Tag: Nintendo Wii

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My Life Check

I have been in a tizzy for weeks now after doing an online health evaluation for My Life Check  through the American Heart Association

Nintendo Wii and the Heart Association asked a group of bloggers to do the evaluation and then come to a party at the W Hotel in Hollywood, with their health score proudly pinned on their shirt. My health score was so bad I was embarrassed to wear it.

Out of 10, I was 7.8. 7.8. Me. I’m running at least 28 miles on an average week. I eat Brussels sprouts, spinach, or chard a couple times a week. Other than sugar, I don’t have many vices. I hardly drink wine at all now that I’m training for the Los Angeles Marathon.

I had to figure out why my health score was not a 10. My one vice, sugar, may be a part of that. The health score asks a series of questions from how many cups of fruits and vegetables you’re eating and if you smoke. I did well on both of those, but it asked for blood sugar reading. Mine was 100, which is the borderline number for being pre-diabetic. Prediabetic. A vision of my great uncle who lost both his legs to diabetes flashed in front of me. If I’m working this hard to be prediabetic, what will happen to me after the marathon when I’m back to exercising a few times a week and eating a cheese-based diet?

The answers could only be found at the doctor, who had been trying to schedule a physical for me the last two times I had been in to see him. Well, now I was ready for a physical. It wasn’t just the blood sugar I was worried about. I didn’t have a cholesterol or blood pressure reading for the test. When I did the blood pressure reading at home it was ridiculously high. But it also was for my husband so we figured the machine that my husband got at a conference was broken (or hoped it was).

Of course I didn’t get in to see my doctor right away, but I decided to take action ASAP. I threw away the Halloween candy that I had started eating way before Halloween and I tried not to buy any Christmas candy. And I cut out dessert. A bunch of sugar right before bed can’t be good for you. Once I started training for the marathon I started having dessert every night. No more (unless we’re at someone else’s house. That would be rude).

Well, I got into the doctor and had all of my tests done. The nurse took my blood pressure and it was sky high, but my doctor redid it and it was fine. In fact, everything was fine. My standing heart rate was 60, my blood pressure was 100 over 60 and my asthma, which has been bothering me for months, is finally under control.

Right before Christmas, I got my test results and my cholesterol is great, my blood sugar normal, and my weight is, well, it’s fine.

I would advise anyone to take the My Life Check test and “check in” on their health. I really think I lowered my blood sugar in the weeks before my appointment by cutting down on sugar and alcohol. I had not had a physical in years and I had been on a sugar free-for-all until I stopped myself. It really made me think about what I was putting into my body and how it can affect my health.

After compiling all of the missing information, I retook the test. My new My Life Check score? 10.

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Kinect

Life would be so much easier around my house if everyone (or anyone) listened to me. Why, why won’t they listen to me?

It’s my fault, but I’m still steamed, that the husband bought a Kinect Xbox controller for our family. And those were his words, “for our family.” Because our children and I could not live one more day without a Kinect.

Admittedly, it’s freaking awesome. Kinect is a game remote where you are the controller. The device scans you and then you control the game with the movements of your body.

My husband and 5-and 6-year-old boys were able to play with the Kinect before it was released on Nov. 4 at two events that I took them to recently (and another one when it was still called Project Natal). One party was hosted by Xbox in a fabulous private home in Beverly Hills. The other was at the Electronic Arts’s Annual Winter Wonderland party. So not only did we get to play the game before anyone else, but we got to do it in a fabulous setting with programmers on hand to show us how it worked.

We all played the new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows game for Xbox and Kinect at EA and it was very cool. I was Hermione, of course, and I let my geekiest of geeks come out when we were fighting deatheaters. We all had a very good time playing Kinect, but I don’t necessarily want to have one in my house where my boys are already video game obsessed.

The problem isn’t with Kinect, it’s with having video games in our house. I have to drag my 6-year-old out of bed every Monday through Friday morning. But come Saturday and Sunday, the days they can play Wii and Xbox, both boys are up bright and early. Up until recently my 5-year-old greeted each morning with “Is today the day we play Wii?”

I didn’t tell my husband to absolutely not buy a Kinect because I’m a buzz kill (although he might argue otherwise). But it’s too close to the holidays to go buying a big ticket item no matter who it’s for. And it’s too much. Too cool, too futuristic, too awesome for 5 and 6-year-old boys.

But, as my husband pointed out, it’s not too awesome for a hard working 42-year-old.

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Review: Sesame Street Game for Wii

It’s been quite a while since my 5-year-old was into Elmo. A long while. But I still held out hope that he would take to the new Sesame Street games for Wii and Nintendo DS.

I was one of a group of bloggers that went to a game demo in October. It was interesting to meet the developers and hear about how the game was made. We were given Elmo’s A to Zoo Adventure for Wii  (there’s also a DS version) and it came with a furry red Elmo cover for the controller.

The remote is held with two hands end to end and the cover covers up many of the keys to make it easier for younger kids to use.

The Elmo cover was very cute, but we ended up needing to take it off. The game wasn’t playing properly with it on. In fact, the controller was a bit wonky when it wasn’t turned and aimed directly at the television screen.

Once my son played without the cover and got the hang of it, he seemed to enjoy it. One of the questions I asked at the Sesame Street demo was how do I get my son interested in playing a game with Elmo and Zoe learning about letters when he’s used to pretending to be Lego Luke Skywalker fighting Darth Vader.

They said to ask our older son to help the younger one play the game. It was a cute idea, but all I had to tell my 5-year-old was that this Wii game was just for him. With a brother 18-months older, he doesn’t have much that’s just his and I think that may have won him over.

Admittedly, my son is an older preschooler and could be in kindergarten right now, but it seems like the game (along with his wonderful new preschool) is encouraging his interest in letters and words. And it’s rekindled his love for Elmo. He wants to read his old Elmo books and instead of curling up next to his plastic light saber at night he’s snuggling with his Elmo doll.

I hope that Sesame Street can fix some of the glitches with the game, i.e. the use of the controller, because I think it’s a great way for younger kids to play a more gentle and engaging Wii game.

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Giveaway Monday – Sesame Street DVDs

It’s Giveaway Monday and this week I have something educational for preschool age kids. I’m giving away 2 Sesame Street DVDs, Preschool is Cool! Counting with Elmo and Preschool is Cool! ABC’s with Elmo. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment with your contact information and live in the United States. I’ll announce the winner on Friday.

I was given the DVDs at a demo for two new Sesame Street video games for Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. The Wii versions of Sesame Street: Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure and Sesame Street: Cookie’s Counting Carnival, come with an Elmo or Cookie monster control cover. It’s designed to make it easier for smaller kids to control and also make it fun to learn. I’m hoping to review the game soon. Actually, my preschooler will review the game and let me know if he likes it.

In addition to the DVD giveaway, I also have a coupon code for the games. The code is good now until Dec. 20. Just go to the Sesame Street store and use the coupon code MOMMY to get 10 percent off any Sesame Street Video Game.

I am pleased to announce that Modern Mami is the winner!. Thanks everyone for playing.

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Giveaway Monday

In honor of week 2 of Giveaway Monday I have 2 games to give away. They were given to me at a Disney event a few months ago.

Alice in Wonderland, inspired by the Tim Burton film, is for NintendoWii and Split Second is for Xbox 360. Split Second says that it’s “A city created for speed and destruction.” They are both rated 10+.

Leave a comment below with your contact information and which game you would like to win and I will pick 2 winners on Friday, October 8. Thanks for playing.

And the winners are Meeyeehere and Cobol. Thank you everyone for entering.