Yoursphere

My two youngest kids are still having a blast with the Yoursphere site and we're two months into using it. I think what they like the most is that they feel like "big kids", like their big sister who uses Facebook.

When I told Kady about this week's "homework" which involved decorating her condo and getting a job at the coffee shop in Our World (kind of like YoVille to you Facebook game-players) she waved me away and said, "Done. Like, weeks ago." Well, what was I thinking? Of course she did. :-)

Both kids have created their own spheres and are actively participating in other spheres, some created by Yoursphere and others created by other kids. We'll be out somewhere and they'll see something random or we'll have a conversation about something and invariably at some point one or both will either say, "I wonder if there's a sphere for that," or "I'm making a sphere for that!" Needless to say, they are both really enjoying the feeling of independence they get from creating something of their own to share with other kids their ages.

If you have a kiddo between nine and 12 I encourage you to check out Yoursphere for yourself and then sign up your kids!

"I wrote this review while participating in the Yoursphere Test Drive program by Mom Central on behalf of Yoursphere. I received a free lifetime Gold membership on Yoursphere.com, Yoursphere t-shirts, and a $50 American Express gift card to facilitate my review."

SHOCKing!

Right before we went on vacation Mr. Hoover, the Hoovlets and I loaded up the van and headed for Tulsa to see Oklahoma's very own WNBA team, the Tulsa Shock play against the Indiana Fever.

For one thing, let me just say this: We are country folk. We (meaning my husband) is very intimidated by buildings taller than our barn. And traffic? Well, the man simply refuses to drive in Tulsa. I, however, have a Garmin GPS which makes me invincible. (Just go with it.) So all that being said, the BOK was incredibly easy to find and parking was great. For us bumpkins, this was already major points in the right direction.

The tickets were waiting for us at the Will Call window, along with autograph session passes. We were greeted by very friendly staff who helped us find our way in and when we stood there looking for our section a helpful fella came over to see if we needed help. Our seats were great and considering we'd never attended any event at the BOK we were very impressed with the stadium itself.

As far as the game is concerned we were very entertained and very impressed with the atmosphere, the talent, the entertainment, the players and well, pretty much everything.

We especially liked Volt the Fox.

Those ladies are amazing athletes (and did you know that a lot of WNBA players are moms? Yeah, me either!) and definitely know their game. In fact, mere minutes into the game our budding basketball diva, Kady, never taking her eyes off the game, asked, "Can I play for the Shock when I grow up?"

Unfortunately, we didn't get to stay for the autograph session after the game because Kady started in with an earache and sore throat just before halftime and spent from that point on lying in my lap and crying.

Pitiful, huh?

We'll definitely go back before the season ends and guess what? You can go, too! Because One2One Network has bestowed upon me a code to get you discount tickets when you take your own family. I know, it really is awesome. Go here to order tickets and enter the code WNBABLOG at checkout and voila! Discount! It's anywhere from 20%-40% per ticket depending on the price range:

$10 tickets will be discounted to $8.

$19 tickets will be discounted to $12.

$25 tickets will be discounted to $15.

$55 tickets will be discounted to $30.

$60 tickets will be discounted to $35.

Neat, huh?

Big thanks to One2One Network for the tickets, autograph passes and the opportunity to experience the Tulsa Shock!

Shrek Forever After

Everyone loves Shrek. Okay, I really love Shrek. And Fiona, she's the ogre all girls secretly long to be. No? Just me?

We have had the Shrek Forever After game by Activision for Wii for a couple of weeks now and have really enjoyed learning the finer points of the game. I mean, how often do you get to assume the role of ogres, a righteously uhm....tough (?) kitty and a mouthy donkey then kick some serious rear in your own living room? Kady and Sam have played it more than the rest of us, but I keep telling them if they'd do some of their own laundry I could play more, too. They aren't buying it.

The drop-in/drop-out feature, however, allows me to holler at them for chores and it doesn't affect the gameplay of whoever they're playing with. They just drop out, take out the trash or empty the dishwasher, then jump right back in when they're done. Kady is 8 and has no trouble at all playing the games and figuring ou the puzzles. Sam just really likes it when Shrek burps. We can't wait to get two more controllers so we can take advantage of the four-player ability, too.

We're enjoying the swamp out of the Shrek Forever After video game. If you're looking for fun for the whole family, all at once or taking turns (a skill my children do not possess) it's the game for you and your crew of ogres!

Thanks to Mom Central for the opportunity!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Activision and received the items necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”