When I was a little girl, every shooting star and birthday candle and wishlist to Santa contained the same request: a horse. Despite living in town, I still wanted a horse of my very own to ride and brush and love. It's probably no surprise that I never got that horse, and it's probably a good thing I didn't. I don't have the money or time for a horse, and while I still enjoy riding, I'd rather visit a public stables and pay for a ride rather than be responsible for my own horse.
Recently, I was introduced to the Facebook game Horse Haven, where you can keep and care for your own virtual horses. Horse Haven is a game where you are the sole inheritor of your uncle's run-down ranch. You start with a single foal and a lot of weeds and broken buildings, and quickly begin turning the mess into a successful ranch by feeding and caring for your horse, growing treats for your horse, and training your horse to enter competitions.
You can also buy more horses and develop a full working ranch, complete with breeding stables to produce more foals, training pens, and a stable full of horses of all colors and types. Once your horses are trained, they can visit other towns to compete for trophies and awards.
As you level up and get more awards, you can visit new places.
One unique feature of this game is that by playing with your digital horses you can help Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue, a real-life non-profit horse rescue center in Pennsylvania. Certain items you can buy for your farm provide direct donations to the charity, ensuring that you're giving back while indulging in your imaginary ranch.
So what do I think of it? Horse Haven is a fun resource management game. You have to balance training your horses with building up your farm and clearing away debris. There is a limited amount of energy to do each task, and you can quickly run out of energy, leaving you to either buy more energy or wait until you can build up more energy again.
This is my ranch and two horses. It's a work in progress.
Raising and caring for the horses is a lot of fun. My daughters saw me playing and suddenly it was a group game - they like helping me pick out what to add next to the ranch and never fail to tell me when I have energy again to attend to my horses. If you have friends who play the game as well, you can visit their ranches and help them out with chores to gain rewards for yourself. You can also send game gifts to your friends and put out requests for items you need.
The downsides to the game are that it can take a long time to get up enough energy and horse bucks to get very far in the game. If you're willing to spend real money, you can get there faster, but without spending real money you have to be dedicated to advance quickly. Also, you get a lot further in the game if you have friends playing as well. There is a computer generated character who serves as your friend if you don't have any Facebook friends playing with you, but real friends are almost needed to get you all of the items you need.
The game's theme is cute and perfect for anyone who ever wanted a horse as a kid. The graphics are bright and kid-friendly and the mini-quests are interesting and help in building your ranch. I also like that some in-game purchases will also result in donations to the Angel Acres horse rescue center.
So if you like Facebook games and still remember closing your eyes tight and wishing for a horse on the first star every evening, give Horse Haven a try. Even if you can't have your own horse, these horses won't complain if you ignore them for a day and you're still helping other horses through the game.
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 are my own. #UbiChamps
No, no, not the magazine. The Cosmo I'm referring to is my dog.
It's hard to believe that it's been less than five months since we adopted our first dog, Cosmo. We adopted him at nearly five months old as a medium-sized, skinny puppy who narrowly escaped death row by only a few hours. We thought he would remain medium-sized. And since that time, our wonder pup has doubled in weight - now an 80lb, 10-month-old puppy!
Hey there, I'm Cosmo.
And yet even though it's been five months, it feels like we've had him forever. He quickly found a place in our family, blending in as if he's always been here with us. I can't imagine a day without him now. Even though I planned for him to never be on our furniture, I've relented and enjoy having my pup laying next to me with his head on my lap. He's a good companion and a lot of fun to have around.
Working from home, he's with me throughout the day, serving as my assistant and occasionally urging me to put down the computer for a short meeting concerning the state of belly rubs in this home office.
Your assistant would please like a few minutes of your time?
Beyond ear scratches and belly rubs, though, he loves his treats. He was found starving as a puppy, so naturally he's very food motivated. Being a spoiled pup, of course we want the best dog treats for him, since not only should they be tasty, but also small enough to be good motivators to use for training.
Due to his unexpected size, though, we have to be careful with his treats. The vet has determined that he may have hip issues due to bad genetics, and she's cautioned us to keep his weight down as much as possible to reduce the strain on his joints. Which means our large puppy needs to be fed like the medium-sized dog we thought he was going to be.
I recently was sent a sample of the new Cesar Cookie Crunchies treats for dogs for Cosmo to review. We received two flavors: Rotisserie Chicken and Filet Mignon. These dog biscuits are small and crunchy with a strong meaty smell that Cosmo really enjoys.
The treats are great because they're large enough that even my bigger puppy considers them a significant treat to crunch up, yet each cookie is only 10 calories so I don't feel bad giving him several. We use them as rewards for good behavior and as training rewards when teaching him commands. He's always willing to focus and listen when we hold up the treat.
Look at that focus as he waits for the command to eat his treat.
The Cesar Cookie Crunchies have three cute shapes and have the consistency of a typical dog biscuit. If your dog is a messy eater, this could result in crumbs on the floor from crunching up the cookie, but if your dog is like Cosmo (with the motto of "no crumb of food shall go uneaten") then you have nothing to worry about and any stray crumbs will be quickly suctioned up.
My only complaint is that, as I said before, the treats have a strong odor. While Cosmo would tell you (if he could talk) that the smell is simply perfect, it's a little strong for my non-canine nose that isn't always seeking out the smell of meat. It's a minor complaint, though, and considering how fast Cosmo will snap to attention when he catches a whiff of these treats, it's easy for me to look past.
The features I love the most are the small size, making them the perfect treats for small dogs to big dogs, and that they're only 10 calories each. For a dog who needs calorie counting to keep a slim physique, it's nice to be able to give him several smaller treats instead of one big one. And anyone who has been on a diet knows that several smaller treats (even when they add up to the same as a big treat) feels like we're getting more.
Whether your dog is big or small, he'll probably love Cesar Cookie Crunchies treats for dogs. Cosmo gives them two paws up for flavor and crunch.
Full disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Cesar and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.
I've said it many times, and I'll say it again: I live in my jeans. I know many moms love their yoga pants, but this mom needs a little more structure to her bottom half, without the need to dress up the top half to match. Jeans are the perfect middle-ground - dress them up or down, they're always ready to go.
But now that spring is here - and the temperatures have finally caught up to the season - my full length jeans are being stored away as I break out the capris and shorts.
If you're read my blog for any length of time, then you know there is only one brand of jeans I rely on for comfort any time of the year: Lee Jeans. You've probably experienced my story: you try on a pair of jeans, and if they fit at the waist, they're too tight in the hips. If they fit well in the hips and seat, you've got the dreaded waist gap in the back.
So when I tried on my first Lee jeans a few years ago, I expected them to be just like the others. Wrong! They have room for women with hips, the waist neatly nips in with little to no gap, and there's just enough stretch to give you room to move without the jeans then losing their shape.
These are simply the best fitting jeans I've ever tried, and they're the only jeans I know that take into consideration that women have curves. (I've been told that there are some expensive jeans that also fit a curvy body, but who wants to spend $150 on a pair of jeans when I can get just as good of a fit for under $50?)
What I love most, though, are the styles. These aren't "mom jeans" - they're on-trend with the current fashions and look great on any age.
(And OMG could we get rid of the "mom jeans" = ugly assumption in pop culture. I'm a mom, I wear awesome jeans, therefore my mom jeans are awesome!)
Lee recently sent me two of their new Spring styles to try out, and I'm in love all over again. First up is the Stevie Slender Secret Capri:
What I love most about these is the contrast stitching against the dark wash. It looks fantastic dressed up or down, and really stands out in the evening. These are also part of the Slender Secret line, meaning there's extra shaping built-in so you look even slimmer!
I've never been one for denim outside of the normal blue, but this red is hot! They fit like a dream and the inseam is long enough to prevent any fabric creeping while walking. I've already received so many compliments on these shorts.
To sum up: Lee provides affordable denim that is fashionable, fits real women, and holds up so well through my daily life. The new Spring offerings have only renewed my love with Lee!
Giveaway!
If you're not already a fan of Lee jeans, I'm confident that there's a good chance you will be. And to help with that, I'm giving one reader a pair of capris or shorts (your choice of style and color) so you can start the warm weather season off in style!
To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget below, which will give you all of the options for this giveaway! Good luck!
Full disclosure: I received the capris and shorts mentioned above from Lee to facilitate my review. All opinions stated here are my own, and as no two bodies are the same, your mileage may vary. But really, if you have any hips at all, you'll love these jeans.
Note: Please welcome my husband, Aaron, as he shares his review of The Avengers. We were given preview passes earlier this week, and he's been counting down the minutes until he could tell the world about this film! I agree with nearly everything he says here - this is a must-see.
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The road to The Avengers begins back in 2008, when Marvel Entertainment announced the creation of their film division. No longer would we see Marvel's comic-book heroes brought to life on screen by third parties – instead the publisher would produce their own films in-house. First up was Iron Man, and frankly, it was a gamble. Let's take a mostly unknown superhero, gather high-profile actors to play the supporting cast, and stick Robert Downey Jr. in the lead.
It was incredibly risky. There were any number of reasons it could have failed. But it didn't. Instead, it launched Marvel Studios as a powerful entity in its own right, and soon after, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and finally, Captain America: The First Avenger followed.
And all of it leads up to this. As the four title heroes, joined by the Black Widow and Hawkeye, and assembled by Nick Fury, Chief of S.H.I.E.L.D., band together to stop Loki and a horde of invaders in Marvel's The Avengers.
The Film
The film picks up where we left off at the end of the previous films, with Thor returned to Asgard, Loki banished, Captain America newly re-awakened in the modern world, Doctor Banner in hiding, and Tony Stark doing whatever he darn well pleases. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been studying the Tesseract, last seen in the hands of the Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger, and then being studied by Dr. Selvig at the end of Thor. Loki returns, steals the Tesseract, and begins a reign of terror. At which point Fury realizes that he needs the team of heroes, and one by one, brings them into the fold.
There are subplots a-plenty, as each hero has at least one bit of baggage to unload. The Tesseract itself changes hands several times, the heroes suffer several major setbacks along the way, but when all is said and done, the Avengers assemble to fight off Loki and his army. And what we get along the way is one of the greatest superhero team stories ever told on film.
There was reason to doubt. Joss Whedon, despite being a geek god, has only one feature film director's credit to his name. Could a film balance four superheroes who had each carried their own film, in addition to adding in two more? Would the threat feel like it was big enough, especially when it used a villain who had been defeated by a single hero in a previous film? Would characters be shoved off to the side? Fortunately, Whedon and company rose to the challenge in answering each of these questions, and the film comes together beautifully.
In the end, we're left with a film that feels far shorter than its' 2 hour and 24 minute run time – not because anything feels rushed, but because it grabs you by the collar and never lets go as it races towards the climax.
The Good
There are so many excellent moments in the film, it is hard to narrow this down. “The Good” could easily cover most of the entire film. Let's start with the cast.
Five of the six heroes who make up the Avengers have played these characters before, although Scarlett Johannson's Black Widow and Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye only appeared as supporting cast members of earlier films. Wisely, the film gives us a lot of time getting inside their heads, and in many ways, this film could have been the basis for a Black Widow feature. Robert Downey Jr. gives us the same effortless charm that has made us love his Tony Stark since the beginning, Chris Evans' Captain America gives us both the somewhat naïve “Man out of Time” vibe, while still providing inspiration and leadership to the team, and Chris Hemsworth looks like a Greek (or Norse) god come to life. Samuel L. Jackson returns as S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury, supported by fan-favorite Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and newcomer Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders).
The real gamble in casting was Mark Ruffalo. As the third Bruce Banner to hit the big screen in the past decade, he could easily have been the weakest link. Instead, as both Banner and as the Hulk (who bears a greater resemblance to Ruffalo than any earlier Hulk did to its' respective actor), Ruffalo steals the screen whenever he appears. Not a small man, Ruffalo manages to make himself small and cowed by the world around him – and his fear of the beast inside. When the Hulk is unleashed, he commands attention, and ends up with two of the funniest moments in the movie.
Whedon's trademark elements as both a director and a screenwriter are on display in this film, in terms of the overall plot, and most importantly, his characteristic witty dialogue – not to mention the ample amount of screen time devoted to the Black Widow. What is a pleasant surprise is that, while his trademarks are there, they're not pushed front and center. This feels like “The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon” instead of “Joss Whedon's The Avengers.”
Loki's plot is also suitably epic. His alliance to the alien invaders makes this feel big, and there is every reason to believe that if the team cannot stop the invaders within New York, the world will soon fall.
Visually, the film feels big. This is not a small, personal drama. This is about six superheroes saving the Earth. And that scope is conveyed both through dialogue, action, sight and sound.
The Bad
The Avengers is not perfect. While I was extremely pleased with the film, it never had a moment where it blew me away. There's nothing completely new here. We've seen these heroes before. We've seen a team of heroes before. We've seen comic characters brought to life in a way that doesn't apologize for being based on a comic.
The Avengers kicks it up a notch, and does so masterfully, but it doesn't bring anything entirely new to the table. This is not a mark of shame. There is nothing wrong with setting out to make a great action film that honors the source material, gives us a tight plot, good characters, and keeps us entertained for two and a half hours, and succeeding admirably. If it fails to do something “new”, that speaks to the strength of the superhero film over the past decade rather than a weakness in the film.
And yet... I somehow wanted more. More of what I don't know, but I wanted something more.
There is also a lack of female characters in the franchise – which is surprising considering the prominence of Black Widow, the addition of Maria Hill, and the return of Pepper Potts. All three of these women (and the amazing actresses who portray them) are excellent – but I'm fairly sure that they never exchange a line of dialogue with each other.
My other gripe is the use of the alien race chosen for the film. They are remarkably generic, and despite the stinger during the credits (because there is always a stinger in the Marvel films), they never feel unique or important. This is a shame, considering that the Marvel universe is ripe with interesting alien races, any of which could have served as Loki's army.
Finally, and this is entirely a personal preference, but for me, the 3D was an unpleasant addition to the film. 3D often makes a film get blurry during the action sequences, and that was on display in full force during the final battle between the Avengers and the alien forces.
Final Thoughts The Avengers is an incredible film. It is tightly scripted, deftly plotted, smartly written, brilliantly directed, amazingly well cast, and just a lot of fun. This is everything we want a summer blockbuster “popcorn” film to be. It shows off the strengths of its cast, and of Joss Whedon as director, script-writer, and ensemble builder.
As alluded to above, stick around through the credits. There is not one, but two “stingers” during the credits. The first hits midway through the credits, and gives us our hint to the villain of the next The Avengers film (and there will be one, be assured of that – with Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 both on their way, we can expect Marvel to announce plans for the next Avengers before 2020). I won't ruin the reveal, but it won't come as a complete surprise to anyone who has read Marvel Comics, or has paid close enough attention to the previous films. The second stinger occurs at the very end, and may be the funniest moment yet in any of the Marvel features.
Is it my favorite superhero film of all time? I'm not sure. Not yet. But I am certain I loved it, and will be seeing it in the theaters again.
Mother's Day is coming up fast, and my inbox is being flooded with emails about what moms really want for Mother's Day with tips for finding that perfect gift. I don't think the talented people who wrote these gift guides have ever met my family, however.
A sentimental gift? Nope, that won't do for my mom. She generally doesn't like a lot of stuff, feeling it's just one more thing to clutter up her house. As for me, I like some sentimental gifts, but I'm also in the process of purging a lot of useless junk from my house, so... not so much at the moment.
A spa day? Yes for me, no way for my mom. She has never liked anything girly, preferring a simple shower to get the dirt off of her after a day of working hard in the garden than anything involving smelly lotions or people touching her.
It's taken me years to figure out my own mother. When I was younger I tried everything to get her to have that big WOW moment with a gift, but I never managed more than a "oh, how nice, thank you," that was in many ways sincere, but clearly indicated it was nothing she really wanted.
As a mother myself, I now understand what I can do to really show how much I care for my mom. Mother's Day now is usually about providing a service for her in some way. She's amazingly talented - she could teach you how to grow the perfect garden, clean your house, shoot a gun, balance your checkbook, cook a fantastic meal, and gather honey from hives without getting stung by a bee. But even though I used to think there was nothing I could ever do that my mom didn't already do better, I've found her one weak spot.
I'm my mother's technical support.
It sounds funny, I know, and probably not very sentimental. But helping my mom build a laptop with everything she needs, or configuring her wireless network so she can take that laptop anywhere in her house, or walking her though the steps to set up her Netflix account? Those offers of help mean a lot to her and make her life easier.
She's done so much to teach me throughout my life, and now I finally have a skill I can teach back to her so she can enjoy all of the advances in technology that she wants to embrace but doesn't fully understand.
So this Mother's Day, I'm setting up an iTunes account for her and teaching her how to use it so she can download her own apps on the iPhone I gave her recently. (It was my old iPhone - she didn't want to spend a lot on her own iPhone.) She's genuinely thrilled about this upcoming event, and can't wait to learn how to get her own apps. My mom doesn't need a lot, but this simple task for me - which is something she would struggle with - shows her just how much I care about her.
As for me? I'm slowly becoming more like my mom each year. Instead of objects, I want someone to do something for me that I can't do myself or provide a service for something I don't like to do. A massage would be nice to help with all of the stress I store in my back. Or a Maid Service gift certificate to unburden me from my least favorite chore, leaving me time to devote to things I enjoy. Or a Time Lord to take me back in time to give me more hours in the day.
Honestly, house cleaning is my ultimate weak area. Not only is my house a wreck, but I hate cleaning more than just about any other chore and I'm sure I'm not alone. Yes, I'm sure there are some people who truly take pleasure from a job well-done in making their house spotless, but many of us don't count ourselves in that group.
This year, not only am I getting what I want for Mother's Day, but you can get the same special treatment! I'm giving away a $100 gift certificate to Molly Maid so one reader can also relax in a clean home, spending more time on the things she really cares about than scrubbing the toilet.
Giveaway Rules
Win a $100 gift certificate toward a cleaning from Molly Maid!
Please note that Molly Maid does not offer service in the following locations: Louisiana, Wyoming, Vermont, West Virginia, Maine, Montana, and Alabama. Also Molly Maid does not have coverage in the following Metro areas: Madison, WI, Green Bay, WI, Buffalo, NY, and Syracuse, NY. If you live in any of these locations, you can still enter to win, but will not be able to have a home in those areas serviced. Home cleaning estimates will vary. Winner may use gift certificate toward total cost.
This giveaway will end May 7 at 11:59PM PT, so enter now! A winner will be selected randomly from the comments on May 8 and contacted via email.
Enter up to four times by doing each of the following:
One Entry - Tweet about the Molly Maid contest (you can even use the handy-dandy Tweet below, if you like) and leave a comment here with either the Tweet or the URL to the Tweet. Please be sure to tag your Tweet with #MollyMaid4Mom.
One Entry - Post about this contest on Facebook, and leave a comment here saying what you posted. Please tag the post with the #MollyMaid4Mom hashtag.
One Entry - Write a blog post about the contest and -- you guessed it -- leave a comment here with the URL to the blog post.
One Entry - Just leave a comment on this blog post!
Sample Tweet: I just entered to win $100 toward a cleaning from Molly Maid! You can too! http://bit.ly/JJCm0B #MollyMaid4Mom
Good luck, and may we all get exactly what we want on Mother's Day!
Full disclosure: Sponsored posts are purely editorial content that we are pleased to have presented by a participating sponsor. Advertisers do not produce the content. I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all my own.
When I was a kid, I hated drinking plain water. Our small town's tap water always tasted of chlorine with a slightly metallic aftertaste. My mom would push me to drink water instead of sugary drinks, but drinking our water felt like a punishment rather than a healthy choice.
It wasn't until the rise of filtered and bottled water that I found myself willing to drink plain water and even like it. As an adult, when I bought our first refrigerator, I made sure to pick one that featured a filter for our water dispenser. Convincing our kids to drink water, however, has proven to be almost as hard as it was for me. My oldest is sensitive to the slightest change in tastes, and she often says water tastes "icky" to her.
Even with filtered water, I often worry about just how filtered it really is. Does the filter really remove all chemicals, minerals, and other trace particulates? It may taste better, but is it really pure?
I recently was invited by Mom Central to try out the new ZeroWater 10-cup filter-pitcher. This pitcher is like many in that it has a filter reservoir built in to the pitcher to filter the water before it reaches your cup. But that's about where the similarities with other filter-pitchers ends.
ZeroWater's patented 5-stage water filter system is the only system certified to meet the Food & Drug Administration's standards for Purified Bottled Water. That means you can count on crisp, great tasting water every time. And if you're not sure if it's really removing all dissolved solids in your water, ZeroWater includes a laboratory-grade TDS (total dissolves solids) tester to prove just how well it works.
The pitcher is sleek in design and fits well in my side-by-side fridge. Not only can you pour a glass of water from the top of the pitcher, but there's a handy push-button spout at the bottom of the handle if you don't feel like pulling it out of the fridge. (Or have kids who have trouble lifting a full pitcher.)
Back to the lab-grade TDS tester for a minute: this thing is so much fun, and a little scary. I of course wanted to see just what kind of difference was made between water from our tap and the ZeroWater pitcher. Could it really remove all dissolved solids?
First, I tested water straight from the kitchen faucet:
283 ppm (parts per million)
Then I tried water from my built-in fridge filter. (Note: the filter needs to be replaced, so I'm not too surprised that there wasn't much of a difference.)
200 ppm - not much better!
Finally, I poured a glass of water from the ZeroWater pitcher and tested it:
Yep, it says zero. I checked it twice!
OK, I'll admit I was surprised. I was not expecting it to read zero after the other two were so high. As for the taste? Perfect. It tasted like...nothing, just as water should taste. Cool, refreshing, and no hint of aftertaste. Even my older daughter is willing to occasionally drink water now. It's a work in progress with her, folks.
(By the way, you'll find yourself using that water tester everywhere. I've even tested water at restaurants with it. I have yet to find anything under 100ppm.)
My only complaint? The pitcher takes longer than other filter-pitchers to filter the water. If its empty, I fill the reservoir, then wait about 3-5 minutes, then fill it again, place the top on and place it in the fridge. The reservoir and filter take up a lot of space in the pitcher, so I often need to refill it frequently because I like to drink a lot of water.
Overall, I really like the ZeroWater pitcher. The design is great, the water tastes fantastic, and I have peace of mind knowing that this is the purest water I can provide to my family. The included tester is both fun and informative.
You can find the ZeroWater pitcher at Amazon and several other national retailers, including Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, Home Depot, Meijer and Fry's. You can also save 30% off a 10-cup ZeroWater pitcher at the ZeroWater site with the special coupon code MC30.
ZeroWater also has a Facebook page where you can find out more information about their products.
Giveaway!
Want to try ZeroWater for yourself? I've got a ZeroWater 10-cup filter pitcher to give to TWO lucky readers!
To enter, visit the ZeroWater site and enter your zipcode to get your free TDS reading for your area. Once you get your reading from the free TDS lookup tool, come back here and leave a comment telling me what the results were. Be sure to include your email address so I have a way to contact you if you're selected as a winner. One entry per person.
This giveaway is open to US residents only and will be open until Monday, April 9 at 11:59pm EDT. After that time, two winners will be randomly selected and contacted by email. Winners have 48 hours to respond or alternate winners will be selected.
Good luck!
Full disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of ZeroWater and received a water pitcher to facilitate my review, two pitchers to giveaway, and extra filters to thank me for taking the time to participate.
If you're not already singing the theme song to the Muppets in your head, then you must not have grown up in the US in the 70's or 80's. As a child I loved the Muppets. They were funny, they had great music, and they were a gentle yet smart show for a child to watch, with endearing characters and creative puppetry. (Or muppetry, as the case may be.)
We have some of the old show on DVD, and the kids have watched several of the Muppet movies, including Muppet Treasure Island and A Muppet Christmas Carol. So when it was revealed that a new Muppet movie was being released, I was thrilled at the chance to go see it in the theater with our daughters.
We did go see it, and loved it other than missing the last 10 minutes due to an accident in the theater. We never had another chance to go see it, so instead I anxiously awaited the release of the Blu-ray.
Well, that day is here, and I couldn't be happier! The Muppets was released last week, and in true Muppet fashion they went over-the-top to produce an extravaganza of a product. The Wocka Wocka value pack includes not only the Blu-ray and DVD copies of the movie, but also a digital copy for your computer or tablet and a copy of the soundtrack, along with a ton of extras including commentaries, deleted scenes, the "Longest Blooper Reel Ever Made (In Muppet History)" and much more.
The story of this Muppet movie takes place long after the Muppets fame has faded. Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, goes with his brother Gary to Los Angeles to visit the Muppet Studios, only to find it falling down and about to be bought out and torn down by greedy millionaire Tex Richman. Walter makes it his mission to find Kermit and round up the old Muppet crew to convince them to put on a Muppet telethon to raise the money to save the Muppet Theater. (And I'm sure you can guess that there's a happy ending and the Muppets are reminded just how much people still love them.)
We were so happy to finally see the last 10 minutes of the movie. Like the old Muppet Show, there were several celebrity guest appearances and lots of music, including the Academy Award winning song, Man or Muppet. And the movie proved that the Muppets are timeless - even when competing with CGI graphics and blazing special effects in other movies, our daughters fell in love with the Muppets just like we did when we were kids. The humor is silly, with plenty of moments breaking the fourth wall and speaking to the audience, the songs are sweet and keep everyone humming along, and adults will love the nostalgia while kids develop their own relationship with Jim Henson's greatest creations.
As for the extras on the Blu-ray: you need this set for the blooper reel and the theatrical spoof trailers. Oh, the other extras are great, too, but I guarantee you'll be watching these two features more than once.
There are many movies that I like that I really don't need as a part of my collection. The Muppets, however, is one I absolutely recommend to own. If your house is anything like mine, this movie will get a lot of play time, and the extras make it even more fun. (See how fast you end up having a sing-along in your car to the soundtrack!)
The Muppets is now available at Amazon and most major retailers.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this Blu-ray set to facilitate my review. No further compensation was received and all opinions stated are my own. Also? My favorite Muppet is still Animal.
When I was at Blissdom a month ago, one of my favorite suites to visit was the Hallmark suite. In that suite, conference attendees could browse the cards, find ones they wanted to send to friends or family, and write a little message. Envelopes were then addresses and mailed by Hallmark, or if the recipient was there at the conference, a tweet was sent to them to come pick up their card in the mail area of the suite.
It was a great idea, and very popular with the bloggers at Blissdom. Who knew one little room could be filled to the brim with happiness? There were cards on every topic, from "Miss you" for family back home, to "Thanks for being a great friend" and "Sorry things are so sucky" topics.
Having just found out I was being laid off prior to the conference, it made me laugh to get a card from a friend that started out with a gloomy grey rain cloud and the word "Crap" on the front of the card. I needed that laugh, and it made me feel so loved that someone (two people, actually!) took the time to write a message and send me a card.
Let's face it, we often keep in touch with email, texting and Facebook, and those are often quick and easy ways to connect. But can anything really replace getting a handwritten card in the mail? I know my entire day is made better when I open my mailbox and find a card for me mixed in with the usual flood of junk mail and bills.
Hallmark's recent "Tell Them" campaign is trying to encourage everyone to reach out and tell a friend or loved one something they need to hear. Our own inner voice is nearly always negative, so wouldn't it be nice to give someone a positive message for once? Do you have a friend who really needs to know how thankful you are that she's there for you? Have you told your teen lately that you're so proud of him for making the honor roll? Maybe your little sister just needs nudge out of a bad mood by reminding her that she's important and you know good things will be coming along for her soon?
You can visit Hallmark's Tell Them Facebook page and make a vow to tell that loved one the sentiment you need them to know. In person, through a handwritten note, in a card...no matter how you do it, spread a little love and make sure nothing important is ever left unsaid. We all want to feel loved and important, and it can start with each of us doing the same for those around us.
Giveaway!
Hallmark wants to help you get started in sending out your messages. They're giving a gift pack of Hallmark cards and envelopes to one lucky reader!
To enter, simply leave a comment below telling me who is the one person you'd most like to send a card to? Be sure to leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you're the winner. One entry per person, US mailing addresses only.
Entries will be accepted until March 28 at 11:59pm EDT. After that date, one winner will be selected at random to receive the gift pack of Hallmark cards. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the notice or another winner will be selected.
Good luck!!
Full disclosure: I received free Hallmark cards as well as sent free cards at the Hallmark suite at Blissdom. No further compensation was received. All opinions are my own, including the opinion that I have some awesome bloggy friends who really helped me feel better on a bad day with the cards they sent me.
I've been a Slim-Fast Women of Wow ambassador for about two months now, and I have to say it's going great! I've lost five pounds and I'm halfway to my Vow to Wow goal of reaching 158 pounds. (Which is considered a healthy weight for my height.)
Five pounds may not sound like a lot, but when you consider that I had been at a plateau for months before this, unable to break through the 166 mark no matter what I ate or how much I worked out, it's a pretty fantastic accomplishment. The last five pounds will be the hardest, I'm sure, but with Slim-Fast I'm confident I can do it.
The plan has been so easy to follow. Some friends have asked if I get bored with the shakes and meal bars, but the truth is, I don't! There are so many varieties that it would be hard to get bored, although I do have several favorites that I keep going back to.
My favorite shake by far is the French Vanilla, with the Rich Chocolate Royale coming in a very close second. These taste like dessert shakes to me! For an even healthier shake, you can blend some fresh berries in with the vanilla shake for a real treat!
My favorite meal bar is the Chocolate Cookie Dough bar. This tastes amazing, and keeps me going for hours at a time! I honestly don't know how they put the cookie dough flavor into something that's only 200 calories.
The snack bars taste like candy bars to me. Especially the Chocolate Nougat Gone Nuts snack bar. If you like Snickers, you'll LOVE this snack bar!
Giveaway!
Not only has Slim-Fast given me the tools to help me reach my goals, but they want to help you have your moment of wow, too! I've got one $50 American Express gift card to give to one lucky reader - use it towards new workout gear, an outfit to celebrate a milestone, or whatever you'd like!
To enter: use the Rafflecopter form below to collect multiple entries. (If you don't see it, wait a moment - it can take a minute to load.)
As a child of the 80's, My Little Pony was one of my favorite toys. I had far too many of them, from the standard ponies, to the sparkle-eye ponies, to all other wild variants on the franchise. I remember watching My Little Pony movies as well. I recently found some footage from those movies and, well, let's just say it wasn't as good as I remembered it.
The My Little Pony craze disappeared for a long time, seeing some small revivals here and there. But recently the brand has had a huge re-start on The HUB network, complete with redesigns of the ponies, new toys, and a brand new TV series. It was by accident that my family found out about it, and I Tivo'd a few episodes of the new series to share in the nostalgia with my daughters.
I didn't have high expectations at first. However, the new My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series stunned me in just how fantastic it is, from well-developed characters to storylines that even adults can enjoy. This is not some puff-ball girly series - the characters are amazingly well developed for an animated show for kids, the humor is witty, and the plots are complex and full of adventure.
In My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: The Friendship Express, the benevolent Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, selects unicorn Twilight Sparkle for a very important assignment - to learn about the most important magic of all: friendship. With her new friends, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, Twilight sets out on amazing adventures, and they all learn what it means to be true friends.
The DVD includes the first two episodes of the series (a 2-part episode, really), as well as three other episodes from first and second season that all involve the Ponyville Express train at some point in the episode. (Hence the title, The Friendship Express.)
The 2-part series opener is where Twilight Sparkle is sent to Ponyville and becomes friends with the other ponies. While there, Nightmare Moon (Princess Celestia's younger sister) comes back from banishment and tries to conquer Equestria again. Twilight and her friends soon find they each have unique characteristics that make up the Elements of Harmony, which they use together to defeat Nightmare Moon.
In Over a Barrel, the ponies travel to a frontier town where the have to help settle a dispute between the settler ponies and the native buffalo herd. (Very wild-west feel to it.) During Hearth's Warming Eve, which is essentially the Christmas episode, the ponies retell the story of how earth ponies, unicorns and pegasai ended their centuries-long hatred of each other and worked together to build a new society in friendship. And in The Last Roundup, Applejack doesn't return from a rodeo out of town and her friends set out to find her and bring her back home.
Also included on the DVD is a sing-along - there are LOTS of songs in this show - coloring sheets, and a profile for each of the ponies.
I'm honestly surprised how much I like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The moral of each episode is evident without beating you over the head, the ponies are funny and well-developed, and it's a show I'm not afraid to let my daughters watch over and over. Even some of our adult friends have become fans of the show after seeing it at our house.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this DVD to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed here are my own, although I have no doubt you'll agree with me if you watch a few episodes yourself.
It was August, a week before school started. I had waited until the last minute to fill out my daughter's required preschool admission paperwork. As I sat there writing my mother's name and phone number as the emergency contact six dozen times, I then came across a paper asking for my daughter's vaccination records.
Where did I put her shot record?
I knew it had to be somewhere in the house. I first tore through the stack of Very Important Papers that had piled up on my end table. Then through the disorganized filing cabinet, tossing aside cell phone agreements from plans we no longer have as I tried to find that piece of paper with those important dates on it. Then I moved to a box of papers in the guest room that had originally started on the end table.
Why did I do this to myself? How could I be so disorganized?
I'm guessing I'm not the only mom who has experienced moments like this. Yours may not be as extreme as mine, but it's very difficult to keep all of our important papers, dates, receipts and items we'd like to remember together in a neat, organized spot. I often feel like my home is slowly being devoured by paper and I have way too many things that I need to hold onto - just in case - but then when that just in case moment comes I can't find them.
It doesn't have to be this way. You'd think with all of the power of the Internet and the "cloud" that someone could invent a better solution. Which is why I'm thrilled to find out that someone has created that solution.
I was recently told of AboutOne, and I think it might be the miracle I was looking for. The AboutOne website and mobile app provide you with the technology to digitally store all of your information - receipts, important papers, dates, photos, kid artwork, health records, or any other important data - in one secure online account where you can easily retrieve it from any location. (We're talking bank-level security here, so you know it's safe.)
For example, have access to your auto insurance policy number and contact information from anywhere. Useful, no?
Your private timeline is as easy to manage as any of your social media accounts, and the technology makes it even easier by entering much of your information automatically and helping you to sort it into practical categories for quick access. Your entire family can have access to your account, too, meaning when you're at work and your husband needs your business travel receipts when preparing your taxes, he can pull up the information without calling you to ask.
Or you can provide your babysitter a detailed printable sheet with all necessary information on your kids and contact information:
Oh, how I've needed a babysitter report for special needs & food allergies!
Along with all that data at your fingertips, AboutOne also can sync your Google, iCal, or Outlook calendar/contact tools to make them more useful.
Birthday reminders! I'm no longer at the mercy of Facebook for birthdays!
If I somehow didn't fully explain it to you, click through this slideshow below for even more information on how AboutOne works:
Personally? This is like a dream come true for me. A very organized dream come true. Sign up now and be ready when version 2.0 is released soon!
Full disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with AboutOne. All opinions expressed are my own - my husband's opinion would be that I'm even MORE disorganized than I'm letting on here.
And no, I never found the shot records until two weeks after they were due. Our pediatrician's front office staff hates me. Trust me, sign up for AboutOne and spare yourself the evil eye at the doctor's office.
There comes a point in every mom's week where she can no longer watch another cartoon or kid show without feeling the urge to pluck her eyes out. This is often solved by scheduling a movie night, or just watching a romantic comedy or costume drama DVD after the kids are in bed.
Well, if you like costume dramas, I've got the movie that will serve as a remedy to any amount of preschool programming.
I first heard about the movie Anonymous just before it was released to theaters. The film poses a question that some scholars have debated for years: who actually wrote Shakespeare's plays and poems? It's always seemed unlikely that the barely educated son of an illiterate glove maker could go on to write some of the greatest plays in history, filled with incredible details about lands Shakespeare never saw and history that he likely never learned.
While most academics still accept that Shakespeare wrote his own works, there are some who believe that it was actually a member of the nobility who wrote all of them using Shakespeare's name. During that time period, it was considered scandalous for a nobleman to write plays for the general public, so should he wish to do so he would have to do it secretly under a different name.
Anonymous is a fictional what if? story that assumes that Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, was the true Shakespeare. The film often jumps back and forth through time, featuring Edward as a younger man, dreaming of poetry and writing while flirting with the younger Queen Elizabeth, and then Edward as the disillusioned older man, looking for a way to express his political opinions and incite change in the country and finding that means of expression through secretly play writing for the London stage.
Woven in the fiction is a wealth of historical fact, however, and the movie brings the characters and world of Elizabethan England that some of us vaguely remember from history books to life in stunning detail and complexity. The visuals presented in this film are breathtaking, with every aspect of the world displayed in painstaking detail, from the crowded, dirty city of London to the manicured estates of the nobility.
I should add at this point that the movie is not as historically accurate as you might think it to be. It's a story pursuing a theory in history, and as such that story takes many liberties with the source material. (In other words, don't let your teens watch this to pass their world history test.) But where the details may be fictional, the sensibilities, politics, and culture of that moment in time are preserved and resurrected on the screen.
Amazingly, for a movie about Shakespeare, there isn't a lot of screen time for the man himself. When Edward de Vere asks the writer Ben Jonson to get his plays onto the stage under Jonson's name, Jonson hesitates and Shakespeare is only too happy to step forward and accept the applause. In this story, Shakespeare isn't the noble genius we may consider him to be, but rather a drunken, scheming actor ready to blackmail a nobleman to get the fame and fortune he wants.
The cast is made up of both newcomers and legends. The older version of Edward de Vere, played by Rhys Ifans, is a delicate balance of a man crushed by past rejection yet, deep down, still filled with the passion that drove the actions of his youth. Vanessa Redgrave plays the older Queen Elizabeth, while Redgrave's daughter Joely Richardson is the younger version of Elizabeth. Each brings to the character a depth well beyond the classroom description of the "Virgin Queen" of England.
My one complaint with the film is that if you don't already have some knowledge of the material or of some of the history, it can be difficult to follow through the dizzyingly large cast of characters. I love Shakespeare and Elizabethan history was the focus of my first college degree, so it was easy for me to keep up, but others may occasionally feel lost in the details. I can't even fully explain the story in this review because there are so many layers involved!
Still, it doesn't detract from the basics of the story and may leave some viewers wanting to seek out more information on these historical figures. Anonymous may not change your opinion on the subject of who actually wrote the works of Shakespeare, but it will entertain you with an intriguing theory on what could have been, provide a beautiful study of Elizabethan England, and possibly even invite some debate among friends about who was the "real" Shakespeare.
Anonymous is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray. The Blu-ray features extended and deleted scenes, a featurette on Shakespeare, commentary with Director Roland Emmerich and Writer John Orloff, and more. The DVD has some of these features, too, but if at all possible, get the Blu-ray. The high-definition treatment is really a must to appreciate all of the gorgeous detail in this film.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this movie to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed here are my own, and your opinion of dramas with men in tights may vary. I especially have a love for movies featuring the Earl of Oxford because my husband played the character when we were once actors at the Ohio Renaissance Festival many years ago. True story.
As you may have heard, I recently accepted a brand ambassador position with Slim-Fast for the next four months. I'm thrilled to work with them because it's a product I believe in, they promote sensible weight loss, and I've seen so many people have success losing weight with Slim-Fast.
As one of the Slim-Fast Women of WOW!, my weight loss journey will be chronicled both on my own blogs and on the Slim-Fast Facebook page. I've already lost a lot of the weight, but there are still roughly ten pounds between me and the elusive "normal" weight range on the BMI charts.
I'm using the Slim-Fast shakes, meal bars, and snack bars to help me reach my goal, and so far I'm loving the variety. The shakes were recently reformulated and the packaging was changed from cans to re-closeable bottles. I love the new flavors and how easy it is to grab a shake when I need a meal on-the-go. And with 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, they help me feel full until my next meal!
Giveaway!
Want to try the Slim-Fast shakes for yourself? I have four coupons, each good for a free 4-pack of shakes, to give to four lucky readers.
To enter: leave me a comment below telling me one of your personal goals for 2012. Do you want to lose a certain amount of weight? Run a 5K? Start eating healthier? Leave your goal below, along with an email address to contact you. One entry per person, US residents only.
Entries will be accepted until Saturday, February 4 at 11:59pm eastern time. Four winners will be randomly selected at that time and each will have 48 hours to get back to me or another winner will be selected.
Note: These Slim-Fast free coupons have an expiration date of 2/29/12. Please be aware of the short expiration date when entering!
Good luck!!
Full disclosure: This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Slim-Fast Women of WOW! Program. Visit www.facebook.com/slimfast to join the conversation and be sure to leave me some support on the Women of WOW! tab!
So here we are. We finished 3 weeks of the Listerine Oral Care Challenge, and while we didn't all come out with gold medals, I think I can confidently say that we've seen an improvement in our overall oral care!
The challenge was simple: brush, floss and use mouthwash twice a day, for the entire family. Since mouthwash often isn't recommended for Mira's age, we decided she would be exempt from mouthwash. Listerine sent us a challenge kit with everything we needed for our three weeks: new Reach toothbrushes, Reach floss, and Listerine mouthwash for adults and kids.
I had no trouble with brushing twice a day - it's a habit I've already had and one that will easily continue. Mouthwash wasn't too difficult to incorporate into my routine - most days I managed it twice a day, but there were a few days when I forgot. As for flossing...well, no gold star for me. I know I need to do it, but when I'm in a rush it always gets forgotten. I did floss a number of times, but certainly not every day.
My husband also got in his twice a day brushing, along with mouthwash. He had a cold during our challenge, so he sometimes used mouthwash more than twice a day - that minty-fresh feeling helped him feel a little better when his nose was clogged. But like me, he was a slacker on flossing. We now know what we need to work on in the year ahead.
For the kids, what I expected ended up being the complete opposite. Cordy may be the older child, but her autism often makes her hesitant to try anything new. She was happy to continue brushing her teeth as she usually does, but refused anything else. I thought she might be a little resistant to mouthwash, but I underestimated her fear of the new.
There was crying. And screaming. And refusal. And that was even before she had tasted anything. We attempted to coax her to try it several times, but the idea of putting a liquid into your mouth and then spitting it out was horrifying to her, and we eventually had to give up. I plan to try again in six months or so, and hopefully she'll reach a point where she'll try.
But Mira - the child who didn't need to use mouthwash - BEGGED us to let her try! She insisted that she could use it without swallowing it, so we let her try. She swished it around her mouth like a pro and spit it all out without any problems. And after that, she was hooked. She now uses mouthwash each day and she is incredibly proud of how well she's caring for her teeth. She's asked to start flossing soon, too. She tried all three of the kid mouthwashes, and the Listerine Smart Rinse Batman one is her favorite, although she likes that the Listerine Smart Rinse Barbie one is pink in color. (And she's using the Barbie Reach toothbrush.)
So the winner of the Listerine Oral Care Challenge in our house? The four year old! Despite having none of her adult teeth yet, she's doing a great job at making oral care habits that will hopefully last her for a lifetime, and guarantee dazzling pearly whites! She's also become the oral care coach (dictator, really) for the rest of the family: "Cordy, you really should twy moufwash." "Mommy, did you fwoss?" "Hey, I can't go to bed witfout bwushing my teef!"
I'm glad we had the opportunity to do this challenge. It helped us see the importance of caring for our teeth and gums, and showed us where we're lacking in our routine. After three weeks, my teeth definitely feel healthier and I've noticed they're not as sensitive as before.
Thank you, Listerine, for helping us establish new habits! I'd encourage everyone to take their own three week oral care challenge to find where your family can improve your brush-time habits like we did!
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Listerine and received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.
Suppose you were planning a holiday gathering, and needed to buy some food for the event. Not a lot of stuff, but a few items to munch on, and possible some dessert and adult beverages. (Let's also say you're unable to cook anything from scratch, either because you're short on time or inept in the kitchen like me.)
So you go to the store with this list:
- cheese cubes
- whole grain crackers (the round entertaining-type - 2 pks)
- soft cheese (Brie)
- apple pie
- cheesecake sampler
- chocolate truffles
- after dinner mints
- 2 bottles of wine
How much would you expect all of that to cost you? I priced these items out at one of our local grocery stores, and the cost was at least $75. The wine alone was $10 a bottle for decent wines.
So when I was invited to take a list like this to Aldi and spend less than $50, I wasn't convinced I could do it. First, Aldi sells wine? And second, would the quality be as good as I'd expect from my usual grocery store?
Well yes, Aldi does sell wine in select stores. Their wines include several award-winning wines for very reasonable prices. Known for its premium exclusive brands, ALDI offers more than 1,400 of the most frequently purchased grocery items for up to 50 percent less than traditional supermarkets.
Customers can get all the holiday essentials for less, including everything from wines and appetizers to main courses, side dishes and desserts, making holiday meals and family gatherings warm and memorable. During the holiday season, ALDI stores also carry an additional line-up of more than 100 seasonal items at unbeatable prices.
I did get all of the items on my list, along with some chocolate covered gingerbread cookies and a frozen pack of grilled chicken strips. Total cost for everything: $50.19.
As for the quality? Outstanding. Everyone loved the cheese, the crackers, and the desserts. The truffles just melted in my mouth. (And I probably ate far too many!) The only item I didn't like was the gingerbread cookies, but my kids liked them.
The two wines I bought were the Landshut Riesling and the Villa Malizia Pinot Grigio - both award-winning wines. I poured the wines for my family at our Christmas gathering and didn't tell them where they came from. Once everyone had tried the wine - with several comments about how I picked good wines - I then told them I bought the wine at Aldi and each bottle was $4.99. The surprise was evident!
This one was my fav!
I admit I've never been to Aldi before this trip. My mother occasionally shops there and has always liked it. In our area, Aldi has the stigma of being more of a lower-quality grocery store, but I've found this is far from the truth! Just because Aldi offers private brands doesn't mean the quality suffers in any way. They put a lot of thought into the quality of their food, with the result being great taste at a low price.
I'm impressed at the amount of food I was able to purchase for $50, but I'm even more impressed at how tasty it was. The wines were truly outstanding, proving that pricier wines aren't necessarily better. I've already added the Landshut Riesling to my next grocery list.
If your budget is being stretched thinner and thinner, consider Aldi for your grocery purchases. In case you've never been before, here are a few tips: the grocery carts require a quarter to remove from the corral, but you get your quarter back when you're done. (And ensure no dings in your car from runaway carts in the parking lot.) Aldi also saves money by charging you for grocery bags - ten cents a bag. But bringing your own bags is free and encouraged. You could say they were promoting eco-friendly practices before it became popular!
Full disclosure: I participated in this blog campaign on behalf of Aldi and Mom Central Consulting and received a gift certificate to facilitate this review. No guarantee of a positive review was promised nor required. All opinions are my own. And so are my truffles - go buy some for yourself.
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.
