Kinect for XBox 360-Review

One benefit(?) of having boys that fit every boy stereotype is that when there is a video game party, there is a guarantee that will be an afternoon filled with fun and happy boys. (It's also a great bargaining tool--"do you want to go to the video game party? Then stop hitting/biting/kicking your brother!") On Monday we were lucky enough to be invited to preview games on the new Kinect for Xbox 360, formerly known as “Project Natal.” Kinect is the latest development in gaming, no more controller that you might accidentally throw into the TV or fireplace after you make a bad move because YOU are the controller. H&R were bowling, driving, dancing, and pretending to be wild animals all over a very hip penthouse loft in downtown LA. Some of the games they played were Dance Central, Kinectimals, Kinect Sports, and Kinect Joy Ride. I think R had the most fun acting as a back dancer to fellow LA Mom Blogger Bernadette. It's definitely easier when you don't have to worry about landing your feet in the boxes on the foot controller on the floor.

Kinect for Xbox 360 brings roaring rapids, wild tigers, mountainous obstacle courses and zooming racecars to living rooms in North America on Nov. 4 and will roll out to the rest of the world thereafter. Uniquely magical and instantly fun, Kinect for Xbox 360 tracks your body movements and gestures. It even understands your voice. By taking technology out of your hands for the first time, Kinect lets people who have never picked up a game controller join the excitement. See a ball? Just kick it. Want to learn how to dance or get fit? Just follow the moves. With Kinect, all you have to do is be you, no controller required. I think I know what the hot gift will be this winter. Don't tell the boys--hopefully I can delay it as long as possible so it doesn't become a 24 hour video game frenzy during Christmas break. But I know we will definitely be getting one, it's just too cool! Perhaps it can even be the carrot to motivate both of them to be completely potty-trained 24 hours a day.

After the game preview, I left the boys at my sister's place (thanks so much eemo!) and met up with Stewart at USC's Galen Center for a spectacular live performance imagined by Cirque du Soleil to showcase the highlights of Kinect. (Scroll down on the Kinect website to watch a preview of the show.) The anticipation built as we waited in line with another LA Moms Blogger, Amy. When we got inside, we were all handed white ponchos to wear so we could be an interactive part of the audience. The show was pretty neat--we were introduced to all the different aspect of Kinect and the new XBox 360 with visuals. Being shown something is definitely more effective than being inundated with words.

That being said, it's hard to explain in words what the show was like. You definitely felt immersed in the world of XBox 360 and Kinect. It was pretty cool when the elephant first came out (I thought it was real) and the ponchos starting glowing in different colors. The show was televised on Tuesday and I hope it will be televised again so you can catch it. Here is the preview also on youtube. The photos don't even begin to do justice to the experience. Before the event, I read a story about the development of the show in the LA Times and it gave me a greater appreciation of how much work went into the two-night performance.

Microsoft also showcased the new Xbox 360 console. Back in black, the new Xbox 360 is sleek, silent and sexy. Connect in seconds to the always- expanding world of Xbox LIVE through built-in Wi-Fi N and store twice as many games and entertainment on a 250GB hard drive. The newly designed console is whisper-quiet, so the silent tension of a game or movie is never broken. The new Xbox 360 system also comes with everything you need to get started, including an Xbox 360 wireless controller, Xbox 360 headset, HDMI input, USB flash drive storage capabilities and more, and a one-year limited warranty on the console, available this week and priced at $299.99 ERP.

If you want to stay up to date with all things Kinect for Xbox 360, the social media links are below. Game On!

Tumblr: www.xboxprojectnatal.tumblr.com
Twitter: @experienceMSFT, hashtags: #XboxKinect, #Sneakpeek, #DRUM, #XboxCirque
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/projectnatalxbox360
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Xbox
YouTube: www.youtube.com/Xbox360info

I did not receive compensation for this post. I was invited to the preview party and Cirque show in order to facilitate my review.

Summer Activities in SoCal-Pretend City, Raging Waters, Barnum's FUNundrum, and more

As the school year winds down, I'm definitely looking for special things to do with my kids. We just celebrated H's 4th birthday so I'm really getting the feeling that this is the last summer of freedom. Next summer he'll definitely be enrolled in all-day pre-K five days a week, and of course there will be summer school or camp every year after that until college (hopefully the service academy in Colorado Springs!). For now, this summer will be about good times and exploring more of Southern California. Over the next couple of months, these are a few of the fun things in store:

1) Pretend City Children's Museum-H missed the special Sid the Science Kid Way to Play event because of preschool so I'll have to make it up to him with another trip to Pretend City in Irvine. He loves all the different rooms that let his imagination run wild, whether it's pretending to shop at Ralph's supermarket or giving someone a check up in the hospital room or serving up a meal at the Middle Eastern cafe. R loves watching the chicks so we'll definitely try to time it to catch another brood after hatching. If you're in the area, we'd love to see you at the next Way to Play Friday, which is the second Friday of every month when the 2-for-1 coupon below applies.

2) Raging Waters in San Dimas-June gloom has been playing tricks with the weather so we haven't been able to go to any water parks yet. Hopefully the minute it officially becomes summer next week, we'll have some sunny days. We're looking forward to making a trip to Raging Waters in San Dimas. Stewart has fond memories of going to the San Jose location when he was young. Kid's Kingdom, a 30,000 square foot water playground with a maze of plastic tubes and tunnels, slip down slides, swinging bars, and waterfalls sounds perfect for H&R. R just reached 36 inches so we'll also be checking out Splash Island Adventure, featuring 12 levels and 75 activities including a 1,000-gallon bucket atop a five-story tower that tips hundreds of gallons of water over the whole attraction every few minutes. Raging Waters is offering Random Mommy readers a discount of $7 off a general admission online purchase or $5 off a general admission purchase at the park. Here's the link for the coupon and you can use the coupon code 1067 for the online purchase.

3) Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey's "Barnum's FUNundrum"-This year The Greatest Show on Earth will feature 130 performers from six continents, almost 100,000 pounds of performing pachyderms, 13 athletes on a Russian bar, seven motorcycle riders in a Globe of Steel, and more clowns that you can see with two eyes. Last year R wasn't old enough to handle the circus. This year he can say the names of the animals and make all their sounds so it'll be interesting to see how he does when he meets an elephant face-to-face at the All Access Pre-show that takes place one hour before show time (FREE with a purchased ticket). H hasn't been to the Ringling Bros. circus so this should definitely elevate his expectations of what going to the circus entails. Random Mommy readers can take advantage of a special multi-ticket discount with a $48 Family Four-Pack Offer on select performances or $4 off single ticket prices on select shows. The discount can be redeemed using the discount code “MOM” online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000. Barnum's FUNundrum will perform at STAPLES Center (July 14-18), Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario (July 21-25), and the Honda Center, Anaheim (July 28-Aug 8). 

And last but not least, we're definitely going to schedule in as many events as we can from The Open Daily's list of free days at Los Angeles Museums. So much fun, so little time!

I did not receive any compensation for this post. I did/will receive complimentary tickets to facilitate my past/future review.

The Barnum Award-Nominations Open

As you know, I'm a recent convert to the belief in accessibility of online contests, especially those that aren't random but are based on how a person has been living his/her life. I recently found out about a great way to recognize children who are making a difference in their communities. One person CAN make a difference!
2010 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of the greatest showman of all time, P.T. Barnum, and Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey’s will present “Barnum’s FUNundrum” throughout the Southland this summer as a celebration of his living legacy. In celebration of P. T. Barnum’s bicentennial birthday, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has created The Barnum Award to recognize children whose selfless dedication has made the world a better place. Do you know a child or group of children age 6–14 who have exhibited strength and agility (like the performers pictured from the show) to give back to their community in creative and innovative ways? Three winners will be honored with:

• Tickets for them and their family to the Opening Night performance of The Greatest Show On Earth® at the Honda Center
• A chance to meet the stars of the show
• The Barnum Award ceremony before the show
• A gold, silver or bronze Barnum Award medal
• $1,000, $750 or $500 to be used towards continued public service

You can nominate a child or a group of children between the ages of 6-14 who demonstrate the entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit of P.T. Barnum. Nominating is easy, by answering a few brief questions on the online application at www.thebarnumaward.com. The award ceremony will be on opening night of "Barnum's FUNundrum" at the Honda Center, July 28th.

sootheTIME Snooze Wrap and Snooze Sack GIVEAWAY

CONGRATS TO TEXAN MAMA!  PLEASE RESPOND TO THE EMAIL W/IN 72 HOURS. THANKS EVERYONE FOR PARTICIPATING! Another fun giveaway coming soon!
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When you're just spent the past 23 hours in labor with your first child and you are covered in sweat and blood, the nurse coming in and doing the show and tell, "this is how you swaddle the baby, 1, 2, 3, it's so easy," goes in one ear and out the other (unless you became temporarily deaf like I did the week before and after my first labor, then you won't hear it at all!). I can't even tell you how many times I cried out in frustration as what I thought was a tight swaddle undid itself seconds after I completed the task. So when I was invited to an afternoon at the Treehouse Social Club to get introduced to sootheTIME and its fool-proof swaddler, I knew I had to see it to believe it. My kids love the Treehouse Social Club so that's another reason why I was willing to make the drive to Beverly Hills.

We were introduced to the company's zzzTIME products, among which was the perfect swaddle blanket, the Snooze Wrap. The feature that sold me on the product is its built-in pressure relief ring for the head that acts both to give the parent or caregiver a target to center the baby every time and to help prevent flat-head syndrome. Anyone whose child has had flat-head for even a couple of months knows how time-consuming it can be to reverse it, even if you don't end up going the helmet route. Another differentiating feature of the product is its comfort belt that keeps the baby warm when you have to change her, minimizing the likelihood of her waking up while you undo the swaddle. NICE!!!! I almost wish I had a new baby so I could test this out on her. Then I am reminded by Terrible Twos R that I need that like I need a hole in the head. But I digress.

We also learned about the Snooze Sack, the wearable blanket for when the baby gets past the swaddle stage. I've had my kids in wearable blankets till they were 18 months old. It was the only way I could keep them from kicking off their blankets. It would be so funny to watch them get out of bed in the morning and shuffle around in the blanket till I unzipped it. The thing the boys didn't like the most about the blankets, though, would be the heat that would build up during the night and make them wake up. The Snooze Sack has comfort vents to release excess heat. It also has the comfort wrap found in the Snooze Wrap, which has helped relieve the symptoms of colic in some babies. Diaper duty is a snap with the convenient Bottom Up Zipper. You can do checks and changes without removing baby from the comfort of the blanket.

I enjoyed learning about sootheTIME and the company's commitment to spreading the word about healthy infant sleep practices that can help keep the whole family well when welcoming brand new babies. As they launch zzzTIME, they'll be working with the best pediatricians in the US and organizations like First Candle and the CJ Foundation to execute a national media campaign about SIDS awareness. One Random Mommy reader can spread the word by winning her very own package consisting of a Stage 1 Snooze Sack and a Stage 1 Snooze Wrap. Both products are for babies 0-3 months. The Snooze Sack is green and the Snooze Wrap is mostly white with green design accents.

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:  Contest period runs from Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at 7:01 PM (Pacific) until Monday, June 14, 2010 at 11:59 PM (Pacific). Enter by leaving a comment on who is/was the expert swaddler of your kid(s), and leave your e-mail address OR sign in to comments using your Blogger ID, making sure your Blogger profile is public and includes your e-mail address.

Bonus Entries (leave a separate comment for each entry)
1) Follow me on Twitter (it counts if you're already a follower so leave a comment)
2) Tweet this contest (http://tinyurl.com/296jvbm) and leave the tweet url

If you don't leave a qualifying comment and your e-mail address or public Blogger profile, your entry will be disqualified. I reserve the right to extend the contest period. At the end of the contest period, I will utilize Random.org to randomly choose the winner. The winner will be contacted by e-mail and will have 72 hours to respond to my e-mail. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, the prizes will go to the next place winner as decided by Random.org. This contest is open for US Residents only. A huge thank you and much appreciation to sootheTIME for its generosity!

I did not receive compensation for this post. I received product samples that facilitated my review.

International Moms Club-Founder's Day

I moved to Southern California during the summer of 2008. I was transitioning both from working at the office full-time to being an at-home mom and from East Coast to West Coast. I've mentioned the moms club a few times before as being the lifeline that got me through the transition, but it's definitely worth mentioning again for the new readers of my blog. If you a full-time or part-time at-home mom, you and your kids would probably love being a part of the International MOMS Club. It's a support group and play group for at-home moms. My city's local chapter is very active and boasts 90+ moms of every color and walk of life. We meet for playdates with our kids and for our much needed monthly Moms' Night Out. We share about our lives through our message board; swapping doctor notes and tips on great deals on all the kid-related products and programs in our community. There is also an annual meeting called Founder's Day for all the MOMS Clubs in Southern California.

Last year Founder's Day was a very welcome break--it was the first time I spent more than a couple hours away from my younger son. I sat in a hotel banquet hall and ate a meal in its entirety without being interrupted or someone grabbing something from my plate. I listened to Dr. Laura Schlessinger give an inspiring and heart-felt speech on why being an at-home mother was such a valuable contribution to society. It was just the affirmation I needed at that time in my life. I returned home recharged and refreshed, ready to tackle the challenges of being a mom. This year's Founder's Day took a different, but no less special, turn. 700 moms met on the field of battle one Saturday last month in Irvine. Each local branch of the MOMS Club put up their own village to represent the unique aspects of their club. Moms formed teams to go through a fun scavenger hunt, even making up cheers and going on camera to celebrate how excited we were to be a part of the event. Moms also had an opportunity to bid on raffle baskets put together by each local MOMS Club. My club's basket was supported generously by many local and not-so-local sponsors. I was so excited because Lanie-The American Girl of the Year 2010 was donated generously by American Girl as one of the prizes in our raffle basket. I've always wanted an American Girl for myself, but sadly I didn't win. A very lucky mom from one of the Irvine MOMS Clubs was the winner. Next year I'll have to buy more raffle tickets!

My team--the Mai Tai Mamas--was one of the winners of the scavenger hunt and we received a very cool MOMS Club lunch tote as our prize. We returned home tired but the spirit of camaraderie that had been generated by all the time spent together and activities accomplished was well worth the trip. Thank you MOMS Club for being such a rich part of my life!

Sid the Science Kid at Pretend City in Irvine on June 11-GIVEAWAY

CONGRATULATIONS NO 1: SANDRA! SEE YOU TOMORROW!
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A couple of months ago, the boys and I were lucky enough to attend a media event at The Jim Henson Company. Among other things, mom bloggers and I watched the filming of an episode of Sid the Science Kid. It was very cool--you might not want to tell your kids but the person who does the movement for the CGI motion capture and the voice of Sid are two different people. It definitely gave me new respect for how much work goes into making each episode. My boys don't think about think about those things, naturally, they just know that they like watching Sid with his microphone. I'm sure they will be thrilled to meet Sid the Science Kid live when I take them to Pretend City Children's Museum on June 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a very special Way to Play Day! (To learn more about Way to Play Days at Pretend City head over here.) They already love Pretend City (especially the water play pictured left) so Pretend City + Sid the Science Kid will probably have them seeing stars.

Special activities taking place during Way to Play Day with Sid the Science Kid include:

• VIP viewings of a BRAND NEW Sid the Science Kid episode titled “No School Singalong Special” – this episode will not air until June 21st, so this special event invites your kids to see it first!
• “I’m looking for my friends” sing-along parade with Sid
• Photos with Sid
• Prize giveaways from Sid the Science Kid and Pretend City Children’s Museum
• Special activities with Sid and much more!

Here is a preview clip of the brand new Sid the Science Kid episode.

Good To Go From Head To Toe at Pretend City Children’s Museum will provide one lucky Random Mommy reader with three tickets for this event. In addition you will win a goodie bag and a Sid the Science Kid Gotta Know Microphone. You can also use this special 2-for-1 coupon for admission to the event. Hope to see you there!

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:  Contest period runs from Friday, June 4, 2010 at 12:01 AM (Pacific) until Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 11:59 PM (Pacific). Enter by leaving a comment on why you would love to attend this event, and leave your e-mail address OR sign in to comments using your Blogger ID, making sure your Blogger profile is public and includes your e-mail address. If you don't leave a qualifying comment and your e-mail address or public Blogger profile, your entry will be disqualified. I reserve the right to extend the contest period. At the end of the contest period, I will utilize Random.org to randomly choose the winner. The winner will be contacted by e-mail. This contest is open for Southern California Residents only.

Cold Stone Creamery-Review and Father's Day Giveaway

CONGRATS TO WINNERS: 39-Michelle, 11-Parentingbydummies, 16-Thien-Kim, and 24-Amy@selfishmom!
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 I LOVE ice cream. So does everyone in my family, including my in-laws. My mother-in-law gained 5 lbs when she lived in Sweden because she ate ice cream everyday. When you start from a weight of 89 lbs, that's pretty significant. My sister was diagnosed with having too high a calcium level in her blood (didn't even think this was possible for women) so she stopped eating ice cream as meals. I think it's pretty telling when your sister-in-law expects you to have three different kinds in your freezer. And ever since the pediatrician said that ice cream is a good source of calcium (a cup has 20% RDA for kids), my kids have eaten it every day. R was below the 10th percentile for weight and refused to drink milk when this started so we were happy to find something fatty with calcium we could give him. If weight ever becomes an issue with the boys, we'll stop, don't worry!

Cold Stone Creamery was one of my favorite companies at the LA Mom Blogger Event in April, so I was thrilled when the opportunity came up to taste Chocolate Peanut Butter, the June flavor of Cold Stone's Gold Cone Collection, super-premium ice cream line. I half expected it to taste like the ice cream version of a certain chocolate peanut butter candy that comes in pieces, but it was much better. It actually tasted like chocolate and real peanut butter, yum! I love real peanut butter (the kind that has two ingredients: peanuts and salt) and that's the flavor that came through, which is pretty amazing scientifically since freezing peanut butter makes it too hard to eat. Then the oils separate upon thawing turning whatever you made into a goopy mess. I don't know how Cold Stone got around this problem, but whatever they did, they produced one delicious ice cream. Stewart and the boys loved it from first bite like I did so I had to hide it in the garage freezer so they wouldn't eat it all in one day. (If you didn't already know, every Korean family with space for one has a garage fridge to hold the dried anchovies and fish they bring back from trips to Korea.)

In honor of Father's Day, Cold Stone Creamery will give FOUR lucky Random Mommy readers $25 gift cards so they can have the chance to taste the June Cold Cone flavor (perhaps as the Chocolate Peanut Butter Creation pictured to the right, which is Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream mixed with brownies, fudge and peanut butter) or maybe treat dad to the Cold Stone Father’s Day cake (which will be made with the Oreo Creme Filling ice cream I tried at the blogger event). In addition to the giveaway, everyone is a winner in June because E! Online is celebrating 20 years of E! with a coupon (available only for a limited time) for 20% off any Cold Stone purchase (scroll down to find the coupon link).

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:  Contest period runs from Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at 12:01 AM (Pacific) until Monday, June 7, 2010 at 11:59 PM (Pacific). Enter by leaving a comment on why your husband/partner/father is a super dad, and leave your e-mail address OR sign in to comments using your Blogger ID, making sure your Blogger profile is public and includes your e-mail address.

Bonus Entries (leave a separate comment for each entry)
1) Follow me on Twitter (it counts if you're already a follower so leave a comment)
2) Tweet this contest (http://tinyurl.com/2bap2dp) and leave the tweet url
3) Follow Cold Stone Creamery on Twitter
4) Become a fan of Cold Stone Creamery on Facebook

If you don't leave a qualifying comment and your e-mail address or public Blogger profile, your entry will be disqualified. I reserve the right to extend the contest period. At the end of the contest period, I will utilize Random.org to randomly choose the FOUR winners. Winners will be contacted by e-mail. Winners have 72 hours to respond to my e-mail. If the winners do not respond within 72 hours, the prizes will go to the next place winner(s) as decided by Random.org. This contest is open for US Residents only. A huge thank you and much appreciation to Cold Stone Creamery for its generosity!

I did not receive compensation for this post. I received a product sample in order to facilitate my review.