Sing Along With Barbie - Giveaway

My littlest one has inherited my love of singing. When she was around 4 or 5, we were at a neighborhood party and there was a karaoke machine. The other kids played around with it, but when Natalie got the microphone, she started shouting out to the crowd to get their attention.

"Come on everybody! Put your hands together," she yelled. And then she started belting out whatever song it was at the top of her lungs. I, of course, was very proud!

She often sees me playing Singstar on Playstation and she'll sing along with me. But now she has her very own songs to perform with the Sing Along With Barbie DVD. How perfect that one of her favorite childhood toys can now serve as her singing partner?!



The DVD features 12 songs from popular Barbie movies of the past (also perfect, since Natalie loves and has watched each one). Easy-to-follow lyrics play on-screen on the off-chance your child doesn't remember the words. Whether your child likes "All for One" from Barbie & The Three Musketeers or "We're Gonna Find It" from Barbie & The Diamond Castle, they will find extended versions of many Barbie favorites to turn into family room performances.

Natalie's favorite song to perform is "I Am a Girl Like You," and I just might possibly enjoy it as much as she does. But don't tell anyone. ;)

Sing Along With Barbie makes a perfect gift, especially for those hosting slumber parties. Click here for more information and/or to purchase.

I have a brand-new copy of Sing Along With Barbie to giveaway to one lucky reader. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. Be sure that there is an email address for you that I can find, or your entry will have to be disqualified.

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Deadline to enter is 11:59 EST, Tuesday, March 2, 2010. Winner will be selected at random using Random.org. Good luck!

Disclosure: “I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Mattel. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Veggie Adventures

I'm very fortunate that my youngest child's favorite food is actually....broccoli. I know that's a rare thing, especially since getting my older two to eat vegetables is always a challenge.

As part of their continued effort to help parents overcome the challenges of getting children to eat their vegetables, the makers of Hidden Valley Salad Dressings have created Veggie Adventures, a free online game that can be played now at LoveYourVeggies.com.

A recent study showed that 60 percent of parents play computer games with their children, so it's pure genius on the part of Hidden Valley Dressings to combine the fun of a computer game with education on the importance of vegetables.

The graphics and illustrations in the game are adorable and eye-catching. On "At the Farm," kids will virtually grow their own vegetables. Then, they'll have to drive carefully to ensure safe delivery of the vegetables in "On the Road." Finally, they can serve up their veggies when they play "In the Kitchen."

In addition to the fun and easy games, there are great tips and facts that kids will learn along the way. To make it even more exciting, players receive a printable certificate at the end of each game to commemorate their success.

Just click here to start playing with your child. Enjoy!

Family Games from Electronic Arts

Ask anyone who the leader is in making the best video games and the answer will always be EA (Electronic Arts).

Thanks to Foghorn PR, our family had the opportunity of reviewing three fabulous games from the EA line, including Littlest Pet Shop: Winter for Nintendo DS, Travel Games for Dummies for Nintendo DS, and Family Game Night for Playstation 2.

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My little girl, Natalie, had the Littlest Pet Shop: Winter game at the top of her Christmas list so she was beyond excited when the game arrived. She has played with it endlessly and it goes perfectly with her Littlest Pet Shop collection of toys, figures and games.

Here's a description of the game from the website:

"Jump right into your own Littlest Pet Shop™ Winter, full of cute, quirky pets that magically come to life in an exciting digital world. Collect some of the newest and cutest pets and explore the four separate environments where you can care for and play with your pets in a variety of mini-games. The more time you spend having fun with your pet, the more great stuff you earn for your pet shop, including new pets, playsets, accessories, and more. Experience your Littlest Pet Shop in a whole new way!"

And here's a peek at it's fabulous features:

• Have fun in a winter wonderland
  
• For 1-4 players
  
• Collect and name 20 pets including brand new Fanciest, Cuddliest, Sportiest, Chilliest, and others!
  
• Dress up your pets with over 100 accessories like scarves, glasses, hats and more!
  
• Play with your pets in four unique, pet-sized worlds.
  
• Engage in all of your favorite winter activities, explore the jungle depths, enjoy a day in the garden, and manage your pet shop from pet plaza.
  
• Compete in 16 fun and challenging mini-games to unlock accessories, playsets, and new pets too!
  
• Many difficulty levels mean you can replay the games over and over again.
• Celebrate pet birthdays and other events by planning festive Littlest Pet Shop-style parties with Evite!

I'd have to say this is definitely one of Natalie's favorite video games now. Click on over to the site for more information and to check out all of the amazing graphics.

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MY personal favorite game, and the one that now has me hooked on Nintendo DS, is Travel Games for Dummies, one of three games in the line of "Games for Dummies" (there's also Poker for Dummies, and Brain Training for Dummies). The games are based on the popular book series with the same name.

In my case, the game should be titled "Insomnia Games for Dummies" since I play most often when I'm battling insomnia. There are soothing background sounds such as birds chirping as I play which help lull me to sleep, while the games keep my brain from thinking, "It's 3 a.m. and you're still awake!" (which just guarantees you'll stay awake even longer).

And they do make a great pastime while waiting at a doctor's office or when I'm getting my hair done and waiting for the color to take (a usually boring 40 minutes or so, but not anymore with my Travel Games in hand).

Here's a description of the game from the site:

"With 3-games-in-1, you can take the fun with you. Includes: Sudoku, Crosswords, and Solitaire. Through a simple and interactive interface, you can easily learn and play these games at your own pace. Over 600 puzzles to play on the go."

My favorite has been the crossword puzzles and I'm so hooked that I purchased my own Nintendo DS so I don't have to keep borrowing my daughter's.

Click here for more information and/or to purchase.

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Finally, a game that all of us love and play together is Family Game Night for Playstation 2.

The graphics are really fun and so detailed. Take a look at these examples:




The adorable Mr. Potato Head is your host for all the games which include Connect Four, Battleship, Yahtzee, Boggle, Sorry! and the all new, Sorry! Sliders. You can play the classic games, or you can play exciting, new variations like Connect 4 Power Chips, Boggle Portal Cubes, Reverse Yahtzee and Battleship Salvo.

My kids really liked that they could customize their own game room under their personal profile. There are so many themes and decorations to choose from, and trophies and other rewards earned through game play are displayed there.

The best part is that 4 players can join in the fun, so we can get a big game of Sorry Sliders going for example (our favorite), or we can battle it out in Yahtzee, another favorite.

Click here for more information and/or to order. You can see tons of the cool graphics as well to get an idea of how amazing they are.

Creating Bloomers

When life gets hectic (and when is it ever not hectic?), a great way to connect with your kids is through games.

A good board game forces you to slow down and enjoy laughs and fun with your little ones. And if they can learn a little something in the process? Even better!

Cranium has built a solid reputation of quality, entertaining and educational games for kids. That's why I was thrilled to try two of their latest games from their "Bloom" line.

My 7-year-old daughter Natalie and I played the "Let's Go to the Zoo Seek and Find Puzzle" and "Let's Play Count and Cook Game."



We started with the puzzle game first. The game is geared for ages 3+ and that "+" is important, because even though the game was less challenging for my daughter's age level, she still LOVED it!

The puzzle is 24 pieces that make up a lively scene at the zoo. Players are challenged to find various items and animals. "Find something orange," for example, or, "Find five palm trees." There are two decks of cards held neatly together in a spiral book, one for each of the two levels of difficulty.

The most fun aspect is that players get to circle their finds right on the puzzle and can wipe away their answers of the next game.



I found the Count and Cook game to be particularly adorable. The pieces that you move across the board are these cute and colorful chefs, complete with hats. Little circles with "ingredients" on them are placed all around the board and each player picks their favorite ingredient as their starting point.

The goal is to build one recipe together from the recipe book (which is very simple). As players move around the board, they collect the "ingredients" needed to make each recipe.

And the recipes really work, so you can extend the fun by cooking up a treat together in the kitchen. Younger children also learn simple counting skills as they roll the dice and move around the board.

I had thoroughly planned to offer one of the games I reviewed to one lucky winner, but Natalie refused to part with either one. So you know they are a lot of fun!

If you're interested in playing them, head on over to Cranium Bloom's site to check them out (free U.S. Ground shipping on orders of $25 or more!), or visit your nearest Target store, where all 14 Cranium Bloom games are exclusively sold in-store. Happy playing!

And thanks to Mom Central and Cranium for the chance to review these wonderful games!