Another Great JumpStart Game! - And Sweepstakes!

My good friends at JumpStart hooked me up again! Yes, JumpStart provided me with a copy of Escape from Adventure Island, a brand new Wii game, for me to review here on my blog. It is designed for children ages 5 - 9. If you read my last review about JumpStart.com, you will already know a lot about the educational fun stuff available from JumpStart.

*I've included some screen shots, but again the formatting is funky. So...if you want to see what they really look like, click on them to see them better or, click here to see these and more screen shots!



In this new Wii game, more adventures await children with educational purposes. Many of the activities are much like those you find on JumpStart.com, so if you didn't like the idea of playing games online, this might be right up your alley.

The back cover of the game describes the fun: "After an emergency landing, you find yourself stranded on Adventure Island. You'll need all your courage, brain power and explorer skills to repair your blimp. Will you find a way hone?" This is the basic premise of the game. Children can once again design their own Jumpee character, children control their character by way of Wii controller and nunchuck to choose and complete activities.



As always, the activities are designed with an educational purpose. The skills targeted range from basic spelling and word recognition to sentence order, cause & effect, measurements, time telling, and more!



As I said, this game is designed for children from ages 5 to 9. I think this suggested age range is pretty much right on. Children younger than 5 would have trouble completing the activities on their own and might have trouble controlling the Wii remotes properly. My own six year old, Jewel was the guinea pig for us on this one.

I will admit that my kids aren't the most well versed on video games of any type. So, it took her a while to get used to using the Wii remote a bit before she could get very far with the game. Once she was able to control the game, she had a great time! She didn't really "get" the whole concept of how she could repair the blimp, but I think that will come with time. I like the possibility of using this game for her as a reward for completing homework, etc. as we get into winter and less outdoor time. She enjoys it enough that it would be a great reward but also allow her to learn (adding more challenge to what she is learning at school). Awesome!!

As before I think the biggest drawback, if there is one, to this game is that it does take some figuring out. For us, it worked best for me to work with it a little bit before I let Jewel take a crack at it. Maybe the kids that are on the upper end of the age range wouldn't need as much guidance, and perhaps kids who are more used to video games would do better with that we well. Let me just say here, I'm not advocating letting your kids play this or any game all alone, what I mean is that older kids might have an easier time of figuring out how to make it all work.

JumpStart: Escape from Adventure Island will be available in stores on November 17th. But from now until November 16th, JumpStart is holding an amazing contest on their blog. Here's the info, straight from JumpStart:

Contest Details

* The contest will be live from 11/2/09 to 11/16/09.
* Each person will be allowed two entries into the contest (details on contest page)


The theme of the contest is “Time to Escape!”

We want to hear how your family uses imagination to escape the everyday and turn life into an adventure! Tell us your story for a chance to win.

Prizes

* 50 winners will receive a copy of JumpStart Escape From Adventure Island
* 3 GRAND PRIZE WINNERS will receive a family Escape Pack (over $1000 value)!
o 1 Nintendo Wii Console
o 1 copy of JumpStart Escape From Adventure Island
o $250 in spa gift certificates
o 1 JumpStart branded flip camera
o 3 lifetime JumpStart memberships (1 for winner, 2 to share)
o 500 virtual coins for JumpStart.com
o 4 JumpStart pirate hats & 4 JumpStart kids T-shirts

I know you will all be wanting to get in on that action!!! Follow this link to head over to the JumpStart blog and get yourselves entered. Now, go have fun!!!

Getting Caught Up

I can hardly believe Halloween is over! It's crazy to think that in a few weeks we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving and that means that the big C word is close too! Crazy!

In an effort to get my life in order before the Post-Thanksgiving rushing-ness begins, I've been trying to get caught up on several things. One of those things is our family blog. If you're a reader of our family blog, please stop on by. I hope to get us all caught up to the present by the end of the week. I got a post in yesterday and one today, so hopefully, I'll really meet my goal! I've also changed the backgrounds, and a few other things. So, head on over (you can click here) and take a look. Let me know what you think about the new stuff.

In the spirit of getting things caught up, decorated for the holidays and all that good stuff...I also changed my background here. Don't have time to work on the header yet and I'm not sure I'm going to keep things like this... But leave a comment here and tell me what you think. What do you like, what don't you like...and since I didn't design it, it won't hurt my feelings if you don't like it. Feel free to say it like it is!

Cherrio!

What Matters Most

There are lots of ways to get busy and be distracted. It is a continual process for me to remember to do what is important. I loved this message from President Thomas S. Monson, who is the leader of my church.




Personally, I think I need to be more patient and loving..to focus on making childhood magical and wonderful for my children. I want my husband and my children to know that I love them and to feel happiness because I am their wife and mother.

What matters most to you?

Learning From Some Goood Books

I always love a good book and I especially love it when I learn something that helps me enjoy my life, or make more of my life.

Lately...I have read some great books that have helped me do do both:

Book #1

Odds Are, You're Going to Be Exalted: Evidence That the Plan of Salvation Works by Alonzo L. Gaskill


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Goodreads review:

This is a phenomenal book that has changed my perspective. I would recommend it to any Latter-day Saint and anyone who believes that they are too flawed to lay hold on the Atonement of Jesus Christ for hope for salvation. Excellent!

More on why I loved this book:

Ok, aside from the goofy title (and don't let that make you think this isn't for you), this book made a huge impact on me. It's so easy to look at all of my imperfections and think that there is just no way I will ever qualify for exaltation. But this book made me change my thinking. It helped me to see that the fact that I am hoping, trying and praying to make it back to Father in Heaven is great. I may be imperfect and there are good reasons to keep working on the things that I don't like about myself, but the fact that I am imperfect doesn't disqualify me to apply to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We studied this book with my parents and brothers and sisters via video conference. This is on my list of books that can change your life.


Book #2


Wake Up to a Happier Life: Finding Joy in the Work You Do Every Day by Amanda Dickson


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't review this book on Goodreads, because I didn't really think it was a phenomenal book. I enjoyed Amanda Dickson's real voice and and thought she made a lot of very, very good points, but thought she probably could have made her points with less words. Having said that...I must say that this book came to me at the right time for what I was feeling and struggling with. Sometimes I wonder if I am the worst mother ever or if my kids would be better off with a different mom. That sounds horrible, but it is true. I have seriously said to Dr. D that it might be better for him and the kids if I died in a horrific accident so that he could have a better wife and that our kids could have a better mother. But one of Amanda Dickson's major points was that you are the best person for your job (whatever it is) because you ARE the person doing that job. I am the best person to take care of my kids, because I AM their mother. She made me realize that I can choose to be thrilled and happy and positive about my life and that it's something I can do now. I don't have to wait for some event before I can really start enjoying my life. As I said it was what I needed to hear when I needed to hear it.


I wanted to write all of this down to put in into words and to, hopefully, remind myself of some of the things I learned. Both books taught me lessons that I hope will effect my decisions and will allow me to stop being so hard on myself and start focusing on what is good and right about me and what I am doing. Boy am I grateful for good books!

Missed Opportunity

This morning Jewel and Alfredo both woke up unusually early. I think Alfredo was the one who got everything going...he woke up after having a dream about a Baby Bop camera and he wanted to go to find it. Anywho...I realized after a few minutes that they weren't going to go back to sleep. It felt so early to me. I was exhausted. I just laid there in bed wishing they would go back to sleep. Finally Dr D got up and got them reading books in the family room. Later this morning, I was looking through some Facebook status updates and was directed to this article. Now, I have to say here...I'm not an Oprah watcher, but I wish I had seen the show where Stephanie and Christian Nielson appeared. Before their plane crash, they lived in Arizona, I was there when they were in the accident. So I had heard a lot about them, but I didn't really clue in.

As I read the article and then especially as I watched the video, I thought about how I had missed an opportunity this morning. I missed the chance I had to get up and read with my little children early in the morning when they were fresh and content. I missed the chance I could have had to start the morning routine early so that when the carpool arrived, I would have everyone and everything ready without rushing and stressing and grumbling. I missed the chance to just enjoy the blessing of having children and to spend some time soaking in their spirits. I missed the chance to think about how wonderful and easy my life is and to enjoy that too.

I took this last year...these are Jewel's darling hands holding some fragile lemon blossoms. It's a good reminder to me today to enjoy the small things - the precious, fragile small things that I am blessed to have in my life, that these moments are passing quickly by. I hope I don't miss another opportunity ...

Winner of the JumpStart Membership

Thanks again to everyone who participated in this give-away. A special thanks to JumpStart for giving me the opportunity to review JumpStart and offer the give-away!

Alfredo also deserves our thanks for drawing the winner. We put all of your names on strips of paper, put them in a basket, had lots of fun tossing them around and then Alfredo picked the winning strip of paper. And the winner is....

Dacia!

Congratulations Dacia! I think your kids are really going to enjoy JumpStart!

FYI

Thanks to everyone who posted a comment to enter the JumpStart contest. The comments are now closed and I will announce a winner later today or (more likely) tomorrow.

Have a wonderful Sabbath day!

Reviewing JumpStart! & A Give-Away!!!

Before we moved a few months ago, I was lucky enough to get in contact with JumpStart about reviewing their website - a virtual world experience made up of educational games, storybooks, videos and more. Of course, I was thrilled to accept. They have been amazing to work with and have allowed me lots of time to explore and get familiar with their website - not to mention their patience with my moving and taking so long to get this post up.

So...what is JumpStart? From the JumpStart Blog:

JumpStart®, an award-winning brand from Knowledge Adventure®, has set the standard in kid’s educational software for over 15 years. Today, the JumpStart experience is more engaging, interactive and fun than ever! In 2009, we introduced JumpStart.com, an online adventure where 3-10 year old kids master the skills needed to succeed in school and in life through exploration, discovery and learning. By blending interactive adventures and award-winning learning games into a safe, customizable online world, JumpStart inspires minds and JumpStarts self-confidence… the fun way.

Really...that description is exactly what you'll find at JumpStart.com.

Kids start their adventure at JumpStart by creating their own Jumpee, a character they control through the JumpStart world. Kids can then choose from several different lands and adventures to explore with their Jumpee. With Frankie, the dog, as a guide and lots of other fun JumpStart characters, it's easy for kids to find fun. Kids earn coins and JumpStars as rewards for completing activities.




So...that's the basic overview...now for the good stuff.

What we liked about JumpStart...

I asked Jewel, my 6 year old what she liked about it, her response..."Everything!" She liked creating her own character, finding games and adventures that were challenging and still fun, getting rewards and seeing her progress. Adventure Land is designed for kids in Kindergarten - 2nd grade. This year hasn't been too challenging school-wise yet for Jewel, so it has been so fun to find fun challenges that really to help her to grow while having lots of fun and positive reinforcement. (I'm posting a few screen shots for your viewing pleasure...if you can't see them well, click on the image for a larger/better view)



When I asked Alfredo, age 3, about JumpStart, he jumped up and down and asked if we could play! At age 3, he is at the youngest age for which JumpStart is designed, and so most of the time he needs help from me to play games, but I love spending the time with him. Story Land is designed especially for younger players, and it fits him just right! He loves the stories and learning activities in Storybook land. It's fun seeing him count, match lower case letters and I just can't get enough of his giggle as he get a "present" at the end of each activity!





The kids really do have fun with JumpStart, but as a mom, what I love about JumpStart is that the games and activities are all educational! They are teaching reading, phonics, math, computer skills to mention just a few of the benefits of these games. The kids love that it is designed for them, and I love that they are having so much fun learning. Another feature I love is that my kids are able to find games suited for their age and ability level.

To be honest, I feel like we've only scratched the surface of what's available in terms of fun and learning at JumpStart. I'm looking forward to lots of fun for my kids for a long time at JumpStart!

Membership at JumpStart.com costs a very affordable $7.99 a month , with yearly memberships at $74.99. Besides all of the fun at JumpStart.com, members can download full boxed product games for FREE! I can't believe all they offer to their members! Here's the best part!! JumpStart is offering one of you a free three month membership!!! Yes, people...that means it's time for a give-away!

To enter this awesome giveaway, all you need to do is visit JumpStart and then come back here and make a comment telling me what you think you and your kids would like about a membership. The deadline for submitting comments is Saturday, Oct 10th at midnight. You can earn an extra entry (entries) by referring your friends here, make sure to tell them to say in their comment that you sent them! The winner will be chosen by random selection. I will post the winner on my blog and the winner will have three days to claim the prize.

Oh, and while you're at JumpStart, check out the JumpStart blog. It has lots of fun information about the games at JumpStart.com, but it also has fun ideas of things you can do at home with your kids. A recent post about a Bubbling Cauldron has me getting ready to get my Halloween on!

Good luck! Let the give-away begin!

Adios, Arizona ... Howdy, Idaho

I'm going to try to get more regular with blogging again. Why? I don't know...I just like to write. I know that I can't write as much as I once did and I definitely can't spend the amount of time reading blogs that I used to, but I just feel like doing it. Ok...enough blabbing.

So...this has been a crazy, busy summer. We moved at the end of June from my beloved Arizona...


back to lovely Idaho...


We actually moved twice..once into Grandma's basement and once again when our house was finished.

I'm trying to adjust to being back in a small town. It's definitely a process.

There are still boxes all over the basement and there are many, many things that I haven't figured out how or where to put away. But I'm grateful that my husband has a job. That we could afford to buy a house, that we have a two-car garage (it's a little cold here in the mornings), that we have friends here and are making new friends (even though we miss all our "old" friends). I am grateful that we live close to Dr D.'s office and that sometimes he can even come home for lunch. So, even though change is not something I like, I am grateful that our move has been even better than I could have hoped for.

Here's to the unfolding of this chapter of our lives...


Coming up...a post about an educational website that I will review.

September 11 Thoughts and a Video

Dr. D and I had been married a little less than a month when the horrific attacks on our country on September 11, 2001 changed all our lives. I remember feeling like I could finally understand how my grandparents felt on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked.

A few years ago Dr. D was in New York for a music convention. He took the time to go to Ground Zero and told me about the sacred feelings he had at that place.

I saw this on the Mormon Messages channel of YouTube and wanted to share it for those of you who may not have seen it. I love this story and today give thanks for those who sacrificed their lives on that day and for those who survived 9/11. Hope you enjoy it.