interview with a 3 1/2 year old

So, I was recently shuffling piles of papers from one spot to another cleaning the office and found notes from when I "interviewed" Punkin back in May.

My mom is   9   years old.
My mom is the prettiest when   eyes  . (So, I have to work on the word 'when', but I like his answer anyway.)
My mom likes to   play with me  .
My mom always says   I love you  . (Heart Melting.)
My mom is funny when   she laughs. I mean, when she says something funny  .
I love my mom because   (she does) everything nice  .
My favorite thing to do with mommy is   going in the swimming pool  . (Such a switch from the beginning of the summer.)
The thing that always makes my mom laugh is   funny faces  .

My Favorite
  Colors:   Purple and Green  
  Place to Go:   McDonald's  
  Food:   Chicken & French Fries & Hot Dogs 
  Drink:   Lemonade  
  Game to Play:   Hide & Go Seek and Matching 
  Craft:   Making French Fries   (I have NO idea)
  Music:   Mickey Mouse Clubhouse  
  Sport:   Bowling  

And a couple of random pictures from May:

 

Interview was taken on May 14, 2010.

Review: Petz Nursery 2

I was given the opportunity to review a copy of Petz Nursery 2  for the DS from Ubisoft & Clever Girls Collective. 

What do I look for in a video game for my four year old?

• By far, the most important things is the ability for him to play on his own. We don't let Punkin nap anymore, so especially at school, he needs something quiet that he can do when his classmates are napping.

• I also like for the games he plays to have some educational value, because I'd like to think he's learning something while his face is in a screen. Yes, I know there's varied opinions on just how much kids actually learn in front of a screen, but that is another post.

• Lastly, of course, the game has to have a fun factor that will keep his attention for more than 5 minutes at a time and that will have lasting appeal. If he plays it one time and doesn't want to play it again, then it's obviously a waste of money.

When we opened up this game, I sat down with Punkin to help him get started. He selected a cute penguin to be his pet (there are also the more traditional puppy dog or kitty cat as options). After some debate, he settled on the name Hoppy.

I thought there was quite a bit of involvement needed from me to get him going. First, Punkin can't read yet, so any screen that had words on them, he would ask me to read to him. I also didn't find the game very intuitive myself. There were quite a few times when I wasn't sure exactly what we were supposed to be doing to "take care of" our penguin.

Punkin played with Hoppy for about five to ten minutes the first time and, unfortunately, he didn't ask to play with him again. I did remind him the next day and asked if he wanted to play with him again on a car ride. He said yes, but about ten minutes down the road, he declared that he was all done. He then started playing Mario Kart (which I know has no educational value whatsoever, but it did keep him content for the next forty-five minutes).

So, even though this game wasn't a success for us, I can see this being popular with other kids. I think my niece would really enjoy this game, so she may be receiving an extra present this Christmas!

If you'd like to buy this for your child for Christmas, you can do so through Toys R Us (not an affiliate link).


While Ubisoft provided me with this game to review, the opinions I've expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Ubisoft, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

today, I am thankful for

a wonderful husband

a fantastic kid

sunshine

freedom

family

chocolate chip cookies

laughter

diet coke

"real moms"

the internet

colorful leaves

a beautiful sunset

black friday

nfl football

my camera

friendship

the love of Jesus Christ

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your day is filled with all of the things you are thankful for! (And lots of pie.)

6 years ago today...

...the world made a little more sense.

...life began to have more meaning.

...I married my best friend.

I love you more than I'll ever be able to express.

leaves and apples and s'mores, oh my!

Our friends had a fabulous "fall festival" at their house at the end of October. We had such a great time!

Punkin discovered the joy of jumping in leaves.

Punkindaddy was a HUGE sport & let all the kids bury him in the leaves (repeatedly).

I don't know if you can see the kids' faces, but EVERY TIME they would scream with delight (and maybe a little fear) when Punkindaddy would jump out of the leaves.

I was shocked that Punkin even considerd putting his face in a tub of water, but he did it multiple times.

He was very intent on getting that apple with his teeth!

He didn't even want to take turns. Thankfully, the other kids were willing to "share".

But with a lot of determination (and a little bit of help from mama...shh...don't tell him!), he finally got his apple!



Punkin also got to enjoy one of my favorite fall treats: S'mores! A month or so ago, he refused to try one, but this night, he was all about it! Yummmm!



For more WW fun, go to 5 minutes for mom and Two of a Kind.

halloween 2010

The world's cutest Luigi

You loved it when you got to pick out your own candy. And 9 times out of 10 you picked a sucker. I guess I'll have to teach you that Resse's Cups trump suckers. (Actually, most chocolate does. Keep that in mind next year, okay?)

This little girl was enamored with you. You would scoot away; she would scoot right next to you. It was adorable. Even if you didn't think so.

Mario & Luigi

"Let's a go!"

For more WW fun, go to 5 minutes for mom  and Two of a Kind.

in search of the perfect Christmas card... (& giveaway)

**The giveaway is now closed & flesworthy is the winner!**


So, I know that Halloween has just ended and Thanksgiving is a few weeks away, but I can not stop thinking about the "perfect picture" for the annual Christmas card. I am always the first to complain about "Christmas creep" each year - I mean do we really need to be buying stocking stuffers along with our trick-or-treat candy?!? - but for some reason I can't get the thoughts of our Christmas cards out of my head! What is wrong with me?

Perhaps it's because until last year, we always just featured Punkin on our Christmas card - and how can you go wrong with such a cute kid?! But last year, we decided to have the three of us on the card... what were we thinking? Well, we weren't thinking much anyway, because the picture was not our finest moment. And so perhaps this is why I keep thinking about it... I want to make sure the picture we have is "refrigerator worthy" because I just found out a friend still has that terrible picture from last year on her fridge! (Or maybe we'll just go back to having only Punkin on the card... hmmm...)

Anyway, I've been looking around the ol' internet at different photo card websites, because it all starts with design, doesn't it?

Have you taken a look at Cards Direct? I just discovered their website and am oohing and ahhing over many of their styles.

They have pages and pages of Christmas Photo Cards. Here are a few of my favorites:

They also have a ton of non-photo Christmas Cards and cards for any Holiday.

And if you're not the card sending type for Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year's, they also have Birth Announcements, Moving Announcements, and on an on...

So, is anyone else out there thinking about their holiday cards yet? What if you had the chance to win $50 worth of cards? Now are you thinking about it?

Giveaway: $50 worth of Holiday Cards from Cards Direct.

How to enter:
Leave me a comment telling me what you normally send for holiday cards - do you include photos? Do you include the whole family or just kids (or pets)?

You can get additional entries into the giveaway by:
- following my blog.
- following me on twitter and tweeting about this giveaway. Make sure to include @punkinmama in your tweet.

Leave an additional comment for each additional thing you do.

I will pick a winner sometime Friday evening, November 5.

** Disclosure: I received two codes for $50 worth of product from Direct Cards through Global Influence Network for hosting this giveaway: one for myself and one for one of you. **