christmas gift guide Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

30 Amazing Family Board Game Gifts

Paula — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 14:34:40 +0000

Family Board Games are still some of my favourite family gifts any time of the year. My kids still enjoy a good game from time to time and so do we. It beats watching TV, Youtube or Netflix some nights, and is a lot more affordable than heading to the movie theatre, so why not give some as gifts for birthdays and other occasions? We have a closet full of family board games here. When visitors come over and younger children are in the mix this is often the first closet they go for. So, it works in our best interests often to keep numerous options for various ages on hand. Family Board games can be an excellent way to gather as a family and spend time together. From a young age our kids used to play Candyland and Snakes and Ladders with grandma. Those were both gifts from her years ago. I think we still have both family board games because I couldn’t part with them. There are a few reminders of Grandma around that we keep because they were given to us from her and they remind us of how generous and fun she could be. Travel-sized Compact Board Games Board games that can travel with you are gold. We have several reliable compact games that make long drives and airport delays fly by faster. Flight delay? No problem. Crack out the pocket Guess Who game. Preschoolers Don’t Step in It Unicorn Edition Crocodile Dentist World of Disney Eye Found It Pete the Cat The Missing Cupcakes Game The Cat in the Hat I Can Do That Card Game The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Hi Ho Cherry O Mickey Mouse Edition Race to the Treasure 5 to 8 year olds Hedbanz is one of our favourite family board games. In fact we have most of these for 5 to 8 year olds and we play several of them when my niece and nephews come over. Operation is a classic, and so is Mouse Trap, Scrabble Junior and Clue Jr. Kanoodle Extreme Operation Clue Jr. Scrabble Junior Mouse Trap Hot Potato Hedbanz The Tween age group can be hard to buy for, but you will be set if you remember any of these. Looking for more ideas? Here’s a post specifically about gifts for tweens. 8 to 12 year olds Castle Panic Life Guess Who Monopoly Fortnite Edition Don’t Lose Your Cool Sequence Watch Ya Mouth Five Crowns Don’t forget to check out my Unicorn Gifts for Teens post too! 12 and up Stratego Othello Jenga Code Name One Night Ultimate Werewolf Googly Eyes Ticket to Ride Check out my Fortnite gifts post too if you are interested in that merchandise. There are so many reasons that family board games are worthwhile, not the least of which is also teaching kids turn-taking and good sportsmanship. Over the years my kids have MOSTLY learned how to be graceful about losing or winning, things we practiced over time by playing board games together. Family Board Games Build Quality Time Together Jenga is one of my personal favourites. When I was dating my husband Jim, we used to play this with his parents and siblings too occasionally. Now we play with our kids. That one works any time and it’s a great game for fine motor control. In fact, I feel like Jenga should be in every home. This post contains affiliate links as a service to my readers. Purchases made via qualifying links provide me with a small income here. My opinion is my own and it is also truthful. Still shopping? Check out my 2018 Christmas Gift Guide for more ideas!

The post 30 Amazing Family Board Game Gifts appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.

Thrifty Mommas Tips 2018 Gift Guide – Favourite Holiday Toys

Paula — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 11:12:55 +0000

Holiday toys are just fun for everyone. There’s nothing like unwrapping a toy Christmas Morning and playing all day. Remember that magical feeling from WAY back when. I sure do. It’s the never ending quest to capture a little of that feeling and pass it on that keeps me motivated this time of year. With Christmas right around the corner, you’re probably either fully into Christmas shopping or, if you’re like me, well maybe you have a bit more to do. In either case, you probably are still hunting down ideas. That’s why I’ve put together my annual GIFT GUIDE for some toys that will help you round out your shopping list. They all make great gifts and they’re perfect for both boys and girls. In fact many here are gifts to your entire family. Holiday Toys for All The thing I love about all of these toys is that they get back to good old-fashioned fun. Even the newer toys on this list still adhere to the old-school concept of play using toys as a conduit for the imagination, and creativity. I think we need more of that in the world. So let’s get to it. Games are one of the best ways to build skills for life with kids and frankly a good board game or family game is fun for all. So here are a few games I am giving this season. Mattel Games We all know Mattel. From board games to action figures, they’ve been bringing us great kids’ items for as long as I can remember. There’s no exception here with these gifts. UNO Why I Like It.. This classic card game of matching colors and numbers never gets old. This is one of my daughter’s favourites actually. She has multiple variations of UNO and SKIPBO and she has played them hundreds of times. For a very long time, when my youngest daughter was small she needed a lot of help transitioning into the school day and week. So, her support teacher would often ease her into the day with a game of SKIPBO or UNO. BRILLIANT. Plus to this day she LOVES these games. To me these games are gold. Kerplunk Why I Like it Gather the entire family together for a marble-filled strategy game. Pull sticks out of the tube, but don’t let the marbles fall! SHHHH. I am giving this one to my youngest because I know she will LOVE IT! Hoping she doesn’t sneak a peak at this post. This game is entertaining and suspenseful too..not unlike Jenga which we also love. Gas Out What on Earth? Kids and 10 to 12-year-olds at heart will love this game. Draw a card and press Guster the Gas Cloud that many times. Be the last player to keep Guster from farting during your turn to win. This game would be perfect for my two nephews. One is ten and the other is five and their FART joke game is strong. It’s obvious why I like Gas Out. These silly flatulence games are on trend this season. Squawk Chicken Game Poke the chicken until she lays an egg. Funny little game that is a little bit noisy but a whole lot of fun. Why Do I Like it? This chicken game is unlike any of the other games we have here so that makes it a keeper. MGA Entertainment MGA Entertainment brings us fun family games with a different twist. From Gross monsters like Crate Creatures to Social Star, a social media board game, MGA Entertainment brings family fun into the modern era. Crate Creatures Free the Crate Creatures from their box and make a new, gross best friend. Kids can pull their tongues for fun monster sounds and gross noises. They can ever record and yak back phrases. Super cute idea. I think my niece will love this. She is 7. Why do I like this one? Crate Creatures are quirky, and unique so if you are giving them to a child this year you can be pretty sure that nobody else has already thought of it. No double gifting or returns here. Air Chargers A new twist on the old stunt track, Air Chargers takes track racing to a new level. Sporty cars and a variety of track sets can be combined to create courses as simple or as complex as a child’s imagination. WHAT THE WHAT? Of course everyone’s nephew should get this. It’s a no brainer. Every young boy I know would be all over this. Also frankly I get to play with this when I visit my nephews so HURRAY! YES please. Again why do I like it? Just because honestly it’s great value and sheer fun for any child who LOVES cars or trucks. No batteries required. Need I say more. Get Air Chargers now and it will still arrive in time for Christmas. Ready 2 Robot Build, swap and battle. There are thousands of ways to combine these robots and play. Why do I like Ready 2 Robot? I know my nephew will love these. They are collectible plus there’s a slime element that makes them the right amount of cool and gross combined. Order this Ready 2 Robot Ultimate Set with slime squad. DONE. Perfect gift under $100. Again no batteries so it’s a winner! Social Star Make social media fun with Social Star. In this game, players must get “likes” in order to gain fame. Who will become the ultimate social star? Great gift for a tween. HEXBUG If you’re a returning reader, it should be no surprise that HEXBUG makes my list of holiday toys. I’m a big fan of these because they promote learning in a fun exciting way. HEXBUG offers a variety of toys from Robotic Soccer to Battling Boxing Robots, Ring Racer, and more. All of these promote STEM with a play style that requires thought and STEM strategies yet still remain tons of fun. This year HEXBUG Battle Bots Arena Pro is my pick for the best new Hexbug toy to give. Why? HEXBUG makes top notch fun toys that entertain for hours on end. Every single year for the last 7 or 8 years I have gifted HEXBUG toys to someone on my list. Some years Santa delivered Hexbug toys and other years I bought them for Christmas and birthdays. These are crazy good quality and fun, plus they rely on robotics and science and learning. This year as always the kids chose names from the Angel Tree and used their money to buy gifts for someone in need. They chose some classic Fisher Price baby toys because they wanted to give to babies. My husband and I both chose tween boy names from the tree and we gave HEXBUG toys. Kid’s Activity and Trivia Books My teens will be getting fiction books under the tree and perhaps some DK Canada books as well. But the National Geographic Kids Weird But True lineup is made for my one nephew. He is ten and obsessed with trivia. True story. I visited last month and he told me all sorts of trivia (especially if it was gross trivia) We all learn something new when I give these books. And Lonely Planet has a lineup of brilliant activity books for travel and for road trips. So obviously these go with me on our trips still and some go straight to my brother’s children. They love these gifts and often travel too. Holiday Toys to Excite Any Child These holiday toys are all wonderful picks for girls or boys. From HEXBUG toys that promote STEM to classics like UNO, you’ll find something for every child on your holiday list here. Some of these make a great gift for the tree and some, like UNO would be perfect for a stocking. So if you’re still doing your Christmas shopping (and most of us probably are) make sure to add some of these to your list. This year I have all your friends and family covered too. Because Christmas is more than toys. The 2018 Guide Also Includes Coffee Lovers, BBQ Gifts, Tweens and Teens. So Get Shopping! Don’t miss The Coffee Lover’s Ultimate Gift Guide this year too. This 103 BEST BBQ GIFTS for Grill Masters guide has everything you could possibly need or want for Dad, or Mom or anyone who LOVES to Barbecue. Ugly Christmas Sweater Guide is just fun. GIFTS FOR TWEENS are super hot this year. People seem to be enjoying this post and pinning it a lot this week. and of course Unicorn Gifts for all ages. My gift guide is sponsored and I received product in exchange for consideration here. My opinion is all my own. Post may also contain affiliate links as a service to readers. I receive a small commission from qualifying purchases made.

The post Thrifty Mommas Tips 2018 Gift Guide – Favourite Holiday Toys appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.

Love Out Loud with Teleflora for the Holidays

Paula — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 12:54:04 +0000

Love out loud. Christmas is a wonderful time to celebrate all your loves. Around Thanksgiving we start reflecting in earnest on the year that has gone by and the spirit of gratitude and thankfulness is high. It would be lovely if that was the case all year round but sometimes we need reminders of what we are grateful for. That’s sort of what Teleflora’s #LoveOutLoud campaign is about. Gratitude, thankfulness and love. Love Out Loud is more than the tag line for Teleflora’s #LoveOutLoud campaign. The idea has been around forever, as long as love has existed. Live out Loud and Love Out Loud sort of mean the same thing to me. Go Big or Go Home. Show your feelings and let people know that you appreciate them, love them, and are thankful they are in your life. When you care about someone, let them know it through both words and deeds. Remind them often how special they are to you. I do that with my girls all the time. In fact, love out loud is part of my daily style with family. This is also how I was raised actually and I am forever grateful for that. Expressing love has always been easy here. It’s something we do daily. I never want my kids to question how much I love them or even whether I care enough to show it. I love you. Three little words that show so much. They matter and I tell my kids daily. To me, flowers show love. They are beautiful to look at and appreciate and they make the home so much cheerier this time of year especially. Flowers lift everyone’s spirits on gloomy dark winter days. Maybe you are not as expressive as we are. A beautiful bouquet of flowers, a lovely seasonal arrangement can be a way to help facilitate the words. Love Out Loud with Teleflora Teleflora wants everyone to #LoveOutLoud this holiday season. To get everyone in the love out loud, holiday spirit, Teleflora will be unveiling a series of sharable online videos beginning on December 13th. These videos will profile real people as they declare their love one bouquet at a time! The holidays are the perfect time to go overboard, so check out all of Teleflora’s social media platforms as well as their website to see how other people went above and beyond in their #LoveOutLoud videos. These videos are the perfect inspiration for us so we can love out loud, as well. And since I’m a big Teleflora fan, I’ll be sharing love out loud with their beautiful bouquets for the holiday season. Holiday Bouquets Teleflora has some amazing holiday bouquets to share this season. These bouquets make the perfect holiday gifts, because they’re more than just flowers in a vase. They are works of art that bring the spirit of Christmas right into the home, making them the perfect addition to the mantle or a great centerpiece. Winter Pines Centerpiece I already have this one looking stunning as a centrepiece in the dining room of my home, and I love it. This gorgeous bouquet features two red candles surrounded by creme roses, holiday greens, metallic gold pine cones, and ornaments. There’s a hint of sparkle to this one that the girls love. And the vase is beautiful. It will make a great keepsake long after the flowers have faded. That reminds me, it’s time to get the Peanuts, Snoopy themed cookie jar keepsake out from last year’s collection! Vintage Sleigh Bouquet Love out loud with this sleigh bouquet. Filled with red blooms, matte copper ornaments, snow-tipped pine cones, and the scents of fresh Douglas Fir and cedar, this bouquet is a perfect addition to Christmas decor. LOVE this one too. So pretty and cheery. Classic Pearl Ornament Bouquet A keepsake ceramic ornament jar holds an explosion of red blooms, pine cones, evergreen sprigs, and pearl ornaments. Send a Hug Bear Buddy Bouquet An explosion of red and white blooms, holiday greens, and red berry and snow-tipped pine cone accents are drawn together with a frosted, hand-blown glass cube. And even the cube has a little something extra because it’s hugged by an adorable holiday polar bear. Woodland Winter Bouquet A beautiful reflective glass cube holds gorgeous red and white blooms, accented with Douglas Fir, eucalyptus, snow-tipped pine cones, and silver ornaments. Thomas Kinkade’s Family Tree Bouquet Nothing says the holidays like Thomas Kinkade. Teleflora has an exclusive bouquet featuring a hand-crafted, hand-painted tree picking scene surrounded by red and white blooms, holiday greens, red ornaments, and pine cones. Gorgeous!! Love Out Loud with Amazing Bouquets This Christmas Every year, Teleflora sends me one of their stunning winter arrangements. I can’t tell you how happy they make me. Teleflora has some of the FRESHEST bouquets you can find, and that’s why I love them. They don’t just ship out bouquets from a central location and hope they get to you in good shape. They have over 10,000 florists in North America alone, and these florists prepare your bouquets, so you have the freshest gift possible! This year, I’ll remember to love out loud with words and flowers and the gift of time too. I received product or other compensation for this post. My opinion is all my own and it is also truthful.

The post Love Out Loud with Teleflora for the Holidays appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.