The Guilty Parent

I’m geek by accident.

No it’s true, techy things did not always light my fire and I usually saved anything harder than turning on the computer to my dad.

So to suggest that I’m geeky or even a “tech savvy” mom makes me laugh a little.

Alright… it makes me laugh out loud till I cry.

But I love phones. I’ve been a fan of the telephone since I was three years old and I have the picture to prove it! (more…)

Thank you for coming back! Please take a minute to tell me how I can improve your experience here by contacting me. Thank you for being a loyal reader!

As part of my promise to bring you some of the favorite products I reviewed in 2009 (did you link up yet?), my list would not be even close to complete if I didn’t include the Roku HDplayer.

Let’s just start by reflecting on the past two weeks shall we?

What happened in those last two weeks? Oh yes…. Snow. And then… more snow.

And then cabin fever set in. BIG TIME.

Kids, bouncing off the walls, mom needing to come down from a Blissdom high get work done, snow days…

General mass hysteria.

When I initially received the Roku, it was to be a part of the Holiday Gift Guide I was putting together but when we thought that Brian wouldn’t go back to work, I set that aside and garnered up more writing work so we could have a Christmas.

Needless to say it’s February.

Back to the Roku… (more…)

Last year I received a number of items that I had planned on reviewing and placing in a gift guides but between sick kids and Brian’s accident and then him going back to work and us settling in a new routine once again, I wasn’t able to highlight these items the way I wanted. In fact, the whole latter half of 2009 didn’t really go the way I’d planned in terms of business and blogging so I’m hoping to change that this year.

I’d still like to highlight our favorite items from last year. It only makes sense to do it in a series of reviews that I hope you’ll find useful and entertaining. As always, I will maintain full disclosure and offer you an honest review of the product.

Here’s the thing… I don’t just want to tell you about MY FAVORITE things from last year, I want you to share your favorite reviews from 2009 as well!

Feel free to enter a link to one of your favorite/most loved reviews from 2009, this way we can share our favorites of 2009 together!

If I’ve ever given the impression that I know everything about being a mom, then you haven’t been reading long enough to see how I screw it up on an hourly basis. The Twitter hashtag #momfail was created with me in mind, I’m sure.

Along those lines if I’ve ever led you to believe that I’m giving my daughter my blessing to have sex when she becomes a teenager, think again. I know I’ve talked A LOT about it, both on this site and at Lifetime Moms but that’s because I passionately believe that without education and the ability to communicate with our teenagers about sex, we’re pulling the covers over our head and pretending that it doesn’t exist. (more…)

My boys recently got the chance to test out Duck Hunter – Indoor Flying Duck Hunt Game by Interactive Toy and Global Influence (formerly Momfluence) as part of their Holiday Gift Guide

credit: amazon.com

The Duck Hunter game is a fun and interactive target practice game for budding hunters and gaming enthusiasts. Since my two older boys are old enough to go hunting with hubs, this game seemed like a fun way for them to practice their skills safely.

The boys thoroughly enjoyed the Duck Hunt game taking turns chasing the Styrofoam duck across the yard as it dipped and dove in the air.

The duck itself is made of a lightweight Styrofoam which makes sense since the duck has to literally fly in the air. The wings are also made of a very light film with plastic mechanisms to frame the wings and that also allow them to flap.

Once you have batteries in the laser gun, it takes 10 seconds to charge the duck and then you can turn it on. Once it’s on, the wings will flap for 30-45 seconds before the duck starts slowing down and lands. Gently toss the duck into the air (like you would a paper airplane) and start aiming and shooting. A safe infrared beam is fired at the duck when you pull the trigger.

The gun has sounds that simulate when you’ve fired a shot. Plus, when you’ve hit the duck, it stops flapping for a second. You must re-pump the gun (like a rifle or a shotgun) with each shot. The object is to hit the duck three times before it slows down and needs recharged.

Despite how it’s advertised, this is not an inside toy or game. I shudder to think what would have happened to my lamps, the kids, the curtains, my ceiling lights, or the duck itself, if I had charged the duck up and set it free in my living room.

In my opinion, it’s also not made well enough to withstand rough play. Which means if you do play with it outside, as I told my kids they had to, and  a good wind kicks up, your duck could hit a tree or take a rough nose dive to the ground. Our duck met an untimely death when Peanut became frustrated over its continuous flapping, even after it landed. He was afraid to pick it up so the poor duck got hit with a plastic bat that snapped one of its wings. The good news is that I was able to find replacement parts for the duck online.

Overall, this is a fun game for an older crowd, such as teens or adults but not younger kids (even the recommended 10 years of age). I’m not sure it’s something I’d buy for my own kids since it seems out of our price range for a game that may not make it through Christmas break.

Bug enjoyed it the Duck Hunter game the most and he was the best at being able to aim, shoot, reload and aim again before the duck slowed down and needed to be recharged.

You can buy the Duck Hunter Game at Toys R Us, Cabelas, and Amazon.com for $29.99

*Thank you to Interactive Toy company and Global Influence for providing the product for this review. *