This Full House Reviews

Kinect for Xbox 360 Interactive Storybooks, Games & Holiday Giveaway

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: Looking forward to sharing this awesome prize package with one of you, real soon!

It's no secret, we love our Xbox:  it was our #1 Holiday Pick for 2010 (still is!) control free playing and full body play got my kids (and me) off the couch and took our Family Game Nights to a whole different level!

This holiday season, Kinect for Xbox 360 has a bunch of great titles, including our newest favorites: Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports Season Two and Kinect Disneyland Adventures.

We love finding new family-friendly video games and sharing fun ways to spend more time, together.

This year, there is a new Public Service Announcement from Xbox 360 and Sesame Street about parental controls that helps families learn more about the safety features built into the Xbox 360 game system, such as game ratings, setting limits on time and the ability to restrict online access.

Actually, the PSA is very entertaining.  Then again, I am a long-time fan of Cookie Monster.

Sesame Street fans (like me) may also be excited to learn that Kinect for Xbox 360 has released an awesome new holiday product.

It's an interactive storybook called Once Upon A Monster:  a guided exploration of a living storybook where players help their monster friends with problems, all while interacting with the environment around them.

Players can also engage in physical activities such as monkey-see-monkey-do, playing instruments, flying, and running obstacle courses.

So, yeah, there's lots of fun and exciting new stuff available for Kinect from Xbox 360 this holiday season.  Want one?!?

Friday Family Game & Movie Night: Power Gig: Rise of the SixString for Xbox

Glen playing the Power Gig: Rise of the SixString for Xbox -- I'm so psyched to be able to edit my pics in Picnik.com, right from my Picasa 3 software, doesn't this look cool?!?

We signed my 11 year-old son up for guitar lessons, through an enrichment program offered in our school system, which means, you know, no sleeping in on Saturdays, either!

Still, it's close to home, the program ran for 10 weeks through December, which worked out to be about $10.00 per lesson.

Not a bad deal, right?

Unfortunately, he missed a couple of lessons (due to his, or the teacher, being sick) and, well, I didn't sign him up for the winter session.

Judging by all the snow Jersey has been getting (a.k.a. Snowmaggedon 2010) good thing, too.
We received a copy of Power Gig: Rise of the SixString, a music videogame that uses a real guitar as a controller and teaches the fundamental skills of guitar playing in the process and Glen got a chance to practice with it, over winter break.

Our #1 Holiday Pick: Xbox 360 Kinect Xbox Live Family Pack Membership

Get the whole family in on the fun with Family Game Night. It happens every Tuesday on Xbox 360 and on Xbox LIVE.

TFH Holiday Pick 2010

It's no secret, we love our Xbox (read our full review of Xbox 360 LIVE from last year, here) and, seeing as I am also a gamer mom (i.e., try to beat the pants off of my kids, but, you know, end up losing, every gosh-darned time) I was excited to learn about the Family Pack Membership now available for Xbox 360 Live.

Long story, short (you're welcome!) you get four 12-month Xbox LIVE Gold memberships for less than the price of 2 with up to 4 players per family!

Then we received the new Kinect for Xbox 360 (thank you, Microsoft!) and well, this year, control free playing and full body play got my kids (and me) off the couch and took OUR Family Game Nights to a whole different level!

GameStop/ESRB Holiday LIVE Chat at 3 pm ET, TODAY Hosted Here on This Full House!

Last year, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) announced new video game rating summaries -- a FREE internet tool available to help parents (like me) figure out, you know, just what in the heck is in all those video games the cool kids are playing, these days -- and featured This Full House in the official press release.  

They came to my house, we locked the dog out in the yard and they filmed my kids playing their video games and everything.

My friends as the ESRB are at it again (helping parents, like me, I mean) by holding their first joint online press conference with GameStop.

Here is a quick rundown of the event:

• When: Dec. 17, Thursday, at 3 PM ET
• Who: Eliot Mizrachi, ESRB Director of Communications and Chris Olivera, GameStop VP of Corporate Communication
• Topic: Game ratings summaries & holiday gift shopping
• Prizes: Participants will be entered into a chance to win prizes including GameStop gift cards & a video game console!

Aaaaand, we have the pleasure of running the chat LIVE -- once it starts (3:00 p.m. est) you can join in at any time!

Eliot and Chris will be answering all your video game-related questions, so grab yourself a warm beverage and if you have any questions about ESRB's ratings or specific titles on your kids' wish lists, have them handy!

Feel free to add your email (will not be shared) and you'll be sent a reminder (up to 15 minutes before) when the chat goes LIVE!

Aaaaand, if you need me, I'll be upstairs, wrapping presents...YO!

 

© 2009 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.

DISCLOSURE:  NO PAYMENT, OR CONSIDERATION, OTHER THAN THE CHANCE TO PERHAPS HELP OTHER FAMILIES (LIKE MINE) KEEP FROM GOING A LITTLE NUTS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, WAS RECEIVED FOR THIS BLOG POST, COURTESY OF ATTENTION U.S.A. AND ESRB.ORG

Holiday Survival Guide 2009: Day 7 - MORE FUN TIME with Xbox 360

[CONGRATULATIONS, ELIZABETH TURNER (#130) WE ARE SO HAPPY TO BE SHARING THIS REALLY COOL PRIZE WITH YOU -- PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!!!]

Welcome to Day 7 of our Holiday Survival Guide 2009 sponsored by some of the most awesomely generous brands we know and have reviewed throughout the year, who have graciously agreed to provide some really cool stuff for Her, Him, the Grandparents...okay, isn't it time we ALL put the WIN back into the winter holidays and made re-gifting a rule?!?

Seriously, I've got some really great stuff to share with you.

Raising 4 kids (did I mention, we've got two teenagers in the house, this year?) my husband, Garth [not his real name] and I are trying (really hard) to remember to take back the holidays and keep it as stress free as...well...you know,.

We've got a little something for everyone and giving away some pretty cool stuff, too:

DAY 1:  HOLIDAY BAKING - Pumpkin Lattice Tart Food Channel Recipe and Holiday Gift Pack from Pampered Chef

DAY 2:  WARM HOLIDAY FUZZIES - Love, Hugs, Peace and All Things Jonas Brothers with Build-A-Bear

DAY 3:  CHILDREN'S BOOKS - Going Digital with Disney

DAY 4:  HOLIDAYS LONG DISTANCE - Keep in Touch with Skype and Buddy Cam

DAY 5:  QUIET HOLIDAY TIME - Grandpa Read's Quiet Time Tales

DAY 6:  FAMILY GAME NIGHT - Playing the "I'm Bored" Games with HABA

DAY 7:  MORE FUN TIME - Xbox 360 for When You're Home for the Holidays

Just so you know -- my picks, product features and blog posts (as always) are advertorial free. No one is paying me, to talk about their product. It's just some really nice stuff that I thought you guys would like, too.

Let's get started, okay -- ready for a little more fun time with Xbox?

If My Family Was A Video Game

Now for something totally different (and fun) I am entering the ESRB "micro-essay" contest on Facebook!

Why?

Three winners of the contest will receive a prize package that includes:

• A game console of the their choice (Xbox 360™, PLAYSTATION® 3, or Wii™) and three games for that system
• A trip for two and two "All-Access" passes to the first ever PAX East being held in Boston in March 2010, including an opportunity to meet Gabe & Tycho, the creators of Penny Arcade
• The opportunity to have their likeness immortalized in the ESRB's 2010 Penny Arcade PSA ads and to voice a radio PSA ad, both based upon their winning entry

Of course, I'd donate the game console to our local Ronald McDonald House (because, nice matters) and it's sort of fun to think of my family drawn as a character, right?

[the sound of crickets chirping]

To enter, copy the contest entry form below (erase my answers, first) paste it into a new "Note" on your Facebook page and follow the directions within:

First Day of Spring Cleaning: Xbox Game Night and a Pokemon Extravaganza!

It's the first day of spring, my twin brother's 5th wedding anniversary AND it's snowing -- yeah, it's how we roll here in Jersey -- so, it's time I did a little spring cleaning (ICK!) and share with you some of the really great new video games the kids and I have been playing around with, this month.

Because, mommy needs some coffee and serious distraction to help keep my kids entertained, as I attempt to de-clutter our lives AND be able to park our minivan in the garage...for once...seriously!!!