Category: review

The weather has definitely taken quite a cold turn, this morning it was a beautiful -20C, I didn’t even want to leave my house this morning it was that cold.

While the snow is beautiful and the holiday season is a special time for families to get together and enjoy each others company, sometimes it can become a bit routine and not so much fun for the youngest members in the house (and to be honest, when its super cold out even adults start to get a bit bored!).

Canadian games distributer, Kroeger, has a fantastic line up of unique and fun games that also help your child learn and grow. From Rubik’s cards to breakfast cereal to communication – you can find unique games that will suit every member of the household. Not only are the games fun but they improve your communication skills and working together as a family.

Monster Crunch is the breakfast game that encourages you to play with your food, where the ultimate goal is to see who can eat the most cereal. The perfect game for a home full of boys who love to play with their food and compete all the time on who can eat the most.

This game starts with every player choosing their character – Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy (are any of these sounding familiar yet?). Each of these monsters have their own special powers that can change the rules of the game. Each character also has matching cereal cards and a cereal bowl place card. The ultimate goal of the game is to eat as much of your cereal as possible and this has to be completed in three hands. To start your first hand, you draw twelve cereal cards without showing anyone your cards along with one milk token. The first player will play a card into their cereal bowl and the next player will now play a card of equal or higher value into their own cereal bowl or pass (each cereal card has a number on them). If you do have to pass, you are out for that round but you do get to take and keep a milk token. What are milk tokens? Milk tokens have their own special powers which allow you to combine cards in order to keep playing (bonus!). The hand ends when any player places their last card into their cereal bowl. Once all three hands have been played, you count the total number of cards in your pile – the player with the most cards wins!

This game was easy to follow, a child of six or seven could easily play this game with an older adult or child around to help them if they get stuck. This game was a lot of fun to play together, it was competitive and we were purposefully getting each other out in each hand but we also had a lot of good laughs together (usually at each others expense but it was fun all the same!).

Rubik’s Battle is a fast paced card game using the unique Rubik’s colours and square designs.

Our youngest was pretty excited to play this game as he has a fascination with the cube itself, which I am sure we can all admit to having despite how difficult it is to solve. This game at first was a bit hard to follow and I had to re-read the instructions several times to understand it myself and then to be able to explain it to my kids. The game is played by shuffling and dealing all of the cards in the pile out to every player. Players will at the same time flip over the top card and place it in the centre so everyone can see the cards. The first player to call out a colour based on their card criteria wins. The criteria is: a colour on their card that is not on any other card OR a colour on every card that is not on their card. They then collect those cards. The game is finished and won when one player has collected all of the Rubik’s battle cards.

This game did seem intimating at first but it is actually quite a bit of fun and really gets you thinking. I definitely suggest reading the instructions several time overs to the players and maybe start by using one of the criteria first until everyone gets comfortable with the rules of the game. Once you are more comfortable, the answers will be flying out of their mouths at lightning speed.

This battle of concentration and wit can be purchased at Toys R Us.

Cahoots is a bold, colourful card game where players have to work together in order to complete a series of goals (all without communicating what cards you have in your hands). Players MUST work together in order to win (which is opposite to what I originally thought this game would be)- making this a great family game. You can play with two to four players and the recommended age is 10 and up.

You start the game by first setting up the playing area. Each player receives four number cards left face down. Four number cards are placed face up in a row in the middle of the players card. The remaining cards are placed in a draw pile. The goal cards are shuffled and four are placed face up in a row in the middle. When it is your turn to play, you play one card from your hand onto one of the four number card piles (it must either be the same colour or number as the top of the pile). You are aiming to complete the goal cards (ex) three green piles, all odd numbers, etc…You are not allowed to tell each other what numbers or colours you have but you can use other cues like “I have a better card for that pile” or our favourite – “don’t play that pile!”.

I would definitely recommend following the age recommendations on this game (ten years and older) as some of the goals may be harder for younger children. It would be quite difficult to help a younger child out without breaking the rules of the game. That being said, it was an extremely fun game to play and we had to keep stopping ourselves from cheating by giving away the cards in our hands. It is fantastic family bonding game where you are encouraged to communicate and work together to achieve the final goal.

What is your favourite family game to play together that encourages communication and team building?

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned products in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

My husband loves to fish – I remember when I first met him, we would go to a different lake every weekend for him to fish with his friends. Fishing for him is a time to unwind, relax and reconnect with his surroundings.

When our boys came along, I am sure he worried that he wouldn’t be able to have this time anymore but just like their Dad – they LOVE to fish! Just don’t ask them to put a worm on the hook or take a fish off the line (in this they are more like me).

While fishing can be a lot of fun, it does require a bit of skill that can be difficult for novice fishers and those who just want to fish for recreation.

The hardest part I found for kids (and me too) is the casting. It can be difficult for children to accurately hold and cast a line out and you don’t want them so frustrated that they give up. Many of us look for a child friendly alternative that encourages them to learn the basic skills but is also easy and fun for them to use.

The Rocketing Fishing Rod replaces the standard fishing pole and can accurately cast a line up to twenty five feet. It has a safety bobber that keeps the hook enclosed until it hits the water which I am sure many parents have been terrified of their child getting hurt with the hook. When that component hits the water, it opens to drop the bait to the correct depth. Awesome, right?

Each Rocket Fishing Rod contains:

• Rocket Fishing Rod
• 1 Safety bobber
• 2 hooks
• 150 feet of 8-pound Test Fishing Line
• 2 line stops
• 1 weight

The rod itself is quite light and fits easily into the palm of your child’s hand. While lightweight, the rod itself is definitely sturdy enough for fishing for your child – so no need to worry about it breaking on you. Our son found it easy to pull back and “load” the rod (very similar to many of his toy shooting guns) and then release the bobber. It takes away all of the stress and frustration of casting because lets face it, that is one of the hardest aspects of fishing for children (and this Mom too!).

The best feature is how safe the rod is – your child will not come in contact with the hook. The hook is safely housed within the bobber and is released only once casted into the water. You do not have to worry that they will get cut or that curious minds may try to play with the hook.

Check out this video of the Rocket Fishing Rod in action:

The Rocket Fishing Rod is one of the safest and child friendly fishing rods I have ever seen. It takes away the frustration, confusion and makes fishing fun for young children.

Do you have an avid fisher in the making in your house or maybe you want to bond over fishing with your young child – then head over to Amazon today to purchase one (it would make a great gift for the holiday season!).

Learn more about the Rocket Fishing Rod on the Goliath website here. Make sure to follow Goliath on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with the newest products, toys and more.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned products in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

My lifestyle is constantly on the go – I have work, family and extra curricular activities but at the same time I must still be open to communications and receiving phone calls and emails regardless of the time of day. This puts a huge strain on my cell and tablet battery life. I go into instant panic mode when I see a low battery message especially when I know I have a deadline or commitment to make. I can not afford for my electronics to give out on me.

With my busy lifestyle, a wireless charging pad was an important decision for us to make. I could not be tied down by cords and electrical plugs anymore. Too many times, I had my phone or tablet shut off on me because I could not find a outlet to plug it into. Not to mention the hassle of the cords in my purse which after time, the wires at the ends tend to break and it takes longer and longer to charge (no fun at all!).

The MYNT Wireless charging pad has every feature that I wanted and needed to ensure I never miss any calls, emails or photo opportunities with my children. It is wireless, sleek and efficient, the complete package!

When I first opened the package, my son didn’t believe me that it was a charging pad because of how sleek and slim the design was. It can easily fit in your purse or be tucked away in the office without taking over the space and it adds a nice element of design (it makes a style statement all on its own!).

Features of the MYNT Wireless charging pad:

• stable charge to protect your phone’s battery life
• smart modes that automatically change the charge based on the phone
• surge protection when the phone is fully charged
• case friendly
• slim, lightweight and portable

The charging pad was simple to use and easy to figure out. I really appreciated the fact that I did not have to take my phone out of its protective case in order to charge it. It charged efficiently and at the same rate as a regular charger would (maybe even a bit faster). My phone held the charge well, I had no concerns about it losing battery life faster after a charge. I was impressed with its power for its small size! I could easily slip it into my purse and take it with me to work, events and soccer practices without worrying I would lose it, break it or would not be able to use it when we got there. This is a definite must have item in any busy household!

Are you still looking for holiday gift ideas for the techie in your life? With its affordable price and fast delivery, this would make an excellent gift under the tree this holiday season. Gift receivers will love the design and efficiency! You can purchase a MYNT wireless charging pad on Amazon.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.