Nacho Pile #nachopile #nachopilegame #asmodeeusa #familygame #kidsgame #targetfinds #target #Tryazon

A complimentary copy of Nacho Pile was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

We love to host game nights and play games as a family. Looking back on our game nights, the group certainly has evolved. When the pictures come up in my memories, it makes me sad sometimes because we don't get to spend as much time with some of the people that we used to. Now, change is natural and we have people that join us now that didn't join in the past and our kids are now part of the evening (vs when we used to schedule to start after bedtime) and their friends/dates join us for game play too.

About Nacho Pile:

From the creator of Happy Salmon and other hit party games, Nacho Pile is a fast-paced, high-energy game that will have chips flying back and forth as players compete for full plates and stomachs. In the game, players must push their luck to pile their nacho plates high, but also cleverly snatch matching chips from other players. Don't get too risky or you will lose them all! Keep an eye out for special chips that really ramp up the heat with spicy effects. Best for ages 7+ and playtimes is 20 minutes

When I received the invite to check out Nacho Pile, the game sounded perfect for a quick family game or a filler as different tables were wrapping up longer games on a group game night. It sounds like there is a bit of luck and strategy involved, which always makes for a good balance. I like that it is playable by 2 - 6 people and that it works for most ages. Plus, it is a very portable game, making it perfect to toss into the bag when we head to friends.

When the game arrived, the first thing that I noticed was the packaging. The packaging looks just like a bag of chips, in fact my son initially set it on the table and moved over some snack bags we had of other chips so that it would 'blend' in. The bag that the game comes in doubles as the grab bag for the chips during game play. The plates serve as your game board for chips that you have collected. The chips are slightly arched, making them easy to pick up from the table and also support them a little when stacking.

The game play is fairly straight-forward and the directions were easy to follow. On your first turn, you start by grabbing chips one at a time from the bag and put them next to your plate. You decide when to stop but if you draw a duplicate, you bust and all of the chips go back to the bag. When you stop, you may gather any chips sitting next to another player's plate of the same values that you have. Then, on subsequent rounds, any chips that are next to your plate at the start of the turn, you can put on your plate.

There are chips with numbers 1-7 on them. There are also some Wild Chips and some Spicy Chips to mix up the game play. The Wild Chips you declare the value on when you draw and drawing another of that value before you stop counts as a match and you bust. The Spicy Chips are Steal, Score and Remove. The Spicy Chips can cause a bust if you draw a second of the same type of chip before you stop. All of the Spicy Chips result in action after you stop drawing. Steal lets you take a chip from someone else's plate and put it on your plate. Score let's you move chips of one value (the one you drew and the ones you stole) onto your plate before your turn ends. Remove allows you to remove one chip from another player's plate and return it to the grab bag. The game ends when there is only one chip in the bag. The score is based on who has the most of a given value chip (wilds can be reassigned to any value before scoring starts) earning a point a chip, or two for the number matching the last chip. The winner is the one with the most points.

Game play observations
- In the beginning, people are either very risky and overdraw or they are risk averse and stop after drawing a couple of chips. With time, we found that people wound up in the middle and those that were paying attention had a feel for the risk of grabbing the same chip (there are 6 of each number, 6 Wild chips and 6 Spicy chips) and that the 'sweet spot' for risk shifts as the game progresses with fewer chips remaining in the grab bag.
- The first few rounds were slow, as people got the hang of things, the game moved quicker. It really was easy to learn and I think it took a while to speed up as people figured out their strategies.
- The name is fun. There were 'nacho' jokes a plenty.

Overall, everyone found the game enjoyable but generally agreed that after a few games, it was time to move on to another game. Game time was a good amount for a quick after dinner game.

Want to check out Nacho Pile? You can learn more about the game and purchase a copy on the company website asmodee. You can also find the game at Target, Walmart and Amazon.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. A complimentary copy of Nacho Pile was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could play the game and inivte my friends to check it out too.

Bestway Airbeds #Tryazon #BestwayToSleepThisSummer #BestwaySummerOfSleep #BestwayUS #BestwayUSA #InflateYourFun #YourSleepIsOurBusiness

A complimentary Bestway Airbed was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

We have always lived a few hours from friends and family, meaning that it is not uncommon for us to have overnight company. We have plenty of floor space for them but that's not always the most comfortable sleeping arrangement. So, when we had the chance to check out the Bestway Airbeds for free through a Tryazon party, I jumped at the chance.

When we received the bed, of course I wasted no time in opening the box and checking it out. One of the first things that I noticed was the soft top material on the mattress - it is listed as a "soft, flocked material that creates a comortable, luxurious sleeping surface for a peaceful night's rest". Depending on who is sleeping on the bed, we will still likely use sheets or sleeping bags but it is a nice surface and makes it easier to put sheets on the mattress.

The mattress that we got was queen size and is rated for up to 661 lbs. I like that there is a slightly elevated section that can serve as a built-in pillow. I imagine that most guests will use a separate pillow but it makes it easier to prop your head up in the bed to read or watch TV before settling in for the night.

The built in air pump made it easy to inflate the bed. I like that there is a built in storage section to tuck away the cords when not needed, keeps them from laying on the floor or being in the way. The cords are a decent length but I did have to rotate the bed to plug it in. It is also nice that you can use the pump to deflate the bed, or you can also manually deflate by opening the valve and letting the air out, but that is much slower.

The mattress uses what they call an I-Beam Construction. According to the box:

The Tritech Fortified Beams are made of an enhanced 3-layer material reinforced to provide durability and support. It provides stretch resistance and ensures that the airbed keeps its shape no matter how many times it is inflated and deflated. The material has been stress tested against the weight, strain and movement of a good night's sleep.

What I found is that unlike some other air mattresses that we have used before, with this one each person seems to be isolated and you don't feel every move of the other person (I think of that mattress commercial with the wine glass where it doesn't spill when the person moves about). This is important when it comes to a good nights sleep. I haven't inflated/deflated a ton of times yet but so far, it does seem that it holds its shape and provides great support.

The storage bag for the mattress is a nice added touch. It is simple but having the bag with handles to transport, store and travel is helpful. You do have to make sure that it is fully deflated and fold it as recommended to make it fit in the bag. Again, this is where the built-in pump is helpful too - you only need to remember to grab the bag and don't have to worry about whether you have everything.

Originally, we were expecting to get the mattress earlier in the season, which would have been great for some planned visitors and trips. There was a delay in the timing for receiving the mattress and hosting the Tryazon event, so we didn't get the chance to use the mattress for an overnight event or share with a larger group at one time, as hoped. Instead, we inflated and deflated to share and demonstrate the comfort with some smaller groups over the timespan that we had. The guests agreed that it was comfortable during trial and that it would likely be great for sleeping on. Of course, the good news is that we now have it for future visits too.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. A complimentary Bestway Airbed was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could experience the product and inivte my friends to check it out too.

Game Night - featuring Telestrations and Blank Slate #theOPgames #telestrations #blankslate #boardgames #Tryazon

Complimentary copies of Telestrations and Blank Slate games were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

At my house, we have enjoyed playing many of the OP games that we have come across. So, when Tryazon sent me an invite to apply for a Game Night featuring two of our favorite games, I was excited to apply and hoped to get the chance to participate and share the games with more friends. This game night party kit came with two games: Telestrations and Blank Slate. We have been playing Telestrations for several years, ever since one of our friends recommendimg we check it out at a game night and we have been playing Blank Slate for a few years, since getting it one Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, it always feels a bit like Christmas to me when the party pack arrives. I enjoy unboxing it and seeing what all we got in the party pack.
The initial reveal:

After unpacking:

Once we had the games, all that remained was having friends over and introducing them to two of our favorite games.

Telestrations

Description: The outrageously fun party game Telestrations will keep your family and friends entertained and laughing! Draw what you see then guess what you saw for hilarious and unpredictable outcomes.

Casual, family, party and strategy gamers alike all agree that Telestrations is one of the top 10 board games to add to their game collection, and game night. It’s an engaging game that can be played over and over with many different ages and types of groups and gatherings – it’s the perfect group game for game night!

The award-winning game Telestrations will keep your family and friends entertained and laughing! Draw what you see then guess what you saw for hilarious and unpredictable outcomes. Over 1,700 words, 8 erasable sketch books, 8 dry erase markers, and 8 clean-up cloths. Perfect for families, small parties, and friends new and old. A great ice breaker! No Drawing Skills Required. Stick figures & sense of humor welcome! Ages 12+. For 4-8 players. Play time: 10-15 minutes per round.

Telestrations combines classic drawing games with the age old game of Telephone. This is one game where laughter ensues with each reveal of the sequence from original clue through a few iterations of drawings and guesses. Sometimes we have clues that make it through 'intact' but most of the time there is a definite evolution to the guesses and drawings. As with the classic Telephone game, the miscommunication of guessing the drawing leads to some wild departures from the original clue. We love how it can be played by any age group. Our kids can play with their friends, we can play with our friends, and we can also all play together. We have found that with an all adult group there are a few more adult themed guesses and drawings (even though everyone knows the initial clues are not adult themed since we don't have the 'after dark' version of the game). The original version is intended for 8 players but they also offer a 6 player and 12 player version of the game. The difference is the number of iterations that your original clues go through before returning to you - the more iterations the broader the departure. There is also an 80s and 90s expansion pack (featuring decades-inspired words and phrases that will have you sketching out the tunes, fads, and fashion from the end of the 20th century) available for more clues. We don't own this one but would be a great game for us to play with our friends (I assume that the kids might not get all of the clues, having not lived through those years). Since we already had a copy of the original game, we shared this gift with a friend so that they could enjoy the fun with their family and friends.

Blank Slate

Description: TPick one of over 250 Word Cue cards (with 500 total cues), write the word you think best completes the phrase - and try to match it exactly to another player's word without giving a single hint.

If you're looking out for something new to introduce to the family, then the Blank Slate Board Game is your best bet. This fun game comes with 8 slates, markers and 250 double-sided cue cards. The objective is to complete phrases with any word, but you score points for matching your word with any one other player. The rules are simple to understand and each match lasts only up to 30 minutes, so you know this game is going to be the new favorite with the family.

Game night is always a hit with Blank Slate - just ask Ryan Seacrest or Bobby Bones! Blank Slate game is featured on AT40 with Ryan Seacrest and The Bobby Bones Show - fans love it!

Blank Slate is a fun game. There is a certain strategy to try to match one and only one other answer. You need a word to fill in the blank that is obvious but not too obvious. I will say that it does help if you have connections with the people you are playing with, as those common experiences are often the source of the best answers. This game is great for all ages and you don't need to have any specific knowledge to play (everyone knows words and phrases). The game plays quickly, allowing you to play multiple rounds in a few hours (and crowning your winner based on best of 5 or 7). Since we already had a copy of Blank Slate, I shared the new one with some party guests.



What are some of your favorite games for family game night? or game night with friends? Have you played Telestrations or Blank Slate before? What did you think?

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. Complimentary copies of the games were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share my experience with friends and through my blog, with enough to share some with my friends too.

Game Night - featuring Venn and Hues and Cues #theOPgames #VENN #HuesAndCues #BringTheFun #Tryazon

Complimentary copies of Venn and Hues and Cues games were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

As I have shared before, Game Night has always been a favorite activity at our house. We have been fortunate to have many friends and family members that enjoy not only hanging out but also playing games. Our friends have introduced us to many games and we have introduced them to many games. There always seems to be a new game to play but we still try to make time for favorites. As with any good gathering, we enjoy an assortment of snacks and always have a good time. We compete and we laugh and we genuinely enjoy the time together. When we started hosting, we had little kids and would often start around bedtime so that the kids would be sleeping through most of the time but now that they are teenagers, they often times will join in for the games too, whether with us or at their own game table with their friends.

We have enjoyed playing many of the OP games that we have come across, so when I see that there is a new game out, I am always intersted to learn more. So, when Tryazon sent me a message inviting me to apply for the Venn Game Night, I was excited to check it out. The party kit came with two games, Venn and Hues and Cues. Venn was new to us but we have owned Hues and Cues for a while now.

Venn

Description: Introducing VENN, a clever game where clues and art overlap! Race to find three secret words based on where a Clue Giver arranges unique Art Cards onto color circles. Set a timer or outguess the others to find the similarities, come to the right conclusions, and win! Go head-to-head as teams or work together through cooperative gameplay in this hands-on communication game that mixes friendly competition and fun.

Venn is an interesting game that requires creative thinking, a skill that sometimes I think we don't always get the chance to develop. It can be played competitively or cooperatively. I like this because I find that the cooperative play is an easier way to learn the game and a great way to play as a family, especially with younger kids. The concept of finding art work that applies to one, two or three of the words on your card is a fun way to get your teammates to guess the words. It did take a little while to figure out some people's thought process but with time, being able to guess became a little easier.

Hues and Cues

Description: Test your color knowledge and guessing abilities with Hues and Cues – a vibrant group party game of colorful communication where players are challenged to make connections to colors with words. Using only one and two-word cues, players try to get others to guess a specific hue from the 480 colors squares on the unique game board . The player with the most points after several rounds wins the game!

Hues and Cues is a fun game. It is helpful if you are familiar with context for your clue giver's clues. As an example, when the color card has a shade of blue and the clue giver says Cinderella for their word. If you don't know that Cinderella wears a blue dress or aren't familiar with which princess is which, then you might be guessing a shade of pink or yellow. We also discussed that for those that are color blind, it would also be quite a challenge. They can often differentiate shades but certainly aren't going to be as succesful with the nuances of the colors on the board. Since we already had a copy, I shared the new one with my brother and his family.

You can find more information on The Op or purchase your own copy of the games HERE.

What are some of your favorite games for family game night? or game night with friends? Have you played Venn or Hues and Cues before? What did you think?

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. Complimentary copies of the games were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share my experience with friends and through my blog, with enough to share some with my friends too.

Game Night - featuring Five Crowns and Farkle #playmonsterfun #tryazon

Complimentary copies of Farkle and Five Crowns games were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog.

Game Night has always been a favorite activity at our house. We have been fortunate to have many friends and family members that enjoy not only hanging out but also playing games. We always have way too much to eat and always have a good time. We compete and we laugh and we genuinely enjoy the time together. Some nights, we play card games, some nights we play board games, some nights we visit so long that we never get to the games. When the kids were little, we would put them to bed just before game night or shortly after it started. Now that they are older, we invite everyone's kids and we set up multiple game tables, one in the basement and one upstairs, so that everyone can get in on the fun. Durning the past couple of years, those types of nights slowed down but so glad to be back in the swing of things again.

Recently, we had the chance to share Five Crowns and Farkle from PlayMonster with our friends, as a participant in the Tryazon party. Both are games that we had played before but not with our friends.

Five Crowns is a rummy-style card game that featuring 5 suits and rotating wild cards. The box says that you can play with 1-7 players, ages 8 and up (it says 99 but I bet you could play if you were 100). I've not played the solitaire version but always love a game that you can play on your own. The game is easy to learn and with an estimated game time of 45 minutes, is easy to fit in a quick game almost anytime.

Farkle is a dice game that can be played with 2 or more players, ages 8 and up (although, you could actually play by yourself - maybe challenge yourself to reach the target in the fewest turns). Another game that is easy to learn and quick to play at an average game time of 30 minutes. It is also easy to take on the go and play almost anywhere. We have a pocket version that has a scoring pad that you could tuck in your purse or glove box and a small tube that holds the dice (about the size of a 35 mm film cannister for those of you old enough to remember).

Both games are family-friendly and can be enjoyed by young and old alike. The ability to play with only a few people, how easy it is to learn the games and the ability to play a full game in a short-time, makes them appealing game options. We have foudn that card and dice games have always been favorites to play with grandparents when they visit us.

You can learn more about PlayMonster and order your own copies of the games at PlayMoster.com. I recieved a coupon code to share with my guests but I also see that if you join their mailing list, you can get 25% off your first order.

What are some of your favorite games? Have you played Five Crowns or Farkle before?

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. Complimentary copies of the games were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share my experience with friends and through my blog, with enough to share some with my friends too.

The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady by Sharon J Mondragon

A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

I am always surprised by the seeming connectedness that happens in life. I recently read the book The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady, that chronicles several weeks of the Heavenly Hugs Prayer Shawl Ministry's experiences, as they are forced to move their weekly meetings into the real world while the chapel where they normally meet is being painted. Each week they meet to pray and knit prayer shawls for those that need them. In spite of the the time that they have been meeting as a group, there are things about themselves that they haven't shared. Through this experience, they come to be known as Radical Knitters, meet several people, and in connecting with these new people they wind up learning more about themselves and each other.

Earlier this month, my daughter had her Confirmation, which had been delayed due to a combination of change in our Bishop and the pandemic. One of the gifts that she received was a lap blanket from the church's prayer shawl ministry. I honestly don't know that I knew there was a prayer shawl ministry at our church and of course, saw a post about the group in the bulletin too. It just seemed so interesting to me that as I was reading about the experiences of a prayer shawl ministry that I learned about the ministry at our church and that my daughter received a gift from them.

The book was constructed of shorter chapters, making it easy to pick it up and quickly read a chapter. The settings were basic and allowed the author to focus on the character development. The characters were fun to get to know and I could see people I know in many of them. Watching them discover themselves and one another as they interacted and established connections with others in the community, was a great way to further learn about them. There were a few self-discovery scenes that were a little odd but once the story unfolded they made more sense. It was great for them to blossom through their new experience and for them to find new ways to minister in their community and see the difference that they were able to make in others' lives. Seeing the same familiar faces week after week allowed the evolution to be made visible in the story.

About the Book

A knitting group's change of scenery changes lives in unexpected ways

Margaret, Rose, Jane, and Fran had a good thing going: meet every week in the quiet of their peaceful chapel and knit prayer shawls. No muss, just ministry. That is, until their pastor boots them out of the church in his last-ditch effort to revive the dwindling congregation.

Uptight Margaret isn't having it. Knitting prayer shawls where people can watch is the most ridiculous idea she's ever heard of, and she's heard plenty. Prayer belongs in the church, not out among the heathen masses. How are they supposed to knit holiness into these shawls if they're constantly distracted by the public? But with no choice, the others embrace the challenge. They pack their knitting bags and drag Margaret--grumbling the whole way--to the mall with them. She can't wait to prove them all wrong when it fails miserably, and show the pastor that she always knows best.

Without the familiar mold the group has been stuck in, their own losses, pain, and struggles rise to the surface. And the people and situations they encounter every time they try to sit quietly and knit are taking them a lot further out of their comfort zone than they ever imagined. Can they find the courage to tackle the increasing number of knotty issues they learn about in the community--or will the tangle be too much to unravel?

Sharon J. Mondragon's debut is warm and delightful, full of real laughter, grief, and personality. It beautifully illustrates the power of women across generations to reach people for Christ

About the Author

Sharon J. Mondragon is not just a nice lady who knits. She’s the author of award-winning fiction that takes you to the place where courage and kindness meet.

Like some of the characters in The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady, she was once content to live well within her comfort zone. At the age of 19, however, she realized that she would not have much to show for such a life. She accepted the challenge and recklessly prayed for adventure.

The ensuing years as an Army spouse and the mother of five wildly individual children were filled with both thrilling and devastating moments, undergirded by the faithful hand of the God who inspired the prayer.

The Army years are over, but the adventure continues in Midlothian, Texas where Sharon lives with her husband, her laptop, and her yarn stash.

Learn more at sharonjmondragon.com.

A Book Giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Giveaways are not hosted by A Busy Mom of Two but are part of the book tour, please see giveaway for official rules and guidelines. No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

Wine Glass Toppers - Appetizer Plates and Coasters

Complimentary wine glass toppers/appetizer plates/coasters were provided by Blissful Drinks By the Best of Life so that I could try them and share my expierence.

Summer is here! One of my favorite things in summer is meeting up with friends and hanging out. Often times, this means meeting at one of the local wineries and enjoying their decks and scenic overlooks. There is something so therapeutic about the simple activity of catching up and laughing together over the happenings in our lives. This inspired me to have my husband put together a design to use for the custom printing option for the Wine Glass Toppers | Appetizer Plates | Coasters that are available over at Blissful Drinks.

From the site:

Our custom made wooden wine glass topper appetizer plates nestle onto the rim of a standard wine glass to hold your appetizers and keep your hands free while mingling. It’s a mini plate for the top of your wine glass that becomes a coaster when you are done! Perfect for mingling and sharing your love of wine with others!

Our engraved wine glass toppers are a fun drink marker, too! Mix and match designs and use them when entertaining so everyone knows which wine belongs to them. Simply use these fun wine glass topper appetizer plates to cover your wine, enjoy small appetizers, and then use it as a coaster for your drink when you are done snacking.

An added perk?

They keep the bees and bugs out of your wine when sipping outside and are a well loved hostess gift! Wine glass toppers fit a wine glass rim of 2.75 inches or smaller and are 4 inches in diameter on top.

Our wine toppers are designed and handmade just for you by our family.

The bamboo that they are made from makes the glass toppers easy to care for. I simply handwashed them and dried them off. Each of the coasters is handmade and on a unique grain pattern, leading to slightly different imprint on each coaster, making each one slightly unique and individual (just like me and my friends - alike but unique). They stack nicely in the cabinet, making them easy to store and to keep at the ready for your next gathering. The 4" size for the top of the plate is perfect for holding a couple of small snacks while you visit with your friends and family. The slight lip on the bottom of the coaster helps keep it from sliding off your glass (which a small plastic plate will do - trust me, I have spilt a snack or two when the plate fell off my glass).

I knew when I found them that they would be perfect for the gatherings with my friends at the winery. I first took them when I met up with my friends at a winery overlooking a field and creek. We were seated, so it was less about having a free hand to snack while holding my wine, and more about topping the wine glass to protect it from bugs while we were busy chatting. My friends loved them and appreciated that I had brought them to share.

The next event I took them to was a small gathering of amazing women that I had worked with. This group of women were all former employees - whether by retirement or role elimination - but all amazing and inspiring women. I am honored to be included in the group and love the visiting and storytelling that we share about quarterly (unfortunately, covid disrupted this a bit but we are now back on schedule). I brought a coaster to share with one very special woman and since we were inside, we used them as coasters to help identify our glasses when we we sat them down and to hold our snacks while we were standing in small groups and visiting. Again, they served their purpose well at this event.

I really love this product and with 22 available designs and the ability to order a custom design, you can find one to match yours and your friends' personalities. And, since you can buy them individually you can create a unique set and use them to help identify glasses at your next gathering. Be sure to head over to their site to order your own Wine Glass Toppers and check out their other offereings, including customized trays and charcuterie boards, wine bottle coasters and more.

I liked the design on mine so much I made a shirt to match (it's on TeePublic - e-mail me for the link)

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. Complimentary wine glass toppers/appetizer plates/coasters were provided by Blissful Drinks By the Best of Life for my friends and I to try, so that I could share my experience.

Observations from StayAtHome

As I woke up this morning, I was reflecting on this time we have had at home over the past five weeks. It's only officially been four weeks since we learned of the true StayAtHome order (and still a few days short of it being four weeks its been in effect) but it was five weeks ago that things started to close. First to close for us was the schools, then restaurants for dine-in, then gyms, then non-essential businesses and so on.

On one hand, I feel isolated with no where to go and miss time spent with people (outside of those that I live with). I miss going to the kids' sports and school events. I enjoy watching them do the things that they love and the chance to connect with friends that I only see at those events (who has time in their schedule to see them otherwise). I miss being able to go to the gym and visit with people as I walk on the track or swim in the pool or take a class with friends. Sure, I am getting out and walking each day but even though I am getting in my activity and decompressing in the process just like I would at the Y, it is not the same as it lacks that social element. (Actually, I am pretty proud that I have found the opportunity every day for the past 35 days to get out for at least a 30 minute walk. Considering the rain and snow, I had to make an effort to find the right time to get out.) I miss getting together with friends for hanging out or game night, I miss going out for dinner or trivia, I miss having plans.

I know that the kids are also feeling it too, although I would say it feels like it is impacting my son more than my daughter. He has reached the point of bored where he went for a 7 mile bike ride last weekend. No destination, just a ride. Yesterday, it was snowing and he wanted to get outside for a bit. He wasn't sure what to do but settled on getting in some swings of the bat, hitting the ball off the tee into the net. This actually surprises me a bit because I would have always said my daughter is more social than my son - I think though now that I reflect on it, he has always been very dedicated to sports and spends a lot of time on a sports field and even when he hangs with friends there is usually some type of sport involved. It isn't that he isn't social, its just that he does more group social activity than one on one. My daughter is all about spending time with friends and although she does a lot of that through sports too, her and her friends can spend hours just spending time together.

I don't even get my normal weekly get away to the store (one constant that I can always count on regardless of the schedule is getting to the store to buy food), as I am almost exclusively shopping online for curbside pick up of my groceries. As I have shared, I am an in person shopper - in part to connect with others and in part because I like to explore and consider my choices - so this shopping online is not natural for me. I also find it is not easy to explore products online - you can't exactly walk down the aisle and see all your options. I have found that some stores do more abbreviating in their names making searching challenging even. I am very appreciative of those stores that have apps and I can scan barcodes of the products I have at home, then I don't have to figure out how to locate the item online. I am still rotating through stores based on what time slots I can get. Normally, I am going out about every 10 days for groceries and every other day it seems to Target for a pick up of odds and ends. This next week is an odd one as I have two grocery pick ups scheduled. The one store has a sale on 2L of soda and the other has the beer that my husband enjoys and we are out of. I haven't yet filled out my orders but anticipate that the first one will be a really light order, since I just picked up groceries last week and have been buying for two weeks at a time. I will likely make the second one be my next 'regular' pick up and fill it out with milk, bread and eggs.

On the other hand though, having no plans, no place to be has been kind of nice. There is a certain leisure to being able to get up in the morning and take care of a few chores and then to simply sit down with a coffee and a book or movie or my puzzle. It is nice to be able to have time to bake each week - I have used the same bread recipe each week but it is a little different each week (better in my opinion).

It is nice to be able to find time for a 30 minute walk each day - without having to try to squeeze it in between things or before it gets too dark. In fact, everyone is finding time to get out and be active - whether going for a walk, a run, a bike ride or simply playing in the yard. It is nice to sit down as a family each day and enjoy our meals at a normal time (we usually eat together, it just is squeezed in or after all our things) and to spend our evenings hanging out watching Jeopardy!, a TV series or a movie. Everyone has developed a new routine. We are staying up later and sleeping in. We are keeping our meals mixed up to avoid boredom and still finding a chance each week to do pick up from a local restaurant (and occasionally from Chik-fil-A because who can resist those sandwiches).

This time home has certainly made me appreciate time at home. Normally, it's only on that random Saturday where games got called due to rain that we legitimately have a completely unplanned day. I like unplanned...in doses. I suppose right now, as we all have our new routines, that it feels a little less unplanned but certainly is unrushed. The kids have flexibility on when to do their schoolwork most of the time, the exceptions being when there is a class online or a quiz that has to be done in a certain timeframe. Most of their work has a weekly rather than a daily due date.

We learned this week that the governor hopes to begin to open things up on May 1. There is officially a light at the end of the tunnel. Sure, the opening will be gradual and will not be 'full' but it is a move in the direction of returning to normal. I am hopeful that all of us will remember this time and will find ways to keep some unplanned/unrushed time in our schedules and will appreciate the little things that we had taken for granted.

How are things in your part of the world?

Wewalka Baking Party and Review #Tryazon #wewalkaparty

As a participant in the Tryazon Wewalka Party, I received an Wewalka party pack which included a coupons to try the product at the party and to share with my guests. All opinions expressed are my own.

Pizza is a staple at our house. We have it on a variety of crusts. We do open face quesadilla pizzas on tortillas, we use leftover buns and bagels to make pizzas, we use bread dough, dough mixes and homemade dough. We top them with all sorts of toppings - simple to complex, sweet and savory. We enjoy it at any meal and as a snack too. So, when I got the opportunity to try Wewalka European Bakery Style Dough, I was excited.

The party pack included an apron and an oven mitt for me and some insulated bags, magnetic shopping lists, Wewalka pens and measuring spoons and coupons for product to share with guests. (not all pictured)

I spent a couple of evenings studying the website and finding inspiration and recipes to try at our party. I wound printing out a recipe for shrimp flatbread, a buffalo chicken calzone, a chocolate cherry cheesecake pizza, jalapeno popper puffs, bread sticks and a prosciutto pizza. I made up my grocery list and headed off to find my ingredients and the dough. My store carried four varieties of their dough - Puff Pastry, Flatbread, Classic Pizza and Bistro Pizza. I decided to grab a couple of each to try at the party, using the recipes I found or improvising with other pizzas we enjoy.

Before the guests arrived, I started with prep work and even got a couple of the things in the oven. I wanted the guests to see and work with the product, but with basketball on in the background and plans to play poker, I knew attention would be divided and I would have to prepare to ensure we got to also try more product than we prepped during the party. Plus, you can only have so much in the oven at a time and I only have three baking stones.

I love that the dough comes on parchment paper and is refrigerated, so when you are ready to bake you can simply unroll, top and bake. The packaging is great too, as it is a flat sleeve and can easily stack on the side of my refrigerator, making them easy to access. As I opened the packaging to make the first recipe, I noticed this small valve on the inside. I assumed it had something to do with minimizing moisture build-up on the dough, but to be sure I looked it up on the website and learned that the valve is part of their packaging because they "use real, live baker’s yeast which needs to slowly release carbon dioxide, so we’ve added specialized valves to the packaging. Our yeast ensures your pastries and pizzas always rise up and bake to perfection." (I like it, great way to ensure the freshness and deliver performance of the product). Baking on the parchment paper sure made clean-up easy, which was especially good for the party, since we only had three stones and one pan that we were using.

Buffalo Pizza:
Started with a traditional pizza crust, used ranch dressing to cover the dough, added chicken that had been mixed with buffalo sauce, then added onions and shredded colby jack cheese and baked according to the package.

 Margherita Pizza:

Shrimp Flatbread:

Buffalo Chicken Calzone:

Jalepeno Popper Puffs:

Margherita and Cheese Flatbread:
Started by unrolling a flatbread and scoring it to create two halves. Added pizza sauce as a base to each side. Added fresh mozzarella slices on one side and shredded Italian cheese on the other. Baked it according to the package directions. Then, added fresh sliced tomatoes and fresh basil. Returned it to the oven for 5 minutes, then drizzled with balsamic.

The traditional margherita pizza and the half margherita/half cheese flatbread were delicious. I think that margherita pizza is one of my favorites, there is just something about the fresh tomatoes and the drizzle of balsamic that is so tasty. We wound up making a buffalo chicken pizza in addition to the calzone. The jalapeño poppers, which we left the bacon out of, were delicious, but I would make them smaller next time - everyone was cutting them in half to enjoy anyway. The shrimp flatbread was tasty, but compared to the other offerings, just wasn't as popular. Everyone loved the chocolate cheesecake pizza, it was super rich though and so we had a good amount left over (not a bad thing at all - meant we got to enjoy some the next day).

Chocolate Cheesecake Pizza:

I liked the flavor of the product, but found that based on the timing on the directions and/or on the packaging for those that we improvised, that the pizza and flat breads did not bake up as much as I prefer. I don't mind a soft crust and it works fine for a lightly topped flatbread, but it made it difficult to plate up the chocolate cheesecake pizza and the calzone was also difficult to cut and plate for sharing. I found that extending the cooking time helped it cook up a little more. Also, those items that I tucked in the oven to reheat also crisped up nice directly on the stone.

The ease of use of the Wewalka pizza and flatbread products is tremendous. As a busy mom, I could feasibly make and bake a (nearly) homemade pizza for my family in about 20 minutes including prep, which is important on those nights with games and practices that leave little time for dinner. The dough being rolled up with the parchment paper not only makes it easy to use, but makes clean-up a breeze - another time saver on a busy night.

The puff pastry feels like a very versatile product to me, one that can be used for both sweet and savory dishes and the fact that it is fresh and not frozen makes it an easy go to for dinners or dessert. I look forward to trying more of the puff pastry recipes, since we wound up only trying the jalepeno poppers at the party.

There are so many more recipes that I look forward to trying, you can peruse them yourself here. You can find a local store that carries the Wewalka line, using their store locator here.

The guests and my family all enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the Wewalka Baking Party through Tryazon.

As a participant in the Tryazon Wewalka Party, I received an Wewalka party pack which included a coupons to try the product at the party and to share with my guests. All opinions expressed are my own.

Color Me Rad 5K in Akron #Giveaway

You know, when I was a child, I can remember participating in 5K and 10K events with my parents from time to time....of course, those events were Volksmarches, not runs. As a young adult, I did my first 5K with friends in Philadelphia. I had been living in southern New Jersey and my roommate and I joined the gym. I started to include running on the treadmill as one of my regular workout activities, so when a group said that they wanted to run, I decided to give it a go. I am proud to say that I finished, but will admit that I wound up walking a good portion of it.

When I started to run again last year, some 15 years later, I set a goal for myself that I wanted to be able to run the equivalent of a 5K. It took me a long time to get to the point where I could run a continuous 5K, but I did get there. Once I did, I set a new goal, I wanted to be able to run it in under 35 minutes. I set this goal because I decided that I wanted to run a 5K with friends and didn't want to completely lag behind. I knew that 35 minutes wasn't really great, but at least I wouldn't embarrass myself. I was able to achieve my goal and even get a little bit quicker than planned.

At this point, unfortunately, I haven't yet run a 5K, but I think that Color Me Rad might be the perfect opportunity...it even feels like something that my whole family could join in on and kids 7 and under run for free (they don't get a race bib and such, but still). It sounds like so much fun...show up nice and clean and get color bombed as you race. No worries, the dye is "non-toxic, non-rash-inducing, Kroger branded, colored corn-starch." You can learn more about Color Me Rad here. Having seen not only the pictures that they shared, but the pictures from my friends from other similar experiences, it certainly seems like an absolute blast.

Best part...they are coming to Akron...close enough for me to consider making participation a reality. The Color Me Rad 5K in Akron is scheduled for Saturday, August 17th.

And, you can too. Whether in Akron (or another community) you can find an event near your city and register on their site at colormerad.com.

And, as a special bonus, as A Busy Mom of Two reader, you have the chance to win two FREE entries to the Color Me Rad event in Akron! And, since it is for two, have your friends enter and double your chances of running the race together for FREE.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway will remain open through August 6th. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only and you must be able to come to Akron to use your prize. Winners will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winners will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected. Registration with promo code must be completed by August 14th.

No compensation was received for this post. I have the opportunity to receive a complimentary race registration for myself, should I choose to run. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

Girls Night: The Musical at Akron Civic - discount code and giveaway!

Girls Night: The Musical

January 26, 2013 8:00 PM
Akron Civic Theatre
Girls Night: The Musical has been thrilling audiences and earning raves from critics throughout North America since it began touring after its sensational Off-Broadway debut. This touching and hilarious "tell-it-like-it-is" musical takes audiences on a journey into the lives of a group of female friends. Audience members can't help but laugh, cry and even sing and dance in the aisles to some the most popular hit songs of the 80s and 90s! Follow five friends as they re-live their past, celebrate their present, and look to the future on a wild and hilarious night out ... and you'll recognize a bit of yourselves in each one of them! It is described as "Desperate Housewives meets Mamma Mia" (Applause Magazine) and "As funny and outrageous as Sex & the City!" (The Advocate). Girls Night is packed with hits "Lady Marmalade," "It's Raining Men," "Man I Feel Like A Woman," "I Will Survive," "We are Family" and many more!

You can purchase your tickets through the Akron Civic site and get 20% off your tickets when you use the code PARTY.

My friends and I are looking forward to a night out. We will likely start our evening with a dinner and then head to the show.

Giveaway!
One lucky A Busy Mom of Two reader will win a 4-pack of tickets to see Girls Night: The Musical at the Akron Civic Theater on Saturday, January 26th at 8 pm.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway will remain open through January 20th. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. Winners will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winners will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. I received the tickets for the show, courtesy of Akron Civic Theater. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

Weekend Barbeque Challenge

I mentioned a few weeks back about how I love grilling out in the summer. Well, this month's Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program event was to host a Weekend Barbeque with friends. The challenge - come up with a meal plan that uses three different Hormel Food products as ingredients.

I love a challenge...especially when it involves food!

We had some friends coming over for game night, so we invited them all to come over early for dinner. I started my quest by checking out HormelFoods.com to see all of the brands that they offer. I did some exploration on their site looking for recipes that I could include, but then I also stopped by AllRecipes.com for some inspiration. I love that I can enter ingredients and categories to search. I quickly came up with ideas for the first few courses and struggled with dessert. I had made the cinnamon tortillas with fruit salsa before, but wanted something more substantial for dessert. After gaining ideas, I took creative license on a few ideas and made them my own.

We started our meal with a bit of an appetizer - Chips and Dip. I started with the Chile Ole Dip recipe on Hormel and tweaked it a bit. You can see my version of the Chili Cheese Dip recipe here. I sprinkled it with a little bit of shredded cheese at one point too. It was a huge hit - I really enjoyed it, ate way too much dip but it was very tasty.

Then, for our main meal, I made a salad and offered crumbled Hormel Microwave Ready Bacon on the side as a topping for the salad. I served it with the Poppy Seed Dressing that I normally have on Spinach Salad and Feta Cheese (so pretty much my Spinach Salad with a substitution of Romaine for Spinach).

We had Turkey Burgers on the grill, using Jennie-O Ground Turkey as our base. We are very used to making the frozen pre-made patties. We had issues with the burgers starting to fall apart when we were first cooking them. They turned out fine, but we decided next time we would grill them on a cedar plank instead of directly on the grill, in hopes that we don't have as many challenges. No real recipe here, I added an egg, some bread crumbs, some barbecue sauce and some seasoning. They seemed to form nicely in patties. They may not have been pretty, but they were tasty! (After reading some posts online about burgers falling apart, many people noted that you shouldn't turn them too frequently or pushing down with a spatula, I know my grill master was pushing down on them, so maybe that is the solution!) We also had some macaroni salad as a side dish.

Then, came dessert. I wasn't sure how to take a line up of mostly savory foods and create a desert. It felt a little like being on Chopped. I decided that using ChiChi's Tortillas would be the best route to making a dessert. In searching on AllRecipes.com I came across an assortment of "enchiladas" and "chimichangas" filled with fruit. That was all the inspiration I needed. I had some apples in my refrigerator that I needed to use up and had been wanting to try making some spiced apples, so I went the route of Apple Enchiladas. I prepared spiced apples, rolled them in tortillas, topped with the remaining sauce and baked. They were very yummy. You can see my recipe here.

After dinner, even more friends showed up and after getting the kids settled in for the night, we went downstairs and played a few games. It was a wonderful evening - good food, good friends, good times.

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine or that of my family. I am currently a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program. Each post written for this role, serves as an entry into a grand prize giveaway. Hormel provides materials and resources to assist me with my posts.

Summer Time Barbecue Fun

One of my favorite things about summer time is grilling out. There is just something about the taste of food fresh from the grill. Whether we are grilling burgers, dogs, chicken, fish, vegetables or fruit , they just taste better coming off the grill. You can even be creative and make dessert on the grill too - have you tried s'mores on the grill - yumm!

Of course, grilling out is even more fun when we have friends and family over to join us for dinner. Everyone brings a dish to share and you can experience so many different types of dishes. Some of my favorite recipes have been first experienced at a cook out.

We are fortunate that our deck is on the east side of our house, so if we plan a late afternoon barbecue we can sit on our deck in the shade of the house - which makes it more comfortable to sit outside when we grill out.

When it's hot out, we like to set up the Slip'n Slide or the sprinkler for the kids. They have a blast playing in the water.

After a cook out, we often find ourselves lingering and visiting into the night. At our last cookout, we broke out the Scrabble board and played on the deck (better than cards or games with money that can be messed up by the wind!). It was so nice to spend the day hanging out with friends and relaxing.

As a Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger, they have shared some recipes with me that you just might want to try at your next cook out. Why not start your meal with an Applewood Bacon Spinach Salad. Spinach is one of those foods I avoided as a kid but it is my favorite salad base now. Then, serve BBQ Blue Sandwiches with a side of Grilled Fruits. I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of Blue Cheese, but I tried it in a recipe one time where it melted and it really gave a nice flavor to the recipe and didn't have that strong, pungent flavor that I associate with Blue Cheese. Of course, you can always set it on the side and allow guests to use it as they please.

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are mine or that of my family. I am currently a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program. Each post written for this role, serves as an entry into a grand prize giveaway. Hormel provides materials and resources to assist me with my posts. For June, I received a welcome package to allow me and my family to experience many of the Hormel Foods products.
The welcome package:

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

I'll be honest with you, when I first read the description for Night Road, I wasn't sure as a mother, that I could read the book. I was too worried that it would be "scary". (This is only a portion of that description, but I'm sure you will see the part that worried me as a mom.)

Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way. It has always been easy-- until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss. Nothing feels safe anymore; every time her kids leave the house, she worries about them.

On a hot summer’s night her worst fears come true. One decision will change the course of their lives. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.

In part Night Road tells the story of a mother, Jude Farraday, devoted to her twin teenage children - Mia and Zach. In part, it tells the story of Lexi, who has led a difficult life as a child in foster care being bounced around with no family to call her own, who finally finds that she does have family, in the form of an Aunt she has never met, who lives in Washington. It tells how they become intertwined in each others lives through Lexi's relationship with both Mia and Zach.

In the early chapters, I was a little concerned that the story seemed to jump around. The first chapter gave us some of the back story on Lexi and then, on the Farraday family. In the second chapter, it is the first day of school Freshman year. It is here that Lexi first meets Zach in class and then, meets Mia during lunch. It gives a brief view into the start of the friendship between Mia and Lexi. Then, suddenly, in chapter three, we fast forward from Freshman year to Senior year. The book spends a few pages trying to catch the reader up with the Farraday family and then with Lexi. I was worried that skipping the three years and then trying to play catch up in a few pages would impact the development of the characters.

Turns out I was wrong. The author merely wanted us to understand where they came from and then wanted to really dive into the story she set out to share. The four main characters are wonderfully developed. There are a few ancillary characters that we get to know, but none as well as Jude, Zach, Mia and Lexi. The story is told by both Lexi and Jude, allowing the reader the unique opportunity to really get to know them and to understand each of their relationships with Zach and Mia.

I will admit that it took me a little longer to get into this book than some (probably my perception of the jumpiness didn't help), but the perseverance paid off. Once I was in, I was in deep - it took me a few days of reading to get through the first one hundred thirty-some pages, but I read the last two hundred fifty-some pages over the course of only a few hours. I found myself unwilling to put the book down. I was engrossed and entangled in their story. I found myself feeling like one with the characters, sharing in their emotions, in their highs and their lows. I sat at the kitchen table those couple of hours, not noticing how uncomfortable it was to sit in a wooden chair that long. I took breaks, only long enough to fetch more tissues and to get the kids their breakfast or start a movie. It was wonderful!

Night Road was such a moving story. To see this foursome torn apart by tragedy, was so difficult - I cried as a friend, a sibling and a mom. I cried not only at "the incident" but throughout the end of the story, as those impacted faced the consequences of the event, as they slowly recovered and learned to forget or at least forgive, as they realized how strong their love still could be and how that could help them to move on with life. I think that it shows how much impact some people that come into your life can have on the course of your life. How sometimes, those that cause you to hurt can also help you to heal.

I probably should stop talking (typing really, I guess), lest I share too much and ruin the reading experience for you. Because, I recommend this book (especially if you love a book that makes you cry - I do!) to you.

This was the first book that I read by Kristin Hannah, but based on reviews I have read for her other books, she is a story-teller and I look forward to picking up some of her other books in the future. Her website features 12 of her books (including Night Road), as well as 5 earlier titles. That should keep me busy for a while.

No compensation was received for this post. I received an Advanced Reader's Copy for the purposes of reading and sharing a review.