My Family Games

Creating the “Ultimate Home Game Room” isn’t as hard as you may think. “Ultimate” doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive game room either. It just means it’s ultimate for you, your family and your friends.

The basics for every game room include “games & signs”. That’s all it takes to create your game room. Of course some organization is also needed, you don’t want a mess of posters, pub signs and neon signs taking up your walls.

Creating Your “Ultimate Home Game Room”

To do this you start with the wall colors. The best looking game rooms have two-toned wall color schemes. This means a top border around the room that’s 12-24 inches in width. Then paint the rest of the room a complimentary color.

It’s fun choosing a color scheme. Use your favorite sports team, your high school / university colors, the colors of your home country or a favorite painting or place you’ve visited. If those colors aren’t good just select Two Great compatible colors. It’s usually best to make the darker color your border color and the lighter color as your main wall color. This brightens up the room and helps your cool signs and posters to display better.

Next comes the flooring. There is a variety of floors that can be put into game rooms. A few examples would be hardwood, vinyl, cork, bamboo, carpet tiling, ceramic tiling, area rugs and wall-to-wall carpeting. If your game room is located in a basement that eliminates most if not all hardwoods because of moisture problems in basements.

So what’s best? Checkered tiling is what “Ultimate Game Rooms” are all about. Match the tiles up with your wall color for the ultimate effect. Whether you use 6×6, 8×8 or 12×12 tiling squares it’s a checkered floor that makes your game room “Ultimate”.

Now comes the “FUN PART”. You can either theme your game room or create a general all out fun game room.

Let’s start with furniture. If you’re creating a theme then your furniture must match. For example if you want a “Beach or Hawaiian Theme” then the best pub tables, pub chairs and accessories would be made of wicker or rattan. If you’re creating a Green Bay Packer’s Theme then you’d want chrome bar stools with green or yellow vinyl cushion covers to match. Otherwise if you just want a great game room make sure you bar stools and pub tables match.

The next thing to consider is the lighting. If you have a theme, say a sports theme, then find pub lamps, swag lights and floor lamps that have your favorite sport or team’s name on them. For an Asian theme you’d want bamboo lamps and hanging lanterns. For general game rooms, bar lights with your favorite drink or food would be perfect!

Now you’re ready to decorate your walls! Posters, Tin Signs, Neon Signs, Clocks and more are what you’ll need to get started. Have a movie theme then find some great movie posters online to fill up your room. Actually it’s best to have an assortment of each. Leave gaps and spread all your cool stuff out. You want them to be noticed and admired not lost in a mess of other posters and signs. Remember you just spent a few days painting your game room so don’t cover it up. With a general game room theme vintage tin signs are always a big hit. Plus one or two neon signs add atmosphere. Don’t overdue the neon though just choose a few favorites.

Now it’s time to find the best TABLE GAMES. Besides the cost it’s room size that determines which games to include in your game room. By far every “Ultimate Game Room” needs a billiard table. Now days you can get a variety of fabric colors besides green. Also you can find themed billiard tables like NASCAR and more. Two other great additions are foosball and air hockey. Easy to play fast paced games. They also come in a variety of sizes and fun designs. Table Tennis is a fun game but not everyone knows how to play and they take a lot of space if they don’t fold up so you may want to add other games first. One game that is overlooked too much is Shuffleboard. It’s GREAT for the whole family and it’s easy and fun to play.

Think about “Other Game Room Games”. For example if you have a 1950’s Theme then an Elvis Pinball Machine fits right in. Also a retro slot machine would be fun to have. A Pachinko Game or Pachislo is a great family game from Japan worth mentioning. And “Dart Boards & Poker Tables” are in high demand these days and there is such a large variety out there you’ll have no problem finding one for your game room.

A variety of games, some for the adults and some for the kids are what you need. Games can get a little expensive so don’t buy new, buy second hand from an online auction site or look in your local paper for used games. It’s not how new they are it’s how FUN they are! Don’t have enough space? Then try a “Combination Game Table”. They have combos from 3 in 1 to 15 in 1 game tables.

It’s time to liven things up with “Music”. You can’t have an ultimate game room without music. A Juke Box is best when it comes to game room music. Whether it’s a 1946 Rockola or a retro looking CD Juke Box it doesn’t matter. It’s having a jukebox that counts most. Yes a 400 CD changer with a nice surround sound stereo system works even better but looks mean a lot when creating a game room. Just hide your CD or stereo in the corner.

Finally to create the “Ultimate Game Room” you need a TV. One should be mounted on the wall in the vicinity of the pool table / poker table and the other in a sitting area for kids to play video games. This is a must. No game room is complete without a TV or two for the big game.

Now you have all the ingredients you need for creating the “Ultimate Home Game Room”. There are always fun and different accessories you can add to spice it up even more but with the basics covered you’re ready to start having the best parties and get-togethers on the block!

Visit http://www.game-room-decorating-ideas.com/ to find other fun and interesting information on creating your ultimate game room. You’ll find information on other decorating themes like Western and Hawaiian themes and much more at http://www.game-room-decorating-ideas.com/game-room-themes.html . To view game room posters go directly to http://www.game-room-decorating-ideas.com/picture-and-poster.html

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As time goes by, more and more people are realizing how beneficial game tables can be. Many people start off by buying a simple air hockey table. They really enjoy it and consider buying something else. They eventually buy a pool table and have lots of fun with it as well. At this point, two thirds of their game room has been taken up by these games that they really enjoy but simply don’t have room for. It is at this point that most people realize that they should have gotten a combination game table in the first place.

Aside from saving room when purchasing a combination game table, you will also save yourself a lot of money. A decent air hockey table will cost between $400 and $600. A decent pool table is even more expensive than that. When you buy a combination game table, you will spend about $400. You will be getting both of these popular family games for the price of one. And that’s not all. Combination game tables usually include many other games.

When buying a combination game table, you want to make sure to get a reputable brand. Any product that is manufactured by Harvard or GLD will serve very well for you. These companies offer warranties on most of their products and have a good name backing their product. Most major sporting good stores carry both of these brand names, along with specialty stores in the Game Tables market.

The biggest reason you should consider getting a combination game table is the endless hours of fun that you will enjoy with your friends and family. Air hockey and pool is only the beginning. Basketball, ping pong, backgammon, chess, checkers, and shuffleboard are also included on most combo game tables.

David Hermansen is the owner of PBMissions.com, the web’s #1 source for Combination Game Tables. You’re sure to find the perfect combination game table for your room.

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It has been called many things, Corn Toss, Bean Bag, Bean Toss, Soft Horseshoes, Indiana Horseshoes, but the official name is Cornhole.

It has been said that the game originated in Germany in the 14th century, and then was rediscovered in the hills of Kentucky over 100 years ago!

Cornhole or Corn Toss is similar to horseshoes except you use wooden boxes called cornhole platforms and corn bags instead of horseshoes and metal stakes. Contestants take turns pitching their corn bags at the cornhole platform until a contestant reaches the score of 21 points. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point. (Instead of corn bags, common practice is to use bean bags)

Scoring can be swift and the lead may change hands several times in a match before the winner is decided.

The game is generally played tournament style with an individual or team being named the champion at the end of the tournament.

Cornhole makes a great tailgating or outdoor family game.

Why play Cornhole / Corn Toss?

The biggest reasons to play Cornhole or Corn Toss instead of horseshoes or other similar games is that Cornhole can be played anywhere and everyone can play Cornhole.

If you can aim and toss a corn bag 30 feet, you can master the game of Cornhole - It’s great for family outings.

Cornhole can be played anywhere - driveways, parks, backyard, campgrounds, beaches and even in-doors.

Safe for everyone - no metal or pointed objects. Corn bags are made of extra soft 12 oz. duck canvas material and filled with pliable high quality feed corn.

No muss; no fuss. Two cornhole platforms and 8 corn bags and you’re ready to play the game.

Very portable. Can be taken anywhere. Fits in most car trunks and there are fold-down models that are even more portable.

Horseshoes require a sand pit and are hard for the kids to pitch, lawn darts require a lawn and hasn’t been seen since the 70’s, ring toss was made for children and bean bags are for wimps; Cornhole is the game for everyone!

It’s great fun for the whole family!

Are you ready for a wonderful game that everyone seems to love?

What’s fast-paced, colorful and family safe fun?

It’s Cake Mania

An arcade style game that gives you hours of pure fun.

The Game Set-Up

The set-up for this game is simple enough, but it really doesn’t have much to do with the game itself.

While you were away attending a culinary school (learning how to create and bake wonderful cakes) a big, bad Mega-Mart opened up and ran your grandparents bakery right out of business.

But you’re determined to set things right, so you decide to open 4 cake bakeries in very exotic and fun locations and make enough money so that your grandparents can re-open their bakery too.

Fast Paced Fun

You start making and serving made-to-order cakes at all 4 of your bakeries to a fun assortment of customers.

But wait, every customer likes different cakes and different cake toppings. The orders get more complicated and just keeping up is challenging and fun.

To keep things even more interesting, you have new customers that are fun characters and they show up with interesting and just plain fun cake and topping orders.

Cake Mania Kitchen Fun

As your 4 exotic bakery locations grow, you get to upgrade your kitchens so you can deliver your made-to-order cakes even faster. You’ll be upgrading your frosting stations, toppers, ovens and microwaves and all while you continue to deliver just the right cakes with just the right toppings to all your customers.

Cake Mania TV

Your 4 cake bakeries are so much fun that you offer TV for all your customers to enjoy while they wait for their custom cakes.

And you guest it… Each customer has a favorite channel and you have to try and remember what everyone’s favorite is so that you can keep every one of your customers happy while they wait for their delicious cakes.

Family Safe Fun

The Cake Mania game is not only a fast-paced, colorful arcade style game; it’s also family safe with a level of play that’s lots of fun for just about everyone and that includes family or friends that don’t usually play video games.

Give it a try

There are several ways you can try Cake Mania for yourself… You can try it free online (I’ll show you how at the end of this article) or you can play a free downloadable version so you can try the game offline.

Fast-Paced, Colorful and Family Safe Fun

The Cake Mania game has quickly become a favorite and once you give it a try you’ll see why everyone loves this game so much.

Creating and baking cakes has never been this much fun. With Cake Mania you’ll become a master at creating, baking and topping cakes your customers will love.

Give this super fun game a try; you’ll be very glad you did.

Have fun

Mike Dougherty “Grandpa Mike” has lots of experience putting together successful birthday parties for his children and grandchildren. To try Cake Mania FREE online or for a FREE downloadable trial version to play offline, visit fun-kid-birthday-parties.com/cake-mania.html

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We recently started to play board games on a regular basis in our family. Even I was surprised how great of a time everyone involved is having. Not only was it a lot of fun to play board and card games, but we also got to chat about our day and anything else that’s going on in our busy lives.

How do you start your own game night? It doesn’t have to be complicated at all. Start by picking one night a month that everyone will be at home. If you have busy teens in the house, you may want to let them know about a week ahead of time that you expect them to stay in that night. With younger kids it’s usually just a matter of finding a night without soccer or swimming practice and your husband doesn’t have a late meeting or bowling night with the guys.

Choose some games ahead of time and make sure all the game pieces are complete. You don’t want to find out that you can’t play monopoly, because someone took all the little houses out of the box years ago. Think about what games you have around the house and take a look at what shape they are in. When it comes time to choose the actual games, keep all players in mind. If you have younger children, you may want to start with games like memory, Candyland or Go Fish. Older kids may enjoy the game of life, mystery or card games. Choose at least one game that each family member will really like to make sure everyone is having a good time.

Of course board and card games aren’t your only options when it comes to family game night. Younger children will enjoy simple games like “Simon Says” and of course charades are always a favorite. Other ideas are hangman, tick-tac-toe and “I Spy”. I’m sure once you start playing some of these games, you’ll remember some other old time favorites.

Get some sack foods like chips, popcorn and pigs in a blanket for everyone to munch on while you are playing. You could even fix a few different types of appetizers and skip dinner. Grab some ice and a few different sodas and you are all set for game night.

Pick a comfy spot for your game night. The kitchen table usually works well for board games, but your living room coffee table may work as well. You can even throw a few pillows on the living room floor and hang out there to play games.

That’s all there’s too it. Just get everyone playing and see for yourself what a great time you can have with game night. They’ll be ready for more next month, or you could even make it a weekly event. What a great way to reconnect with your family and enjoy each other’s company.

For more great activities for you and your kids as well as craft ideas and parenting tips join our free newsletter at http://www.kinderinfo.com/newsletter

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During the recent “schools out session”, I was reminded how much the kids crave entertainment. No matter what time of year the “Kids Just Wanna Have Fun.” And who could blame them? I don’t think there are many of us who haven’t longed for the carefree, playful days of our youth. I have four of these carefree fun hungry kids. Keeping them entertained on a tight budget is always a challenge.

I have discovered over the years that more money doesn’t necessarily mean more fun. In fact, some of the simplest, age old activities, seem to feed their fun hungry souls the best. Remember, in the “old days” that is the “very old days”. Family gatherings provided a great source of entertainment. It’s hard to believe that in today’s fast paced, high tech, world that children still enjoy this kind of interaction.

I have found that for some reason, maybe because it validates their own behaviors, kids love to hear stories of when we were young. No, not the kind that remind them of how good they have it today. I’m talking about our childhood antics, the times when we misbehaved, did something wrong, and the consequences.

Most of us have funny moments in our life that just stick with us. Sometimes they weren’t so funny at the time at least from our prospective, then. My kids love to hear stories of my childhood antics, when I broke the rules, how I felt about it, and what punishment I had to endure because of it. They especially like the punishment part. Some sort of satisfaction knowing that I had to endure the cruelties of punishment also!

Of course it doesn’t sound amusing to talk about times when you got in trouble. But, those memories are funny to us now that we look back at our childhood. Sure we can laugh now……… We’re a lot smarter and see the innocence of our ways.

This is a great way to also remind ourselves that we were once kids also. And not so different than our own kids. With much the same innocence, gullibility, and scheming potential. Ahhhh… a great tool for reminding us that at least some of the behaviors we frown on in our kids is just the normal age old process of growing up! A very reassuring thought when you’re ready to pull your hair out.

In some ways this ritual of reminiscing shows our children that we love them unconditionally. That we understand. Why, because we’ve been there, done that. And we acted in many ways , and felt in many ways , the same way they do today. Its true that some things never change. I have a shorter list of tales to tell being one of three siblings. My husband on the other hand is one of eleven children, and he can keep them in belly busting laughter for hours, leaving them begging for more. Telling not only his own antics but those of his brothers and sisters.

So, if you ever find everyone sitting around looking bored to the gills, start up a casual conversation and work in some of your funny moments in life. You’ll have them begging for more and more tales. “Tell some more, tell some more!” And the best part ….. It’s Free Entertainment!

With a little research….what was that?……..research? If you’ve been to visit http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com you know this is one of my pet peeves….. If you don’t know what’s out there or if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’re doomed to spend too much of your hard earned money!

There no disputing the fact that an “ Informed Consumer = More Savings! “ There! I said it again. Boy did that feel good. Well now that I got that off my chest let me share some ideas on this FUN thing.

• Roller skating- went once a week when I was a kid. Loved it! Guess what? My kids love it too! And it’s cheap if you do your research. Our local rink has a family night. Get this , $1 to get in $1 for skates if you need to rent.If you make this a regular outing, invest in the skates. That’s one of those birthday or Christmas gifts that will pay you back in the long run. My husband and I don’t skate, those days are gone. Although I highly recommend it for a great workout. That means four kids can get in for $4. Three hours of fun for $4. You can’t beat it!

  I could get us in for even less . . .only $2. We have a local grocery store that prints coupons on back of the receipts, one of the most frequent coupons I get ….the local roller skating rink “buy one entrance fee, get one free” .

  I prefer not to use these for family night since my oldest daughter likes to go to the rink on “teen night” The rink socks it to them at $6 an entry. They know where the money is! This is a social event that many teens in the area just can’t miss! This way she can get in free if she goes with a paying friend. Sometimes, just to be fair, we share the savings with her friends and each of them only has to pay $3. This way she doesn’t feel like she’s taking advantage of anyone.

• Bowling: this can be a great low cost avenue for FUN if you don’t get carried away. Usually you have to pay by the game, per person. So set your limits and have fun. Most lanes have bumper guards now that prevent the little ones from excessive “gutter ball blues” It helps put the fun back in it for the very young children. A great feature. Even for the fumbling adult. Who am I kidding, I love those bumper guards! Most alleys have a discount night. So, try to plan your activities so you can enjoy the benefits of the discounts.

Just a Note: Both of the above businesses usually offer birthday party rates as well. If you’re not into planning your own party at home (by far the most economical way) then consider checking out the party packages.

• Cookouts and Picnics: Cookouts don’t have to be for special occasions. We have several wonderful parks in our area that sport wonderful playgrounds and scenic walking or biking trails. So take the boredom out of lunch one Saturday or Sunday afternoon and throw together a cookout or picnic at your local park. My kids just need to get out of the house sometimes. They don’t really care where they go, as long as they go somewhere!Parks are a great resource for free fun! The internet is a great resource for finding new, different, and exciting parks in your area. Just do a simple search and you will probably be amazed at the numerous parks within driving distance from your home. So keep it interesting and travel a little bit to get to exciting new places!

  An extra bonus . . . . You will be making great memories for your kids!:)

• Museums and Historical Landmarks: Don’t think you have any near you? Bet Ya’ do! Why even in the far out sticks of nowhere you might be surprised to find a museum within a reasonable distance. I am blessed to live in a highly cultural area between Washington DC and Baltimore. So museums, tourists attractions, and historic landmarks (yes many of them Free) are abundant.But, no matter where you live, do a little research (yes, again) and I’ll bet you’ll find some interesting attraction or museum convenient to your home. If in a rare case you don’t, then plan to visit an area on a weekend trip where you can enjoy these types of historic attractions.
• Family Game Night:

- I know that many times after a hard days work we just want to sit, relax, and well, basically, do nothing! But, once you get in a habit of designating one night “Family Game Night” I guarantee you’ll look forward to it.This is a great way interact with your kids. It’s fun, educational, and provides an opportunity for conversation (Now that’s something those teens don’t offer up much). Choose games that everyone enjoys and is capable of doing. Games that suit the family’s entire age span are always more fun. And, there are many out there.

If you have a large family with some large age differences, you can opt to have two game nights so you can include games suited for the younger children that the older ones might get bored with. Of course, always provide the option for older ones to be included. Sometimes, believe it or not, they just enjoy the quality time with parents and siblings.

Well, I’m hoping these ideas will keep you busy for now! And remember, it doesn’t have to cost alot to be alot of FUN!

Cheryl Johnson is a mother of four helping herself and others become and stay debt free. Publisher of Simple Debt Free Living at http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com - A self-help plan, ideas, and resources for debt management, personal budgeting, and frugal living, including tips for low cost family entertainment.

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Buying an air hockey table can really be a nice investment. You purchase not only the continuous means of family entertainment, but you also buy a way of life, that will surely liven up your leisurely routines and will give a new meaning to quality family fun.

There are a lot of places from where you can find the perfect air hockey table for you and your family. It is a highly enjoyable family game, air hockey, which makes it utterly irresistible when it comes to entertaining your kids. Children really enjoy playing air hockey, and this makes the perfect present for just about any kid. The great thing about air hockey tables is that they can be played by even the eldest members of the family. This makes the game really interesting, and it can also achieve its main purposes, to unite all the family members and entertain everyone.

You can find a lot of air hockey tables on sale around Christmas and other major holidays. Every dealer will tell you that they are highly in demand during holiday times. Air hockey tables can give you the sheer satisfaction of uniting with your loved ones.

Family games are really liked by many people. Air hockey tables, ping pong tables, puzzles, they all unite the family members and make for the better relationships. Playing together is a source of great fun and many people like to express their feelings by means of family play.

But, like most forms of entertainment, air hockey tables can be replaced by something new. You cannot spend decades playing one game, and as your children gradually grow older they need other forms of entertainment. That’s why air hockey tables are replaced by other games, such as table tennis, billiards and so on.

But table games themselves will never be replaced by anything else, no matter what kind of game you prefer. The table has a magical attraction to it and unites all people together and to make them part of the big game. That is what makes them utterly irresistible among families.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning games. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Air Hockey

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