Momphabet Soup – The Life and Times of a Freelance Writing WAHM (work at home mom)

My 7 year old was ecstatic to find out he’d get to be a Skylandersvideo game reviewer.

Wee boy (my 7 year old) has been particularly interested in my job lately. He often asks me what I’m writing about. I’ll tell him the topic and he’ll be interested or ask questions. Sometimes he’s impressed or amused but yesterday he was particularly impressed when I told him that I’d been asked to review Skylanders Spyro’s Adventures by Activision.  I told him I needed his help.  All of a sudden I had the coolest job ever and I suspect he’ll be happy to tell people he has a ‘job’ as a video game reviewer.

The game is slated for release on October 16th, 2011 and when I showed him the video at http://www.skylandersgame.com/ I thought to myself….let the wall-bouncing marathon began.  (I almost waited until it arrived to present him with the news but….I like seeing the excitement. Usually, he has to save up his own money for a new video game and he was so happy at the aspect of NOT having to save for once. He’s even more elated at the prospect of being potentially privy to a new game before it is released to the general public. I’m not 100% sure if the game will arrive before the release date or not. )

The Game & Platform:
It works on all today’s gaming platforms and has action figures and additional accessories that can be added.

We’re expecting the Starter Kit. After you buy the starter kit for Skylanders Spyro you can add on a number of characters and Skylander accessories.

My first impression, based on looking at game trailers, is that it looks tres cool.  As soon as I saw it, I knew their target demographic would be my son as he loves action figures, fantasy, and interactive games. We’re getting the PS/3 version (although we also have a Wii and an XBOX 360 in our house. Yes, avid gamers in my house!)

The Skylands Portal of Power

The Portal of Power is used to bring your physical action figure into the game. This is a great idea for kids and my son is super excited for the arrival. Being able to play with something both in and out of the video game and the prospect of add on characters and accessories seems like a great combo of virtual and real-life play.  I like the storytelling and multiple layer of gameplay aspects I saw in the game trailer as well (written by writers from Toy Story).

We’ll be back to report on this once it has arrived and when we review it we’ll be giving away a free copy, too.  I wonder how crazy he’ll drive me between now and then?
Learn more about the Skylanders game and features:

update:

A Skylanders Kid Review

If you’re looking for a fun birthday  party for your kids that involves something a little different, you might want to consider a Loblaws Cooking Party. Loblaws Upstairs (in many locations) has cooking classes and the community coordinators may also put on parties for kids.

How Much Does a Loblaws Birthday Party Cost?

As of early 2011, the price for Loblaws kids cooking parties is $18/child + HST.  Most stores want a minimum of 12 children.

What’s Included in a Loblaws Birthday Cooking Party?

In the price of the pizza cooking party, you get:

-Healthy Snacks (fruit and veggie/dip trays)

-Juice

-Mini Pizza for each child (each child makes their own pizza) (There are other food options as well, such as a Mexican themed birthday party)

-Large birthday cake (you can upgrade to a character / theme  cake if you want to pay extra)

-8″ cake for each child to decorate and take home

-Invitations

The Loblaws community coordinator and assistant(s) prep everything, instruct the kids, run the party, and clean up all the mess.

Our Loblaws Birthday Party Review of Our Experience:

We had 18 kids and they had a great time. The birthday boy (now 7!) was thrilled. The  pizzas were good (lots of toppings) and the coordinators made a few extras for the adults that stuck around to share, the 8″ cakes that the kids also got to decorate to take home were a hit, and everyone looked cute in their paper chef hats and their fabric aprons. The loot bags that are listed as available for $5.99 each weren’t available due to apron sourcing issues so we did our own. Two hours seemed a bit short as present time was rushed but all in all it was a great success and I highly recommend it. For just under $400 we had the place, the food, the cake, the invites, the fun, the cleanup, and because there were 3 Loblaws staff members on hand we didn’t have to worry about doing much of anything other than meet and greet, some potty breaks, and handing out loot bags. I definitely recommend these Loblaws birthday parties.

A guest post from Maria Rainier

We’ve all done it, and we all continue to do it – when we start to feel overwhelmed by work, we avoid it. Logically, it’s not the best choice, but our brains seem to somehow circumvent that and hide from the ugly reality. Unfortunately, reality always finds us, no matter how much procrastination we’ve been hiding behind. So in the interest of saving ourselves the time and frustration, I’ve compiled a list of ten ways to make that procrastination impulse disappear. I hope that one or more of these will help you the next time you’re feeling stressed out about work, home, or the social life you don’t have time for.

1. Establish Accountability

Find someone to crack the whip. Even if the person never confronts you about your procrastination, most people are less likely to avoid work if they know someone else is keeping tabs on them. So tell other people about your deadlines and invite them to tell you theirs – you could even start an accountability group so that everyone can benefit from beating procrastination.

2. Make a Prioritized List

Making a list will help you calm down when you’re feeling overwhelmed, and one of the best things you can do is cross off tasks once you’ve completed them. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and does wonders for your poor overworked psyche. You might think that you never get anything done, but by writing it down and indicating completed tasks, you’ll be able to see how much work you’re actually doing. This will build your confidence and empower you to keep working, even when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

3. Divide Projects into Tasks

If you have seemingly enormous and intimidating projects on your list, divide them up into smaller tasks and try not to think about how many tasks you’ll have to do in order to finish the project. You’re essentially tricking your mind into thinking that you don’t have as much to do, reducing the amount of stress you’re feeling and enabling you to work at your regular pace.

4. Set Goals

Don’t let a bunch of ambiguous “I have to get this done” red flags dominate your mind. Use your prioritized list to set realistic goals for the day, then for the week and month. Just get through the next few hours, and you’re likely to be better able to tackle the rest of your work.

5. Push Up Deadlines

Run your clock 15 minutes fast and move all your deadlines up a week to trick yourself into getting your work done early. This gives you time to revise “last-minute” work and helps to keep you from becoming overwhelmed with thoughts of negative consequences if you don’t finish on time.

6. Take a Deep Breath

I know, you’re rushed for time, but take thirty seconds and simply breathe. Taking deep breaths is calming, slows your heart rate, and helps you come down out of “fight or flight” mode. By doing this simple exercise, you can clear your head and refresh your mind so you can complete the work that needs to be done.

7. Evaluate Anxiety

Take a minute to think about why you’re so anxious and overwhelmed. What’s really causing this procrastination? Consider the absolute worst-case scenario. It’s probably not as bad as you were thinking, so ease up on the pressure and do the best you can without worrying about failure.

8. Get More Information

If there are overwhelming projects that have you frozen in your tracks, talk to others or research them online to get more information. The more you know about an unfamiliar and intimidating topic, the more comfortable you’ll feel and the less overwhelmed you’ll be when you tackle it.

9. Determine Benefits and Consequences

What could better motivate you to complete the tasks you don’t want to do? Try making a list of benefits that you would enjoy if you complete the task, then write down a list of negative consequences that would befall you if you don’t do it. Whether you respond to positive or negative motivation, this exercise will give you something to work with.

10. Plan Reward Time

When you just plain don’t want to do your work, take a few minutes to plan reward time. Tell yourself that you’ll complete a certain amount of work, then allow yourself to do something fun. For example, you might motivate yourself to finish a project tonight because tomorrow, you’re planning to go see a movie with friends. This gives you something to look forward to and shows you that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes, it’s just the monotony of work that influences you to procrastinate, so break it up by planning a reward for yourself later.

Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where recently she’s been researching the highest paying associates degrees versus the lowest paying associates degrees. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.