#NiagaraChocolates Party with #Tryazon

 What a fun party opportunity! We were so excited to be able to host a #NiagaraChocolates party with Tryazon.

I grew up selling Niagara Chocolates for school fundraisers, so it was fun to be able to try out their new products at our party! Each batch is handcrafted locally in Buffalo, NY, but they are now sold in stores across the country. I was impressed by their updated packaging. We got to sample their bars, clusters, and cups - I was familiar with their bars from growing up, but the clusters and cups were a new twist on familiar, yummy flavors.

Everyone at the party got to try three flavors of clusters: Roasted Peanut, Salted Almond, and Toasted Coconut. Of those, party favorites were almost evenly split between the almond and coconut flavors, with coconut winning out by a narrow margin. Everyone also had a chance to try three flavors of cups: Chocolate Lovers, Sea Salt Caramel, and Peanut Butter. There was no clear winner in this category - the favorites were almost equally distributed between the three varieties. My personal favorite were the Chocolate Lovers cups. Lastly, everyone got to try five types of chocolate bars: Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Almond Toffee, and Salted Almond. The favorites of these were split between the Milk Chocolate and Almond Toffee varieties.

Everyone had a chance to vote on their overall favorite of all the chocolates they sampled. The overall winner was the Toasted Coconut Clusters, followed closely by the Salted Almond Clusters.

#NiagaraParty #NiagaraHandcrafted #Tryazon

#LiquidSculpeyEarrings Party with #Sculpey and #Tryazon

 Last weekend I got to host a super fun Liquid Sculpey party with Tryazon! Nothing better than a night of crafting, friends, and food! The Liquid Sculpey is easy to use, and I love that the Sculpey molds we used allowed us to be creative while still maintaining control of the earring shape. 

The Liquid Sculpey starts out the consistency of school glue, with somewhat muted colors. However, when you bake it following the included directions, the Sculpey hardens and its colors become vibrant. The molds have built-in earring holes, making the process of converting your product into jewelry much simpler. Further, the Sculpey is lightweight so it is perfect for earrings! 

#SmartGames Learning Fun Party with #Tryazon

We loved playing games at our Tryazon SmartGames Learning Fun Party! We got to try some new games (Froggit, Smart Farmer, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Coral Reef) as well as some of our old favorites (Color Code, IQ Puzzler Pro, and Little Red Riding Hood). We enjoyed popcorn and socialization as we played and everyone had a great time!

I love that most of the games can be played individually and allow for the player to develop problem solving skills as they work through increasingly complex levels of difficulty. Even better, all of the games were fun for kids and adults alike!

Smart Farmer

Smart Farmer is a fun single-player puzzle game. The object of the game is to place fences on the board in a way that allows each of the farm animal types to have a separate pasture. Each puzzle is contained in an easy-to-follow book (you have to set up the animals and water troughs in different configurations for each one) that progresses in difficulty. The pieces feel sturdy and well-made, and the games is fun for both younger and older players (school-age and up). I recommend Smart Farmer for your puzzle-loving, problem-solving children!

Jack and the Beanstalk 

Jack and the Beanstalk is a single-player problem solving game that is great for young school-age children. The object of the game is to replicate a configuration of tiles on a vertical board to illustrate some of the fun aspects of the classic Jack and the Beanstalk story. What makes the game tricky is that the tiles flip as they move down the board, so the player must think about the spatial orientation of each tile that is placed to make it land the right way. The pieces feel well-made, and I love the tile-flipping aspect of it. The cloud and castle at the top make for a fun addition to the aesthetics of the game, but are not a part of actual gameplay. Also fun is the included picture book (no words, so it's easy for non-readers or speakers of other languages to follow as well) showing the story of Jack and the Beanstalk!

Froggit

A fun game for the whole family, Froggit combines crafty planning and competition to see which player can move their frogs all the way across the board first! But beware of the fish in the center of the board - in the right circumstances, the other players may move the fish to "eat" your frogs and send them back to the start. This game allows for 2-6 players. The board unfolds to a fairly large size, and the frog and fish pieces are well-made and big enough for smaller hands to easily manipulate. The directions required a careful read-through to make sure we were understanding at first, but we all quickly caught on and now have a lot of fun playing!

#SilknHairRemoval Party with #Tryazon

We had a fun and informative virtual Tryazon party via Zoom last week. We got to highlight the Silk'n Infinity Hair Removal Device. This handy little tool is an easy-to-use, at-home hair removal device that gives permanent results. How cool!

 

At our party, I did a demonstration of how to use the product. It works best for light or medium skin tones and medium to dark hair. It uses a light pulse to destroy the hair in a way that it won't grow back. The top has a small rectangular "window" that flashes the light. It also has a safety sensor that makes sure it gives a pulse that is safe for your skin tone, and that the device is flush with your skin so the light won't damage your eye. You simply put it up to your skin in the area you want to remove hair from, then push the button and it flashes. Then you move it to the next area and push the button again. Once you've treated the whole area where you want to remove your hair, you can apply some lotion to help your skin retain its moisture. You can continue treatments every few weeks until the hair is all removed. It is more affordable than spa treatments, plus you can do it in the comfort of your own home!

#SpinMaster RC Party with #Tryazon

 

Last week, we had the fun opportunity to host a Spin Master RC Party with Tryazon. We all had a chance to try out some fun toys:

• Monster Jam Megalodon Storm: This fun RC truck is heavy-duty and able to be driven outdoors.  It can even drive on water! The kids love the megalodon shark design. It looks like a real Monster Jam truck!
• Ninja Bots: These fun little battling robots were a favorite with the little kids. They come with several different battle "weapons" like a racket, a hammer, a boot, and a slotter turner. The kids loved how wild the robots moved around when they battled. 
• Air Hogs Stunt Shot: A fan favorite! This lightweight RC car has a lot of speed and flipping ability. The wheels are soft so they don't damage anything. The whole thing is super light, so the kids love driving it up ramps and off the coffee table and over people. It is fun and easy to control.

Overall, we had a really fun time and we were excited for the opportunity to try out these fun new toys. 

#RazorBlockParty with Tryazon

 

We recently had a blast trying out the new Hovertraz Prizma hoverboard from Razor Worldwide at our Tryazon #RazorBlockParty! This hoverboard was fun for both kids and adults alike. Everyone who tried it learned how to ride it quickly and easily. The age limit states 8+, but the younger kids enjoyed the ride as well with the help of an adult and wearing a lot of safety padding. 

 The hoverboard moves easily and allows you to go forward, backward, and turn around with just slight movements of your feet. The battery lasts about 40 minutes, allowing lots of friends to have a turn. There are color-changing lights on the wheels and front of the hoverboard as well, adding to the fun! I recommend a Razor Hovertrax Prizma for the older kids, tweens, and teens in your life who like to move and groove!

#ReadtheDream Book Club

Thanks to @StMartinsPress and @SheSpeaksUp, I had a chance to read Diane Chamberlain's new book The Dream Daughter. It was an intriguing read that kept me up too late turning pages. I loved the story. As a mother myself, it tugged at my heart strings and I needed to know what happened with Carly and her daughter. I, personally, enjoyed the ending and I'm happy with how it turned out. Will you? You'll just have to read it to find out! Check it out here: smarturl.it/DreamDaughter. #ReadtheDream #Ad

Tryazon Party: #CODENAMES Disney from #USAopoly!

At our house, we love playing CODENAMES and we love Disney! So, of course, I jumped at the chance to host a CODENAMES Disney Tryazon Party! We all had a great time with fun gameplay, silliness, yummy food, and staying up way too late...

The original version of Codenames is a blast, and the Disney version adds enough of a unique twist to make it even more awesome. I love that there are pictures on each card, with the corresponding word on the back. The pictures make the game more engaging and accessible for younger kids. The words mimic the original version, but also serve to help players who may be less familiar with Disney movies to identify who/what the card is actually showing. I also love that there are setup cards with two different levels of difficulty - a 5x5 grid with assassin for the more advanced players, and a 4x4 grid with no assassin for an easier game. All in all, it is a super fun game that I would recommend for any Disney fan in your life.

Tryazon Party: #Ogosport #EscapeTheIndoors

We had a blast at our #Ogosport #EscapeTheIndoors party from Tryazon! We got to test out a lot of products and enjoy the June sunshine on the first day of Summer!! We tried out the OgoDisk H2O, OgoPaddle Ball, Splash Tail, and Glove-A-Bubbles. We found the products to be fun for a variety of ages - a great way to beat the heat! My kids especually loved the Splash Tail and the Glove-A-Bubbles.

The OgoDisk H2O were fun to use with water balloons. They had a good stretch to them, allowing the balloons to land gently and bounce back easily. They were also fun to get wet abs throw like a Frisbee, splashing water drops at everyone around them.

The Paddle Balls were fun, too, though suitable for a little bit of an older audience than we had at our party. I would say they would be really fun for ages 8ish and up. The 5 and 6 year Olds really weren't coordinated enough to use them well. The adults at the party found them fun! We liked the bright summery designs (waves and surfboards!) and the light wood.

The Splash Tail was a big hit with the kids! They liked to load up a water balloon and launch it at their friends. It allowed them to throw the balloon better than they could with their hands. And an added bonus - the sling caught all the water balloon pieces so we didn't have to go gather them out of the grass!

At the end of our party, we all got to play with the Glove-A-Bubbles! The kids loved the fun characters. They were able to make a lot of bubbles all at once, which was fun too. They were a little difficult for the smaller hands to use (the 2 and 3 year olds struggled to keep the glove on their hands). The packets of bubble solution were a bit tricky, too, since they tended to hold their folded over shape. It was hard to navigate the glove into the bag with one hand while also holding the bag up and open with the other hand. In the future, I would put the bubble solution in a wide flat container (like an upside down Frisbee) and just have the kids dip and go. The packets were nice because they could be resealed though!

All in all, a really fun party and a great way to spend time outside! Thanks Tryazon and OgoSport!

Culturelle Digestive Health Women's Healthy Balance from Smiley 360

I got to try a #FreeSample of Culturelle Digestive Health Women's Healthy Balance probiotics thanks to Smiley 360! They were easy to add to my daily morning routine, and I felt like I was making a healthy choice for my digestive system. I would recommend Culturelle probiotics to my female friends who are looking to start or maintain a healthy lifestyle. Check them out here!

Tryazon Tryabox: Strictly Briks!

What a fun Tryabox from #Tryazon! We got to try out #StrictlyBriks - my kids and I both loved them! We got a set of AlphaBriks and MathBriks that came with a baseplate and a handy storage bag. The letters, numbers, and symbols add a whole new dimension to our building. They attach easily to the baseplate, and they are super easy to remove because of the way they are designed. The Trap and Gap sets (we got a "Big Brik" one that is compatible with Duplo-type bricks and a regular one that is compatible with traditional Lego-type bricks) are fun and add a creative dimension to our building. The Big Brik Trap and Gap has 4 separate "gates" that can move up or down away from the main baseplate. Two of those gates have extending platforms that slide out from the bottom. This can change the angle that the ramp hits the ground below making it more compatible for whatever vehicles or objects might be passing through. The regular Trap and Gap baseplate has 2 "gates" in it, each with an extending platform. The regular set also came with Stackers, tall bricks that can be used between baseplates to build higher faster. We also received several extra baseplates and a bag each of big bricks and small bricks to enhance our building experience. Overall, Strictly Briks work well with our current collection of bricks, and they add a fun new dynamic to the way we play. I would highly recommend them to any brick-enthusiast to add to their collection.

Tryazon Party: The #3Doodler Start #PowerpuffYourself Party

We had a great time trying out the #3DoodlerStart 3D pen from #3Doodler, thanks to #Tryazon. The pen is super easy and fun to use. My daughter loved imagining herself as a Powerpuff girl. How will you #PowerpuffYourself?!

The 3Doodler Start is a fun tool for kids to create their own 3D objects. I like the Powerpuff Activity Set because it provides a little inspiration/guidance for my kids while allowing them to still express their own creativity. The pen itself is pretty simple to use. It charges with a power cord, but is cordless when you're using it. It fits well in all hand sizes. There is an on/off switch and a single button for operating the extruder. The plastic comes out at a good rate, in my opinion - it's not too fast to control. The tip gets warm, but not too hot for kids. While it was on, I could touch the tip without any problem. My kids had fun with it, but had a little bit of trouble keeping the tip at a good distance from the plastic they'd already doodled. This led to less-than-smooth results, but the kids didn't mind. The plastic strands were used up quickly, so be prepared to use A LOT of plastic to make these Powerpuff Girls. The flat molds that come with it are easy to use and make doodling easier for me. The head mold was tricky - the plastic didn't stick to it well, so I found myself trying to hold the mold, the plastic, and the 3Doodler all at once. It got tricky. Overall, we had a fun time learning to use this. I would say this would be great for kids 7 to 10 years old.

SmartGames Smart Kids (and Adults!) Tryazon Party

Recently, I hosted a SmartGames Smart Kids (and Adults!) Tryazon party. We had a blast! We were able to test out 3 different games designed for younger kids: Little Red Riding Hood, Color Code, and IQ Puzzler Pro. My 4 year-olds loved playing with the Red Riding Hood game, especially. Each game can be played individually, and each has more "expert" levels that are fun and engaging for older kids and even adults! I love that my kids can sit down and play on their own while actively using their brains. My favorite game, and the choice of the older kids at the party as well, was IQ Puzzler Pro. The levels of the game range from easy to quite challenging, and I love that it comes in a compact carrying case - it makes it a great little treasure for road trips or to keep the kids quiet during church. :)

Overall, I really enjoyed the games and sharing them with friends. My kids have already asked if we can get the games for some cousins and friends for Christmas gifts - I think it's a great idea!

Tryazon Party: The #3Doodler 3D Pen!

What a fun product!! We were able to try out the #3Doodler Create 3D pen at a #Tryazon party. The pen is simple to learn how to use. We loved using our imaginations and creating different objects - the possibilities are endless! My guests commented that they don't normally get a chance to sit down and create with their hands as that's typically more of a kids' arts & crafts type thing, so they were grateful for a chance to let their imaginations run wild! For the less creative types, we also looked up some stencils on the 3Doodler website and modified them for our creative desires. The boys had a fun time trying to create a structurally sound tower using as few strands of plastic as possible - and they laughed the whole time! It was a fun, relaxing, engaging evening for everyone. I highly recommend checking out the 3Doodler for any creative, fun-loving adult in your life.

ob tampons with Smiley360

I recently tried ob tampons for free with Smiley360. They are tampons with no applicator. There is less waste and they are more discreet! I found them easy to use and effective at protecting against leaks. They were comfortable and helped me feel confident. Check them out here: http://h5.sml360.com/-/2t86g

Tilt SpinTales Jungle Rug Tryazon Party

We had a fun party trying out the Tilt SpinTales Jungle Rug thanks to Tryazon! The rug itself is high quality. It seems durable - I imagine it will hold up to my kids' use for many years. The colors are bright and the images are fun and engaging for my children. The rug makes a great quality standalone product, but it comes with the added bonus of working with an interactive app! The app has 3 different stories that children can navigate through on their own. The app uses augmented reality with certain picture markers on the rug to make the rug "come alive" and include your children in the stories. App users can play mini games/activities within the stories as well. For example, one of the stories included a character doing yoga poses and the kids can select different poses and follow along. The app is decent quality - the graphics are okay but not spectacular. I sometimes had a hard time matching the markers on the rug to activate the augmented reality. The storylines didn't really seem cohesive to me, as an adult, but the kids liked them. The 2- and 3-year-olds could work the app and seemed engaged by it. We used an iphone and an ipad to test out the app; the children seemed to prefer the ipad because of the bigger screen.

There is also a Tilt SpinTales Enchanted Duvet set that looks fun to try out. I'm sure my kids would enjoy this as well! I received a free product to host my party and facilitate my review, but all opinions are my own.

Culturelle Kids Regularity Gentle-Go Formula

I was sent a free sample of Culturelle Kids Regularity Gentle-Go Formula from Smiley360. This is an easy-to-use probiotic that has worked great with my kids. It is simple to add to their yogurt, applesauce, or juice. They don't seem to notice a difference in flavor, but I notice a difference in their regularity. It has been awesome to use while potty training my 3 year olds. Check it out!

EQtainment QWunder Party

What a fun set of products! I was able to host a QWunder Party thanks to Tryazon and EQtainment. These are designed to help kids develop good social skills and behaviors in preparation for school and, well, life in general. We got to meet Q, an adorable little monkey that helps kids to calm down and focus. The stuffed animal is weighted, and when it sits on the kid's tummy it helps them calm down, breathe, and refocus. We also played the Q's Race to the Top game. This was simple enough for our 3-year-olds, but fun enough for all the adults to enjoy as well. The Q, You, and Do cards each have different questions or activities designed to develop good emotional intelligence. The Q cards present a situation about Q and ask a question about how he should react in the situation ("Q didn't like a gift his friend gave him. What could he say to his friend?"). The You cards ask a question to help the kids think and process the world around them ("What rules are good rules and what rules do you think should be changed? How could we change them?"). The Do cards have to do a fun/silly activity to get you moving and interacting with one another ("Grab a friend and do a wheelbarrow walk across the room and back."). We loved interacting and learning and playing together at our party! We also There is also a fun QWunder show and app that coordinate with the other products. It was fun for the kids to watch the show and see their monkey "alive." We had a great time learning about each other and interacting at our QWunder party. 

Oodles of Fun Cupcake Party with Sweet Creations and Tryazon

I had the chance to throw a fun Oodles of Fun Cupcake Party thanks to a free party pack from Tryazon and Sweet Creations by Good Cook. Included in the fun party pack was OodleTip Stars, a cupcake/cake pop stand, cupcake corers, cupcake dividers, cupcake scoops, cupcake liners, and cupcake boxes. We were definitely able to highlight the awesomeness of cupcakes and of the Sweet Creations products at our party!

We started off the party by making cupcakes. The flavor of choice was a festive fall caramel apple cupcake. The kids loved putting the cupcake liners into the cupcake pans - it was the perfect activity for them to do while the adults chatted and mixed the batter. We all loved trying out the cupcake scoop. It was nice to not get batter dripping all over our hands and the pans. The scoops held the batter well and were easy to use. We felt they provided an efficient, clean way to get a uniform amount of batter in each liner. As the cupcakes baked and cooled, we made frosting and discussed how we would fill the cupcakes. We tried a few different varieties. We had caramel apple frosting and buttercream frosting. For some of the cupcakes, we cored them and filled them with caramel then topped with buttercream. For others, we didn't core them, but mixed both frostings together on top for an aesthetically pleasing, fun, delicious cupcake. The OodleTip was so easy to use! We were able to cut the tip to form the type of star we wanted. We filled it with the desired frosting, and had fun topping the cupcakes. My favorite part? Clean-up was a breeze, because the OodleTip bags are disposable! Just use and toss. When we were done frosting, we drizzled caramel on the top of the cupcakes and displayed them on our cupcake stand. They looked great! I loved being able to enjoy the cupcakes with my friends, and having the boxes to send some home in, too. All in all, it was an awesome party with fun friends and great products. Thanks Tryazon and Sweet Creations!

Poland Spring Sparkling Water

I was able to try Poland Spring Sparkling Water from Smiley360. I like the taste of the Raspberry Lime flavor. It is sweet and citrus-y without being too overpowering. I definitely recommend drinking it chilled and/or over ice - it is super refreshing that way. I love that it's a healthier alternative to sugary soft drinks. I received a free sample of this product in exchange for my honest review.