Spongebob Squarepants Memory Game

Okay, Phoebe now has a new favorite! This is the traditional memory card game where players turn over cards until they get a match. This one is Spongebob themed.

It is a fun game! Players can play from 3 years old and older. Phoebe and I played at least 4 times last night! My husband Allen had to get into the game as well, he could see how much fun we were having! Of course, Owen (my 2 year old) had to walk off with cards when we weren't looking...obviously, not a game for his age group!!

Chicken Quesadillas

My kids love Quesadillas. They are so easy to make, what a great idea for your game night snack plan! Here's how I prepare mine.

Ingredients:
Cheese (I usually purchase Sargento's Mexican Cheese mix)
Flour tortillas

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees

I start off by getting a cookie tray and putting foil down with a little spray of Pam. I put down my flour tortillas, add my cheese and top it off with the other flour tortilla.

Cook your quesadillas for 7 minutes or until your cheese melts.

That's it! Sometimes I will add some grilled chicken and or bell pepper and onion. For a quick lunch or dinner this one takes the cake!

Go Fish!

Hasbro sent the games I requested, I am so excited to get started!

When we received the box my daughter, Phoebe immediately had to open a game and play. We sat down and I taught her how to play 'Go Fish'. This particular game was "The Littlest Pet Shop Go Fish Game". Since Phoebe is 4 years old it took a little bit of understanding, but, she picked it up pretty quick. This game is great for learning numbers and memory. Phoebe loved this game and wanted to play several times. When my husband got home we played again and my 2 year old even got into the game (he of course wanted to walk away or throw the cards shouting "mine" with the cards rather than actually play the game! :-)

Here are some instructions for how to play "Go Fish" with a regular deck of cards.

Number of players: Two to six

Object: To win the most sets of four cards (books) by asking other players for them.

The cards: A regular 52-card deck is used, but you might shorten the pack in order to have a quicker game by removing all cards of a few different ranks.

To play: When two people play, deal seven cards each; otherwise, deal five cards each. Leave the undealt cards face down as a draw pile. Starting with the player at dealer's left, each player asks another for cards of a specific rank. For example: "Kevin, do you have any 6s?" In order to ask, you must already have at least one 6. Kevin has to give you all the 6s he holds, but the other players do not.

Whenever your request for a card is filled, it remains your turn. Continue with your turn, asking any player for cards of a specific rank. When the player you ask can't oblige, you'll be told to "Go Fish." Pick up the top card of the draw pile. If it's the rank you called for, show the card at once, and your turn goes on. Otherwise, your turn ends.

Play proceeds to the left in this fashion. Whenever you have collected all four cards of one rank (a book), show the other players, then place the book next to you in a compact pile.

Scoring: When all the cards have been drawn and all the books collected, whoever has gathered the most books wins.

Tip: Pay attention to who seeks which cards, for you will inevitably draw a card someone was looking for earlier. You can capture those cards at your next turn if you can remember whom to ask!

Variations: Call for cards from all players at once -- the game moves faster when everyone must give up the wanted cards. This also makes it a better move to ask for a card when your book lacks just one, since whoever might have drawn the fourth one must give it to you. An interesting scoring variant is to assign each book a value equal to its rank. Aces would then count 11, picture cards 10, and all other cards would be worth their face value.

Look for more posts coming soon!!

New opportunities!!

Hasbro has allowed me the opportunity to play some of their new games and review them on my blog! I look forward to sharing them with you soon!

How to Play Ker Plunk

I remember Ker Plunk when I was growing up. Now I can show my 4 year old how to play!

Here's the rules of the game:

"Ker Plunk is the game where you take your pick and pull a stick. If all the marbles fall, you lose it all! You're only sunk if they go...Ker Plunk!"

This classic game of skill can be learned in seconds, but it offers a fun test of hand-eye coordination that is challenging to people of all ages and skill levels. As a result, Ker Plunk was a popular favorite among skill-game enthusiasts throughout the 1960s and '70s.

The game consists of a clear plastic tube, 30 thin sticks, and 32 marbles. Play begins with the players inserting the sticks through the tube and then pouring the marbles into the top of the tube. The sticks act as a web that block the marbles at the top of the tube. At this point, the players begin to carefully remove the sticks one by one. The goal is to get the stick out without making any of the marbles sitting on top fall through. If any marbles fall through, the person who made them fall collects them. Once the last marble has fallen, players count their collected marbles, and the player with the fewest marbles wins the game.

Ker Plunk was first published by the Ideal Toy Company in 1967, then later by Mattel and finally by Tyco in 1991. Mattel also published a variant of this game called “Super Ker-Plunk!”

How to play Trouble!

Trouble! is one of those games that gets passed down from generation to generation. It's fairly easy and compact. The rules are simple, too. Trouble! can keep your family entertained for hours at a time and provide endless laughs and fun.

Step 1. Get started with the game Trouble! by placing your colored pegs in the corresponding colored holes at the edge of the board. Your opponents should do the same. Only use the pegs that you will need for the game. The rest of them can be put aside.

Step 2. Pop the dice in the middle of the board. The person who gets the highest number goes first and the game proceeds clockwise. Your peg can never be moved from the start position unless you pop a 6. You can then move forward. When a 6 is popped you can choose to either move a peg from the home base or one of your pegs that have already been moved from it.

Step 3. Move your peg forward the number of times that corresponds with the number popped by the dice. If you pop a 6 you get another turn. Each time a 6 is popped, you can continue your turn until you don't get a 6. The object of the game is to get your pegs back in your home base before your opponents do.

Step 4. Return your opponent's peg back to their home base by landing on their colored pegs if the number you popped puts you there. For instance, if you pop a 3 and you land on your opponent's peg, he or she must return the peg to their home base where they started. Be careful that you don't get into Trouble! and get sent back home.

Step 5. Approach your home base and you will see numbers marked 1 to 4 on the board. This is where you want your pegs to ultimately land. You can only move your pegs into these slots when you pop the exact number you need to move all the way into the holes. For instance, if you have a peg that you want to move into the 4 slot, and you pop a 3 then you can't move into that slot. You have to pop a 4 to move that particular peg. If you do have other pegs on the board, you can choose to move one of them.

Step 6. Pop a 4 with the dice and you could move your peg into the spot marked 4. Then you have to pop the exact number to move your next peg into the 3 slot and so on. Land in slots 1, 2, 3 or 4 and you are safe from being in Trouble! and can't be sent back to the home position by your opponent's pegs.

Step 7. Win the game when all of your pegs are in the in slots marked 1, 2, 3 or 4. If your opponents wish, they can continue the game to see who comes in next and so on.

How to Play Sorry

Sorry is a classic board game first popularized in the United States in 1934. It is descended from the many Pachisi variants (like Parcheesi), and involves moving four colored tokens from the start to the finish box at the end of the board. Gameplay uses cards to determine the way in which the pieces move, and it's possible to end up knocking opponent pieces back to the start (hence the name "Sorry!").

Step 1. Choose the color you wish to use and place your four pawns in the start box that corresponds with your color.

Step 2. Select a card from the deck and move one of your pawns according to the instructions. You must select a pawn that can move the exact number of spaces. For example, if a pawn is two spaces away from home, but you draw a card that instructs you to move three or more then you much choose one of your other pawns.

Step 3. Take advantage of slides whenever they present themselves. You must land precisely on the start of the slide in order to use it.

Step 4. Take advantage of cards that instruct you to move back by choosing a pawn that is close to the beginning. Often you can play a backward card and end up, instead of far from the home, a single move away.

Step 5. Be aware of the opportunity to send opponent's pawns back to their start. If you draw a card that would place one of your pawns on the same space as an opponent, you get to move your piece there and move your opponent's pawn to his start.

Step 6. Try to get your pawns into the "Safety Zone" (the last 5 squares closest to your home) as quickly as possible. Since they are immune to pushes (being sent back to start), you'll be able to leave them there until you draw a card that gets them home.