I am a huge fan of the Cranium games. I have only played the games geared for kids and families but as a mom and an educator I have enjoyed playing with family members ages 4-65. This summer I was excited when I saw that Cranium Kabookii had come out for Wii. I saw it at Target for $19.99 and I checked out the package it didn’t have any age on it just rated E for everyone and the cover said “Family-Night fun for everyone!” I purchased this game for my nephew’s 7th birthday and couldn’t wait until his party so I could play. Cranium Kabookii is a team game and requires a minimum of 4 players/2 teams but needs only 1 Wii remote. Each turn the player whose turn it is uses the remote to spin the carousel which randomly chooses the activity for you. There are 15 different activities in Kabookii and they are based on the 4 characters in all of the Cranium games-Data Heads, Star Performer, Creative Cat and Word Worm. The spinner then works with his teammates to solve the problem posed in the activity. If your team gets it correct you gain coins which are necessary for winning the game. Play then passes to the next team. The 15 activities are:

• Globetrotter-which is a world map activity
• Selectaquest-which is a multiple choice trivia question
• Polygraph-a true/false question
• Memoroll-same as memoroll in the other Cranium games except you are rolling the virtual cubes and placing them on the grid
• Cameo-is a list of activities for you to perform with the Wii remote (such as hammering a nail or playing the violin
• Talkback Cameo-is Cameo with a twist-your back is to the screen and your teammates are telling you what actions to perform
• Songpong-is you playing a song with the Wii remote and your teammates naming the tune before time runs out
• Reverb-is a musical memory game (think Simon)
• Blankout-gives you a clue and you need to spin dials to spell the correct answer
• Gliffitii-is another spelling game but you use brushstrokes of parts of letters to create the necessary letters
• Zelpuz-is a puzzle spelling game-they give you a clue and all of the letters you just need to put them in the correct order
• Cloodle-is a drawing game
• Ripstrip Cloodle-is Cloodle but the image disappears as you are creating it
• Graffitii-is a spray paint drawing game
• Stickerdoodle-is a game that uses basic shapes to make pictures

The basic gameplay is just like that of other Cranium games. This is definately a good game for larger groups 4-20 people could easily play this together. It is fun to share the Wii game experience in a group setting.

The controls for this game are not very intuitive. Adults I played with had trouble with all of the different ways the Wii remote could be used-shaking seemed the most difficult for all ages. The drawing games are very difficult with the Wii remote. Pointing at the TV screen and holding down “A” while trying to draw a flamingo is a complicated task. Never mind when you are in Ripstrip Cloodle and the design you just drew is disappearing before you finish your drawing.

The most disturbing part of this game is that it is marketed as “family friendly” and is rated E. Every time we have played this game, we have had questions about alcoholic beverages. The latest was a Selectaquest question that asked “Which of these is not an ingredient in a Mojito?” and the answer was Triple Sec. When my 13 yr old son looked at me and asked, “What is a Mojito?” my question was, “Why is a family game asking my child this question?” Any other video game I have seen with alcohol reference in it has been labeled as such with the game rating. There is no such warning on Cranium Kabookii.

Another concern with this game is the fact that the multiple spelling games require at least a 4th grade spelling ability. After much searching I did find where, in small print, it states “Basic reading ability is needed to fully enjoy this game.” In my opinion this does not make it a family night game if your family includes children ages 4-10. The difficult controls also make this game not appropriate for young children.

My overall rating-2.25

Value for the price-4

Family Friendly-2

Ease of Use-2

Truth in Advertising-1

I would not recommend this game for families with children under age 10 or for families that do not want alcohol references in their home.

This is a fun party game for an adult only crowd.

Several years ago, we finally decided the boys were old enough for a video game system. The big question was, “Which system is right for us?” The boys each had a Nintendo Gameboy Color, but that didn’t necessarily mean we had to get a Gamecube. I did lots of research like what types of games were available, price and availability. I asked lots of friends their opinions and we decided on the Nintendo Gamecube.
Later my oldest got a Gameboy Advanced for his birthday and my younger son got a Gameboy Advanced SP for his birthday. Two Christmases ago I received a Nintendo DS, and last Christmas we added a Nintendo Wii to our home and we love it.

Yes, we have become a Nintendo family. That doesn’t mean that it is the right decision for you. I recently came across a publication that does a lot of the research for you. Click here. I hope this helps you add the correct system to your home.

The Mom Maven want to share some awesome dinnertime helpers for all my blog readers. As a mom I know how hard it is to constantly come up with new dinnertime meals that everyone in the family will enjoy.

#1 Menu Planning Central is a menu planning service with a special focus on healthy, family friendly menus. Members get 12 weekly menus and more. Here’s how you can save: go to Menu Planning Central and sign up with the site, look around and at check out use the code GIVETHNKS to save 50% off your own menu plans or gift accounts you buy for friends and family. *This coupon code is only good November 26-December 1, 2008.

#2 Dine Without Whine is offering you 2 amazing discounts! Visit Dine Without Whine and check out all of the plans that they offer. When you check out use either coupon code

a) GIVETHANKS to receive 25% Off a 6 or 12 Month Membership or

b) LIFETIME85 to ourchase a Lifetime Membership for Only $85 (Save $54.95) *This coupon code is only good November 27-December 1, 2008.

Enjoy these great savings and have a Happy Thanksgiving from

The Mom Maven.

I am having trouble believing that next week is Thanksgiving. I’m having even more trouble realizing that I have done no Christmas shopping yet, honestly I’ve barely even thought about what to buy. Well, if you need to by presents for kids, and who doesn’t, and if you like to give fun, educational gifts, I have the answer for you.

I came across a great website Small World Toys. They offer tons of great, affordable educational and imaginitive play toys from top brands like-IQ Baby, Ryan’s Room, Puzzibilities, The World of Eric Carle and more. Small World Toys offers great prices too. Most of the items on their website are under $20. They also offer free shipping on orders over $100. I have worked with Small World Toys to get a 20% discount for all of my readers! Visit their website, pick your gifts and at checkout use code 143 to receive 20% off your entire order. This offer is good through December 13th. I am so excited to work with Small World Toys to offer you this amazing deal. Happy shopping.

Cindy

I love gift cards! I love to give them and receive them. I am known to horde my gift cards so that when the time is right I can buy the exact item I want. I also love to give gift cards as gifts. I enjoy searching out just the right store or restaurant that would make the recipient happy, and then purchasing the card. Gift cards have also made it easier to ship gifts to relatives who live far away. To send a gift card to my niece up north all I have to do is pop it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and mail it. Gift cards require no special boxes or trips to the post office or UPS Store.

So far I have raved about the positives of gift cards from both the giver’s and receiver’s points of view. Unfortunately, there are 2 major points to be made on the rant side of this subject. First, beware of the terms of the gift card. This holds especially true for Mall gift cards and the Visa gift cards. (To date I have not had or heard from anyone who has had trouble with the American Express or Mastercard gift Cards). This is how I learned the hard way.

My husband and I each received $50 Visa gift cards from a family member last Christmas. The terms on the back stated that charges would begin to be deducted 12 months after activation. I used $40 of mine in January and then carried the card around for months. In August I took my husband out for dessert and planned on paying with my Visa gift card. When we went to pay the bill my gift card was rejected. Luckily, between the two of us we had enough cash to cover the bill. When we got home I checked the card out online and Visa had been deducting $1.50 a month since April! He called and the customer service rep. told him that they changed their policy in March. He fought with the lady and she added back all of the charges that had been put on our cards and told us we had to use them by the 24th of the month or we would be charged again. We thought Visa gift cards would be safe to hold on to but they aren’t. They have the right to change their terms anytime they want. Malls are also known to depreciate the value of their gift cards if they are not used by a specific date.

The Christmas shopping season is now upon us. If you are planning on purchasing gift certificates to give or if you receive any as presents use them soon after Christmas to avoid a major headache. The following stores have informed the Securities exchange that they plan on closing some or all of their retail locations between October 2008 and January 2009. If you are stuck with an unredeemed gift card after the store closes you are out of luck.

Companies closing all of their stores:

• Cache
  
• Talbots
  
• J. Jill
• Wickes Furniture
• Levitz Furniture
• Bombay
  
• Whitehall
  
• Piercing Pagoda
  
• Linens and Things
  
• Movie Gallery
  
• Pacific Sunwear
  
• Wilson Leather
  
• Sharper Image

Companies closing a large number of their retail stores:

• Circuit City (number of stores closing unknown)
• JC Penney (number of stores closing unknown)
• Dillards (number of stores closing unknown)
  
• Ann Taylor-117 stores closing nationwide
• Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug and Catherine’s-150 stores closing nationwide
• Eddie Bauer-at least 27 stores closing nationwide
• GAP-85 stores closing nationwide
• Footlocker-at least 140 stores closing nationwide
• Zales-at least 82 stores closing nationwide
• Disney Store-at least 98 stores closing nationwide
• Home Depot- 15 stores closing nationwide
• Macys-9 stores to close nationwide
• Pep Boys- 33 stores closing nationwide
• Sprint/Nextel- 133 stores closing nationwide
• Ethan Allen- 12 stores closing nationwide
• K B Toys-356 stores closing nationwide
  

A few closing thoughts on gift cards this holiday season.

1. Give a gift card to a store the recipient actually likes to shop at. Many gift cards go unused because the recipient says they couldn’t find anything to buy.
2. Consider giving cash instead-it is alw
   ays spendable.
   
3. Do your homework on the terms of the gift card. If you choose to give a card with strict terms, inform the recipient of those terms.
   
4. If you receive a gift card as a gift, use it. According to Best Buy, in 2006 they had $43 million in unused gift cards on their books from the past two years.

Have a blessed Christmas.