Penless Memory

We live in a complete digital age, but there are some things that still have some catching up to do. Well now, recording memories and sending messages isn't one of them. #Penless is the cool way to create a keepsake!

I love that for those who scrapbook, they can include more than just pictures. Penless allows a video to be captured in a QR code and saved forever!

Want to send more than just a handwritten note? Capture a video or picture for something more visually appealing!

For basic sharing, sending pictures or videos through text or social media still works, but when you're thinking about saving something forever or making a gift just a little more special, this is definitely the way to go!

Thanks #tryazon and #penless for the fun!

Crayola Glitter Dots!

I was super excited to try out #Glitterdots! Everyone knows that glitter can be a mess, so #crayola is trying to make it more manageable. Good and bad news? It's better, but it's not perfected yet. After we were finished crafting, there was still plenty of glittery substance traveling around the area, but it was better than other times I've used different glitter products.

I did like the different projects included with these packs. Our favorites were the keychains. The outlines were clear and easy to follow and once you're finished, there's a closing cover to contain the glitter!! These specific products will be available for the coming holiday season.

Really the best part was all of these children were well occupied for at least an hour. Most left after the hour, but then some would come back to create more. I love anything that encourages creating and leaving screen time.

So how will you get your #glitteron?

Thanks again, #tryazon!

Paint Night

I love being artistic and painting, but without having ever taken a class, sometimes I struggle knowing how to do stuff. And then I hate deciding what to draw/paint. So the idea of a paint night class is perfect for me. It eliminates all the factors I struggle with. Step by step instruction and the subject of my painting are all provided by Plaid Crafts. They were amazing!

This was my first time using a floating medium and I loved it! What a great new skill that went beyond what I would know on my own! We tried using easels, but found painting directly on the table was easier.

It was easy following along with the video and instructor.

I've got the painting itch. I'm gonna need to paint something else soon!

#LetsPaint #PlaidCrafts and #Tryazon

Thrive

Choosing a name or title is always the hardest part of completing a process. You want it to be meaningful and unique.

THRIVE

You can't say much more than that. Thrive Algae Oil is about cooking with something that will benefit your body the best you can. It's super healthy with 25% more monounsaturated fats and 75% less saturated fat than olive oil, and olive oil is supposed to be pretty good right?! Truly meant to help your body thrive.

So when I told my husband I was going to throw this party and cook food using Algae Oil, he wasn't sure he wanted to eat it. It sounded strange and he was afraid it would taste weird. When I told an invited friend, she said, don't cook everything in it because she was also scared of the taste. So the best part about this oil, turned out to be that the taste wasn't strange. It didn't taste gross. In fact, it didn't taste different at all. I can get behind something that is good for me and still tastes good!

2 ways we used the oil was to do a stir fry of some yummy vegetables (green beans and bell peppers), which was a feast for the eyes too with all the colors, and we did twice baked potatoes. Both were so great! 

(What is a party without some games, so we did that too!)

Disney Codenames

I remember being introduced to the original Codenames and being instantly hooked. It was my new favorite game. When #tryazon and #USAopoly offered the change to try out Disney Codenames I jumped at the chance! It's so much fun.

The basic idea of Codenames is you split into 2 teams. There's a secret grid that only 2 callers can look at. Each caller wants you to guess their set of words based on the grid. They give clues by saying ONE WORD and a number. The team then has to guess what card the caller meant for you to guess. The number lets you know how many cards the caller thinks are connected to that clue. Just be careful! You may end up guessing the other team's card (ending your turn), and innocent bystander, or the assassin, which gives the other team the win automatically.

What I love about Disney Codenames is the cards have 2 sides. One side has a word, but the other side has a picture of a Disney film, scene, or character. Using the pictures was sometimes harder to connect multiple cards, but was a fun challenge.

The huge reason I really wanted to try it with pictures is for my young children who are not proficient readers. By playing with pictures, they could play too. Now we have a game for the whole family! And because the game is played in teams, you can have as many players as you want. It's always hard finding games that will accommodate large groups.

I would definitely recommend Disney Codenames or the original Codenames to anyone and everyone.

Telestrations Party Pack

Telestrations: a game like Telephone (passing whispered words from ear to ear), but with drawing and writing instead.

Result: fits of laughter

I've played the "poor man's" version of this game before, paper, pencil, fold it, pass it. Man, I should have invested in this game earlier. It's so much easier having the dry erase flip boards instead. The subject cards make choosing a topic to draw simple, and when you get an impossible topic to draw, the laughter ensues. It's a great party game. Involves lots of people.

Imagine your dad getting the word "locksmith"
He decides to draw a lock (of course)
            and then draws "Joseph Smith's first vision" to get you to guess "Smith"
Somehow your brother knows exactly what he meant to draw.
What?!?!?!?!?
But no one gets it after that, and errors fly across it's pages.

I seriously wondered if that much laughter could be bad for the baby in my tummy!

The scoring system doesn't seem worth keeping up with, but really, we're playing the game for the laughs, not the points.

Good thing there were plenty of dry erase markers, because 2 (was it 3?) leaked on us and we threw them away.

We got to the point beyond bedtime....and still played another game. It was THAT good! I love the stuff #USAopoly, #Telestrations and #Tryazon come up with!!

Smart games and Tryazon

I love when I get chosen to try out new stuff. I love it more when it's games. #smartgamesusa and #tryazon let our family try these and we had fun!

THere were three games.

Our favorite was Little Red Riding Hood. It was a game that my 6 and 4 year old boys could play with a little bit of help. We had actually recently played a similar game in the iPad, but I love that this is the same fun without screen time involved! You're given a scenario to set up and then try to place the right pieces to allow for the correct path to house.

Color Code was also fun. You use multiple tiles to try and recreate the same picture shown. My 6 year old could do this. It didn't hold his attention span for as long, but still fun. I saw some older kids doing is one too and they loved it.

IQ Puzzler was the last one. It was much harder. I don't think as well spatially. It isn't something I would use with younger children.

We had lots of fun though! Thanks again!


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