The Sewing Mom

We have owned our Wii since early summer and have had only a few games during the time we’ve owned it.  I added the Wii Fit soon afterwards and we’ve enjoyed using that (although, I should use it much more frequently than I do) as well.  Between the 3 of us, we received 4 new games for Christmas and we’ve literally spent the last several days playing Wii games.

If you’re looking to get up off the couch and get your blood pumping, I highly recommend Outdoor Adventure.  Up to 2 can play at the same time or compete and it’s really a decent workout, even if you only do it for 5 or 10 minutes a day, it’s worth it.  The kids will love it and it works with a mat similar to a DDR mat instead of a board like Wii Fit, so there’s less chance of falling off!

My husband gave me Hell’s Kitchen which I’ve been having fun with.  I have to say, I could never put up with Gordon Ramsey yelling at me on a regular basis and so I don’t play the game for too long in one stretch!  My daughter is much better at the game than I am, so she doesn’t get yelled at like I do. 

If you have kids that like to play kitchen then I have to recommend Order UP.  I had done a paid post on this game several months ago and wound up purchasing it for my daughter.  She absolutely loves it and is cooking her way on up the restaurant chain.

My daughter also received Animal Crossing – City Folk.  This game has been a bit disappointing so far.  First of all, only one person can play at a time and even then, the game progresses so slowly.  My daughter and I have each spent several hours moving our characters through the jobs and tasks, and yet we’re just getting started.  We can’t play at the same time, so we end up switching back and forth every hour or so.

In the end, we keep coming back to our favorite game, Mario Kart.  We’ve had this game from the beginning and can all 3 play at the same time.  Last night, we FINALLY figured out how to do tricks and pop wheelies and it has added a whole new dimension to our racing.  My husband likes going onto the WiFi channel and racing people from around the globe.  We’re anxiously awaiting my step-daughter and her husband getting their wireless internet connection fixed so that we can race against them via the WiFi connection.

So, my sewing projects have screeched to a halt while we feed our video game addiction, please excuse me!

By the way, this is NOT a paid post, just a summary of what we’re up to in our house! 

I’ve been noticing the new Kmart television ads recently and it got me to thinking, is Kmart the only retailer that still does layaway? I do believe it is, and, if so, what a great advantage for Kmart! This is a great service and, in this down economy, it’s a great convenience for shoppers, especially for the holidays.

Think about it, many parents all ready know the big ticket items that their kids want this year and yet, we wait to purchase that item because we are saving up the money for it. Then, when we finally have the money for the most wanted item that our kids want, it’s sold out, can’t find it anywhere. Layaway allows us to place the item on “hold” with a small down payment and small payments over an 8 week period of time. In other words, we parents can relax because we have our kids most wanted items on reserve and know that Christmas morning, there will be smiles all around. I’m thinking that a few Wii games will be perfect for me to put on Kmart Lay-Away now and not have to worry about them being in stock as the holidays get closer. The popular video games always end up being hard to find after Thanksgiving.

Another great reason to use layaway? Kmart stores your gifts for you, so you don’t have to hide them around the house and hope that your snooping children don’t find them! Truly, layaway allows the buyer to purchase items over time without putting it on a credit card and get charged high interest rates. I personally think it’s fabulous!

Since my daughter was taking care of business at school today, I made plans to take care of myself. I had scheduled a doctor’s appointment for myself for my annual “well woman” exam. I should say it’s something that should be annual, but I believe I’m a couple of years over due. Anyway, I did make my appointment and it was for this afternoon.

Now, the last couple of times I’ve been to this doctor’s office, I wound up waiting, and waiting, and waiting. So, this time I came prepared with a book to read. Naturally, since I was prepared to wait, they took me right in. First thing was to hop on the scale. I set everything down and kicked off my shoes and discovered I had officially lost 2 pounds, YAY! Then I had to go pee in a cup. I wasn’t expecting that one, not even sure why I had to do that, but hey, if they want it, they can have it. The nurse then took my temperature and checked my blood pressure. Everything was good. She informed me of my BMI (body mass index) and said it was good. I didn’t want to tell her, but that’s exactly what my Wii Fit has been telling me since I got it! Guess that Wii is fairly accurate, good to know.

I didn’t talk to the nurse about the Wii, but we did talk about medications (which I’m not taking any) and supplements. We discussed energy levels and family histories. My dad was diabetic, so that’s something I think about and I am a low energy individual. I told her where to get your box of sublingual B12 and a free bonus today. The free bonus is a bottle of vitamin E, something I should be taking on a daily basis. Sublingual B12 is useful for treating low energy as well as diabetes.

In the end, I had no problems with any of the exam, I’m glad it’s over for another year. Of course, I do still have to go for my mammogram and bone density test. I also have to go back to the doctor to have some skin test done and to try to get to the bottom of my continuing headaches (allergy related we think). Once I’ve got all of that taken care of, I’ll be in the clear.

Last week I splurged and I bought my very own Wii Fit. I was hesitant, after all, it is a video game, but I decided it might be fun even if it doesn’t help me to get fit. I’m here to tell you, after only one week of using my Wii Fit, I am not only hooked, I actually enjoy and look forward to working out!

The Wii Fit is super easy to use and this statement is coming from someone who is technically challenged. I turn the power on to the t.v., turn the power on to the Wii system and insert the Wii Fit disk. That’s it, it does the rest. The system charts your progress each day that you use it. The body test measures your BMI based on your actual age, weight and a few selected simple exercises. On the first day of use, I input my personal goal of losing 10 pounds in 3 months. The system now monitors this for me and lets me know how I’m doing. I love seeing the line on the chart take a slow downturn as I progress toward meeting my goal.

I can then choose whether or not I want to do any exercising for the day. I have chosen to exercise every day in the last 7 days except for 2. The exercises include yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance exercises. My favorites are the balance and aerobics. All of the games utilize the Wii Fit board and some also use the remote control which is very easy to operate. My daughter and I tend to do the workouts together, switching back and forth between our Wii characters, but it is not beyond me to go use it on my own. This will be a huge plus for me when she goes back to school.

Over the weekend, I was suffering from a headache that I simply could not get rid of it. I was feeling very blah, and decided to give the Wii Fit a go to see if would get my energy level up and diminish my headache. After a 30 minute workout, it worked. I felt better and my headache, although not gone completely, was much better. I’m very happy to have found a way to increase my energy level that is enjoyable.

OF course, an alternative to the Wii Fit would be sublingual B-12 which is an affordable and painless alternative to a B-12 shot. Vitamin B-12 is known to increase energy levels as well as help those fighting diabetes and dementia. So, if you need exercise, try the Wii Fit. For other diagnosis, you should try sublingual B-12 today.

I woke up this morning trying to decide what I was going to accomplish today. My first thought of course went to my sewing room. I do have one tote bag that I need to make, but I really haven’t felt very motivated to sew the past few weeks. I will get there, just maybe not today.

Yesterday, while in Target, my daughter discovered they had a Wii Fit in the glass case of the video game aisle. Well, we just had to have it! I bought it just in the nick of time, as a couple of ladies walked in behind me and were disappointed that I had just beat them to it. Sorry ladies!

Anyway, my daughter had a friend over all afternoon yesterday and so we never had time to even check out our new Wii Fit. She convinced me this morning that we needed to open it and check it out. So, here it is, waiting to be plugged in. My tackle for today is to hook it up and figure out how it works! I’m a bit nervous, but I look at it as an investment in my health! I want it to get my off my butt!

On a more serious note, I also tackled my fear of the doctor and called this morning and got an appointment for my well woman check up. From there, I’ll be scheduling my mammogram and hopefully a bone density test as well.