Magnolia Mamas : Games

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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Family Game Night with Hedbanz

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Spin Master Games for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

My kids love to play games and are always asking to have family game nights. However, because of our busy schedules during the school week and sports activities that fill our weekends, we don't get to do them as often as they’d like. Last week they were off school for the entire week for Thanksgiving Break so I knew it would be the perfect chance to spend some quality time together playing one of our favorite family games…Hedbanz by Spin Master Games.

This game is geared towards kids ages 7 and up, but even our 4 year old can get in on the fun. The basic idea of the game is that each player wears a headband and a card is placed on the headband. Everyone can see the card except the person wearing it. It could be a food like pizza, an animal like a cat or even a household object like scissors. By asking questions you try to figure out clues that help you guess what your card is.

For our game night we gathered around the table in our playroom and immediately the laughs began. It’s so funny to see what everyone’s cards are and we love laughing and encouraging each other as we try to guess what we are.

Some of the objects seem so simple to the others that are seeing it, but when it is on your head sometimes it is the hardest to figure out.

I would definitely recommend Hedbanz to any family looking for a game that is fun for all ages and one that provides ample smiles all around. Out of a closet full of games this is always the one we go for! It was so nice for us to have an evening with no TV, no electronics and no whining…just good old fashion family fun.

I feel like we are always going in a million different directions so it was really heart warming for us to all be focused on the same thing, having fun, bonding as a family and making sweet memories. Even our dog, Walker, got in on the fun last night!

Spin Master Games, the creator of Hedbanz, also offers other family fun game options like Quelf and Would You Rather. In the game of Quelf players use creativity and imagination to answer crazy questions and perform silly stunts. Would You Rather is a game full of dilemmas and difficult choices. It asks bizarre, imaginative, hilarious and sometimes disgusting questions.

Hedbanz and the other games by Spin Master are available at retailers like Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart, Kmart and Toys R Us.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

A Perfect Playdate

Brrr! It has gotten so cold outside! Carrie Beth and I planned a fun playdate for the kids today, but with being so cold we decided to move our playdate party inside.

We have tons of toys at our house and lots of space for the kids to play around in, but thought it would be fun to introduce them to something new - the Wii! They are all getting so big, and mine have never really played a video game before that it would be the perfect time to introduce them to it. We quickly rearranged plans, and came up with a fun popcorn and dance party playdate - something we knew they were sure to love!

We chose to kick off the playdate with the new Just Dance: Disney Party 2. We let them open it and they were so excited!!

Not only were they thrilled to be playing something new but they were excited to see that it had 20 hit songs from some of their favorite shows - The Descendants, Liv & Maddie, and Teen Beach 2 just to name a few.

As we were setting up their characters, they were already planning what songs they were going to dance to first.

One of the great things about the Wii and video games like Just Dance: Disney Party 2 is that the kids are constantly moving. We love that they are getting exercise and having tons of fun at the same time.

Plus, I'm not going to lie...it provides quite a ton of laughs for moms and dads too! I mean check out these moves...

The kids loved being able to see some of their favorite Disney Channel characters brought to life, and to be able to learn some of their dances and sing along with them made for such a fun experience. We were shocked at how realistic some of the characters were too. The boys aren't able to read yet, but even they were able to recognize the characters they were dancing with right away.

The popcorn portion of the playdate most definitely came in handy. All that dancing and singing worked up quite an appetite. After even just a few songs the kids were so hungry and thirsty!

Plus it provided a good way to occupy the little ones who weren't playing the game at the time because trust us, it was so fun everyone wanted to play all at once. Especially once they heard the music - everyone wanted to play their favorite songs.

The boys loved the song "A Billion Hits" by Austin and Ally and played it several times, while the girls locked onto perfecting the moves from the Liv & Maddie hit "Better in Stereo".

The girls were so excited when they surpassed the boys (and their surprisingly great ability to follow the dance moves), and finally come up with the high score.

This was the perfect way to spend our playdate, and we already can't wait to play Just Dance: Disney Party 2 again with the kids.

We own the Nintendo Wii system, but know that the game is also available for the Wii U system as well as for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. After seeing how much fun everyone had we would highly recommend Just Dance: Disney Party 2. Not only was it an entertaining and fun way to spend our playdate, it was something active to get those little bodies (and their copious amounts of energy) moving. What more could a parent ask for?

Now watch out kids, next time the mommies will be taking the stage. We might be mommies, but we have been known to have a few dance moves of our own. That high score won't be yours for long!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

DIY Giant Jenga {tutorial}

Last month when we were in Florida for my friend's 40th birthday bash they had a giant Jenga game out and we played it all night long. We played it on both on the beach and on the deck and it was so much fun to have everyone gathered around for a game like this. Because it was so big you didn't have to worry about limiting players...everyone who wanted a turn to play could.

After we got back home the Mr. decided he wanted to build us one of our own. I'm so lucky to have such a handy husband. I figured we have had so much fun with this game that others might want to make one themselves, too!

First, you will need several 2x4s (depending on what length you buy) and using a circular saw cut them into 10 1/2 inch pieces. You will need 54 pieces total.

After cutting all of the pieces the ends will most likely will be ragged and rough making splinters a very big possibility.

Next, using an electrical sander, sand all ends and edges until smooth.

It's a tedious but important step to make the game safe and enjoyable! After sanding the edges and ends will be nice and smooth.

We keep our game in a large plastic bin. The pieces have to be stacked and packed just right to make them fit, but it is the perfect way to store and transport it.

This game is so much fun for all ages. When we decided to build one of our own we kind of had imagined it would be more of an adult game, but kids love it, too! We took it to our dinner club a few weeks ago for the adults to play outdoors, but it ended up raining so we set it up inside and the kids took over and wanted to play! I was kind of shocked by how well they did playing it and how careful they were to not knock it over.

If you allow kids to play it younger ones will definitely need adult supervision. When the towers falls over it does so with a big bang and anyone standing in it's way could definitely get hurt so making sure everyone keeps their distance is important.

I see us playing this game all of the time! It's perfect for tailgates, cookouts, parties or even family game night.

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