S'mores Card Game Review

     I have been doing more camping the last few years than I ever did growing up.  I love camping.  The lakes, the fires, the cooking... the only thing unfavorable as far as I am concerned is the bugs.  Three of the four girls got a tent this year for their birthdays and we can't wait to use them next year.  Besides fishing and swimming, I think the girls enjoy the food most.  We have roasted hot dogs, Keilbasa, and toasted marshmallows.  And of course we have S'mores.  Camping isn't complete without S'mores.  Heck, a bonfire or fire pit isn't even complete without them.

     Now you can enjoy S'mores inside during the off season.  Well, the S'mores Card Game at least.  In this game, you take turns drawing and discarding either from the deck or from another player until you have all the ingredients to form a S'more sandwich.  You need 2 graham crackers, a marshmallow, and a piece of chocolate bar, perfect fire or wimpy roasting stick are optional, but can help you win.  The ingredients come in several different qualities, from broken or dirt covered to perfectly toasted, each having different point values.  The more points you get, the more chance YOUR S'more will be the best.
     I was a bit sad that the girls didn't stay captivated longer.  I think if it wasn't a race to get the S'more done first, but rather a game where the value of your S'more was what chose the winner (which only applies in this game if there is a tie), then they would be more likely to stay tuned in longer.  But while we are playing it, they do have lots of fun and we usually play at least two times.  They like to make each other fan their cards and rarely choose the deck option when looking for new ingredients.  I bet they would appreciate a good tournament, where we play multiple hands and the person to reach "X" amount of points first wins.  We would score using the point values on each card.

     The cards are Jumbo sized and fully colored.  They are made from soy-based ink on recycled paper, which I think is fantastic.  There are ingredients cards, bonus cards, action cards, and filler cards.  The ingredients are obviously the crackers, mallows and chocolate.  The bonus cards are things like perfect roasting sticks or the perfect fire, things to get you those extra points.  Action cards are things like rain in your fire or marshmallows falling into the fire, they are cards that make you lose points.  Filler cards do nothing but add to the scene, they are things like sleeping bag or tent.

     The S'mores card game sells for $5.99 at EducatonOutdoors.net.  You can find all kinds of outdoor themed games on the site.  You can find games like Snipe Hunt, Mysterious Creatures, and Camp among others.  They are the perfect addition to any camping trip or backyard family night.

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

MailPix Wooden Keepsake Box Giveaway!

     I LOVE taking photos.  I love family photos and photo albums, I love photo keepsakes and anything to do with photos, especially photos of my kids.  We don't do as many photo shoots as we used to now that my camera lens is out of commission, but we do still try to get in some shots now and again.  Our latest shoot being for the start of the school year:

     In a week or so I will be doing a couple reviews for a company called MailPix.  They have so much awesome stuff and so many great deals going on right now that it's ridiculous.  I got a lot of great stuff and I will be sure to split it into more than one review :)  But we really wanted to make sure that this giveaway prize got to you before Christmas, which means it has to be ordered by the 12th, so this is going to be a flash giveaway!  We will be keeping this giveaway open for just over 5 days, giving a couple days to make sure to give you time to get your winning code and to order.  We are going to promote the tarnation out of it, so enter daily!

     This is the item MailPix is offering for one of my lucky readers, a wooden photo tile keepsake box.  PERFECT gift for a new mom or grandmother to keep little trinkets in (baby teeth or hospital bracelets perhaps?)  The process is the same as usual, we love our Rafflecopter.  But entries are a little different than usual, this is a Twitter/Pinterest based giveaway, so all entries will be using those two sites.  Have fun and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Holy Carp, What a month!

     These past few weeks have been insane.  Three of us have been to the emergency room just today.  I've been to the doctors twice this week as well.  One visit went fairly normal, one barely went at all due to the pregnancy and how far along I am.  This month I have had at least SIX infections, all of which I can contribute directly or indirectly to the kids.  We've had shots, we've had field trips and we have had missing animals... we are ready for a month of slow-paced reviewing and good old fashioned fun.  So tomorrow I will be posting no less than four reviews, hopefully a giveaway, and even a deal or two if I get around to it :)  Also this week look for my very first video review!  You are going to love the item I am reviewing... promise.
     Also, stay tuned later tonight for a giveaway.  It will only last a little under a week so that we can make sure you can get it by Christmas, so make sure you come back to check it out!
     In the mean time, enjoy this deal:

 

$5 off a 3, 6, or 12 month subscription to Kiwi Crate

 

Snomee Review

     One of the gifts that are sure to be on most people's get lists are gift cards.  Why?  Because most everyone has one or two people on their list who they have NO clue what to get them.  It could be that somewhat estranged relative you only see once or twice a year or that uncle who never opens up and just kinda hangs out in the corner all night or that really eccentric cousin who you aren't sure of their tastes.  I know I have at least one gift card to hand out this year.  Mine is actually going to someone who I have LOTS of ideas for, one of them just happens to be free coffees :)

     So I needed somewhere to put that^^^ that was cooler than the envelope it came in.  When I came across Snomees while surfing the blogosphere, I thought how cute it would be to use one of those to put the gift card in.  I mean, who doesn't love a cute little snow globe?  And I don't mean just cutesy as in not boring and fancy, I mean CUTE.  It would have been terribly hard to choose between them all had it been a gift for that estranged relative being that they are all so awesome.  But being a coffee lover, it was much easier.  Behold, the cutest cup of coffee ever:

     Look at that bear and his sugar cubes!  Even coffee haters have to love him.  And Santa is helping him add sugar to the coffee from the little sugar cube bowl :)  Here is another view:

     I just think it's the cutest little Christmas scene ever.
     Now, there were several things that impressed me with this product.  First of all, I was really happy to see that it was very carefully packaged so as not to be damaged during transit.  It had a bubble sleeve all the way around it to keep it nice and safe and protected:

     The sleeve popped right open on one end so that there was no fuss involved in retrieving it.  Then I was very surprised with it's size.  I was expecting a smaller and more "cheap" type globe.  The quality and size were very nice to see:

      I also liked the variety they have on the site.  They have gift card holders for almost every interest.  Here are some for reading, gaming/multimedia, and handymen.  They had a bunch more too, ones for eating out or enjoying music, sports, fashion, and mail buddies for those long distance recipients.  And just in case you don't know what they like, they have a generic one too.  You can buy them right from their website or from Amazon as well.

     The only thing I was even the slightest bit let down on was that the gift card didn't really snap in, so unless your recipient is very careful, it may fall out during opening.  I really don't think that would be a problem unless they were opening the globe while sticking their hands out of a moving vehicle or in the middle of some other equally foolish activity or possibly in a wheelchair, but just a thought in case your recipient is very easily annoyed.  That one tiny con certainly doesn't outweigh the insane cuteness of these globes though, that's for sure!

     The globe also has a spot for you to write a note to the recipient, maybe telling how much the card is valued or how you hope they enjoy it, etc.  I thought that was a nice touch:

     Not sure you want to get a gift card?  Check out Snomee's list of reasons why you might decide to.  In the mean time, it's no harm in checking out the cuteness that is Snomee (who can be found on Twitter and Facebook by the way).  Right now you can snag 5 of these for $25!  The offer is very limited and is a promotion from Cyber Monday, so you have to hurry to get in on it.  All you do is choose your favorite 5 Snomees snow globes and type CYBERMON at checkout in the promo code section.  Best of all, free shipping with this deal!
     Thank you Snomee for the awesome gift card holder to complete the present!  Now let's just hope she doesn't see this and get a head's up on it all :p

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

That Way Hat Review

     Brrrr, it is COLD here in the Northeast.  I dunno how it is in the rest of the country, but man!  We got quite the cold snap the last few days.  It's so cold that I had to pull the van up onto the lawn just so we wouldn't have to walk so far to the front door!  It usually does get pretty cold here in the winter months, so I expect it to get even colder soon.

     I could really use some nice hats to cover my head when I am outside.  But most of what I find in the stores are just baseball caps and stocking caps (is that what they are called?)  We have plenty of those.  The baseball caps are not warm and the stocking caps make me feel like a hoodlum, though usually I am reduced to having to wear them because I have no other real option.

     Thatwayhat.com wants to give us options.  They have hats that I have never come across in the stores.  They have unique hats.  Unique WINTER hats.  They also have hats not for winter, but right now, I am kinda thinking winter is the way to go.  That Way Hats has stylish hats that are both fun and functional.  Take that wool news boy hat up there for example.  It is DEFINITELY my style and it looks darn warm, don't you think?

     However, this time of year, I almost never get things for myself ;)  So when I saw that That Way Hat had an amazing array of vintage style hats, I immediately thought of my sister.  She can pull off the flapper look for sure.  So I looked through some of the style and just to be safe, I brought her in on it.  She ended up choosing my favorite of the lot so I really didn't need her input after all.  She chose the Taupe Wool Hat with Felt Bow.  Being made of wool, it is bound to keep her head warm. But it isn't scratchy at all, in fact it was very soft to the touch.  And light!  I was very surprised at how airy feeling the hat was, I figured it would be much heavier and thick.  I think it's awesome that a winter hat can be something you almost forget is on your head.

     The color is just as the site shows, a light tannish grey color, almost like khaki.    It's 22 inches and comes in four other colors including purple and pink.  Personally, my favorite color was the black.  One of my other favorite hats from the site is this horseshoe hat also from their winter collection.
     You know what I love most about That Way Hat though?  I love that they aren't just some big hat making company selling all their own stuff reaping all the profit.  Actually, they encourage individuals to sell their own designs through their site, even offering a Hat Maker's Directory with links to the designer's own sites!  I think that's awesome.  It's nice to see business helping business.

     Of course, they also do have hats made especially for them and for their wholesale only sister site.  Many of the hats on the site are for things like Kentucky Derby or weddings, etc.  Many are very fashion forward and then some are very understated and just plain beautiful.  I definitely recommend checking out That Way Hat to see what they offer.  You might find just the hat you were looking for :)

What is your personal favorite style hat?

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Power Capes Review and Giveaway!

     My girls love to get into the fresh clean blankets.  Every SINGLE time I get some caught up and folded, they are unfolded and all over the place within the hour.  Frustrating?  Why yes, it is.  It's practically infuriating actually.  Why would kids do that, you ask?  Well my kids do like to cover up and NOT share, that's for sure.  But half the time they are just tying those baby blankets and throws around their shoulders and saving the world.  They love to be super heroes.
     They use towels too, but mostly small blankets.  Being little girls, they have tons of leotards and princess dresses and the like, but I didn't even really think to get them capes and masks or anything hero related.  I don't know why it never occurred to me.

     Luckily there is Power Capes, an online store dedicated to turning your child into a super hero, or I guess villain if you are into that sort of thing.  Personally, my kids like saving ;)
     Power Capes has everything you need, capes, masks, cuffs, and t-shirts.  They have the whole package.  The cool part is that it is completely customizable.  you choose the size, the fabric, the emblem, and the letter (if you even want those things).  The customization process was really easy, very consumer friendly.

     I chose to get a custom superhero cape for my most dedicated hero, Streaker.  The customization widget first asked me what size I wanted, I chose Sidekick.  Then I chose the color fuchsia.  Next it wanted to know what emblem and emblem color I would like.  I figured generic was best, so I went with a shield emblem, then chose bubblegum to match the fuchsia.  Lastly it asked me for an initial and color choice, so I chose "P" in a sparkle fuchsia.  After clicking the order button and waiting a minimal time, it arrived.
     This is what it looked like right out of the envelope:

     I wasn't expecting the multicolor threading, that was a nice surprise.  Though, I did see this message some time later: "*Stitching color may vary".  I loved that it came very neatly packaged in a tight little rectangle.  It wasn't let loose to crinkle all up, it was very neatly placed.  It came with a coupon towards another purchase, which was also appreciated.

     I was also pleasantly surprised by the material.  It is very shiny and beautiful, silky and I bet it looks awesome flowing behind a superhero as the run off to save someone.  Their superhero capes come in a bunch of colors and varieties.  There are even over 3,000 pre-made capes just waiting for someone to snatch them out and they could be sent out today with no wait!  Look at all the "P" Initial Capes waiting for some other streaker.

      Then of course, there are the cuffs,just pick a size and color, super easy!  And the masks, same thing, size and color and you are done.  It makes it easy to get matching cuffs and masks for your cape.  The t-shirt is another of the completely customizable products, you can match it exactly to the kids capes.   In all they have 11 cape colors, 29 emblem colors and 8 emblem designs, so you can have fun experimenting until you get just the colors and design you are looking for.
     Power capes would make an excellent gift for any hero on your list.  You won't be disappointed if you decide to try them out.  But maybe you want to try them out for free?  Why not try to win our giveaway?  Power Capes is offering up one Sidekick sized cape to one of my readers, maybe even in time for Christmas!  I will make this end a smidge early just to be safe ;)  you know the drill, contest ends in a week and a half, good luck and be sure to tell them Just10More sent you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Glass With a Twist Review

     I kinda seem to be on a personalized kick.  I warned you though, I get that way at Christmas tome, so you all had warning.  I hope you all like personalized things as well as me.  There is just something about personalized that seems so much more sincere and heartfelt.  The cool thing about personalization is that you don't need to know the person inside and out to be able to personalize something with just a name.  Yet when the person gets a gift with their name on it, it just holds more sentimentality.

     I have scoured the web for personalized gift ideas and have seen lots of great notions and some really not so great.  When I came across Glass With a Twist, I was actually looking for a place that I could get some personalized beer mugs for that beer enthusiast brother of mine I mentioned in an earlier post.  But having already covered him, I changed my mind.  I thought I would cover someone else on my list.  I figured I would chop my husband's grandmother off the list since she collects cups.
     Glass With A Twist was generous enough to help me out with that goal.  They offered to let me customize a set of pint glasses and check them out for myself.  I was so excited!  I was hoping to get the chance to test out their upload feature where you can upload personal designs to be etched onto the glass so I set to work creating designs to put on the glasses just in case.  This is what I came up with:

     That poor hummingbird has been transformed from it's original state so that it's nowhere near as colorful, but it was necessary for the process.  All photos/art have to be black and white with no shaded areas.  But you know what?  As ugly as it is compared to the original piece of art it was, it sure made for a gorgeous glass!  Glass With A Twist was more than happy to let me use my personal designs as part of the review process and look what came of it:

     That is gorgeous etching right there.  I was slightly worried because they were designs I had created through images that I photoshopped.  I was scared that maybe the etching would be jagged or not sharp.  But look at that beautiful glassware!  I sure hope the recipients appreciate the detailing as much as I do.

     Glass With A Twist offers many kinds of glasses.  It offers pretty much any kind of typical alcoholic drink vessel you would need, from martini to shot glass, and from beer mug to hurricane glasses.  You can even order custom coffee mugs.  You can order one glass for a one of a kind gift or you can order bulk glassware for weddings or businesses.

     I love most that there is no minimum order.  If I want one glass, I get one glass, not a dozen (or in most 'minimum order required sites', 100).  The site offers replacements for any errors made on their part, though you wouldn't be expected to find one, and they offer gift wrapping as well.  Glass With A Twist is for sure a nice place to check out for any drink lover or glass collector on your list this year.  I recommend them whole-heartedly.

     


Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Upcoming Review, Don't Miss It!

     Just 10 More Minutes? is fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to test out an item from Educational Toys Planet.  They have some amazing things on their site.  Come back soon to see what we tried and what we thought of it :)

What item would you most want to have?

Title: “12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: 40 Giveaway Event!”

Welcome to the “12 Days of Christmas Giveaways 2012”!
“12 Days of Christmas Giveaways 2012” is hosted by A Spicy Boy, A Cat, and My Fat Ass, and co-hosted with Megomania and Swanksavings. This is the third year that this event is running, and with each passing year it just gets bigger and bigger! This is a fun holiday event with over 40 giveaways, new ones added daily via A Spicy Boy, A Cat, and My Fat Ass.

This event runs from December 1st to the 20th. All giveaways get listed between the 1st to the 12th, so there's fun giveaways every day being launched. The greater value items and gift certificates get listed closer to the end of the 12 days, with each day getting better. Sounds like fun doesn't it? A nice spin off of the famous 12 Day's of Christmas book.