Zipfy Artist Series

Zipfy Artist Series
By Zipfy

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to review a Zipfy which is a mini luge that the kids have learned to adore and bring every time we go to an hill to slide.   Last year, the two saucers we owned broke after a few years of usage.   At the end of the season we were able to purchase a new double slide but with four kids in the family – having one Zipfy and one double slide wasn’t enough.   We had duct taped the saucers and were planning to use them again this year.   But when I was surfing one early morning, I realized that this year Zipfy has released a new series of their fun luges with an artist series.

The artist series luges are special limited edition of special luge with a unique design. 

Voltio have created the Samurai 39, Totem 48, Maori 26, Ghostrider 0.0 blue and  Ghostrider 0.0 red.

MEC has created the Prism 81.

 

Juliana Neufeld has created the Monsters 7.

Playdead has created the Playdead 00.

 

Skam has created the Graffiti 22.

 

Jacob Rolfe has created Blue Wave 45, Pink Wave 88, and Canadiana 67.

We received a Canadiana 67 model and I must admit that it was my first pick.   I love the Canadian flair that it has on the Zipfy.  As soon as I received the box, I opened it and admired the Artist Zipfy we had received.   I am quite impressed with the quality of the design on the luge.   You can see that it is high quality and that it won’t peel in the cold weather. 

I particularly love the cool Canadian winter design on it.   Nothing more Canadian than a beaver and moose playing hockey on a frozen lake surrounded by maple trees hooked up with the traditional can to collect the sap for maple syrup.   *grin*   I really like the colors and the trees in the background.    And knowing how well our previous Zipfy handles on the snow, I know that the kids and adults in this family will enjoy the slide.   The plastic is strong and can support heavy weight up to 250 lbs.  

We are lucky to have a hill next to our swimming lessons and last year we took advantage of this quite a few times.   The Zipfy and other sledding devices were packed in the Suburban so we can go whenever we wanted to.    The Zipfy is easy to use, simply sit on it and lift you legs up.  Hold yourself on the handle and slide down the hill.   To carry it, you simply have to swing it over your shoulder and climb back up the hill.  Simple. Effective. Fun.   Their site also help you to find a place to slide – which can come in handy if you want to surprise your kids one snowy day of winter!  This year my husband wants to try the Zipfy and look forward to experience the slide.

And if you want to meet other Zipfy users, there is even a global community where you can organize local races, meet fellow riders and more.

We enjoy our Zipfy and I know that this new model will provide hours of pleasure for my family.   If you are looking for a different kind of sliding device this year, I would like to suggest that you check out the Zipfy products.

The Zipfy Artist Series Canadiana 67  is an exclusive product to Chapters Indigo.   You can only get them at the store or online for the price of 44.95$.  Other models are available at Scholar’s Choice.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Zipfyfor sending me the above mentioned product for promotion purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Tricks That Take Fish

Tricks That Take Fish – The Definitive Guide to Catching Freshwater Gamefish on Bait, Lures, and Flies.
Written by Harold Blaisdell
Published at Skyhorse Publishing

About the book

Seasoned fisherman Harold Blaisdell shares the secrets he’s discovered over years of catching trout, bass, salmon, pickerel, pike, and more. You name it, he’s caught it. Here you’ll find tips for catching trout with worms or minnows, attracting lake salmon with wet flies, making homemade decoys for ice fishing, and much more!

My Thoughts

I have fishermen in my family – from 40 something years old to 11 years old and younger.   I also have a tiny fisherwoman who love to go with her dad on the Zodiac boat we had to catch some fish.   When I requested this book to review, I thought of them.  If you are wondering if I am a fisherwoman – not really but I tag along for photo opportunities.    Sometimes I will grab a pole and try my hand but I am not putting the worm or taking out the fish.    No thanks.  However, the fishing that my kids are doing with their dad is a great opportunity for them to spend time with him.

  

The book is divided in ten chapters.  

• Taking Trout On Bait
• Fly Fishing
• Spinning
• Bait Fishing for Bass
• Plugs, Bugs, and Hardware
• Lake Trout and Salmon
• Pickerel, Pike, and Muskellunge
• Panfish
• Ice Fishing
• A Few Odd and Ends

Not all the chapters will be useful for our family.   For example, my husband do not do fly fishing.   But you never know when this information can be useful.  I know for one thing that he would love to go fish for trout so this little gem of a book would be perfect for him to learn more on how to catch this fish.   The place where our RV is parked during the summer also has a lake where you find numerous bass.   However, in recent years, we also discovered that pike can be found there.   Each time we loss the fish for various reasons.   Having a chapter where pike fishing is discussed will be very helpful for my kids and husband.     They are dreaming of the day when they can catch a pike at Astrolabe Lake.   You will also find black and white pictures as well as hand-drawn illustrations when reading the chapters of this book.

While reading about pike, I discovered that the big fish that you want to catch wants something more meaty in size for bait like in the 6-8 inches long.   No wonder that my fishermen have not caught the big pikes in Astrolabe Lake!    It explains everything. Same thing happens with the lure.  You have to use bigger lure to catch the bigger fish.    FInally, apparently the best time of the year to fish for pike is apparently in the fall because the temperature cools the water.   Interesting…

This book is definitively packed with tried-and-true methods that a fishing legend has used.   He shares his secrets for catching a wide variety of fish and will give you techniques to get better in your fishing.  Beside the book’s size is perfect to be included in the lure box.

If you have a fisherman in your life who would love to learn more about how to catch some specific fish or try a new techniques, I think that Tricks That Take Fish would be a great Christmas gift in their stocking.

PS The pike that my son caught was taken out of White Lake in Ontario.

Tricks that Take Fish is available for purchase at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Allen for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

MURBLES

MURBLES – Recreational Outdoor Game

http://murblegame.com/

On Canada Day, we went in a field near our RV and proceeded to learn and play a new game that I had received for review.   The game is named MURBLES, can be learned in a matter of minutes and played almost anywhere you want.    We found it was a great way to spend time with the kids while we were at our campsite.  And the best is that I can bring it home for them to play in our backyard…

All you need to play this game is a willingness to have fun!  No other skills are necessary.  

My first experience with MURBLES was when I had to pick the colors for our balls.    I was able to pick the colors for the two sets, the point ball as well as our bag.  With twenty colors to picked from you can get overwhelmed.    Our bag is green, with sets of red and yellow and our point ball is dark blue.   If I had to redo the selection, I would avoid taking a darker color for the point ball as it can be tricky to see in the grass…  Nevertheless, the balls and the bag are well made.   The balls are made of recycled product and very durable.   To be honest, having the possibility to pick and choose your own colors make this purchase even more personalized!

After reading the rules and playing for a few minutes my husband immediately commented that it felt like we were playing a modified version of curling…  It did felt like that.   You have a point ball to which you need to get as close as possible with your play balls.   Two set of play balls come in the bag.  

So as I mentioned earlier, we proceeded to play with MURBLES on Canada Day in the afternoon.    The sun was high in the sky but the field where we played had a little bit of shade from the trees.    The game is easy to learn and we had a good time together.    Even our three year old played a bit even though she was not following the rules on how to throw the ball…  

The object of the game is to get as close as possible from your point ball.  If you have one ball close to it, you get one point. Two balls will give you two points while three balls provides – you guessed it – three points.   A set is complete when one team has reached 10 points.   A game is won when a player/team won two to three sets.  

  

We had a blast playing with MURBLES and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun game while camping or at home.    MURBLES are a perfect game for family reunions, picnics, camping, the beach or just hanging out in the backyard. And with a family reunion on my mother-in-law side coming in 2013 – yes that far…  She has more than 12 brothers and sisters – all married with kids and grand-kids.   So fun games are planned for that week-end.  I suspect that some downtime will also be schedule in there.   With MURBLES it would be great to connect with other family members.   *GRIN*  By then our kids will be 5, 7, 9 and 12 as well as professionals in MURBLES!

In a nutshell MURBLES are:

A Terrific Game for Kids

An Challenging game for Adults

An Interactive game for Families

A Perfect Game to play at the Park

Easy to play in the Backyard

A Great game to take to the Beach

A Fun game to take Camping and on Vacations

Very Good Exercise

Fantastic Outdoor Fun

You can purchase the Murbles game directly from their website for the price of $29.95 US plus shipping.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Kramer Kreations for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

NERF Dart Tag products

The warm season is finally here and soon school will be finished.    In our household, since we homeschool, we tend to finish before the end of the school year in regular schools.    The kids are already asking more and more to go play outside (I guess it helps to have a cool play structure for them in the backyard!) and we are reading to start our camping season.

But what else can you do to keep boys occupied during the summer time?    Well Hasbro has just released some new NERF products in the Dart Tag series. Let me present them to you!

SWARMFIRE

Take your DART TAG game to the next level! This fully automatic blaster lets you dominate the game with a 20-dart attack! The rotating barrel lets you deliver rapid blasting action and the removable stock lets you take your blasting action on the go. When your opponent is in sight, grab your blaster and send your DART TAG darts flying — they’ll even whistle as they fly. Blast your way to victory!

Blaster comes with 20 DART TAG darts.  Requires 6 “C” batteries (not included).  Ages 8 and up.

NERF DART TAG 2-Player Starter Pack

Do you have what it takes to be a DART TAG champion? Challenge a friend to a showdown with this awesome two-player starter pack. Gear up with your training jersey and load your SHARP SHOT blaster. Put on your VISION GEAR goggles, your opponent will do the same, and you’re ready for action! Your SHARPSHOT blaster lets you take down opponents fast, but remember: your opponent has one, too! Use your skills to stay out of the line of fire and when you’ve got your opponent in your sights, launch your attack! Go head-to-head until the battle is won — and then pull the darts off your jerseys to start the fight all over again!

Pack includes 2 SHARP SHOT blasters, 2 sets of VISION GEAR eyewear, 2 training jerseys (one size fits most), 8 DART TAG darts and instructions.  Ages 8 and up.

Sharp Shot

Take your DART TAG game to the next level! This air-powered blaster lets you take down your opponents in next to no time! The quick-release belt clip lets you make your move fast, so you’re aiming and firing as quickly as you can. When your opponent is in sight, grab your blaster and send your DART TAG darts flying — they’ll even whistle as they fly. Blast your way to victory!

Blaster comes with quick-release belt clip and 4 DART TAG darts.  Ages 8 and up.

QUICK 16 Blaster

Take your DART TAG game to the next level! This air-powered blaster lets you unleash a rapid-fire stream of 16 darts at your opponents to give you high-scoring performance. The integrated clip holds all 16 darts for super-fast loading and the pump-action handle lets you control the rate of fire. When your opponent is in sight, grab your QUICK 16 blaster and send your DART TAG darts flying — they’ll even whistle as they fly. Blast your way to victory!

Blaster comes with 16 DART TAG darts and instructions.  Ages 8 and up.

My Thoughts

Since 2001, I have discovered the world of boys…   I have three of them and thanks to my daughter I am not alone in this bunch of guys.   But still I quickly see the difference between boys and girls.    From a young age, they would create guns with Legos without us showing them how to do it.   Boys will be boys and nothing will stop them to be competitive and at war every once in a while.   So when I got the opportunity to review the new Dart Tag products, I was highly interested.

This week, we went to eat at some friends before the Awana activity of our kids.   They have two boys and my son, Alexandre (age almost 10), found an older version of the NERF blaster.    He proceeded to go outside and play with it with the other boys.    Now he wants to have one.  *grin*

Yes I know I did received one…. He doesn’t know it yet.   You see we have a little tradition in our household.  When special days like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day arrives, we have taken the habit to bless the future mom and dads with us.   Consequently, I am planning to surprised the “future dads” with some cool NERF products on Father’s Day in June.    My husband has his eyes on the Swarmfire.  *grin*   He plans to blast the boys with it…   

Last year we celebrate Father’s Day at our trailer.  I suspect it will be the same this year.   I can picture them going in the big field to play against each other.    Quality time will be spend together and memories will be made for sure!

As I write this I smile because I just know that they will have lots of fun with dad and with each other while playing with these.   You see our play structure has a fort section and I can see my kids playing there with their NERF blasters.

I wouldn’t be surprised whatsoever if they would even pretend to be clones from the Star Wars Clones Wars…   It’s just the way they are!  

And if the rain keeps your boys inside well they could go to the online games at http://www.darttag.ca/game.html .    I tried it and I find it difficult to control the character.   Mind you, I am sure the kids will figure it out better than their mom…   Even though I have graduated in the Information Technology field, I find that they will be more advance than me with the computers one day.    Still, it would keep them occupied for a little while when the temperature is not fantastic outside…

In the meantime, I can’t hardly wait for Father’s Day to arrive because I know that they will be very joyful when they see these.   My only problem would be to hide them from their curious eyes when we go to the trailer…

For more details on the NERF Dart Tag products, visit Hasbro Canada.

All these products are available at your favourite toy store.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Hasbro Canada for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Zipfy

Zipfy – Freestyle Mini Luge

www.zipfy.com

About Zipfy

Zipfy is uniquely designed rugged plastic snow sled with a distinctive lever used for stability and turning.   Pronouced [zip’fee].

It is the easiest, safest, most exhilarating downhill sport…. ever!

Zipfy is a lightweight, compact snow sled that makes for an exhilarating downhill ride.

Zipfy is incredibly safe - to stop simply drop your heels to slow down or come to a complete stop. Zipfy is also very maneuverable - you can steer by leaning into the side and carve down the hill.

Zipfy is the must-have item for anyone who loves to play in the snow, engineered for all ages making it the perfect family fun sport!

Details:

• Recommended ages 5 & up
• Weight: 3.5 lbs  Capacity:250lbs
• Size: 13"L x 21"W x 16"H
• Material:HDPE Plastic

It received numerous award in the past RealSimple Magazine Best Product 2009, RedBook Magazine Best Product 2009, Best Selling Sled on Amazon 2007, 2008, 2009 and Top Toy of the Year Award 2009, 2010

The Zipfy is engineered in Canada but made in USA.

My Thoughts

When I stumbled on this site a couple of weeks ago, I was intrigued.   I figure I could ask for a sample and review it.    So I asked and they agreed to send me one.    Even thought we had snow on October 30th, it wasn’t enough to stay put until I received it.   As I am writing the review, the snow has almost all melted and disappeared. 

We will have to wait a couple of months before we properly try it out.  But apparently this little luge is good for people of all ages and can handle up to 250 lbs.

For fun, I decided to sit on the one we received which is Electric Eel Green…  Bright like this, I’m sure to find my kids in the snow even during a snow storm… LOL  Seriously, though if it can handle me, the kids will have a blast on it.    It is easy to sit on and the luge is sturdy.  

It has an interesting design and I am quite curious to see how it will go on the snow.   Apparently, you can also compete on the sand dunes if you want too.   Ingenious don’t you think.   A sled that you can use during winter and summer time.   Perfect for active children!  It also means that we could bring it with us in the RV when we go to the beach.   

They even have instructions on how to ride the Zipfy on the website.   From what I saw on the video of the dune sand, at first you might need a bit of practice (poor guy who received the sand in his face… yikes!).

I think this little luge will be lots of fun for my kids this winter on the hill next to our house.    They will have to take turns to enjoy the ride though.   The best part is that if you know others who have this little luge, you can organize races and have fun together.

Want to get one for your child or the kid in  you?   Well, you can find them in Canadian Tire, Chapters Indigo, Costco Wholesale, Home Hardware, Scholar’s Choice, ToysRUs in Canada.   For the US, you can find the Zipfy at amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Cabela’s, Costco Wholesale, Target, ToysRUS, True Value and more.    The price in Canada is 39.95$.  The price is about the same in the US.  

This review was possible because I received a Zipfy from the creators behind this mini luge.