Showing posts with label fun

Fun Family Games Gift Guide

in , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, November 07, 2022

Even though Halloween was just seven days ago, I decided to start sharing my gift guides today, so that you'll have ample time to consider the products and make an informed purchase decision. I wish we could slow the holidays down and not push them out right on top of each other, don't you? To that end, I'm starting this year's guides off with a fun family games gift guide that just might come in handy for all your gift giving needs year round.



Game Night Fun!



Fun Family Games Gift Guide

Happy Monday friends! I hope you are having lovely spring weather in your area like we are enjoying here in Nashville. April is always so pretty here with all the trees and flowers blooming. My only wish is that time would slow down! April seems to be flying by. Speaking of time flying by, can you believe it's been 20 years since we were first introduced to Shrek and his merry band of friends? I know I was blown away when I read that, so I just had to share this fun 20th anniversary release of Shrek in theaters this month! Read on for all the details.  


Shrek 20th Anniversary in Movie Theaters Nationwide Apr. 25, 28 & 29



Have you ever started singing a song simply from hearing a word or phrase? I know I do! In fact, music plays a big part of my life with my husband as well. From going to concerts together, to sharing a new cool tune we’ve discovered, music has been a staple in our relationship for almost 30 years. When I was asked if I’d like to receive a complimentary board game called Spontuneous The Song Game to share with you, I happily agreed because I thought it would be a perfect gift for my husband and I thought you might be looking for a last minute gift idea for Father’s Day. Come check out this game for cool music loving Dads with me.


Great Father's Day Gift Idea!


Spontuneous: The Song Game for Cool Music Loving Dads

Hello June and hello to summer with all it’s fun activities! One of my families favorite summer activities is having cookouts or bonfires where we serve S’mores for dessert. There’s just something so wholesome and fun about serving this dessert and now, thanks to Stuffed Puffs latest creation, we can have yummy double chocolate S'mores dessert to welcome summer!


Stuffed Puffs for the Summer Dessert Win- S’mores!


Yummy Double Chocolate S’mores dessert to welcome summer



Something magical happens when you bring your kids into the kitchen with you. From the time my girls were able to stand on a stool to help me prepare sweet treats or just their afternoon snack, I’ve loved watching their faces as they work in the kitchen. Sure, there will be messes and plenty of patience testing minutes- but all that is well worth all the fun you’ll have in the kitchen. I received my first box from Kidstir, a cooking kit subscription company recently and I wanted to share it with you today.



Kidstir Spooky Celebration kit #ad


When my husband and I moved to Nashville in the 90’s, downtown was a full on, old school country music scene. From the honky-tonks, Printer’s Alley and record label headquarters, it really was country. Today, you won't see the long gone Hard Rock Cafe and Fuddruckers of the 90's, you'll see high rises and construction sites and traffic!  To say Music City has changed in an understatement. Nashville has grown, and continues to grow at such an alarming pace that even locals like us need help navigating our day trips into Nashville, so today I’m sharing a new to me guide called Do615, this website is a fun way to make the most of a Nashville trip whether you have a day or a week.

Printers Alley 2014:


Nashville's Printers Alley 2014
Yesterday found us at a family member’s home, enjoying family, the fantastic fall weather and of course, delicious food. The time for cookouts, corn mazes, pumpkins patches, hayrides, and bonfires has finally arrived! We are excited to dive into all the fun festivities, but I’ve learned from our previous cookouts and bonfires to expect lots of laundry stains. Don’t let laundry stains keep you from enjoying outdoor activities, simply use my secret weapon- Biz Stain Fighter!


#ad family cookouts mean laundry stains #Biz

The Jigsaw Puzzle app is engaging and fun anytime

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, September 28, 2018
This post is sponsored by Jigsaw Puzzle but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I got my love of Jigsaw puzzles from my Mom. I can remember coming home from school to find a puzzle in progress on our dining room table. My Mom would happily allow anyone who passed by the table to try adding a piece or two, as long as you followed her rules. It’s hard to say which I loved more, helping her lay out a brand new 1000 piece puzzle (corners first of course!), or helping her find the final piece. We had hours of fun together and now thanks to the Jigsaw Puzzle app I can take that fun with me and have fun anytime!


#ad I love this  #Jigsawpuzzle Color Streak puzzle

April is the perfect time of year to clean off your deck, porch or patio and take mealtime outside. In the south, the first burst of pollen has subsided, it’s not too hot and the bugs aren’t matching us bite for bite yet, so we call that a win. Today, I want to share how easy Al Fresco dining can be with our sponsor, Good Food Made Simple combined with a healthy dose of spontaneity.  There’s a giveaway too! 


This is a sponsored post on behalf of Good Food Made Simple. I received information to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. 


Easy Al Fresco Dining with Good Food Made Simple #ad #foodie

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Sponsored #WhatMonthlyPain #CollectiveBias


This time of year is all about the kids and making memories that the whole family will treasure for years and years. But setting aside special bonding time with my seventeen-year-old daughter has gotten trickier this year as she navigates her senior year of high school and prepares for college. I brainstormed for fun ways to spend quality time with her and found to my delight that several ideas came to mind simply by thinking of her likes. Read on to see if my ideas will help you too.



Spending quality time with my teen daughter #outside #WhatMonthlyPain #ad


1. Do what your teen likes with them:

One of the easiest ways to spend quality time with your teen is to do what they like with them. My daughter loves being outdoors. Whether it’s going for a jog or a walk, helping with yard work, or taking photos, she is always happy to put on her shoes and head out. Going for a walk around our property is a special time for me, and I hope for her as well. Sometimes we walk in companionable silence and other times we talk over the birds. 



Holiday and family traditions keep your teen engaged and happy



2. Let your teen take point on activities:

We decorate for Christmas together every year and no decking the halls will be done without Christmas carols at our house, so I asked my oldest to pick our tree-trimming music, which she was only too happy to do.  Then she and I hung the garland together while singing and chatting to kick off our night of holiday decorating.  By suggesting my oldest take point on a couple of our holiday traditions, I’m showing her a little extra TLC which helps keep our teens engaged and in the moment. Notice there aren't any phones in this photo which is a total win! 



Manicure time with my teen daughter #WhatMonthlyPain #ad


3. Show your teen some extra TLC:

My next fun idea presented itself when I overheard my daughter state that she wanted to do her nails before school the next day, but wondered if she should get a jump on homework instead. Knowing that her schedule has been so full, I offered to give her a manicure, saying I’d love to spend more time with her. 



Showing my teen some extra love by doing her nails


Sometimes our almost adult children need us to take the lead and allow them to revisit activities that were fun for them when they were younger. I always loved doing my daughter’s nails, but as soon as she got old enough to do them herself, I stopped to allow her to grow independent. Doing her nails for her is a love gift that we both enjoyed.  



Advil menstrual helps your teen say #WhatMonthlyPain #ad


Being a teenager on the cusp of graduating high school is an exciting, wonderful, and yes, stressful time for my older daughter, so the last thing I want her to fret about is menstrual pain. Sure, she’s almost an adult and could push on through, but thankfully, there’s a new product I found at Walmart. Advil® Menstrual Pain can help her stay on her regular, busy routine and even add in some more fun activities, so she’ll be saying, “What monthly pain?”When used as directedAdvil ® Menstrual Pain can alleviate aches, pains and headaches she may have during this time. 


I can feel confident about her taking this product because Advil ® Menstrual Pain is caffeine-free, antihistamine-free and easy to swallow. Many other menstrual pain relievers contain caffeine, which can make it difficult for our daughter’s to fall asleep if taken at night, or antihistamines which can make them drowsy during the day.



Find Advil Menstrual Pain at Walmart #ad #WhatMonthlyPain



Finding Advil® Menstrual Pain at Walmart is easy. Just head over to the pain relief section and look for Advil. My store had the menstrual pain tablets on the bottom shelf. My daughter was thankful I found them and that we got to spend quality time together. I think she enjoyed the extra TLC as much as I enjoyed giving it.  I plan on continuing to find ways to bond with my teen daughters and will share this product with my younger daughter too. 



Please share in comments: Do you have a teen daughter? How do you like to spend quality time with her? 

Upgrade your gaming system needs with Groupon

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, August 01, 2016

The dog days of summer are upon us and most of America is experiencing a major heat wave.  When it gets this hot, even a dip in the pool doesn’t sound as refreshing as staying indoors with the AC on. To combat boredom during these long summer days, our family enjoys playing video games together; but we need to upgrade our gaming system and accessories badly. 


My thanks to today's post sponsor, Groupon. While I will receive compensation as a thank you for my time, I only share products/services I feel will benefit my readers. All opinions are mine. 


Gaming systems in entertainment center


My husband is more of a gamer than I am, but I do like playing Zelda and Mario Brothers with my girls. However, now that they are older and are more experienced gamers, their skill levels outpace mine. We were talking about which games we liked over dinner recently and we all agreed, we had to get serious about our gaming system upgrade. We’ve been watching out for a great deal on the Xbox One system and luckily just learned that we can save a bunch by shopping with Groupon Goods!



Most of the time we use Groupon for food and entertainment savings, so we were pleasantly surprised at the variety of high quality games, controllers, systems and more you can find when you check out the video game section at Groupon. It’s easy to find. Just go to the Groupon site, then Goods and then look for video games under Popular categories.  



Gaming system accessories at Groupon



My husband discovered he could purchase the Nyko Xbox One Controller Charge Base for just $21.99! This cool charger keeps your controllers ready to play with a dual-port dock that can charge two controllers at once, which is perfect for playing multi-player games on a family fun Friday night.




Nyko Xbox One Controller Charge Base



If your gaming system needs an upgrade too, I invite you to head on over to Groupon Goods and get shopping, or at least dreaming of the upgrades you want!




Please share in comments: Are you a gamer? If so, what is your favorite game?


Whether it's your local county fair, or big state fair- the season for all things fair is upon us!
Here's a few pics from our previous visits to Tennessee fairs. I'll be sharing more from this season soon. 



Farmall tractor at the fair





Bunny at the state fair





Ferris wheel ride at the fair





Horse at the county fair





Fair food


Happy fair season! Stay cool and hydrated out there!


With two weeks to go until Halloween arrives, Americans coast to coast are gearing up for this fun filled night in a big way. At our house, we still need to carve our pumpkins and find a few more accessories for our costumes, but we will be ready to celebrate in style! Yes, we do have to drive to celebrate now that we live in a rural area, but there is fun to be found in neighborhoods all around us.  As a matter of fact, Nashville, TN. made the list for top 20 cities for trick-or-treaters compiled by Zillow. 

Top 10 best cities for trick-or-treating 2015

This map shows the top 10 cities. Zillow says they picked areas with the greatest share of their residents are under 15 and the houses are closest together. That would help explain why San Francisco tops their list for the 5th year in a row! 


Top 20 cities for trick-or-treaters 2015

Another way these cities made the cut was by giving out the most candy to all those cute goblins! Speaking of candy, do you know that the average kids gets at least 50 pieces of candy on Halloween? Some kids have reported getting more than 100 pieces! I know we gave out and received a huge amount of candy each year we lived in suburbia, maybe that helped Nashville, TN. make the top 20 list! 


How did your city do? Are there any surprises on the list? I was delighted to see Milwaukee on the list. Can you imagine all those brave parents and kids bundling up against the cold to go trick-or-treating? Way to go! Please stop by Zillow to read all the fun facts on how they came up with their top 20 list and see the in depth neighborhood breakdowns. 


Happy Halloween 2015


From our home to yours, we wish you a happy, safe, and fun Halloween!


Friday nights have been Family fun nights at our house for years. Now that the girls are in their teens and tweens, we let them decide if it’s game night or movie night and it just so happens, tonight is going to be movie night thanks to Big G Cereal Movies. This post is sponsored by General Mills but my love for their cereal and family fun is all my own.



Big G wants to inspire family nights together with classic movies that you can share with your loved ones anytime, anywhere by offering a free HD movie download when you purchase 2 boxes of these participating cereals:


  • Honey Nut Cheerios
  • Fruity Cheerios
  • Frosted Cheerios
  • Lucky Charms
  • Reese’s Puffs
  • Trix
  • Cocoa Puffs
  • Golden Grahams


We chose Lucky Charms and Frosted Cheerios.  We had to look through the Big G cereals available to make sure we selected boxes with the General Mills and Fox MovieDownload Promotion movie banner across the front to ensure we’d get the code needed. 






Once you have your Big G cereal home, it’s time to decide what movie you are going to download. There are 10 great movies to choose from.





We chose Mr. Popper’s Penguins.  Downloading our movie was easy.  

  • We found the codes needed in each cereal box.
  • Went to Big G Cereal Movies and entered codes.
  • Downloaded our free movie.



No family movie night would be complete without a snack, so we were happy to see snack recipes on both boxes of Big G cereal. The girls and I raided our pantry and came up with our own version of Lucky Charms Peanutty Good Luck Snack. We added Cashews, Pretzel bites and Frosted Cheerios to our recipe. It is so sweet and salty good that we had to put it away to wait until official movie time tonight. 


Lucky Charms snack #biggcerealmovies


Here is the recipe for Lucky Charms Peanutty Good Luck Snack from cereal box:


Ingredients:

4 cups Lucky Charms cereal
1 cup candy-coated peanut butter pieces
1 cup yogurt-covered raisins
1 cup peanuts

Directions:

Place all ingredients in resealable plastic food- storage bag; seal.
Shake until mixed. Store at room temperature up to 3 days.



Enjoying our family movie nights is just one of the ways we spend quality time together as a family, and now thanks to Big G, we’ll have Mr. Popper’s Penguins in our movie collection to watch again and again.


Please share in comments: What are some of your favorite family movies? 





Disclosure: Many thanks to General Mills for sponsoring today’s post and sharing their family fun with us. I will receive compensation for sharing my thoughts on Big G,. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Picnic Basket with Goodies Giveaway

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, June 26, 2014

I have a quick question for you, when was the last time you went on a picnic? 

Has it been a while? 

Then you are going to love this giveaway hosted by Womensforum.com.  

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive compensation depending on your participation.

The Giveaway:

womens forum sweeps

Gather your family and friends, because Womensforum.com is ready to set you up with the perfect summertime picnic! 

The Prizes:

Prize pack includes: a picnic basket, blanket, outdoor dining kit and even an outdoor MP3 speaker to create a fun, and delicious, day under the summer sun! 
Giveaway dates are 6-25-14 through 7-16-14 at 9pm PT for U.S. residents 18+. Please visit Womensforum.com for official rules. 


To Enter:

Entering is easy, using your email and Twitter account. Click here to enter and good luck!




Disclosure: This post does contain affiliate links, which may result in compensation for My WAHM Plan depending on your participation, however,  My WAHM Plan only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." - See more at: http://www.mywahmplan.com/#sthash.TcdaH4AT.dpuf

Family Fun Magazine Subscription Giveaway

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, May 15, 2014

With summertime almost here and the kids getting out of school next week, this giveaway sponsored by Purex and Family Fun Magazine comes right on time for me and I'm betting you are going to love it too. As a Purex Insider, I will have a chance to win a gift card for sharing this, however all opinions are my own.



Free



About the Giveaway:


Ready, set, GO! Summer is right around the corner and what a great way to prepare for all that summer fun than with a subscription to Family Fun Magazine! Enjoy all things fun with a magazine that celebrates families, cooking, vacations, parties, crafts and more.

Fifteen thousand (15,000) grand prize winners will receive a FREE subscription to Family Fun Magazine. Enter to win a subscription for your family to enjoy!



Entering is easy peasy- just use this link and please share it with any family or friends you think would like to win as well. Giveaway ends on May 30 2014 at 3pm PST. 


 Enter Now and Good luck!



Share in comments: What section would you read first if you won this subscription?

  1. Families
  2. Cooking
  3. Vacations
  4. Parties
  5. Crafts


I'd pick crafts!

Make School Lunches Fun with pop Chef

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Tuesday, November 12, 2013

We are almost to school winter break here in middle Tennessee, which means my daughters have eaten their fair share of from home lunches that normally include sandwiches. So when Pop Chef approached me to sponsor today’s post by sending me a free set to try, I happily agreed to check them out.


About Pop Chef:

MyWAHMPlan.com


“Pop Chef is a new, fast and easy way to make fabulous edible creations. The secret is its 3-in-1 action- which shapes, pops and creates stars, circles, hearts and more without the mess or hassle of knives or cookie cutters. It’s a snack-tivity that’s even safe for kids to use.


With Pop Chef you can make:

  • Snacks
  • Party Platters
  • Meals
  • Gifts



MyWAHMPlan.com

Pop Chef sounds fun doesn't it? Not just for us Moms, but for our kids too. My teen and tween (who make their own snacks and the occasional lunch)- were eager to give Pop Chef a try. 



The Review:

While Pop Chef does work and it really is fun to use- we didn’t find it as easy as 
  1. 1- Push, 
  2. 2- Pop 
  3. 3- Ta-da your piece comes out perfect. 

Nope. 

My daughter had to “coax” her piece of bread out. It still looked cute according to her, but it wasn’t in the perfect sun shape she hoped. She still said it was fun though.

I found the same to be true when I attempted to make flower ham and cheese sandwich bites for their lunches. Since my sandwich was over the recommended 1 inch thickness, it took a little bit of sweet talking to get the pieces out (see below) they didn’t “pop” out, but like my daughter I was having fun, so I continued.

MyWAHMPlan.com


Pop Chef works perfectly with firm fruit I’m happy to report! We all wish we’d gotten this at the height of summer fruit season because once we’d had success with our Bananas, we were eager to give other fruits a try. We’ll just have to wait for more fruit to come in season and then we are going to make a fruit Bouquet.

All in all, this is a cute, fun way to enjoy time with your kids and let them play with their food. It is well worth the $10 price tag to us. You may even want to pick one up for your teen or tween for a gift.

You can find out more about Pop Chef and other products by visiting them here and you can use my affiliate link below if you would like to purchase Pop Chef on Amazon.





I hope you found this review helpful. Please let me know in comments if you have ever used Pop Chef or if you'd like to.


Disclosure:

I received a free set of Pop Chef in the hopes that I would share my opinion of it on my blog. No other compensation was given as I felt it would interest my readers. Note: The Amazon link above is my affiliate link, which may mean compensation for me should you choose to purchase via it. 


Wordless Wednesday- Boo!

in , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, October 30, 2013



Hulk mask #Halloween
Melissa-Hulk Say Boo!


Disclosure : I am a member of the Tennessee State Fair's blogger outreach program and received complimentary tickets to facilitate this post.


Saturday, September 14th couldn’t have been more picture perfect here in middle Tennessee.  It was a warm, almost fall day where you want to spend as much time as possible outside. Thankfully for us, we had the Tennessee State Fair to attend.

If you haven’t been to the Tennessee State Fair in a while, boy, are you missing out! First of all, the venue is huge with all sorts of events to attend. The online scheduler was a handy tool for us. Still, we got sided tracked by another event and wound up missing Hedrick’s racing pigs!

Even though we missed those cute pigs, we got to meet a real sweet young lady and her Black Ram Yearling.  


MyWAHMPlan.com
This is Savannah Williams and her ram Lovey

She was kind enough to let me take her picture. Even Lovey liked me and decided it would be okay for me to take a photo or two.


MyWAHMPlan.com
I think Lovey Likes us

They went on to win first place in the Ram yearling event! 


Lovey wasn’t the only animal we got to meet. There was sweet Caesar, the softest, sweetest rabbit we've ever petted. 

MyWAHMPlan.com
We love Caesar


My youngest daughter wanted to adopt Caesar. My oldest daughter would have settled for any of the rabbits there. But, it wasn’t in the cards.

Next up, we walked through the calves and cows and found ourselves in the poultry building.  I can’t remember the last time I saw so many roosters and hens and fowl of every type in one building like this. Tennesseans showed up and brought their best animals to the fair for our enjoyment and for a prized ribbon or two. 

 After having our fill of the sights sounds and smells of the critters, we made into the Creative Arts Building. We found all manner of creative arts being represented.

Here are a few pictures of our favorites:


MyWAHMPlan.com
Unique Batman Quilt


MyWAHMPlan.com
Beautiful Aloe Vera Plant


MyWAHMPlan.com
Beautiful dress


 Finally, before the kids burst, we went to the ride section, or Thrill zone.  There were a lot of rides to choose from this year. The Ferris wheel, a fair favorite no matter where you live, was a must. The Tennessee State Fair placed the Ferris wheel up high on the hill, so when you are on it, you got a beautiful 360 degree view of Nashville.

MyWAHMPlan.com
Best seat in the place- On this Ferris Wheel


The girl’s favorite ride was Mouse House.  Calm enough to take the little ones on, with just enough twists and turns to keep it fun for the big kids and adults riding along. My Husband loved Mega Drop and Fire Ball too. For me, my joy was in the watching all the happy people around my happy family. If life is getting you down- go to your state fair. It will take 20 years off you!


By now, we are getting hungry and thirsty and there were tons of vendors to choose from serving up everything from corn dogs to turkey legs and of course, funnel cakes! 


MyWAHMPlan.com
Fair Food
We rode and walked and played and laughed our way through the day and before we knew it, the crowds slowly started switching from family and kids to the Saturday night couples and singles vibe and we knew it was time to head home. 

We didn’t get to see the entire fair, but that’s okay. We’ll be back next year.

As we were walking back to the car, my husband was drawn to the sound of racing cars. They look like a lot of fun to watch, so we are thinking of bringing the girls up to a race. 
Want to join us? The dates are below.


MyWAHMPlan.com
Let's go Racing boys!



Thanks Tennessee State Fair for giving us of super fun Saturday! Has your state had it's big fair yet? Did you go? Leave a comment and give a shout out to your fair.



Disclosure : I am a member of the Tennessee State Fair's blogger outreach program and received complimentary tickets to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.
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