Cars 2 Storybook Deluxe App – Guest Review

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I’m pleased to present a guest review of the new Cars 2 Storybook Deluxe App for iPad. Katherine and I met in Mommy & Me when her son Flash and my son Chip were newborns. Flash and Chip have gone on to be pals and even just graduated from preschool together! Flash is a HUGE Cars fan. When the offer for this app review came in, I knew to turn to the expert. Plus, sadly, I do not have an iPad (Christmas is coming tho….). I now present to you the Katherine & Flash review:

I recently had the opportunity to review the latest Cars 2 Storybook app for the iPad thanks to my son Flash's preschool connections.  Mind you, we are ridiculous Cars fans.  Bedding, furniture, books, wall stickers, you name it and we've probably looked at it if not purchased it.  So when we found out Cars 2 was coming out, we bought advanced tickets and saw it on opening day, etc.  Ever since all the crazy marketing has begun for Cars 2, Flash has been telling me about one toy or another, pointing out cereal boxes and fruit snacks with some sort of connection hoping for a prize inside...so when I heard there was an app for the iPad, I was all over it.  On top of that, this app was supposed to be an educational storybook.  How perfect is that?  Flash was thrilled when I surprised him with the new app.  He navigated through the story with ease and was very interested in the "read to me" mode.  The storyline is the same as the Cars 2 movie so if you've seen the movie it's easy to follow. I couldn't get the volume loud enough on the "record your own voice" mode, but that was probably user error. 

The graphics are amazing!! Most pages have something interactive like pressing the sparkle and the car zooms off!  Other pages have a coloring option where the scene turns to black and white and you can re-color it as you choose.  There are also a few games included.  Flash liked the games the best.  Tire toss is his favorite where you slingshot a tire into a pile and try to pinball it off of other tires as many times as possible before it falls to the ground. 
Overall, I would recommend the Cars 2 Storybook app to a) children who are totally into Cars, b) children up to age 4 who don't need things to keep changing to keep their interest, and c) older children who have not yet learned how to navigate the iPad as a gaming device and can't find on their own that there is actually a Cars 2 gaming app.  It's an enjoyable storybook and a sure hit for any Cars enthusiast. Katherine

Katherine, thanks for giving the app a test drive along with Flash! Speaking of the movie, if you happen to be in Hollywood, definitely stop by The El Capitan Theater to see Cars 2 because along with the movie, you also get access to the Cars 2 World Grand Prix Experience afterwards! My super blogger spy camera was in action and I’ve got a pic here to entice you:

Now here is the official info from Disney:

Experience the action-packed story of Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 in this supercharged children’s book app filled with vibrant art, professional narration, exciting music and sound effects, plus A-list celebrity voices from the film.

In the app, Cars star Lightning McQueen zooms back into action with his best friend Mater by his side as they head to the World Grand Prix races.  Readers of the Storybook Deluxe app will get to:

• Choose between two reading modes that allow you to follow along as the story is read aloud, or to explore each page at your own pace.       
• Play exciting games inspired from the movie—test your memory in Tokyo Lights and try your hand at Mater’s Tire Toss.       
• Record your voice reading the story and hear it played back as narration.
• Tap characters and objects for animated surprises.       
• Also includes 5 coloring pages and 5 interactive jigsaw puzzles for extra fun!

· Jump to your favorite page with a Visual Page Index.

The Cars 2 Storybook Deluxe App, originally $8.99, is available for $5.99 (for a limited time) from the App Store on the iPad or at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cars-2-storybook-deluxe/id445409124?mt=8#. 

You can also see a demo video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uSeMCzZAzk

You can learn about all of Disney Publishing’s apps here: http://disneybookapps.com/

The Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident for the Wii

It’s always a bummer when you get invited to a really cool event….But you realize you are going to be out of town that day. Oh, and let’s add that your reason for being out of town is NOT very cool. I was recently invited to a party to try out the new game The Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident for the Wii. Luckily, my buddy Heather from That’s’ IT Mommy was “game” to attend and cover it. I followed the tweets from The East Coast and it sounded like everyone was having way too much fun playing. I love my games and this one looks like it will be high on my list to try. Thanks, Heather, great review!!!

Easter as a Competitive Event

 

This is a post I originally wrote for the now closed Los Angeles Moms blog. I feel that rookie moms and dads preparing excitedly for their baby’s first Easter Egg Hunt can only benefit in advance from the hard, cold reality that I am about to share with you. I’m not saying don’t go. Information is power.

Easter as a Competitive Event was originally posted on The Los Angeles Moms Blog on April 10, 2009

I am a member of a very popular message group catering largely to mothers living in Los Angeles.  In the days after Easter last year, numerous posts appeared describing the horrors of various Easter Egg Hunts held around the city.  One common thread ran through all the posts: parents behaving like lunatics. 

One mom wrote: "It was like a stampede with clouds of dust and parents running around picking up eggs for their kids, taking the eggs so the other kids could not get them.  My 3 year old got one egg and the 2 year old got nothing."   And another: "I am posting this to save anyone who may be considering going to the Easter Egg Hunt at _______ Park next year."  And this: "....many parents were SCREAMING at both their kids and other kids to get more, get away from my son, etc."  This one: "The parents jumped the fence before the whistle or shoved their kids in before the whistle."  How about: "They should not allow parents to participate. It's awful, one woman grabbed an egg right out from under my 2 year old's hand, literally."  Also: "They announced no fewer than three times that parents were not allowed inside the egg hunting area, but that didn't stop about a dozen parents from going in there and scooping up loads of eggs for their kids. My daughter got one egg." 

What the heck?

These hunts all were held in fairly affluent areas where large numbers of attorneys, Hollywood executives and various and sundry captains of industry reside.  All pulling up in their Range Rovers and Volvo SUVs to get cutthroat over some cheap plastic eggs at a city park. 

I'm sure I saw many of them the next day at brunch at the Bel Air Country Club.  I've thought about what was really going on.  Helicopter parenting?  Parents who want to help their kids succeed?  A loss of perspective?  Making sure your kid isn't "cheated"?  Parents who forgot to take their meds that morning?  Behavior that seems to be as far from Christian as I can imagine on one of the most Holy Days. 

Here is my concern: The economy is in worse shape this Easter.  People are on edge and losing things like money, portfolio value, jobs and homes.  Wouldn't that lead one to presume this weekend's Easter egg hunts will take on the air of an Olympic event?  Baskets tightly clenched.  Parents squatting down with toddlers discussing game time strategy.  "Aidan, you go deep and wide grabbing what you can.  I’ll circle by the bounce house with Isabella and then pass the basket off to your mother. Then we'll see what we can fit into our pockets and arms." 

I'm all for competition.  I first and foremost consider myself a capitalist.  Most of all, I do not believe everyone deserves a trophy at the end of the season.  However, I draw the line on Easter Egg Hunts for the under-7 crowd.  If everyone has a quota, say 20 eggs, then you just go around counting the eggs you pick up CALMLY and you are done.  It's a family holiday for crying out loud!  I hope that this Easter we can all set some good examples for our kids regardless of the activity or location.  But, especially at the Easter Egg Hunt at ________ Park.

An original post for the Los Angeles Moms Blog.

When Elizabeth Peterson is not analyzing the ghosts of holidays past, she can be found over at her personal blog Traded my BMW for a Minivan.

Comments (Original comments from the LA Moms Blog post)

April McCaffery said...

We're skipping Easter altogether this year. Holidays are less fun and more drama every year. I'm over it.

Reply April 10, 2009 at 12:35 PM

Lexi said...

We aren't big on the commercial aspects of holidays. But we just today talked about going to a local Easter egg event that has a time slot for the under age 2 crowd. Now I wonder if I need to be worried? My kids can't even walk yet. Is it worth going?

Reply April 10, 2009 at 06:15 PM

kristen said...

my 4 year old twin boys were in a hunt today, both of whom are quite independent, and one son got one egg, the other got none (though the organizers were nice enough to give my son that didn't get any one). And, one of our friend's daughters who is quite aggressive also did not get any. Needless to say, there were tons of kids with 6-8 eggs in their baskets. But, we followed the rules, and we watched repeatedly as the parents did exactly what you describe. And, there were a lot of kids that were much older older than the 3-4 they were supposed to be.. Before I had coached the boys -- I told them that once they got two eggs, they were to stop. But, once I realized what was happening, I tried to give them a hint about where to go, but oh well.

Reply April 11, 2009 at 06:47 PM

The Stiletto Mom said...

I wish I could tell you I was shocked to read this but I'm not. We have a lot of competitive parents like that in my neighborhood and I also often wonder if they've lost their minds. One of these days, I'm going to be smart and remember to bring my Flip video to some of the events where the seem to go the craziest just for fun...and possibly blog fodder.

Reply April 12, 2009 at 07:59 AM

Lucia Davies said...

Stiletto Mom - I wish you would make a video. If these scheming, entitlement-issued "parents" could only see how obnoxious they are - and how they're teaching their kids to push, shove, step on and otherwise back stab others in their "in it to win it" attitude, maybe they'd chill out and behave like decent people. Sadly, though, I doubt it. I hate to paint with the generalization brush - but part of the reason I left L.A. is because I came across this kind of behavior again and again. There are plenty of great people in L.A., but it seems more and more that the asshats are taking over...

Reply April 12, 2009 at 11:12 AM

cynematic said...

Elizabeth, I totally agree with you on the egg hunt nuttiness. Where's the perspective? Last year we spent Easter in Palm Springs, and lucked into one of those over-the-top gala resort Easters with bunny parachuting from plane (I kid you not), egg hunt (and grabby kids/adults), a little animal pen, etc. We just wanted a getaway and didn't realize some hotel chains set up these extravaganzas. Kid had a blast but it was shocking how **grownups** were grabbing cheap plastic eggs away from other people's children. We decided not to go back this year.

Instead, we did something much more low-key, spending it with grandparents at their place, and kid hasn't even mentioned his Easter basket yet. (He'll get a chocolate bunny, no worries.)

I'm not Christian but even I can see this holiday isn't supposed to be like the tv show "Survivor" to see who's most ruthless and acquisitive.

Reply April 12, 2009 at 05:05 PM

Amber said...

Yikes. I agree with the poster above, a video of this would be hilarious! We tend to avoid the mass egg hunts and stick to small family/friend gatherings so I've never seen this sort of behavior here, though I can certainly imagine.

Reply April 12, 2009 at 08:37 PM

jesscio said...

I couldn't agree more having just experienced a similar egg hunt at a Florida resort. Shocking to me the toddlers with baskets full of eggs while scads of "big" kids found just one or two. I've never understood why people see raising kids as a competitive sport.

Reply April 13, 2009 at 05:45 AM

Best Public Golf Courses in Los Angeles

I’m over on CBS Los Angeles with my picks for the Best Public Golf Courses in Los Angeles. Golf really is a sport for a lifetime, you can drive a cart to your next play or pay someone to lug your clubs and then there is always The 19th Hole to look forward to. You can fantasize about actually being at Augusta and actually looking good in a green blazer. Tiger Woods has more, ahem, depth when you know something about golf. Finally, the sport fits in with one of my best pieces of advice: always go down swinging!

Pictured: Trump National in Rancho Palos Verdes

2010 Buying Guide – Razor Scooters

The dot-com era image that totally nails it in my Gen-X brain, to this day, is the hipster riding a Razor Scooter through the office.   The funny thing is that although most of those dot-coms crashed and burned, The Razor Scooter has continued on a smooth glide into its 10th anniversary.  My family and I were super lucky to be invited to a Razor Playdate recently where we got to try out a number of Razor products.  In fact, Razor now has 50 ride-on products with something for everyone.  I always believe in starting with the original concept, thus the Limited Edition 10th Anniversary Model is the Razor Scooter to me.  The aluminum frame and urethane wheels give such a smooth glide and the adjustable height handlebars and 200 lb weight capacity make it an accessible ride.  The scooter is only 6 lbs and is easy to fold and carry.  Recommended for ages 5+ with a MSRP of $99.99, although I have seen it at major retailers with a lower price tag.

For the littlest ones, like Lulu, I recommend a “training scooter”.  The Razor Lil’ Kick scooter has three wheels which allows for the preschool crowd to work on their confidence and coordination without having to simultaneously focus on balance.  The Lil’ Kick also has a wider deck that lets the rider have both feet squarely on board.  Extra-large wheels and a handle-bar pad are nice added touches for a child’s first Razor Scooter.  Recommended for ages 3+ with a MSRP of $39.99.

Now onto the RipRider 360, which is just so awesome.  I wish I had this when I was a kid.  It’s the 2010 version of a 1970’s Big Wheel!  The rear dual-inclined caster wheels allow for total free-wheeling.  You can ride along and then drift and spin out effortlessly.  At the Razor Playdate, I watched a 12 year old boy having a blast on it and he gave me two thumbs up when I asked him if he would recommend it to his friends.  The RipRider 360 has won a bunch of awards over the past couple of years.  Being a mom who sees a lot of toys and is seeing toys from her own childhood come back, I was really wowed by the RipRider 360.  Finally, something that caused this perhaps slightly jaded mom to say, “HEY!  What’s that?!”  Recommended for ages 5+ with a MSRP of $129.99.  Many of my readers know how important the topic of child safety is to me.  At the Razor Playdate we were invited to bring our own helmets and safety gear if we had it and they also supplied it to anyone who wanted to try any of the products and didn’t have their own.  I strongly urge anyone who gets any of these amazing Razor products for the children in their lives also make sure they have the necessary safety equipment to go along with it.  Razor shares tips and info on their commitment to safety on their site.

Disclosure: My family and I were invited by Razor to attend their Playdate Event where we were given the Limited Edition 10th Anniversary Scooter.  Razor gave me the Lil’ Kick Scooter and RipRider 360 for the purpose of this review.

Kinect for XBox 360

E3, the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is kicking off tomorrow here in LA and I’ll be attending.  I’m really looking

forward to it!  Many of you know that I’m a big video game fan.  A few weeks ago I got a sneak peek at and chance to play XBox 360’s “Project Natal” which was the working name for Kinect the new add on for the XBox 360 where you are the controller.  The name Kinect was announced last night at a big XBox 360 Cirque du Soleil performance at USC’s Galen Center in downtown Los Angeles.  The performance, although involving Cirque du Soleil, actually heavily showed just how Kinect works: literally YOUR BODY is the controller—that’s it.  The technology picks up points on your body and then you are 1) steering a car 2) running a race 3) bowling 4) dancing 5) doing yoga and the list goes on.  It was really trippy to see the Cirque interpretation of a sort of rainforest meets 21st century video-game technology performance.  I really can’t explain it any other way.  Everyone in the audience wore these white ponchos with shoulder pads that glowed with different colors at different times in the show.  There were regular families up in a box on the side of the Galen Center playing Kinect while Cirque performers dressed as rainforest creatures reacted to their moves.  Periodically a woman would walk across the ceiling (yes, upside down) of the living room the family was playing in.  There was also a fake elephant that at first I wasn’t sure was fake, a family sitting in a couch suspended from the ceiling of the center and people dancing in boxes up high on the walls.  Only Cirque, only XBox and of course, totally out of the box.  That’s what I say.

At the after-party last night, held in the penthouse at a hipper-than-me loft in downtown LA, I got the chance to play Kinect which now has a few different games and experiences from the sneak peek I had.  I went up to the roofdeck and played some of the games up there with the LA skyscrapers all around me.  It was really awesome to see the XBox 360 logo projected onto the building next door.  Then across the block they were actually projecting Kinect games on the wall of the building (see my video).  Wow and E3 hadn’t even started yet.  What a scene to get my game on!  One really fun one is Kinectimals which lets you literally touch and interact with cute animals right on the screen.  The animals mirror your actions and respond to your touch.  I also tried Joy Ride which I show in the video just to the right—air steering wheel!  There are 5 games currently available in the demo pre-release version of Kinect: Sports, Kinectimals, Star Wars (which blew me away in the Cirque show! Hand to hand combat with Darth Vader!), Dance and Adventure.  Within each of those games, there are various activities.  Kinect will also allow you to access Netflix, Facebook and all kinds of online services with a wave of your hand.  It is definitely a whole new way to play video games, with absolutely no technology touching your body.  You will need to have an XBox 360 in order to play Kinect—it’s an add on.  It will be available for holiday 2010, most likely in November and the price has not yet been announced.

Disclosure: I was invited to the sneak peek party, the Cirque du Soleil Kinect launch event, the Kinect for XBox 360 Loft Party and given a FlipCam that I used to shoot this video--all courtesy of XBox.

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They Say Good Food Comes in Threes

Isn't it funny how all of a sudden you have a theme in your life and you had nothing to do with it?  Over the past couple of weeks, that's been happening to me with cooking.  First off, many of you know I'm a Wii Enthusiast and just love video games.  I was totally pumped to be invited to an event being put on by The Food Network with Iron Chef Michael Symon.  The party was to announce the new Wii game, Food Network: Cook or be Cooked!  By Namco Bandai Games.  I had so much fun at the event.  First of all, I got to meet Chef Symon and spoke with him for a quite a few minutes.  He is so cool and such a fun guy.  He and I had a really funny exchange about Iron Chef America.  I asked him about the Chef line up at the beginning of the show.  I had heard that the chef's weren't really there if they weren't going to be competing in that show.  He confirmed that was true.  Then I asked him if he was going to take his model home to keep and to freak people out.  Turns out it's a real person who looks like the chefs, but is a stand in.  I had thought they were mannequins!  We both cracked up laughing.  See what you learn at these parties?

Namco Bandai had a bunch of plasma tvs set up with the game and we all got to take a turn.  You actually get to use the Wii controls as if you are cooking and using real utensils.  There are recipe challenges and you really learn how to cook and use proper professional technique.  The highlight for me was when Michael Morishita of Namco Bandai made a dish playing the game while Chef Symon made the exact same dish following along with the game, but in the demonstration kitchen!  It was so fun to watch them compete.  They both made a chicken broccoli stir fry from scratch.  The best part of the event was the fact that I really got to taste Chef Symon's stir fry.  On the way out, I received a couple of cool gifts: Food Network Magazine, which I didn't know about and a utensil from The Food Network products line that looks like a giant tweezers.  Food Network: Cooked or Be Cooked is coming out next month.  Stay tuned to my blog for a giveaway.

The second part of the cooking theme was when I was invited to have lunch with cookbook author Annabel Karmel.  I had actually heard Annabel interviewed on a radio show about cooking a few years back and was intrigued with her angle: Healthy cooking for kids.  In advance of our lunch meeting, Annabel's publisher sent over a sampling of her cookbooks (she has written about 20 of them!)  Some of my favorite titles: I Can Eat a Rainbow which is set up like a child's board book and shows fruits and vegetables in a colorful fun way. Mom and Me Cookbook which I really love because it actually shows photos of each step in the preparation of each recipe.  This is really helpful to someone like me, who isn't super confident in the kitchen AND children who are not yet able to read. 

Next I was off to The Ivy to meet Annabel for lunch.  Annabel is an absolutely lovely woman.  She is British and resides in London with her husband and 3 children.  Her motivation for launching her cookbook career was the tragic death of her first baby, Natasha.  She then became very over protective of what her next baby ate.  Her books are not just cookbooks, they contain many nutrition tips and information in a really manageable format.  Annabel's books are extremely easy to read and fun to look at.  Chip and I made Sweet and Sour Chicken which was soooo easy to make, I was really surprised.  The recipes are for meals that the whole family can eat.  I highly recommend Annabel Karmel's cookbooks to anyone with kids.  You can find a lot of recipes on AnnabelKarmel.com....Isn't Annabel Karmel just the best name for someone who writes cookbooks for children?

Now for number three!  My very good friend Maria works on the show Top Chef which was nominated for eleven Emmy Awards.  She invited me to be her guest at the Top Chef Emmy party!  It was so much fun and the food was my favorite, Mexican.  It was really great to meet the people Maria works with.  Top Chef is a fun show and the current season is underway.  New episodes every Wednesday night, check your local listings for times.
So now you see.....Good food does come in threes.

Win Cranium Family Edition for Family Game Night!

Congratulations to CynthiaO of CA!!! Random.org has chosen #3 as the winner.

Thank you to all for entering. More giveaways are on the way!!!

The recession is in full swing and everyone, including my family, is embracing frugal fun. Queue Family Game Night! Let's be realistic, it's pretty tough to eat dinner together every night and some weeks, it just doesn't happen. Family Game Night is one way to make sure the whole family comes together 'round the table at least once a week. At our house, game night is Sunday evening. Chip and Lulu are still a bit young for board games, so we invite different neighbors and friends over who also have small kids. The kids stay busy and the adults get to have some fun. Chip likes to "play" so we pull up a chair and let him take a "turn".

The good folks at Hasbro were kind enough to send over Cranium Family Edition for us to play. Let me start off by saying that the best thing about Cranium is that you can play a whole game in 40 minutes! In my youth, all I had was leisure time and a 6 hour game of Monopoly was no problem. To know what you are up against time-wise with a bunch of toddlers is so awesome! Cranium Family Edition has something for everyone: perform wacky stunts, act, sketch, guess, sculpt with Cranium Clay, and more! This is easy to play and definitely not boring. The really cool aspect of this game for Family Game Night is that many of the challenges are just as difficult for an adult or a kid, so it levels the playing field. I can remember playing games as a kid where it was really tough to compete with the adults. Not the case with Cranium Family Edition.

There is a nifty family entertainment website, TimeToPlayMag.com where they review toys, games and video games. Toy industry expert and Time To Play editor in chief Jim Silver is making it his mission to bring back Family Game Night, and this week he revealed his list of top games at new.timetoplaymag.com/gamenight/ definitely check out his fun list.

I want to do my part to bring back Family Game Night and to that end, I am giving away a Cranium Family Edition (Hasbro Games/Ages 8+/$19.99) to one of my readers. How to enter: Simply leave a comment, any comment and make sure you include your e-mail address so I can contact you when you win. One entry per person. Entries limited to addresses within the United States. I will utilize the services of Random.org to select the winner. Contest period runs from Wednesday, April 1 until Midnight Wednesday, April 8, 2009. Winner to be notified via e-mail. Winner has 72 hours to respond. If winner does not respond within designated time frame, prize will be awarded via a new Random.org draw among remaining entries. You might be the lucky winner!