Archive for Games

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES Prize Pack Giveaway

DOAWK OneSheetDIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES, based on the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series of books by Jeff Kinney, opens in theaters this Friday, March 25th.

My son Jojo LOVES the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books so much that he carries them around in a tiny suitcase and has a place of honor for them so that they don’t touch ANY of his brother DEEDS’ books. Because you know. If an awesome book touches a preschool book, the “cool” might leak out. I guess.

In Rodrick Rules, Greg Heffley (the “Wimpy Kid”) is starting seventh grade. His older brother Rodrick picks on him in jerky older brother fashion, but their parents try to make them BOND! DUN DUN DUNNNN!

I had the opportunity to sit in on a conference call interview with author Jeff Kinney, and I even got to ask him a burning Wimpy Kid question:

MMT: Have you thought about an animated series for Diary of a Wimpy Kid?

Mr. Jeff Kinney: I definitely have. I’d love to bring these characters to life on the small screen especially.

I think that that feels like the next logical step to me. I’ve been really blessed to have success with this series. And this last year, they made a Thanksgiving Day balloon out of Greg Heffley, which was a huge milestone and a lot of fun.

I would just love to create something that’s really in lockstep with the series. What’s really great about the movies is that the human actors bring a lot of humanity to the characters and you feel and care for them in a way that you don’t for the drawings in the books. But, I’d really like to do something to complement the movie effort and to make something that feels very organic to the printed page.

Your Wimpy Kid fan can visit http://www.CartoonNetwork.com/wimpy to access key movie artwork, famous hand-drawn illustrations from the book series, a behind-the-scenes video from the new movie, interactive elements, “Greg and Rowley’s Secret Webpage,” Rodrick’s band’s webpage, the “Löded Diper’s Webspace”.

And, tune in to Cartoon Network TONIGHT (Thursday, March 24) for MORE exclusive behind-the-scenes content, a musical look at Löded Diper and other Rodrick Rules excitement.

Check out the Wimpy Kid Movie Facebook page at  http://www.facebook.com/wimpykidmovie.

 

WimpyKid PrizePack2Enter to win an awesome Wimpy Kid prize pack!

One (1) winner will receive:

one Zoo Wee Mama Card Game

one Cheese Touch Board Game

a Wimpy Kid Action Figure Set

200-pc puzzle

Diary of a Wimpy Kid UNO

For a combined Prize Pack value of $79!

1.) To enter, leave me a comment about your best 7th grade angst memory. I will have to call upon my 6th grade vomit-in-gym class fiasco.

2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.

Already a subscriber? Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.

Not yet a subscriber? Subscribe to Mom Most Traveled by Email (Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)

3.) Twitter about this giveaway (include a link to this post, #wimpykid2, @WimpyKidMovie and @MomMostTraveled) and comment here with your Twitter name. (once daily)

This giveaway is open to US residents only. Contest will close on April 4, 2011, midnight EST

Giveaways open to US Mailing Addresses Only.

Giveaway courtesy of 20th Century Fox

3D Sneaky Puzzle from Patch Products


Patch Products

Through BSM Media, I was sent a 3D floor puzzle for review! It is a 3D Sneaky Puzzle with a “Singin’ Sea Creatures” theme.

Jojo has always had a knack for puzzles and model kits, but the 3D effect adds a neat twist.

The 46-piece puzzle is designed for children aged 3 and older.

First, you put the puzzle together, and then you get to put on the included yellow plastic 3D glasses that make the sea creatures pop out at ya!

Jojo of course tried to pet them.

Why is this puzzle “sneaky”? That is because within the picture is hidden all 26 letters of the alphabet AND numerals 0 to 9. So after you put together the puzzle, you get an I-Spy kind of challenge!

 

3D glasses from Patch Products

touching the 3D image

3D Sneaky PUzzles retail for $14.99 and come in two other designs: Midnight Safari and Lightning Bugs All Around.

Learn more about Patch Products through theirFacebook Page, or follow @PatchProducts on Twitter!

 

MEGA Bloks Domino Build Game

IMG_0459[1]As a member of Team Mom, I got the chance to try out a Mega Bloks Domino Build Game with my kids.

The game is designed to teach children ages 3 to 6 about colors, matching, and numbers. The basic premise of Mega Bloks Domino Build Game is like regular picture dominoes, except when you make a match, you get to add a Mega Blok to complete your animal. The first person to complete their Mega Bloks animal is the winner!

IMG_0458[1]Jojo is 6 years old. The game was easy to play, but there was a little confusion between Nana and I about how the dominos could be played.

Can you add a domino at both ends of the strip? Or can you only play in one direction? See? We needed a referee.

Mega Bloks Domino Build Game is a quick and relatively easy game, so you don’t have to be worried about being stuck in endless rounds, like in some children’s games *ahem CHUTES AND LADDERS*!

Mega Bloks is all about fun and families! Visit http://familyclub.megabloks.com and get on board!

Thanks Mega Bloks and Team Mom for this review opportunity!

Pop the Pig and Tomb of Doom

Tomb of Doom game We got two games by Goliath Games with fun names. Wow, rhyming sentence!

Pop the Pig is a game in which you feed a pig plastic burgers. With each burger you push down on the top of his head a number of times, which makes his stomach inflate.

When the stomach reaches capacity, his belt pops open and his arms flip up. If you are the one who made him "pop", you lose. Haha! YOU LOSE!

You have to pump the head pretty firmly, and the stomach does inflate noticeably. It’s not like "WhoA is THiS room GettIng sMalleR??", but you can perceive it.

Both of my kids, ages 3 and 6, really like Pop the Pig

Here is Jojo’s review:

For the adventure-loving child in your life, there is the mildly frightening Tomb of Doom!

Only one of the eight magical keys unlocks the treasure chest.

The rest of the "wrong" keys make Mr. Creepy rattle menacingly.

Roll the die and complete challenges to get the chance to open the chest!

We like Tomb of Doom because it is kind of Indiana Jones-ish!

Thanks, Goliath Games, for these fun samples!

Tony Hawk: Shred for Wii, XBox 360, and Playstation

TonyHawkShredWii Tony Hawk: Shred lets you go skating and snowboarding like the pros with much less possibility of concussion, thanks to an  innovative board controller.

To help get you in the skater mood, Tony Hawk: Shred has a soundtrack of over 60 songs from artists like A Day To Remember, Jimmy Eat World, Switchfoot, Vampire Weekend, The Soft Pack, Sleigh Bells, Surfer Blood and Foxy Shazam.  (Check the entire soundtrack list at www.shredgame.com)

tony hawk shred home The Tony Hawk: Shred experience is created for a younger audience than previous teen-targeted games. Shred features larger-than-life gameplay and the motion-sensing board controller that forces players to get off the sofa and move that body!

There are no buttons and stuff; to play the game, you just get on the little board controller thingy and go for it. There are different “modes”, like Trick, Point Rush, and Challenge.

You can do jumps and grinds and all kinds of skateboardy and snowboardy tricks.

Tony Hawk: Shred is rated “E” (Everyone – content that may be suitable for ages six and older) by the ESRB.

Loaded Questions Hilarity

Need a game to play at family gatherings during the holidays?

Think about the Loaded Questions selection of games.

It sounds simple: players try to correctly match which player wrote which answer to more than 1,000 hilarious, thought-provoking questions that spark creative discussion. 

However, when I play Loaded Questions with my friends we are actually so competitive that we try to write fictional answers to SOUND LIKE ANOTHER PLAYER IN THE GAME.

So. Um. We lie. To win.

For example, one question was something about “When was the last time you got hurt” (not a direct quote). There was a guy present who had broken his collar bone. So I wrote “I broke my collar bone by falling off of a motorcycle.”

Everyone thought my answer was his! Bwahaha! I so win!

loaded questions on the go With questions like “If you could have anyone as your personal servant, who would it be?,” “What is one thing you refuse to share?,” and “What is your greatest hidden talent?,” you could learn a lot about your friends and family. Or you could lie! (wink wink)

Loaded Questions on the Go Travel Game is a smaller version of the original game for you to take with you on the road. Loaded Questions on the Go Travel Game is more entertaining than singing your way through "99 Bottles of Beer on The Wall".

Just keep your hands on the wheel!

My favorite adaptation of Loaded Questions is the Loaded Questions: Parenting 101 version.

I don’t know a any parent who doesn’t have some small measure of insecurity about the decisions that have to be made each day raising children.

Loaded Questions: Parenting 101 lets you think about hypotheticals and laugh, with questions like ”What would you not want your child to bring to show and tell?” and “What is the worst way to tell your child that Santa Claus is not real?”

To answer that second question, I would like to offer my friend’s dad’s childhood memory of coming down stairs to find a Christmas stocking full of manure. His parents said, "Santa brought a pony but you slept too long and it ran away. All that is left is this stocking full of $@*%."

Nominate that couple for parent of the year!

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loaded questions juniorFor the kids, there is Loaded Questions: Junior with interesting but non-threatening questions such as “If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?” and “What class do you wish they offered at school?”

The original LOADED QUESTIONS retails for $24.99. 

LOADED QUESTIONS ON THE GO, LOADED QUESTIONSPARENTING 101, and LOADED QUESTIONS JUNIOR each retail for $11.99.  All games are available at www.loadedquestions.com and Amazon.

Visit the Loaded Questions Facebook Page and Loaded Questions YouTube Channel!

GeoPalz Gets Kids Walking!

Snapshot_20101202_2 Jojo has a new GeoPalz Activity Tracker, a decorative 2-D pedometer and online game that tracks his physical activity throughout the day.

The GeoPalz pedometer clips onto his pocket. He has the “Marcus” design, but it comes in other styles, such as “Sports,” “Rock,” “Fantasy" and "Cutesy."
GeoPalzWith GeoPalz, for every mile you log counts as one pedpoint when you register your GeoPalz online.

You can redeem points points for real activity-focused prizes, such as basketballs, jump ropes and frisbees.

When I explained the concept to Jojo, he went outside and promptly walked 560 steps in our drive way, then ran inside for me to log it in.
GeoPalz keeps parents connected and involved with their children’s activity by sending weekly updates to show progress, alerting them of awards they have won and notifying them when their child has won a free prize.

Visit the GeoPalz at www.geopalz.com, Like GeoPalz on Facebook, and follow @GeoPalz on twitter!

Likewise! and Last Word

The holidays are coming up, and holidays often mean awkward gatherings of extended family that you only see a few days a year. On holidays, in fact.

So after you discuss the usual uncomfortable questions (No we aren’t going to have another baby right now…Yes I’m still a vegetarian, thanks for the bacon wrapped sausages gift box…) what are you going to do to get through the rest of the visit?

Make take the edge off with some SUPER AWESOME GAMES?

LikeWise Likewise is a funny, award-winning party game for 3-8 players ages 14 and older.

In Likewise, players try to match answers from random combinations of description and subject cards.

Players write their answers on dry-erase paddies IN SECRET.

When all are done, all players flip paddles over to reveal their answers.

The most matched answers win the round and score.

In my opinion, there are two ways to play Likewise: you can answer the questions sincerely, or you can purposefully answer the way you think another player will answer. You know. Put the odds in your favor.

Either way it is hilarious.

I like that Likewise uses dry erase paddles for the answers instead of wasteful and difficult-to-replace notepads or something. Two thumbs up for eco-friendliness!

lastWordLast Word is another creative, potentially-raucous party game where you strive to advance to the Finish by creatively connecting Subjects and Letters, while racing a Random-Interval Timer and the other Players.

So you don’t know how much time you might have, but you are given a Subject, like "Vegetables", “Cartoon Characters”, “Breeds of Dogs”, and a Letter: "C", for example

Players yell out… Carrots,Cucumbers, Corn, Cauliflower…whoever says the last thing before the buzzer is the one that gets to advance. SCORE!

The game set up consists of Playing Boards, 230 Subject Cards, 56 Letter Cards, eight Colored Pawns, eight Trade-In Pieces, Electronic Random Timer, and Game Instructions.

Last Word is intended for 2 to 8 Players, recommended for ages 18 and older.

Panic Tower

CIMG2257

We were sent a fun new game from Goliath Games called Panic Tower.

The game board consists of a 3×3 grid of colored squares.

Players draw a card and place either a small, medium, or large wooden block on the square indicated on the card.

If the tower falls, the offending player takes a penalty card.

Three penalty cards, and yer out!

The last player standing is the winner.

CIMG2259

Panic Tower is designed for ages 6 and older, and my almost-six-year-old Jojo really got into it!

After a while he was kind of playing Panic Tower solitaire because he got tired of waiting on me to do my turns.

This is a great, no-tech game for kids that need to be unplugged and use their minds!

Look for more great games for kids and grown-ups at http://www.goliathgames.us

I received a sample of Panic Tower to facilitate this review. Woohoo!

Gazillion Bubbles Giveaway

bubblemachine The Gazillion Bubble Machine has motorized rotating bubble wands that blow 4,000 bubbles per minute!

This thing is totally exciting; we have used it for an outdoor birthday party and it is a magnet for kids and grown-ups alike. The motor is quiet enough to not be disruptive.

The award-winning Gazillion Bubble Machine comes with an 8 oz. bottle of top secret Gazillion Bubble solution, and requires 6 AA batteries, not included.

flyer

Bubbles are fun on their own, but imagine the winning pairing of BUBBLES and a TOY PLANE.

Did your head explode yet? Check out the Gazillion Bubble Flyer.

Put the plane on the docking station, pump it up and pull the trigger.

When the plane glides away, it leaves a trail of bubbles. Woohoo!

May I advise that you have one per child? And make your husband share. You know how it goes.

rocket The Gazillion Bubble Rocket is another option for airborne bubble conveyance.

This is a stomp-launch rocket with a twist: the rocket leaves a bubble trail!

Cool, huh? No batteries required, just pure, classic awesome.

 

Visit http://www.funrise.com/photocontest/ to find out how you can enter The Ultimate Gazillion Bubbles Photo Contest.

home_advert 

Also, right here on MomMostTraveled.com, you can enter to win an INCREDIBLE Gazillion Bubbles Prize Pack, containing a Gazillion Bubble Rocket, a Gazillion Bubble Flyer, an Incredibubble Bubble Wand, Gazillion Bubble Machine, and a Gazillion Solution 2oz Bubble Fun Pack to share with your friends!

Prize pack and review items were provided by http://funrise.com

1.) To enter to win, visit http://funrise.com/ and comment with the name of another cool toy in the Fun Rise family.

One winner will be chosen at random.

2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.

Already a subscriber? Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.

Want to subscribe? Just click here:  Subscribe to Mom Most Traveled by Email (Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)

3.) Twitter about this giveaway (include a link to this post, @GazillionBubble and @MomMostTraveled ) and comment here with your Twitter name. (once daily)

4.) Blog about this giveaway, including a link to this post. Leave me a comment with the link so I can check your post!

This giveaway is open to those with a US mailing address.

This contest will close on April 23, 2010 midnight CST.