This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for any purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support! Between a wedding and a birthday, we are in the party mode around here!
That happy little boy up there turned 9 this past week, so we threw him a birthday party! It was so much fun to plan as well as execute. Today I'm sharing all about it!
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THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. WE WILL BE COMPENSATED FOR PURCHASES MADE THROUGH THOSE LINKS AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU. ALL VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE OUR OWN. We are a game loving family and the holidays always bring us some great new ones to play! I've shared many posts in the past suggesting to you games that our family loves. It is one of my favorite posts to write because playing games as a family creates such great memories. I just spent a week with Alicia and her family and every night we played the games that they had added to their collection while I was there! So, I have double the amount of games to share with you this year! I'm sure you will find lots of suggestions here that your family enjoy playing together! Click on the picture or the link to go where you can snag these for yourselves. A second version of Azul! Stained Glass of Sintra! I wrote all about the original Azul on this post. Amazon lists this as an expansion, but it is a stand alone game. I think I love it even better than the first. It is much easier to keep score and it is beautiful! It takes strategy to win, and it is a great game for young teens and up to play. Azul is for 2-4 players. There are also other versions and expansion packs available. This fun card game can play up to 8 people, ages 8+! So a really great family game. It is simple to learn. You use Rock, Paper, Scissors to bid on how many tricks you think you can take. Don't dare go above or below that bid or you will be penalized! After you learn the basic game, the game includes ways to make it even more interesting with extra cards you can add in to the mix. So much fun! Spoiler Alert: There is a yummy recipe included in this game from the Beck family! I told you about the original game of Blockbuster on this post! My son got me a new version that includes video games and TV shows! We found that made it better for those younger than 30 who didn't know very many old movies! This game is great for a large group because it is played in teams. Moral Conflict-Warning, may cause some disagreement, but so far in a very fun way! In this game everyone votes on who would make the best or worst choices among the group of players. I'm not sure that all of the choices really represent a moral choice, but they are pretty funny. Often, we would vote for ourselves! Who is the most competitive? Who is most likely to go the longest without eating vegetables? Who is most likely to fart and blame it on someone else? You get the picture. This game has everyone figuring out peoples priorities including items and ideas you may not normally prioritize together. I found out that Madalynn would rather wash dishes than meet new people! I'm keeping that in mind for future use! This is a great game for a large group. Qwixx! This game is addictive! A dice game that is easy to learn but so entertaining! Good for young and old. While I was at Alicia's, we played it every evening! My 8 year old grandson had received it for Christmas, and he liked to play it, but the adults in the house loved it and, well, I'd better give you the link for the extra pad of game sheets that you will need if you play it as much as we did! I enjoyed it so much that I ordered it and had it delivered to my house so that it was waiting for me when I got home! An oldie but goodie, Castles of Burgundy! Alicia and I decided that this in one of our most favorites! This is one of those games that takes a bit longer to play and is more for adults than kids. It requires strategy as well as luck and preplanning as you make your moves. It is really a great game and for one with so many parts and pieces, I think $20 is a great price! I think you will find something for everyone on this list. If you try any of these, let me know how you like them! Did you get any new games this year that you would like to share with us? Drop a note in the comments! Past Game Posts:
This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support!
I've always enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles, especially during the holidays. They seem to have experienced a resurgence of popularity over the last couple of years and they aren't just for the Christmas Season anymore.
If you live in a hot climate like we do, a puzzle can be a great activity, away from screens, to do indoors while staying cool with the AC! You may be thinking, "But what do you do with the puzzle when you want to eat dinner on the table? I don't have room for a puzzle!" Guess what! I've got you covered! There are some great options out there to make doing a puzzle less of an inconvenience and consequently, more enjoyable to do at your leisure! My mom used to love to do puzzles and she ordered herself this puzzle table that I talked about on this post. There are a few options, depending on how much you are willing to spend. These tables are great because there are little drawers to help separate the different puzzle pieces as you find them.
My DIL always has a puzzle going that she and her kids are working on. She taught me this idea to keep the puzzle safe and out of the way while you aren't working on it. She purchased a dog crate tray to use to work the puzzle on and when no one is working on it, she slides it easily under the couch! Genius! You will want a tray for a large dog to make room for the puzzle and all of the pieces. I commandeered my daughter's crate tray because she never uses the crate! I just washed it and it works great! But, you can find them on Amazon!
This is the least expensive one I could find:
Now that that is settled, let's look at some of the awesome puzzles!
My grandchildren just gifted me with a couple of beautiful puzzles for my birthday! The colors are so vivid! I love them. I started with the 500 piece puzzle and we had it done in half a day!
This one, called Birch Birds, is so colorful and fun to do. It is by Buffalo.
Here are a couple more by Buffalo that I love. Just click the image to find them for yourself!
My birthday wouldn't be complete without some owl themed gifts! This beautiful owl puzzled fits the bill. Also by Buffalo, it is a 1000 piece puzzle.
Here are more from the Vivid Collection:
I can't wait to get started on my owl puzzle next! My grandkids are happy to help me. PS-puzzles are a great stem activity!
Here are a few related posts! This post contains affiliated links. I will be compensated for purchases made at those links with no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support. Like me, you've probably seen a ton of variations of this tic-tac-toe game all over Pinterest. I have always wanted to make one for my backyard because I think my grandkids will get a kick out of it. The Spring weather that is finally happening motivated me to finally complete this project. I am so happy with how it turned out!
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Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
March 2024
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