I'm Not the Nanny

Get Organized with AcornPoints by AboutOne & Enter to Win $10,000

2012-01-27T13:43:00.000-05:00

This is post is sponsored by AboutOne 2.0 with AcornPoints.

Confession. I'm a piler. I pile papers and books everywhere. In fact, my desk is always in some sort of disarray. Don't believe me, check out this post, but beware, it's not for the faint of heart. I keep trying different ways to stay organized and cut down on the paper clutter on my desk. I still seem to revert back to my piling habit.

Maybe I'm not a hopeless cause. That's why I'm excited to try out AboutOne 2.0 with AcornPoints, an online family organizer that makes staying organizing effortless. They've partnered with Microsoft and Suze Orman to launch a brand new version of their online organizer. The site isn't quite ready to launch but here are some features I would totally use:

It syncs with my Google (or iCal or Outlook) calendar and contact all in one place
There's a calendar-based online organizer. Now I won't miss that webinar I signed up for!
I can use my smartphone to send photos of my receipts or even of my kids' artwork

AboutOne 2.0 with AcornPoints will keep all of your household information in one place. That's right, your family's health education, home, and vehicle records all accessible in one place. I'm usually digging around in our filing cabinet to look for our car registration, then off to my wallet for our family's health insurance info and then dig around my desk for the latest cable bill. All your information is completely private with bank level security.

You can upload memory keeping items like videos, photos, and artwork too. AboutOne 2.0 with AcornPoints will instantly format my info (including the above mentioned household info) into online or printable reports. Even newsletters and photo memory books. The less work on my end, the better.

AboutOne 2.0 with AcornPoints will also reward you for being organized. When you reach certain organizational goals, you can earn gift cards. I'm not sure what the details are, but I'm not above bribery.

Want to try out AboutOne 2.0 with AcornPoints? As part of their launch celebration, they are running a $10,000 tell a friend giveaway. To enter, head to their website and enter your email address to get on the list to receive a free account. Once you confirm your subscription, refer at least 3 friends who signs up and confirms their subscription will enter both of you in the giveaway. That means $10,000 for both of you to share!

Here's a video with some more info:

Sign-up so you'll be notified when AboutOne 2.0 with AcornPoints is ready to launch and start 2012 on the path to organization. You can also follow AboutOne on Facebook and Twitter to get updates.

While this post is sponsored by AboutOne 2.0 with AcornPoints, all opinions and disorganization is my own. Above links to AboutOne are referral links.

My Boss Is Two Years Old

2012-01-26T20:20:00.001-05:00

Don't let that sweet face fool you

Yesterday, I realized that I'm not really the boss of me.

I have no idea why it's taken this long to figure out.
My toddler is the boss of me. Or at least he thinks he is. Yesterday morning, at 6:30, he woke me up. Now 6:30 might not be that early for some of you, but considering I went to bed at 3am, that's a wee bit early. I gave up using my alarm clock after Sophia was born over six years ago. Once I decided to work from home, she became my alarm clock. When she woke up, I got up for the day. It worked out perfectly for my schedule. During her first year, she slept until 10am almost every day. I got spoiled.

Yesterday morning my wake up call made me cranky. Hubby's big work project culminates this week, which means early mornings and late nights. He usually feeds and dresses the kids in the morning AND does bus drop off duty. Yesterday, I was on call for the morning duties. I vaguely remember hubby kissing me goodbye with a promise to give me a 7am wake up call.

Did I mention that Jaxson, my cute toddler woke up at 5:30AM? To keep Jaxson busy, hubby gave Jaxson a banana and the Leapster Explorer before he ran off to work at 6:00. Or maybe it was 6:30. I was too groggy to remember.

Because he can kick butt

For the next 30 minutes, Jaxson sat next to me in bed, eating his banana and playing video games. Every few minutes, he put his face inches from mine, yelling, "Help, mommy! Help me! " I groggily helped him draw the letter R in the freaking Explorer game. He woke me up for the letter R? Five minutes later, he screamed for more help. Did I mention that he spits when he screams?

By now I was pretty darn cranky. I just wanted to sleep until 7am! Exasperated, I told him to play a different game. Ok, I might have yelled it. His definition of a different game was yelling something different at me.

"EGGS! MOMMY, I HUNGRY! I WANT EGGS! "

All while inches away from my face. He was a broken record. Over and over he yelled for eggs until I drug myself out of my warm flannel sheets.

Yes, I made Jaxson some freaking eggs. I wasn't happy about it. Even snapped at hubby when he made his wake up call. I was one super cranky mom yesterday.

Two years old are demanding bosses.

Whimper. Who's bringing me chocolate and coffee?

DC Weekend Picks: Concerts More Lunar New Year Celebrations

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday, what do you have planned for the weekend? I swear, I'm not normally this organized, but I'm always looking for fun things to do with my family. So why not share with you all?

Lunar New Year celebrations continue this upcoming weekend. We didn't go to any last weekend because the cold, icy snow made me lazy. Plus Sophia wanted to see the parade and standing outside in the snowy thirtysomething degrees Farenheit weather was not how I wanted to spend my Saturday morning. So keep your fingers crossed for this weekend.

More DC Lunar New Year's Celebrations (with some repeats from last week's picks):

Billed as the largest Tết celebration in Northern Virginia, there is a 2 day celebration at Langley High School in McClean, Virginia from 10am to 5pm on both Saturday, January 29 and Sunday, January 30. There will be music, dancing, food, lion dances, dragon dances, charity raffles, beauty pageant, and games. Admission is $2/person. Saturday's event will be held by a Vietnamese Seniors Group while Sunday's will be hosted by Vietnamese Community of Washington DC, Maryland & Virginia. Location: Langley High School, 6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 2210.

Bundle up and head out early on January 29 for a good spot for the DC Chinatown's Chinese New Year Parade. We've attended this parade in the past and it never fails to excite the kids. There's plenty of lion dances, performers of all sorts and lots of colorful costumes. Let's hope it won't be freezing this year! The parade starts at 2PM. Visit thewebsite for route information. I highly recommend taking the Metro to the Gallery Place-Chinatown stop. After the parade, head to one of the many Asian restaurants for a new year's dinner.

Creative Cauldron in Falls Church, VA is presenting a Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Tet) Community Celebration at 2PM on January 29. Audiences will be treated to five unique dances, musical selections on traditional 16 string instruments and a fashion show demonstrating traditional Vietnamese costume and dress. Tickets start at $12. For more information, visit the website.

It's not a new year's celebration but this free Hot Peas 'N Butter concert looks like fun:

Friends of the Library, Montgomery County is celebrating 30 years of supporting, protecting, and defending the Montgomery County Public Libraries with this year's anniversary. To kick off the year of fun, FOLMC is hosting the popular children's band and three-time Parent's Choice Award Winner, Hot Peas 'N Butter. On Saturday, January 28 at 11am Hot Peas 'N Butter will play a free, but ticketed concert at the Germantown Library. Free tickets are only available in advance, starting Tuesday, January 24 at the branch.

Want some snow? Check out Adventure Theatre's production of The Snow Day adapted from Ezra Jack Keat's book. It was almost sold out but they added more shows. Yay! Read more of my review at Tots2Tweens.

What are you doing this weekend?

Lion photo by pixiduc via Creative Commons. Hot Peas 'N Butter photo courtesy of Montgomery County Library.

Stop and Smell the Grass

2012-01-25T08:30:00.000-05:00

I had to share with you one more snow photo. As I chased around the kids, I stopped for a moment and noticed how these tiny blades of grass were sticking out of the snow. Beautiful, isn't it?

Work From the Cloud or Your Desktop with Microsoft Office 2010 and SkyDrive (Review)

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

I love working from the cloud. Being able to access my files no matter where I am makes it easier to work on the couch or at my favorite coffee shop. I've been using Google Docs for quite some time. It was easier to work from the cloud since I constantly switched working from my desktop to my laptop or netbook, especially since I only had Microsoft Office installed on my desktop. Microsoft Word and Excel files I received for work could be viewed and edited in Google Docs, but any special formatting didn't show up properly.

Now, I don't have to worry about compatibility between documents I receive in my email, thanks to SkyDrive, Microsoft's free online storage. With SkyDrive, I can work on a Microsoft Word file on my desktop, save it directly to SkyDrive and then access it from my laptop later. All my formatting is saved and remains consistent, no matter where I access my file. I can open and edit my document using Microsoft Office Web Apps or open it using Microsoft Office installed on my computer.

It's easy to share your files

With SkyDrive, I can create and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files. I can also create a PowerPoint presentation or a OneNote notebook. It was also very easy to share a file. In my recent post about nature walks on Tots2Tweens, I shared a printable Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt List by linking directly to the file. My readers can just click on the PDF file and print it out.

As you can see, with SkyDrive you're not limited to MS Office documents. Not only can I upload PDF files to it, I can upload photos as well. Sharing photos with family and friends is just as easy. You can send them a link to view your photos. SkyDrive stores all your photos and files in the cloud without taking up a ton of space on your hard drive.

You can share files by emailing your friends the link

You can even upload video files and view them directly from your browser. I'm not a huge fan of Youtube, but I can see SkyDrive as a more private way of sharing video files. I can store my video files in the cloud and only share them if I so choose.

I still love my Google Docs. It's simple with no frills.

However, SkyDrive has convinced me to go back to MS Office. With Microsoft Word, I can do more fun things with my documents. I'll have access to templates like lists and letterheads and fun projects like notecards. I can also print directly to PDFs. I have the option to save directly to my hard drive or to SkyDrive. If you have a Windows phone or an iPhone, you can download the SkyDrive app for easy access to your files.

I'm not ready to give up Google Docs yet, but I can see myself using both SkyDrive and Google Docs equally. You can do a lot more with SkyDrive, aside from what I've mentioned here. Check out how more than one person can view and edit the same Excel workbook at the same time.

Want to give SkyDrive a try? Sign up for free. Do you use the cloud for your documents? Which service do you use?

I received codes for Microsoft Office 2010 to facilitate this review. SkyDrive is free. As always, all geeky opinions are my own.

Photos courtesy of Microsoft.

Finally, A Snow Day

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sophia has been complaining about the lack of snow since early December. The adults in our home are not complaining at all. After the crazy snow storms the past few winters, I'm happy for a respite.

We did get enough snow Friday night for it stick and look pretty. I convinced hubby to bundle up and head outside Saturday morning. It might the kids' only chance to play in snow this winter!

As you can tell they had a blast!

The snow might melt soon, but you can get more snow at Adventure Theatre's production of The Snowy Day, an adaptation based on Ezra Jack Keats book of the same title. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the book. We saw the show yesterday and the kids were mesmerized. The snowman was quite a hit with the audience.

Our family attended a press performance of The Snowy Day. All opinions are my own.

Year of the Dragon: Lunar New Year Family Activities in DC and Baltimore

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Year of the Dragon!

Monday, January 23 marks the Lunar New Year, or Tết in Vietnamese. Yes, believe it or not, other cultures besides the Chinese celebrate the Lunar New Year. It will be the year of the dragon, which is considered the luckiest sign. In fact many Asian babies will be born this year! (But not from my oven, thank you.)

Last year, we didn't hit any local celebrations, but this year there's plenty to choose from. Everyone is welcome to these events, whether you're Asian or not. Take your family out for a fun cultural experience. With plenty of good food! Make sure you have a bite of banh chung, a traditional Vietnamese treat for Lunar New Year.

Here are some Lunar New Year celebrations in the Baltimore and Washington, DC area.

Weekend of January 21-23

Join Port Discovery in Baltimore on January 21 for their Chinese New Year Celebration. In addition to their exhibits, there will be crafts, food tastings, storytelling and of course, lion dances. All these activities are included with your admission ticket. Tickets are $13.95 for everyone ages 2 and up. Those 2 and under are free.

Rockville Town Square's Lunar New Year Celebration starts off with a parade. From 11AM-4PM on January 21, head to Rockville for an Asian street market, VisArts exhibitions, street performances, and plenty of children's activities. Event is free.

Get a close up view during the Chinese Lion Dance performance by Washington Chinese Youth Club at Montgomery County's Aspen Hill Library. Show up before the show starts at 3PM to grab a good seat. Check my video of last year's performance at White Oak Library. Event is free. Montongomery County Library has even more Lunar New Year events throughout February.

Eden Center in Falls Church, VA has two days of Tết celebrations, first on January 22 and another on the actual new year, January 23. On Sunday there are two lion dance performances and Monday includes a flag ceremony. While you're there, make sure you hit one of the restaurants for authentic Vietnamese food and grab some banh mi to take home with you. Bonus points from me if you bring me some banh mi!

Weekend of January 28-29

Bundle up and head out early on January 29 for a good spot for the DC Chinatown's Chinese New Year Parade. We've attended this parade in the past and it never fails to excite the kids. There's plenty of lion dances, performers of all sorts and lots of colorful costumes. Let's hope it won't be freezing this year! The parade starts at 2PM. Visit the website for route information. I highly recommend taking the Metro to the Gallery Place-Chinatown stop. After the parade, head to one of the many Asian restaurants for a new year's dinner.

Creative Cauldron in Falls Church, VA is presenting a Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Tet) Community Celebration at 2PM on January 29. Audiences will be treated to five unique dances, musical selections on traditional 16 string instruments and a fashion show demonstrating traditional Vietnamese costume and dress. Tickets start at $12. For more information, visit the website.

How will you celebrate the Lunar New Year?

If you know of other activities in the DC or Baltimore area, please let me know! I'll add them to the list.

Photo by Lifeless_Ordinary via Creative Commons.

I Used to Be an Introvert (Sort of)

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you met me in person, you probably wouldn't suspect me of being an introvert.

I love meeting new people. I enjoy hearing about their passions. I like going out for cocktails (or coffee) with my girlfriends. I even strike up conversations while in line at the grocery store. After reading Susan Cain's new book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, I realized that I might be an introvert. Especially after taking her quiz.

That was quite a revelation. I consider myself pretty outgoing. Heck, I even sell sex toys for a living. (It's our busy season!) Through my Passion Parties business, I've learned how to approach strangers, hand out my business cards, and get a phone number in return. I've learned how to pick up the phone and ask complete strangers invite their friends over for a dildo viewing party. And they do!

As a freshman in college I dreamed of being an actor. It was fun to become a different character. Then I realized that there's not very many prospects available for a short, not so skinny Asian-American woman who couldn't dance.I don't mind speaking in front of a crowd, whether it's a monologue or the pro and cons of flavored versus plain lube. Surely that means I'm an extrovert?

Maybe not.

I love my me time. I cherish it since I don't get it very often with two little ones to take care of. I savor being the only one awake in my apartment, as I sit at my desk, tapping at my keyboard. Sure, I'll chat with my Twitter or Facebook friends, but it's not like I have to fix my hair or change out of my pajamas to talk to them.

One of the questions in the quiz asked if I often let phone calls go to voice mail. That's one of the signs of an introvert. I do it more than I'd like to admit. I try not to as some of them are business calls. Some nights after a long day of war with my toddler, I just don't want to talk to anyone. Except for my husband.

Whenever I feel overwhelmed by all the craziness of parenting, I get away for a couple of hours on hubby's day off. Usually I prefer solitude. I'll sit at Starbucks with my journal or a book. Last week, I spent all afternoon shopping-all by myself. I'd rather spend a few hours walking around a museum, something I resolve to do more of this year.

I'd like to say that I straddle both, an ambivert, Susan Cain calls it. Maybe she would tell me I'm a high-functioning extrovert.

If you've met me in person, what do you think? Do I seem like an introvert to you?

Are you an introvert or extrovert? Author Susan Cain explores how introverts can be powerful in a world where being an extrovert is highly valued. Join From Left to Write on January 19 as we discuss Quiet: The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain. We'll also be chatting live with Susan Cain at 9PM Eastern on January 26. As a member of From Left to Write, I received a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Photo by Cia de Foto via Creative Commons.

Going From Resolutions to Achieving Your Goals

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

I started 2012 by choosing a word for the year. Besides choosing the word ASK as my intention for this year, I have other resolutions for this year. I'd rather call them goals than resolutions. During the last week of 2011, I still had no idea what I wanted from this year. With the help of 2012 Creating My Goddess Year workbook , I was able to figure out what I wanted to accomplish this year.

As usual, my Asian overachiever self wants to accomplish LOTS in 2012. Here's what I have on tap (so far):

Health & Fitness
I am improving my healthy by giving up half and half in my coffee (ACK!) and to be more active. My fancy pedometer Striiv is keeping me motivated and accountable. Though I do allow myself slacker days. I don't want to be so hard on myself that I'll give up. My toddler is addicted to Just Dance 3 and Just Dance Kids 2. Everyday he asks to play. Usually I turn him down because he has a meltdown when we turn it off. Last week, I gave in and got a pretty good work out. And it's fun.

Creativity
I used to feel guilty for not finding as much time to express my crafty side as much as I used to. I've come to realize that creativity goes in cycles. There will be times when I have so many ideas, I don't know where to start. Other times, I'm too exhausted to even think about drawing or crafty. This year I joined the Creative Everyday challenge. I didn't succeed the first time I attempted the challenge, but I'm keeping it simple this year with my 5 minute ink and watercolor sketches. I know I'll squeeze in more substantial projects during the year. I also want to visit more museums. DC has so many museums, most are free even, and I hardly take advantage of them.

Family
Now that Jaxson is two years old, I think it's time for more dates with hubby. I don't just mean movie nights on the couch. I want real dates out. Nothing fancy. Dinners, cocktails, or just coffee. A bit of time to talk to each other without being interrupted by our talkative but smart children.

How are your resolutions going so far?

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This post is sponsored by Trop50. While I was compensated for this post, all my opinions and resolutions are totally mine.

Photo by Swami Stream via Creative Commons.

From Drawing Stick Figures to Brown Skin

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've always encouraged Sophia to draw, paint, and create since she was young. I'm glad to see her draw independently. She'll sit for a while and draw the latest princess fashions or Halloween costumes for the entire family. She's also been drawing a lot at school. Her artistic growth is fascinating.

A couple of months ago, I noticed that she stopped drawing stick figures (which is my favorite way to draw people). Everyone has more realistic limbs and bodies. As much as a 6 year old can manage.

Another evolution in her art is skin color. A couple of weeks ago, she brought home this drawing and another drawing featuring herself and my sister. I immediately noticed that she use a different color to draw her skin and a different color to draw her teacher's skin. Yes, that's her teacher up there, the one with the blonde hair.

I asked Sophia to tell me about her drawing, but didn't make a big deal out of it. She's drawing what she sees. There's no reason for me to analyze it. Except to say that she loves her teacher. As every kindergartner should, right?

Animal Planet's Air Swimmers Giveaway

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

The giveaway has ended. Congrats to Barb K!

Happy Friday! I hope my DC readers are enjoying the beautiful weather. Here's a giveaway that will put a smile on your face.

Have you seen those ads for Air Swimmers, a remote control flying shark or clownfish? Well, I won the Clownfish Air Swimmers from Discovery Communications and they also offered for one of my readers!

We haven't assembled and inflated our clown fish yet. Mainly it's because we've been busy and a little lazy. We need to pick up a tank of helium to inflate it-that's us being lazy. Also the kids received so many toys for Christmas, I wanted to wait. When hubby was in NYC for work in December, he saw the Shark Air Swimmers in action at the huge Toys R Us. I think he wanted one just for himself! Check out this video (which looks like it was filmed in the DC area.)

So, do you want to win an Air Swimmers ($40 value) and a giftcard to purchase the helium? You'll be delightfully surprised by either the shark or clownfish (sorry you can't choose).

To enter, just leave a comment what you or your kids would do with your Air Swimmer toy.

For extra entries you can do the following and leave a comment for each:

Subscribe to my blog, I'm Not the Nanny, via RSS feed and leave a comment letting me know you did. (1 entry)
Like I'm Not the Nanny on Facebook (1 entry)

Giveaway ends January 18, 2012 at 9 PM Eastern Time. Winner must respond to my email within 48 hours to claim prize. No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are my own. I'm Not the Nanny is not responsible for items lost or delayed shipping. Affiliate links are in this post. No compensation was received for this post.

3 Ways to Tell Your Kid That It's OK to Fail

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

I grew up in a large family. Lots of cousins, aunts and uncles. Every Sunday we got together to eat, laugh, and play bingo or cards. Because there was so many of us and such a wide range of ages, there always seemed to be a baby in the family.

When the current baby was learning to walk, my cousins did the strangest thing. Whenever the baby stumbled or fell, instead of waiting to see how he or she would react, they cheered and applauded him or her. They would do it during the crucial seconds when the baby looked at the adults to figure out how if they were supposed to cry or not. So instead of crying or getting upset that he or she fell, she became excited.

Pretty genius, right? Instead of coming to the child's rescue or coddling him or her for falling, my family patted them on the back, so to speak. The child felt good about falling down.

In their own way, my family was telling the soon-to-be toddler, "It's OK to fall. Just get back up." I'll take it even further and add, "It's OK to fail. Keep trying."

I shared this story with my husband after Sophia was born. We've used this same concept with both kids, not just when they began toddling, but in anything they tried to learn or do.

The words we use to encourage our children are just as important as how we say it. Here's three ways I encourage our kids when things aren't going their way.

When they're learning something new and can't quite get it, I tell them, "Try again." Instead of dwelling on their mistakes, I acknowledge that yes, his mile-high (to him) Lego building fell over and broke in a gazillion pieces, but that's OK. Let's do it again. Together, I help my toddler rebuild it.
"Let's practice some more." Every third dinner or so, we eat a meal that requires chopsticks. OK, not requires, but utilizes them. Because both Sophia and Jaxson see us eating with our chopsticks, they want to try as well. Even though we bought training chopsticks for them, it's not as simple as using a forth. Whenever Sophia become frustrated because she is constantly dropping her noodles, I remind her that it takes practice. Then I'll give her bigger pieces of food (or less slippery ones) to practice with.
"This is tricky." Whenever the kids attempt to do something that might be a bit out of their skill set, I don't tell them that it's hard. Think about it. If we tell ourselves something is hard to do, we will either stop trying or keep at it until we accomplish it. Most of us probably fall in the first. I know I can be pretty lazy. By saying "This is tricky, but we can figure it out together," I'm sending a message that yes, this task is hard, but there's a way to accomplish it.

It might sound a bit crazy, but how we talk to ourselves is important. I'm teaching my kids that as long as they try their best, it's ok if fail. Just dust off their pants and take a few more steps.

I love hearing Jaxson comfort me when I'm frustrated about something. He gives me a big grin and says, "Mama, try again!"

How do you encourage your kids?

Photo by Trevor Manternach via Creative Commons

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Bubbles!

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love bubbles?

It's HP Expert Day!

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

What do you do when your printer or computer isn't working correctly? I usually do a search on Google and after clicking on several links I may or may not find the solution to my tech problem. It can be very frustrating.

If you own an HP product, fret no longer. Starting today, January 11 at 10AM Eastern time, it's Expert Day at HP's Consumer Support Forum. You'll have access to HP experts to answer your PC and printer related questions even if it's out of warranty. To submit questions, you'll need to register for the forum. This year you can even submit questions with the forum's mobile and Facebook functionality.

I'm headed over their today to figure out what the heck is going with my DVD burner on my Touchsmart!

What kind of computer and printer problems make you crazy?

Learn to Code and Channel Your Inner Geek

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Confession. I loved programming in high school and college. Then I discovered my love for theatre so all the computer stuff got pushed aside.

I'm about to date myself, but I had fun learning QBASIC on my Tandy Color Computer and the computers at my high school. In college, I learned C++ (yep, 2 plus signs) and FORTRAN. I loved figuring out how to code everything in the correct order and making it do what I wanted it to do. Boy have times changed! None of those program languages are used anymore. We've moved on to much languages that are more powerful.

While I was reading the print version of The Washington Post, I learned about Codecademy. (Apparently the article is a reprint of Slate's You Need to Learn How to Program-Farhad Manjoo makes a good case why we should learn.) Founders Zach Sims and Ryan Bubinski believe that everyone should learn how to program.

Lessons are free on Codecademy. Currently, you can learn JavaScript, but I think there are plans to add more programming languages. You can start as soon as you visit the website. I've already taken the first lesson. It took me less than 5 minutes, but I've taken programming classes before. I found the instructions easy to understand and not written in jargon. As you learn to code, you can use the "Scratch Pad" to play around with what you've learned.

Since it's the age of social media, you can connect your account with Facebook and show off badges you've earned as you progress through your coding lessons. So far I only have 1 badge, or achievements as Codecademy calls it.

The tech industry is dominated by men and I think it's time we have more women in the field. (Yes, I know I have some male readers.) Take a few minutes each day and learn how to program. Who knows? You might learn how to create the next cool app or design a fabulous website!

I think Codecademy is freaking awesome! But no one is paying me to say that. Just learn some code, ok? You'll be glad you did.

Qbasic screenshot by eston via Creative Commons

Using GoodReads to Track My 2012 Reading Goals

2012-01-09T10:10:00.000-05:00

I have no idea how many books I read last year? I've read countless number of books for the kids. I'm talking about reading just for me. Last year I tried to keep track but fell off the wagon. I tried to go back and remember what I read the previous month, but I couldn't.

Thanks to some of my fellow From Left to Write book club members, I finally joined GoodReads. I've been holding out for quite a while. I didn't want another time suck. What drew me in was not the social element or the monthly book giveaways (there's a lot!). It's that I can keep track of my reading progress.

GoodReads offers a 2012 Reading Challenge. They're going to help me keep track! Since I have no idea how many books I read last year, I set my 2012 goal at 100 books. Books I read for my kids don't count. Good reads lets me set up a to be read list as well as a currently reading list. I like the currently reading list because I'm not a monogamous reader. I'm usually reading 2 or 3 books concurrently.

Right now I'm reading Quiet by Susan Cain, which is our first selection of the year for From Left to Write. After listening to Peggy Orenstein's appearance on the Diane Rehm show and learning that her daughter is Hapa, I'm reading her book, Cinderella Ate My Daughter, on my new-to-me Nook (Thanks Jenn!). I keep wanting to throw a fiction book in the mix, but I'm also cocentrating on my 2012 Creating My Goddess Year workbook.

There's also a free GoodReads app to help me keep track on my goals. I can update my status right from my phone after I finish a book.

What are your reading goals for 2012?

Wanna be friends on GoodReads or see what I'm reading?

Nope, GoodReads didn't pay me to write about them. Taylor finally convinced me to join. There are affiliate links in this post.

Photo by youreyes via Creative Commons

My New Goddess Habit: Unplugging

2012-01-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I sort of unplugged for about half and hour or so. I didn't check my phone (ok maybe a little bit) or open my laptop. Instead, while Jaxson watched some PBS Kids, I sat on the couch with my 2012 Creating My Goddess Year workbook and my little notebook where I jot my blogging ideas.

I really didn't plan to unplug. The past few days my sinuses have made my brain all cloudy. I haven't been able to sleep at night because I can't turn off my brain. All these ideas rush around and keep me up. Add a little of insomnia to that and getting up super early (for me) to get Sophia to the bus stop in time. I just couldn't concentrate well enough to read a book, write a blog or even answer emails.

I thought I would tackle all those ideas racing around in my head. Maybe I could actually get some sleep. Even though I've worked on several pages in my 2012 Creating My Goddess Year workbook, there were more pages I had yet to explore. I flipped through my workbook aimlessly because my sinuses made it hard to concentrate.

I randomly stopped on a page. My Key Goddess Habits was written at the top. I'm telling you, I think the universe was trying to tell me something when I found this page. As I read Goddess Leonie's 10 Goddess Habits, I thought, I need this. She even includes a tip sheet on how to create your own list.

Goddess Habit #9 switch off to focus and #10 switch off at least 30 minutes before bed resonated with me. They were my AHA for the day. I needed to sit down and focus on my thoughts. Unplugging to focus and write them down would help me sleep. Putting away my electronics before I went to bed would help me sleep. Usually I work late into the night until I'm exhausted or I notice how late it is so drag myself to bed. There's no downtime for my brain.

I'm creating a wind down Goddess Habit for my brain. I'll turn off my computer, hide my phone, and snuggle up with a book or chat with hubby about his day. My brain needs to transition from work time to relaxation time to rest time.

Every time I flip open Goddess Leonie's 2012 Creating My Goddess Year workbook, I get a new AHA. Her colorful workbook pages help me see what I'm doing in a different light. Read more in my review on Cup of Creativi-Tea.

The 2012 Creating My Goddess Year is a PDF download and is $9.95. I took my printout to an office supply store and had it wire bound for about $4. You can also purchase a 2-workbook or 5-workbook package to share with your friends!

I received a review of 2012 Creating My Goddess Year for review. As always, all opinions are my own. Links to products are affiliate links. If you decided to purchase her workbook or other products through my links, thank you!

Photo take with Paper Camera app. I love this app!

Sometimes I Forget I Don't Look Like My Kids

2012-01-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

Photo by epicnom via Creative Commons

One of the main reason I began this blog was to vent my frustration of being mistaken for my daughter's nanny. Once I started dragging two kids around town, I heard it less and less. The not-their-mother incidents still happen. This past summer, an African American mother at the park asked me if I was looking for a nanny job after watching me play with Jaxson.

Maybe I'm getting better at tuning out the comments made under people's breath or the questioning looks of strangers as they try to figure out just what we were. I become comfortable instead of being on the defensive, waiting-no, daring-adults to question if my children were mine or They're so beautiful, where did you get them?

I was comfortable going out in public with my children without being questioned about our relationship. What a strange concept.

Then something happens, and it's like a slap in the face. A public slap in front of everyone you love and know. The slap shocks me back to reality. Nope, I don't look exactly like my children. Our hair doesn't match. Our skin color isn't even close to each other. I have almond shaped eyes while they don't.

During winter break, I gathered the kids up for an arts and craft activities at one of my favorite grocery stores. I hadn't taken the kids to this children's activity since Sophia was 3 years old. They had someone new doing it. It was the middle of winter break, and it would do us all good to get out of the apartment for a while. Jaxson fell asleep on the way there, so I wheeled him around in the stroller while Sophia and struggled with the umbrella.

We were only a few minutes late, but Sophia dived right into the arts and craft activity. There were two other mothers there with their daughters. A pair of older sisters left right after they finished their paper reindeer. After arts and crafts, to our surprise, were songs. Sophia wasn't feeling well but wanted to stay for the songs. The woman strummed her guitar and sang. I have no idea what songs she sang. I totally tuned it out.

Next I heard something about a song about mommies. By this time, Sophia wasn't doing too hot and was sitting on my lap. Right in the middle of the song, the woman stops, looks straight at me and asks "Are you a nanny or a mommy?" Apparently she needed to know for whatever song she was singing. I responded a civilly as I could, "I'm the mother." I mean, everyone there looked at me, waiting for an answer. It was as if the song could not continue if I didn't answer. I knew Sophia was listening as well.

Photo by Raminsky via Creative Commons

"Oh, but you look so young!" was her excuse for not being able to tell if I were nanny or mother. Now, I'm no spry chicken, but I'm not old either. Of the two mothers sitting next to us, one definitely looked younger than I. However, both of them looked Caucasian, especially the blonde mother (or maybe she was the nanny?).

At that point, Sophia could barely sit up, so we packed up to leave. (Turns out she was running a fever and was sick for the next 3 days.) I was glad to have an excuse to walk out in the middle of everything.

All afternoon, my brain continuously replayed the events of that morning. Did I handle it wrong? Should I have said more? I don't know. Even now, I still don't know what I would have done differently, except stay home. I can't exactly keep the kids home until they're eighteen.

What I know is I was mad at myself. Mad because I was caught off guard and probably came off shocked and annoyed when the question was posed. Sophia is old enough to understand what's going on and the implications, so I have to be a role model. She has already received similar questions from her classmates.

As long as others try to "figure us out" or categorize our family, these types of incidents will continue to happen. I can't control what others think or say, but I can control how I handle it.

How would you have handled this situation?

Staying Active as a Stay at Home and Work at Home Mom

2012-01-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

The start of a new year is a good time to re-evaluate what you've accomplished and figure out your goals for the new year. I know it's cliche' to resolve to exercise more. It's probably on everyone's list. That's why there's so many gym commercials on this time of the year.

So I'm not resolving to work out more. I know I'm not motivated enough to exercise more. It's too cold for me to drag myself outside for the sole reason of exercise. The only kid-free time I have to work out inside is in the evenings. By then, I'm beat. My kids never seem to stay asleep once I'm awake.

This year, I'm going to just walk more. After hearing my friend Stephanie rave about her Striiv, a souped up pedometer, I was thrilled to win my own during Elena's twitter party. After carrying it around for a month, I've learned a lot about my physical activity.

As a stay at home (SAHM) and work at home mom (WAHM), I'm home a lot. Go figure right? Sure, there are days I have errands to run, but I bunch them up as much as I can. It's not fun dragging a toddler all over town to run errands. Some mornings I leave my apartment to walk Sophia to the bus stop and I usually meet her at the stop every afternoon. If I want to get out more, I have to make up reasons to leave my apartment.

I kind of already knew that but seeing the real hard numbers on my Striiv really hit home for me. I'm not active enough. According to Striiv, the national average is 4,900 steps a day. Most days if I don't leave my apartment except for picking up Sophia from the bus top, I barely hit 4,900 steps or don't even come close. When I am out and about for whatever reason, I easily surpass the national average.

Carrying my Striiv around has motivated me to move more. I've been known to power walk around my apartment at 11:50PM so I hit or surpass the national average. On the days where I have been more active, the pedometer motivates me to add a few hundred more steps to beat my daily average or the previous day's steps.

After being able to track my activity patterns, I now know how I can be more active. I just have to leave my apartment. This means a bit more planning, but it won't be too hard. Unless it's unbearable out, I'll take Jaxson out to the park. He needs the exercise as well. Then we'll hit some story times. My challenge is to find free or very low cost places to take him when it's wet or too cold outside. Any ideas?

If I'm going to reach a healthier weight, I'll need to change my eating habits as well. I'm bad about not eating breakfast. That's the first thing I need to change. I'm not a huge fan of granola or energy bars so I'll stock my favorite yogurt in the fridge. I'm giving up half and half in my coffee and will use whole milk instead. I also realized I'm snacking late into the night as I work as my desk. That has to stop as well. I will brew a cup of tea if I feel the need to snack.

So that's my plan. Instead of resolving to lose x-amount of weight or work out x-amount of minutes a day, I'm changing my daily habits. I think that's the way to staying healthy. It's not just about the numbers but feeling good about myself.

What changes are you making to stay healthier in 2012?

While this post is sort of a Striiv review, I was not compensated to say nice things about it. Affiliate links are included in this post.

Walking photo by o5com via Creative Commons

Starting the Year With One Word

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to 2012!

We had a quiet evening at home to ring in the new year. We let Sophia stay up to watch the ball drop and surprisingly, she made it, even after a full day at Port Discovery's Noontime New Year. As she drank her sparkling cran-apple juice in a real champagne glass, she grinned and announced "I feel so grown-up." She is so grown-up. I know I say it a lot, but she's grown so fast!

Like the past few years, I've chosen a word of intention for 2012. I'm not sure how well I did with my word for 2011, but I'm not going to waste time worrying about something I can't change. Since 2012 is a leap year, I was really drawn to the word LEAP. But I wasn't sure how I could stay focus on the word. I used a really cool workbook to help me figure it out.

I debated between Leap and Ask. While I was in Boston for the Massachusetts Conference for Women, I attended Tory Johnson's Small Business Boot Camp. I learned so much, but now, one month later, one line resonates the most. Tory told us that we won't get what we want if we don't Ask. As women, we've been program to just accept what we've been given instead of asking for what we want. There have been plenty of times that I have been afraid to ask for more, to ask for something I really want instead of settling for what I knew would be easy to attain.

My word for 2012 is ASK. I'm going to make sure I ask. In the past, whenever I have asked, doors of opportunities have opened for me. Not everyone I asked gave me what I asked for, but it's the yeses that have made a difference. Sure, it's nerve wracking to ask, but my ego can take a few no's if I get a yes every now and again.

What are your intentions for 2012? Have you made any resolutions?

Photo by Steve-h via Creative Commons

Add These Black Princess Books and Movies to Your Shelf

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

After noticing that our princess book collection lacked dark skinned princesses, I polled my friends on Facebook and Twitter for recommendations. I've already written about non-princessy princess books, so this list will be a bit different.

Before I share the list, just remember that it's important to surround your children with diversity. Not just toys, books, movies, etc with people that just look like them or your family.

While there are plenty of great picture books of folk tales from around the world, I'm going to focus mainly on the generic Disney-type fairy tales that most children grow up reading. Some of these books might take a different angle from the traditional version, while some are almost the same.

My friend Adia, who is a teacher and former bookseller, reminded me about Rachel Isadora's versions of classic princess fairy tales. Her version of Rapunzel has beautiful dreadlocks that she lowers down the tower. Though the setting is in Africa, it's not an "African" Rapunzel (not that I'm trying to say that African is a culture-there are many many different cultures in Africa).

Isadora's The Princess and the Pea and The Twelve Dancing Princesses are also set in Africa. I'm a sucker for picture books with great illustrations. Just looking at those covers make me happy. Isadora also has a series of ballet books featuring an African-American girl.

Alison Crockett, an amazing singer-songwriter, is my prego buddy. We were pregnant with our youngest at the same time. Our kids were born just days apart, though Alison was super overdue. Sorry Alison. She pointed out The Gospel Cinderella by award winning author and poet Joyce Carol Thomas. It's out of print but you can pick up used copies from Amazon.

Krista reminded me of Disney's 1997 version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella featuring Brandi as Cinderella and Paolo Montalban as the Prince. The king and queen are an interracial couple, played by Victor Garber and Whoopi Goldberg, respectively. We can't forget that Whitney Houston plays the fairy godmother either. As a theatre nerd, I love the lush costumes and bright colors in this version of the musical. That and all the diversity in the cast doesn't hurt either.

Let's not forget Disney's Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog. I know not everyone is a fan of Disney princesses, but Tiana stands out for me. Tiana has big dreams and works hard to achieve them. She doesn't need a prince to rescue her. Instead, she'd rather do everything herself. Black, Asian or Caucasian, that's my kind of gal!

My friend Janin gave me a great list of princess folktales from around the world. Sophia is currently fascinated with folktales so I'll definitely be checking out. I'll share that list another time.

Do you know of any other dark-skinned princess fairy tales to add to this list? I'd love to hear them.

Affiliate links are included in this post.

Searching For Black Princesses

2011-12-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Photo by Jennifer Donley via Creative Commons

Last night as we cuddled up for our nightly bedtime story, I thought, here go, yet another version of Cinderella. This particular one didn't show up in the rotation as often the other princess books, but still, I've read it more times than I can remember.

As I read about the mean stepsisters and a wicked stepmother, Sophia pointed out excitedly, "Mommy, that Cinderella is just like me!" I paused.

"Oh? How is Cinderella like you?" I've learned not to put words in her mouth.

"She's dark skinned like me! And has curly hair like me!" I nodded as she listed what she and Cinderella had in common. "She's kind like me! And generous like me!" By this time Sophia was bouncing up and down with excitement. I affirmed her observations, trying not to beam with pride. Yes, Sophia liked that this Cinderella had dark skinned, but Sophia also attributed kindness and generosity to both herself and the princess-to-be.

Soon, Cinderella met her Prince, who wore his hair in corn rows. Sophia interrupted me, "Mommy! Everyone in this book is dark skinned like me! There aren't very many books with dark skinned princesses." We paused reading for a bit and tried to think if we had any dark skinned princess books. Sadly we could only think of one, The Princesses Have A Ball.

After Cinderella slipped on her glass slipper and married her Prince, I tucked my little princess into bed. I remembered my post from this past February, Do we really need a black princess? It seemed like a perfect time to revisit it. (If you haven't read it, go ahead. I'll wait.) Maybe it was time to rethink black princesses.

Obviously, Sophia noticed and pointed out Cinderella's lovely brown skin. We've read that particular book many times, and I don't remember ever pointing it out, though hubby and I have talked about it when Sophia wasn't around. What surprised me the most was how excited Sophia became when she realized that everyone in the book had dark skin. Then she connected the dots and realized that in almost every princess book we've read (and we've read a lot!) there weren't any dark princesses.

Now when I say princesses, I'm talking about the classic fairy tales that we've all grown up with: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Snow White, etc. The ones that most people equate with Disney. Yes, we've read many different cultural versions of Cinderella, like Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal. To me, as great as the multicultural Cinderella stories are, it's not quite the same for a little girl.

How many of us imagined ourselves in Cinderella's or Sleeping Beauty's shoes when we read their stories or watched the Disney movies? I'm pretty sure Sophia imagines the same. When we read about the Chinese Cinderella or the Arabic Cinderella, it's not quite the same. I have a copy of the Vietnamese Cinderella (Tam & Cam), but our version, The Brocaded Slipper, doesn't have enough illustrations for a 6 year old. She identifies as American and Vietnamese. She can pretend she's in China or Saudi Arabia, but she's never been to either country so she can't easily imagine herself as that specific princess.

Sophia loves every Cinderella story we read, no matter the princess' skin tone. We talk often about how inner beauty is more important than what's on the outside. Now that she's in school, she hears more about race and skin color. Even her classmates ask her why she doesn't look like me. Race is going to be a bit more complicated to discuss as she grows up and can understand all its societal nuances. I'm learning on the fly.

What struck me this time is that she noticed. She saw the difference between this Cinderella book and her other ones. I could see how excited it made her. I could tell she wants to see herself in the books we read.

I remember feeling this way growing up. Every issue of Seventeen, every tv commercial, every sitcom, anything, anywhere, I looked for an Asian face. I felt like I won the lottery when All American Girl featured an entire Asian-American family! I recently learned the term for it. Asianspotting, they call it. Heck, I still do it. I don't want Sophia to be constantly searching like I did.

I know I've debated the black doll versus white doll, but now that she's older, she notices how people react to race and skin color. Especially hers, since our family doesn't "match." Skin color or race is not the determining factor of a person's morals, ethics or personality. I've taught her that already. Maybe now it's time to to reinforce how unique and beautiful she is by making sure she is surrounded by good role models that look like her.

Do you surround your child with dolls, books, etc showing kids that look like your child? How you talk about the differences between your child and the illustrations?

What are your favorite dark-skinned princess stories?

This post was inspired by story of Cinderella from the Jump at the Sun series. Jump at the Sun features many of the fairy tales we've grown up with except all the people in them are African-American. It looks like most of the books are out of print. I don't remember where we got ours-either the thrift store or a used book store.

Last night, I asked my Facebook and Twitter friends to recommend princess stories with dark-skinned princesses. Once again, I am amazed by my resourceful friends. I~~'ll share with you tomorrow all the great recommendations!~~ Here's the list of black princess books and movies. This post is long enough already.

There are affiliate links in this post.

Port Discovery Noontime New Year Bash (Famliy 4-Pack Giveaway)

2011-12-26T00:28:00.001-05:00

Congrats to Laura of Beltway Bargain Mom! She won the tickets!

Now that Christmas has passed and presents have been opened, I'm looking forward to 2012. Unfortunately, once again this year hubby and I will not be painting the town read for New Year's Eve. I know it totally sounds like we're old when we'd rather watch movies at home with some wine and champagne to ring in the new year.

Sophia has been asking to ring in the new year with us. Selfishly, we told her no. I'd rather ring in the new year with both kids snoring in bed. Are your kids begging to stay up late too? Take them to Port Discovery's Noontime New Year Bash this Friday, December 31 . They'll have so much fun that hopefully your kids will be worn out and go to bed early for you.

Come early for arts and craft activities then ring in the New Year with a noontime countdown and celebrate with cookies and juice (while supplies last). Your kids can play in any of the permanent exhibits. Sophia loves the diner where she can be a waitress, a short order cook, and a dishwasher. The Tot Trails, with little munchkin friendly toys and activities, is perfect for Jaxson.

In addition to the permanent exhibits, included in your ticket price includes all the fun Noontime New Year activities: science demonstration by Eric Energy, Mardi Gras mask making, performances by Hee-Kyung traditional Korean dancers and much more.

Tips for visiting Port Discovery: We attended Noontime New Year Bash last year and had a blast. It can get very crowded, so here's some our tips to make sure you have an enjoyable experience.

Counting down to Noon!

Purchase your tickets in advance. Even though we arrived 15 minutes before opening (it starts at 10AM), the front lobby was PACKED. The will call line is much shorter than the purchase tickets line.
Be prepared to split up. Our kids are 4 years apart so they won't always be interested in the same exhibit at the same time. Hubby and I each took a kid to explore the 3 stories of exhibits. We had our phones on vibrate so we could keep in touch.
Pack snacks or a lunch. There's so much to do, your kids will not want to leave. The vending machine and noontime juice and cookies probably won't be enough. We packed finger foods and stowed them in a locker downstairs. Port Discovery has several areas where you can consume your snacks, but food isn't allowed in the exhibits.
Bring extra socks and pants or be prepared for wet kids in the Wonders of Water Exhibit. The water play is always a hit with our kids. Even though Port Discovery provides ponchos and crocs for the kids, they always get soaked. There are dryers on the way out can only do so much, but they do offer a fabulous photo op!
It's OK to leave early. If you or the kids get tired or overstimulated by all the fun stuff, it's okay to leave. You can leave and return the same day with your wristbands. Or you can just call it a day.

Noontime New Year activities run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on December 31st and are free with Museum admission. Museum admission is $13.95 for ages 2 and up. Children under 2 and members are free. You can purchase tickets at the door or in advance. Port Discovery is located at 35 Market Place, Baltimore, MD 21202.

Port Discovery has offered a Family 4-pack of tickets to their Noontime New Year to one of my readers! To enter, leave a comment telling me what your plans are for this New Year's Eave (mandatory).

For extra entries do any of the following and leave a comment:

Like Port Discovery on Facebook and leave a post on their wall that I'm Not the Nanny sent you
Share this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter (1 entry for each)

Example tweet: I'm going to @PortDiscovery's Noontime New Year Bash when I win tickets from @thienkim http://bit.ly/tNNThq

Giveaway ends December 28, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be notified by email and must respond by noon Dec 29 or another winner will be drawn. Tickets will be left at Will Call for the winner. Additional tickets may be purchased by the winner. I received tickets to Port Discovery, but all opinions are my own.

A Perfectly Lazy Christmas

2011-12-25T22:28:00.000-05:00

Christmas was a slow and lazy. We carefully opened the gifts under the tree, each taking turns. While the kids played with their new toys, I made a hearty breakfast of cheese frittata, grits, bacon and cinnamon rolls. Once breakfast was done, hubby and sister hung out with the kids while I took a nice long shower. Long enough to have time to shave my legs.

I made a huge pot of gumbo for lunch and dinner. In fact, there's still plenty leftover. I'm looking forward to another big comforting bowl of chicken, turkey, sausage, orka and shrimp tomorrow.

The kids played with their new toys throughout the day. Even though my ears hurt from Jaxson's new drum set, I loved watching him play them with wild abandon. Sophia and I built a little house and horse carriage with her new pink themed Legos, a gift from my sister. It was my first time really playing with Legos. I can see how they can be addictive.

It was a nice, easy Christmas. Perfect.

How was yours?

P.S. If you're a Baltimore or DC reader, come back in the morning for a giveaway! It's perfect for families.

P.P.S. There's still time to enter my Samsung Windows Phone giveaway. It ends 1/2/2012.

Dancing and Burning Calories with Just Dance 3 (Review)

2011-12-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

Everyday my toddler asks to play Just Dance 3. Seriously. Several times a day. He's addicted. He's dancing so fast I can't even take decent photos of him. See that red and gray blur up there? Yeah, that's my toddler.

We've tried plenty several versions of the Just Dance series, and this is by far my favorite one. Like Just Dance, Just Dance 2, and Just Dance Kids; there's a diverse selection of songs to choose from. My toddler really likes the hip-hop songs, and for some reason, the Britney Spears song. I'm partial to dancing to Katy Perry and Cee Lo Green.

The concept of Just Dance 3 hasn't changed. We have the Wii version, so we just hold our remote in our right hand and (attempt to) follow the dancer on our tv. BUT there's so much more than dancing. With JD3, you can unlock different modes by earning Mojo points (you earn these when you dance to the songs). So far we've only unlocked 3 modes, but I'm going to make hubby unlock the Flash Mob mode for me. I have a soft spot for flash mobs.

Ubisoft added a new feature that made the game more enjoyable for me. My Wii remote cheers for me while I'm dancing and after I'm done. I'm a sucker for positive reinforcement! Since the only time I feel like I have any kind of rhythm is when I'm playing Just Dance, I'll take all the cheering and applause I can get.

We're having friends over for Christmas and I plan on pulling it out. JD3 has a party mode. I can just turn on the game and it'll just play song after song for us to dance to. Why did I not discover this mode until now? With the party mode, there's no lull in the game when no one can agree on what song to dance to next. We're going to have a dance-a-thon for Christmas!

Even if you already own Just Dance or Just Dance 2, you definitely want a copy of Just Dance 3. There's more options, new challenges to unlock special modes, and positive reinforcement! You know you want to dance.

Just Dance 3 is available for the Wii, Xbox Kinect and PS3. Grab a copy from Amazon.

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links are included in this post.