More great board games for playing and gifting

I’m back again with more awesome games from the Wonder Forge. You guys, I know I sound like a broken record but I LOVE these games! They are so much better than the games we had when we were kids. They are fun for kids and their parents to play together and they are so good for kids’ brains! They are learning through play at its finest!

Today I have two Jake & the Neverland Pirates games to feature. If you have a Jake fan in your house, these are a must-have! The first game is called “Who Shook Hook?”

First, let me say, the age on this game is 4+ but I think 5 or 6 is more accurate. It requires some precision of mind and hand! But it is soooo fun! You have to balance Captain Hook and all his treasures on the hammock in the center of the board. On your turn, you have to carefully remove treasures with the designated tool and try not to make the whole net tip and keep Hook from falling out. Whoever finally send Captain Hook for a swim is the loser, and whoever has the most treasures wins.  It is REALLY fun. It took our family a few games to figure out how to keep Hook in the net for more than a turn or two, but once we got it, we got it! We have a blast with this one.

Next up is the “Neverland Challenge Game”.

This is an awesome game that will get your kids moving! It’s very similar to the Cat in the Hat I can do That! game which I adoooore, but it’s different enough that it’s not a replica. My favorite thing about this game is that it is soooo great for kids learning to follow (and succeed at) multi-step directions and it’s just really, really fun. Kids can earn gold doubloons (oh that’s how you spell that word!) for completing challenges and they have to collect more than Captain Hook to win. You will have fun with your kids jumping, balancing, crab-walking, and giggling over this game. It was a finalist for the 2013 Toy of the Year Awards and the honor is well-deserved. This is a purchase you will never regret! It’s for ages 3 and up and most 3-year-olds can definitely play it!

Once again, I cannot say enough about these great games by the Wonder Forge. If you are going to buy a game for a Christmas or Hanukkah gift, GET ONE FROM THE WONDER FORGE! 🙂 You can get them just about anywhere games are sold. My kiddos had fun ooh-ing and aah-ing over them at Target the other day. Happy shopping and playing!

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The Wonder Forge provided me with these games to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own!

 

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Party in a box!

I have mentioned on this blog about 147 times that I LOVE the Wonder Forge and the amazing board games they make. These games helped me help Sophie overcome her language delay sooooo much, I really cannot even begin to express how valuable they were. I haven’t specifically reviewed any games in quite a while, and now I’m happy to say “GAME ON!” I’ve got some new games to share with you and I’m excited about it!  Today’s offerings: two fabulous games for the Princess-loving girl in your life.

The Disney Princesses Enchanted Cupcake Party

This. Game. Is. AWESOME! What I love the most about it is that is a team game and requires all sort of wonderful work-togetherness! But it’s also just plain fun. The team has to build as many cupcakes as they can from the Princess recipe card before time runs out.  Putting the cupcakes together is really great for fine motor skills and turn-taking and team work is great for social skills, too. The race against the clock is so fun I bet even boys won’t be able to resist this game! This game is for anyone age 3 and up.

The Disney Princesses Dazzling Princess Game

This game will be a HUGE hit with any Disney Princess fan in your house. It combines pretend play, dress-up, and…PRINCESS TRIVIA! That’s right, it’s like Trivial Pursuit for Princess-lovers. Can’t beat it! Answer questions correctly and you get to pop pretty gems on your ring, bracelet, and tiara (another plus for fine motor skills!). The first pretty lady to answer enough questions correctly and complete her jewelry is the winner! Your little girl and all of her friends will love this game, which is for ages 4 and up.

If you’ve got a little princess in your house, I really recommend these two games! Ain’t no time for new games like the holidays! Have fun playing!

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The Wonder Forget sent me these games to review. All opinions are my own. I’ll be back soon with another review, so stay tuned!!

 

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The Amazing Back-to-School Lands’ End School Uniform Review

Guess what? Only 26 days until my big kids go back to school!  And I. Am. EXCITED!  Because you know, I’m that mom who likes it when their kids are in school.  This year, Joshua will be in third grade and Sophie will be in all-day KINDERGARTEN!  That’s right, two out of three kids in school all day!  I gotta tell you, I am REALLY looking forward to having some alone time with Jonah.  That kid has waited a long time to have mommy to himself!

For me, having two kids in school means having to kids in school UNIFORMS.  Of course, for these I turn to my trusted favorite, Lands’ End.  Now I will tell you a secret: because I am a frugal gal, I buy school uniforms ALL YEAR ROUND.  I wait for coupon codes and free shipping and penny embroidery and I strike when the iron is hot!  So my kids are pretty much set for the year!  However, one of the fun things about being a blogger is working with Lands’ End and getting to review some brand spankin’ new uniform designs to show you the best of the best.  Here’s what I chose for my kiddos:

 For my big kindergarten girl I chose this adorable, classic plaid jumper and short-sleeve feminine fit polo, as well as this oh-so-functional khaki chino skort and long-sleeve pink feminine fit polo.  I love the button detail and the pleats on the jumper, and also the fact that the bodice is lined with taffeta and doesn’t snag on clothes worn underneath.   My favorite thing about the skort is that there is elastic in the back and the adjustable waist is in the FRONT!  Such a great feature because adjusters on the side usually irritate Sophie’s waist.  The feminine-fit polos are awesome, just perfectly girly.  I love the way they look on Sophie!  For her backpack, I chose the Small Classmate.  The size is perfect for her, and I expect it to grow with her for two to three years.  I had her name embroidered on it and it’s adorable!  But beyond that, I know it’s also TOUGH!  Joshua’s small Classmate from last year is still going strong!  I got her the matching EZ-Wipe Lunch Box and I L-O-V-E it!  It’s got tons of space but it’s not too big for her to carry.  With an ice pack, it will keep food refrigerator-cold for five hours.  The sides are rigid to keep food from getting smushed, and the smooth inside is super-easy to wipe clean.   I think it’s a real winner!

Now, for my big boy!  Here’s what I chose for Joshua:

Lands’ End Iron-Knee uniform pants are my fave, so of course I chose these for Joshua!    They have a dressy pleat-front, are easy to clean & care for, and of course have the reinforced knees which is so important when they get worn day after day after day.  They also come in slim sizing AND have an adjustable waist which is super-important for my super-skinny guy. Love ’em!  For his shirts, I chose the soft yet sturdy long and short-sleeve interlock polos.  These are a little softer than the mesh but hold up just as well.  They look great with his school logo embroidered!  I also got him a pair of plain-front chino shorts. These are stain and wrinkle resistant and always look SO nice!  Perfect for the hot weather at the beginning and end of the school year.  Joshua didn’t need a new backpack, as I mentioned above, the one I reviewed last year is still going more-than-strong.  But he did need a new lunch box since his “character” one he had imploded half-way through the school year.   I let him choose which one he wanted and he chose the FeatherLight lunch box.  He loved the bright colors; I love the features.  It too keeps food cold for five hours with an ice pack and is very easy to wipe clean inside. It also has lots of pockets and room for other items that don’t need to be kept cold.  It’s a great lunch box and I know it will last us a long time!

The last item I got for my two kiddos is a school uniform half-zip fleece to keep them cozy all winter!  These are soooo good-lookng, and work great as jackets or as extra layers. Joshua’s last year was INDISPENSABLE and it’s one item I will for sure purchase every year. Here’s some more pictures of my kids in all their Lands’ End back-t0-school finery, including their fleeces!

Adorable, RIGHT!?? I know!  One thing I really enjoyed about shopping this year is that you can create a profile for each of your kids and add your school on LandsEnd.com so that all the approved and size-appropriate items you can choose from will automatically populate for you.  No more weeding out what isn’t part of your school’s code or doesn’t come in your kids’ size. It  made picking their clothes SO easy, and it’s saved in your Lands’ End account so you don’t need to re-enter the info every time. Score!   And, if your school is a part of their Preferred School Program, they earn money when you shop.  Win-win!

You all know I love Lands’ End, and these awesome, high-quality uniform items are just another reason that I do!  What’s your favorite Lands’ End uniform item?

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Lands’ End provided the above-mentioned items to facilitate my review. All opinions on them are my own.

 

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