Super Mario Costume

Super Mario costume

Content by Reid Dawson

This Halloween my brother and I are headed out to a Halloween party as Super Mario and Luigi. It's being held at my friends house and we're all really looking forward to it. We've been dressing up as pairs every Halloween for the last 2 or 3 years, so it's kind of like our thing. We were able to get together this past Saturday to head down to the local malls and whatnot, but were unable to find any Mario or Luigi costumes. Apparently its a pretty popular ensemble and they were sold out at every store we went to. The next day my brother called around and located a store that still had the costumes. Only problem was that the store was pretty far away. We decided to make a road trip out of it and gathered a bunch of snacks and drinks that night. The following day I set the home security alarm(click for more info), picked up my brother at this place and we headed out on our road trip. Even though the drive took four hours, it didn't seem to take that long. Once inside, we found the costumes complete with giant white gloves, hats, mustaches, etc.,. The sizes were a little big, but at that point we were willing to take anything. Plus, we figured we could stuff the clothes for a better fit and to make us look fatter!

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

We rented "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" for Caleb's Halloween party about 3 weeks ago. Since then, he has watched it every single day. My Netflix program is an old, 1 at a time, two per month for 4.99 that isn't offered anymore. I keep wanting to upgrade it, but never have. Now may be the time, or I will never get another movie. Caleb just can't get enough of the Peanuts gang in It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

It's so cute because he has started reciting lines from the movie. Yesterday he was playing with his trains and I heard him murmur, "I wouldn't want to be accused... of taking part in a rumble." Which is Sally's line from the movie when she asks if trick or treating is legal. He has also been saying some classic Charlie Brown lines such as, "good grief" and "I can't stand it".

There is an extra short on the disc called, "It's Magic, Charlie Brown". One show plays seamlessly into the next and I am pretty sure that he thinks they are the same show. In this episode, Snoopy turns Charlie Brown invisible. Caleb thinks this is hilarious. Especially when Snoopy tries to make him visible again. He covers Charlie brown with a sheet, ties a neck tie on him and gives him boots. Charlie Brown ends up looking like an executive ghost. It scares his sister, which always makes Caleb howl with laughter.

There is just something about these Peanuts movies that enchant children. I remember adoring "A Charlie Brown Christmas" when I was a little kid, and I'm sure that Caleb will love it this year as well. I really enjoy being able to relive these movies and holiday memories with Caleb. When you have a little one, it's as if everything is new again.

The Office

The Office

I appreciate the guest post, Hazel Turner

My favorite premier show of the new fall season happens to come from my favorite TV show, "The Office" (shock!). It debuted on September 23rd and was titled "Nepotism." I actually forgot to watch it that day, but thankfully I was able to catch it the next day because my satellite TV from www.bestchoicetv.com/satellite-tv/ca/ automatically records new showings of "The Office."

Anyway, the show starts off with a cultural reference to a youtube video where hundreds of students from the University du Qubec Montreal lip sync the song "I Gotta Feeling" from the Black Eyed Peas in one continuous take. This was probably my least favorite part of the show, but it was a good segue-way to reintroduce all the characters and their personalities. Plus it was hilarious to see Ryan Howard (B.J. Novak) wearing his WUPHF.com t-shirt advertising the website he promoted in the last episode of the past season. Next up, we see Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), who now owns the industrial park with a stack of keys on a key ring (kind of like a janitor). Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) has apparently planned a lengthy prank to overload Dwight's key ring with fake keys. Jim's wife Pam (Jenna Fischer) reveals the plan to Dwight by laughing, upsetting Jim. This sets up the Pam trying to prank Dwight sub-story where the 2 end up stuck in an elevator together.

The main story involves the entire office turns against their boss, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) when he refuses to fire the new intern, Luke (Evan Peters), who has a terrible attitude, causes the sales staff to lose clients and doesn't do any of the other things he is supposed to do. It just so happens that he is Michael's nephew. Typical Michael hilarity.

Sick Baby

Motherhood has thrown me yet another curve ball. Caleb woke up sick two days ago. The poor little guy came into my room about 4 am and fell asleep next to me. The next thing I know, it's morning and he is coughing. I asked him if he was okay and he instantly started throwing up on me. The poor little guy.

The night before, Shawn had stopped by Toys R Us to pick up a board game for the family. Caleb is almost 3 now and its about time that he started playing structured games with us. He didn't get home until after Caleb was asleep, and we thought it would be fun to wrap the present for him in the morning. We didn't know he was going to wake up ill.

It turns out that wrapping the game was a great idea. It made Caleb feel a little better. It was so sad to hear his sick little voice croak, "I have a present?!" He slowly tore back the paper and saw Spiderman. Shawn had picked up the Marvel version of Chute and Ladders!

We opened up the box and played the game a couple of times. Caleb's attention span is still a little lacking, and he never did make it through a complete game without losing patience and moving his character to the end of the board. Even so, he loves the game. He calls it "Chutes and Numbers". The next game on our list is Hungry Hungry Hippos. That one should be a load of fun!

An Early Christmas Gift

Guest post written by Amanda Pherson

Christmas this year is going to be great. It usually is, since we get to see the kids and all, but this year should prove to be extra amazing, simply because my husband and I will be spending the last half of December celebrating off the coast of Florida and to Hawaii.

We've decided to splurge and take a Disney Cruise trip out to Hawaii to celebrate our belated 40th wedding anniversary, and we couldn't think of a better place to do it than in paradise. We've always been big Disney fans, as cheesy as it seems, so it'll be great to see the shows and characters performing on a ship in the ocean. And I hear Hawaii is gorgeous that time of year, though when is it not gorgeous? I actually had an aunt who lived there back in the day, and I always wanted to go visit but never did. So I'm definitely glad to see her old stomping grounds!

Now that we've got this planned, I've finally got the motivation I need to check out getting HearingAidsbyMiracleEar . Since we're paying so much to go, might as well make sure I can enjoy it to its max! Is it December yet?

Playstation Move

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I first heard about Playstation Move during E3 this year, I was skeptical. It seems as if all of the major players in the console gaming industry are trying to get people more integrated with their game. It started out with being able to name and create your own character, or choose your own adventure, and now it's putting your very own body into the game.

I watched the demo videos online and decided that the Playstation Move was probably going to work better than the Microsoft version of kinetic game play. It wasn't until I read some reviews from IGN about their 2 hour demo with Playstation Move did I decide that I was willing to try it.

Playstation hasn't made any really large updates to their game controllers since... well, ever. The DualShock gave you pressure sensitivity and vibration. That's nothing to scoff at; it changed the way you were able to play on your console, but there wasn't any real change to the way the controller looked.

The new Playstation Move system looks totally different than the DualShock, and different even compared to the already wildly popular Nintendo Wii. There is a right and left handed controller, and unlike the Wii, they don't have to be tied together like nunchucks. The right hand controller has a globe on top that looks like it houses an LED light which identifies it by color for the player, if I'm not mistaken. This controller also has a main button, and the action buttons of geometric shape that have been on every other PS controller. The left controller also has the shapes, as well as a directional toggle similar to the DualShocks. Lightguns are available for certain shooter games. The main controller fits inside similar to the Nintendo Wii Resedent Evil game.

The nice thing about the Playstation Move is that if you already have a Playstation 3, you don't have to buy a new console. It works with the one you already have, it just needs a few additions. You can get a bundle to make your PS3 compatible for around $99. If you don't have a PS3, now is the time to get one. It seems like there are a million popular titles out there that are going to be move compatible.

Far from the nifty marketing ploy that I assumed it was, the Playstation Move seems as if it really does enhance gameplay. I would never assume that a title as vital as SOCOM would risk the ability to play their game with a chincy controller. The Playstation Move gives you full control over your character and the game. Movement and targeting are quick and accurate which is key on an online gaming experience. If you're using a cruddy PS Move controller and you can get wasted by opponents using DualShocks, why would you make a change?

I'm excited to try this system out for myself. I have never been a fan of FPS games like SOCOM, but I love light guns and I love playing online. I think that this system will allow me to finally play these FPS games with a functionality that will make then easier to control. I am terrible at lining up shots on a DualShock, but if I can just point and pull the trigger, I am sure I will be unstoppable.