This post is in partnership with Houseparty. All opinions expressed are our own.

We are a family of gamers. Very serious gamers. Nope, I’m not talking about video games. I cannot remember a party with my husband’s extended family that didn’t include playing a game: board games, our own made-up family games, games to win some cash. We love games. And we love a good party.

So, you can imagine how hard it has been for all of us to be physically distanced. We have been missing our fun-loving, competitive rounds at family gatherings. We were planning to connect on Easter when my sister-in-law suggested we download the Houseparty app so we could get back to a family activity that felt familiar.

At first, I felt clueless. She is younger and more hip than I am, and I wasn’t really sure if I needed “one more app.” My iPhone alerted me to a text invite from her to connect on Houseparty, and I instantly felt cool again. The set up was super fast, and I knew this meant our family was about to resume the fun from a distance. Win-win!

Houseparty

Here are my top 5 reasons to Houseparty:

It’s Simple

Houseparty is a face-to-face social network available on phones, tablets, and your Mac or PC. You download the app, then create your profile using just a username, your email, and a phone number. Once you are set up, you can sync your contacts or your social media to find friends to party with. You can also text an invite.

Have Fun

Houseparty isn’t just an app to connect and talk. Nope. There are games built into the app. They are a breeze to use and super fun. Play Heads Up!, Trivia, Chips and Guac, and Quick Draw!. These games cause your group to laugh and have a blast. True connection always happens in the belly-laughing moments. Get started!

Houseparty 2

Be Spontaneous

One of my favorite reasons to Houseparty is that you don’t need to schedule a meeting or set up a time for everyone to meet up. When you open the app, it sends a notification to your contacts that you are “in the house.” Friends and family can instantly join the room and start to party. I have been feeling the stress of all the scheduled meetings lately, so I love that I can open the app and see who else is free when I feel up to it!

Celebrate

Remember how I mentioned our family loves a good party? We celebrate and gather for everything…from birthdays to career promotions, to St. Patty’s Day and so on. It is hard to not be together right now. I love how others have been using Houseparty to come together and celebrate: virtual birthday celebrations, dance parties, kids’ playdates/school lessons, engagements (!), mom/wine nights, group fitness classes, connecting nurses singing together, enabling loved ones to say goodbye to those who have been isolated in the hospital with COVID-19.

Stay Safe

All Houseparty accounts are safe – the service is secure, has never been compromised, and doesn’t collect passwords for other sites. Houseparty video chats can only be initiated with a mutual handshake. At that point, a “friend of a friend” could enter your chat. If you want to keep it private, lock the room. You are in control and there can be up to eight people in a room.

Houseparty 3

Staying connected to the ones you care about has never been easier or more fun. Houseparty is truly the next best thing to hanging out in person. I love that we are using this to connect during Covid-19, but we will also keep using it after to meet up with our family in NM and CA. See your family and friends more often with a simple download in the IOS App Store or Google Play.

To learn more, visit Houseparty online or check them out on Instagram.

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Tonya
Tonya grew up in Iowa and attended the University of Northern Iowa, where she majored in Health Promotion (the degree you choose when you know are meant to make an impact but you don’t know exactly how) After graduating in 2003, her adventurous spirit lead her to pack up her little car and move to Colorado Springs. Her heart was easily won by the beautiful landscape, the amazing weather, colorful Aspen trees, and the fabulous people in this city. In 2008, she married her love and best friend, Ryan. They added two amazing boys to the family…Landon (2009) and Kellan (2011). After a rewarding career as a Director for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and a sales representative for Pfizer, her heart desired more time with her boys. In 2011, she became a work from home mom, focusing on her very busy boys full time and her health and wellness coaching business part time! Her passion as a mom includes building legos, trips to the zoo, family hikes, fishing, and camping. Her passion as a health coach is helping people see their potential, reach goals, and lead a healthy lifestyle. In her spare time (what is that again??), she loves working out, running, and reading. Her favorite things to do with her handsome hubby include riding bikes downtown Colorado Springs for date nights, hiking the incline, trying new (exotic) foods, spending time with great (adult) friends, and trying craft beers (inspired of course by her husband!).