Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Drop Dead Diva

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:23:00 +0000

Due to the utter fabulosity of DVR (quite possibly the world's greatest invention), I manage to watch a ton of TV.
I let it stockpile and then when I'm in my kitchen preparing any number of meals, I get all that TV watched. Multitasking is something I have my Master's in. (And a Ph. D. in sarcasm, in case you were curious).

I was contacted to give the first season of Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva a watch to get my opinion. I had seen promos for it, of course. Though it certainly looked interesting (and really, how could anything with Tim Gunn as a guest star not be?) I didn't really think about adding it to my extensive roster of recorded TV fare.

How wrong I was. It is a great little show. And I say little because I imagine not enough people are watching it.

First, I must say, if you haven't seen the first season, get the DVDs and catch up. Especially because there's sort of an "afterlife meets Freaky Friday" type setup that is a bit imperative to the main character Jane (Deb). Trust me...you'll be glad. I received the first season as I was preparing for an extensive trip and it got me thru a very boring and tedious round of packing suitcases.

Jane is a lawyer, but this isn't your typical courtroom show. For one thing, it's not got the depressing overtones of many lawyer offerings. Drop Dead Diva is lighter, even when there is serious subject matter...probably because everything usually turns out OK because Jane (with Deb) is really good at her job.

Tim Gunn isn't the only guest star to make an appearance. Rosie O'Donnell has a recurring role as a judge and I must admit that while Rosie usually irritates me to no end, she is very very good in this part. Margaret Cho is absolutely unbeatable as Jane's assistant.

The second season of Drop Dead Diva started in June, new episodes and reruns are still yours for the watching. You don't want to miss this gem any longer.

***I was not compensated for this review.
***I received a DVD of the first season for review purposes.

Yoplait Greek Yogurt

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:18:00 +0000

I’m a foodie. Big time. Or food snob, foodaholic…whatever catchy term is the current trend, that’s me. There are times, in my culinary life, when I’m called to make things and being not in a big city nor with easy access to anything resembling a gourmet market, substitutions sometimes must be made.

That was the case not all that long ago in regards to Greek yogurt. I KNOW!! Crazy!!! But, my usual grocery store just didn’t carry the stuff. And substituting plain regular yogurt for Greek yogurt is just a let down. You know, because if the person who created the recipe wanted you to use plain yogurt they would have just said so. It’s like you’re cheating. Boo!

Now, lo and behold, there’s a Greek yogurt section! With TWO brands, even.

I got a great kind of “pamper yourself” box from Yoplait and decided to make a chilled soup recipe I’d had my eye on but was waiting until I had real Greek yogurt to bother with making.

I made Barefoot Contessa’s Chilled Cucumber Soup with Shrimp (an adapted version is available here). And I intended it to be a nice, refreshing late afternoon option for my spouse and I. He ate three bowls of the stuff. And you know, that’s kind of funny especially considering I’m pretty darn sure once upon a time he told me Greek yogurt is “disgusting”. Um, seriously??? One of those moments where you just keep quiet. Sucker.

Maybe he has some kind of strange problem with the fact that Greek yogurt has gobs more protein (gobs being a scientific term) than the usual yogurt option.

Not sure if you've tried recipes for it, or just never given it a thought, but you can print your own coupons at this link. Seriously. And there's not just the plain stuff. Oh no sirree. There's also Strawberry, Blueberry, and Honey Vanilla. I just created my own granola and am going to put some of that in the strawberry next chance I get.

Since I'm madly in love with sharing anything foodie and also, whatever leads to relaxation, I'm GIVING AWAY the pampering gift pack to one of you lovely readers as well so you can "nourish your inner goddess". All you have to do is leave a comment about which flavor you'd like to try. This contest ends FRIDAY, JUNE 18th at NOON!!! So, leave that comment! Also need to have a contact email so I can get your mailing address for the gift package to get sent out!

**I was provided with the samples and gift pack by Yoplait via MyBlogSpark. I was NOT compensated for this review**

COMMENTING IS NOW CLOSED, Congrats Professor J, your comment was chosen to receive the prize package!

Fraggle Rock: Wembley's Egg Surprise

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:12:00 +0000

While the animated series DVD we got to take a peek at was enjoyable to 75% of my offspring (disgruntled teen not registering in these results), I've got to admit, NOTHING on the planet can beat the Fraggle Rock original series.

I tell you, those little Doozers were always kind of a favorite of mine. The great thing about Fraggle Rock though, like so many of Jim Henson's other endeavors, is that there is such a varied offering of characters, there is a different favorite for anybody who cares to watch.

And you know, I didn't pay attention to any awards or whatever back in 1983 when the show started but am not surprised that it received multiple Cable Ace Awards and an International Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program.

We got Fraggle Rock: Wembley's Egg Surprise which features three episodes from the original series. And I suppose looking at it, there are elements of this live action show that may seem a little dated....but, that didn't seem to register with the kids, they just enjoyed watching it.

Buy Fraggle Rock: Wembley's Egg Surprise here on Amazon.

***I was provided with this DVD for review purposes. I was not paid for this review.***

Fraggle Rock: The Complete Animated Series

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 02:40:00 +0000

I am checking myself for gray hairs. Because, OMG, I had NO IDEA that Fraggle Rock is over 25 years old! My little brother and I loved the show when it was brand new. And while I was a bit on the older side and outgrew it, my brother continued to watch all the way thru the creation of the animated series in 1987.

Of course, my kids have no reference point for Fraggle Rock. Although, one of my best friends from college was reminiscing not long ago about how hearing the theme song can throw you right back to that time. It was cute and creative. Then again, I was a sucker for all things Jim Henson.

So I got the animated series on DVD and had my kids watch it...because things that I think are cool I force my children to like or ELSE!!! Actually, I really just thought my 6 and 7-year old daughters would be the only ones to bother but my 11-year old son was nabbed watching along as well.

The DVD comes with 2 discs that includes all 13 episodes from the series. As was the way with Fraggle Rock, different episodes take turns highlighting the different variety of characters.

Buy Fraggle Rock: The Complete Animated Series here on Amazon.

***I was provided the DVD for review purposes. I was not paid for this review.***

Cascade ActionPacs

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:33:00 +0000

So I got a sample of Cascade ActionPacs sometime in December. Yeah, and right about then the winter from HELL hit and Iowa has had all kinds of record-breaking, apocalyptic bad weather.

Bad weather to the point that 400 energy company workers were here at the height of one bad whopper of a storm trying to restore power to thousands of people.

WTF?

So, you know, it makes you really think about the things you take for granted. You know, like heat. And hot water. And my dishwasher.

I do actually love having a dishwasher because my parents didn't have one when I was growing up, so my brother and I washed dishes. It sucked. A lot. I finally got to have a dishwasher at age 25. OMG, that is a long time to do them by hand.

We got a new dishwasher a couple years ago when the other one died, and the thing with this new one is it does NOT like straight dish powder. It likes those oozy gels or it likes the Cascade ActionPacs. I don't know what happens with the disintigration of the cleaning agent in our dishwasher, but it likes those little suckers.

There's a video you can watch with Alyson Hannigan, a working mom herself, about how easy they are to use.

***I was not paid for this review***

General Mills Cereals

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:34:00 +0000

We eat an insane amount of cereal at our house. Getting four kids ready for school in the morning is a chore. I mean, there are deviations from the menu from time to time, but the quickest and easiest option is cereal. It just is.

I say this as a former cereal kid myself, my brother and I turned out fine. Truly, though, I think cereal companies are under a lot more pressure now though to make cereals that kids are gonna want to eat be very nutritious. Childhood obesity is off the charts. There needs to be some responsibility.

So, I was standing there in the cereal aisle looking at the General Mills cereals. I'll be honest, I don't pay attention to brands of cereals...I just get the favorites of the people in our family. So, thankfully, there are lots of General Mills favorites, and I grabbed a few to take home.

My husband has, for many years, had the same thing for breakfast. Usually, two pots of coffee and microwaved leftovers of whatever I made the night before for dinner whether it be lasagna or pot roast. I know...he's a freak. So, when we were in Arizona for Easter last year visiting his folks, his mom made him try the Oatmeal Crisp Hearty Raisin cereal. He's a mama's boy, so you bet your butt he tried it. And she was right...it's now his favorite cereal. He eats it every morning and occasionally, a bowl before he goes to bed.

Let me tell you something about Golden Grahams. We go way back. I will cut you for some Golden Grahams. And, annoyingly, my kids also like it and so I have to hide it or, egads, SHARE. Little urchins. Sometimes I share. Sometimes I hide. Go ahead...judge, whatever.

My kids have a new discovery and I think it was in a moment of weakness I just said to pick something and somebody grabbed Reese's Puffs. Now, when I get a box, it lasts two mornings. They are VULTURES these kids...it is ridiculous. Now, I haven't tried them myself because that's not my preference, but they, meaning Reese's Puffs, must be the epitome of a legal, addictive substance.

There's many, many more cereals my family really likes. And when I got the information about cereal, I'm feeling better about it, really.

Ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more
fiber than non-cereal eaters. Cereals also deliver important vitamins,
minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key
nutrients in children's diets.

Yippee!! There's gobs of informational stuff on their website too, if you want to check it out at your leisure.

***I was not paid for this review. I did get some coupons courtesy of MyBlogSpark and General Mills so I could get cereals to try***

Airwear Lenses

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:29:00 +0000

I haven't been this excited about a product review opportunity since I can't remember when.

There's two reasons for this.

One, I have worn glasses since I was in 1st grade. Age 6. TRAUMA. In the 70s glasses were not attractive, and I was not attractive in them, and we were poor so I basically always had the MOST unattractive glasses at the optometrist's office.

Two, I would call myself a moderate tree hugger. I have implemented many greener options for myself and my family in the last few years in order to be nicer to the planet. I make my own laundry soap, grow some of my own food (because I'm a making homemade food type person rather than a preservatives and frozen dinners type person), buy green products for my family's use when possible, and so on. I could and will do more. Every day there are new options and changes to be more environmentally-friendly.

So when Mom Central contacted me about eyeglass lenses that are supposedly green, I wanted to try them, definitely, but really had no idea what exactly could make a product like this "green".

First thing I did was head to my eye doc. I needed to update my prescription, a very slight change, and I also picked out some new frames (seriously, so cute....they're like Buddy Holly glasses but PURPLE, so I'm madly in love with them). So, my eye doc had to fill in all the technical mumbo jumbo to send off for the lenses and made the comment that this is a company the office already uses.

Now, I'd like to think, and I do believe, my optometrist only carries products that are of the highest quality. I live in a small town...if they had crappy frames, lenses, etc. the whole town would know about it and they'd be out of business. So, I think it's pretty safe to say I'm getting the best stuff when I go in there.

So knowing that Essilor Airwear lenses are something already held in high regard by my 3rd-generation optometrist, that makes me feel pretty darn good about them.

Also worth mentioning are the bulletpoints about exactly HOW they're "green". Because truly, I had no idea what they could do to make them in a green way.

Airwear lens packaging uses 100% recyclable cardboard.
The water used in the manufacturing process is 100% recycled, which conserves millions of gallons of water annually.
With the production of all ophthalmic lens materials comes the inevitable waste. However, waste produced from the manufacturing of Airwear lenses is given a second life in other industries, such as automobiles and toys. (My family is in the car business, so this was a factoid I really liked....we need all the help we can get!)

Now, speaking of the basic eye care necessities, the Airwear lenses really do deliver. I have been wearing my new peepers nonstop since they arrived and aside from the couple of minutes it took my eyeballs to adjust to the new prescription, I'm TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY in love with them. I have a crazy weird prescription too, with one bad eye that is practically blind and an astigmatism...so unless the lenses are good, I look lopsided from the magnification.

They are 30% lighter and 25% thinner than standard plastic lenses. (for me, the thinner part is really good with that one bad eye)
Unlike standard plastic, Airwear lenses provide 100% UV protection from harmful UVA and UVB rays. (Now that I've gone thru a couple skin cancer biopsies and am more mindful of the damage of the sun, this is an incredibly important point for me...especially knowing that along with skin cancer, I have a significant family history with cataracts as well)
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, more than 100,000 people sustain eye injuries each year and more than half of those injured are children. Airwear lenses are 12x stronger than standard plastic lenses - so tough that NASA even uses the same material to construct visors for astronauts.

I could have read all the literature and been willing to give the Airwear lenses a try. But after wearing them, and being so pleased with the results, I'll be sharing my thoughts with all my friends who wear glasses. They are really, really impressive.

Airwear website link here.
Lighter. Safer. Greener. website link here.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Airwear and received a pair of Airwear eyeglass lenses to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Smuckers Toppings

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:06:00 +0000

After spending days baking Christmas cookies and treats for my neighbors and my own family, all from scratch, I must confess that having an already prepared item makes me happy.

Either I wasn't paying attention or the Smuckers Toppings are new enough I haven't discovered them yet. On the website these little gems are in a subcategory as a Spoonable Ice Cream Topping, but as everyone knows finding alternative uses for a food product in some other kind of dessert is half the fun. Kind of like those prescription medications that are supposed to treat a cardiac problem but also happen to help you have clearer skin. Right?

I was sent the Pumpkin Spice and also the Apple Cinnamon varieties. Did you know that there was a nationwide shortage of pumpkin this year?? Yes, truly, for a good 6 weeks this fall when I was making pumpkin items there was NO CANNED PUMPKIN. How crazy is that??? I have two of my four kids who love love love pumpkin, so they were a little frazzled about the lack of pumpkin stuff I was making.

And, all four of my kiddos love apple ANYTHING whatsoever.

Now, I must confess that in the Christmas season craziness, all I've had time for is using these toppings on the ice cream. We eat a lot of ice cream for after dinner dessert, so it was the quick option. (On a totally unrelated, but weird parenting note, my 5YO daughter has taken to stealing the plastic bottles of chocolate, caramel and butterscotch ice cream toppings out of the fridge and hiding them around the house so she can eat them...if that doesn't sound like a weird eating disorder or fetish, I don't know what does, OMG)

A quick internet search turned up an entire category of Smuckers product recipes on Allrecipes (which I use religiously) under the Trusted Brands section of their site.

One of the options I'd like to try is freezing a dollop of one of the toppings with a spoonful size of ice cream to have bite-size sweet treats. Although the tricky part would be not eating all of them.

With Christmas, New Years and bowl game tailgating going on for the next couple weeks, these will be a nice shortcut to make some sweets for snacking on.

Visit the Smucker's website for more dessert ideas.

***I was not paid for this review.***

Kohl's Holiday Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:32:00 +0000

I have procrastinated REALLY badly this year.

Why? On hubby's side of the family we're going on a trip INSTEAD of Christmas, and so since I didn't have to get anything for a heapin' pile o' peeps, I sort of got complacent. Lazy, even.

The good thing is that smart retailers know that there are idiots like me who wait until the last second. I heard on the radio yesterday that HALF of all shoppers are still not done. So, half of us are losers I guess.

There's still some time to get stuff from Kohl's 2009 Holiday Collection. They have all kind of great picks and buys for you, you only need to look. You've been to Kohl's. You KNOW Kohl's. I love their store myself. This may be in the TMI department, but the most comfortable underwear I've ever bought were from Kohl's. I need more. Uh, Santa???? Got that???

And, if you are on Facebook, and I'm a little shocked if you're not, have you become a fan of Kohl's? I just did...click on over to your FB profile to get that little page looked at.

So, since I'm going to share this with my friends on Facebook and time is of the essence, you have until 5PM Central time on Monday, December 21 to leave a comment on this post and you will be selected at random to win a $50 Kohl's gift card. In the comment you have to tell what was the WORST present you ever got. Mine? I got an air tank. Yes....an AIR TANK. My folks thought it would be useful. I still don't know what the hell I was supposed to do with it.

Thankfully, even if you wait until the last minute, there is NO WAY you can get something that horrible from Kohl's. Seriously.

So, leave the comment!! Tell your gift-receiving tale of woe. Get it off your chest, it's safe here.

Hasbro Family Game Night 2

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:05:00 +0000

Last year, I got Hasbro Family Game Night, the original. I wrote about it in this space at that time, we played the heck out of that game with it's video game versions of classic family games.

Now, there's another offering with five new games: Bop It!, Connect 4x4, Operation, Jenga and Pictureka!

If you've been paying attention, in the last couple weeks the Midwest part of the country has been socked with inclimate weather which has kept my kids home from school 3 full days along with some late starts. Going into the busy Christmas season, not the most ideal interruption of routine. But, luckily for them, I got this game in the middle of all that madness and they took it out for a test drive on the Wii.

Highest marks go to Bop It! and Jenga. My teenager, who plays Jenga with his grandfather all the time, contends that the Family Game Night version is incredibly challenging. Pulling the Wii remote carefully, keeping it level, and steady...wow, sounds like the control necessary to pull a real Jenga piece out without failing miserably in a collapsing pile of wooden pieces.

My 11-year old, he with the ADHD and microscopic focus, LOVES Bop It! All I can say, being utterly unscientific, is that Bop It! appeals to his slightly spastic personality.

Hasbro Family Game Night 2 is worth a look if the games are ones you've enjoyed in the "real" world...and are trying to catch up to the video game world. As for me, if the kids will ever let me have a turn, I'm going to take a chance on Operation. That horrible buzzing was always a fun part of my childhood, I'll have to see if my surgical skills are up to snuff.

Buy Hasbro Family Game Night 2 on Amazon here.

***I was not paid for this review.***

SimAnimals Africa

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Sims Animals Africa for DS is the game my daughter has been playing since she got ovre H1N1.

Yeah, it's been an interesting winter so far and it's not even technically winter yet.

Her review in her words: "Well, you have to, like, take care of animals. And you can collect things like fish and there is a butterfly fish and a blue mbuna, which is a fish. There's pomegranates and mulberries. My favorite animal is the lion. My favorite thing to do on the game is feed the weasels and stuff."

As a mom, you know that abstractly the kids learn about animals during science class at school. And when they ask questions at home about things they read in books or see on TV. Really, though, you KNOW that EVERYONE has a favorite animal they look forward to at the zoo. How can you not? Hubby's favorite are the penguins. Mine are giraffes. And I didn't really realize it, but my daughter's favorite seems to be the lion. As she informed me after playing the SimsAnimals Africa game.

This isn't usually the kind of game she plays, the boys are the ones who like the Sims, but she's 7 and though her games are usually cooking or fashion related, I wanted to see what she thought of it.

Game play is like any other Sims games you are familiar with where you build a relationship with a variety of character options, play with that animal, collect badges, move about the African safari. If I can be sort of simplistic here for a moment, I think aside from enjoying the different fish and food items, she basically liked how colorful the game was. I think a game is more fun when it looks bright and fun in appearance.

My daughter, at age 7, I think is on the young end of the player spectrum. My 5YO picked it up to play and had far too many questions to play it alone. Your kid needs to be a pretty solid reader to play the game so they can follow it without getting frustrated.

If you like Sims and/or have an animal lover in the house, they'll like this one.

Buy it on Amazon here.

***I was provided SimAnimals Africa for review purposes. I was not paid for this review***

Febreze and Game Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:43:00 +0000

So I get this letter from Febreze and the NFL.

OMG. Know why? They love me. They called me a "Febreze Loyalist". Don't be hatin'. It's pretty darn true, really...because I have written about my love of Febreze three other times. They know me so well. (FYI: did you know that luminary now has some new scents? I got the Cranberry Pear....nice)

So, anyway, I guess knowing my track record with Febreze they wanted me to pass along to you a bunch of stuff that you might not know about but might be interested in.

First, Febreze is hooked up with Olivia Manning...mother of Payton and Eli. Now, I'm a college football fan, but I do faithfully watch the Super Bowl, and I don't even think you have to be a football fan or sports enthusiast to have heard of the Mannings unless you live under a rock. (This has nothing to do with their football prowess, but I do think their TV commercials are funny).

My best guess is that Olivia, the "Freshness Coach", herself has thrown a football party of two in her day. To that end, Febreze and the NFL want to share with you all the tips for having the most ultimate football party, which would include, making sure your house doesn't smell disgusting. Because you have stinky and/or messy family members. Isn't that awesome?

There's a Facebook page you need to get on. If you aren't on Facebook yet, you are probably the last person who isn't. Aside from the Amish. So go to the page and get in on what's going on. Become a fan.

Also, check out the Febreze Game Day website where they are having the Freshest Game Day Sweepstakes Ever. Febreze is giving away four tickets to the 2010 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV. Ummmmmmm, holy crap. I would wear Febreze as PERFUME to go to those games. For real.

I've got myself some cute little football plates and napkins. I've got a FEBREZE COOZIE to hold my drink. It looks like a football jersey with sleeves and everything. Awesome. Oh, and a nifty bowl to put snacks in. And last but not least, more Febreze-to-Go to be sprayig after the smelling guests. Which, if any of my teenage son's friends come over, would be ALL of them. (13 & 14YO boys smell really really really really bad. Really. Ick.)

***I was not paid for this review post. I was provided with a sample of Febreze Fabric Refresher from MS & L***

Charm Girls Club Pajama Party

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:16:00 +0000

It's apt that I finally am writing this review now. Why?
Because 3 out of my 4 kids got H1N1 this week and spent most of it in pajamas.
Not. Even. Kidding.

My older daughter started tanking Thanksgiving Day....then the rest of us, save for the grumpy teenager, started falling like dominoes.

However, when she (my older daughter Sammie, age 7) wasn't napping, I did let her play Wii so she could play Charm Girls Club Pajama Party. Because this game is right up her alley.

Allow me to flashback to the late 70s and 80s, if I can. Sleepovers were the epitome of girl fun-ness. There wasn't a slumber party invite I ever turned down, I LOOOOOOOVED a good slumber party. There was one in particular in I think 4th or 5th grade where a girl who wasn't like super popular (nor was she unpopular) had one. But she did invite a bunch of popular girls to her party. I tell you, her parents were really cool and we had this dance off that was just epic and all the girls at the party had so much fun, I think it gave her bonus points for a long time to come.

So, when you get a bunch of girls together to do fun things together, even if they didn't previously have that much in common, it can build a stronger friendship. OMG...I can't believe I'm doling out life lessons from a Wii game.

So my little Sammie played Charm Girls Club Pajama Party, and as I like to do now, here is her review in her words: "There are lots of games, I haven't played them all yet because Zach keeps hogging the Wii. But the best part is collecting charms. And I made my girl look like me, mostly, the hair was a little different than mine but then I gave her a white sweatshirt. I forget the pants. I won the game where you bounce on the bed. I lost the hair one so I want to do that one again. But my favorite thing is getting all the charms."

This is condensed. A lot. Because my daughter has got a talking gene inherited directly from my hubby's mother...who could talk about 18 different things for an hour and still not have told me the reason she called me in the first place. God bless her.

In a nutshell, somebody who knows what pajama parties are all about put it into game form. Although, I must confess I do not recall that many pillow fights. Maybe my friends were pacifists. lol

And, in true style, Sammie has marched herself downstairs to kick her brother off the Wii so she can play this again. Maybe we can interest him in the hair styling game??

Click here to purchase from Amazon.

***I was not paid for this review***

Littlest Pet Shop Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:19:00 +0000

The hardest part of adequately reviewing games that my kids play on Wii is that their focus is not necessarily on the more bulletpoint issues in the game.

For example, trying to find a graphic to use I JUST HAD TO USE THIS ONE with the dog because he was totally the CUTEST! This, according to my five-year old who just plays with the cutest anything on any given game. By her standards, on Littlest Pet Shop Friends, the best characters to play are the dog, the pony and the ladybug. Why? Because they are the cutest. As if there were any other valid reason.

This gives no indication about game play, just cuteness levels.

Here is a summary of the game's activities, according to the 5YO reviewer: "There's a party. And you go meet new pets. And the party is for the ladybug. And they play games. The pony is my favorite but the bird is stupid and I hate the bird."

Got all that?

The point of the game are little jobs involved with planning a party. My kids have the "original" Littlest Pet Shop game and have played that one plenty. This one basically is a series of scavenger hunts to complete party tasks. That is something my girls can get behind.

Does it have amazing graphics and lifelike imagery? No. It's cute and bright and the pets look much like the real plastic ones I am forever stepping on or picking up so our dog doesn't chew them to fabricated shreds. In the first incarnation of Littlest Pet Shop, if I recall correctly, there was more attention paid to doting on the pets themselves. This one evolves to having the pets do little games and such instead. Which is fine, I think my girls have plenty of games that focus on the care of animals.

Littlest Pet Shop Friends is one I expect they'll continue playing, they really liked it except for "the stupid bird".

Buy it here on Amazon.

***I was not paid for this review***

My Sims Agents

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:42:00 +0000

Taking away first-person shooter games, there's not a whole lot of stuff for the Wii my boys won't play. I got My Sims Agents and my 11-year old son has been playing it like crazy.

First, let me back up by saying they (my sons, ages 11 & 13), have already been fans of the Sims games. We get them games for holidays and birthdays, but anything they desperately want they have to save up their own money for. Trust me, these are times when they must want the game pretty badly to cough up their own money for it. They bought the first My Sims game with their own money.

So, that was an excellent springboard to playing the My Sims Agents game.

The game itself is kind of Sherlock Holmes meets James Bond. Cases and clues but with more fun elements.

My boys LOVE the games where you can design your own character, they being artistic types. My 11YO son was happy to report that he found "his" hair from the originial Sims game to implement in the design of his My Sims Agent character.

Well....thank God. I'm sure that improved the level of play. lol

There are also multiple gadgets that you get initially, he informed me: crowbar, wrench, magnifying glass with the ability to, in the HQ, use a paint gun. Which, apparently, is AWESOME.

Another favorite feature of the game was getting assistant agents. Obviously, that will help you beat levels if you can get a little help, eh?

My kids play, aside from the Guitar Hero series, all games that involve different worlds and levels to beat rather than games of any other structure. Sims games definitely fall nicely into that category.

I assure you, if this game held the interest of my 11YO redheaded goofball with ADHD, it'll work for any kid you have.

Click here to buy this game from Amazon.

***I was not paid for this review***

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters - WE HAVE A WINNER!

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:10:00 +0000

I'm not sure I've mentioned it much yet (guess I'm sort of waiting until things get closer) but I've spent the last 3 months plus steadily training for my very first half marathon.

If you are a running person, you may not be that impressed.

I must say, though, as a one time track chick in high school that ran sprints, this distance stuff has been a huge challenge. That being said, my slow and steady progression toward my end goal has me in the best shape I've been in since those high school days.

That's saying a lot considering I'm a 37-year old mother of four.

But part of my training has also included eating a more runner-friendly diet. In my research and tips I've gotten from other runners, nuts are a good thing to snack on.

Nature Valley sent me a nifty little box full of goodies. Actually, more goodies than I anticipated because there was a drink bottle, binoculars, flashlight (which my girls promptly stole because it was cute) and a little backpack too!

But let's talk about the food items, the Granola Nut Clusters. As stated, I like nuts and I like granola when there are nuts involved. My FIL just had hip replacement surgery and there were some complications, so we ended up at the hospital logging more hours than anticipated. I grabbed the bags of Nut Clusters because I thought, depending on our ability to get to the cafeteria for a meal, we may need some sustenance.

Now, truth be told, I'd consider myself pretty damn picky when it comes to anything made with granola. Why? Because far too often it tastes like you're chewing a cardboard box. Blech.

These things are tasty, and I say that with a very discerning palate. The Roasted Almond one was my favorite. Also, the other thing that appealed to me was the serving size. What a normal person considers a serving size and what is sometimes listed on food products can vary a great deal. Especially, it seems, with chips and other high fat snack items.

The servings size here are seven or eight of the clusters, and if you haven't seen them, if you can picture a Rolo (those chocolates with the caramel in the middle), one of these clusters is slightly larger than that. And they're a lot more filling than you'd think. Simply eating them as a snack, I wouldn't even need to eat seven or eight. And that serving size is only going to be around 150 calories. So, whether or not you're watching what you eat, you're not putting a bunch of nasty in your system...so that's pretty good.

You may want to try some of these for yourself. In fact, I'm pretty sure you do. SOMEBODY is going to win the box full of Nature Valley goodies with all the loot I listed above. So for ONE of my lovely beautiful readers, leave me a comment (make sure there is a way to contact you via email if you win) about the biggest health-related thing you've done for yourself lately. And if you haven't, is there something coming up you're excited about?

Wish you could all cheer for me on my first half marathon! In the meantime, do something else healthy...leave a comment and you could WIN!

And the number random thingy distributed thusly, thanks to all who left a comment:

List Randomizer

There were 7 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

The Beatles

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:08:00 +0000

Remember I mentioned (as did the rest of the world, with great anticipation) that The Beatles Remastered had been released including songs from fourteen albums by The Beatles? Remember that?

I've listened, all right.

Not sure if you were one of those who ran right out and bought your own copy or haven't found time yet...hey, I get it, fall is a busy time of year.

But, is anything, barring death and destruction, more significant that The Beatles? No, of course not.

I spent my childhood listening to my mother's scratchy, ill-cared-for original Beatles albums. On a record player in my room. I remember the exact muffled spots in "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", which was one of my favorites from "Help!". And this may sound a little melodramatic, but when I got to that track on the Remastered CD, it was incredible to hear it in its pure form. Without the scratches, the shortcomings of vinyl, the sound from cheap speakers...the song still makes me feel that melancholy ache which drew me to it in the first place, but now it's even better.

I had "Rubber Soul", "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper", "The White Album" on CD during my college years. The rest of the catalog came courtesy of the original vinyls.

I enjoyed having a stroll down memory lane listening to The Beatles again, some songs for what seems like the millionth time. But I'm thinking about how The Beatles have breached the generation gap - AGAIN. See, I was the daughter of a Beatles nut. And of my own choosing, fell in love with the music myself. And I'd been listening to the Beatles "Love" CD in my car some months back when my teenage son was interested in a couple of the songs. Now, we listened to the Remastered versions together and he's become quite a fan in his own right, asking for more and more Beatles music to add to his iPod.

It's probably come full circle when the other day he posted a tribute on John Lennon's birthday on Facebook for all his junior high friends to see.

Now, if you'll excuse me, my son needs to listen to "Glass Onion" just a couple more times.

Febreze Flameless Luminary

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:52:00 +0000

Some lovely person sent me the Febreze Flameless Luminary.
Why?
Because Febreze and I? We go way back.
I don't like stink.

Febreze makes me not want to get sick because things smell weird and I can't figure out why and I don't end up thinking about a bunch of strange germs and stuff it could be.

This luminary was pretty slick though...and I thought no way it would actually smell up a whole room nicely, but it did. And I got the Green Tea Citrus scent, which I didn't think I would like much but it's pretty nice actually...not something I would have picked myself, so I'm sort of glad I got it.

Probably the biggest bonus, is that my firefighter hubby isn't having a hissy fit about it because there's no flame. It's an illusion! It only looks like there is a flickering candle in there. So, since he HATES candles and I love them, it's probably the equivalent of a marital compromise.

Holla, Febreze!!

The Beatles Can Never Truly Be Remastered

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:08:00 +0000

You know all this awesome Beatles stuff is coming out now, right? As in, "yesterday"... which wasn't my favorite song, but it was up there.

There's a worldwide CD release of the digitally remastered works plus The Beatles: Rock Band. I would like to take this opportunity to beg the video game gods to offer this in Guitar Hero format for Wii. Thankyouverymuch.

I'm getting a CD sampler which I'll review. As a major Beatlemaniac, I trust I can tell you whether it's just as awesome as it was before...what am I saying? How can it not be awesome. So, be watching for a future post about THE BEATLES!

And that photo there? Yeah, the White album. I had that poster on my wall in high school when other people had Milli Vanilli or New Kids on the Block.

For all things Beatles, check their site

GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra for Wii

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:19:00 +0000

There are a few times when hubby and I are reminded, that despite our own perspective that we think we're pretty cool and hip and young....uh, maybe we're not.

We both grew up with Atari. What with it's painful joystick and minimal graphics. The games were simple. And I can tell you right now I could kick all your asses at Pitfall. I rocked that game.

Our kids have Wii, and while it's incredible just how far things have come, their games, quite frankly, some of them give me a headache just watching them! There is so much going on simultaneously that I can't figure out how they are keeping it all straight.

Hubby is the same way, which I guess is what makes us the geezers around here. He says, "It's so confusing, how can it even be fun". But our kids are growing up used to that intense level of stimulation. Makes me wonder if they'll be "normal". Probably not, which is why I make them go outside and play in the sandbox to offset the technology seeping into their noggins. But I digress...

The other night we finally got a night since school's started that they all had some time to play the new GI Joe game on the Wii. Hubby wanted to play since he himself was a GI (and had a younger brother who was a GI Joe nut back in the day, as did I), and he likes military games. Zach will play anything on the Wii save for something Disney Princess or My Little Pony. He has to draw the line somewhere.

Here's the "official" game description:

G.I. JOE The Rise of Cobra for all major video game consoles will feature an exclusive storyline that picks up where the live-action movie, from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro, leaves off, allowing players to re-create and re-live the greatest moments from the film, cartoon series and action figure toy line. The game will feature 16 playable characters – including 4 unlockable COBRA characters – each with unique abilities and weapons. Adding to the adrenaline rush will be an intense single-screen co-op mode allowing two players to easily unite as a team in a classic struggle between good and evil to defeat the powers of COBRA.

They played for awhile then I hung out and watched them. Zach was enjoying it a lot. There's shooting other people and blowing stuff up and even though it's rated T for Teen, it's not disgustingly graphic like some other shooter games are. People just kind of fall over dead like some of those shooter games you might have found at the arcade. It's the blowing stuff up that's way fun.

For hubby, he was glad that he had the ability to hang in with it. The game has you seeking out objectives and killing enemies but not doing eighteen other things. And despite the fact that Zach's score was five times what his was, at least they could play together!!

So, for my younger son and my hubby, we'll be giving this one two thumbs up. They could play together and my son could show his dad a thing or two but at least his dad could kind of keep up with it. Heck, maybe he'll practice some and show up the kid next time!

Birthday Party Bash

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:32:00 +0000

Sammie has it both good and bad with a summer birthday. For one thing, it's outside the school schedule so she misses that awesome day at school reserved for when you're a little kid and it's your birthday.

And with a birthday smack dab in the middle of summer, all the usual summer stuff has been done by her party guests. They've done the pool thing, the going to the park thing, every kind of summer fun thing. They've had weeks of summer fun by the time her birthday rolls around.

So, when Mom Central sent the Birthday Party Bash for Wii, and I knew it'd come for us to use at her birthday party, I was pretty darn excited. Especially because it's hard to come up with something new and fun for birthday parties.

I had a few things planned for the party and implemented the help of the witless teenager of the house to get the game going for Sammie and her party guests. Yeah, they didn't need much by way of intro, once they got figured out which person had which controller they had a blast. And it's funny, the games were so varied, no one person was dominating by winning everything, which was nice. I mean, we're talking about 7 & 8-year old girls here, if there is a bit of competitiveness, there can be a little drama too.

Truly, I kept asking if they wanted to change to Mario Olympics or Wii Sports instead, and in unison, they insisted that they wanted to keep playing Birthday Party Bash. Hand to God, they didn't ever end up switching games. That's pretty good, to keep the interest of that many little kids when they knew they had other options.

I have photos, but then my camera had to hit the camera shop, so I will add later. But hubby did a little video, though his camera work needs some help, he shot the girls and not the game too. But, it's funny, look how hard they are concentrating on the game! It cracks me up.

The game itself came with invitations but we'd already sent hers out. But they're very bright and colorful and I think I'll have to save 'em for when it's the next birthday around here.

So, it got a lot of kudos from everybody involved...great idea for a kids' party! The girls had a real blast with the game.

Mom Central Summer Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:28:00 +0000

I know summer is busy, it's been quite crazy around here as well, so I definitely know!

However.

Is it ever, EVER, too busy to want to win FREE STUFF? No, that would be a big fat no, boys and girls.

Mom Central, that I love, as a top notch site for everything under the sun that matters to me (and many of you) is having massive giveaways.

However, you can't dawdle and you need to check out the Summer Giveaway Bonanza pretty much RIGHT THIS MINUTE because some of the first week giveaway items end today to enter to win!

So, hurry hurry! You don't want to miss: shoes for your toddler, a Hoover vacuum, a Super Soaker, a Kodak digital frame, and lots more stuff as you keep checking back to enter to win.

Run, don't walk, to check out the giveaway NOW!!!

Look Good...Feel Better

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:42:00 +0000

Six years ago tomorrow, I walked with my best friend Teresa at Relay for Life. For her. And her cancer was so new she'd only had one chemo treatment and hadn't even lost her hair yet, that would begin to fall out just a couple weeks later. And my daughter, Teresa's goddaughter, hadn't even turned one-year old yet.

My daughter was too young to know how hard it was for Teresa to not only fight the cancer but to go thru all the surface changes. When she went to pick out a wig, she was terrified. She took about 8 of us along to help her...we made a party out of it. But she needed us there to help her pick out a wig, but more than that, to remind her that she was still so beautiful even without her hair.

Teresa, as a nurse, was the type of person who met her cancer full-on with research in hand. Once she got thru that initial denial, she met everyone armed with an arsenal of information. But, that was just about her disease, not about her...as a woman. Mom Central told me about this website and I wish I'd known about Look Good...Feel Better to give her information about all those other insecurities that come from having cancer.

What is it, exactly?

Look Good…Feel Better is a free, non-medical, brand-neutral, national public service program created to help individuals with cancer look good, improve their self-esteem, and manage their treatment and recovery with greater confidence.

But, wow, what a great source of information for everything from wig selection to how to put your eyebrows back on when you lose them to chemo. Teresa always seemed even more frustrated with the lack of eyebrows and eyelashes than she even did about the hair on her head!

Look Good...Feel Better is celebrating its 20th anniversary by looking for people to share their survivor stories as part of the "Women of Hope is Beautiful" campaign. There's an extensive timeline of what has been going on the past 20 years with LGFB if you, too, are learning about it for the first time.

Take a look though, there's a blog and a place for women to submit stories and photos. Cancer is never easy, but finding a support network to get some answers and some help with even something that seems silly like how to apply eyeshadow when the eyes seem to fade away with the ravages of the disease and the challenges of treatment.

Cancer is hard, but finding support should be easy.

Mamapedia: the Wisdom of Moms

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:53:00 +0000

I don't think I'll shock anyone when I mention the phrase, "opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one".

But you know what? Sometimes you're so fluxommed that you seek counsel. Advice. The OPINIONS of others, God forbid. It's that whole "been there, done that" philosophy.

Literally, three days ago a friend on Facebook asked about getting her son to sleep thru the night and starting to wean him from night breastfeeding. Another college friend and I both gave our methods and experiences, she having nursed three babies and myself racking up four former nursers. Our methods both included a minimal implementation of "crying it out". Yet another person the inquiring mom knows offered other options and was NOT a fan of any letting baby cry. (The other mom and I were virtually called out for being child abusers, definitely not a case where a difference of opinion was shared in a respectful manner)

Different strokes for different folks.

My biggest feeling is that while so many people have different viewpoints, the most important thing to remember is to be respectful of other people's choices. Especially when it comes to parenting. Isn't it a hard enough job already? We already second guess ourselves enough hoping we make the best decisions when it comes to care and discipline, that unless we're doing something harmful, it really isn't anyone else's business.

But what if there's a situation where you feel uncomfortable talking to your girlfriends or your favorite aunt, and you want a variety of information from other people who have already handled the same scenario? That's where Mamapedia comes in.

I have looked all over the site. I don't know how long Mamapedia has been online but the gamut of topics is already varied. Not only that, but some of my own kiddie "issues" are on the site with lots of detailed and thoughtful responses from a lot of moms.

My boy-crazy daughter Sammie....yeah, having a boyfriend in 1st grade is a topic. (FYI: the consensus of opinion being that it's pretty harmless...I agree). There's also a thread concerning getting kids a video game system or not.

From conception to adulthood, the Mamapedia site is broken down by age groups so that you can go directly to the age of the child you have where you may have an issue you are struggling with and find the topic already exists or post a new query.

Pretty slick.

If you're in a place where you need to get a little more perspective and just need a variety of advice, with all the feedback on Mamapedia, you're bound to find a voice in the crowd similar to yours that makes sense and is helpful. And the nice thing is, after you "solve" your problem, you can go back and update the thread on how things turned out.

Thanks to Mom Central for sharing this little gem...it just may help me survive the teen years. Maybe.

Frosted Flakes Plant a Seed

noreply@blogger.com (Sunshine) — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:47:00 +0000

I like it when corporations put it in the hands of the people to have a say in where charitable dollars are spent.

I can't remember what the organization was last year that had a school project to help a school and there were like five from across the country and Parkersburg, Iowa that had been leveled by a tornado was one of them. I have family that live there and to think that something could happen that would help the town rebuild was great to be a part of.

This time, it's Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, which I eat myself if I'm being honest, I don't just buy them for the kids. Anyway, they have a Plant a Seed initiative where they want to rebuild playing fields for kids in towns where the funds aren't there for upkeep and kids are losing out on places to play.

Voting is currently going on and ends May 31st, so you need to boogie on over there. I went over and voted for a field that is in a neighboring town to where I was born and raised.

Check it out! You'll be GGGGGreat! (you knew I was gonna go there, right?)