Toluu

Soapbox Mom

Speaking from the heart and telling it like it is...

2008 Top Picks - Video Games for TweensNovember 29

My family loves video games.  My obsession began back in the 80s with Mario and Donkey Kong.  It continues today with my iPhone applications, particularly Wurdle and Tetris.  My entire family now shares my fondness for technology, gadgets and video games.  So each year we compile a list of our favorites.  This year, because we have so many, we’ve decided to break them down into three separate lists.

First, presented to you today, is the best video games for kids over ten on PS3 and Wii.

The second list, the best video games for handhelds (PSP and DS), will be published here tomorrow.

The third list will include our favorite iPhone applications for kids and will be published the following day.

And now…here it is:

The Soapbox Top Ten Picks - Video Games for Kids Over Ten

Sony PS3

The following statement is a bit hard for me to make, because I’ve been a solid Nintendo fan for such a long time, but…

my son insists that sports games are significantly better on the PS3.  We have them on PS3 and on the Wii.  He only plays them on PS3.  The graphics are richer, more detailed, the grass looks like real grass (he says they actually took pictures of real grass and developed the picture from there…), the players look more like real players, and

Rushing Off to Shop…November 28

After eating so many delicious Thanksgiving treats (including a scrumptious pumpkin pie with freshly whipped cream), we just had to get some exercise.

Happy Thanksgiving!November 27

All the best to you and yours on Thanksgiving.*

___________________________

*click on the turkey stirring the gravy to get to a word search on Nickelodeon’s website!

Twilight is a DelightNovember 22

I heard all the hype but was not expecting much from the Twilight movie (based on the books by Stephenie Meyer).

After a friend of mine bought the book for me and handed it to me saying, “You have to read this book.  It’s fantastic!” Soapbox Girl and I read the first book in the series.  My daughter loved it so much that she devoured the next three books, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn within a week.

And tonight we saw the movie.

I’m happy to say that this guy:

Best Coffee MakerNovember 21

The holidays are here again.  Long lists of things to do, gifts to buy, and meals to prepare.  I find myself wishing for about three more hours in each day.  In lieu of the realization of that wish, I sleep less and drink more coffee.

I’ve read many articles about how the “Latte Factor” eats into budgets, so I made a conscious effort to cut back on my visits to Starbucks.  The trouble is that, especially at this time of year, I wanted to continue to consume delicious coffee (and get that much needed caffeine intake) so I invested in a quality coffee maker.

And I’m glad I did.

Today, my “Fridays for Gratitude” selection is my coffee maker:

With its elegant, sleek design, practical thermal carafe, GoldTone filter,* and auto shut-off, this Capresso MT500 Coffee Maker offered everything I wanted in my coffee maker.  I wish it had a larger capacity (only makes 10 cups) but, other