I recently had the opportunity to review Go Pets Vacation Island for Nintendo DS.  The first thing that interested me about this game is that it was created by a mom who wanted something fun and creative for the family to enjoy.  The second thing I loved is that you simply can’t go wrong with a game about pets! 

I got to spend a couple of minutes with the game and thought it was very cute and fun, but the real reviewers were my almost 10 year old son “Salesman” and his best friend, our neighbor boy “C” so I’ll let them talk about the game! 

From the kids’ perspective [Mom's questions and Notes about the game are in brackets]:

It’s really fun, it’s kind of like a sims game.  You start out just playing the game, you create yourself by giving a little information and setting up your character and how it looks. 

You can adopt a pet and take care of him and you can even take care of other people’s pets.  Shells are money and when you take care of someone else’s pet you get shells.  You can play games on it too.  Like darts, dominoes, and Go Wok a great cooking game which is very fun but challenging.  [Note: I spoke with C's mom and found out that he spent a lot of time playing Go Wok.  She asked him what he was doing and he excitedly answered her that he was cooking!  She was very surprised that it was so fun for him and held his attention for so long.]

There are some places in the game that are locked until you have played other areas first.  [Note from Mom:  I think this is a great way to keep a game interesting and extend the "new" life of a game!  By opening areas as they go, children have new sections and activities to tackle all along the way.] 

The Iku messages are also fun where you can send a message to other players and they can send messages back to you.  And you can get presents. [Note: Iku's are similar to a text message, but only use icons like emoticons, etc to keep the game completely safe for children!]

You can even pet your pet.  [Mom: How?] There’s a hand in the game that you can use to pet them :).  You can dress your pet too.  You purchase clothes using shells and you can dress your pet up.  You can buy other things with shells too, like art supplies and toys.  There’s a place that has a hanger and you go to the cart and it will show you all the places to shop.  [Mom: You mean like a mall] Yes, kind of like a mall, but it’s a Pet Mall!

That pretty much wraps up what he had to say about it.  Notice that you don’t see any mention of all the educational things they do as “activities” in the various areas of the Island.  The game is set up to be complex, but totally kid friendly.  They don’t realize they’re learning as they are playing

This game is an interactive title, so once your child’s DS is connected to your wireless network they can enjoy all of the features that have been built into the game and interact with other online players.  It’s like a virtual universe for children complete wth a social network in a completely safe environment where all of their information is protected.  The only thing communicated online are the Iku’s [emotions and simple concepts].  They can pass gifts to other players and play with other childrens’ pets, but that’s as far as it goes.

I love that this game is simple and fun for children.  I sometimes get frustrated with all of the games that are marketed for children that are complex and questionable in content and nature.  Like I said at the beginning … You just can’t go wrong with Pets :)  For more information about this game, you can visit it’s website at http://www.gopets-ds.com/.

Ok, so about a month or so ago I told all of you about the family joining the local YMCA.  I worked hard to go every Tuesday and Thursday to at least do a little something.  There is a yoga class on those two mornings and I thought that would be a great way to break myself (and the kiddos) into a little regular workout without it being overwhelming.  I was wrong!

Not being accustomed to using weight or cardio training equipment I really was limited to going only on the days a class of some sort was offered in order to feel comfortable.  But then there’s the whole twins and childcare issue …. ugh!!!

They have a tendency to HATE childcare of any type.  Nursery … went nuts any time they saw the hallway that led to the class - even if I was working in there!  Two year old class room … Bug has warmed up to this idea a smidge.  I go in with them and he hangs on me for a second and then goes merrily on his way - coloring, drawing, etc.  He does not like to see me leave though, so as long as I sneak away he’s happy.  Monkey though … now that’s a whole different ball game! 

He will scream and cling and act like he is being killed … dead!!  I’ve mentioned this problem before and it DOES NOT GET BETTER WITH CONSISTENCY.  The only consistent thing I’ve learned about my little Twinkies is that there isn’t any merit to being consistent with them - ugh!  Being my last children I suppose they felt it necessary to make sure that the mold that we were ever so comfortable with was completely shattered! *Sigh*

So try as I would taking them every Tuesday and Thursday was becoming more and more stressful.  Not to mention the fact that if there was a green gooey nose or any other remote inkling of an ailment I refuse to go anyway and expose others to it.  So here I was … STUCK!

Thankfully our friends who live down the road are members too and we had been going together as often as we could and she recently met with a great Personal Trainer at the Y.  One day as I told her my dilemma of being stuck only going when a familiar class was offered because I don’t know anything about the equipment, she quickly recommended that I meet with this Trainer.  So I gave her a call and set it up. 

My blessed neighbor offered to watch the little darlings while I met with her this morning … she did it while we were all at the Y though, so it simply reinforced why I must have more freedom to go there when I want.  Thankfully the gal is also a mom and totally understands that I have limitations.  Maybe a few more than most with 6 kids, but she was quick to offer me great exercises to do at home as well as a plan to do while I was at the gym. 

It was a little daunting, but overall I was soooooo happy I had done it.  I simply must point out that the ellipticals have tv’s!  Seriously LOL!  We got on them to warm up and it was so funny because mine was on the Food Network … I simply had to laugh.  Making yourself drool over fattening food while you work out seems a little ironic, but it is one of my preferred channels so I was happy!

I left there with a renewed purpose.  No more time on my hands, but more freedom to go to the gym when it works for me.  Thank goodness.  Summer break is quickly approaching and I need that flexibility. 

Just wanted to give all of you a little update!  Hope you had a great weekend.  Oh and for those of you keeping up with the computer saga, it continues and looks like it will be continuing for a while. 

In the life of a Mommy blogger and a Graphic/Web Designer, one of the worst things that can happen is for a computer to be out of commission!  This is where I have been for a week now.  In the middle of several projects with more coming in.  Contests that are supposed to be featured, but can’t.  UGH!!!

Last weekend my computer’s AC adapter completely stopped working.  It is only 5 months old so I called the manufacturer.  “No Problem” they told me … it would arrive in 3 to 5 business days.  OK, I thought, I’ll stick it out and be patient.  And I was … until Thursday afternoon rolled around and nothing arrived. 

By mid-morning today I was frantic and called the manufacturer again to check in and see that the parts had been sent as I was told.  Yes, they shipped out on Monday, but are not scheduled to be delivered until next Tuesday.  SAY WHAT??????  I was astounded, shocked, mouth-hanging-agape and horrified.  you have got to be kidding me.  What am I supposed to do?  I spent the entire coversation asking for a solution and NOT losing my cool and they offered me NOTHING! 

Meanwhile it is all I can do to ’save face’ with my lovely new customers and try to find the best way to facilitate all of their needs through this ordeal.  My Dad has a computer by the same manufacturer and since my hubby’s adapter isn’t compatible, my computer has made a little trek over to my parent’s house to see if there’s hope!!! 

I’m praying that his cord works and my little computer will be fully charged in the morning.  If so, I will be able to transfer everything over to the brand new, lovely little external hard drive we purchased this evening (much to our pocketbook’s chagrin LOL).

This may seem like a silly thing to get upset about, but integrity means a lot to me.  I work hard to create beautiful designs for my customers in a very short period of time, which they greatly appreciate.  The idea that this process may be messed up - even for a moment is very difficult to swallow.

This is not a coincidence in my opinion however.  As you will find out over the next couple of weeks, my computer’s power cord stopped working almost exactly the moment I said “yes” to supporting and helping lead a ministry.  I’ll tell you all more about that another time, but the point is that this isn’t the first time I’ve had computer problems shortly after taking on a new ministry responsibility!

So, I was hoping to offer some great good news today, with the promise of some great pictures of things we’re doing around the house, but that will still have to wait a bit.  I truly hope you all have an amazing Memorial Day weekend!

I had a lot of fun sharing Linney Shvede and their great products with you.  

We do have a winner for that contest and it is …

#8 - Call Me A Bookworm

Congratulations and be sure to check your email for a note from me on how to claim your prize!

The Micah & Co giveaway was very popular and I was very excited to introduce this fun new shop to all of you.  Don’t forget to go shopping and use the code POSHBABY10 to get a 10% discount!

And the winner is …

#85 - Chantelle

Congratulations Chantelle, be sure to check your email for a note from me on how to claim your prize!

Sometimes computers can be a real pain!  You know I wouldn’t write that unless I was currently experiencing just such a feeling!  Some of you will remember that I had some nasty computer trouble through the holidays.  Trouble that resulted in the untimely death of my old computer and, in January the purchase of a new one. 

The power cord on the new one died!  And the paint was coming off all of the keys … oh the horror!

The company is sending me a new power cord and a new keyboard - but it won’t be here for 3 to 5 business days.  Which means that I can’t post tomorrow’s contest tomorrow … So sad!  I will post it as soon as I can though!!!

*I’m updating this post to add a little note that my sis left in the comments - I think it should go here to round out the story LOL.  Scroll down to the bottom of the story for her little note!*

Not just any old mattress either … nope … a KING SIZE MATTRESS.  But I should start at the beginning ………

As many of you know we are trying to get the house organized, clean and otherwise prepared for the possibility of putting it on the market.  The problem is that in order to do that we have to overhaul our little house.  It was so bad I knew I had to enlist some serious help.  That help came in the form of my next younger sister who really is great at organizing and purging.

She’s been here many times, but one of the biggest projects was to switch our bedroom and the other front bedroom that housed 4 of our boys.  We had put this mammoth task off, and finally had to face it.  So we began, moving cribs, a dresser and a set of bunkbeds (plus all of the various oddities contained within and underneath) out into the living room - completely blocking off access to the kitchen and bathroom in the process, but oh well (LOL). 

Then we headed into the “Master” bedroom - oh BOY!  The fact that our bed never did fit in the room right and was crammed up against a wall with the door barely able to open on the other side was just something I had gotten used to.  Also knowing that 3 years of “stuff” had accumulated under and around the bed in unreachable areas was also something I knew existed.  I warned Sis … “remember, I cannot guarantee what we’ll find under here.”  She just looked at me and smiled.

We had to begin with the mattress … 2 women with 1 king size mattress that was truly almost bigger than the room.  Not only was it nearly impossible to get it off the bed, but how on earth were we to contort it to the point where we could squeeze it out of the door????  Well, with much craziness we did.

OK, Now what do we do with it.  Originally Sis had decided that we simply needed to find a place to stash it until Hubby got home.  Making sure that it was located where he would have to get it out of the house, but that we were still able to function for the rest of the day.  Apparently she had decided this was no longer an option - that we must get the mattress to the garage ourselves. 

Our garage is detatched … many feet from the house … down a grassy hill.  Do any of you have a clue how much a King size mattress weighs?????  Two women absolutely cannot lift one, we could push it but NOT lift it.  So how on earth did she plan to get it down to the garage?  Well, as we had been hauling other things down to the garage, she had spotted two of the children’s plastic sleds. 

Being a very original and creative thinker (she didn’t want to learn to drive because she was afraid she’d be driving down the freeway and see a bug on the guardrail and wonder if she could hit it … yup), she had decided that these two sleds were exactly what we needed to accomplish the monster of moving this mattress.

She entered the house with those two sleds in tow and I asked her “what on earth?” and laughed when she told me why.  I didn’t think she was serious.  Honestly.  This would NEVER have occured to me - too creative.

So, we drug the mammoth mattress over to her nicely placed sleds and heaved it onto them.  It was a little crooked and very cumbersome, so I began to have my doubts.  We slid it out the door - I was in front and Sis was in back.  I began to heave it down onto the grass from the front porch and suddenly it wasn’t moving anymore.  That’s when we ran into our first “glitch”. 

The mattress was stuck between the porch flooring and the roof covering it.  So we began zigzagging this lovely mattress to try and un-stick it :) .  Finally out it came and almost went down too!  With Sis hanging on for dear life to one side and me hanging on for dear life on the other, suddenly we were losing it.  The mattress was sooooo very heavy, it kept sliding off of the sleds and we still had at least 100 feet to go - OH BOY! 

We pushed and we pulled and we lost one sled along the way and were laughing so hard half way there I thought we’d never make it.  I mean the doubled over-laughing so hard you’re crying kind of laughing.  I can’t imagine the thoughts of the few people who drove by - “Oh my word those crazy women …” LOL!

Finally, still laughing we made it down to the garage.  We had one last tricky little maneuver to make though since the garage is about a foot lower than the grassy area (don’t ask ).  So we skipped it over the edge and onto the concrete floor of the garage.  Thankfully once it was there it was a breeze to slide into place. 

Shortly after we got the Beast into the garage, my sister made the comment (as we’re still laughing and crying), “Why do I get the feeling I’ll end up as tomorrow’s blog post?”.  I stopped short, looked at her and said “Sure, I actually hadn’t thought about that”. 

Now, the problem here is that my sister and her ultra-creative-I-thought-of-the-sled mind would have been the perfect person to re-tell this story.  But since she isn’t a blogger and didn’t take me up on my suggestion to be the one to write about it, she will now have to read this post and think of all the funny and interesting things I left out.  Well, I did my best

Just a word of warning though:  If you are a down-to-earth, logical type woman and happen to have a creative-thinking-off-the-beaten-path sister, DO NOT ASK HER TO HELP YOU MOVE A MATTRESS!  You could wind up in a pickle!

*A Note From Sis*

You did, as always, an amazing job retelling the story but you missed one little point. As the cars were driving by you actually said “maybe someone will stop and help us” and you sounded HOPEFUL!

I was mortified hoping and praying that we somehow blended into the landscape, or came across as 2 perfectly normal women doing a little moving. Not you, you were ready to flag down a innocent passing motorist. Have you no PRIDE?!

This experience has taught me two things; first, a kingsize matress has no backbone to keep it standing up straight on two sleds (the one flaw in my otherwise brilliant plan). Second, there is no one I laugh harder with than my sister! love you!

Just a little note to let all of you know that the TuTu cute giveaway has ended and the winner is …

#42 - Michelle

The safety of my children is a huge deal for me and I’m thrilled to be able to introduce all of you to a mom-owned business that offers solutions to every family’s safety needs! Kay Green is the mompreneur behind My Precious Kid. I heard about MPK a few years ago as I was searching for a one-stop-safety-shop for my family. I had been to an informational meeting that focused on children’s safety and they had mentioned ideas that I had never heard of before, so I went searching.

My Precious Kid was, by far the most comprehensive site, offering more useful safety products than anything else I found. From their child ID products and Car Seat ID’s to the everyday products like first aid kits, childproofing and much more. Kay began creating My Precious Kid ID Cards when she needed homeschool ID’s for her kids - I love it when a company is born out of one idea. From there, she found that the car seat ID cards available at many hospitals were difficult to update and change, so she created one with velcro so that it can be updated or even used for a different child down the road.

As far as safety products are concerned I highly recommend that EVERY parent has a child ID for each car seat and has a Child ID kit for every child in the family that is kept up-to-date and stored in a safe and easy to access location. These items offer peace of mind and can be a priceless resource in the event of an emergency!

If you’d like to take it one step further, get child ID bracelets for your youngsters, especially any who have allergies, asthma or special needs! They offer a large variety of products for all of this. They also offer the MediBuddy First Aid kit, a fun and very family friendly first aid kit that is small enough to keep in a purse or diaper bag! Some of their other bestsellers include the Wireless Door and Window Alarm, Personalized Dog Tags, Child Locator, Velcro ID Bracelet, Angel Guard Buckle Cover, and many more!

Kay gave me the opportunity to try out their Rewards Chore Chart and it was very fun! Bright and colorful and complete with ALL of the items you need (INCLUDING instructions) to create a successful plan for offering your child chores and rewards for completing them. Especially handy for children that are just getting started in being assigned tasks to do around the house.

Kay has offered all of you a great discount: 10% off using the code 112087654 (expires 12/08). What a great way to get all of the safety products you need for your family!

I am happy to be able to offer you the opportunity to win one of these great Reward Chore Charts for yourself. To enter:

~ Just hop on over to My Precious Kid and take a look around …

~ Then come back here and mention the products you love the most!

The Bella’s Blessings giveaway has ended, but please don’t forget to go shopping with them and enter the code frog before checkout to recieve 10% off (expires May 31st)!  It was such a pleasure to work with Lori … what a wonderful business to support if you have a little girl!

And the winner is ……

#2 - Niki

Congratulations Niki! Be sure to check your email for a message from me!