Tiny Epic Pirates Review!

 

If you love pirates, you need to check out a game called Tiny Epic Pirates. This is a action packed game in a small 5 inch x 7 inch box, I was shocked at the number of game pieces stuffed in this box. Everything pictured above came from inside of this small box & yes it all fits back into the box without any issue. It always bugs me when games won't go back into the box properly after the first time you open them. Tiny Epic Pirates is just one of many games Gamelyn Games creates & sells. This is one of the four Tiny Epic games we received to review; you can also check out the review I did of "Tiny Epic Blast Off" by CLICKING HERE. The smaller boxes mean you get the bang of a big board game, but it is easier to store, and you can bring it with you on trips. The game pieces are amazing, they are all made from high quality materials, such as the booty blocks are wood, the coins are actually metal and have a bit of weight to them. 

This game allows you to explore the seas searching for gold & booty. The game can be set up for a solo adventure if your gaming party isn't wanting to play, or you can play with up to four players. Each player will receive their own set of ships in the color of their choice, you also get to select a Captain from the deck of cards plus receive some starter booty. To pick a starter player they suggest letting the youngest go first or you can choose a method of your own to follow. We will randomly pick a starter player, or if more than one person wants to start first, we play Rock,Paper,Scissors.

The game is quick & easy to set up, the rules on the other hand will take a little getting used to as there is a LOT to read and learn when figuring out how to play this game. As with any game once your first round of play is completed, you'll have a better understanding of how the rules and game work so the next time you set sail the waters won't be so rocky. If you don't feel like reading through the booklet included there is a QR code on the front you can scan to watch an instructions video. I love how game developers are now using a bit of technology with their games to make game play easier! 

In order to win you need to sail the seas in search of gold and booty. You want to find booty so you can sell it to gain more gold, once you reach a designated amount of gold you will use it to bury a chest full of gold. The first player to bury three chests of gold wins. They do have it to where you are supposed to finish off the current round when the first person buries three chests which could lead to a tie. We don't do that, we just end it when the first person puts three chests down, it makes it a little easier for us. 

I like the assortment of Pirate Captains they have as playable characters, and the crew cards are a lot of fun as well. Every captain & crew member has a different valued dice that can help you win, and they have their own special power such as being able to have an additional move, freeing crew members from the repair bay and more. Who you select as your captain and your crew members will affect your game so pick your players carefully and try to plan a head a little. The first round you will not have any additional crew members, but you can pick some up as the game continues & they can be extremely helpful so I wouldn't skip out on adding crew members to your party. Games can last for thirty to sixty minutes; we have everything figured out now so our games as usually closer to thirty minutes which is nice for the nights, we want to play a shorter game. We think this is a great family friendly board game that would also be great for a game night with friends. 

You can pick this game up for $35. If you aren't a fan of Pirates this game is still a fun one to play, they also have a lot of other themes for their tiny games like zombies, dinosaurs and more. 

Disclaimer- Gamelyn Games provided the products above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Pop & Color with Horizon Group USA!

 

Did you know Horizon Group USA not only sells craft kits, but they also sell other products such as fun sketchbooks for kids? We recently received a Just My Style pop & color activity sketchbook that is sure to keep your child entertained whether at home or on the go. 

The "Pop" portion of the sketchbook is a pop-it fidget toy that is secured to the inside cover of the sketchbook, it is easy to get off & you can keep the cover + piece of tape so you can put it back for storage. Inside you'll find twenty pages of various activities from writing & drawing prompts to simply coloring the page in. As a bonus there is a glitter pen attached to the front and over 100 stickers for your child to use in their book or on other notebooks they may have. You can purchase this on Amazon for $12.99 & some stores such as Walmart, Target, Michaels, etc carry their products as well. 

I think this is a great set for long road trips or activities such as waiting in a doctors office where you want to keep your child entertained. Pair this with a pack of colored pencils or pens & let their imagination run free. This is geared towards ages 6-9 however there is no real age limit on enjoying coloring, plus those fidget toys can be fun to play with if you are someone who likes popping bubble wrap. I like the variety of coloring & activity pages included, each one is different from the last. Aside from maybe adding a few more pages to this sketchbook, there isn't anything about it I would change. 

Disclaimer-  Horizon Group USA provided me with the products mentioned above for the review + giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Explore nature with the Nature Adventure Pack!

 

Horizon Group USA is a well known name in our house, we love the craft kits & other products they sell. There are a number of lines that Horizon Group creates & one of those is the Young Scientist Club which currently has several STEAM related kits including the Nature Adventure Pack that I am going to tell you about today! This kit can be purchased on amazon for $24.99, however their products can often be found on sale & are also available in big box stores such as Target & Michaels. 

We enjoy being outdoors with our kids, whether it is hiking, camping or just spending the day at the park it is nice to learn a bit about the world around us. This adventure pack comes with some great hands on learning activities. You'll get to build your own mini bee house to stick outside & see if any fuzzy little bee wants to call it home, after you build this cute mini home you can read through their information booklet that teaches you about different bee species along with an assortment of butterflies. 

Your child will also be able to complete a scavenger hunt, there are fourteen activities in total include in this cute hard shell backpack. My nine year old son had a lot of fun completing all of these activities & was able to do them all on his own when he felt like completing an activity. The carrying case makes it nice to store everything since your child might not want to complete everything at once, it also makes it convenient for travel, you could even take it with on a camping trip to learn about nature while in the outdoors. I also think this would make a great birthday gift if you are looking for a fun & productive hands on present for a child in your life. 

Disclaimer-  Horizon Group USA provided me with the products mentioned above for the review + giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Arizona Science Center a great spot for hands on learning!

 

Phoenix families are you looking for a fun activity to do together before school starts back up for the year? Why not spend a few hours at the Arizona Science Center, where you'll have fun & keep the brain active while learning something new. The science center has four levels of exhibits to explore, along with their featured exhibit which changes frequently. The current featured exhibit is called "Survival of the Slowest" where you'll be able to see real life critters on display & learn fun facts about all of the different "slow" species. Tickets are $21.95 for adults & $15.95 for ages 3-17, admission includes all of their regular exhibits - tickets for the featured exhibit, planetarium, and theatre cost extra. They also sell memberships that are a one time payment & you'll be able to visit as many times through out the year as you'd like. The science center is located in downtown phoenix, the address is 600 E. Washing St. Phoenxi,Arizona 85004. 

Once you arrive, you can choose how you'd like to explore the science center, you can work your way up or down. We decided to head to the top floor & work our way down, we had arrived about 11am and wanted to attend the survival of the slowest show at 12:15pm so we made sure we were exploring the floor it was on so we didn't miss it. All the of exhibits offer hands on activities & experiences for both kids and adults to enjoy, ranging from building with Legos to digitally morphing a photo by pressing different buttons.  

The featured exhibit was personally my favorite part because they have close to two dozen different live critters for you to see up close. I was pretty impressed with how large their enclosures were for each animal, they were bigger than some zoo enclosures I've seen for animals of similar styles/species. Along the way you'll get to learn facts about all the animals plus other animals that aren't there in person. They have two shows daily where a staff member will talk about animals & even show you one or two of the animals. When we were there they pulled out the boa & let everyone touch it, then everyone had the opportunity to help feed the tortoises. 

We also stopped by to watch a presentation in the Planetarium. The kids really enjoyed the presentation on the solar system, it took you on a 360 degree virtual trip through the stars and planets. Along the way you'll learn about the solar system & take mini polls along the way answering by clicking the buttons on the handle of your chair. Who grew up learning that Pluto was a planet & thinks it should still be considered a planet vs a dwarf planet? 

During our visit we had a lot of fun exploring all of the various exhibits & getting to interact with what was available. There are so many things to enjoy at the science center that this post would end up being gigantic if I told you about everything they have to offer which is why it is best for you to check out the fun for yourself! I will also be putting together a Instagram reel highlighting some of the things we did while at the science center & you can click here to see a quick reel of some of the critters they have on display at Survival of the Slowest. 

I really enjoy that the science center isn't geared towards just younger children, teens & adults will have a great time as well. I personally like the "My Digital World" Exhibit & the "Forces of Nature"! One of the hands on activities in the my digital world area is this cylinder that is filled with tiny yellow & blue beads with one singular red bead thrown in. You are able to spin the cylinder round & round letting the beads roll as you turn it so you can try and spot the read bead, I was pretty excited when I was the first one out of my group to spot the red bead! In total we spent about three and a half hours exploring the science center, we arrived at 11am on a Saturday & were happy to find it was super crowded, plus with the way they have everything set up it allows everyone to have room to enjoy the exhibits. 

A few things to know before you go! Parking is not included with your ticket, there are several parking garages in the area however the science center will only validate your parking if you park in the Heritage & Science Park garage, you can google it or there is a map on their website showing where it is located. This will allow you to park for cheaper. They do have a snack vending machine that I spotted near the front entrance, but they do not have a restaurant at the science center so you may want to look into eating before you go, or stopping at a near by restaurant once you are done. The science center provides a list of close restaurants on the back of the map of the science center to make it easier for you to find a place to eat. If you want to really make the most of your day & beat the Arizona heat by staying indoors the Children's Museum of Phoenix is located quite close to the science center, you can find info on that by clicking here.

My family & I had a wonderful time at the science center and will definitely be keeping an eye on their social media pages to see what the next featured exhibit is. They also have various events & programs you can participate in, all of which can be found on their website. A little extra info; if you are a EBT card holder the science center is park of the Museums for all program where you can get tickets to the science center for $3 per person (you'll need to reserve your tickets ahead of when you want to visit).

Disclaimer- The Arizona Science Center provided tickets to the science center + tickets for the featured exhibit/planetarium for the review free of charge, no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Fade Away Tattoos - Do they work?

 

Have you ever thought about getting a tattoo, but you weren't sure where to put it or how you might look with a tattoo? Temporary tattoos can be a great way to test out if you'll like having tattoos & where to place them without the cost and life time commitment of a real tattoo. I was recently given a chance to work with a company called Fade Away Tattoo, they offer a selection of semi-permanent tattoos that last 1-2 weeks after putting them on. I have several real tattoos on my back & legs, but I've always wondered if I'd like one on my forearm or not and this gives me the opportunity to find out.

I've seen similar brands before & have been interesting in seeing how they turn out and if they work as advertised. When first applied the tattoo is barley visible, then over the next 24 to 36 hours the formula they use will get darker until it reaches the color it is meant to be, from the time you apply it the tattoo will last up to two weeks. One of the tips they give while you are waiting for it to develop the first twenty four hours is to wear loose clothing while sleeping to help prevent the tattoo from transferring onto another section of your skin. The amount of time it last completely depends on where you place the temporary tattoo. I tested out a small fox on my ankle which almost made it to the darkest shade & lasted a little over two weeks before I washed off the last remaining portion of the tattoo. I also tried out a series of planets & stars in a line on my wrist, only half of the tattoo became as dark as it was meant to & it washed off within a few days. The one I tried on my wrist, I believe lasted less time as I wash my hands/wrists at work quite often. 

Over the weekend my kids & I tried out a tattoo on our forearms (7/17 is when we applied them). This time around the tattoos became nice & dark, seeing the amount of details they are able to put into some of the tattoos is cool to see. The ghost tattoos I applied on my kids have faded faster than mine as they spend a lot of time in the pool, they are still slightly visible & should last another day or two. The tattoo I had applied is still very dark & hasn't faded at all. I absolutely love how the Anubis tattoo I applied on my forearm looks, and it has helped me decide that in the future I will get a real tattoo in the same spot after I figure out what I want. I have a few other tattoos I was sent that I haven't used yet, but I am looking forward to using them as well. It is fun being able to apply these & having the look of having more tattoos. My kids nor myself have had any kind of negative reaction to these temporary tattoos & if you want to get rid of them sooner than having them fade away on their own they can be scrubbed off with some body wash & a hand towel or bathing sponge. 

I do want to point out that in the instructions it tells you to remove any hair from the area you'll be applying the tattoo. I shave my arms anyway so that wasn't a big deal for me, when it came to my kids I didn't want to shave their arms especially given that they have fine baby hairs anyway so we just applied the temporary tattoos over them. The tattoos still applied & worked just fine, the image below is about 24 hours after we had applied the tattoos & they did get darker as time went on. Unless the area you are applying your temporary tattoo on is overly hairy, you should have able to get away with applying the tattoo to thinly hair areas without issue. Update 7/28 - It has now been eleven days since I originally applied the Anubis tattoo. A large majority of the tattoo is still intact however the outer edges of the tattoo such as his ears and the geometric shapes/lines in the back are significantly lighter as you can tell it is starting to fade. When it gets to the point where enough is missing & you'd like to remove it, some light scrubbing with a wash cloth + soap will remove the rest of it.

Fade Away Tattoo has a growing collection of tattoos to choose from, I got lucky & found several designs I liked and look forward to them adding more. Prices range from $2.34 for a small tattoo up to $16 for large tattoos. If you can't decide what you'd like or want a surprise they have mystery packs available to purchase. The shipping was quick & it came with easy to follow instructions on how to apply your tattoo (works just like the fake tattoos you might have used when you were a kid). If you aren't from the US, no need to worry as the company ships worldwide with a page that goes over how long it takes to ship to each country.

Prize Alert:
I asked Fade Away Tattoos to send me a mystery bundle to use for a giveaway. Thus one lucky winner will receive a black Fade Away Tattoo envelope with three mystery items in it. 

This is open World Wide! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME.

This giveaway ends on 08/08/2022 Giveaway has been extended until 8/11/22

Giveaway entry question: Leave me a blog comment telling me what your favorite design is from their collection of temporary tattoos. 

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Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Fade Away Tattoos for the review & giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Tiny Epic Galaxies Blast Off Review!

Whose ready for a new board game review? This time around I am sharing a great company who is based out of Arizona! The company is called Gamelyn Games & they are the creators of the Tiny Epic Games series. I was recently sent three of their games along with an expansion to play & review with my family. I will be featuring each game in it's own post starting off with this first post featuring a game called "Tiny Epic Galaxies BLAST OFF". This game is one of the newest games in their collection & can be purchased for $20, it is designed for 2-4 players ages 8+. The series is called the Tiny Epic Game series due to the size of the game boxes & game pieces, the boxes are the game measure 7" long with a width just under 5" which makes these games easy to store & to travel with. I could easily pack this into my suitcase, backpack or purse to play while on vacation or during travel. 

Blast Off is a game where you will explore the universe trying to conquer as many planets as you can. Each planet is worth a set amount of points which will be added to your grand total, the first player to reach twenty-one points wins. Your first round might be a little chaotic as you learn the rules & get used to the game and it will get easier the next time you play, the rules are fairly easy to learn & you will be able to learn them quickly. If you are struggling to understand the rule book there is a QR code you can scan which will play a video of what to do. I like that they include the instructional video as some people are better visual learners. I also like that the inside of the lid also doubles as a dice tray.  All of the game pieces & player cards are very detailed and bright in color, it is fun seeing all of the different planets the cards feature.

So how do you play? Everyone starts off on the same level which you are see in the card below, so you'll automatically be able to roll four dice, have two ships & start at zero points, plus you'll start with two energy & one  culture. You will also notice that each player card has a red column which signifies how much energy or culture you will need to "upgrade" your level which unlocks more dice, ships & points to use to win. The game does rely on the luck of the dice, but there are also ways to create your own luck. You can spend an energy to re-roll all of your un-used dice (I will explain this below) or your can use either an energy or culture to use the converter once changing one dice to any face you'd like. 

After rolling the dice, you will complete the tasks in any order you choose by "activating" the dice which means placing them into the square slots on the activation bay card. The squares that are yellow will allow another player to use a culture to "follow" or copy your move and complete the same action themselves. If you pay attention to the other players during game play it can come in handy for how you decide to complete your tasks. Once a dice is on the activation bay it is a "used" dice and any other dice left in the dice tray are "un-used" which you can re-roll given you have the energy to pay to do so.

 A dice with a rocket ship will all you to place your ship on any open planet which gives you two spots to land, one is a track you'll need to climb to claim the planet & the other option is to land on the planet itself giving you the resources list at the bottom of the card. You can only have 1 ship per track & 1 ship per surface on the planet cards. You climb the track by playing dice that match the same symbol on the track & once you reach the top that planet is yours & can be placed under your player mat like shown above. You will still have access to use the resources on the planet card if you use the Utilize galaxy dice, it will give you access to upgrade your player track or use one planet recourse. The handy rulebook that comes with the game will tell you what each symbol on the planets mean so you can properly claim your resource. For example if you look at the top right planet card on the photo above that has the "5" points, this card means that all other players will gain one culture token & you will gain two. Some cards benefit only you and others benefit everyone, play these cards wisely or you could end up giving someone else the win. 

We've played this several times together as a family now & we've also played with just three people, having the hang of how the game goes now the rounds go by fairly quickly. We enjoy pulling this out when we are looking for a quick simple game to enjoy in between other plans we have going on, a game can last anywhere from twenty to forty minutes depending on how everyone plays & how the dice is rolled. We can't wait to check out the other two games in the Tiny Epic series we were sent to check out. If you love board games or are looking for a good place to start this is a fun game to check out, I highly suggest heading over to their website and seeing what their game catalogue has to offer you.

Disclaimer- Gamelyn Games provided the products above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

July Beauty & The Book Giveaway!

 

This first week of July really flew by for me! The start of a new month means it is time for a new beauty and the book giveaway, which of course is the reason you are reading this post in the first place. As the name suggests I combine two of my favorite things to giveaway each month books & beauty products. It is a great way to enjoy a new book while pampering yourself, the items are different each time I put these together so if you don't like this month's bundle, keep an eye out for next month. 

Coming up this month I will have some new reviews along with some fun giveaways (board games, temporary tattoos and more). We are currently in the hot month's of summer so we don't typically travel out of the city a lot during this time, plus my car needs a bit of work so I will post more camping/travel destinations once the weather starts to cool down a bit.  For all of my giveaways the mandatory entry is to leave a comment answering a question at the end of the post. The world has been a crazy place the last few years & it is easy to get lost in the sea of sad news stories, rising prices and more so it is nice to stop once in a while and remember to appreciate the good moments that make you smile, make you happy & help brighten up your week. So this month's question is related to that 😊, to answer the question myself; Something that has made me happy recently is that quite a few of the bands I love recently put out new albums that I am loving, my kids have been having a great summer & have been able to spend some time with their close friends, my car has been having some issues but I am thankful that I have the capabilities to fix those issues myself along with a supportive husband + step-dad that help me when I need it. 

This month's giveaway includes:

★ Hard cover copy of "Trial by Fire"
★ Amika Dry Shampoo Travel Size
★ Amika Instant Shine Mask
★ Amika reusable shopping bag
★ Bath & Body Works Lotion
★ Puremix Shampoo/Conditioner Samples x2
★ Mad Hippie Samples x3
★ Jelly Bath Bomb (it smells so good!)
★ Under eye mask
★ Smashbox Lipstick
★ Elf Lipstick
★ Maybelline Lipstick
★ QUR 360 Lip Balm
★ Perfume Sample in a floral scent
★ Nail File & Buffer
★ Trestique Eyeliner
★ Scentered balm set

This is open World Wide! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME.

This giveaway ends on 7/30/2022

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment telling me about something that made you happy recently, or something you are grateful for!

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You can complete as many entries as you want, there are several one-time activities and daily activities that can earn you more entries into the giveaway. Be sure to keep an eye on my site & social media pages for more giveaways headed your way.