The Popsicle Stick Sculpture Contest

On August 18th our family will be attending the “Austin Ice cream festival”
What kind of contest would an Ice cream festival have? Well they’ll have an ice cream eating contest, an ice cream making contest and the one I’m going to enter…The Popsicle Stick Sculpture Contest!
Snippet:
"Make anything, yes anything out of Popsicle sticks. No pre-notched sticks allowed. Make your creation at home and bring it to the festival or make it at the festival. Get creative and have fun! You can use adhesives and decorations, but the primary building material must be Popsicle sticks. Who wants to be the Popsicle Stick Building Champion? All ages’ welcome. Free to all.”

Here are some photos from my entry, I still need to do some touch up work on them but you can get the idea!
We had family craft day yesterday and I never had so much fun with Popsicle sticks! I worked off and on for 12 hours between helping the kids with their projects and working on mine.

They stand about 18/20 inches tall and are made with love, Popsicle sticks, glue, paint and other little details like buttons!
I’ll need to put a shelf up in the game room to display them after the contest.
Win or lose I think I did a great job and…..Now I have some real PRO’s to play Wii with!
Also the kids have just flipped over them they want me to make a luigi, princess Peach, and Bowser! WOW we’d have the whole family!
I doubt I’ll “really” make all those but make some other classics would be fun!

Game Camp

Austin Community College has A Game Camp for Children 10-17.

My kids would love to attend this summer camp but with a price tag of 500.00 - 625.00 we just can’t swing that for two kids with out getting a student loan! They do offer Scholarship Opportunities for who are nominated by a schoolteacher.

“Requirements: Applicants must submit an official GameCamp! Scholarship application that includes a nomination letter written by one of the applicant’s schoolteachers explaining why this promising student should receive a GameCamp! Scholarship.”

Here is a snippet of the three summer camp classes they offer.
Our Son wants to attend the “Hardcore Gamers camp” Shoot I wish I could go too!
I’m going to try and get the kids in on that scholarship deal next year!

“Basic Camp:
Basic Commuter - This camp is our basic introduction to the video game development industry. Designed for students from 10-17 years of age, we focus on all aspects of the game industry so that students take away a well rounded experience. Instruction covers the game development process from idea creation to a game design pitch. Students will take away knowledge of how programming, art, production and design work together to create video games. Students work in groups and with industry mentors to discover their skill interests and learn about the tools and processes used by video game developers.
Advanced Camp:
Advanced Commuter - This camp focuses on advancing the student's game development skills in a chosen field. Whether the focus is software skills, college preparation, leadership, teamwork, or creativity, students will go to the next level in achieving their college and career goals and eventually working in the game industry. The advanced curriculum is customized by parents and students with the help of the GameCamp! staff. Attendance at a 'Basic' camp or a personal interview is required for attending the advanced camp.
Hardcore Gamers:
Hardcore Gamers Camp - Students will learn game design in a more hands-on gaming approach. The hardcore camp is for students less interested about careers as game developers but more serious about playing games competively. Students will learn the tricks of good map and level design, compete in team-based tournaments to help build communication skills, and develop, test and play their own game modifications. “

There’s only three camps left this summer, so I don’t see them getting to go but I can start making plans for next summer.

Why does summer camp have to be so expensive :( I wonder if I could be a teachers Aid at the camp?!? I may have to look into that!

Play Attention

Play attention is a game designed to help families with ADHD children. Our son was diaganosed four years ago at age six. I found this website and found it interesting.
Play attetion is a learning system that uses a helmet to read brain signals weird hu! The game is supose to help adhd children improve on their concentration skills , improve memory, and learn to filter out distractions.

You can order a free demo cd which I have already done. As cool as this idea is it’s not for my family. Other than I’m not paying 2,000.00 for any kind of game alone the graphics didn’t look like anything my son would really be impressed with.
I could see how this would be helpful in younger grades as maybe a learning center in the classroom.

Snippet from the site
“Can I see a live demonstration?
Every Thursday evening, we offer a free online teleseminar. Our CEO and founder, Peter Freer, conducts a lively and informative presentation and encourages the online audience to interact freely during the discussion. Our free teleseminar is your opportunity to see Play Attention live on your desktop PC, and to get answers to your most difficult questions from an ADHD expert.”

Go check out the site read it over and give me your thought on this idea~

Pay to play or Pay Allowance?

What is the going rate for a Childs allowance nowadays? Do Parents still pay for a child doing chores?
I wasn’t one of the kids who got an allowance growing up. It was just expected that if you lived in the family house you helped with the family chores no compensation needed.

My Husband however was one of the lucky ones who got an allowance. He got enough money to buy one Star wars figure a week. If you think about that and the current costs of an action figure now (6.99 +) that means I’d be paying each of my kids 28.00 bucks a month adding a bill of 56.00 to our monthly budget! That’s 3 months of World of Warcraft! Or whatever pay to play you are playing.

We don’t pay any allowance in our house. What we do is if you have pulled your weight around the house doing family chores we will pay for your pay to play game account for 1 month. Yes, there has been months that the kids haven’t played but it’s completely up to them. We don’t have a chore list (Well “They” don’t I do lol) If I ask someone to do something twice I don’t ask again I’ll ask the other kid and if neither do it 1. My husband or myself will do it or 2. I remind them that they wont be playing games and that normally fixes their attitudes real quick. Really we don’t get too much attitude when it comes to helping out. Our Daughter likes the inside chores like Loading the dishwasher, gathering the dirty clothes and Our Son likes the Outside Chores like Mowing the Grass or taking out the trash can that kind of stuff.
I think they are getting a really good deal. What do you think?

“Your Parents play video games?”

I hear that a lot whenever a new friend or classmate comes to our house. It just boggles their minds that parents are into videogames. You should see the look on their faces when their friends come to the door and the get told “I’ll be out in an hour were in the middle of a raid” What?! You want to sped time with your parents? How weird!
Our house is the most hoping place in the neighborhood! I will only allow 2 friends each at a time (Because that’s 6 kids!) so it’s funny to hear the door bell and my kids will say oh so and so is inside right now can ya come back? And they actually stand there waiting so they don’t lose their spot in line! That is so crazy lol
Every parent in the neighborhood has our phone number and we are the first people they call if it’s time for their kids to go home.
We bought a 52 inch T.V for the Wii (We didn’t have a T.V in the living room before the Wii) we have the N64 set up in our sons room, we have 4 game boy colors and one DS lite a few plug and play games as well as 5 PC’s set up in our house. So there plenty for 6 kids to do without arguing over who plays what.
Summer has been crazy too; it seems that every night someone is asking to sleep over.
I just love it!
If you future Gamer Parents want some advice- Buy loads of popcorn it’s a cheap healthy snack and I haven’t met one kid who didn’t enjoy a fist full of warm popcorn and a controller in their hands! Not to mention it makes your house smell like a Video Arcade in a theater hehe
Nana~

Is talking to your kids Via (IM) easier?

Is it really less pressure for kids to talk to their parents about "Hard to talk about subjects" online?

Personally I have found the answer to that; Yes. Sometimes kids really "Want" to talk to their parents but are afraid of "The Stare" or the sudden explosion of Mom or Dads head when they ask something completely off the wall.

We started of Basic with the Yahoo IM - Hey, How was School today? Small chat stuff we have no issues with face to face. Then I set up personal emails for them, and we would Email each other like " Hey mom I found this dress on hottopic.com think we can go look at it this weekend?" or "Hey Son Do you think you could Mow the grass on Sat.?" This alone helped our face-to-face conversations go much smoother than the typical "Eek it's MOM run away she won't understand!"

We also used IM's, emails and in game chats to study school work- Hey Son what's 9*9? Or we would yell out words and have them spell them in personal chat back to us. (This really helped our Daughter out in 3rd grade!) That and all the reading of quests in W.O.W really helped and Pronouncing some of their names was interesting!

Then one day came the "Mom can I talk to you for a minute" IM. ME: Sure Honey what's up? KID: I want to talk to you but I'm kind of scared too can we talk like this? ME: Okay, Sure :) Then (Kid) tells me about some personal stuff going on at School and wants advice from me "MOM" Sweet!
Ever since then this kid of mine (unnamed lol) will talk to me about some really personal things face to face and knows I'm not going to freak out- I'm just here to offer advice. Most of the time it's stuff that's really important to them and I'm sitting there bracing for some crazy hard to answer question and it's something simple like "So and So wont be my friend if I'm friends with So and So" lol Doesn't that bring back School memories!?

Both of my kids talk to me about Boyfriends/Girlfriends and crazy things I would never have told my Mom let alone ask her for Advice! (Things change! I call my mom everyday now!) and neither of my kids HAVE Boyfriend/Girlfriends just "crushes".

I am NOT saying, "Don't talk to your kids and avoid face to face conversations with them at all costs!" LOL. What I am saying is if you're a Parent and either You or your kids feel uncomfortable talking face to face give online chat a try, it could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship with your kids! And it could improve their typing skills! :P

Now...What are your thoughts on this?

Harry Potter fans!

The time is near for us to pull out our favorite Harry Potter costumes or Tee Shirts and head to where ever you will be getting your copy of Book 7!
I am excited to find out that we have two local places that are doing something special for the midnight release!

Both of these places will be having a costume contest and well I’m pulling out my fabric pile looking for something to make! You know how crazy I am when it comes to costumes! And I work best under time pressures. So off I go to play dress up!
If you are a fan of if you are looking for a family event to attend pop in to these sites and push in your Zip code to see if your local stores will be doing anything~

Barnes & Noble says they will have:
· Enchanting Activities
· Prizes and giveaways
· Photo Opportunities
· And Unique items for sale in store!

Wal-mart has announced that they will be giving out wristbands to save your place in line so you can enjoy the entertainment they will be providing!

I feel like it’s the Day after Thanksgiving all over again standing outside with my little slip of Paper that says I’m number 16 in line to get my Wii!

Wal-mart says they will have:
· Trivia challenges
· Exclusive keepsakes
· Costume contests in select stores. Call your local store for further details

Please note that the Harry Potter wristband ensures a place in line, but does not guarantee book availability. Purchase(s) can be made while supplies last.

If you like to write this may be something you want to read! It looks interesting

Cerise Magazine
Here is A snippet from their site.
"Cerise is a magazine aimed primarily at women gamers. We are interested in work that engages with gender while addressing various facets of gaming, including the following:
Reviews of games, systems and gaming supplements
In-depth critiques, essays and opinion pieces about gaming
Interviews with industry professionals
Gamer Stories: personal narratives about gaming experiences
Modules and mini-adventures for tabletop games "
Interested? Click HERE

Armadillocon 29

Armadillocon 29

Aug 10 - 12, 2007 in Austin, Texas (United States)
Doubletree Hotel Austin, 6505 IH-35 North, Austin, TX 78752-4346, Phone: 512-454-3737
"ArmadilloCon is a literary science fiction convention held annually in Austin, with several hundred attendees. The primary focus of ArmadilloCon is literary science fiction, but that's not all we do -- we also pay attention to art, animation, science, media, and gaming. Every year, dozens of professional writers, artists and editors attend the convention. Sometimes they come to make deals, but more often they come to have fun"
Current 3-day Pass: $30($40 for at the door)
1-day Pass:Friday: $20Saturday: $25Sunday: $20
Kids:6 & Under: Free7 - 12: $2013 & Older: Full Price
Right here in Austin Texas you better believe we will be there!
Nana~

CPL Championships (TX)

"The Summer 2007 CPL® Championships will take place Thursday, August 30th to Sunday, September 2nd, 2007 (Labor Day Weekend) at the Hilton Anatole, in Dallas Texas."
Cplworldtour.com
We may try to attend this event if it works out with my husbands new work schedule and the Kids School schedule. It's on Labor Day weekend so I would think everything would work out fine!
It's in Dallas and we will be there (Pretty sure we will be) that weekend visiting family.
If you live in or near Dallas and want to check it out here is the link for the Dallas event!
CPL Dallas
If your going let me know maybe we can meet up for Coffee!

Animefest 2007 DallasTexas

"AnimeFest is a non-profit organization for fans of Japanese Animation. We unite fans from around the country in our common interest and gather at our annual convention in Dallas, TX for the purpose of meeting fellow fans, viewing new anime, buying & trading merchandise, and just reveling in all that is anime."
Labor Day WeekendFri Aug 31st - Mon Sept 3th, 2007Location: Hyatt Regency at Reunion Tower Dallas Texas
CosPlay will be Saturday night! Oh man I can't wait to see the costumes! In case you have not figured it out yet I am a costume fanatic! I love making them and I will find every reason to get into one.
If you plan on attending this event let me know!
(This is the same weekend as the CPL in Dallas so why not plan on attending both events!)
Full Memberships: Valid from date of purchase through Dec 31st 2007
$15 - Child (8-12) Membership
$30 - If postmarked by July 31st
$35 - If postmarked by Mon Aug 13th or paid online by credit card by Fri Aug 24th
$40 - Purchased at the door
Single Day Memberships: Valid for one day only, only available at the door.
$25 - Friday Only
$25 - Saturday Only
$25 - Sunday Only
$15 - Monday Only

The New Miss Video Game Site!

Hey everyone go check out the New MVG Site!
It's got blogs- Live time chat- and GAMES!
I love the classic Games!
They are working on adding new features everyday so go check it out and sign up to beat the current high score!

GamerParents photo going to be in a book!

Found out last week that our Family Photo will be in somewhere in this book, that is some what exciting. Can't say we have ever been in a book before :)

I hope it's a good book!

Play the Game: A Parents guide to video games
Book Description:
Do you think your kids play too many video games? Can’t understand why your child is so addicted to video games? Or do you actually play the video games with your child? Play the Game: A Parent’s Guide to Video Games will help you understand what your kids play? and why! You’ll discover the latest research on both violent and educational aspects of video games that debunks all the myths sensationalized by the media. This guide provides everything you need to know to truly communicate with your kids about games. Play the Game will take you on a guided tour through this new universe that captivates your kids.

Our trip to the WSVG Dallas 2007

Our Family at WSVG 2007 Dallas TX - Dark photo sorry!

Our Son trying out the Intel Race Car (They took a photo in the car and gave you some really neat racing things!)

Our Son and his friend dancing at the Intel booth ( They got free flashdrives with your commercial one them!)
Our Sons friend won the Drawing for some free loot at the wsvg!(XFX headphones)

We had a lot of fun- Played a lot of games- watched the guitar hero contest and seen some badass 8-10 yr olds tear it up!
We got A LOT of free loot
4- 512 flash drives 4- 512 compact flash
Some Scion glowing necklaces in blue and in red and some Scion dog tags.
Tee shirts from all different vendors
Posters from Nvidia and door tags for the kids that say "Go away I'm gaming".
Some stress squishies from Comp U.S.A
The free photo in the Intel car and some neat racing fact cards.
Some Pens and some Bracelets
WHEW!

Once again we had a blast and people were complaining about the noise..
Last Year Creative had a booth that was set up like Jeopardy and they gave out some really fantastic prizes- They were getting people to scream Xfi- sound blaster- etc and people were cheering in general. People complained about the noise.
This year was the same..
They had a stage set up for a guitar hero contest and some of these people were really shredding it up! I loved it when the kids would jump or slide across the stage it was a lot of fun! Well afterwards I read an article where people were complaining about the noise...
Sigh...Get over it. You are at a Gaming convention not a Library
Sports in all forms = Music, Cheering and noise Bring earplugs if it bugs ya!
We had a GREAT time and the kids are already talking about going next year!

Laugh at us courtesy of Intel!

This year at the WSVG Dallas Intel had a really neat commercial making booth and if you danced they gave out free loot!
Well…We love free loot so we had to go make fools out of ourselves!
And now I’m posting it in public so the world can share our laughter!

We did end up getting 4 Intel 512 Flash drives so to me that’s worth the silly little dance!
Enjoy!
Can not wait until next Years WSVG!

Intel WSVG

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