SpongeBob and Lego: A Perfect Union (And You Can Win It!)

Update: I'm extending the entry deadline to Tuesday, December 23 at 11am pst.

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Kids love SpongeBob SquarePants, right? And I KNOW they love Lego. So what could be a better combination than a SpongeBob Lego set - a SpongeBob Rocket Ride Lego set, to be exact. I'd say they might even go together better than peanut butter and jelly. Or Crabby Patties and beer.

All you have to do for your chance to win the SpongeBob Rocket Ride Lego set for your favorite kid (or for yourself - I won't tell) is leave a comment here by 10pm pst on Monday, December 22 telling me what YOUR favorite combination is. Furry slippers and a warm fire? Angie and Brad? Piña coladas and getting caught in the rain? And while I love my readers from all far-flung regions, I have to limit this to U.S. residents only - but you can still bring on your bangers and mash. (I'll pick a winner using Random.org, the randomest number-picker on the internet.)

Good Luck!

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And while you're waiting to see if you've won my giveaway, check out The SpongeBob SquarePants’ Lost & Found My Prizes Game - an online prize hunt for kids (and grownup SpongeBob fans) where you'll have the chance to win this amazing Grand Prize:

* Toshiba REGZA® 32LV67U 32-inch LCD HDTV
* HP Pavilion® dv2700t Broadband Wireless Series Laptop - Piano Black Coating
* SpongeBob SquarePants Rolltop Box
* SpongeBob SquarePants Toy Organizer by Delta Children's Products
* SpongeBob SquarePants DVD Collection (12 DVDs)

To play, get a Game Piece found in selected SpongeBob products or request a free one by mail. Then go online to http://www.findspongebob.com to play - every time you play the SpongeBob SquarePants’ Lost & Found My Prizes Game, you will be entered to win one of 550 Instant Win Prizes and the Grand Prize. (You can also enter to win the Grand Prize by mail.) Click on this link for a complete list of prizes and contest rules.

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Disney Photo Pass: Leave Your Photo Angst at the Gate

If you're like me, you're always stressing about taking the perfect photo. This is a problem, as I often miss out on having a good time because I'm always worried about getting the light just right, or making sure the shot is framed perfectly. This is probably why my husband banned cameras in the delivery room when our kids were born - I think he knew I would have held up the whole birth entirely until those lights were positioned just so and the doctor and nurses had all brushed their hair.

That's what's so great about Disneyland's new photo service, PhotoPass, which we just used on our last trip to Disneyland. Have your photo taken by one of the PhotoPass photographers in various locations all around the park, and he'll give you a card that's linked to your photos online. (There's no charge, and you are not obligated to buy any of the photos.) Create an account on the Disney PhotoPass website where you can view and share your photos, order prints or create keepsake items like calendars or mugs. You can also upload photos of your own - my kids have forbid me to post any photos of them online, so to create this an animated snowglobe greeting I used one of our cat Milkshake since he doesn't get to tell me what to do. Unfortunately the finished product can't be embedded but you can view the actual flash version, complete with falling snow, by clicking on this link.

Make your own snowglobe here. You don't have to have a PhotoPass card - just create an account and upload your own photo of your cat or other cooperative family member.

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tags: disneyland | disney photopass | disney snowglobe

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Family Game Night for Wii: More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys*

A few weeks ago my 10-year-old told my husband and I that she wished our family played board games "like all the other families." I tried to explain to her that she had probably just seen that on TV or read about it in a book because in reality most families sat in front of their computers and ignored each other, just like we did.

So imagine my surprise when a few days later a huge box arrived in the mail from EA Games containing the following board games: Sorry, Boggle, Battleship and Connect 4. Also in our surprise package was EA's Family Game Night, which contained Wii versions of all the games. But of course, the Wii game could wait awhile - we were going to sit down and play some board games first, like all those other normal families.

We started with Sorry, which I remembered playing when I was a kid. This game can get pretty heated when you knock someone back to 'start' (hence the name, 'Sorry') and my husband asked us to keep the noise down because he was napping - just like what my dad said when I played the game way back when! Next we moved on to Connect 4, which is like a 3-D, vertical version of tic-tac-toe which I loved because it was simple and went very quickly, which was important - I was really itching to get back to my computer. We skipped playing Battleship since I figured the girls could play it with their dad - I thought it was the least he could do after taking a nap right in the middle of the day.

Lastly we played the word game Boggle, and I'm not shy to say that this is where I really shined. My 'hasten' and 'pliant' beat their 'car' and 'bed' handily, although my 12-year-old did come up with 'fez' during one game which I thought was brilliant. Then the two of them challenged me to the Wii version of Boggle - I guess they got tired of me doing my victory dance around the living room every time I won a game.

Well, this is where the generational difference was really apparent. I was still trying to figure out how to use my Wii controller to select a letter and my girls had already spelled out 'rake' and 'heart' and 'tree.' I finally did get the hang of the controller, but then didn't realize I had to double click when I was done spelling a word and ended up with a 35-letter monstrosity. Score: 0

We all loved Sorry Sliders, the Wii version of the game where you actually use your pieces in a game of shuffleboard to knock your opponents out of the way, and Battleship, Connect 4 and Yahtzee play very much like their board game counterparts. (There is also the traditional version of Sorry, but my girls prefer the board game version of this. Or as they like to call it, the Old Fashioned One.) There are also mini-games that my girls love - these are small competitions that use the same pieces and some of the other elements of the main games, but move at a quicker pace. If you're feeling adventurous you can play other amped-up versions of these games, games with crazy names like Connect 4 Power Chips, Reverse Yahtzee, Boggle Portal Cubes and Battleship Salvo. Think of it as all the games you love, but on steroids.

I would really recommend Family Game Night as a way for parents to get in on the gaming action with their kids - besides the Wii Fit, it's one of the few games that I enjoy playing (and don't completely embarrass myself doing so.) But I would also recommend picking up the board game versions - we have continued to play these together, and the girls have even introduced their friends to these strange, 3-dimensional cardboard and plastic relics. They spent 2 hours recently playing a very loud and rowdy session of Sorry - although it was very disorienting to see them having fun and not lit up by the glow of the TV screen and without a controller in their hands.

Best of all, I'm starting to think that maybe we'll get around to having that family game night after all.

*Barrel of Monkeys isn't a Wii game yet, but I'm sure there's a developer somewhere working on it this very second.
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tags: ea games | hasbro | family game night for wii | nintendo wii

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Game On: Finally Something I Can Play Other Than Pac-Man

A couple of weeks ago I took my daughters and their friends to a party thrown by Disney Interactive to try out some new video games. I had to take my kids along, because seriously, not being a gamer, what kind of feedback could I give on a video game? I'd have to wait until someone asked me my opinion on the logo design, or what I thought of the copy on the game package. Or maybe I could tell them what I thought of the characters in the game; I could say things like, "that one needs to tuck his shirt in" or "that one is too brightly colored and seems like he would be mean to his mother." I'm sure they would ask me back again.

But lo and behold the Disney people are a persuasive bunch, and they actually talked me into playing not one, but two video games. After assuring me that they weren't going to secretly videotape me and post it on YouTube, I agreed to try banging on some drums, and also to race some sort of motorcycle-looking thing along a muddy trail.

First up was to try my hand (or should I say hands) at Ultimate Band for Wii. I had to kick my girls and their friends off this game, since this was their favorite and they had played it nonstop since we'd arrived. The game is similar to Guitar Hero but features other instruments besides the guitar. Up to four players can play at one time, and unlike other 'band' games you don't any special peripherals - only a Wii controller and a nunchuk for each player. With just a little bit of instruction and after a couple of lame attempts, I was pounding the skins like nobody's business. I'm sure Ringo Starr is shaking in his boots right about now.

You can also choose to play either guitar or bass, and the game lets you create a unique 'look' for each of your characters. Also create the type of band you'd like - English rockers? Girl band? Style them as you'd like, and then polish your act - part of the game is perfecting your skills as you move from garage band to performing at monster stadiums in front of hundreds of screaming fans. Luckily they left out the part where the bands fall victim to addictions and divorce and then end up on E! True Hollywood Story. But who knows - maybe that's next season's game.

Next I headed over to play Pure, which is a game that puts you on an ATV and lets you race around real fast on dirt trails and through mountains. I'm sure a gamer would have a much more accurate description of this game, but for someone who never exceeds 55 in her minivan, all I can say is that it was a pretty thrilling ride. It really didn't matter that I ended up crashing into fences and was constantly hearing my girls yell out, "Noooooo, mommmm" as my rider tragically raced off a sheer cliff - it was fun. My girls loved it, too, but unfortunately Pure is made only for XBox 360 and Playstation, so this Wii family will have to do without the ATV action in our home.

That was the extent of my gaming - I headed to the buffet table to recharge after my exhausting evening being a rock star and an ATV supastar. My girls and their friends continued to play though - they tried their hand at the new Bolt game coming out, and also at Club Penguin for Nintendo DS. Too shy to sing in a room full of strangers, they passed on Sing-It, but they did give it a try, and loved it, after we got home and they were in the safety of their own room. A karaoke style game and a microphone is pretty irresistible to tween girls - and moms while their kids are away at school. Just imagine if I combined that with my stealth drumming skills...

Now that I've awed you with my stellar gaming abilities, check out my main blog and leave a comment there to enter an amazing giveaway, where you can win a gift bag filled with some of the games we tried out.

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Thanks to Maral Kaloustian for such a fun evening for me and my girls!
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tags: disney interactive | ultimate band for wii | pure for xbox 360 and playstation | disney sing it

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HP's Girls' Night Out Relieved My Stress AND Made Me Crafty, Too

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to an amazing event: HP's Girls' Night Out. To say that this invitation came just in the nick of time is an understatement; I was working way too much, and having anxiety attacks just thinking about everything I had to get done for the upcoming holidays. I wasn't really sure what this whole Girls Night Out was about, but to be perfectly honest they could have just invited me over to sit in a dark room and served me warm beer and I would have been overjoyed.

But they had much, much more in store for all of us. The evening started with some food and some good wine, and then an instructional talk by my friend, the amazing Tracey Clark who showed us how to take a decent photograph of our kids without cussing or throwing things, and then turn it into an unforgettable holiday card. Then came a truly moving presentation by Jen Lemen, who showed us how a chance encounter in a park changed her life, and inspired all of us to give of ourselves this holiday season. (I really wished I had brought some tissues, and I apologize to the woman sitting next to me whose sleeve I had to use.)

After that we broke into small groups and headed to several different craft areas, where we could make various gifts ranging from a mini-scrapbook to beautiful gift card boxes to customized food gift labels. Let me interject here by saying that I am not a crafty person. Sure I worked as an art director for most of my life, but when faced with a glue stick and a bolt of ribbon it may as well be a spark plug and a jar of mustard - I have absolutely no idea how they go together. But lucky for me they had people there to help us, and also detailed instructions with every project. They had all the materials there for us to use, but the best part is that these projects and more can be downloaded from the HP website, absolutely free. I would say that in these tough economic times, this is a great way to make beautiful, handmade gifts that are not only more personal than that fruit cake you were thinking of buying, but way cheaper.

Here are links to some of the HP Holiday projects you can make:

Gift Card Boxes
Mini Scrapbook
3D Holiday Ornaments
Holiday Cards
Labels for Homemade Treats
Gift Tags and Stickers

(But don't take my word for it. Check out HP's Creative Studio website to see all the things you can make yourself. )

Here's the kicker: Not only did this evening relieve my stress, it made me temporarily insane and gave me the crazy idea to have my own crafty-but-not-so-crafty get-together during the busy holiday season. But I think it will be just the thing for some of my harried, overworked girlfriends: I'm going to invite a few of them over, mix up a pitcher of cosmos, set out some materials I've downloaded from the HP site and we're going to get down and get crafty. Sure, there'll be those among us using our X-acto knives only as swizzle sticks and I expect at least one person will pull out their credit card bill and burst into tears, but I think everyone will be inspired and will walk away with at least a few homemade gifts. And a lot less stress.

Want to check a few more things off your holiday gift list? Check out my main blog and leave a comment there to enter an amazing giveaway, where you can win a gift bag filled with Nintendo DS and XBox 360 games!
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Thanks to Karen Cage for a wonderful, inspirational, stress-busting evening!

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tags: hp girls' night out | hp creative studio | holiday gifts on a budget | homemade gifts

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Bolt Is No Ordinary Dog

Most people I know with kids rush out on opening weekend to see movies as soon as they hit the theaters. We're just the opposite, preferring to wait until the crowds have died down and our children are the last ones amongst their friends to see a particular movie, setting them up for constant ridicule and taunting. They come home saying things like, "Lindsay's seen Wall-E! Katie's seen Wall-E! When am I going to see Wall-E?" We then give them our standard response, "Next week!" and then we just try to keep stalling until one of their friends takes them to see it or until it comes out on DVD, whichever comes first.

Not so with Bolt, the Disney movie about the ordinary dog who plays a superhero, and then takes an extraordinary journey to find out that he is, in fact, a superhero. That dog is so powerful, it got us out of our house to see the movie even before it opened! Granted, we were invited to a special screening of Bolt in 3D at the amazing El Capitan Theater, but still. I say it takes one badass dog to make sure my kids aren't the laughing stock of the playground. And to make the experience even more special, we were treated to a live holiday stage show before the movie. Take that Lindsay and Katie!

We all loved Bolt. It's a rare movie that gets both the kids and parents laughing, but this one did. (Of course, you all know that since you rushed out to see it this past weekend.) Rhino, the hamster is one of my favorite characters in a Disney movie ever, and I love that he is voiced by one of the story artists at Disney, and not by a celebrity. Sort of an ordinary soul doing extraordinary things - hey, just like Bolt!

Even crazier, we all liked it so much I may be taking my girls to see it again, and bringing their friends along. This is unheard of, going to see a movie twice before it's relegated to one of those scary bargain theaters with gum on the seats. I told you that Bolt was no ordinary dog

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Get your tickets here to see Bolt at the beautiful, historic El Capitan Theater. The show opens with a live holiday stage show that kids will love. Also, a chance to hear the Wurlitzer Organ - maybe not so thrilling for the kids, but us dinosaurs love it.

Many thanks to Scott Howard at Walt Disney Studios for making this day possible!

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tags: bolt | disney | bolt reviews | el capitan theater

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The Jonas Brothers at the Roxy: Like the Rolling Stones, Only Much, Much Closer

More than a few years ago when I was a teenager, I won tickets to see the Rolling Stones on the local radio station. I popped out my retainer, put on my rainbow suspenders, grabbed a friend and headed down to the Forum in Inglewood. We took our seats, ten rows from the stage. We were so close I could see the sweat on Mick Jagger's face, and if I was a little more aggressive back then I would have pushed that woman aside who scored Keith Richards' guitar pick. It was, and still is, one of the most amazing concerts I've ever seen, and the closest I ever came to a band as huge as the Rolling Stones.

Until Friday night, when my two tween daughters and I went to the private Jonas Brothers concert at the Roxy.

(Okay, calm down all you music snobs out there - I'm not comparing the two bands musically, but you have to admit that in terms of popularity, the Jonas Brothers are eliciting the same type of frenzy that the Rolling Stones did in their day. So, put down that bat.)

The concert was a kickoff for American Eagle's new 77kids clothing line. We were invited guests of 77kids, and were treated like real VIPs - a rep from the company met us outside, gave us wristbands and whisked us in a side door. We were one of the first people inside, so my girls grabbed a place right up front, so close they were leaning on the stage If you've ever been to the Roxy you know what a tiny place it is, so the idea that they would even be in such close proximity to - gulp - the Jonas Brothers had my girls excited beyond belief. My 12-year-old spent the first 45 minutes calling all her friends on her cell phone. I think every conversation started off with, "Okay, okay - guess where I am?" and ended with three omigods and a high-pitched squeal.

From a parent's perspective, the concert was a brilliant idea, and a huge success. The staff of 77kids and the staff at the Roxy were beyond accommodating and really, really nice - something you don't often see at music venues. It was a big change from the Ting Tings concert we took our daughter to a few months ago at the El Rey, where the security staff was unbelievably rough, and rude - they tried to take my daughter's gum away since no gum chewing was allowed inside. Forget weapons and bottles - one can only imagine what damage a 10-year-old could inflict with a stick of Orbit.

When the concert started, it was still hard to believe how close we were, and with only a few friendly security guards between us and what is probably the biggest boy band in the world right now. I was standing towards the back of the crowd while my girls stayed up front by the stage - but by 'back' I mean I was at most fifteen feet from the stage. It was hard to get across to my girls just how crazy this was, how millions of tween girls (and older) would give their right, tattoo-free arm to be in their shoes right now.

Well, here's where I admit that I actually like the Jonas Brothers, and can actually sing along to couple of their songs. While I'm not sure about the whole purity ring thing, they seem like genuinely nice kids who really enjoy what they're doing, and make a real effort to connect with their fans. They put on an energetic, heartfelt show, not that that made any difference to the fans that night; I have a feeling they could have come on stage and combed their hair and the crowd still would have gone wild. Both of my girls got to touch Nick and Joe's (or was it Kevin and Joe's?) hands as they reached out to the crowd, something I know I would have killed to do at the Rolling Stones concert but what was beyond impossible without being knocked unconscious by one of the Hells Angels.

And in what I can only describe as karmic or sort of full-circle-ish, at the end of the concert my youngest daughter scored a guitar pick from Kevin Jonas. As I said, like the Rolling Stones only much, much closer.

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Check out the 77kids line here, where you can actually put together an outfit for your kid right there online. Ingenious. And the best part? Not a thong or midriff-baring tank top in sight. In other words, clothing for kids that is actually appropriate for kids. What a concept.

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Thanks to Mollie Lange, Steve Coulson and Beth Blecherman for making this night possible!

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tags: jonas brothers | 77kids american eagle | roxy sunset strip | tweens

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Boogie SuperStar for Wii: Best Thing to Happen to Tween Girls Since Cheetos and Root Beer

When I opened the box from EA Games and saw Boogie SuperStar inside, I knew what my tween daughters' reaction would be. As far as Wii games go, this one's a no-brainer. Take their favorite feature of the Wii - the ability to design your own character - combine it with songs they actually like, package it with a microphone and let them dance and sing in an American-Idol-like competition. Would my girls love it? Do tweens like stuffing their faces with junk food and washing it down with carbonated beverages? Uh, that would be a definite yes.

Boogie SuperStar can be played by 1 - 4 players and lets them compete in a singing and dancing competition to win new outfits, unlock new songs and new dance moves and ultimately become Boogie SuperStar, or the equivalent of (insert name of favorite American Idol winner here.) The best part about the game for my music-savvy girls is the playlist: a hip mix of pop, urban and techno tunes, and not just the usual bland fare you see in most karaoke games. Some of their faves: Natasha Bedingfield (who is the featured spokesperson for the game), Katy Perry, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Metro Station and Good Charlotte. Hey, there's even my favorite, Kanye West - I plan on doing a little singing and dancing myself one day when the kids are at school. And the shades are drawn.

(Note: My girls pointed out that many of the songs are covered by other singers, although I couldn't tell the difference. Then again, I don't know my Feist from my Regina Spektor from my Ingrid Michaelson, either.)

If you're looking for a great gift for tween girls this holiday season, Boogie SuperStar is it. My girls have played this game solo, with just the two of them, and with a room full of friends - it's always a big hit. With or without the Cheetos and root beer.

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tags: boogie superstar | nintendo wii games reviews | ea games | natasha bedingfield

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Jonas Brothers Concert: LIVE TODAY AT 3PM EST!

Don't forget to watch the concert here online. And look for my kids - my 12-year-old is the one chatting up the security guard up front, and my 10-year-old may be trying to climb on stage.

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Monopoly For Wii: Old School Is New Again!

This past summer while we were vacationing with friends at their lake house, my daughters learned proper diving form, jet skied for the first time and learned how to ice a cake. This is the ideal vacation for my husband and I - it's great to hang out with people who can teach our kids stuff. My feeling is that we taught them all the really important skills - walking, talking, how to order a proper drink at Starbucks - so I think it's really up to others to teach them everything else. It's worked out pretty good so far, but I'm getting a little worried about my 10-year-old, who is picking up some pretty bad habits from the drunk guy who's been tutoring her down at the bowling alley.

One of the other things they learned from our friends' two daughters was how to play Monopoly, the classic board game that we all grew up with. Our girls quickly became hooked, and the four them spent hours buying and selling properties, going to jail, arguing and going bankrupt. (It's like the AIG story, without the government bailout!) We promised them we'd buy the game when we got home, but like everything else, we never got around to it. So I was happy to receive a copy of Monopoly for Wii from EA Games to try out - I looked at it as all the fun of Monopoly, without the paper money to clean up. I liked it already.

My girls gave it a test run with their friends - there can be up to four players but each person has to have their own Wii controller. (We only have three, so two of the girls formed a team.) Their previous knowledge of the Monopoly board game helped, as they jumped right in and were able to start playing immediately. One of the features they loved was the ability to choose different themes for the board, which is reflected in the gamepieces, the board graphics and even Mr. Monopoly's clothes. Depending on your mood, choose from Classic, Future, Cheese (!) or my girls' favorite, Sweet, where you can have a gamepiece that's a cupcake. Continued play will allow you to unlock even more game boards - my girls had fun coming up with their own ideas for possible themes: MySpace, iTunes, Slumber Party and my favorite - World Without School (don't ask.)

From there most of the rules are the same as the Monopoly game we've all come to love, with one major exception: When you land on a property, your only choices are to either buy it or put it up for auction, and players try to outbid each other for the deed. Also, unlike the traditional version there are in-game mini games that players can challenge each other with. One that I didn't get to see but that is mentioned in the game literature is the "Get Out of Jail" game where you saw prison bars to escape. I love it! I'm wondering if the Sweet version of the game has a gamepiece that is a cake with a file baked into it, or maybe the Future version has a game card that allows a relative to sneak a time machine into the slammer.

I'm sure Monopoly for Wii will never completely take the place of the board version of the game, but my daughters have been playing it pretty consistently and it's been a popular game during playdates. Personally, I'm thrilled that EA has decided to take traditional board games and make them popular to a whole new generation by releasing them as video games - it's a welcome break from the overabundance of violent and inappropriate games for kids. (Some other upcoming releases are Boggle and Sorry! - which we loved when we got to try them out earlier this year.) Also, I appreciate that the traditional boardgames require kids to actually think to strategize and outsmart their opponents instead of just blindly pushing buttons. Leave that to the adults and their Blackberrys, kids.

Note: One of the things my girls and their friends mentioned immediately and were "extremely disturbed by" was the fact that Mr. Monopoly was missing his monocle. I agreed, but then after some research I can't seem to find a single picture of him with his monocle. Did he ever have one to begin with? Or they thinking of Mr. Peanut, or maybe one of their math teachers?

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tags: monopoly for wii | nintendo wii games reviews | ea games | hasbro

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