nintendo

ReviewsTravel

That Time I Went To A Legend of Zelda Symphony And Forgot My Pointy Ears

by Jill
written by Jill

Somewhere along the way on this blogging journey, someone at Nintendo thought I might make a good brand ambassador. I honestly don’t know what blog post they stumbled upon that did not make mention of chunks of my nipples falling off or detail my slow spiral into insanity as I drowned in pee and potty-training mishaps, but, for whatever reason, they were not scared or disgusted by me.

And the last year working with them has. been. awesome.

NOT just because they send us new Wii games (like Kirby’s Return To Dreamland) before they’re even available for purchase, or because they’ve sent me on 2 vacations work trips this year (more on that in a bit), but because they 100% respect and value me as a blogger, consumer, and businesswoman. That’s a very hard to find unicorn in this blogging business.

(Click through from my homepage for the rest of the story, including pictures of breastmilk alongside bottles of liquor.)

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ReviewsTravel

#NintendoEnthused And Loving It! My Solo Seattle Trip Re-cap

by Jill
written by Jill

I’m sure you all can gather that everyone survived my trip to Seattle last week. I am actually NOT needed to produce the oxygen that keeps my children and husband breathing, it seems. Though, I could argue that in my absence my children end up looking a wee bit ridiculous (or we could just call it “cute”).

"Dad? Is this really appropriate attire for the batting cages? On that note, BATTING CAGES?"

Don’t worry, I’m told he actually didn’t take them *inside* the batting cages. I don’t know what’s cuter, the above ensemble or the dress she wore to pick me up that was on backwards.

You know how I was saying I sort of hoped my husband wouldn’t have an “easy” time with them? I got a lovely dose of validation in the form of text message the 2nd night I was gone.

Going to bed early. Kids wiped me out. Preparing for tomorrow.

I received it while sitting at a super fancy sushi dinner with hilarious, inspiring bloggers I idolize. It was a pretty great moment, knowing I wasn’t the one in the trenches by myself this time, but instead the one networking and talking shop over an alcoholic beverage in an outfit that was completely free of any and all baby spit up.

And that wasn’t even the coolest part.

Nintendo really outdid themselves for this Nintendo 3DS Summit. We stayed at the lovely Bellevue Hyatt. I had an entire king sized bed and, most importantly, bathroom all to myself for two nights.

"Squish!" That's what it sounded like when I fell onto it. So soft. So fluffy. So obviously missing wandering pacifiers and bed-hog dogs.

And the view!! Beautifully gray. Yes, the gray was actually charming. People from Seattle kept apologizing for the weather, which confused me. Isn’t rainy and gray to be expected in Seattle? Let me tell you, if you come to Texas in August, I’m not going to feel compelled to apologize for our 95+ temps. You, after all, get to leave.

So, the whole point of the trip actually wasn’t to send me on a sanity saving vacation (but super awesome bonus!). It was actually to show me and about 100+ others the MIND BLOWING new Nintendo 3DS. This thing is not your grade school Game Boy. I am not exaggerating one bit when I say this is the coolest game playing device ever (at least in my opinion). It’s 3D without the glasses. And yeah, it may make you feel drunk sometimes (although I learned it’s easy to control this feeling by turning down the amount of 3D on the device by the slide of a switch on the face).

After a super secret behind the scenes tour of the Nintendo building, including a welcome from President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime, and some time trying out a few of the new 3DS games (Nintendogs & Cats makes me wonder if I could convince the family to adopt just virtual pets from now on), we all came home with our very own Nintendo 3DS!

The best part about having a toddler and a newborn is I don’t have to share! Actually, I do plan on letting Kendall play a few games every now and then, especially on long car trips, but I’ll be sure to go into the parental controls first to completely disable the 3D option since it’s not advisable for children under 7 to be exposed to 3D, according to Nintendo.

Y’all, have I told you how much I love this blog and the opportunities it keeps brining me? It has been a dream to align with Nintendo over the last 6 months. They are a brand that’s really doing social media and blogger outreach right. And that is so refreshing, not to mention an honor to be a part of.

Now, I know I still need to get that EA Active group together for those of you who want to workout with me on your Wii. It’s making it’s way back to the top of my priority list, and I’ll let you all know when I have more details. For now, I’m going to sign off, still riding my high from my child free 2.5 days, and go help my husband get the kids in bed. Yeah, okay…. so maybe I missed them. A lot.

Kendall is 2 years 11 months, Leyna is 3 months old, and that Nintendo 3DS is allllll mine!

**Disclosure- Nintendo flew me out to Seattle, all expenses paid, and also provided me the Nintendo 3DS at no cost. All opinions are completely my own.

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ReviewsTravel

Look At Me! I’m An Ostrich! #NintendoEnthused

by Jill
written by Jill

I’m burying my head in the sand right now. I’m ignoring the fact that in less than 24 hours I will be in Seattle… by myself.

Well, not *really* by myself. I’ll be there with a whole bunch of other Nintendo Ambassadors for the launch of the Nintendo 3DS, but I will be there without my husband, without my toddler, and without my baby.

You know? The one who relies on me for 100% of her nourishment? The one who empties my boobs every few hours? The one who was only born 3 months ago? She is going to be half way across the country from me.

::excuse me while I take a minute to breathe through the anxiety::

When Nintendo invited me to this launch last month, I was over the moon thrilled. At first, I figured I’d bring Leyna with me and ask my sister-in-law, who lives up there, to babysit for me, but just thinking about all that would entail made things seem very complicated. I’d have to either bring pumped milk with me or pump enough when I got there to leave with her while I was out, and, after reviewing my packed itinerary, I realized I’d be out a lot. Then there was the whole stress of bringing her on a plane with me and packing the baby gear.

I briefly contemplated retracting my acceptance to the event, but my husband encouraged me to go. He will watch both the kids, he assured me. They will ALL be fine without me, he promised. “Go, have fun, enjoy the break,” he said.

And so he will. And so I am.

The freezer is full of pumped milk, and I’ll be bringing along my Hygeia Enjoye double electric pump to maintain my supply while I’m gone. I’m trying to decide on a bag that I can carry through Nintendo HQ that’s big enough to fit my pump in without screaming, “LOOK OUT! LACTATING MOTHER COMING THROUGH!”

Picking out my wardrobe is overwhelming, but I get the added perk of not having to plan my outfits around easy access to the boobs. It will be difficult, though, to make myself take pumping breaks. I’m thinking I’ll set timers on my phone to go off every 3 hours during the day to remind myself (or maybe I can get away with every 4-5 if I pump both sides at once?).

I still have no clue what I’m going to do with the milk once it’s pumped. I hate to think of dumping all of that, but I also hate to think of the hassle of bringing it all home. This trip is already stressing me out more than I’d like it to, and I think I’d feel better if I allow myself to un-complicate things a bit and not worry about the logistics of storing and traveling home with a cooler of breastmilk. We’ll see. I may dump the stuff I pump while out, and keep the stuff I pump at the hotel as a compromise.

I’ve been avoiding actually getting ready for this trip all week. I don’t know why. I really am quite excited about it. I’ve never been to Seattle, the launch is going to freaking rock. I’m hoping to see my brother and sister-in-law there, and I can’t wait to see Nintendo HQ and be a part of the fun and tell you all about it when I get back. It’s just… deep down… well, I’m a mom, and I worry, and of course, I feel like nobody in this house can survive without me, which I get is ridiculously egotistical on my part.

I’m sure Scott will be fine. The kids will be fine. Everyone will be happy when I get home. Nothing disastrous will have happened.  I must admit, though, the last reaction I want to hear from Scott when I get home was that everything was “easy.” Because, for me, 2.5 days by myself with both the kids leaves me wanting a one way ticket to a tropical island or a treatment center. I sort of hope he experiences just an ounce of that same frazzled feeling. I’m a mean wife like that.

So, here I sit. It’s nap time and I really must start packing, but instead I’m blogging. I should color my hair, but I’ll probably return some emails. I should coordinate all my details and print out itineraries, but I’ll probably work on this yarn wreath I’ve been making. (Note- none of my distractions involve cleaning this house. Procrastination doesn’t work that way for me.) And then, sometime around 10 tonight, I’ll probably be an emotional, ridiculous, bitchy mess getting everything together.

It’s probably best that way. Then everyone will be really happy to see me leave.

I leave you all with a question- What would you wear for such an event when the temps in Seattle are in the 50s and rain is predicted the entire time I’m there? I was thinking some boots over my new Yummie Tummie leggings (wheee!! skinny!!!) and some sort of top with my jean jacket??? But, alas, I am fashion clueless and am open to all suggestions. Also, there will be a night we go out to a fancy dinner. I honestly don’t know what to do with myself.

I guess I need to give some disclosure on this post. Nintendo is sending me to Seattle for the launch of the Nintendo 3DS at no cost to me. I’ll be blogging and tweeting about it as I see fit.

 


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Fashion & FitnessReviews

Who Wants to Get Their Wii Workout On With Me?

by Jill
written by Jill

It’s been 7 weeks since I walked into the hospital at 7 centimeters and squeezed my little chubster out 2 hours later. She is getting bigger every day, and I, thankfully, seem to be getting smaller.

At my 6 week appointment last week I learned I am 15 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight, having lost 28 lbs since Leyna was born. I’m wearing my first pair of non-elastic waist pants today, and while I’m happy with my progress so far (go calorie burning boobies!), I’m eager to tone up, slim down, and fit back into some more of my old clothes.

Now, before some of you start telling me to “take it easy,” believe me when I say I’m not about to embark on some sort of crash diet. I get that I may not lose all of those last 15 lbs for a long time, especially while I’m still breastfeeding. It’s not so much about the weight for me as it is about just getting active again and firming up a bit. Before I got pregnant with Leyna, I was fresh out of training for and running a marathon and in the best shape of my adult life. I don’t want to get too far from where I was. I don’t want to get too comfortable, too complacent.

But how will I fit in working out with 2 kids now? Especially after we had to cancel our membership to 24 Hour Fitness because I’d rather leave my children in the care of monkeys who very well may throw feces at them than the people they choose to staff their childcare center with. I can’t run with Leyna just yet, she’s too small for the jogging stroller and it’s still a little too chilly for long runs.

Enter the Wii.

As a pre-teen, I played Nintendo for hours on end. I’m fairly certain I spent an entire summer cooped up in my best friend’s room, tirelessly plugging away at Super Mario Brothers 1,2 and 3 until we beat each one. I was, to be completely honest with you all, a TOTAL NINTENDO BADASS. You know… until that became WAY uncool,and, like, I wanted to impress boys and stuff… so then I started playing with makeup.

Then last year the lovely Justine from Brand About Town reached out to me to see if I might be interested in becoming a Nintendo Ambassador. I think my inner 11 year old peed herself a little while the outter 29 year old tried her very best to remain composed and calm at our casual meeting.

A couple months later, Nintendo sent me a Wii and a Wii Fit Plus system and the love affair began all over again. I’ve been itching to dig in and get a good workout on, and now that I’m finally cleared for such things, I can’t wait to begin!

As a Nintendo Ambassador, I get to try out cool new games, like the newly released Mario Sports Mix. I also get to rope my husband into fun challenges and convince him he must dress up in dorky gear and team up with me to play another team for the chance to win personalized Nintendo jerseys (awesomest prize ever). We took the whole thing very seriously… and it paid off!

While I had a blast playing Mario Sports Mix and challenging Vanessa from Chefdruck Musings in Chicago via Wii’s WiFi Connect this weekend, I’m ready to get serious about using the Wii to get back into shape. I happened to stumble across a crazy good deal on the EA Sports Active 2 for Wii (only $19 at Toys R Us!) and picked it up yesterday.

I hope to set it up later tonight and get in my first good workout in nearly a year. I know there are a ton of other fun, active games for the Wii, though, so please tell me if you have one that rocks your socks off and makes you sweat! So far, Zumba and Just Dance are also on my workout wish list. Any others?

Have you had any success with working out on the Wii? Want to join me over the next couple months? I read there’s a way to set up a fitness group of friends with the EA Active. Would any of you be interested in joining in? I’d have to do a little more research to see how that works, but I’m sure I can get my friends at Nintendo to help me figure it out.

Kendall is 2 2/3 and Leyna is 7 weeks old today! And momma is ready to get her skinny jeans back on 🙂

**Disclosure- Nintendo sent the Wii, Wii Fit Plus and games to me at no charge. They also sent those rock star headbands, armbands and SEX-AY socks because they are awesome like that.

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