Archives for November 2008

***And the winner is ANGIE K, commenter number 40! Congrats. I’ll get the last giveaway up sometime Friday. ***

I had a couple of new games sent to me to review on the site. But I’ve decided that rather than writing up a review, I’ll just pass them on to you. Here’s what the manufacturer has to say about them:

Rubik’s Revolutionâ„¢ – the first electronic era follow up to the #1 selling Rubik’s® Cube. One of the hottest games in recent memory, Rubik’s Revolution was named 2008 “Game of the Year” by the Toy Industry Association. The dynamic, electronic cube tests both speed and smarts with six built-in games that feature voice, lights and sound effects. With multiple levels to unlock, the new interactive cube challenges both your mind and dexterity, offering exciting multi-player gaming the whole family will love. Ages 5-105

Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? – Do you think you’ve got the smarts to compete on the hit TV series? Prove it with this electronic touch screen game featuring 13 subjects with more than 2,500 questions. Partner up with classmates and use the “cheat” option to try to win one million dollars. Pocket-sized and fully portable, this illuminated, easy-to-read and simple-to-use touch screen includes volume control and a cool pencil stylus. Ages 8+.

If you’re looking for a free Christmas gift, leave a comment on this post and perhaps the random integer gods will smile upon you. I’ll draw a winner for both games Thursday night at 9pm and put up one more giveaway. It’s a fun one.

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***The Winner is Steph from Diapers and Divinity. Yay. I like her and Random.org likes her too apparently.***

Laylee is loving everything ballet. She loves the shoes, the tutus, the music, the finger positions and even the little fakey twittering giggle that apparently ballerinas must make as they flit about.





We had tried putting her in a class when she was 3ish and it was fun but not in the same way as it’s fun right now. Now ballet is life and she wants nothing more than to dance like the big ballerinas when she grows up, preferably next week.

So I was excited when I heard from Stephanie Troeller, one of the mom masterminds behind Prima Princessa, a series of ballet videos for young girls. I love moms who come up with a good idea and follow through with it and I love Laylee and Laylee loves ballet so the triangle of mutual love was complete when Stephanie sent me a copy of her movie in the mail.

The DVD they sent me was Swan Lake. It features a Cliffs Notes version of Swan Lake as performed by the Paris Opera Ballet as narrated by a squeaky-voiced cartoon ballerina fairy. Although the voice is annoying, the scripting is decent and she gives a succinct telling of the story that young audiences can grasp. The dancing is beautiful and the play is broken up into acts. Between each act are teaching segments that show skilled young students from the School of American Ballet followed by preschool girls practicing the various moves as seen in Swan Lake.

There’s a bit of Baby Mozart-esque montage that goes on to reinforce the various movements but for the most part it sticks to dancing, the part we like the best. I was a little worried that Laylee wouldn’t like it because the preschool girls were too young for her. She’s 5. But it turns out she LOVES the preschool dancers because she’s “SO MUCH BETTER THAN THEM.” And sweet and humble too.

In the video she sees where she was, where she hopes to be someday soon and where she will be in her wildest dreams.

It’s fun, she loves it with a passionate love and uses it to guide her drills of various moves she’s learning in class. I actually think it’s played a significant part in her dance improvement.

To top it all off, I have a copy for one of you. If any of you have a little girl in your life who’s just aching to be a ballerina, I guarantee she’ll love this video so even if you don’t win, consider buying it for a Christmas gift.

To enter this giveaway, go to their website at www.primaprincessa.com and watch the DVD clip. Then come back here and tell me what your little ballerina would like most about the video. If there’s a clear winner for the best response of EVER, I’ll give the DVD to that commenter. If I’m torn, I’ll just choose a random winner. Enter by Tuesday night at 9pm PST, when I’ll be announcing another fun giveaway.

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I’m having a bit of a rough time. I just had a great visit with my parents, although I wish they’d never left, and for some reason I’ve been struggling really hard these past few days.

I have a new post up at Parenting about my mommy and next week I plan to do some giveaways to boost my mood. If you want to tell me a joke or a fun anecdote related to fluffy bunnies or cute baby chicks, I’d be much obliged.

To get the party started, how cute are these pirates?