Using Tropicana Juicy Rewards for a MOMS Club Donation

Juicy Insider1My MOMS club has a luncheon every year and it isn’t until November but I start collecting donations fairly early in the year. I’m not sure what the theme for our luncheon is yet but I know a little about what I’m putting together as a giveaway. I’m collecting DS and Wii games to use as our gift basket this year.

I’ve been thinking about what I wanted to use the 50.00 on that Tropicana sent me to use on their rewards program. I have finally made a decision on what I want to purchase.

By using 3 points I can receive 10.00 off of the game purchase of an EA Sports Active. I know that will make a great addition to the gift basket because exercise is so important to moms and as far as I have seen EA has done a great job on their active games for the Wii.

The Discount:

special offer exclamation

$10 discount and free standard shipping offer expires January 31, 2011. Valid for new purchase of EA SPORTS ACTIVE and EA SPORTS ACTIVE More Workouts only at the EA STORE at www.eastore.com/active. Value of discount will be deducted from Product list price at time of purchase. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Limit one offer per transaction.

The Game Details:

Get fit with a holistic approach to fitness that combines nutrition and lifestyle factors, with a variety of activities, all from the convenience of your living room. From customized routines that target upper body, lower body, and cardio to a guided 30-day challenge that tests muscle endurance, coordination and agility, stay in shape with fitness made fun and easy.

 

You find ways to earn more points by following Juicy Rewards on Twitter and by Becoming a fan on Facebook.

 

 

I wrote this review while participating in the Tropicana Juicy Insiders Ambassador on behalf of Tropicana. I received 12 free Juicy Rewards points and a $50 Visa gift card to use in redemption of the points and to facilitate my review.

Nitro Need for Speed DS

With all of the time I have to just sit around you would think I could spend it playing video games on my Nintendo DS but that’s only if I could keep my eye open or concentrate long enough on a post.

 

 

I added Need for speed to my Holiday Video Game Gift Guide. Why? Because I love car racing games. I haven’t played it yet and I probably won’t purchase it. EA has offered to send me one to review but I just can’t picture me having time to play it. My husband only plays XBox 360 games so I don’t think he would play it either.

We love how far customization has come in video games the cars and driving looks so real now.

Game Description:

  • Extreme Tracks – From the streets to off-road territory to unexpected places like a rollercoaster, each track features big air jumps, smackable objects, shortcuts, and more.
  • Heroic Driving – Dodge the cops or overtake rivals by triggering spectacular Heroic Driving Moves like jumping over cars or racing on two wheels.
  • Pick and Personalize Your Ride – Choose from over 30 licensed cars, ranging from modern to classic to exotics to tuners. Then use the stylus to paint unique decals for the doors and the roofs, making each car a one-of-a-kind racer.
  • Show Off in 10 Game Modes – Put your best driving moves to the test in a variety of exciting and action-packed race modes including Elimination, Circuit, Smack’m'all, Tag the World, and many more!
  • Launch Your World Tour – Take your awesome driving skills on the road in street races in six cities around the globe. Beat the world’s best to unlock new cars, tracks, and challenges.
  • Drive with Skill – Use your best driving techniques to hit triggers and impose your car’s graphic style on the world, or use a strategic boost to blast into the lead. The cops are gunning to take you down, though-so always race with skill and be prepared for anything!
  • Race in Nitro-Charged Multiplayer – Up to four players can battle it out in intense WiFi races. You can even share some tracks, cars, and game modes with friends who don’t own the game!

 

 

So without a review…

 

Enter to win a copy for your DS.

To Enter:

Visit Need for Speed Nitro at EA and tell me your favorite aspect of the game.

Extra Entries:

Advertise this giveaway on any giveaway site and tell me where you advertised it. 10 Extra Entries
Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me and to the sponsor for 10 extra entries
Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Comment on any other non giveaway post and come back and tell me you did
Use any of the Share options at the bottom of this post: Dig, Stumble, or fav me on Technorati (two entries for each one)
Add my button/blog to your blogroll/friend list 3 extra entries

Leave a comment for every entry

The contest will run until December 28th 11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org. All rules can be found under giveaway rules. I can not guarantee any shipping timelines and giveaways are running long right now because of my surgery recovery. Good Luck!

Spore Hero Review

Spore Hero Coverart.pngSpore Hero was released last week to the public for purchase and I’m finally writing my review of the game.

It is largely based on the Spore Galactic Adventures expansion pack, and it is focused on the Creature stage from the original Spore game. Quoted from Spore Wiki.

The beginning sequence is the explanation of the premise for the game. Meteors crash into an unnamed planet and two eggs pop out of meteors located at Creature Beach and the Mushroom Valley. Each Meteor is a different color. One of them is red and these meteors cause devastation where they land. From the core of the red meteor hatches Zarkhator and he’s kinda the bad guy. Then the other color, blue meteors, then crash with very little damage. Then a creature called Meejee takes and egg from the core and hatches it. Meejee is your friend and helps you learn how to eat, play, fight, grow and become a Spore Hero.

Zarkhator appears and tries to crush you with a red meteor. He misses, but the meteor corrupts the Big Chief of Meejee’s tribe. Your creature destroys the meteor, and is rewarded with an ancient idol piece. You are told to take the ancient idol the Sage in the Ancient Grounds, but Meejee won’t let you. He wants to you to learn more and help another tribe.

This is about as far as I got in the game while I was at the Maxis Studio with my family. Well not even that far really but they told us the premise for the game and we created creatures and started the game.

 

 

 

My whole family liked trying out the game and creating your creature is the most part of the game. As you go around the planet and discovering things and fighting other creatures (most of them just need to have the affects of the red meteor removed) you gain more body parts. As you gain more body parts you gain more powers and abilities. Each body part is capable of doing something else a hero needs the ability to do. My 2 year old’s only compliant was there was not enough purple. It is much more fun that Spore for the PC.

Purchase it:

Spore Hero

 

Win it:

To Enter:

Visit Spore Hero and come back to tell me what your hero would be like?

Extra Entries:

Parenting

Vote for me for 5 extra entries

Comment on any other post and come back here and tell me you did.

Non-bloggers get an extra entry for every e-mail they send out linking to this giveaway cc louise@looksblue.com (be sure to leave a comment for every person you e-mail, for example if you e-mail 10 different people leave 10 different comments)

Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me and to the sponsor for 10 extra entries
Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Add my button to your blog/blog roll 10 extra points if it is on your homepage
Dig, Stumble, or fav me on Technorati (two entries for each one)

Leave a comment for every entry

The contest will run until November 2nd11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org

Mom Start's Christmas Guide

Party Time with BOOM BLOX Bash Party By EA

Boom Blox Bash Party:

Boom Blox Bash Party

EA Play sent me a copy of Boom Blox Bash Party to review. I’ve had it since before they asked me to come and join them for a weekend in San Francisco. It was there in San Francisco that they had a game truck for all the kids to get on and play BOOM BLOX Bash Party against each other. My son was completely against the idea of being on a truck while the kids were all playing games so we went in and had some ice cream. My husband and daughter stayed on the truck until the Carbon Dioxide warning went off. It makes me laugh that they had so many kids on it that the truck when off more quickly than they had expected. Steven Spielberg decided to make a game that he thought his family would like. So he worked with EA and created Boom Blox, now a year later, there is a sequel and I think he’s done an excellent job because this is a game we love to play as a family too. We love to watch cows fly across the sky. Thanks for letting us knock around a few farm animals in Bash Party.

Gameplay:

Co-op gameplay screen in 'BOOM BLOX Bash Party'Very similar to the  original BOOM BLOX game, Bash Party is based around fast-paced gameplay that utilizes players’ reflexes, dexterity, and problem-solving skills. Problem solving must by why I love Boom Blox so much. I love puzzles and it is fun deciding which block to blow up, or knock down. During game play you use the Wii Remote to direct objects and forces toward structures made of blocks in order to knock them over. There is also Jenga like gameplay where you can pull blocks, with the goal of toppling as many of them as possible, but without bringing down the whole structure. I’m not very good at this part of the game though! In doing this you have to deal with the different types of blocks. Some of these include: gem blocks, blocks with point values attached, explosive blocks that detonate on contact, vanishing blocks that disappear when struck, wood blocks, and steel blocks. In addition, as the game progresses strategies may change, meaning that you have to be adaptable

New Characters and Environments:

Wacky racters old and new in 'BOOM BLOX Bash Party'Explore exciting new themed worlds with unique physics and dramatic visuals. Create chaos, watching puzzles and explosions unfold, while drifting under water, or floating in zero gravity. For even more strategic destruction, BOOM BLOX Bash Party also features all-new Blox, tools and characters. Experiment with the explosive and infectious Virus Blox, or the ever-moving Conveyor Blox. Experiment with new shapes like Cylinders and Wedges, or use the new Cannon and Slingshot toys to sling and launch blox. Even the new cast of characters is in on the action. Grab hold of the characters and send them flying. They are just like Blox now, so you can topple, bash and sling them like never before.

Favorite Part:

400 new Blox-busting levels 'BOOM BLOX Bash Party'

My favorite part would have to be that I can play against my husband. My husband and I love to play games together and it’s hard to find family friendly games that we can play in front of the children. Well BOOM Blox is a requested game; the children ask us to play it. They like to growl and watch things blow up.

Product Description


'BOOM BLOX Bash Party' game logoGet ready for even more blox-busting action with BOOM BLOX Bash Party for Wii, the sequel to the critically acclaimed BOOM BLOX game for Wii. Developed by EA in collaboration with director and producer Steven Spielberg, BOOM BLOX Bash Party takes destruction to new heights, providing the ultimate social gaming experience! BOOM BLOX Bash Party will get your party started with new Versus, Co-Op and Team Play challenges – twice as many multiplayer challenges as the original BOOM BLOX. From the depths of the sea to the far reaches of outer space, BOOM BLOX Bash Party features more than 400 completely new levels! Explore exciting new themed worlds with unique physics and dramatic visuals. Create chaos, watching puzzles and explosions unfold, while drifting under water, or floating in zero gravity! For even more strategic destruction, BOOM BLOX Bash Party also features all-new Blox, tools and characters! Experiment with the explosive and infectious Virus Blox, or the ever-moving Conveyor Blox. Experiment with new shapes like Cylinders and Wedges, or use the new Cannon and Slingshot toys to sling and launch blox! Even the new cast of characters is in on the action! Grab hold of the characters and send them flying! They are just like Blox now, so you can topple, bash and sling them like never before. And the fun continues online! Enhanced capabilities let you download new levels with the press of a button. Simply connect your Wii to the Internet to grab, play and rate new levels from EA and members of the BOOM BLOX Bash Party community. Build your own levels using the game’s easy-to-use Create Mode – the same tool which the BOOM BLOX team used to create the game itself. Collect Boom Bux throughout the game as you complete levels, then spend them jump ahead unlocking new levels and features you can’t wait to play!

 

Mom Start's Christmas Guide

My Christmas Guide Recommendations:

Ages: 6 years to adult. (E for everyone is for ages six and up, but I think it’s ok for younger)
Boys and Girls
Stocking Stuffer and actual present.

The Sims 3 review

thesims The Sims 3 Sold 1.4 million PC/Mac versions within the first week of the launch. This was the best-selling launch in the history of EA. My husband purchased it, and EA gave us a copy so my husband decided that the copy EA gave us should go to one of my lucky readers.

HURRAY!

  In The Sims 3, get inspired by the endless creative possibilities and unexpected moments of surprise and mischief! I think they have made it easier to play. I liked simsboxartsetting up my sim or rather watching my husband do it. He created our entire family, and my daughter of course picked out as much purple as she could. You can create lifelike Sims with a unique personality and take them anywhere in the neighborhood. Select from dozens of personality traits such as brave, artistic, kleptomaniac, clumsy, and romantic.

We were able to match the characteristics of our children very well with the choices presented to us.

Based on these personality traits, skills, and career choices, your Sims have wishes that provide constant fun challenges and so many things to do and achieve. You have the ultimate freedom to choose whether to fulfill their wishes and making them happy or making them completely miserable.

I actually like to listen to them talk. Is that weird?

As always you can enjoy the player content and download it and add it to your collection. When my husband had free time (ie before children) he used to create all kinds of characters. He did all of Stargate SG1 and a lot of Star Trek Next Generation. Yes we are nerds at heart. Both my husband and I are geeky/techy.

The Sims3 is rated T for teen and can be found on the PC, Mac, iPhone, iPood Touch, and some other mobile devices.

To Enter:

Tell me your favorite part about playing the Sims.

Extra Entries:

If you liked this post or wish to gain and extra entries please vote for me here.

Parenting

Vote for me for 5 extra entries

Non-bloggers get an extra entry for every e-mail they send out linking to this giveaway cc louise@looksblue.com (be sure to leave a comment for every person you e-mail, for example if you e-mail 10 different people leave 10 different comments)

Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me for 10 extra entries
Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Add my button to your blog/blog roll 10 extra points if it is on your homepage
Dig, Stumble, or fav me on Technorati (two entries for each one)
Leave a comment for every entry

The contest will run until October 19th 11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org

EA presents Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Nintendo DS

HarrypotterThanks to my trip to San Francisco provided by EA Play, I have a copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince game on the DS to giveaway. I didn’t see the game on the DS but I saw it on the Wii and I was so impressed. I think EA pushed the graphics of the Wii to the max with this game. Rated E for everyone.

Harry wielding a wand in 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' the Video Game

Wand-based spells & pranks.

Potion mixing in 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' the Video Game

Mix it up in Potion Class.

Harry exploring Hogswart with friends in 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' the Video Game

Explore Hogswart’s mysteries.

The Story
Harry Potter and the Half Blood PrinceIn Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the Video Game, Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the casdstle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information.

Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different, but equally unavoidable adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates. And then there’s Hermione, simmering with jealously, but determined not to show her feelings. Yet as romance blossoms throughout Hogwarts, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Gameplay
Like earlier video game releases in the Harry Potter franchise, the action in Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince the Video Game revolves around the exploration of Hogwarts and the action that results from what you uncover. The game features a variety of play modes and unique features. During their adventures, players will have a chance to engage in exciting wizard duels, mix and brew magical ingredients in potions class and take to the air to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory. Players may even get sidetracked by Ron’s romantic entanglements as they journey towards a dramatic climax and discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince.

Key Features for DS

  • Enter a world of magic: Explore Harry’s world in your own time, and choose how you want to play the story of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
  • Collect magical rewards: mix potions, discover hidden items, defeat bullies and play mini-games.
  • Master powerful spells by using your stylus as your wand.
  • Play pranks on your enemies by throwing stink pellets and using spells to stop them in their tracks.
  • Share the adventure by challenging your friends to fun wizard games like Gobstones, Exploding Snap and Wizard Skittles.
  • Warm up for the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup by leading training sessions and practice your skills as Keeper, Chaser and Seeker.
  • When you get stuck, call on Nearly Headless Nick for clues and tips to help you complete your challenges.
  • Swap famous Quidditch player cards with friends.

To Enter:

Tell me which book was your favorite?

Extra Entries:

If you liked this post or wish to gain and extra entries please vote for me here.

Parenting

Vote for me for 5 extra entries

Non-bloggers get an extra entry for every e-mail they send out linking to this giveaway cc louise@looksblue.com (be sure to leave a comment for every person you e-mail, for example if you e-mail 10 different people leave 10 different comments)

Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me for 10 extra entries
Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Add my button to your blog/blog roll 10 extra points if it is on your homepage
Dig, Stumble, or fav me on Technorati (two entries for each one)
Leave a comment for every entry

The contest will run until October 5th 11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Wii #giveaway

Harrypotter Have lots of fun playing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on the Wii. Use your Wiimote and nun chucks to fly on a broomstick playing quiddich and defeat the dark forces of Voldemort. EA also provided me with the copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for the Wii.

The Story

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

quiddichIn Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the Video Game, Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was assumed to be. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information.

Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different, but equally unavoidable adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates. And then there’s Hermione, simmering with jealously, but determined not to show her feelings. Yet as romance blossoms throughout Hogwarts, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Key Features for the Wii

Product DetailsRelive the action of the movie…from the Hogwarts Express, to the dramatic revelation of the Half-Blood Prince.

Feel the thrill of Quidditch as the Wii Remote and Nunchuck become your broomstick and you speed through the stadium.

Compete for Gryffindor for the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup: Take on Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin in the most exciting wizarding sport.

Defeat the Dark Forces as you use the Wii Remote as your wand to duel your way through the story of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Perfect your potion-mixing skills using the Wii Remote to stir, shake and pour potions from the Half-Blood Prince’s recipes.

Explore Hogwarts at night, taking on nighttime missions while the castle sleeps.

When you get stuck, call on Nearly Headless Nick for clues and tips to help you complete your challenges.

See more of the wizarding world as you explore new magical places scattered throughout the game.

Travel with Dumbledore to piece together Voldermort’s past, and sneak around Hogwarts to discover Malfoy’s secrets.

2-player local multiplayer support.

 

To Enter:

Tell me your favorite Harry Potter Character.

If you liked this post or wish to gain and extra entries please vote for me here.

Parenting

Vote for me for 5 extra entries

Non-boggers get an extra entry for every e-mail they send out linking to this giveaway cc louise@looksblue.com (be sure to leave a comment for every person you e-mail, for example if you e-mail 10 different people leave 10 different comments)

Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me for 10 extra entries
Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Add my button to your blog/blog roll 10 extra points if it is on your homepage
Dig, Stumble, or fav me on Technorati (two entries for each one)
Leave a comment for every entry

The contest will run until October 5th 11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org

Let’s Play together

Oh by, I haven’t posted something fun in a while, well, Delgo was fun.

So, would you like to know about game night in our family. Game night has been in my life sine I was little. While growing up my sister, dad and I would play games every Friday night. My stepmom would take the night to read or something to herself.

My sister still swears that I was a big time cheater, but I don’t remember cheating. I remember getting upset when I wasn’t winning but I don’t think I cheated. I was just smarter than her. No, she is really smart, I just had four years of age over her.

My husband and I are huge card players. If there is a card game that is new we want to try it. We play all kinds of games other than cards as well. We love to play Monopoly. We play

y the board game and before we had kids we would save the board and play as we had time. Some games lasted weeks.

Now that we have kids our games change to what they are able to be around. So yes, we play a lot of video games. We played Halo 3 together. It was very difficult to beat it on the hardest level but we did.

My gamertag is Momstart if anyone is interested.

The Parent Bloggers Network has teamed up with Electronic Arts for another Blog blast. You have all weekend to do your own game night post.

What games do you play?