"Time to Escape"Giveaway Featuring Jumpstart For The Wii: Escape to Adventure Island

The folks over at Jumpstart are having a giveaway at the Jumpstart Blog to show appreciation to their fans and get the word out about the new title: Escape From Adventure Island. I have written about Jumpstart before, how much our family enjoys not only their online virtual world, but the Jumpstart games for the Wii. Recently, my family and I were given a copy of Escape From Adventure Island to Review and I thought I would share a few gems with you. As before, my review will be centered around Ease of Use, Educational Content, and The Fun Factor.

Ease of Use: This particular title is geared for ages 5-9 years and rated "E" for Everyone. That being said, The Muffin Tin Girl who is on the younger side of the age range was able to navigate the game. I needed to show her the buttons to push on the Wii to get her going at first, but once she knew what to do, she was able to have fun on her own! The Muffin Tin Boy who is four, had a more difficult time with the game navigation, but not the beginning content.

Educational Content: Escape From Adventure Island includes 150 math, reading, and critical thinking games for your child to play! Seriously, 150! We have only  tapped into 5-6 thus far! It is Jumpstart's standard practice to make their games not only fun, but educational as well. It's one of the reasons I support them. Just a reminder that it is a game for 5-9 year olds, so if you have a preschooler you might want to read my review of Jumpstart's Pet Rescue

Fun Factor: The Muffin Tin Girl could play Jumpstart (and the Wii too) for hours, I think. She never tires of earning points to use towards rewards. As with previous titles, Jumpstart lets each player create their own "Jumpee", a personalized  virtual game player, where your child can change them up any which way they want. What my son has come to love is that there are many "secret" tricks you can do with your Jumpee to get them places. He once spent about 15 minutes perfecting a jump into a waterfall that he thought was so cool! And as always, I love that they are learning and having fun at the same time.

NOW YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN SEVERAL PRIZES FROM THE PEOPLE AT JUMPSTART! PLEASE VISIT THE JUMPSTART BLOG TO ENTER TO WIN ONE OF THE PRIZES BELOW!

Contest Details From Jumpstart:

•The contest will end on 11/16/09.
•Each person will be allowed two entries into the contest (details on contest page)
The theme of the Jumpstart 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.

Check Out These Incredible 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)!
•1 Nintendo Wii Console
•1 copy of JumpStart Escape From Adventure Island
•$250 in spa gift certificates
•1 JumpStart branded flip camera
•3 lifetime JumpStart memberships (1 for winner, 2 to share)
•500 virtual coins for JumpStart.com
•4 JumpStart pirate hats & 4 JumpStart kids T-shirts

DO NOT COMMENT HERE, BUT GO TO THE JUMPSTART BLOG TO ENTER!!

Seriously people, their giving away a Wii!!!

Kid Craft: Make A Votive Candle Holder Using Acryllic Paint And An Old Drinking Glass

Do you have an old drinking glass laying around? Turn it into a votive holder with acryllic craft paint, Mod podge, and a tea light. They would make a perfect hand made Christmas gift for friends and family! Don't have an old drinking glass? Shop around at local thrift stores -they have tons for around fifty cents!

 

To begin, set up your space for the project. Wash and dry the drinking glass. Cover your work surface with newspaper, a vinyl tablecloth, or some other protection.

You'll also need:

• 
  
  acryllic craft paints, they come in a variety of colors
  
  
  
• 
  
  small paint brush
  
  
  
• 
  
  water for rinsing
  
  
  
• 
  
  the object you are painting
  
  
  
• 
  
  Mod Podge (or other glue-like sealer),
  
  
  
• 
  
  and a paint smock for the kids is probably a good idea
  
  
  

 For very small children 2-3 years, may I recommend using 1-2 different colors. This will cut down on the amount of prep as well as the mess. The Muffin Tin Kids are 4 and 5, and they did well with a wider variety of colors.

Next, allow them to paint the drinking glass how ever their little heart desires. Encorage them to go lightly on the paint, but don't stress too much. The thinner the coast of paint, the more light will be able to shine through.

Once they have finsihed painting, allow it to dry for several minutes, even an hour. I wrote their names and the date in sharpie on the bottom, as well. Lastly, paint a think coat of Mod Podge (that's the brand name of sealer) over the entire outside of the glass.

The coat of sealer will take longer to dry and "cure". I recommend setting it on a sheet of wax paper to dry for several hours. And as you see in the photo above, I stuck my hand in the center of the glass, so as not to touch the outside.

Tip: If your child gets frustrated and wants to start over, no worries. Acryllic paint washes off glass very easily. They can start right over!

Place a tea light inside and keep it or give it away to a friend or loved one.

(Do you see the girl with orange hair The Muffin Tin Girl drew? So sweet!)

Muffin Tin Monday

It's that time again. The time when we bring happiness and smiles back to Mondays with a little thing called Muffin Tin Monday. It's the weekly blog gathering where moms, dads, and caregivers alike are serving up a meal in a  muffin tin to kids all over to world and coming here to share the love with photos. If you are new here, we often refer to Muffin Tin Monday and Muffin Tin Meals as MTM's. It's a lot easier to type. :) If you are new to the idea, check out the MTM FAQ and past MTM posts. Sometimes there is a theme for the week, sometimes there isn't. Check my sidebar for that info.

Speaking of themes, there isn't one for this week. That means you can serve whatever you want: Create your own theme or serve up a Schmorgasbord of items. nnt

Our Muffin Tin Meal for this week is Breakfast Themed! I have been wanting to do one again for awhile, and this week tuened out to be the perfect opportunity.

I served up the kids MTM in a 12 cup tin this week. I made sharing easier by designating a colored liner for each child. They loved this and it was incentive for them to eat up thier goodies.

Here's what we had: Waffle sticks and syrup (cut up Eggo's), orange slices, slice of pumpkin bread, and tortilla toast roll ups.

One of the things I love about non-themed MTM's is that I can take very little food and spread it around to both kids. That's one orange divided, one pumpkin bread slice divided, etc. Works great for when you might have just alittle of something left over in the fridge!

A lot of you have submitted theme ideas! Thank you so much! I will be updating the theme list on my sidebar today, so check back to fins out what upcoming themes are.

Did you make a Muffin Tin Meal this week? Did you take a photo or blog about it? Then, enter the URL in the form below. I can' wait to see what everyone has made!

No Need For The Sunday Paper

Spreading link love around the blogosphere is one of my favorite things to do. I love being able to share "good stuff" with you. And who needs that pesky Sunday Paper when you have links like these. Feel free to click on the No Need For The Sunday Paper tag under this post to see more fabulous weekly link posts. There are a whopping 61 NNFSP posts. woo-hoo!

Photojojo: How to make a perpetual photo calender. Very clever. Very doable. Very Awesome.

Blissfully Domestic: What to do with leftover Halloween Candy...Sarah shares a great idea. Click over and check it out.

Epicute: The Cute Food Blog - Found via Edible Crafts featured The. Most. Adorable. Cupcake in a cup. Edible crafts and Epicute are my new faves. Full of creative eye candy for baking foodies.

And speaking of cuteness, check out Bake It Pretty for some adorable polka dot baking/muffin cups (Special thanks to Amanda of Funny Days With Mommy and Maddie for sending me the link via email)

Alpha Mom: Marie shares a charming and oh so creative way to spruce up your Thanksgiving tablescape with Recycled napkin rings

Julie Adore Dimanche shows you how to make itty bitty houses out of recycled yogurt containers  (photo above). Found via The Crafty Crow

So, sit back with your cup o' "wake up" and enjoy the links.

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No Scripture this Sunday. Instead, may I suggest talking to God through prayer?

Vlog: The Mom Behind The Blog

Just want to show you the "mom" behind the blog" in a short litte vlog. I'm going to start vlogging more now I think. It's kind of fun! (I was given a super sweet webcam by Logitech to show you how great it is).

HP C6380 vs. Kodak ESP 7 (Part 2 & 3)

Maybe if I had never laid eyes on the HP, and just had to go on what Kodak was offering I might not see the difference in color in the following photos. But, friends, the camera doesn't lie and in this case it is all too clear to me that the HP Photosmart C6380 is winning in my side by side comparison.



The photo on the left is from the HP, the photo on the righ is from Kodak. Printed on each manufacturer's recommended photo paper brand (their own). As you can see, he HP's coloring is truer and more realistic. While the Kodak photo seems a little washed out.

I printed out some thank you cards (via Living Locurto) for the Muffin Tin Girl's teacher. Can you guess which is which?



The one on the left is the HP and the one on the right is Kodak. I keep waiting for Kodak's ink to change. For it to get better. I followed all the "recommended" instructions if you feel the printer is not producing quality prints. Didn't help. I Still get faded color documents and washed out photos.

Kodak did happen to save face a little when I printed out this super sweet photo collage via HP's Creative Studio. This time, the HP print is on the right. You can barely tell the difference. However, you will note that I used mostly blues in these photos. I did this on purpose. I wanted to see if certain colors were not printing well. It looks (to me) like the blues print well and the reds and greens are the colors that show the biggest differnce in the print quality.


Stay tuned....Coming up in my comparison, I 'll show you via vlog how I print wirelessly and do a test on how fast each printer prints their photos.

What's Your Idea Of A Break?

I have a confession to make...

Sometimes I need a break.

Sometimes, I am so tired, I need a good strong cup of coffee to function in the morning (erm, afternoon.)
Sometimes, my kids are too wired...too hyped...too silly...And I need to be as far away from them as humanly possible.
Sometimes, I just want 5 minutes peace.

Sometimes I need a break.

So I want to know...What's your idea of a break?

• A bath without incessant knocking at the bathroom door
• A quiet moment, late a night with your spouse and a good movie
• A cup of Starbucks coffee AT Starbucks
• A an hour of blog reading
• A stroll through the grocery store

Leave me a comment and tell me what you would do with a few minutes or hours of

peace.
and.
quiet.

Photo via Corie Howell

DIY Memory Match Up Game Using A Mini Calendar

I am always on the lookout for inexpensive ways to bring learning into our home. And if I can make learning fun, all the better! That’s why, when I found these kitten calendars in the dollar bin at Michael’s, I knew just what to do with them: Make a memory game! Playing a game of memory is a fantastic and simple way to teach young children beginning principles in object permanence, vocabulary, and exercises their, well…memory.

I purchased two 5 3/4 x 5 1/4 calendars…Separated the pages of both and paired them up.

I cut 12 x 12 scrapbook paper into 6 x 5 1/2 inches to cover the backs. I mounted each page on to scrap paper (construction paper will do).

Then we played a kitten themed game of memory. The Muffin Tin Kids loved it! And really, who doesn’t love kittens?