Games | Mommies With Style

Hits from Under the Xmas Tree: Skylanders (Wii, DS, Xbox, Playstation, PC & DS)

December 28, 2011 By Whitney 2 Comments

For my kids and apparently tons of other kids according to my Facebook friends, Skylanders Spryo’s Adventure is the game hit of the season.

If you have a game system, this one is available to you: it comes for the Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Xbox 360, Playstation or PC. Just about any kid can participate in this game.

The appeal? Little characters that are interchangeable throughout game play via a base that comes with the game. Characters have different powers that seem to enhance their abilities given the level you’re on (earth, fire, water, etc.)

It’s rated E 10+ but I’ve got my 8 and 5 year old playing with it with no issues (I’m guessing the rating is for the violence – you fight enemies in each level.)

It’s around $59.99 for a starter pack for pretty much any game system you’re choosing for. It’s a hit for sure and I definitely recommend this one for young gamers. Get Skylanders Spryo’s Adventure on Amazon with free shipping.

Filed Under: Electronics, Kids Tagged With: ds games, Games, games for kids, Nintendo 3ds, playstation, skylanders, wii, Wii. games, xbox

Giveaway & Video Review: MobiGo Handheld Game System from VTech for Ages 3-8

June 5, 2010 By Whitney 88 Comments

Editor’s Note: Don’t miss our giveaway down below in this post!

My boys loved testing the new MobiGo from VTech out for Mommies with Style. Here’s a video I took showcasing the product with my boys (mostly Nate, my oldest) navigating some of the product for you.

Wanted to clarify – I say the product is new in the video and that it just came out but I was wrong – it’s so new, it’s actually not available yet! It’s releasing for sale to the general public on July 1st.

Really neat, fun little educational game system. It utilizes touch screen technology for the kids to play games, which my boys loved as they are constantly playing on my iPhone.

It also has a pop out QWERTY keyboard for letter and number games – really cool as it’s not only teaching letters and match but it’s helping them learn where the letters are on the standard keyboard! You’ll see at the end of the video when both of my boys are rushing to hit the various keys on the keyboard.

Love the price point too – $59.99. Certainly cheaper than a DS. Most of the games are going to be priced around $19.99. Find more info about it on the VTech website.

Giveaway: I have one VTech MobiGo to giveaway to one lucky Mommies with Style winner. To enter, comment below!

Filed Under: Electronics, Family Travel, Games, Giveaways, Toys Tagged With: Games, handheld game system, VTech

Nintendo DSi: Gaming (and much more) on the go

March 22, 2010 By debbie 1 Comment

Another product we brought along on our trip last month was a Nintendo DSi system. My daughter couldn’t have been more thrilled about receiving it. She actually might have been more excited about getting it than going on the actual trip!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with a Nintendo DSi, it is a portable gaming system that kids love! The Nintendo DSi system comes with nine different built-in software applications: Nintendo DSi + Internet, Nintendo DSi Shop, DS Download Play, System Settings, Nintendo DSi Browser, PictoChat, Nintendo DSi Camera, Nintendo DSi Sound and Flipnote Studio.

The coolest feature of the DSi is that the unit is able to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots for Internet browsing and online gaming. While we were away, we frequented coffee shops that had Wi-Fi and my daughter was able to quickly download a new game. The DSi does have parental controls available so that you can limit access to certain content. Additionally, the DSi’s digital camera makes it ideal for capturing anything you want. My daughter is really into taking pictures of anything and everything, so she really loves this feature. There are actually two cameras – one inside for showing the player in an online gaming environment and the other on the outside for taking more traditional pictures. The outside camera is 3.0 megapixels and the quality is pretty good.

As far as the gaming on the DSi goes, it should be noted that the DSi plays all Nintendo DS games. There are literally hundreds of titles from which to choose. One game we received and that my daughter loved was Style Savvy, a game that combines creativity and fashion with a collection of trendy clothes, chic accessories and stylish shoes. In the game, you’re the owner of a clothing boutique and you must purchase inventory, monitor the store’s funds and try to please your fashionista customers. Once you build up some cash from your loyal customers, it’s time to start making real business decisions: Should you expand your inventory? Should you start getting ready for seasonal changes? Utilizing the wireless capabilities of the DSi, your child can join up to three of their friends in hosting a fashion runway contest to see who has the best eye for fashion!

The DSi is on-sale this week at Target and is available in the following colors: White, Blue, Pink and Black.

Filed Under: Coupon Codes & Sales, Electronics, Games, Kids, Movies & Music, On The Go, Play Time, Toys Tagged With: camera, chat, dsgames, Games, internet, music, nintendo dsi, photographs, video games, Wi-Fi, wireless

Great games for Wordies

December 27, 2009 By julie Leave a Comment

In just 4 minutes, players of Fast4Words add letters to a grid, making words to gain points. A combination of Boggle, Scrabble, Crossword Puzzles and a little Connect Four, this its a great skill-builder that keeps you on your toes as you try to gain points creating your words.

Another “wordie” game, Keesdrow is “Word Seek” backwards. Players are truly seeking words, and you’ll find them backwards, forwards, left, right, up, down and diagonally. The board changes with each game, so players can play again and again and always be challenged to find more words.

Both games are definitely for families with older kids, who can already read and have a good understanding of words as they can be backwards, forwards, diagonal, vertical and horizontal. We’ve also played without the kids, creating a great challenge for friendly-game-night. Educationally, they incorporate spelling and reading but, moreso, they’re great thinking and focusing games, with a bit of stragety. Wordies, be sure to put these two in your carts to add them to your collection.

Both games were provided as samples from their parent companies for this review.

Filed Under: Games Tagged With: Family Game Night, Games, word games

I Can Do that Games for active kids & active imaginations

December 17, 2009 By Whitney Leave a Comment

A couple of games worth checking out as you do the last of your Christmas and holiday shopping by I Can Do That Games include:

Cat in the Hat – I Can Do That! – Someone gave this to my youngest in November when he turned 3. It’s been hugely popular in our house with my boys – so much so that I’m a little tired of playing it (cut Mommy a break here, kids!) It’s $19.99 on Amazon. Players pick up cards and have to do different tasks based on what the cards tell them. They use cool Dr. Seuss item-props to play the game. Check out the fun little 39 second video on Amazon to find out more about it. It’s currently selling for $19.99 on Amazon, with free shipping.

Dr. Seuss’ Super Stretchy ABC will be a breeze for all you Yoga Mamas, for the rest of you, be warned: prepare to get flexible! This one is definitely a game made for little bodies as this Mommy’s only too-aware of her age when she plays this game. Think of it as a younger kid’s version of Twister, with an ABC twist. Players earn chips the more they stretch. It’s currently $21.20 on Amazon.

Lastly, I received a sample of Richard Scarry’s Busytown game. Richard Scarry’s books have been entertaining kids for decades, and now there’s a game to go along with the books – Busytown. It’s I-spy-ish in that you race around the town looking for hidden objects. The game board’s over six feet long so clear some floor space!

Check out the I Can Do That Games site to read more about their products and to see what other games they carry.

Filed Under: Toys Tagged With: Games, Kids, Toys

The perfect tween gift: Jewelry Design for the DS

November 18, 2009 By Whitney 2 Comments

Although I don’t have a girl, even I can appreciate the coolness of this game for the Nintendo DS for a girl. Last month I had a lunch with a rep from Ubisoft, the developers of Style Lab’s Jewelry Design. I was particularly impressed with this game and instantly envisioned my 13-year-old niece playing with it.

The game itself is pretty self-explanatory: kids can design their own jewelry on this game. But the unique piece to this game which I think is so neat is that they can then upload their designs to the Ubisoft site and then, via a partner jewelry company, order the pieces they’ve designed. Each piece is very affordable (think $20 for the more expensive necklaces). Visit the Jewelry Design site to read more about it and if you have a tween girl to buy for this season, check this one out!

Many thanks to Ubisoft for generously providing samples of several games, including this one, and a Nintendo DSi to test it out on.

Filed Under: Slings & Carriers Tagged With: ds games, Games, nintendo ds, nintendo dsi

Congratulations to our My Princess Party To Go Giveaway winner!

October 26, 2009 By debbie Leave a Comment

Congrats to Diana B. from NY for winning a Princess and Pirate Party Package from My Princesss Party To Go who takes all of the stress out of planning the most amazing party ever! With several different party in a box themes, you’ll be sure to find one that is perfect for your prince or princess.

Most packages come with enough items for 8 party guests but you can add a set of everything for as many guests as you need! My Princess Party To Go also carries individual items that can be purchased separately if you want to create your own theme. Choose from a gorgeous selection of beautiful, affordable Princess Dresses, Boys Dress Up (Knight, Prince, Wizard, Pirate) Tiaras & Wands, Party Favors and Crafts!

My Princess Party To Go not only ships you everything you need for a complete birthday party but they tell you all that you need to know! Receive 15% off of your order by entering “Mommies with Style Coupon” in the send seller a message section on the second page of Pay Pal checkout.

Filed Under: Clothes, Coupons & Freebies, Entertainment, Games, Giveaways, Kids, Play Time Tagged With: birthday party, Boy Dress Up, Dress, Fairy, Games, Girl Dress Up, giveaway, Knight, Party, Party Favors, Party To Go, Pirate, Prince, Princess

My Princess Party To Go: Kid’s Party In A Box! (Giveaway)

August 10, 2009 By debbie 12 Comments

Want to throw your child their own Princess and Pirate Birthday Party, but think you don’t have the time or energy to pull it all together? Well, My Princes Party To Go takes all of the stress out of the planning and ships everything to you to throw the most amazing party ever! This party in a box comes in several different themes: Princess & Pirate, Pretty in Pink Princess, Princes in White & Her Knight, Princess & Her Knight, Glamour Princess, Tutus & Tiaras Tea Party and Fairy Princess & Wizard. Each package (except for the Tutus & Tiaras) comes with enough items for 8 party guests.

I was in awe over the Princess and Pirate Party Package. It came with 8 dress-up outfits (4 assorted color royal princess dresses with tiaras for girls and 4 pirate hats, bandanas, eye patch’s and printed tie back vests for boys), 4 pretty princess wands, 4 large inflatable pirate swords, 8 mini pirate bendable toys (for a game), 8 bank treasure chests (to decorate), a pin the eye patch on the pirate game, tattoos, inflatable limbo stick, bag of plastic gold coins for a treasure hunt, 8 goodie bags (which are incredible and beautifully wrapped) and a really helpful guide to host your own Princess and Pirate Party which includes how to play Pass the Wand, Limbo, Who has the Pirate?, Guess What Princess or Pirate, Pin the Eye Patch on the Pirate, Search for Treasure and More! Having more than 8 guests at your party? You can add a set of everything for as many guests as you need!

My Princess Party To Go also carries individual items that can be purchased separately if you want to create your own theme. Choose from a beautiful selection of beautiful, affordable Princess Dresses, Boys Dress Up (Knight, Prince, Wizard, Pirate) Tiaras & Wands, Party Favors and Crafts!

Want to win a Deluxe Princess & The Pirate Party complete party package? All you have to do is visit the Party Favors Page and tell us your favorite Party Favor in the comment section below. The giveaway will run until August 17th, when one winner will be selected at random and will have 24 hours to respond to our e-mail.

My Princess Party To Go not only ships you everything you need for a complete birthday party but they tell you all that you need to know! With every princess dress purchased, you will receive a free tiara and wand by entering mommieswithstyle under “send seller a message” on the second page of Pay Pal checkout.

Filed Under: Clothes, Coupon Codes & Sales, Coupons & Freebies, Games, Giveaways, Kids, Play Time, Toys Tagged With: birthday party, Boy Dress Up, Dress, Fairy, Games, Girl Dress Up, Knight, Party, Party Favors, Party To Go, Pirate, Prince, Princess

A Whole Lot of Hullabaloo

July 4, 2009 By kate Leave a Comment

Wikipedia defines hullabaloo as “an uproar or fuss” which we tend to have a lot of in our house with two active toddler boys. But there is one Hullabaloo that I’m enjoying these days, the active play, toddler game by Cranium. Geared for ages 4+ and 1-6 players, Hullabaloo gets kids hopping, jumping, twisting and getting downright silly as they build knowledge of colors, shapes, and categories, try out all sorts of body movements (stomping, flying and twirling) and work on ever-important listening skills.

Hullabaloo comes with a talking audio console and 16 colorful, durable pads that you spread out over the floor. The game is kind of like Twister without the stationary, fold-out mat and requires more knowledge than just your colors. Players have to listen carefully to the directions from the console like “Hop to a blue!” or “Twirl to an instrument!” After 5-10 different directions, the console announces a winning picture – be the player standing on that pad and you win!

Why I Like It: The game helps my toddler learn about different colors, shapes, categories and movements while getting out a lot of energy. The game seems easy enough to use anywhere – rug or hardwood floors, indoors or out – and seems portable enough though unfortunately it doesn’t come with any kind of carrying bag or storage box.

Why My Toddler Likes It: This game requires lots of silly movements which I have yet to find a toddler who doesn’t enjoy. “Winners” are chosen a bit at random so even players who move slower or can’t follow all the directions (except the last one), can have the potential to win the game.

Pick up Hullabaloo online or visit Hasbro.com for a whole collection of toddle-appropriate games under the Cranium label. (FYI – Try to find the new blue box version of Hullabaloo that has two levels – instead of one – programed into the console.) Viva la game night!

Filed Under: Games, Play Time Tagged With: Cranium, Games, Hullabaloo

Family Game Night…With Toddlers? (And a Giveaway!)

July 3, 2009 By kate 13 Comments

zingo I have found memories of game night when I was a child and was eager to start the tradition with my own family. But my oldest only just turned three which felt like it limited the number of suitable board games we could play. Fortunately I’ve come across two that have been toddler-appropriate and great additions to our game repertoire. The first is a game called Zingo by ThinkFun. Geared for kids 4 and up, Zingo’s tagline is “Bingo…with a twist!” The game comes with a collection of double-sided bingo sheets (easy and hard side), tiles with words and pictures on them and a tile holder that you slide to release and reveal two tiles at a time. The goal is to cover all the spaces on your card with tiles.

Why I Like It: The game is simple, but offers lots of variations. You can play against each other or work as a team. You can play the easy side or the hard, with one Zingo sheet per player or multiple. Since the tiles have both words and images, the game is great for pre-readers and early readers (even my 1.5 year old is picking up on matching the bird tile to the bird picture), and if you’re looking to build skills in other languages, Zingo is also available in Spanish, Hebrew and French. I also like that it’s a game we can play together (up to 8 people), but my toddler can also have fun with it alone too.

Why My Toddler Likes It: One of my son’s favorite parts is moving the tile slider and trying to guess which two tiles are going to come up next. This isn’t really supposed to be an exciting part of the game, but it’s one of the things that keeps him most engaged. He also loves that “race” element – if two people both have the same picture on their Zingo sheet, the first person to call it out, gets to take the tile.

ThinkFun produces lots of enjoyable educational games, many of which are single-player games that can be a godsend as quiet time activities or times when you need your little one to play solo. Though Zingo has been the most age-appropriate for my little one, we’ve also checked out a number of other ThinkFun games: Hoppers Jr. (a frog-based, single-player strategy game, ages 5-7), Clever Castle (pattern matching game with princesses and dragons, ages 5-7) and Rush Hour (a super portable, single-player problem-solving game, ages 8 and up). And I love the Think Fun keeps us moms in mind – many of their games have storage bags to keep all the pieces organized and make clean up a breeze.

Want to win your own copy of one of these ThinkFun games? Leave a comment that answers – What was your favorite childhood board game? – and an email to contact you if you win. Contest ends July 7th and four winners will be chosen at random. Good luck! And long live family game night!