Family Party: Fitness Fun – Wii Game Review

We recently had the opportunity to preview Family Party: Fitness Fun, a Wii game by D3Publisher of America.

Family Party: Fitness Fun is a cool collection of fitness and sporting activities including trampolines, skydiving, air racing, lacrosse, volleyball, basketball, racquetball, and more, including mental exercises. It’s multi-player option is perfect for playing together as a family. You can create timed workout sessions as well as earn fitness rewards such as rankings, high scores, and medals. There’s also the option of using the Wii Balance Board, which allows players to roll giant balls, ride a hoverboard, participate in step workouts, and more.

Sports-and-game-oriented video games are a favorite in our household. We love to challenge each other and/or play as teams with these type of video games. Family Party: Fitness Fun offers a nice variety of activities that proved to be a lot of fun for us. The air racing and lacrosse were particular favorites of my two youngest boys (ages 10 and 12). The graphics were decent and the activities were both fun and challenging. We laughed as we all tried to get the hang of using the Wii remote to serve the volleyball. I have to admit, my kids were a lot better at it than I was.

Check out Wii Family Party: Fitness Fun. It’s rated E for Everyone and is sure to be a hit with your family.

This post was written for D3Publisher of America, who provided the game disc for review. The author was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product.

HISTORY INSTANT EXPERT DVDS Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to commentor #20: Tonya F!

A&E Home Entertainment recently released an exciting new line of DVDs called HISTORY INSTANT EXPERT.  These DVDs act as a quick and instant learning guide for a variety of topics. Each DVD covers a specific historical theme and includes a study guide with discussion questions, an interactive quiz, and other activities. These would be perfect for students, home-schoolers, or anyone who is interested in history.

I had the opportunity to review the six HISTORY INSTANT EXPERT titles that were released in this DVD line.  The titles include:

The Mayflower – The epic saga of the pilgrims and their journey to and colonization of the New World is one of the fundamental narratives of our nation. THE MAYFLOWER explores the true story of the pilgrims and how the colony’s saga continued in the decades after their fateful voyage.

Ben Franklin – Narrated in a straightforward, conversational tone, BEN FRANKLIN features in-depth interviews with renowned biographers and historians, as well as on-location reenactments shot in high-definition, for a truly remarkable walk in this founding father’s footsteps.

The French Revolution – The story of THE FRENCH REVOLUTION is an epic tale of political rebellion and economic upheaval. From the grandeur of Versailles and the marriage of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, to the disintegration of the revolution nearly a decade later, THE FRENCH REVOLUTION details this pivotal period in European history.

Beowulf – The legend of Beowulf, the Viking world’s most famous warrior, is the ultimate tale of courage. Pit against thirsty invaders, barbaric monsters, and a fire-breathing dragon, BEOWULF emerged as Norse mythology’s greatest hero.

Egypt – Through cutting-edge digital graphics and interviews with noted Egyptologists, EGYPT explores the civilization’s awe-inspiring engineering accomplishments, chronicling the pharaohs and feats that helped build the world’s first superpower.

The Story Of Oil – An energy source unrivaled in efficiency and power, oil is the driving force behind today’s industries and economies. THE STORY OF OIL traces the story of oil through the centuries, from its birth deep in the dinosaur-inhabited past to its ascendancy as an indispensable ingredient of modern life.

The DVDs include narration and interesting re-enactments as well as commentary from experts in that particular field.  You have the option of watching the entire program or viewing by chapter. At the end of each program, an on-screen interactive quiz is available. I particularly loved this option; it’s a great way to test yourself on what you learned by viewing the program. It would also be a useful tool to utilize in a classroom setting. The study guide that comes with each DVD contains discussion questions, extended activity ideas, and a list of additional resources.

As a history buff, I found these DVDs to be very entertaining and educational. Watching the story right before my eyes, makes it easier for me to learn and retain knowledge than if I were just reading it in a textbook. I think the HISTORY INSTANT EXPERT DVDs are a terrific learning tool that provide a fun way to learn and can be used by anyone.

HISTORY INSTANT EXPERT DVDs can be purchased online at Amazon.com and at Shop.History.com

WIN IT!

We have a HISTORY INSTANT EXPERT DVD Set to give away to one lucky winner. To enter:

• Just mention in comments before midnight, Sept 20th why you’d like to win this. That’s it!
• A random winner will be selected and notified via email shortly thereafter.
• The winner will then have 2 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

• Subscribe to An Island Life’s feed.
• Follow Island Life on Twitter.
• Tweet this giveaway.
• Place our button in your sidebar.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.

This giveaway is open to US addresses. Good luck!

This post was written for A&E Home Entertainment who provided the item for review and giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product. By entering this giveaway, you are acknowledging that you have read, understood, and agree to our disclosure policy.

LensAlert Reminder Timer and Contact Lens Care Kit

Researchers affiliated with the US Food and Drug Administration published an online study stating that more than 145,000 children and teens visit the emergency room for injuries and complications caused by medical devices. Contact lenses are the leading culprit. The study concludes that ¼ of the ER visits are due to eye infections and abrasions caused by simple mistakes with wearing contact lenses – mistakes like wearing contact lenses too long and not replacing old lens cases.

Forgetting to change contact lenses on schedule is a serious mistake that any contact lens wearer can make. Contact lens cases are hotbeds for bacteria and fungi. Forgetting to change your lenses on time or swap out an old contact lens case for a new one could lead to dangerous infections.

Here are some statistics:

• 40 million contact lens wearers in the U.S.
• 60% wear their contact lenses too long
• 70% of contact lens cases are contaminated due to overuse and 1 in 4 are never replaced
• 80% of contact lens related eye complications are caused by improper lens care

LensAlert Reminder Timer makes it easy to remember when to replace contact lenses with a fresh, new pair and also when to replace the lens case. It was invented by a contact lens patient for contact lens wearing kids as an easy to use reminder timer. The simple to use digital timers accurately track contact lens and lens case wear. Simply set the timers. Every 24 hours, LensAlert counts down one day. When the display flashes 0, it’s time to replace. The patented design easily fits the most popular lens cases. Or, you can use the LensAlert contact lens cases; they are available in fun bright colors that kids (and adults) will love.

LensAlert is sold as a Contact Lens Care Kit which includes the award-winning LensAlert Reminder Timer, 3 fun Color Cases, and Contact Lens Care Tips.

We recently had the opportunity to try out the LensAlert Reminder Timer and LensAlert Color Cases. My teenage son had a very serious eye injury last year. After surgery and a difficult recovery, he is fine, but now must wear a contact lens in one eye. Because of the serious nature of his eye injury, it’s imperative that he takes proper care with his contact lens to avoid infection. I felt like I was constantly on him, making sure he was cleaning them properly and replacing the lens on schedule. It never even occurred to me that he should also be changing the lens case.  It had become a chore to keep up with reminding him to switch to a new lens. LensAlert was the perfect product to help him keep track of exactly when he needed to swap them out. He liked the “techy” feel of a digital timer to help remind him. And, he thought the color cases were pretty cool. It’s so easy to use and it really has helped him be more responsible about his eye care. I would recommend this for any contact lens wearer, not just kids. It’s such a simple idea, but one that solves the #1 problem for contact lens wearers.

LensAlert Contact Lens Care Kit is recommended and sold by eye care professionals. You can also find it at Target for $9.99. For more information visit LensAlert.com, ContactLensCareForKids.com, and NastyTruthAboutContactLenses.com.

This post was written for LensAlert. They provided information used in this post, but, all opinions are my own. I received a free LensAlert Contact LensCare Kit and a free Contact Lens Color Cases Pack for review. No compensation was received beside the free products.

The Lost Girls – Book Review

The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World

The Lost Girls is the true story and travel memoir of authors Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner. As three twenty-something young women living the fast-paced, career-driven life in Manhattan, they each found themselves at a point where they wanted to reevaluate things. Was that big promotion really what they wanted? How about settling down and starting a family? Did they really want their lives to continue on down society’s expected pathway or did they want to make their own rules and have the adventure of a lifetime?

After much talk and soul-searching, the women decide to quit their demanding media jobs, leave everything behind, and spend a year traveling the world. Their 60,000 mile journey takes them across four continents and more than a dozen countries. Jen, Holly, and Amanda embrace every adventure they encounter – from  shooting blowguns with Yagua elders in the Amazon, to volunteering with young girls at a school in rural Kenya. They travel over mountains and rivers. They form true sisterly bonds as they share not only beds and backpacks, but also see each other through exotic illnesses and whirlwind romances.

I thought this book was terrific! It was very easy to read and I felt like I got to know the girls right away. While I would probably never have the nerve to chuck it all and travel the globe, it was fun to live vicariously through their adventures . With each chapter, I could hardly wait to see what awaited the girls and where they were going next. It was an inspiring story that made me want to try and become just a little bit more brave and adventurous.

For more information, visit Harper Collins Publishers

This post was written for Harper Collins Publishers, who provided the book for review. The author was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product.

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