Even as a child, I always loved Family Game Night.  Spending time with my family was always a treat (and it didn’t hurt if I won a game or two).  Now, I love carrying on that tradition with my own girls and am always thrilled when a find a new game to share.

Remember the game from the 80′s, Simon?  I am probably showing my age here, but Simon was always the game of choice at grade school slumber parties!  Simon has now jumped into the 21st century with the new Simon Flash from Hasbro.  About the game:

“The lights, sounds and hands-on action of Hasbro’s new Simon Flash will have players on the edge of their seat as they slide, swap, shuffle and touch hand-held game pieces in a fresh and frenzied take on this classic 80s game. The iconic Simon game is transformed from its traditional round, console design into four sleek, freestanding electronic game tiles. Players will be mesmerized as they frantically try to follow the growing sequence of flashing colored lights in an attempt to keep up in this challenge of memory and logic.”

If you remember, Simon used to be one piece with four flashing lights.  The main difference now is that Simon Flash consists of 4 individual pieces each with it’s own light able to change to four different colors.  Keeping with the theme of fours, you can now play four different games with Simon Flash and it even comes with a case to keep the blocks together. The most amazing feature of Simon Flash is that the blocks have the capability of “talking” to each other which opens a whole new world of gaming possibilities.

I played Simon Flash with my 6 year old daughter and had a great time introducing her to the concept of Classic Simon.  After she got the hang of it (which was crazy quick especially since the game is technically for kids over age 8), we ventured to the other three games.  Her favorite is Simon Shuffle where the blocks flash a color pattern quickly and then switch to a new color within a few seconds.  You have to remember the original pattern and rearrange the blocks to match.

Honestly, I was amazed at how well my 6 year old daughter did with Simon Flash.  I anticipated that she would get frustrated quickly, but I was completely wrong.  In fact, she did so well, that I tried the game with my 3 year old.  I found that while she had much more trouble remembering patterns, it was a great teaching tool for color recognition and memory.  I feel that she will get better over time!

Simon Flash can be found at major retailers for $29.99, but I found it on Amazon for $22.99. Best part?  It comes with batteries!

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive Hasbro’s Simon Flash!

How to enter:

1. Tell me why you want to win Simon Flash!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @FamilyGameNight on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook and Family Game Night on Facebook.

5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 23rd. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy.  Others may have a differing opinion of the product.  While a sample was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% mine.

I have such fond memories of playing with my Easy Bake Oven as a child.  Jennifer and I would bake some tasty treat just about every weekend.  But I also remember what torture it was as an impatient 8 year old to let a light bulb bake a cupcake!  So, I was so happy to hear that the new Easy Bake Ultimate Oven no longer utilizes a light bulb for baking!

I couldn’t wait to share the Easy Bake Ultimate Oven with my daughters.  It is so fun to share an activity with your kids that you loved as a child, too!  After opening the box, we first noticed it’s sleek (and pink) design.  It looks like a real microwave oven! Inside the box, we found a baking pan, cupcake pan, pan pusher, chocolate chip cookie mix, red velvet cake mix, pink frosting mix, rainbow sugar crystals package, paper cupcake wraps, and an instruction booklet.  We were ready to begin!

My daughters chose to make the red velvet cupcakes.  After preheating the oven for 20 minutes, we simply added the mix to a bowl with some water and stirred until consistant.  My oldest daughter filled the greased cupcake pan with batter and pushed it right into the baking chamber (which is definitely bigger than previous models).

While we baked the cupcakes for 10 minutes, my youngest daughter prepared the pink icing in a seperate bowl.  After cooling the cupcakes for about 5 minutes, we iced the cupcakes and were ready to enjoy our special treat!  YUM!

Like I mentioned, I owned an Easy Bake Oven in the mid 80′s and we also purchased an earlier model for my daughters last year.  That being said, I love the improvements in the new Easy Bake Ultimate Oven including:

• No light bulb necessary!  Last year, we were dissappointed that the light bulb did not come with the oven, so we had to go shopping before playing.
• The storage drawer is a great idea!  Underneath the oven, there is a drawer to store pans and unused mixes. LOVE!
• An On/Off switch!  After plugging the unit into an outlet, you have to actually turn it on.  I think this will eliminate many accidents.

The Easy Bake Ultimate Ovencan be purchased at Amazon.com for only $34.97!  My daughters both loved it and I think it would make a great holiday gift!

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive their very own Easy Bake Ultimate Oven!

How to Enter:

1. Tell me what you bake in your Easy Bake Ultimate Oven!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Limited to 10 a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook.

5. Place my blog button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 9th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy.  Others may have a differing opinion of the product.  While a sample was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% honest.

On Wednesday, September 28th, Hasbro encouraged families to unplug and spend any evening of togetherness around their favorite board games.  While September has come to a close, we choose to implement Family Game Night every Friday night in my home.

Both of daughters are huge fans of board games and puzzles.  But because they are 3 and 6 years old, it can be a challenge to find a game that they both enjoy.  Very few games can accommodate a child who reads and one who doesn’t…..except Scrabble Alphabet Scoop!

We were sent this Hasbro game to try during one of our own Family Game Nights and instantly fell in love!  Traditional Scrabble tiles are piled into a plastic pot (with included lid, four spoons and even two flies) setting the scene for a great game.  Each player picks a card which contains several words…some easy and some hard.  The players announce which word they will attempt to spell and all at once, the players dive in the “soup” with their spoons and try to be the first to spell the word.  Once the word is spelled, close the lid and be the first to shout “YUMMY!” to win the round.

While my youngest can’t read, she does have letter recognition and was able to successfully find the letter and match a word.  This was great because she was able to play this game “all by herself” which is VERY important to a three year old!  My husband and I always chose to spell the longer, more difficult words in order to even the playing field.

Scrabble Alphabet Sscoop is now one of our favorite family games!  I would definitely recommend it for your holiday list!  Don’t miss any of the action by following Family Game Night on Twitter and Scrabble on Facebook.

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy.  Others may have a differing opinion of the product.  While a sample was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% mine.

I can tell it’s almost holiday season (actually only 99 days till Christmas! eek!) because almost every commercial on television is for the latest toy or game.  Both of my daughters are busy making a list for Santa which is getting quite long already.  My oldest daughter is all about dolls and dress-up, but my youngest is in love with Elmo!

Fortunately, Playskool is coming out with some exciting new Elmo themed toys just in time for the holiday season which are sure to be on every little ones list.  “Let’s Rock! Elmo” is the centerpiece of this new line and sure to excite your toddler.  About the toy:

“It’s music time! Rock out with the new LET’S ROCK ELMO! Dressed in a concert style
tee, Elmo takes the stage singing and making music- and preschoolers can too! Elmo
comes with his very own microphone and two instruments – a tambourine and a drum
set. Preschoolers can choose which instrument Elmo plays, and he magically recognizes which one you give him. Kids can also play along on Elmo’s instruments- they’re perfectly sized for little hands! For even more rockin’ fun, Elmo also interacts with other LET’S ROCK instruments (each sold separately); he knows when you’re playing the LET’S ROCK Guitar, Keyboard or Microphone and plays along with you! The LET’S ROCK ELMO toy sings six rockin’ songs, so grab an instrument and join Elmo’s band!”

Let’s Rock! Elmo entertained my daughter all evening, but Elmo’s attributes are hard to describe.  So, we decided to make a video to demonstrate!  Check it out:

Cute, right?  The accessory featured in the video was the “Let’s Rock! Microphone” and was really impressive.  Elmo knew when my daughter played with the microphone and sang along with her.  She shrieked when Elmo actually danced along to the words of the song, too!  The other “Let’s Rock! accessories interact with Elmo as well including the Guitar and Keyboard.

The “Let’s Rock! Elmo” product line officially hits store shelves nationwide on September 20th.  Elmo retails for $69.99 at major retailers and HasbroToyShop.com, but I found it on Amazon.com for just $58.88.

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive the “Let’s Rock! Elmo”

How to Enter:

1. Tell me which “Let’s Rock! Elmo” accessory your child would love!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and Hasbro (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Limited to 10 a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Playskool on Facebook.

5. Place my blog button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on October 3rd. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy. Others may have a differing opinion of the product. While a sample product was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% honest.

Congrats to this round of winners!  You will all receive an email shortly.  Please see my Winner’s Policy for instructions and guidelines!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Bordens:  Valancia

Voskos:  Jackie

Hasbro Card Games: Tiffany

Step Stool:  Kara P.

SnuggStuff:  Chris T.

Constructive Playthings Interactive Map:  Debbie S.

Infiniti by Conair:  Nikki D.

Little Looster: Audra

First Impressions: Sara

Good Earth:  Donna B.

My Baby Clothes Boutique: Tara V.

Green Party Goods: A Kruse

Patriotic Pillow Pet:  Jana

Please claim your prize within 72 hours of receiving the email.  Prizes will be foreited after the deadline.

With the lighter schedule this summer thanks to no homework or sports practices, we have made it a point to try and work in some good quality time in the evenings after dinner.  Recently, we got the chance to check out three new card games from Hasbro. The kids were all fired up to try out Yahtzee Hands Down, 1000 Mile Bornes, and Sorry! Revenge.  We’ve had a lot of rain in the evenings lately so this week was perfect to shut off the TV and play.  The games were easy to set up, simple to learn, and fast enough paced to hold the kids’ interest, and ours too.  Both children agreed Sorry! was their favorite.  What I liked the most about having a family game night is that it got both kids talking to us, which is something that doesn’t happen when they are parked in front of the T.V.   I also like how playing games with your children helps facilitate taking turns, fair play, and good sportsmanship.  It’s always nice to see lessons you teach in practice!

Em contemplates her next move!

You can share your favorite Family Game Night moments on their Facebook Page and see what others have to say about these great games.  For only $6.99, you can stock up and have lots of options for your family to enjoy.  Since the card games are easy to tote, I plan on packing them for our next vacation.  You can also mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 29 to participate in National Family Game Night! On this date, Hasbro will be encouraging families nationwide to turn off the T.V. and have some family fun.   I am sure all of you have some games at home that haven’t had regular use…..it’s time to dig them out and remember how much fun Family Game night can be with Hasbro Games!

GIVEAWAY

Are you ready for some quality family time?  Hasbro has generously donated one set of card games including Sorry! Revenge, Yahtzee Hands Down and 1000 Miles Bornes to one lucky reader!

How to enter:

1. Visit Hasbro Family Game Night and tell me which game you would love to play with your family!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and Hasbro (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Family Game Night on Facebook.

5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.

6. Subscribe to my Feed.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on August 13th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

Party poker

This product review is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy. Others may have a different experience. A product was provided to facilitate this review, but all opinions remain 100% mine.

Lots of giveaways have ended recently, so it’s time to hand out the prizes! Congrats to the following winners:

Aunt Jemima Pancakes: Amber G.

Disposer Care:  Kathy S.

Hasbro Game Night:  Nad

Fresh Organics:  Clarissa N.

Sandra Magsamen Ceramic Plaque:  Clarissa N.

Weil Baby Newborn Gift Set:  Kim

Sweet Dreams Maternity Gift Card:  Laura D.

Beaute de Maman products:  Janna J., Charlene K., Rosa

Safety 1st:  Patti H.

Alpha Sherpa Backpack:  Susan

Copper Gifts Cookie Set:  Samantha

Bake Me a Wish Cake: Jillian

Warm Biscuit Treat Bag: Sylvia

Frito Lay Tailgating:  Ali

Bed Bouquet:  Chris and Heather C.

FoldTuk:  Joanne P.

Thanks to everyone for participating and visiting these awesome sponsors!  If you are a winner, you will be emailed shortly.  Please claim your prize within 72 hours of the email, or prize will be forfeited.

Habro’s first ever National Family Game Night, which will be held on Wednesday, September 23rd, will be an excellent way to spend quality time with my family while having lots of fun with Hasbro games (and maybe some snacks, too!).

Spongebob Squarepants Connect 4, Monopoly and Pictureka board games, my kitchen table, some popcorn, and my precious family.  About National Family Game Night:

“Hasbro is challenging Americans to take a pause from hectic schedules and set aside one night to play games, reconnect, and have “unplugged” fun together.  Be sure to mark your calendar for Wednesday, September 23, so you can be a part of the first-ever National Family Game Night!  The concept is really quite simple–stay home, gather friends and family, play games and let the laughter begin!  Add even more fun to the evening by trying some of Hasbro’s newest games including Monopoly City, Connect 4×4, Pictrueka Flipper or The Game of Things!”

I could not wait to share these new games with Lily, my 4 year old daughter!  Our lives are always on the go, so a quiet family night at home sounded incredible.  When the games arrived, Lily chose to play Spongebob Connect 4.  It was very easy to assemble and Lily got the hang of the game pretty quickly.  Soon, she became the boss and told the opponent (Daddy) exactly where to place his chips so she could win.  LOL!  Note to self:  work on gracious loser concept with Lily.  We had an absolute blast playing together and lan to make Family Game Night a regular occurrence in my home.

Family Game Night was a huge hit in my home.  I highly encourage you all to set a date (even if you can’t do it on September 23rd) and organize a game night with your family or even your neighbors.  If you would like some tips on how to set up your own family Game Night, check out the official website!

Hasbro wants you to join in the fun of National Family Game Night and has generously offered one Not-So-Blog reader Spongebob Squarepants Connect 4, Pictureka, and Monopoly!

How to enter:

1. Visit Hasbro’s National Family Game Night and tell me another game your family would LOVE!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog.

2. Follow me on Twitter (@BridgetteLA) and Family game Night (@familygamenight) and  Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook.

5. Favorite me in Technorati!

6.  Sign up for Hasbro’s email updates to be the first to learn about new products!

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on October 14th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This review is the opinion of The Experimental Mommy. Other may have a different experience with the product. Thank you to Hasbro for supplying the games for review.

PlayDoh Burger Factory will be a great toy for Lily that will not only be fun, but facilitate pretend play.  It will also provide an activity where I can spend some quality time with my daughter.

One Play Doh Burger Builder, some newspaper, my 4 year old daughter and a lot of fun!  About Play Doh:

“The PLAY-DOH brand is proud to celebrate over 50 years of colorful, creative play. Since it was first introduced in 1956, PLAY-DOH modeling compound has become a classic and beloved toy, used in homes and schools around the world by children of all ages. “

One of the supplies on Lily’s Pre-K Back to School List was Play Doh.  The moment I read that, I knew she would LOVE Pre-K because she absolutely LOVES playing and creating with the Play Doh sets she has at home.  Recently, we had the opportunity to try out the Play Doh Burger Builder and Lily was more than happy to be the guinea pig.  The set came with 5 mini Play Doh cans in colors condusive to Burger building.  The tool comes with molds that will create a bun, hamburger patty, lettuce, ketchup,  and pickles by simply pressing down on the tool.  Another lever lets you create french fries and a spinning tool lets you create your own chips!  Lily sat an played with this for a whole HOUR which in 4 year old time is like a WEEK! LOL!  I love that the Play Doh tools allow her to develop her creativity and imagination.  We would definitely recommend this product to other families!

Did you know that September 16th is National Play-Doh Day?!?  Why not celebrate by letting your child create something fun with Play Doh?  Check out the Play-Doh site to see all the latest sets including Magic Swirl Ice Cream Shoppe (this one is already on Lily’s Christmas Wish List!).

Would your child like to build some Play-Doh Burgers?  Hasbro has generously offered one lucky Not-S0-Blog reader their own Play-Doh Burger Builder set!!

How to enter:

1. Visit Play-Doh and tell me one other set your child would love to own!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog.

2. Follow me on Twitter (@BridgetteLA) and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook.

5. Favorite me in Technorati!

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on September 15th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This review is the opinion of The Experimental Mommy.  Other may have a different experience with the product.  Thank you to Play-Doh for supplying the kit for review.