Pet Rescue by JumpStart - A Wii-rific Game

The kids and I had the pleasure of test driving JumpStart's Pet Rescue game for the Nintendo Wii the other day. It's one of the first Wii games with an ESRB rating of "Early Childhood", which is perfect for my brood. If you're searching for a fun, violence-free, creativity inspiring, adorable animal finding game this is definitely the one.

The object of the game is to find, or rescue, the animals that are lost and bring them back safely. I confess that after two solid hours of playing we found not one, but it's probably because the kids were enthralled with designing their own homes, changing clothes and playing the hide-and-seek game. Honestly, they could have played all day just with those features alone!

I was immediately drawn to the lack of violence and gentle nature of the game. I'm a big fan of all things JumpStart, because of that very reason. My boys are very familiar with the JumpStart characters, so they quickly took to the familiar "faces"
and style of the game. Although they didn't find the pets, the game had them talking about color combinations, strategy and problem-solving. Those are the types of interactions I want them to have when playing video games, especially at the ages of 7 and 5. My youngest (23m) didn't play, but loved watching the characters and encouraging her brothers to look around at other parts of the game. I'm sure as she gets a little bit older she'll be playing right alongside them.

Pet Rescue is a great game for the young children in your home and definitely comes with my rating of two thumbs up with a wiggle!

Someone please buy me this for Christmas (HINT, HINT, HINT!)

Here's the link to purchase it.

Why, you ask, would I want such a doll? Well, it not only makes me laugh, but reminds me that sometimes I look like that by the end of the day. =)

Just "Leaf" Me Alone

I indulged in my favorite fall exercise today. It's sunny and about 70 outside, so the kids played outside with their bikes and wagon while I raked leaves. I love raking leaves. LOVE raking leaves. I also love shoveling snow, but we'll save that for the winter.

There is no better upper body workout than raking, I think. My arms and shoulders usually ache afterwards, but there's sheer joy in accomplishing a yard of raking. Maybe it's the end result that makes it so pleasurable. Once laden with leaves, the yard now shines warm and green again. I like that. A lot.

Back from Hiatus

It's not like I've really been gone or not writing, in fact, it's more the opposite. I've been writing so much lately that my little fingers are about to be typed off. I was recently, as in 2 weeks recently, promoted from a columnist on HandmadeNews.org to the Department Editor of the Crafts for Kids section. Since we're down 3 columnists I've had to make up for the missing articles.

The funny thing about that is that the boys have been subjected to more arts and crafts activities than ever before. Their fine motor skills are getting a workout that's for sure.

But it's fun and our page views have nearly doubled in only two weeks. That alone is amazing. And exciting. VERY exciting.

If you're a writer (or would like to be!) and are interested in writing for the department please email me. There is compensation! Wahoo! =)

Also, if you get a chance, join me on Monday night (8-10 CST) on Twitter under the name @Crafts4KidsHMN for the Homeschool Twitter Chat (#hsc) on incorporating art into the homeschool curriculum. You'll have a chance to win one of 5 Kids' Craft Packages and a $25 ArtFire.com gift certificate!

Love you all!

And the winner of the JumpStart.com contest is....

HEATHER from Feathered Friends Mementos! Congratulations! I'll be contacting you with the details! Thanks for playing!

And for the many, many of you who emailed me privately, concerned about winning and not being able to continue to provide your children with the service, please know that you can play for free on JumpStart.com. It's a great resource and one that should not be ruled out because of finances. I urge you to try the free version; your kids will love it!!

Jump Start Giveaway

Win a JumpStart.com 3-month Membership Subscription! Contest begins Tuesday, July 13 and ends Tuesday, July 21st at 9:00pm EST.


I was super blessed to win a JumpStart.com 3-month membership from a blog giveaway that was featured on The Nest Home in June. When I was contacted by a company representative about doing a similar giveaway on my own blog, there was no way I could say no. JumpStart.com features an exciting, educational online learning game that's perfect for children 3-10.

As many of you know by now, we are a homeschooling family, so I'm constantly searching for things the boys (7 & 5) can do online in a safe, educational setting. I was thrilled to find JumpStart.com and I can honestly say that the boys love playing it. Since we're in the midst of a "no television" summer, it has been nice for them to have something that they can do that feels a lot like playing, but that is actually educational.

There are different areas of the game that focus on various skill sets and curriculum tie-ins to math, language, and reading. Some of the lessons are very basic, but they allow my youngest son to reinforce his emerging skills and gives my oldest son a feeling of accomplishment when he can correctly zoom through them. I also like that the site encourages users to follow directions in a very gentle manner.

As the children (or the adults!) play the games they earn money that they can use
to buy new outfits for the character. One of the only drawbacks that I've found so far is that the boys enjoy spending a lot of time changing clothes. Who knew? Players also earn points which are used to compare their progress to other people who have played in a "Hall of Fame" type setting. The boys think it's neat, but are much more into the shopping.

For parents, there's also a blog, downloadable games, educational hints and discussion boards that are available. Not only do they provide tips and tricks, but they're also a great place to go if you're experiencing any difficulties with the game. We haven't had any technical issues, but at times the games are a bit slow to load which has more to do with our computer than the site. I would also strongly recommend not using a laptop unless you have a separate mouse, because it can be a bit challenging to navigate using just the laptop's mouse.

So, now you're curious and want to try it out. You can visit the site online for free, but the membership option is very worth it. The best part? JumpStart.com is allowing me to give away a FREE 3-month membership subscription to one lucky blog reader.

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment with why you think this would be great for your family and an email address for me to contact you.

You can earn one extra entry for each of the following:

a. Follow my blog by clicking on the "Follow" button on the right hand sidebar and leave a comment saying that you have. If you're already a follower, just leave a comment saying as much.

b. Twitter about the contest with a link to this post and @GymMama in the message. Leave a comment here to tell me you've twittered.

c. Blog about the giveaway and leave a link in the comment section to your blog post.


The contest begins on Tuesday, July 13, 2009 and ends Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at 9:00pm. All entries will be assigned a number in the order that they're posted and the winner will be chosen using a random number generator.

Good luck! Now, ready, set....GO!

10th Anniversary, Blueberries, Music & Ice Cream

Friday was my 10th wedding anniversary! Mr. GymMama and I are both surprised, in a good way, that 10 years have gone so quickly. We took the kids to Willow Creek Orchards, a local organic farm, and picked our own blueberries. SIX pounds of blueberries from four small bushes. Six pounds is A LOT of blueberries! But they're delicious and organic and it was FUN! Normally, we go out to dinner and worry the whole time about the kids. It's nice, but this year we went to dinner and listened to music. It was great!

Through Blockhead Radio I'd heard the music of Chris Huff, who just happens to be local, and who just happened to be playing at a restaurant about 15 minutes from us on Friday night. So, guess who we went to see? Yep, the music was great and it was fun to meet him. The company of Mr. GymMama was pretty awesome too. =)

On Saturday, the 4th of July, we took the kids to a local parade and park where they had music and activities all day. Here are my guys and Baby Girl waiting for the parade to start.
The fireworks launch about 150 yards from our front door, so all we needed to do was look up to see them.

We went for a family jaunt this morning to Valley Forge National Park. We walked about a mile to the Memorial Arch and then back again to the van. Since it's summer and the high-time for visitors, the park had "soldiers" explaining their outfits and weapons. There was also a demonstration of the cooking, etc. from some Revolutionary War period garbed men and women. Baby Girl was a little freaked out when one of the interestingly dressed men spoke to her, but the boys & Mr. GymMama thought it was neat. Then we went off for ice cream, because no trip is complete without it. It felt like a mini-vacation ten minutes from home. What a great morning!

Super Simple Salad

I'm addicted to this salad. It's not fancy and it's not expensive....it's just fresh and yummy. It's also easy to make, which if you know me, is probably a good thing. Sorry there are no pictures, but I ate it all before I thought about blogging it! hehehehe

Simple Salad

Ingredients
Salad:
Fresh spring greens mix (either 1 bag or a bunch)
1/4 c low-fat shredded Italian cheese mix
1/2 pint fresh grape tomatoes
1 carrot, thinly sliced
Dressing:
3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Wash and cut the vegetables and put in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl whisk together dressing ingredients. Drizzle dressing over vegetables and toss to coat. Best eaten while sipping fresh-brewed iced tea.

Follow My BFF...Not Like Stalker Follow...Just Blogger Follow

My BFF started a blog tonight. She's hysterical. In a good way. You should really follow her...

http://onemomtwokids.blogspot.com/

Tennis Camp & Walking - Get Your Game Face On!

My oldest son started Tennis Camp today. 3 hours a day, 5 days a week for 7 weeks. Guess how much it cost?? Guess?!

Ready?

Sixty bucks. For the entire seven week camp. Isn't that awesome?! Sometimes it pays to live in a town where most of the people are low income. Go us!

So, as an added bonus it's a 15 minute walk there and a 15 minute walk back - built in exercise! Wahoo! Of course, the oldest son asked to be picked up in the van tomorrow because his feet were killing him at the end of the 3 hours. Poor kid. He's going to sleep well tonight!

So, I'll either be getting 30 or 60 minutes of great walking in 5 days a week. Wahoo!

2 Miles of Snakes, Tracks & Spandex

The kids and I went for another walk at our local nature park this morning. It was not raining, thank heavens, for the first time all week and we needed to burn off some energy. Well, let me rephrase that. THE BOYS needed to burn off some energy. I would have been fine curled up on the sofa with a good book and coffee while paying a nanny to corral them. No, not really, but it was a thought.

So, we went and walked/they ran 2 miles. We stopped and admired some fresh animal tracks. Discussed what type of animal they may have been from and all sorts of school-ish things that made me happy to be homeschooling.


We stopped, had a snack, and discussed other school-ish things....like the slope of the farm land, irrigation, camouflage and animals, the wonderful smell of honeysuckle, poison ivy, composting, trout farms, ant behavior and why overweight people should not wear spandex. I think that just about covers everything they need to know about walking in public, don't you?


We also saw an awesome snake who posed ever so nicely for us. We named him George and promised to visit again some other time.


It was a good walk. We were all properly energized and slightly sore at the end, but our constant investigation of the nature around us eased the majority of possible discomfort. It's supposed to rain for the next 2 days, so let's hope this helped to curb some of their energy for the next 48 hours.

Women's One Flaw

This came to me from a friend who I have known since childhood, but whom I rarely see or talk with. She's one of those friends who I can easily pick up with no matter how long it has been. And whether she knows it or not, I thank God for her every single day.


One Flaw In Women

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what
makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their
family and friends.

Women have vital things to say
and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

The Pool is Up!

We had a great visit this past weekend with my best friend and her children. The kids all got along and, although it was hectic, we managed to play, swim, eat and sleep. I wish I had taken more pictures, but things were so busy I just didn't. Here are some of the boys taking their first swim in the pool though...




And on a purely promotional note, my Craft Show Safety article made the front page of HandmadeNews.org today! Wahoo! Go me! Can you check it out, vote it up and leave a comment for me? Please? Pretty please? =)

Your Sister Has An Enchanting Mustache

Wouldn't this make the perfect gift?

Which Star Trek Character Are YOU?

I'm Captain Kirk!