New to Being a Mom? Keep Yourself Sane in Case of These Four Classic “Emergencies”

September 28, 2016 by 4 Comments

There’s perhaps nothing more rewarding than being a new mother.

Likewise, there’s perhaps nothing more stressful.

Let’s face the facts: there are millions of moving pieces to being a new mom, especially if you’re a working mother. From making sure the house is clean to keeping your family fed, it’s completely normal to experience a bit of a breakdown from time to time.

However, according to the American Psychology Association, the stress associated with parenting is no joke given the following:

  • Women are exponentially more likely to experience symptoms of emotional stress such as headaches, overeating and emotional outbursts versus men

  • 56% of new mothers and married women stated their stress levels have increased within the past five years

  • Approximately 80% of family health care decisions are made by women, indicating an extra burden of responsibility on new mothers

Perhaps the best way to fight stress and keep yourself sane is to prepare for the little “emergencies” that tend to strike when we least expect them. The following emergencies aren’t life and death situations, but rather represent inconveniences that every mom should be prepared for. Stop stressing out and instead take a proactive approach to keeping your family and yourself happy when you need to the most.

Emergency Meals

You don’t have to be supermom 100% of the time: sometimes you simply don’t have the ingredients or the energy for a home-cooked meal. Instead, make sure to have some takeout options on deck. For example, keep an eye out for pizza coupons that will ensure you have a hot meal delivered quickly and on the cheap.

It’s also a good idea to invest in non-perishables and frozen meals from time to time, although such items shouldn’t necessarily become cornerstones of your family’s diet.

Having an emergency meal plan could be the difference between a happy household and an absolute nightmare.

Emergency Messes

There’s no shortage of messes to clean up when you’re a new mother. Having the following items in your pantry can help put a stop to even the stickiest of situations:

  • A solution of one cup of white vinegar, one cup warm water and a few drops of any essential oil represent a reliable all-purpose cleaner that smells awesome

  • Magic erasers (or copycat brands you can find on Amazon) can take care of kitchen messes

  • Bleach for heavy-duty clothing stains that need to be soaked away immediately

Although you can’t prevent every spill, the least you can do is be prepared.

Emergency Entertainment

Sometimes you flat out need a break from the madness, right?

There’s no shame in letting your kids veg out in front of the television from time to time. While you still need to keep an eye on them, don’t underestimate the power of a play-pen and some simple children shows. Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Hulu have just about every cartoon under the sun; likewise, they can auto-play episodes so you can relax for a while.

Emergency Supervision

Finally, make sure that you plan for emergency supervision in case you need to leave your kids alone for any extended period of time. Ideally, your spouse or parents could help: if not, consider an elderly nanny or trustworthy teenager in the neighborhood who’ll be willing to watch them for little to nothing. Of course, make sure you trust your babysitter and outline a routine for anyone watching your children.

There’s no denying the stresses that come with being a new parent. However, with the right tricks up your sleeve, you can take time to decompress and de-stress while still keeping your family happy.

Filed Under: baby Tagged With: , ,

Couponing Is The New Cool: Hints On How To Save

September 21, 2016 by 1 Comment

couponing

Couponing used to be the preserve of the elderly. It used to be something that our grandparents did. It used to be something that the younger generation would swerve sharply away from because, although it would certainly save them money, it was also very uncool. But things have changed. And now thousands of young people are choosing couponing – couponing is ‘in’.

Here are some helpful hints to get the most out of your couponing.

t’s all very well searching for great coupons and collecting them but check the expiration dates. No matter if you find the coupons online and print them out or if you clip them out of a newspaper, those expiration dates can cause havoc at the checkout. No matter how much you beg, the supermarket isn’t going to accept anything that has expired, so don’t even try. Save the coupons in date order and you should be able to use them all and not waste any of them.

Coupon Websites

Coupon websites such as the brilliant FreeCharge have a load of different coupons on their pages just waiting to be downloaded. Sign up to as many as possible and you could even get emails about the best deals. After a while you will be able to tailor your weekly shop to whatever coupons you’ve collected. Not only will this save you plenty of cash, but it could also expand your culinary experiences and get you to try things you’ve never eaten before.

Check The Junk Mail

Let’s face it, most of the time junk mail comes through the door we pop it straight into the bin. We might not even look at it. But that could be a big mistake. Instead of dumping the leaflets or booklets why not take a quick peek at them? There could be some interesting coupons lurking within those pages, and you might want to add them to your collection.

Stock Up

Even if you find a coupon for something you don’t necessarily want or need, you could still want to use them. You could stock up on useful items by buying them with the coupons and storing them at home. So what if you end up buying 40 toilet rolls? You’ll use them eventually, and if the deal is good enough it’s definitely worth it!

It’s Not Just Food

Saving money on essentials such as food and toiletries is fantastic. It’s great. It’s definitely worth doing. But the great thing about coupons in the 21st century is that it isn’t just about food. There are coupons available for pretty much everything. Want to go bungee jumping? You’ll find a coupon. Want to reduce your electricity bill? Coupon. Need to get away from it all in a gorgeous spa hotel? You’ve guessed it; there could well be a coupon for exactly that.

Couponing is definitely cool. It saves you money, gets you to try new things, and it means you’re always prepared thanks to kitchen cupboards that are bursting at the seams. What’s not to love about that?

Filed Under: saving/money Tagged With:

Three Simple Ways to “Calm Down” Your Child’s Bedroom

September 19, 2016 by 1 Comment

child room

Putting your kids to bed to be a chore; however, what happens when they simply can’t seem to get a good night’s sleep?

Conventional wisdom tells us that children under the age of thirteen should get at least nine hours of sleep per night. Additionally, failure to do could lead to a number of sleep-related problems and symptoms, including but not limited to the following:

  • Moodiness or behavioral problems

  • Trouble concentrating

  • Memory and learning problems

  • Slower reaction times

  • Overeating

Feeling helpless? Don’t panic.

Keep in mind that the culprit keeping them restless may be lurking in their bedroom, and there are steps you can improve the quality of your child’s sleep. Take quick inventory of what’s going on within your child’s sleeping space and use the following factors as starting points for creating a calmer bedroom.

Presence of Light

The presence of light in the bedroom can have a subtle yet significant effect on sleep quality. Exposure to too much light, natural or otherwise, can increase our heartrates and keep us wide awake. Therefore, consider the following small changes to naturally calm your child’s room in regard to bright lights:

  • Investing in room darkening blinds to black out disturbances outdoors such as street lights and the headlights of passing cars

  • Removing any televisions, screens or monitors from the room to ensure minimal exposure to light prior to bedtime

  • Use less intense light bulbs, dimming bulbs or blue-blocking light bulbs in the room’s lamps and/or ceiling fixtures

Bedding

Everyone is different in terms of what types of fabrics they prefer; however, you should consider how your child’s bedding may impact their ability to snooze. For example, sheets with higher-thread count doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re inherently more comfortable than cheaper, soft cotton options. Considering that the temperature can also effect sleep quality, consider investing in cool, breathable sheets.

Keeping your child’s bedding clean on a regular basis (at least once every ten days) will keep their skin from being irritated, which may also keep them up at night. Bear in mind that changing up your laundry detergent may be hard on sensitive skin: even the seemingly “small stuff” can set off breakouts in children.

Noise

Perhaps most obvious, excessive noise can keep anyone from catching some z’s. If your child’s bed is adjacent to a bedroom with a television or perhaps picks up sounds from outside, even the smallest sounds could mean interrupt them from a deep sleep.

Thankfully, you can combat such interruptions through “white noise,” essentially a constant, ambient sound that can help lull your child to bed. White noise can be achieved a number of ways, such as:

  • The whir of a bedside fan

  • The running of air purifier or dehumidifier

  • Sound conditioners and “white noise machines,” which emulate sounds such as the flow of a stream or the washing of waves on a shoreline

Although it may seem backward that creating noise can help block out other interruptions, listening to a consistent sound can help block out external, auditory distractions in the home.

It may take some experimentation to figure out what’s keeping your child up at night. However, consider first the subtle factors that you can deal with sooner rather than later as means of diagnosing the cause of the problem.

Filed Under: home, kids Tagged With: ,

The 8 Things You Need to Design an Amazing Bathroom

September 16, 2016 by 1 Comment

If you’re thinking about redecorating your bathroom (or starting from scratch and designing the best bathroom you can imagine), you’ll want to take a look at the 8 tips below to start. Designing a bathroom can be a daunting task, but with the right ideas, wherewithal and resolve, you can design an amazing room with moderate effort.

  1. Geometric shapes

Geometry is a great design element because it plays tricks on our eyes and creates optical illusions that we can use to our favor. For example, designing a white bathroom with an overlapping square pattern that starts on the floor and moves up the walls can promote continuity in the room and create the effect of receding walls. In addition to having a very “Alice in Wonderland” feel, it creates an illusion that makes a small bathroom appear larger than it is.

  1. Rethink the sink

The sink is probably the most-used feature of any bathroom. The one you choose doesn’t have to be run-of-the-mill or standard or boring. There are plenty of vintage sinks available at local garage sales or secondhand hardware shops that you can refinish or even repurpose for your unique bathroom. You can get commercial sinks or even repurpose an old metal wash tub to get an earthy rustic vibe.

  1. Go elegant

The bathroom is not always the most glamorous of rooms but that doesn’t mean it can’t be. You can add elements of class, glamour, style and elegance to any bathroom by adding a few significant accent pieces. For example, adding an oversized mirror or one with very ornate framing can add a Victorian-esque flavor to the room. An added benefit is that a large mirror can also make a small bathroom appear larger.

  1. Get artsy with it

Adding a bunch of art to the walls (or floors or ceiling) can add a lot of personality to your bathroom. Choosing different – or similar – frames can be fun and an easy way to complement the rest of the room, regardless of the overarching style you choose. Another idea is to save shopping bags from your favorite designers (Chanel, Prada, etc.), cut them into squares and then frame them. Voila! You have custom art that oozes class.

  1. Embrace regional style

Give your bathroom a style of its own by assigning a regional décor. You can add southwest flair with some terra cotta flooring, a clay vanity and warm colors throughout the room. If you can wrangle up a steer skull decoration from a local vendor, it also adds that southwestern style.

  1. Neutralize

Neutral tones are often an overlooked element that can add a cool, calm and collected look to any room. Browns, tans, greys and beiges are a nice touch to keep things simple yet stated. Making beige or an eggshell tone the base color and then accenting with deep browns and greys can add flavor to your bathroom without going overboard.

  1. Bring the outdoors in

There’s no better place to merge outdoors concepts with inside design than in the bathroom. Whether you add wood-framed pine branches, a majestic palm tree or just some maple branches in a vase, adding some green to the room literally freshens it up. Don’t be afraid to get creative with the types of plants and flowers you feature in your bathroom.

  1. Mix white with light

The best combination for any bathroom is white and light. While adding color is never a bad thing when designing a room, keeping it all white can be a nice touch, too. This is especially true if your bathroom gets lots of natural light. By pairing that natural light with a white background, you are actually emphasizing two elements that can make a small bathroom appear larger.

Choosing the style in which to redecorate your bathroom doesn’t have to be difficult. Use one or all of the ideas above to transform a blasé bathroom into an amazing space. If you have a cramped bathroom, some of these tips can make that bathroom look larger. If you have a basic bathroom that needs sprucing up, you can use more than one of the tips above to add character and class.

Filed Under: home Tagged With: , ,

A Family Vacation to New York: Things To See and Do

September 16, 2016 by Leave a Comment

new york city

Planning a family vacation to The Big Apple? With plenty to see and do for all ages you’ll be spoiled for choice. A general itinerary of the things you hope to get through can be helpful to make the best use of your time. Here are just a few of the attractions that should be on your list!

Children’s Museum of Manhattan

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan features five floors of interactive literature, science, media and art exhibits. There are various programs, workshops and lots of things to do and see. There’s even a section for under fives, as well as things to do right up to teens. An ideal attraction to visit as a family and something you’re all sure to enjoy.

Broadway Theater

Seeing an epic Broadway show is a must while you’re in New York. There are over forty professional theaters to choose from, offering a selection of incredible world class shows. You could see Aladdin, Matilda, Wicked, The Lion King and much more. Vibrant, colorful and exciting, it’s the perfect family evening out in New York. You could consider booking your Broadway tickets in advance as shows can fill up quickly.

Highline Park and Walking Path

This stunning elevated park would make a fantastic family afternoon out in New York. There are often events on for kids including things like crafts, face painting, scavenger hunts and live performances. If you fancy a break from the big, bustling city on your vacation, a trip to the park is always good. Especially when it’s one that’s this awesome.

American Girl Cafe

There’s family dining aplenty in New York, but one quirky place to consider is American Girl Cafe. Your children can bring their American Girl dolls who will be given their own seat at the table, where you’re able to have fun tea-party style lunch. It’s something entirely different, and especially great if you have a lover of American Girl dolls in the family. As well as just dining you can choose hairstyles, piercings and pampering services for the dolls. Then watch as the looks are created in front of you by expert stylists. There’s even a station where you can design clothing items. A dream experience for a little girl (or boy!) who is into this kind of thing.

Dylans Candy Bar

Dylan’s Candy Bar features a whopping three floors of candy treats, pretty much most children’s idea of heaven! It’s fun, brightly colored and exciting to walk around as well as offering a ton of variety if you’re looking to buy some sweet treats. A fantastic place to buy souvenirs for your trip, but also an experience within itself that kids will love. There are often events and things on so have a look before your trip to work out the best time to visit. Dylans Candy Bar has been successful in a number of states, but New York is the flagship store, so you get to see where it all began.

Have you ever been on a family vacation to New York? What was your favorite thing about the trip?

Filed Under: traveling Tagged With: , ,

Join Me For #TheMoodsters Twitter Party

September 13, 2016 by 1 Comment

Promo

The Moodsters Twitter Party 9-15-16 at 9p ET RSVP: bit.ly/moodrsvp

Join Blog­gin Mamas as we host #TheMoodsters Twit­ter Party on Thurs­day, 9–15–16, at 9pm EST/6pm PST! We’ll be chat­ting about The Moodsters line of products, now available at Toys R’ Us and ToysRUs.com

Date: Thurs­day, Sep­tem­ber 15th, 2016

Time: 9pm EST / 6pm PST

Hash­tag: #TheMoodsters

Pre­sented by: @BlogginMamas and @TheMoodsters

Mod­er­a­tors: Eng­lish– @HeLoEnterprises Span­ish– @BBabushka

Co-Hosts: @EnzasBargains, @BabySavers, @HaveSippy, @DonnaHup and @MamasMission

Pan­elist: @MommyPowers

About The Moodsters

The Moodsters is a first-of-its-kind brand created to educate, entertain, and enhance the social and emotional development of children.

Based on decades of research showing that emotional learning can have a lifelong positive effect on children’s behavior, school success, ability to develop empathy, and physical and emotional well-being, the Moodsters brand is at the forefront of a new emotional intelligence and wellness category for children.
Denise Daniels, CEO & Founder of JellyJam Entertainment, developed the Moodsters. Daniels is a Peabody award-winning broadcast journalist, parenting and child development expert and author who specializes in the social and emotional development of children.

The Moodsters is debuting the launch of two new emotional intelligence (EQ) teaching tools for kids: The Moodsters Feelings Notebook & Feelings Crayon Set and The Moodsters Talking Plush and Activity Book assortment.

The Moodsters Feelings Notebook & Feelings Crayon Set

The Moodsters Feelings Notebook and Feelings Crayons

The Moodsters Feelings Notebook & Feelings Crayon Set is a new tool to help children express what they are feeling through creative play. The set consists of five jumbo Feelings Crayons, each representing a different emotion (happy, sad, loving, angry, and afraid), and an accompanying 50-page Feelings Notebook in which kids can draw and color their feelings. The Notebook also offers a unique Moodster strategy for handling each key emotion.

The Moodsters Talking Plush and Activity Book assortment

The Moodsters Plush and Activity Book Set

Moodsters Talking Plush Characters represent the five Moodsters detectives, who personify the emotions that all children experience in their everyday lives: happiness (Coz), love (Lolly), fear (Quigly), anger (Razzy), and sadness (Snorf). Each plush character articulates sayings and suggestions specific to the emotions they represent, and each comes with a 32-page activity book that helps kids learn about emotions while they’re having fun.

The Moodsters Meet The Moodsters Moodsters Meter

The Moodster Meter™ is an electronic “feelings thermometer” with character voices that helps little ones learn a vocabulary for their feelings so they can express their emotions. Children move the arrow to the Moodster that represents how they are feeling, opening the door for calm communication about emotions. Includes 32-page “Meet The Moodsters” storybook.
The Moodsters A Time to be Kind Mirror

The Moodster Mirror is an electronic talking mirror to help kids learn to recognize their feelings and make the connection between feelings on the inside and facial expressions on the outside. Kids make a happy, sad, angry, scared, or loving face into the Moodster Mirror, and they are able to see what these feelings look like to others. Includes 32-page storybook, “A Time to Be Kind,” a heartwarming story that explores the meaning of friendship.

The Moodsters The Scary Sleepover with Flashlight

The Feelings Flashlight™ is an electronic talking flashlight that features the five Moodsters, Coz, Lolly, Quigly, Razzy and Snorf. Features character sayings and fun play activities so kids can explore their feelings, helping them to process and understand their emotions. Shining a light on feelings has never been easier or more fun than with The Moodsters! Includes 32-page storybook, “The Scary Sleepover”, to take the “scary” out of bedtime.

Con­nect on Social Media

Like the The Moodsters on Face­book: https://www.facebook.com/TheMoodsters

Fol­low the The Moodsters on Twit­ter: https://twitter.com/themoodsters

Tweet­share:

Dur­ing the Twit­ter Party there will be a chance to win one of the fol­low­ing prizes by answer­ing var­i­ous trivia ques­tions about The Moodsters. Win­ners will be selected at ran­dom from all eli­gi­ble entries.

Prizes
One (1) Moodster Meters with Meet the Moodsters storybook (ARV $20)

One (1) Moodster Mirror with A Time to be Kind storybook (ARV $20)

One (1) Feelings Flashlight with The Scary Sleepover storybook (ARV $20)

First Prize

One (1) The Moodsters all 5 toys/books sets (ARV $89)

Grand Prize

One (1) The Moodsters Pack­age, including all 5 toys/books sets and a $50 Toys r” Us Gift Card (ARV $139)

RSVP Prize

One (1) Moodster Meters with Meet the Moodsters storybook (ARV $20)

RSVP Below!!

Terms and Con­di­tions

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING.

By RSVP’ing to this event and uti­liz­ing the #TheMoodsters hash­tag, the atten­dees acknowl­edge hav­ing read and agreed to these terms and con­di­tions.

Twit­ter Party Prize Give­away begins Sep­tem­ber 15th, 2016 at 9:00 pm ET and ends no later than Sep­tem­ber 15th, 2016 at 10:30pm ET (the “Twit­ter Chat Entry Period”). Entrants enter via fol­low­ing @TheMoodsters, @HeLoEnterprises & @BlogginMamas, and post­ing a tweet with the #TheMoodsters hash­tag dur­ing the Twit­ter Chat Entry Period. Five (5) Win­ners will be drawn ran­domly by random.org at approx­i­mately 12 min­ute inter­vals dur­ing the Twit­ter Party Entry Period. One (1) Win­ner will be drawn ran­domly via random.org from the event RSVP’s on the Mr. Linky wid­get.

Prizes include:
One (1) prize pack, includ­ing one (1) Moodster Meters with Meet the Moodsters storybook. Total approx­i­mate retail value (“ARV”) $20, to be awarded to one (1) win­ner.

One (1) prize pack, includ­ing one (1) Moodster Mirror with A Time to be Kind storybook. Total approx­i­mate retail value (“ARV”) $20, to be awarded to one (1) win­ner.

One (1) prize pack, includ­ing one (1) Feelings Flashlight with The Scary Sleepover storybook. Total approx­i­mate retail value (“ARV”) $20, to be awarded to one (1) win­ner.

One (1) First Prize pack, includ­ing one (1) Moodster Meters with Meet the Moodsters storybook, one (1) Moodster Mirror with A Time to be Kind storybook, one (1) Feelings Flashlight with The Scary Sleepover storybook, one (1) Feelings Notebook and Crayons Set, and one (1) Talking Plush and Activity Set. Total approx­i­mate retail value (“ARV”) $89, to be awarded to one (1) win­ner.

One (1) Grand Prize pack, includ­ing one (1) $50 Toys R’ Us gift card, one (1) Moodster Meters with Meet the Moodsters storybook, one (1) Moodster Mirror with A Time to be Kind storybook, one (1) Feelings Flashlight with The Scary Sleepover storybook, one (1) Feelings Notebook and Crayons Set, and one (1) Talking Plush and Activity Set. . Total approx­i­mate retail value (“ARV”) $139, to be awarded to one (1) win­ner.

One (1) RSVP Prize pack, includ­ing One (1) Moodster Meters with Meet the Moodsters storybook. Total approx­i­mate retail value (“ARV”) $20, to be awarded to one (1) win­ner who RSVP’s via the Mr. Linky wid­get.

Each win­ner receives one (1) prize pack. Entrants who fail to com­plete said actions will be dis­qual­i­fied and an alter­nate win­ner will be selected from all entrants who entered dur­ing the Twit­ter Party Entry Period. Win­ners will be noti­fied via Twit­ter Men­tion & will need to com­plete a claim form. Win­ners will have 48 hours to com­plete the claim form includ­ing pro­viding ship­ping info, or a an alter­nate win­ner will be selected from amongst all entries received dur­ing the Twit­ter Party Entry Period. All prizes will be awarded pro­vided they are validly claimed by Sep­tem­ber 20th, 2016 at 11:59AM EST.

Entrants agree to release and hold harm­less the Blog­gin’ Mamas, Heather Lopez Enter­prises, LLC, The Moodsters, Twit­ter, and any other orga­ni­za­tions respon­si­ble for spon­sor­ing, ful­fill­ing, admin­is­ter­ing, adver­tis­ing or pro­mot­ing this give­away, and their respec­tive par­ent, sub­sidiaries, and affil­i­ates and each of their respec­tive offi­cers, direc­tors, mem­bers, employ­ees, agents and sub­con­trac­tors (col­lec­tively the “Released Par­ties”) from and against any and all claims, expenses, and lia­bil­ity, includ­ing but not lim­ited to neg­li­gence and dam­ages of any kind to per­sons and prop­erty, includ­ing but not lim­ited to inva­sion of pri­vacy (under appro­pri­a­tion, intru­sion, pub­lic dis­clo­sure of pri­vate facts, false light in the pub­lic eye or other legal the­ory), defama­tion, slan­der, libel, vio­la­tion of right of pub­lic­ity, infringe­ment of trade­mark, copy­right or other intel­lec­tual prop­erty rights, prop­erty dam­age, or death or per­sonal injury aris­ing out of or relat­ing to a participant’s entry, cre­ation of an entry or sub­mis­sion of an entry, par­tic­i­pa­tion in this give­away, accep­tance or use or mis­use of prize. Entrant agrees to indem­nify, defend and hold harm­less the Released Par­ties from and against any and all claims, expenses, and lia­bil­i­ties (includ­ing rea­son­able attorney’s fees) aris­ing out of or relat­ing to an entrant’s par­tic­i­pa­tion in this give­away and/or entrant’s accep­tance, use or mis­use of prize, includ­ing, with­out lim­i­ta­tion, lia­bil­ity for per­sonal injury, dam­age, or loss.
The Released Par­ties make no war­ranties, and hereby dis­claims any and all war­ranties, express or implied, con­cern­ing any prize fur­nished in con­nec­tion with the give­away. WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, SUCH PRIZES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND THE RELEASED PARTIES HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL SUCH WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND/OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

Dis­clo­sure: Blog­gin’ Mamas is man­ag­ing this Twit­ter Party. Indi­vid­ual co-hosts are receiv­ing com­pen­sa­tion for their par­tic­i­pa­tion. All prize ful­fill­ment is the respon­si­bil­ity of the spon­sor.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Silly Aquatic Fun in Flip Diving

September 13, 2016 by Leave a Comment

diving app

If your kids aren’t playing Flip Diving yet, they’ll probably start soon. Flip Diving is an over-the-top sports game with wild characters, tricks, and locations. It has one-button controls that are easy enough for very young children to understand. The difficulty increases as you progress, challenging older kids and adult players, too. Let’s look at the best aspects of this #1 app, now available on Poki.

From the very beginning, it’s clear that Flip Diving is kid-friendly. When playing for the first time, a warning message appears, educating gamers not to try any of the dangerous diving stunts. The only way to start the game is by reading and acknowledging the disclaimer. As a parent, this tells me that the developers aren’t showcasing reckless violence. Instead, they’re cautioning players before allowing them to enjoy a fun game that includes dangerous activities (e.g. cliff-diving into a lake).

The first round includes a walkthrough tutorial, which teaches players how to dive. Thanks to the simplicity of this tutorial, my children were able to grasp the controls instantly. All you have to do is click your mouse button to leap off of the cliff. Then, click and hold to flip mid-air. Release the button to straighten out your diver and enter the water with grace. It sounds simple because it is simple. But, just knowing how to dive is hardly half the battle.

The real challenge lies within timing. In Flip Diving, timing is absolutely everything. The moment you choose to jump will determine the initial angle and power. Then, when and how long you flip (or perform another trick) affects your momentum. If you straighten out at a less-than-perfect time, you could bellyflop or backflop, and lose points. Knowing how to time each move is what makes one player better than another. My oldest learned pretty quickly, and he mastered the Backflip Pike. Different moves require different timing, so it’s important to keep learning and adjusting while you play.

My kids truly enjoy Flip Diving because of its many characters and locations. There are really funny divers, like Big Dave and Teddy. There are also serious characters with unique attributes, such as Girl Diver and Basketball Diver. Every character looks and moves differently, which makes players want to unlock every single one. The environments are also wildly unique, ranging from a towering cliff to an ominous cave. Additional levels include special diving locations. How would you like to leap into the water from a hot air balloon? Or perhaps you’d like to perform amazing flips after swinging from a rope in the sky? These outlandish levels are super fun for everyone in our family.

In addition to the multitude of divers and environments, Flip Diving also includes over 22 tricks. These range from simple moves (e.g. Cannonball!) to advanced (e.g. Gainer Backflip Pike). Even if you didn’t watch the Summer Olympics, I bet you’ll have fun playing Flip Diving. Go ahead and compete with your young ones in the greatest arcade-sports title of 2016!

Filed Under: gaming Tagged With: ,

Desirable Destinations: Exploring Phuket

September 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Whether you are considering taking a long weekend or a trip that lasts a little longer, you should consider Phuket for your next travel destination. Travezl Phuket Tours will cover all the hotspots that you could possibly want to see, but here is a list of some of the things you simply cannot miss while you’re there.

Phuket is a stunning island of Thailand and has a fantastic nightlife. Plus, it has some fantastic all inclusive resorts, so you can party your nights away and then enjoy a long sleep on the beach when you’re too tired to go on!
1.The temples

As the main religion in Phuket is buddhism, there are a number of beautiful temples worth visiting including The Big Buddha which is a 45 metre tall statue that overlooks much of the island. These temples are often small but always welcoming, and many of them have free screenings of movies, usually of the kung fu persuasion!

     2. The Beaches

Phuket boasts 36 beaches, and most of them are as stunning as you’d expect. What more do you need on a vacation than endless amounts of sand, sun and surf?

If you manage to get bored of all that, the beachside resorts have you covered with lavish restaurants, bars and full spa facilities! So, if you just want to spend your days being pampered, massaged and beautified, that is a perfectly valid option!

The beaches of Phuket also provide breathtaking snorkeling, the crystal blue and green waters just begging to be explored. Set aside a whole afternoon and just get lost in a different kind of paradise, that is still just a hop skip and a jump away from your resort.

     3. The Nightlife

Phuket is well equipped for those who live to party, and there are numerous bars and nightclubs around every corner! You can choose to party at any number of places, there are clubs, plenty of bars, and every kind of theatrics you can think of. There are shows of actors, performers, elephants with acrobats and a number of ladyboy shows. If you happen to be in Phuket for any of the three annual festivals, the place can become even more exciting than it already was.

     4. The Rainforest and Limestone Cliffs

If you need to get out of direct sunlight for a while, you should take some time to explore the mangroves. It’s often hard to believe you are still in the same place once you get away from the noise of the beaches and crowds. It becomes quiet, the air gets just a little thicker and instead of waves you hear the trees and the birds talking to each other. Phuket does so many things well, but sometimes you just can’t beat what nature has already been doing for thousands of years.

    5. Don’t Miss These Destinations!

Fantasea Park is a shopping and adventure park hotspot with fair games all year round. The park boasts shows and elephant rides, just two of the many things that make it a really exciting and colourful place to be. If you like goofy museums and tourist attractions, you should definitely hit up the Trick Eye Museum and the Inverted House. These destinations are great fun for the whole family and provide a host of great photo opportunities! If you don’t mind getting a little roughed up, Phuket also has white water rafting (which is self explanatory) and zorbing (which is not)! Zorbing is a great activity where one or two people can get inside a giant inflated plastic ball with a little water in it and run down a giant grassy hill a few times!   

Phuket has the activities and destinations for any kind of traveler and is well worth taking some time to explore!

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