It's A Dance Party With Just Dance 3!

What did we ever do before the invention of dancing games? When I think back to holiday family gatherings from years past, I remember the same old board games brought out year after year. If the game was too advanced, the younger kids couldn't join in, and the adults didn't want to play anything aimed at the little ones.

But now that there are games like Just Dance 3, any gathering can quickly turn into a dance party for all ages. The first dance game I ever tried was the original Just Dance for Wii (and recented ABBA You Can Dance), and despite my eternal lack of coordination, I was hooked. The enthusiasm spread quickly, too: at Thanksgiving this year, my mom and my aunt joined me for a dance-off in my living room. Never until now would I have imagined them joining in for a dancing game!

Just Dance 3 has all of the fun of the original Just Dance, with even more music and a greater variety of modes to keep the game interesting. Lots of current hits can be found in this game, but for people (like my mom) who don't keep up with the Top 40 and have never heard of LMFAO, there are plenty of older hits to choose from as well like Boogie Wonderland.  (Some songs have to be unlocked via game play, and others can also be downloaded to your console.)

Let me be clear: you don't have to be good at dancing to play this game. You only need to be able to hold the Wii remote in your right hand and try your best to follow the moves of the dancer on the screen. That's it.

You won't match every move, you'll laugh at yourself trying to do some of the poses, and at the end of a song you'll find yourself saying, "Oh no, we're doing that one again, and I'm going to ace it this time!"

We tested the game with all ages, from my older relatives to my four year old. There's the standard quick play mode to get you right into the action, and there's also Just Sweat mode for some serious cardio while burning up the dance floor. If you're not picky about songs, you can set it to Shuffle mode. Dance Mash-up is a new way to play that lets you have up to four players each with their own, separate dance moves to do. You have to carefully follow your selected dancer on the screen, but when done well it's a really awesome choreographed dance number.

Our friends and family have loved playing this game. The number of songs included with the game means it's hard to ever get bored, and the Dance Mash-up provides a fun new way to dance as a group. Beyond the fun - we're also getting our exercise while we play!

And while I've said I'm uncoordinated, there are those few (short) moments when it all comes together and we suddenly look like we know what we're doing:

(I said SHORT moments, people.)

I highly recommend this game. Dance alone for fun and exercise, or hand your friends and family Wii remotes and make your holiday party a dance party. As for us, I know we'll be burning off those Christmas dinner calories with a little Just Dance 3 this weekend!

Just Dance 3 is available for Wii, XBox 360 and Playstation 3.

Full disclosure: 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 (and sore muscles from too much dancing) are my own.

Be The Dancing Queen With ABBA You Can Dance

Let's get one thing out of the way up front: I'm not the most coordinated person you'll meet. Far from it. I can usually trip over my own feet on a smooth flat surface. So when it comes to dancing, I'm generally the one hiding in the back to avoid looking like a fool or taking out a group of dancers with one wrong move.

The rise of dancing video games, however, has given me the chance to practice my dance skills a little more in the comfort (and privacy) of my own home. But when the time comes to play a game as a group, I suddenly get shy and encourage everyone else to go before me.

I've found one dance game, however, that simply needs a party. Why? One word: ABBA.

If you know nothing of ABBA, then you are likely under thirty years old or avoid musical theatre. ABBA was one of the great disco groups of the 1970's and their music has persisted well beyond that decade. Even in college in the mid-90's, we could count on the song Dancing Queen being played at every sorority dance. Eventually a Broadway musical was made using only songs from ABBA, and Mamma Mia! quickly became a hit that still tours the US today. (It's actually in Columbus right now!)

When I received my copy of ABBA You Can Dance for Wii, I expected it to be like many of the other dance games available. And in many ways, it is. You can select the song you want to dance to (all ABBA, of course), choose up to four players to dance, and then try your best to match the dance moves on the screen for a high score.

But this is ABBA. These songs are party songs - disco songs that you can't help but move to and sing along with. When you've got songs like that, dancing by yourself is a crime - you need a group.

To properly try out this game, we went to my brother-in-law's house for a proper dance party with friends. I also received a small gift to help set the mood:

Disco time!

The result? We had a blast! We won't be winning any dance competitions anytime soon, but we laughed and sang and danced ourselves silly. 

Even Mira joined in for some dance time.

Some of the songs feature a single set of dance moves, while others have you select a character to follow and your dance moves won't always match those of your fellow dancers, giving you the feel of a choreographed performance. This is especially fun in Mini-Musical mode, where you can live out your Broadway dreams by dancing in a sock-hop style musical. Adding a USB microphone lets you sing along if dancing isn't your style.

While we weren't dancing queens, with practice we did have a few moments of being in sync. Very short moments, of course.

ABBA You Can Dance is a great Wii game for all ages, and perfect for any party. Whether you're a loyal ABBA fan or have never heard them, the songs are fun, the dancing is challenging without being too difficult, and there's plenty of entertainment to keep the party going for hours.


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. And I have to brag that I was AWESOME at Super Trouper.

A Musical That Rocks

There seems to be a new trend in Broadway musicals: take a themed set of songs, create a storyline around those songs, and poof! a new musical! We've seen it already with Abba (Mama Mia!), the Four Tops (Jersey Boys), Billy Joel (Movin' Out), Peter Allen (Boy from Oz) and now there is a musical that combines some of the best rock songs of the 80's: Rock of Ages.

From the press description:

New Line Records just hammered the in-store release of the Original Broadway Cast Recording of five-time Tony Award nominated "ROCK OF AGES." For those of you not in the know, Rock of Ages is the new Broadway musical starring American Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis. Set in 1987 in a legendary Sunset Strip rock club, a small-town girl meets a big-city dreamer and they fall in love to the greatest metal songs of the 80's. The musical is an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of Journey, Bon Jovi, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and more.

I received the CD for review, and based on that description alone, I couldn't wait to listen to it. I love 80's rock music, and still miss some of those classic rock ballads that we don't seem to hear anymore.

So what did I think? Overall, I liked it. The vocalists were strong, especially Constantine Maroulis, who I always thought was destined for musical theatre when I saw him on Idol. From what I could tell about the storyline, the songs fit well into the plot, with some songs actually being mash-ups of two or three different songs to produce the needed effect. Combining I Hate Myself For Loving You and Heat Of The Moment produced a brilliant, moving tune. Most of the songs stayed true to their rock roots, too.

On the downside, I wish I could see the performance in person. Soundtracks to Broadway musicals always lose a lot of the details, leaving you wondering what's going on in the plot in that particular moment. I found myself occasionally wondering what I was missing between songs. And while most songs were reproduced well, some were over-musicalized (yep, I created a word there) for the show. The Final Countdown was a little too showtune-y (as if it wasn't enough before?) and Hit Me With Your Best Shot was nothing better than a tragedy.

The one thing I loved the most about this album is it reminded me of so many 80's rock songs that I had completely forgotten about. Yet once I heard them, the lyrics and the tune came back to me almost instantly.

If you like 80's rock, and you like musicals, I think you'll enjoy Rock of Ages. If either one of those isn't your thing, best avoid this CD. Thankfully, I can't live without my 80's rock or showtunes, and while I'll admit I never saw a marriage of these two styles happening, I'm happy enough with the results to keep this show in my iTunes. Because there's no limit to how many times you can listen to Don't Stop Believin'.

My Night At Yanni Voices

It's such a rare thing that I get to go out to a special event in the evening without the kids, but last night was one of those nights. One2One Network provided me with two passes to see Yanni Voices in concert, along with backstage passes to meet the "Voices" in person.

I've enjoyed the Yanni Voices recorded concert on PBS, and I was expecting a similar show in Columbus. I can tell you that there was no comparison between the two. In person, the show takes on a life of its own! I was stunned at the amazing depth and range of the music, and the incredible talent of the musicians and singers.


While the vocalists were a strong focus of the concert, several of the musicians were given their moments in the limelight. Two violinists battled it out in a "dueling fiddles" type performance that gave me goosebumps. The Brazillian guitarist strummed out a haunting tune. A Hawaiian harp (I didn't even know those existed!) was played masterfully. And the drummer who has been with Yanni since the beginning showed off a percussion set that made me want to pick up my drumsticks again.

But for me, the four vocalists were the best part of the show. These four young, newly-discovered talents have beautiful voices that can bring out waves of emotion from the listener. Even with many songs being in Italian or Spanish, the emotion of the song could still be felt, even if you couldn't understand the words. Nathan made me think he could easily replace Pavarotti in The Three Tenors. Ender's voice was poetic in its strength and ease. Leslie was powerful and pure. And Chloe had a tenderness to her voice that could melt the hardest heart.

After the show, we had the chance to meet three of the four vocalists. We = myself, FireMom and Ellen, along with our guests. We talked at length with Ender and Nathan, and they told us how the stars aligned to get them to where they are now. All four have solo albums they are working on, and they hope to release the albums at some point after the tour. Nathan told me they're planning a new leg of the tour, choosing to restructure the show into more cozy theatres instead of arenas.

And of course, I was thrilled to see Nathan and Ender again, after meeting them at Blissdom. When I asked Ender for a photo, this is how he chose to pose:


He's a hugger. I can tell.

When we mentioned it was Ellen's birthday, she was treated to a rendition of Happy Birthday I could only wish to get:


Yanni Voices is still on tour, and tickets are still available for many locations. If the show is coming near you anytime soon, I highly recommend taking a night for yourself to enjoy some amazing music.

Yanni Voices In Columbus - Go See It!

Back in Feburary, I attended the Blissdom conference, and while there I got a sneak peak at a new show that was being released to PBS and also going on tour. Yanni Voices brings together the amazing music of Yanni and four young voices that he discovered to sing his music. The result is a stunning show of powerful vocals, gentle ballads and Latin beats that make you want to dance.

After our preview, we got to meet two of the singers (and they were smart - they sent the two hot guys to the room full of women) and ask them questions. They explained how the show was a mix of old styles with a new twist. I anxiously awaited the CD, and I now enjoy listening to it when I want something soothing yet not sleep-inducing. My kids love to boogie to the upbeat songs.

I recently found out that the Yanni Voices tour will be coming to Columbus on Sunday, June 7, 2009 at Nationwide Arena. I've been given tickets to go see the show, and I've also been given a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky reader! Not only will the winner get two tickets to the 7pm performance, they'll also get backstage passes to meet the"voices" in person after the show!

To enter, leave a comment below telling me why you'd like to see the show. You don't have to be obsessed with Yanni - even saying you need a night out without the kids is a good reason! One entry per person, please. Be sure to leave an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win. And obviously you must live in or near the Columbus, OH area so you can attend the show.

Entries will be accepted until June 1, 2009 at 11:00pm EDT.

Good luck! I'll be giving a full report after the concert!

Baby Einstein Takes on the World

At my first baby shower, I remember getting several Baby Einstein DVDs as gifts. We already knew the power of them - friends of ours had a son who would remain quiet for an entire Baby Einstein DVD so they could get dinner ready or take a quick shower. It was like a magic off button.

Cordy liked Baby Einstein as a baby, too, and we then reused our DVDs when Mira was born. It's been awhile since we brought out Baby Mozart or Baby Shakespeare, mostly because we thought Mira might be too old for them now.

However, I recently received a copy of Baby Einstein: World Music for review, and as I put in the DVD I wondered how Mira would react. She likes puppets, and she loves music, so I was hoping this would be a big hit.

I was pleasantly surprised by her reaction. She was entranced at first, then crawled onto my lap and began pointing towards everything she saw on the screen. At times she would jump down and spin in a circle - that's her way of dancing. As for the puppets - she couldn't get enough of them, as she pawed the TV trying to get to the monkey puppet who guides viewers around the world.

Baby Einstein: World Music introduces children to the world's distinctive sights and sounds with a cute puppet host, Jane the Monkey, as she travels across the globe to play music with her puppet friends. It features a mix of real-world images of global musical instruments, regional toys and animals, and puppet adventures set to music from every reach of the world.

And for a more customized experience for each family's stage and needs, the World Music DVD provides two settings - Grow with Me and Select-a-Segment. The "grow with me" setting offers a second viewing mode containing spoken words and additional content that grows with babies, while "select-a-segment" gives parents the choice of viewing shorter segments, such as five or ten minutes, as opposed to longer programming.

Mira enjoys this DVD, and I like exposing her to different types of music. I also received the Baby Einstein: World Music audio CD, and while it's a little too soothing for car rides, it makes a great CD to play at bedtime.

Thanks to Mom Central for providing this product!

Rockin' With Dan Zanes (Contest, too!)

I'll admit that I wasn't one of the hip parents who automatically knew about Dan Zanes and Friends from the beginning. I didn't - it took Playhouse Disney and their clips of Dan singing "Catch That Train" and other songs for me to discover this quirky and vibrant band. I love how his songs aren't your typical collection of songs about the alphabet, an itsy-bitsy spider, or a lamb and its neglectful handler, Mary. I don't feel silly singing along with Malti or Down by the Bay.

I recently had the chance to review the latest Dan Zanes CD, The Welcome Table. It's described as "songs of inspiration, mystery, and good times" and that's exactly what you get when you press play. These tunes are upbeat, yet vaguely calming - my daughters love to bop along to the beat, while I feel a wash of tranquility and happiness wash over me, all from the same song.

While we're not a particularly religious family, I still enjoyed songs that were of a religious nature because no single religion is being promoted here. The purpose is to present songs of hope, joy, and togetherness. According to the liner notes, a portion of all sales from this CD will go to The New Sanctuary Movement, an interfaith group dedicated to helping immigrant families in the US.

If you're looking for songs both you and your children will enjoy, Dan Zanes and Friends is the band to look for. I have yet to be disappointed with any of his albums. And I've been told his concerts are a blast, too.

Win A Copy of Nueva York!

I've got four copies of the Dan Zanes and Friends CD, Nueva York, to give to four lucky readers! To win, leave one comment below and be sure to leave a valid e-mail address. Entries will be accepted until Sunday, March 8 at 11:59 pm EST. Four winners will be chosen by random drawing.



**COLUMBUS READERS: Go See Dan Zanes LIVE for FREE!
If you're in the Columbus Metro area, or live close enough that you're willing to drive in, I'm giving away one set of tickets for a family to see Dan Zanes and Friends at the Wexner Center on March 28, 2009 at 11am. If you're a fan of Dan, you know that the band doesn't tour in Ohio all that often, so this is a very special treat!

To enter, leave a comment below saying you want to attend the concert and be sure to leave a valid e-mail address. If you're trying to win the CDs, too, just indicate in your comment that you'd like to be entered for both contests. Entries will be accepted until Sunday, March 8 at 11:59 pm EST. One winner will be chosen by random drawing from those entries indicating they want to be included in this giveaway.

One entry per household, US residents only. Winners chosen by random drawing using Random.org.

Good luck!

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This contest is now closed. Congrats to our winners: Staci, Karen, Yadgirl, and Katie, all receiving CDs, and to Katie for winning the concert tickets as well!

Rockin' With Kibbles Rockin' Clubhouse

Many of you know that my oldest daughter was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum last fall. Officially, it's PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified), which means that she has autism-related delays in speech, motor skills, and social skills. In many ways, this has been a relief, because we now have a strategy to help her overcome her difficulties so that she can move through this social world in an easier manner. Right now, she attends a special needs preschool every weekday for three hours. She has speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy once a week for an hour each.

While these are great, I often feel like it's not enough. An hour once a week doesn't feel like enough for me, and no matter how many times I've asked, I can't get her therapists to send home exercises and activities to do at home. We're on the list for further services from the county, but we're still waiting to hear back. With money for these services always running short, we could be waiting a long time for additional help.

A few months ago, the Parent Bloggers Network asked if I would be interested in checking out a couple of DVDs that are intended for kids on the spectrum. These programs help teach basic social skills that are often hard for kids on the spectrum to learn: greeting someone, understanding emotions, keeping your cool, using your words, etc. Of course I wanted to give these a try.

The first one we tried was Kibbles Rockin' Clubhouse vol. 1: Expressing Yourself. This DVD combines music and simple language to create a master class for autistic children on the topics of greetings and expressing emotions. The very first song is about how to say hello to someone, which includes waving or shaking hands, making eye contact, and saying "hi". I was impressed that they stressed eye contact - Cordy had a lot of trouble with that skill, and we constantly have to remind her to look at our eyes when she talks to us.

Verbal and non-verbal communication are addressed with each topic. When discussing feelings, all of the characters practice showing what someone looks like when feeling each emotion. It's hard for many autistic kids to "read" emotions on the faces of others, just like it's hard for them to express their own feelings. Cordy loved watching them practice each emotion, laughing at the silly faces, and trying to pick out the right emotion each time. (For the record, she still can't recognize angry, frustrated or sad faces.)

I really liked their use of an activity schedule to guide kids through the DVD. The activity schedule is a picture schedule showing what activity will come after each one is completed. Cordy responded well to the schedule - after a couple of viewings, she recognized the pictures and knew what was coming next. In the parent section of the DVD, the speech therapist said that kids on the spectrum often can't transition well between activities because they prefer the predictable and the routine, but as we all know, the world is a very unpredictable place. Moving from one activity to the next can be scary, so having a picture chart to refer to at all times can help provide some structure and prepare them for each transition. I'm thinking about setting up an activity schedule for our daily routine now.

The true test is: did Cordy like the DVD? Honestly, she wasn't that thrilled to watch it, and never requested it. But when I played it, she was drawn to the TV and would quietly watch and internalize the message. While she never asked for it, she still enjoyed watching it. She soaks up anything she watches on TV, and when she is tired or having a rough time, she often falls back on her "scripts," retreating inwards as she repeats entire conversations said on TV over and over again. (Thank goodness we don't let her watch anything other than preschool TV, right?) Now she's repeating some of Kibbles lessons also. And she's added "howdy" to her list of greetings.

The extras on this DVD are just as valuable as the actual program. The speech therapist and the two music therapists who helped design Kibbles Rockin' Clubhouse talk about the theory behind the therapy and give parent strategies for incorporating music and speech therapies all day long. They explained that studies have shown that kids on the spectrum process pitch better in their brains better than the average person, meaning that music is a natural strength for them. This makes sense to me, because I know Cordy learns better when it is set to music.

They also discussed how their music is comforting to kids with autism, and how they used very structured music, with lots of repetition and minimal extra language to reinforce the lessons being taught. This was very effective for Cordy - she's only three, and a lot of extra words often confuses her and throws off her concentration. The speech therapist explained how they used video modeling to reinforce non-verbal cues and teach new scripts to kids who might not have a script in their heads for basic social interactions.

Overall, I was very impressed with Kibbles Rockin' Clubhouse, and I recommend it for children with any kind of social developmental delays. Cordy is three years old and followed the 40 minute DVD fairly well, with only a few moments of wandering off. This probably wouldn't be as effective on kids who are younger than three, but I could see this as a useful tool for older kids. The DVD is made by NoteAbilites and can be found at Amazon. It also includes a sing-a-long CD for the car. Parent Bloggers will also be giving away a copy of both DVDs for this campaign - to enter, just click here and leave a comment on their blog post.

Check back Friday when I'll be reviewing another DVD for kids on the spectrum.

Rockin' The Day Away With That Baby DVD

Cordy has been obsessed with a certain famous Mouse DVD lately, and well, I'm sick of it. We needed to find something a little more...relaxed. A little less corny. A little more parent friendly.

In my effort to find something we could both watch, I pulled out That Baby DVD (provided by the Parent Bloggers Network), hoping it would distract her away from her current obsession. The DVD has eleven music videos on it, all of which are acoustic covers of songs we parents are familiar with from our rock radio stations, like "These Are The Days" by 10,000 Maniacs, and "Sunday Sun" by Neil Diamond.

Before anything was on the screen, Cordy didn't want to watch and protested. I told her it was time to try something new, and she might like it. She was an unwilling participant in this review at first. But as the first song came on ("Happiness Runs" - one of my new favorite songs), her protests drifted away and she sat down in her chair quietly to watch.

The songs, performed by Stephanie Schneiderman and others, are a little more mellow than their famous counterpart versions, and the music videos are filled with kids dancing and lip syncing, gentle animation, and even puppets. In-between some of the songs are brief lessons in the alphabet and counting. The numbers only went to 10, which I think Cordy was a little disappointed with. I think she wanted to count higher. But Cordy liked repeating the alphabet with the voice on the screen, and it went at a nice, slow pace.

She loved the rest of the DVD, too. While the music was a little too mellow for her to want to get up and dance, she did enjoy watching the children on the screen. (Side note: I'd love to see this company put out a dance DVD!) And I enjoyed the time to sit back and relax to some good music.

After it was over, she immediately asked to watch it again, and has since asked to watch it each day. While she's still asking for the Mouse DVD, too, we have equal requests for both. You can guess which one I'm more willing to give in to - That Baby DVD is by far more pleasing to my ears and eyes. You can view a clip of it here to see what I mean.

I also appreciate the fact that the company uses US recycled materials for their products. Plus, if you (or, more likely, your kids) ever scratch or break the disc, they'll replace it free! What other company would do that?

We also received a copy of That Baby CD, which contains the same songs as That Baby DVD, plus three bonus tracks. The CD is great in the car for longer trips. It helps Cordy relax when she's having a hard day, and again, the music is pleasant for me to listen to, also. It's earned a well-deserved permanent place in our car.

Right now That Baby DVD is offering 20% off to readers! Just use the coupon code PBN when ordering. Don't forget that Christmas and Hanukkah are next month - these would make great gifts!

Have a Rockin' Fourth!

Any true fan of rock has to have at least a small soft spot in her heart for the Rolling Stones. After all, they're practically rock royalty, right up there with the Beatles and Elvis.

So for those big Stones fans out there, a new big DVD set has been released. The Rolling Stones' The Biggest Bang is a four DVD boxed set crammed full of some of the best from these rock icons. It includes two full length concerts, including the Rio de Janeiro concert at Copacabana Beach, as well as two behind the scenes documentaries.

The set also gives viewers the chance to see some new, never-before-released tracks and rare footage from concerts all around the world (including my favorite Stones song, Sympathy for the Devil).

The Biggest Bang is an amazing collection of Rolling Stones music and video footage. Available exclusively at Best Buy, this would make a great gift for the rock music lover in your life. Or you could just keep it for yourself, too. I won't tell.

A Rockin' Mother's Day

Traditional Mother's Day gifts usually aren't my thing. I'm allergic to most flowers. I don't wear a lot of jewelry, and when I do wear it, I already have a good stash to choose from. I certainly don't want anything for the house, since I'm not a domestic goddess by any means.

However, I am a geek, and I love music. Which is why I was so impressed when my promotions pal Nichole sent me the Best Buy Mother's Day gift set of the iPod Nano to try out. First, it is a 4GB iPod Nano in either hot pink or silver. That alone is awesome, but Best Buy was smart: they added chocolates and packaged it in a polka dot gift box. An iPod and chocolates? It's like they were thinking of me when they put this gift set together.

I've had an iPod before, but mine is ancient. When I say ancient, I mean it was purchased when you had no color choice other than white, the screen was black and white, and it was a lot weightier than the ones made today. It also was full of technical problems. While it would sync with a Mac without issue, it didn't get along with my Windows computer, and it refused to connect with my computer about 75% of the time. It was a great music player - it was just a pain trying to get music onto it.

When I received my hot pink iPod Nano, I was excited to see how things have changed. First off, this thing is tiny! It fits in my palm, and is about as thick as three credit cards. For those of you lucky enough to be past diaper bags and back to itty-bitty purses, this iPod will easily fit into your purse. For the rest of us, it's nice to not add weight to my already full diaper bag.

The screen is small also, but brilliantly clear and bright. It's in full color, too, so you can view album covers for the songs you're playing. I worried that I might not be able to read the menus well on such a small screen, however the text is clean and easy to read. The click wheel is also smaller, but still just as easy to use as the larger models.

I've had no issues with connecting the iPod to my computer and downloading music. Long gone are the install CDs - now you need only have iTunes on your computer, and it automatically takes care of the setup for you. This iPod is a 4GB model, meaning it will hold about 1,000 songs. Fully charged, it has about 24 hours of battery life.

My only complaint is I wish it came with a cable to recharge the iPod by plugging it into an outlet, instead of recharging via the USB cable and the computer. I have a laptop, which cuts off power when I close it, meaning I can't charge the iPod with it closed. This can be fixed by buying the extra cable - I just wish it would have been included.

And finally, the music quality is as good as it has ever been. I appreciated the clear digital quality of music from my old iPod, and it seems Apple has been successful at keeping this high level of quality, even while making the iPod smaller and smaller.

If you're still looking for a gift for that music-loving or tech-savvy mom in your life, consider this iPod Nano gift set from Best Buy. It's a great MP3 player, and with the addition of the chocolates and the cute gift packaging, she'll think you didn't just grab something off the shelf as you were looking for that new computer game for yourself.

Oh, and the chocolates? They're not Godiva, but they're pretty good! (It's hard for a pregnant woman to ever criticize chocolate.)

Win one! Two other sites are giving these away. You can either go here or here (or both, really) to enter the contests and win your own iPod. Sorry, I'm keeping mine - it's coming with me to the hospital when I go into labor, loaded up with my best relaxation and distraction music.