this may be exactly what I’m wanting.
It is educational in that it is a fast-paced skill game that helps improve motor skills and hand-eye-coordination.
It’s suitable for all ages — kids, teens, college students, parents, grandparents, etc.
It’s fun!!!
Great for family game night, parties vacations, makes a great gift and to play solo when you just want to relax for a moment or two.
Excellent re-playability . . . no game is alike . . .
The object of the game is to bounce the balls, one at a time, towards the target. The best bounce wins.
RoosterFin games are created by teachers. They are simple to learn and great for the whole family. Joe, the owner, has a gift in understanding how math applies to games. He has created award-winning games and is devoting his full attention to making great games.
Here’s a video:
Hummmmm, I may want something a bit more challenging . . . I’ll need to give some of the other games a closer look.
Sylvion looks promising. It is a strategy game that can be played solo.
I’m excited about this game although I hate fires . . . but rebuilding the forest has some great promise . . . Yes, let’s continue watching:
Oh my goodness!!! I’m thinking the Mohawkz has some promise, but I’m getting into this strategy of wiping out the fires.
Well, I’ve taken up quite a bit of your time. I do hope these videos were informative and gave you an idea of what Mohawkz and Sylvion are all about. These two solo games can also be played with others which makes it a great choice when buying games for your family game night.
Tall Tales Story Telling Board Game — The Family Game of Infinite Storytelling — 5 Ways to Play
I love story telling!
This game has won awards!! 5 Time Award Winner including Prestigious Dr Toy Award 2016 and Winner of the 2016 Scholastic Parent & Child Gold Star Toy Award.
Tall Tales Story Telling Board Game includes:
24 Story Cards
50 Game Pieces and a Story Bag
There are 5 ways to play:
Basic Game: One player reaches into the story bag and picks out 8 story pieces, one at a time. This player begins telling a Tall Tale using one of the pieces and continues on until all of the pieces are included in the story. Allow your imagination to go wild as you’re adding new elements to your story. There’s no scoring, just story telling.
World Tales: Follows the Basic Game directions. After selecting the 8 story pieces, draw one story place card and use that card as an environment for your Tall Tale. As you tell your story, place your story pieces on the story place card as they’re used.
Taller Tales: Choose a number 9 to 50. One player selects one piece from the bag to use in their story. Once that piece is used, that same player draws another piece which must be the next piece they use in their story. The story continues until the number of pieces chosen to use is completed. Story place cards may be added for more variations.
Group Tales: Each player draws two or more story pieces, thus dividing up the 50 pieces among the players. The first player chooses one piece they’ve drawn and begins the story using one piece in the tale and passes the story to the second player who continues the tale using one of his/her pieces. The story continues to pass from player to player until all have used up all of their pieces. Story place cards may be added for more of a challenge.
Marathon Tales: It’s like Taller Tales, but the number chosen is always 50 pieces. It can be one story teller or can be like Group Tales where the story travels from player to player. Story place cards may be added.
And, since this is your game and your players you can make up your own rules! Once you learn the Basic Game you can make variations — depending upon the age group.
This game is great for 4-year-olds and up.
You can even add more pieces to your story bag: little plastic toys or trinkets. This will make the story more personal to you.
This is a wonderful game allowing children to use their imaginations.
I used to love it when the whole family would get together and play board and card games when I was a kid.
Here are a few I’d like to review today:
They make excellent stocking stuffers, too.
These are great throughout the year so you can begin a family game night. I’m sure the whole family will look forward to this . . . and friends may want to join in, too. It’s a great way to spend an evening.
All right, let’s begin with Lattice Board Game (Standard Edition) by Adacio. It’s a strategy board game designed for 2 to 4 players ages 6 years and up. The rules are simple, takes about 3 minutes to explain and 20 minutes to play. The manufacture states it takes “a lifetime to master.” That’s positive because along with it you’ll see that many skills are developed: cognitive skills, spacial recognition, planning, strategy and interpersonal skills.
It reminds me a bit of dominoes, a bit of scrabble (but you’re not making words) and qwirkle. You’re matching tiles by color or image. There are some special stones that will be explained in this short video.
So, the game consists of: 84 tiles, a 14 inch board, 4 tile racks, 32 acrylic stones, a box and instructions. Everything you need — except the players.
It’s a good solid game for fun with the family and friends. It is a light game with more appeal to adults because of the strategy angle and wonderful for young children because of the matching of color or image and the development of basic skills mentioned above. The game has merit and definite re-play-ability. No game will be exactly the same. It’s an excellent family game for all ages.
Next we have JINK Family Edition Board Game by Game Development Group. JINX is a fast paced action game of luck and fun for all players. The object of the game is to line up 3 of your game pieces in a row after rolling the dice and placing your game pieces on the board. If, however, you land on your own piece, you get Jinxed and have to start all over again.
JINK is designed for 2 to 6 players ages 10 years to adult. The game includes: game pawns, dice, a large game board and instruction sheet.
I wasn’t all that thrilled with it. Although it was fast paced, I found myself wanting to get the game over with and move to another one. There really wasn’t that much challenge to it. It basically fell flat in my humble opinion.
Moving on we have a card game Wild West Round Up by Arizona Game Company. It’s a fun twist on the ever popular “Spoons” card game.
This is a family friendly card game for 3 to 8 players ages 7 years and up. The game consists of 59 Wild West themed playing cards and rules. The illustrations are fun. The game is fast-paced. Players quickly pass cards around the table until a matching set is found and someone yells “STAMPEDE!” Players race to roundup cattle cards before the last cow gets away. The one with the most cows at the end of the game is the winner. Each game averages between 7 to 14 minutes.
Kids love the game! And the furniture doesn’t get beat up as with Spoons. I think it’s a great game for family night. You could buy some little cows to use instead of the cow cards — they do seem to get a bit beat up when they are grabbed.
And last, but not least we have Hoagie, A Goofy Kitchen Adventure by Gangrene Games. It boasts of being one of the most addicting family games for kids and adults.
I like to watch the game in action to understand the game a bit better. Let’s watch:
So, as you saw, a simple game of building a sandwich just got complicated by other players messing it up. I love the card illustrations and simple rules. I can see this card game being extremely popular on family game nights.
You have fresh ingredients from which players build a hoagie masterpiece. You also have the Oogies, a gang of ingredient spoiling critters. While players are creating their hoagie, other players are putting Oogies in their opponents sandwiches.
The game was designed for 2 to 5 players ages 4 to adult. This is one of those games adults enjoy as much as their children. Hoagie is a definite winner in my humble opinion. This one is definitely going to be in several stockings, because once I bring it out to play on Christmas Eve, I’m going to be asked over and over and over again if they could take it home with them . . . Well, I won’t be losing my game . . . I’ve got that all worked out.
You have a wonderful list of family games to have for family game night or a rainy day. Or just because you want to play a fun game.
Hoagie is my absolute favorite of the ones listed. I think it’s the artwork and the concept of making a sandwich and spoiling ingredients for the other players, but what goes around comes around . . . Those Oogies!! It is a fun game with quite a bit of strategy thrown in. It also reminds me a bit of UNO which is another quite popular family game.
Just click one of the links above to be taken to where you can get more information and make a purchase. These games make great gifts for all occasions.
December and the delightful winter cold!! I love it!!
I’ve been having a great time with my websites and crafts.
I heard water running . . . checked inside the house . . . then wondered why the floor in the hallway was wet . . . No, it wasn’t the dog!!
There was a pipe leak under the house!
I guess the house wanted some attention during this Christmas season . . . so, new pipes it is . . . But first I have to get someone in to dry out the area under the house . . . fix any damage . . . and then the re-piping will begin.
I suppose no time is the right time for repairs. I just know the house is telling me the pipes are old and need attention.
That’s the thing, how often do we crawl under the house and do an inspection? Only when something has gone wrong, right? And even when something has gone wrong and you hire a plumber, unfortunately, not all plumbers take pride in their work. So, you need to call another one to fix the mess the previous one made . . . Just when everything was going so well . . .
Yesterday was cold!! We had wind gusts . . . and I got chilled . . . but a hot cuppa did the trick.
Yes, I’ve been spending way too much time online with my internet marketing group . . . I’m picking up their expressions.
I wonder if more rain is in the forecast . . . I do love the rain when I’m cozy inside. But, I do have a few errands to run this weekend . . .
When it’s cold outside, it’s best to have activities to do inside . . . family games or puzzles . . . videos . . . also reading a good book. I just think the more fun you can have as a family, the better it is for everyone.
I do enjoy family games and I do have a great one to review for you that will get everyone laughing and having a good time.
It’s Speak Out, by Hasbro!!
This is truly a hilarious family fun game. You put in a mouthpiece and try to speak. It’s truly difficult when letters begin with a “P” or “B”, etc. when you need to put your lips together. The players draw a card from the deck and read the phrase as well as they can while having a mouthpiece preventing them from forming words correctly. Such phrases as: “he’s my stealthy pet ferret name Garrett”, “slow down, you careless clown”, “pelicans love pollywog falafels.” And the other players try to figure out “what did you say?” You must correctly guess the phrase in order to earn the card. The team with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
The game includes 200 double-sided cards, 5 mouthpieces and a timer.
The game is recommended for ages 16 years and up. Younger children can play with adult supervision. The mouth guard could be a choking hazard and should be supervised for adults, too.
You can always make variations by writing out Christmas carol lyrics or lyrics from popular songs or book titles or tongue twisters . . . or movie titles or catch phrases . . . It doesn’t hurt to add your own cards to the deck.
You can always buy more of these mouth guards, which I recommend.
Since you’re playing in teams, you may be able to have more players. And, the game is fun even if you don’t keep score!
You may be interested in these items for your shopping pleasure:
I watched a DVD the other day that I found interesting enough to review here.
It stars Aley Underwood and Bernie Diamond. The DVD was released in 2012. It’s not a new movie, but it’s not all that old . . . I’ve found movies with an inspirational message are actually timeless.
This is a heart-warming movie about a man who writes letters to complete strangers. He has quite a natural gift of expressing his thoughts to uplift others. He randomly selects names out of the telephone book . . . and writes one letter daily and also writes 10 inspirational notes he hands out daily, all for the purpose of uplifting the spirits of others.
He uses a pen name, Sam Worthington. This is an older gentleman living in a nursing home, who writes anonymous letters full of praise and encouragement. When Maggy Fuller, a rebellious teenager, receives her anonymous letter from the elusive Sam Worthington, she has to find him — to meet him.
This is truly an inspirational story that the whole family will enjoy. I highly recommend it.
This reminds me of the concept of “paying it forward” — doing good deeds for others.
It truly is positive to use your gifts in a positive manner . . . His reward was giving his best . . . and receiving a “thank you” . . .
I don’t really want to spoil the movie . . . but Sam Worthington did help young, rebellious Maggie Fuller — who was actually a good young woman with a heart of gold . . . except when it came to her mother . . . but those are the teenage years . . .
You may also enjoy:
Thanks for stopping by!
I do hope you purchase The Letter Writer to share with your family and friends this holiday season.
