Bringing the Galaxy to Our Game Room

What used to be a closet, has become our Nerd Room. Or Game Room. Or Man Cave. It kinda fits all those descriptions depending on who you ask in this household. From the 3D printed light switch cover and electrical outlet covers, to the shelves displaying Star Wars, Star Trek, Minecraft, and Zelda collections, this room is being made into our dream room. We have been running out of space though lately. Which is where space comes into play....

My husband and I both love space. But for different reasons. He loves true space. Vast, beautiful and unfathomable. I love space in movies. Star Wars, Star Trek, Serenity - I'm that space nerd. But they are essentially the same thing. So we came to an idea together. What if our Nerd Room was given a makeover that brought space inside?? It isn't a big room. Like I said, it used to be a closet for the previous owners. A large walk-in closet, but a closet still. 

So we looked up. After all, where are the stars usually? Up! There was an ugly popcorn plastered ceiling above us. Normally, I'd want to remove everything from the room. Lay down some plastic sheeting. Hit the tunes. And then begin the process of scraping or sanding off all that plaster. But that takes time. And removes the gaming room from existence for a period of time that would be unbearably long to my many gamers in this house. I thought we were going to have a nuclear meltdown when my TV quit working on me... We could only play from one console and it about killed the kids. 

So what do I do? The next best thing! We bought a gallon of black paint. Flat. Nothing too fancy. And because I couldn't remove everything from the room indefinitely, I carefully started painting the ceiling by hand with the biggest brush I had in my crafting supplies. Time consuming, sure, but totally worth the final effort. 

Each time I got to painting, I set timers or had the kids time me. About 20 minutes was my goal. Once or twice I was able to push it to 30-40 minutes. By then, my hands and feet had that painful tingling and numb feeling. As well as arms and neck that hurt from being upward turned for too long. 

My starting point was around the light fixture as my husband was planning to install a new fan/light combo that he chose. I slowly circled outward from there. And it looked much like those psychiatry ink blots.

So my kids came up with ideas on what the shapes looked like. My youngest would give me a 5 minute story to go with her ideas. And then a friend pointed out that it looked like the Nothing from The Neverending Story.

This is where I learned that my husband had never seen that movie! Which then prompted me to borrow it from the library and have a family movie night. My kids laughed at it and said it was cool, but weird. My husband thought it interesting. He laughed at the boy reading and said it reminded him of me.

My three older kids started chipping in to help me. It made the progress go by faster. And we had fun talking while we worked. Shapes and blackness kept spreading along the way.

Notice those shapes going from the ceiling to the wall? That was not me making a mess. Nor was it accidental. I did that on purpose with the idea that it would look like the roof had been torn away to let the galaxy in. I'm no artist, but I think it worked out alright.

The finished product of all this work was a scene better than I could have thought. See those white flecks? This is what happens when you paint over the popcorn texture by hand. It is nearly impossible to cover all the angles. So you are left with parts that look like stars shining through the darkness.

The final part of the job was to get the outline of a moon left white. My husband had to do this. My attempt had it looking like a stretched out half moon.

Now that my moon is in place, the entire ceiling is finished and we are ready to add some exploration vehicles!

Oh, didn't I tell you? We have these LEGO sets that were space themed. They have been sitting in their boxes for years. Just never had a place to display them. But we had this great idea. What if we could hang them from the ceiling? What if the land vehicles are parked on the shelf under the night sky? 

But then...

Before I could finish this post and share it with you, there was a bit of an accident. A hole was punched through the ceiling during a wiring attempt for another home project. So now we have a black hole. *Pun totally intended!* It was an interesting patch job that I hope not to have to repeat. How well can you tell the difference??

Eventually, my husband and I will start hanging the rocket and satellite builds. Then I have to figure out the shelf for the ground vehicles. But for now, I think we have a pretty unique setup going. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! I love hearing from you. Any ideas on how to improve this?

Get Your Family and Friends and Astro Trash!

Back to school has kicked in. Families are falling into routines again. But maybe you need help to break the monotony? Time to fall in love with board games again, folks! This family friendly game is all about speed and fun. We totally enjoyed it and I think you will too. 

*Disclaimer: I was sent this game by Tryazon and USAOpoly for the sole purpose of introducing it to others. It was sent free of charge. All opinions are my own.*

This game is for 3-5 players, any of whom are over the age of 6 years. It is very fast paced. There aren't 'turns'. Its a roll until you've emptied your 'planet' of trash. But be careful to watch your neighbors. You don't want them to clean up their planet first! You keep resetting and playing until someone gets 3 trophies. Each round is about 10-15 minutes. This game is better suited to small parties or just family gatherings. That's the quick explanation. Now, let's break it down!

So how does it go? 

Quite simply, actually. Every player gets to grab a planet. They also get 3 dice each. The dice tell you what trash, how many and what to do with it for every roll. You begin the round by saying, 1, 2, 3, ditch it! Then you keep on rolling, following the dice and getting rid of the trash on your planet as quickly as possible. The first one to clear it all, gets a trophy. You reset the trash and start again. Keep repeating until one player has 3 trophies! 

Where can I get a copy for myself? 

So very glad you asked! Target and Amazon both carry it. So pick one up in the store or order it online. 

Who came up with this? 

USAopoly! They are the makers of other great tabletop games. Ever heard of Munchkin? How about Clue? Trivial Pursuit? They all came from the same parent company! If you liked any of those, you should enjoy this one equally.  

Want to see it in use? 

Check out my video below and let me know what you think! What is your favorite aspect of this game?

Watch Ya Mouth and Bring On the Fun Times!

Our family enjoys a good board game from time to time. Especially when we head up to my in-laws. It is a wonderful way to connect, relax and even learn a little more about each other. Which is why I'm happy to introduce you to Watch Ya Mouth!

*Disclaimer: I was chosen through my association with US Family Guide to write a review on this product. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed. All opinions are my own.*

What kind of gamer are you? Simple games? Quick games? Family-oriented? Well, we like branch out. We like to get silly. This game brings silly to the table.  

Quick facts about the game:

• Best for ages 8 and up
• For 3-10 players
• Comes with 2 sizes of mouth pieces, big and small! (Dishwasher safe!)

 You get 200 cards with references from the 90's that you have to say while wearing the mouth piece. And your team uses the timer to try and guess what it is you are really saying. The more your team guesses correct before the timer runs out, the more you score! You go 4 rounds and rake in as many points as you can!

Remember when scrunchies were cool? When "yo", "that's dope" or "that's tight" were common expressions? How about the phrase, "Party in the front and business in the back"? Leave me a comment below if you know what that refers to! Well, this game brings those things back in full force. 

The mouth piece reminds me of the headgear I used to wear with braces....

Playing this game was hilarious! My 8 year old son was winning the most. We played it again when my in-laws came down for Thanksgiving. We laughed so very much. And as they say, laughter is the best medicine!  
Watch Ya' Mouth 90s Edition will take you back to a brighter, more simple time when Scrunchies were cool and Marky Mark was a musician. With the 90s bundle, you get twice the content and nostalgia for days! That's tight, yo!

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Watch Ya' Mouth: 90's Edition combines the game play you've come to know and love with the nostalgia of all things 90's
Bangin' phrases such as "Billy Ray's Mullet" and "Gameboy" will bring it all back for a night of dope fun!
3-10 players wear cheek retractors and speak out 90's phrases while teammates guess what they are saying
Includes 300+ Family-Safe phrases. Great for all ages including kids who are 8+
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Fun times with the kiddos!

Yesterday was all about taking the kids to do fun stuff. We went to Toys R Us for the Lego Princess build. Each of them got to build a Cogsworth figure from Beauty and the Beast. Line was relatively short so the kids weren't begging to leave. 

I really do think it's better to let them build in store. This way, they can make sure that they get all the parts needed. 

Then we went to the Good Games Expo at New Horizons CLC. Hosted by EdYOUcation and San Antonio eSports. So many great games were set up for play. Students got a $3 discount off admission. 

The kids enjoyed Smash Bros the best. 

Good Games Expo is next Saturday!

Listen up, gamers, game enthusiasts and those who like to just have fun around those that are in the first two categories. ESports has teamed up with EdYOUcation to host the Good Games Expo here in San Antonio at the New Horizons Computer Learning Center off Vance Jackson and 410. 
You can now register to play games such as Hearthstone, League of Legends, Overwatch and Super Smash Bros! Enjoy the tournament and come see the events sponsors. Mark your calendar now as this event is happening next Saturday - on September 17th! Starting at 9 AM and going strong until 11 PM. 

Its not just so that we can get our game on or watch those who are true gamers... though that is quite the fun part! No! EdYOUcation also works hard to connect students to the professional world. Sponsors will be setting up to show students how or what they can be capable of. 
Who is EdYOUcation? EdYOUcation helps students build a professional profile that will get them on the path to success in a career they can love. How does that work? A student expresses their interest and EdYOUcation will connect them with a company as well as help them build a professional profile. This can help students realize dreams or at least know if their dream is what they really want for the long run. They can get a Shadowship, where they can have the chance to visit and observe what their dream job really entails. This approach helps students to pick a profession they will stick with until graduation and after. 
There is a great line up of sponsors so far. Redbull, Blizzard, New Horizons, Twitch, Riot, and Tespa. I'm not at liberty to give much more insight, but I'm bursting with excitement at some of the other possibilities we have lining up. I say "we", because I work at New Horizons as a Classroom Rental Specialist. I've been helping as best I can to get this event set up. As such, I'm urging you guys to keep a watch out for this event. I promise to post more about it as information becomes more publicly available. We want to have everyone in San Antonio interested in this! Follow them on Facebook and share their page! 

Good Games Expo coming soon!

Listen up, gamers, game enthusiasts and those who like to just have fun around those that are in the first two categories. ESports has teamed up with EdYOUcation to host the Good Games Expo here in San Antonio at the New Horizons Computer Learning Center off Vance Jackson and 410. 
You can now register to play games such as Hearthstone, League of Legends, Overwatch and Super Smash Bros! Enjoy the tournament and come see the events sponsors. This event is happening on September 17th! Starting at 9 AM and going strong until 11 PM. 

Its not just so that we can get our game on or watch those who are true gamers... though that is quite the fun part! No! EdYOUcation also works hard to connect students to the professional world. Sponsors will be setting up to show students how or what they can be capable of. 
Who is EdYOUcation? EdYOUcation helps students build a professional profile that will get them on the path to success in a career they can love. How does that work? A student expresses their interest and EdYOUcation will connect them with a company as well as help them build a professional profile. This can help students realize dreams or at least know if their dream is what they really want for the long run. They can get a Shadowship, where they can have the chance to visit and observe what their dream job really entails. This approach helps students to pick a profession they will stick with until graduation and after. 
There is a great line up of sponsors so far. Redbull, Blizzard, New Horizons, Twitch, Riot, and Tespa. I'm not at liberty to give much more insight, but I'm bursting with excitement at some of the other possibilities we have lining up. I say "we", because I work at New Horizons as a Classroom Rental Specialist. I've been helping as best I can to get this event set up. As such, I'm urging you guys to keep a watch out for this event. I promise to post more about it as information becomes more publicly available. And should you want to be a sponsor, or know someone else who would be interested, please share this with them! We want to have everyone in San Antonio interested in this! Follow them on Facebook and share their page!