Strike and That's Not a Hat! Game Night : #RavensburgerMoment #RavensburgerParty #ThatsNotAHat #tryazon

A complimentary copy of Strike and That's Not a Hat were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

I have shared many times before that we are a game playing family. We sit down and play as a family or when we have friends over but also plan and host game nights with several couples or families on a regular basis. In fact, our friends shared that their one daughter always looks forward to coming over to our house when we host because we always play games, usually a mix of familiar and new games.

We have been having so much fun checking out several new games these past couple of months. This most recent set of games we tried through Tryazon, Strike and That's Not A Hat, were fun, easy to learn and quick to play. They are enjoyable by players of many ages. The recommended ages are 8+ but a family could easily play them with a younger player.

Strike

Throw your dice into an arena, striking other dice to change their faces, and collect matching sets. Watch out, though – if you roll an X, your die is removed from the game! Play it safe by rolling one die, or push your luck and keep rolling for a chance to make matches. The last player with dice wins!
Details:
 Recommended Age: 8+ Great for parties!
 Number of Players: 2 - 5
 15 minutes playtime
 Includes: 26 Dice, 1 Arena, 1 Foam Arena Mat, Rulebook

That's Not a Hat

Wrap and regift objects in this deceptively simple card game of having the world’s best memory... or convincing everyone you do! Was that gift a hat, a bucket, or a traffic cone?! Play this “unforgettable” bluffing game with friends and family for fun, laughter, and a dash of madcap mayhem. As cards or gifts are flipped facedown and passed around the table, players must memorize the object on each card or bluff their confidence as they pass the unwanted gift to someone else. Avoid getting caught declaring the wrong object or gain penalty points. The player with the least points at the end wins!
Details:
 Recommended Age: 8+ Great for parties!
 Number of Players: 3 - 8
 15 minutes playtime
 Includes: A rulebook and 110 cards with simple illustrations for maximum memorization chaos.

We have played these games a few times over the past few weeks and the consensus is that the games were fun to play and are ones that we will go back to often.

Strike is a dice game that comes with it's own arena. The game is easy to play with a goal of making matches to keep yourself in the game. There is an element of strategy with how many dice you roll on your turn and how you roll them but there is also a lot of luck. We had people get out on their first turn and other games where it seemed to be that the final pair played for several rounds. The game was enjoyable and easy to learn, making it an easy game to play with a small group.

That's Not a Hat is a card game. On the surface, That's Not a Hat seemed like it should be easy, afterall you start with all the cards face up and yet we quickly discovered how hard it really could be. With cards going both left and right, it really mixed things up and made it really hard to remember the object on the cards. There was lots of laughter as people passed the gifts left and right and struggled to remember which gifts were moving which direction and what exactly was on the card that you were passing or receiving. We all agreed that the more people playing the more challenging the game became. This was an instant crowd favorite and one we will pull out during future game nights and family evenings.

Game night is always a fun evening spent with family and friends. Finding new games and getting to play classic favorites, makes each game night a unique and fun experience. If you are looking for some games to enjoy on your next game night, be sure to check out Strike and That's Not a Hat.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. A complimentary copy of Strike and That's Not a Hat were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could play the games and inivte my friends to check it out too.

Adagio Tea's 24 Days of Tea Advent Calendar

A complimentary Tea Advent Calendar was provided to enable this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. 

Winter is my favorite hot tea season and it is my go to beverage when I am looking for something warm in the afternoon or evening. I used to reserve tea for the evening but now that I work from home, I find that I have been preparing myself a mug of tea as a late afternoon treat. Being at home, I have found that putting up my feet and sipping on tea is such a great way to relax and unwind and reenergize myself for the rest of the day. Of course, I also like a cup of tea as a soothing pre-bed time relaxation too. I think that with all that is going on, the ability to take a few minutes of down time and relax is an important thing for my mental health.

Looking for a unique Advent calendar? This Tea Advent Calendar from Adagio makes an 8 oz serving of tea each day, as you count down to the holidays. They offer three versions of their advent calendar and also have a variety of other gifting options.

Once you remove the decorative sleeve (perfect for gift giving with the printed bow), inside you find the calendar.

The numbers are not sequential, requiring a little search to find the right door each day.

I was thinking that buying one for your friends and family, could be a fun way for everyone to connect through a common experience. Enjoying a cup of the same tea while video chatting with your friends or family could help bring your together in a year where there is real potential that more families are apart during this time of year than normal. With 24 unique teas, you will have the chance to try many flavors. If you are enjoying it as a group, perhaps you could make a chart and rate the groups' favorites. The added bonus is that you would then have insite and could order more of their favorite tea as a gift in the future.

Do you have a favorite variety or flavor of tea? Who in your family would enjoy these gifts?

A complimentary Tea Advent Calendar and 12 Days of Tea Gift Set was provided to enable this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Friendsgiving Game Night #friendsgiving #gamenight #telestrations #theopgames #tryazon

A complimentary copy of What the Cup!? and Telestrations were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

Over the years, we started hosting a Thanksgiving dinner ahead of Thanksgiving weekend. It has become a favorite activity and friends and family alike enjoy joining us for this 'rehearsal' dinner complete with a turkey and all of the fixings (although we do cake instead of pie). This year, we were able to include as part of it a Friendsgiving Game Night celebration through a Tryazon party. The Friendsgiving Game Night with the Op included a copy of two games that could be enjoyed by our friends and family, a new game and a familiar favorite.

The first game we checked out was What the Cup!?, a new game from the Op.

Description: What The Cup!? is a game of luck and lies where you must do whatever it takes to end up with highest or lowest valued die. Sabotage your opponents by changing the winning target, or follow card directives to spy, swap, re-roll, or reveal dice. Bet your chips to raise the stakes and bluff your way to victory. Does your cup hold the winner? The die don’t lie... but YOU can try!

The game was relatively easy to learn but took a few rounds before people started to catch on to the strategy and how they wanted to handle the action proposed on each card. The game was enjoyable and the group was laughing often during the game. Overall the group liked how easy it was to play, the fun of shaking the miniature red cup (it was a little noisy when all were shaking them), and hearing the one player declare each time he was asked that the value on his die was mid (fully supporting that 'the die don't lie but YOU can try!' on the box). The group did not opt to play a second round right away, instead moving on the other game, a familiar favorite.

The second game was the classic Telestrations game. If you aren't familiar, it is a cross between a drawing game and a telephone game.

Description: The award-winning game Telestrations will keep your family and friends entertained and laughing! Draw what you see then guess what you saw for hilarious and unpredictable outcomes

We first discovered Telestrations several years ago when a friend shared at a game night. Each player starts with a booklet and a clue card, the die is thrown and everyone writes their clue down on the inside cover. Then, they draw it, pass it to the next person who guesses it, they pass it to the next person, who draws that clue, then pass it to the next person who guesses based on tne new drawing, and so on. The book continues its journey until it reaches the original player. Then the fun and laughing begins, as each player shares the progression of their clue through the series of drawings and guesses. Of course, everyone is happy when their clue makes it all the way through but there is a lot of laughing when you see how the clue morphed to the final guess at the end. It is always funny when you realize what you saw vs where the clue started. And some of the guesses, you ask - do you really think that would have been on the card? When the round is done, you clean your booklet and start again.

Game night is always a fun evening spent with family and friends. Finding new games and getting to play classic favorites, makes each game night a unique and fun experience. If you are looking for some games to enjoy on your next game night, be sure to check out What the Cup!? and Telestrations.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. A complimentary copy of What the Cup!? and Telestrations were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could play the games and inivte my friends to check it out too.

An Amish Cinderella by Shelley Shepard Gray

A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

I recently finished reading An Amish Cinderella by Shelley Shepard Gray. It was a very good story, with relatable characters that you couldn't help but root for things to turn out good for them.

About the Book:

Now that her friends are all marrying or moving away, Heart Beachy has started feeling lonely. Worse, everyone keeps asking when she’s going to find a man of her own. Don’t they realize Heart has her hands full at home with her widowed dad, too many chores, and a menagerie of needy, small animals? Besides, she doesn’t understand the fuss about marriage. It’s enough to make her consider finally becoming a pet-sitter, or moving to an English community, where she won’t be an oddity . . .

Newcomer Clayton Glick is utterly charmed by Heart—and completely confounded. He can’t figure out why this beautiful woman is as awkward as a teenager whenever he’s around, which is often now that he’s an apprentice to her blacksmith father. So Clayton starts assisting with Heart’s never-ending tasks, even helping her corral her unruly pets. How else can he court an adorably flustered woman who doesn’t know the first thing about courtship? Because courting is exactly what he intends . . .

Heart doesn’t know why her pulse hammers every time she sees Clayton. She only knows yielding to such emotions will mean trouble. . . But maybe with a little faith—and the loss of a shoe—Clayton can convince her to join him on the road to happily ever after.

I have always enjoyed the books written by Shelley Shepard Gray. She has a knack for weaving a nice story and does a great job developing her characters. This one, portrays an Amish girl named Heart Beachy that fills her day running the house and caring for her father after her mother dies. Her father, Levi is a gruff man but a very talented blacksmith whose work extends from the traditional shoeing of horses to commissioned pieces of art. It is clear that he loves his daughter and is thankful for her but does poorly at recognizing and acknowledging all that she does for him. As the story unfolds, the reader is introduced to the Beachy's neighbor Mary, who is a help to many in their community. and to Clayton, Levi's new apprentice who grew up in a children's home and never had a family to call his own.

Together this trio, plus Mary, navigate through some twists and turns and both sad and heartwarming moments. One of the quirks is that Heart decides in the moment to 'adopt' a fancy white rat from Mary when she needs someone to care for the rat. First, let me say that each time the rat was referred to as a fancy rat it made me smile. I've never been one to want to have a rat and the idea that they are fancy was amusing to me. Even as she offers to take care of the fancy white rat, she is not sure her father will like it but does so anyway. Fortunately for her, he is with his new apprentice when she brings it home and is distracted. In time, he definitey warms to the rat and even offers to help take in a dog and a litter of puppies to help Mary out later.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Amish romance. it was an easy and enjoyable story, with some quirks, that drew me in and kept me reading until the very end. After reading the book, I learned that it is the third in The Amish of Apple Creek series. It reads well as an independant story but is good news because now I have two other books that I will want to pick up and learn more about the others in the series.

This was an enjoyable, sweet love story that loosely aligns with Cinderella and I would recommend it for anyone that is looking for a light, quick read.
No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. A complimentary review copy was provided to me. The giveaway is not specific to this blog and is not sponsored by this blog

Nacho Pile #nachopile #nachopilegame #asmodeeusa #familygame #kidsgame #targetfinds #target #Tryazon

A complimentary copy of Nacho Pile was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

We love to host game nights and play games as a family. Looking back on our game nights, the group certainly has evolved. When the pictures come up in my memories, it makes me sad sometimes because we don't get to spend as much time with some of the people that we used to. Now, change is natural and we have people that join us now that didn't join in the past and our kids are now part of the evening (vs when we used to schedule to start after bedtime) and their friends/dates join us for game play too.

About Nacho Pile:

From the creator of Happy Salmon and other hit party games, Nacho Pile is a fast-paced, high-energy game that will have chips flying back and forth as players compete for full plates and stomachs. In the game, players must push their luck to pile their nacho plates high, but also cleverly snatch matching chips from other players. Don't get too risky or you will lose them all! Keep an eye out for special chips that really ramp up the heat with spicy effects. Best for ages 7+ and playtimes is 20 minutes

When I received the invite to check out Nacho Pile, the game sounded perfect for a quick family game or a filler as different tables were wrapping up longer games on a group game night. It sounds like there is a bit of luck and strategy involved, which always makes for a good balance. I like that it is playable by 2 - 6 people and that it works for most ages. Plus, it is a very portable game, making it perfect to toss into the bag when we head to friends.

When the game arrived, the first thing that I noticed was the packaging. The packaging looks just like a bag of chips, in fact my son initially set it on the table and moved over some snack bags we had of other chips so that it would 'blend' in. The bag that the game comes in doubles as the grab bag for the chips during game play. The plates serve as your game board for chips that you have collected. The chips are slightly arched, making them easy to pick up from the table and also support them a little when stacking.

The game play is fairly straight-forward and the directions were easy to follow. On your first turn, you start by grabbing chips one at a time from the bag and put them next to your plate. You decide when to stop but if you draw a duplicate, you bust and all of the chips go back to the bag. When you stop, you may gather any chips sitting next to another player's plate of the same values that you have. Then, on subsequent rounds, any chips that are next to your plate at the start of the turn, you can put on your plate.

There are chips with numbers 1-7 on them. There are also some Wild Chips and some Spicy Chips to mix up the game play. The Wild Chips you declare the value on when you draw and drawing another of that value before you stop counts as a match and you bust. The Spicy Chips are Steal, Score and Remove. The Spicy Chips can cause a bust if you draw a second of the same type of chip before you stop. All of the Spicy Chips result in action after you stop drawing. Steal lets you take a chip from someone else's plate and put it on your plate. Score let's you move chips of one value (the one you drew and the ones you stole) onto your plate before your turn ends. Remove allows you to remove one chip from another player's plate and return it to the grab bag. The game ends when there is only one chip in the bag. The score is based on who has the most of a given value chip (wilds can be reassigned to any value before scoring starts) earning a point a chip, or two for the number matching the last chip. The winner is the one with the most points.

Game play observations
- In the beginning, people are either very risky and overdraw or they are risk averse and stop after drawing a couple of chips. With time, we found that people wound up in the middle and those that were paying attention had a feel for the risk of grabbing the same chip (there are 6 of each number, 6 Wild chips and 6 Spicy chips) and that the 'sweet spot' for risk shifts as the game progresses with fewer chips remaining in the grab bag.
- The first few rounds were slow, as people got the hang of things, the game moved quicker. It really was easy to learn and I think it took a while to speed up as people figured out their strategies.
- The name is fun. There were 'nacho' jokes a plenty.

Overall, everyone found the game enjoyable but generally agreed that after a few games, it was time to move on to another game. Game time was a good amount for a quick after dinner game.

Want to check out Nacho Pile? You can learn more about the game and purchase a copy on the company website asmodee. You can also find the game at Target, Walmart and Amazon.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. A complimentary copy of Nacho Pile was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could play the game and inivte my friends to check it out too.

Bestway Airbeds #Tryazon #BestwayToSleepThisSummer #BestwaySummerOfSleep #BestwayUS #BestwayUSA #InflateYourFun #YourSleepIsOurBusiness

A complimentary Bestway Airbed was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

We have always lived a few hours from friends and family, meaning that it is not uncommon for us to have overnight company. We have plenty of floor space for them but that's not always the most comfortable sleeping arrangement. So, when we had the chance to check out the Bestway Airbeds for free through a Tryazon party, I jumped at the chance.

When we received the bed, of course I wasted no time in opening the box and checking it out. One of the first things that I noticed was the soft top material on the mattress - it is listed as a "soft, flocked material that creates a comortable, luxurious sleeping surface for a peaceful night's rest". Depending on who is sleeping on the bed, we will still likely use sheets or sleeping bags but it is a nice surface and makes it easier to put sheets on the mattress.

The mattress that we got was queen size and is rated for up to 661 lbs. I like that there is a slightly elevated section that can serve as a built-in pillow. I imagine that most guests will use a separate pillow but it makes it easier to prop your head up in the bed to read or watch TV before settling in for the night.

The built in air pump made it easy to inflate the bed. I like that there is a built in storage section to tuck away the cords when not needed, keeps them from laying on the floor or being in the way. The cords are a decent length but I did have to rotate the bed to plug it in. It is also nice that you can use the pump to deflate the bed, or you can also manually deflate by opening the valve and letting the air out, but that is much slower.

The mattress uses what they call an I-Beam Construction. According to the box:

The Tritech Fortified Beams are made of an enhanced 3-layer material reinforced to provide durability and support. It provides stretch resistance and ensures that the airbed keeps its shape no matter how many times it is inflated and deflated. The material has been stress tested against the weight, strain and movement of a good night's sleep.

What I found is that unlike some other air mattresses that we have used before, with this one each person seems to be isolated and you don't feel every move of the other person (I think of that mattress commercial with the wine glass where it doesn't spill when the person moves about). This is important when it comes to a good nights sleep. I haven't inflated/deflated a ton of times yet but so far, it does seem that it holds its shape and provides great support.

The storage bag for the mattress is a nice added touch. It is simple but having the bag with handles to transport, store and travel is helpful. You do have to make sure that it is fully deflated and fold it as recommended to make it fit in the bag. Again, this is where the built-in pump is helpful too - you only need to remember to grab the bag and don't have to worry about whether you have everything.

Originally, we were expecting to get the mattress earlier in the season, which would have been great for some planned visitors and trips. There was a delay in the timing for receiving the mattress and hosting the Tryazon event, so we didn't get the chance to use the mattress for an overnight event or share with a larger group at one time, as hoped. Instead, we inflated and deflated to share and demonstrate the comfort with some smaller groups over the timespan that we had. The guests agreed that it was comfortable during trial and that it would likely be great for sleeping on. Of course, the good news is that we now have it for future visits too.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. A complimentary Bestway Airbed was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could experience the product and inivte my friends to check it out too.

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

Wow! What did I just read?

I have always enjoyed split timeline books, so when I heard about Oona Out of Order, a story with a disjointed timeline I was intrigued and put a request on the book.

About the Book:

A remarkably inventive novel that explores what it means to live a life fully in the moment, even if those moments are out of order.

It’s New Year’s Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens thirty-two years in the future in her fifty-one-year-old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she’s told is her own, Oona learns that with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. And so begins Oona Out of Order...

Hopping through decades, pop culture fads, and much-needed stock tips, Oona is still a young woman on the inside but ever changing on the outside. Who will she be next year? Philanthropist? Club Kid? World traveler? Wife to a man she’s never met? Surprising, magical, and heart-wrenching, Margarita Montimore has crafted an unforgettable story about the burdens of time, the endurance of love, and the power of family.

The story starts with 18 year old Oona at a New Year's Eve party. We get to learn a little bit about her and her current group of friends. Then as the clock ticks midnight, she faints and finds herself awaking in her own body in another time. It has to be a strange experience to still be you but to know little of what's currently going on. There were times where I felt as confused as Oona, trying to figure out what was happening in each new time of her life. Some years were better than others. There were times where I was disappointed in the way she lived her life in a given year and times where she tried to impact her own outcome. I think that in part it was because she was much younger on the inside and was living a life that normally is lived by someone with more experience. There were clearly advantages and challenges to living out of order. When she finally had the chance to return to her 19th year (where the timeline first shifted), it was refreshing to see some of what she had learned about living.

This quote near the end of the book sums it up nicely:

"Oona would always try to create continuity and meaning in her life - she couldn't help it - but she'd also seie these moments of happiness and relish them. Whichever way the years flowed, it was impossible to outmaneuver their passage. Even chronology doesn't guarantee security. All good things ended, always. The trice was to enjoy them while they lasted. Oona was still learning."

This book was an interesting read and had to be a challenge to write. The author has a couple of other books that I will keep an eye out for at the library in hopes of reading them as well.