TOS Crew: Say Anything Family Game

I love playing games together as a family! We recently got to review another great game from North Star Games, if you remember we also just reviewed Wits & Wagers Family (which we really loved).  This game is called Say Anything Family. 

The game includes:

• 60 question cards, which includes 360 topics
• 6 dry erase markers
• 6 white boards
• 12 game tokens
• Score board
• Select-O- Matic 6000

Say Anything Family is a game about what you and your family think.  This game is geared toward ages 8 and up and allows for 3-6 players. First, each person takes a turn taking a card and asking a question.  The other players then answer the question one their white boards and place their answers in the middle of the table.

Next the player that asked the question secretly selects his or her favorite answer, then selects that players color on the Select-O-Matic 6000.  After placing the Select-O-Matic face down the other players are then allowed to select who they think had the best answer and place their game tokens accordingly.

After everyone has placed their tokens, the Select-O-Matic is flipped over and points are awarded.

Say Anything Family is another keeper from North Star Games!  Another great game to give for the up coming holidays.  You can purchase Say Anything Family at several national retail stores or online through Amazon.com - Say Anything Family.

We were given Say Anything Family free of charge for review purposes only.  We were not paid in any way and these opinions are my own.

TOS Crew: Wits and Wagers Family Game

We received the Wits and Wagers Family Game from North Star Games to review for the TOS Crew.  Let me just tell ya, we LOVE this game!  Even The Hubs loved it! 

Wits and Wagers Family is a like a trivia game but all your answers will be numerical.  Let me tell you how to play so you get a better understanding of what the game is all about.  First, one of the players asks a question, like "How many Disney Princesses there are in all?"  Each person writes their answer on their little white board and then everyone's guess gets put into number order, right after the #1 that is already provided for you.  Next, everyone places a "wager" with their meeples (cute little wooden people).  Like if I think I am absolutely correct with my answer then I may put both of my meeples on my board.  If my answer is the closest to the real answer without going over then I get 3 points. 

If I am not really confident in my answer I can place my meeples on someone else's answer, if their answer was correct then I would get points for placing my wager on their answer.  If I think we have all gone over in our guesses then I place my meeples on the #1 (already provided).  There are 300 family friendly questions in the game and the first person to get 15 points WINS!  I really hope I am not making this sound difficult because it really is simple to play. I think it took us a few minutes to read over the rules and we all got the hang of it after the frist round.  

The Wits and Wagers box says that it is geared towards ages 8 and up but we all played together.  Lil Bits and I were on a team together.  He liked placing our meeples for us and wiping our board.  Alpha Boy played on his own and did just fine. He came up with all his own answers, although most of the time his answer was 2,000.  No matter the question.  If the question was "how many different colored fruit loops are there?" His answer was still 2,000, really!  He loved the game too!  Some of the questions are easier and some are more difficult. I think the 8 and up range is good but I still think its a game that the little ones will enjoy joining in on.

Up to 10 people can play at a time.  You can either play 5 single players or 10 if your doing teams.

For the record, I was the winner!!  I was pretty excited because I never win anything : )  This game is a definite keeper and I am not just saying that because I won. We had so much fun that I think we are going to bring family game night back through the fall and winter! 

Wits and Wagers Family would be an excellent holiday gift or whenever gift for that matter.  You can purchase you very own Wits & Wagers Family game on Amazon for about $15.00 (and it's eligable for super saver shipping).  You can also find it at variety of national retailers. 

Hope you all enjoy Wits and wagers Family as much as we have! 

We recieved Wits and Wagers Family Game free of charge from North Star Games for review purposes only.  We were not compensated in any way for our review

TOS Crew: E-Mealz Review

I cook.  I cook because I like to and because the people that live here with me like to eat.  Since I am cooking several meals a day I decided many years ago that I would be a meal planner, I think it is just easier to come up with a dinner plan before 5pm each day.  I also feel like meal planning helps to save money (hypothetically anyway), since I go shopping armed with a list of the things we NEED. 

BUT sometimes I get so tired of coming up with new recipes and meal ideas.  Have you ever thought how much easier meal planning would be if someone else would just come up with the plan and hand it over?  I know I have.  There is this company called e-Mealz and that is pretty much what they do.  Not only to they give you the meal ideas, they also give you the recipes and shopping list.  I know some of you who have not been faithful with meal planning are probably starting to sweat nervously at this point because you know now you are with out excuse : )  But don't worry, e-Mealz has done the work for you. 

It's easy as 1,2,3! Choose a Plan, Print and Go Shopping, Cook and Enjoy!

e-Mealz offers 28 different meal plans that you can choose from

So whether you shop at Aldi's, Walmart or somewhere else, e-Mealz has a plan for you.  Not only do they have regular meal plans for families then even have plans for those that are using portion control with their meals, and those that eat gluten free.  e-Mealz pretty much has a meal plan for everyone.  The only thing I didn't see is an option for those with egg or peanut allergies. 

Okay, let's talk food.  I am sure you guys are wondering what the food is like.  Here is a run down of some of the dinner recipes that I received on the Any-Store Family Meal Plan:

• Brunswick Beef Stew (which is a crock pot recipe, so that is major bonus!), Simple Slaw and French Bread
• BBQ Chicken Packets - these are made in tin foil and thrown in the oven.  Simple, simple, simple!!
• Creamy Pesto Ravioli and Tomato Salad Toss
• Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Lemon Butter Broccoli and Herb Pasta
• Easy Cheeseburger Pie, Skillet Corn, Celery Sticks & Ranch Dip
• Chicken & Cannelloni Soup with Cornbread Muffins
• Hamburger Pizzas and Broccoli n’ Dip
• Pesto Pepperoni Wraps, Chips and Sliced Pears
• Beef Hash and Steamed Broccoli
• Mexican Casserole, Tortilla Chips and Garden Salad

Mouth watering yet?? Not only do you get a nice variety of good meals each week but you also get a variety in the type of meals.  For instance each week's meal plan is peppered with crock pot meals, one dish meals, easy meals and even company favorites!  Did you also notice that they no only give you main dishes but sides too!

Here is a sample menu.  You can also view samples of all the e-Mealz Menu Plans here.

The recipes may sound difficult and time consuming but I assure you they really aren't.  For the most part these meals are made fairly quickly, in my opinion.  One great thing about e-Mealz plans is that they are created by moms just like you and me, they get that we are busy because they are busy too!

Let's talk price.  e-Mealz is also super reasonable, each meal plan is only $5.00 per month, which breaks down to only $1.25 per week.  I think $1.25 a week is well worth the many benefits you would get from using e-Mealz.  It would save you time by meal planning for you, save you money by having a plan when you shop and not having to always order out.  Just imagine, you could be feeding you family good home cooked, healthier meals during the week and keep your sanity at the same time!  Wouldn't it be wonderful to actually have an answer when your family asks, "what's for dinner?" 

I love this product and think it is well worth $5.00 per month.  Whtether you are new to meal planning or you are a veteran, I know you will love e-Mealz.  Great meals, great price and less stress, what's not to love?

We were given a subscription to e-Mealz at no charge for review purposes only.  I was not paid in any way and the opinions expressed here are mine.

TOS Crew: Always Icecream Review

 

The TOS Crew asked us if we would be interested in reviewing a learning website called Always Icecream and my girls were so glad that I said yes! 

Always Icecream is a fun and educational website where girls can learn and be creative!  Over the last few weeks the girls have enjoyed playing games that have helped them learn about human anatomy, math facts, geography (USA  and Europe), dog breeds and Bible verses.

They have also enjoyed all the fun that they get to have creating their own people and rooms in the Mini World part of Alway Icecream.  This is the area where they really get to create and have a great time!  Computer Girl told me that this is her favorite thing about Always Icecream.  Oh, and believe it or not she really likes playing the math facts games (which her mama really likes too!) 

On Always Icecream, girls (and I keep saying girls because it really is geared toward girls) can invite there friends to play and chat with them too.  My girls have not done this but it is an option.  I appreciate that they have it moderated. 

Girls can also watch some pretty cool learning videos.  For instance one video taught us how to make baby shower cupcakes (too cute!), one showed us how to teach a dog to sit and another one taught us the origin of ice cream cones. 

Another fun thing about the Always Icecream site it that the kids get to earn ice cream "scoops," by watching the videos and playing the games.  They can then use these "scoops" in the Mini World to buy things for their rooms.  The kids of course LOVE THIS!! 

Always Icecream is geared toward girls ages 7-12.  My girls are 8 and 10 (almost 11 as she says) and they both enjoyed this website.  The cost is $4.99 per month, $29.99 for a year or $99.99 for a life-time membership.  Personally, I would try it for a month or two before deciding on a life-time membership. 

Your kids can even try it for FREE to see if they like it before purchasing.

We were given a subscription to Always Icecream free of charge for review purposes only.  The opinions expressed here are my own and we were not compensated in any way. 



TOS Crew: Scruble Cube Review

We were given the opportunity to review the Scruble Cube for the TOS Crew, which is 3D word game that is a cross between a Rubik Cube and a Scrabble board game.  See, check it out...





This is a educational and fast paced game that is recommended for kids 8 years old and up.  According to the makers of Scruble Cube, "If you can spell C-A-T then you can play! " The Hubs was in charge of reviewing this game with the kids (I am not a cross wordy, Rubik cube kinda girl). 

I think they struggled at first with the Scruble Cube thinking that after one player built a word, the next player had to build on it, which is not the case.  You can build on another players word but it is not necessary to play.  It is quite easy to form words as you can make a totally new word or add one or more letters to an existing word to make a new word.  We soon learned that you simply make words while racking up points at the same time, each letter is given a point value.  The bigger the words the more points you earn.  The people with most points wins the game!

We liked that this game is pretty versatile and 1 to 4 players can play at one time.  You can make the rules easy or more challenging.  You can play with or with out the included timer.  You can have a three letter word minimum or four to make it more difficult.  They have even included "wild cards" to make any letter you want.

Scruble Cube even has several other options for play on their website that offer even more educational value, like sentence building.  I think it would be great to have kids try to spell out some of their spelling list words to spice up spelling. 

As a mom, I love that it is educational.  I also like that this is a simple game, in other words there aren't 37 pieces that I have to track of.  You have the cube, a sand timer, a rubber band and a pad of score cards.  One other bonus, is that when your 3 year old is so excited about this new game you have bought that he rips the box open in excitement, all the contents will fit perfectly in a Ziploc bag : )

We aren't the only ones that think the Scruble Cube is great, it received the Dr. Toys Best Pick for New Products as well as the Creative Toy Award for 2010 from Creative Child Magazine.

Scruble Cube would make a great gift for kids, adults and even teachers.  It can be purchased directly from Scruble Cube for $24.95.


We were given the Scruble Cube free of charge for review purposes only.  We were not paid in any way and the opinions expressed here are my own.