Sleepy Wrap

I totally want this so badly!  A fellow blogger was recently raving about these and I just found a giveaway tonight for one.  The giveaway is at Just For Me...and You.  It is for a Sleepy Wrap.  I would love to add it to my wrap collection. 
UPDATE:  I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!  I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

Amon Maternity

There is a great contest over at Just For Me...and You!  Although I am not pregnant yet, as far as I know, I find out Friday...I would love to win this $50 gift certificate to Amon Maternity.  Awesome!

Jumpstart Pet Rescue for Wii (Review)

I was so excited to try out the new Jumpstart Pet Rescue for the Wii.  Although I don't actually own a Wii, I have always wanted to play one.  What better way to convince my husband that we need one, than to show him how much our daughter could learn!  Just kidding!  I am thrilled that Jumpstart created this game for young children, ages three to six, because there is such a lack of educational games out there for this age group. 

On with the review...
We went to a friends house to try out Jumpstart Pet Rescue.  My daughter who is almost three, wasn't very interested in actually holding the controls.  The first thing that caught her attention was when the pets popped up on the screen.  They show up when scenes are loading and Mena got a kick out of seeing the various animal friends.  There are many similarities between this game and the online Jumpstart games.  She was able to pick her charactor by changing clothes and features.  She absolutly loves doing this on the online game and was thrilled to be able to do it again.  Same thing with decorating her own house.  She went right up to the tv screen and pointed out what she wanted. Then we ventured around a little.  I noticed it was hard to keep her focused on the game since we were at a new friends house but the thing that got both the kids excited was the Movie House!  They have many different music videos and you should have seen the kids busting moves to Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes!  This could have captivated them for a long time but I decided to keep looking around.  There is so much to do and see.  We went to the school house and played some learning games.  There were alphabet games and counting games in this particular house.  Perfect for what I am working on with Mena right now. 

We had explored all there was in this area of the game and thought we were done.  I was a little bummed.  Then I saw the map on the bottom left hand corner.  I clicked on it and so many more options of where to go opened up for us.  We explored these worlds too.  I can't believe all of things for the kids to do in this game.  I am so happy to have a learning game for Mena that is fun too.  That is always what we look for as parents of young children.  The music was great!  The activities were great!  I would recommend this game to anyone with young children.  I did find that Mena (almost three) was a little young for this.  You have to take into consideration that she has never played a video game before though! 

Here is a picture of her dancing to one of the music videos on the game.  She really loved that part!  My daughter is a DANCING QUEEN!  I think any preschooler would love the music in this game.

See what Jumpstart has to say about this great game for preschoolers!  The ESRB has rated Jumpstart Pet Rescue "Early Childhood."  Be sure to check it out in a store near you.  For a list of carriers, go to the above website.

Wordless Wednesday!

My new do!  (Don't mind the messy house.  My mommy got a little behind, but has definitly cleaned since then!)

Cousins!

Cousins!

Apple Painting

Here is Mena painting with an apple.  We first read a book about apples and talked all about how they grow.  I then cut an apple in half and we talked about the variouos parts.  Mena ate one half of the apple for a snack and then we painted with the other half.  At first she tried holiding it with her hands but we found it to be rather difficult.  I decided to put a corn on the Cob holder in the apple and that solved the problem.  She painted red first and then we let that dry.  She then painted Yellow on top of it.  I wanted her to do more colors but we both got a little bored after two times!  It was lots of fun.  Try it!

Mena-ism: Burp

Mena just burped.  I said, "Are you okay, Mena?"  She replies, "Yeah, it's just a beep!" 

Things I'm looking forward to this October...

1. Grace's wedding and all the events that go along with it!
2. Going to Illinois with my hubby overnight...the conference for Lighthouse that we are attending will be fun too!  Did I mention, no Mena! 
3. Visiting a Cider Mill, apple orchard.
4. Watching Mena learn and grow as I teach her everyday.
5. Catholic Central football games.  They are undefeated and are soooo fun to watch. 
6. Halloween...I can't wait to see Mena all dressed up and show her off. 

I'm sure I will be adding to this list all the time!  There's always something to look forward too.

Play Planet Park

We went to this park for the first time today.  It was awesome!!!!!!!!  So HUGE and so many fun things for Mena (and Momma and Daddy) to play on.  It is called Play Planet and it is well worth our 20 minute drive!  Mena has been asking to go back since we pulled away. 

Disney on Ice

Many thanks to my dear friend Sharon who won free tickets to Disney on Ice that she couldn't use.  We were more than happy to help her with her predicament!  Dom, Myself, Mena, and her Cia Cia Clare got to go see the show in Auburn Hills.  It was wonderful!  We had so much fun!  Here are a few pictures...

Mena wouldn't sit in my lap except for that one picture.  I was a little sad, had to remind myself that this is typical preschooler behavior.  She wants nothing to do with me when other options are available.  Especially someone as cool as her Godmother!

The show was fantastic and had skating skits from many different Disney movies.  My favorite were the toy soldiers from Toy Story and the whole It's a Small World skate.  Very well done and I would defintily take her again someday.  Thanks so much Sharon!