This Giveaway has ended and the winner has been notified. Thanks for entering.
One day, a long long time ago, I lived in a small studio apartment in Jerusalem. My boyfriend at the time was coming home from a month in miluim (reserve duty). He called and asked me to pick him up from the central bus station. On the way home, he insisted on coming back to my place.
He was acting weird. Very quiet. I was a bit worried about him, but figured he was just exhausted from a month of defending the Jewish people.
Little did I know…
We walked into my apartment and the first thing I noticed was a huge bouquet of flowers. And then another. And another.
“What the…? How did those get in here?!”
I looked at him questioningly. He flashed a sheepish grin.
I turned back around and noticed a half dozen glimmering candles. And finally, I saw the Scrabble board – all set up, on my counter. (We played a lot of Scrabble, back in the day.) I stepped in for a closer look.
It read: “Mara, will you marry me?”
I started crying. My army-green clad boyfriend bent down on one knee, jewelry box in his hand.
There was much squealing. And jumping up and down. And more crying. I think I even managed a “Yes!” in all my antics.
As you can imagine – I’m still pretty darned fond of the game of Scrabble.
Fast forward ten years, and I get an email from the good folks at Hasbro toys, asking if I’d be interested in reviewing their newest Scrabble game: Turbo Slam.
So let me just tell you this off the bat: If you are a faithful Scrabble player, Turbo Slam is not the sedentary game you know.
There’s speed. And short words. And flashing lights, beeping sounds and even music (which, blissfully, you can turn off, if your kids aren’t the wiser).
(Due to all the battery operated fun, this game is not Shabbat friendly. For that, you’ll need to go old school).
So, here’s how you play:
The first player spells out a word, the you all slap down your cards to change the words on the table. When you hear the Turbo slam buzz, the first player to slam the button grabs an action card.
Sometimes these cards work to your benefit – like giving your cards to other players or taking them out of play entirely, but sometimes they’re to your detriment (like having to keep them to yourself).
You need word creating skills, but you also need speed: You gotta stay on your toes in Turbo Slam – otherwise your eight year-old might beat you. Handily.
Sound like fun?! Well, good, because one lucky KOAB reader gets to win Scrabble Turbo Slam, thanks to Hasbro.
Here’s how to enter this giveaway:
1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite board game. If you’ve got a cute story (engagement or otherwise) to go with it, I’d love to hear that, too!
While the first entry is mandatory, you can also get additional entries by doing either or both of the following:
2. Subscribe to the Kosher on a Budget email newsletter – I promise, I won’t spam you! Then, leave a separate comment telling me you have done so (or already were a subscriber).
3. Like Kosher on a Budget on Facebook, then share this giveaway updating your status to read: “I just entered to win Scrabble Turbo Slam from @KosheronaBudget. You could win, too – if you enter the giveaway. http://kosheronabudget.com/?p=12628” Then come back and leave another separate comment telling me you have done so.
This giveaway will be open until Wednesday, September 7. If you can still comment, you can still enter to win.
The winner will be selected randomly and notified on Thursday, September 8.
Dislcosure: Hasbro provided me with a free copy of Scrabble Turbo Slam to facilitate my review. I was not otherwise compensated for my time, nor for running this giveaway. All positive opinions of the game are my own – as is my engagement story.
My husband and I have been having a lot of fun the past few Shabbatim with Through the Ages-we’ve even managed to play with a fussy and feeding baby!
Cranium by far the best
Trivial Pursuit, unless I want to have some remote chance of beating my husband, in which case I prefer parcheesi.
would love to be entered for Scrabble Slam! Already a subscriber to KOAB email….
Password!!! SO much fun to play with another couple! I signed up for your emails, i already liked your blog on FB, and am sharing this contest as well-was that all of em? 🙂 I just started reading your blog yesterday (i can’t believe it either) and am LOVING it!!! have a great Shabbos 🙂
What a sweet story!
My husband was banned from Trivial Pursuit by his family, because they got tired of his always winning. The last time I played a board game was Chol HaMoed Succos. We all played Life–and I won. I am a terrible sport; I dance around and “woo hoo” like a two-year old when I’m ahead. Not such a great example for my kids. We used to have a board game called Splash that my kids adored when they were little. It involved little rubber squeaky dolphins. I’d love to give this new Scrabble a spin.
I don’t know if you would consider it a board game, but our favorite game is Apples to Apples. Every time our family gets together, it is our go to game.
My favorite game is Apples to Apples. Easy to learn and it just comes out hilarious.
Favorite game…..hm. That’s hard. My family is currently enamored with Phase 1o, but we do like all forms of Scrabble and would love to try this one! Here’s a funny Boggle story – I was visiting a friend and we were playing Boggle. I noticed some odd markings on the paper we were using to score. It turns out the last time my friend and her husband were playing, she went into labor and they were using the Boggle timer to time her contractions! The doctor had told them to “do something else” when labor starts because it might be a while. So they went to the grocery store. The clerk asked my friend when she was due. Her husband blurted out, “RIGHT NOW! SHE’S HAVING THE BABY RIGHT NOW!!” I always thought that was a pretty hilarious story!
I am a subscriber!
I like KOAB on Facebook and have updated my status!
Bananagrams
Love the story! I am curious how many more people have board game engagement stories though.
We love the game Settlers of Catan. Most Friday nights our neighbors come over and we play while sipping some wine.
I love Payday.
melodyj(at)gmail(dot)com
Hahaha, at first I was like, What the heck boyfriend did she have in miluim?? Now I like Frankie EVEN MORE.
My husband has been playing scrabble since he was about 7 and it is his favorite game of all time. We would go to a park and play it while we were dating and he taught me too much of his strategy, so now I beat him! Seriously though, we would love to try out this new version 🙂
I like Bananagrams and Trivial Pursuit! By the way, we used to have the plain Scrabble Slam (without the electronic part). It is a great game to play on shabbos.
LOVE THE ENGAGEMENT STORY. My sister’s husband made a monopoly game of all their favorite places and activities. One of the locations or cards asked her to marry him.
I am already a subscriber
Posted on Facebook.
We love playing plain old Sorry! because by the time they’re 4, the younger children can join in. We’re also partial to Set, Stratego, Monopoly, and Apples to Apples.
My husband proposed over Jenga but these days we play a lot of settlers of Catan with our kids.
Great story! It makes me want to pull out a board game. Our favorite game is Sequence.
I subscribed!
My favorite game is Smess….it’s a 1970’s game my little brother and I played all the time. The pieces are Numbskulls, Ninnies and Brains and it’s sort of an easy, kid-friendly chess. Lots of fun!
Jungle speed is a great game. Fast paced and fun!
Our Sunday nights used to be designated for family game night. We love all board games!!! I’ve also “liked” you on facebook AND subscribe 🙂
For actual board games, I like Bezzerwizzer, which is a combination strategy and trivia (more trivia than strategy).
But my family and I have been playing Scrabble (free) on our iPod Touch (not free), and really enjoying that.
Already subscribed to the email.
Favorite game is Settlers of Catan!
our family enjoys uno and yahtzee. would like to try this new scrabble game.
already subscribe to email and watch for it every day
likek you on facebook and updated status. thanks
Bananagrams is our favorite game.
Its not exactly a game, but when my husband proposed, he made me a picnic in the park and gave me a word find that he created. After I found all the words, the remaining letters spelled “Look inside the purple box.” Once I found a purple box filled with sand, I finallly found the ring…it was very sweet!
I already get the daily e-mails.
We love the Jewish Apples to Apples, but I am fond of little kids’ games too like Candyland(or Kosherland) and Chutes & Ladders(or Torah Slides & Ladders.) My own, tween and teen, children like the Cranium games. Oh, I already subscribe to your e-newlstter 🙂
I like to play Aggravation and the Stock Market Game.
Our current favorites are Blokus, Sequence and Qwirkle (played with tiles). Scrabble Slam sounds like a definite add to the game cupboard. Love your Scrabble story!
I subscibe to your daily e-mails. Like getting them at the new time and your new format.
We really enjoy playing Phase 10 — it’s lots of fun and easy to take with you as it’s about the size of 2 decks of cards. (It’s Shabbat friendly as it’s only a card game – no electronics.) We have also played Scrabble Slam & enjoy it so this game looks like lots of fun.
we love Monopoly and of course Scrabble!
ashleygatewood1(AT)gmail.com
Rummie-Cube! My husband won’t allow me to buy it fir our house b/c I get so competitive!
My favorite game is Blokus.
I am a subscriber
I am a facebook fan
we love zingo or pictureka with the family.
I’m an editor and my husband is an English teacher, so we love our word games, especially Bananagrams.
My aunt and uncle brought a duffel to Israel with something like seven shabbos-friendly games before our wedding, so we had a game shelf from the very beginning. The next step is combining our jumbo Bananagrams with our friends’ regular-sized one for a three-times-as-long round of bananas.
We can’t get enough of Settlers of Catan and its expansion, Cities and Knights.
I subscribed.
Scrabble has always been my favorite game…well since I could read and spell. My husband and I too played Scrabble while dating. We would take the board game to a coffee shop and sit and play until he would beat me with weird quirky words like, “moxie.” Who even uses that word?