Plyometrics Workout

I was browsing through a Yahoo Health article called Terrific Toners In Less Time, written by Lucy Danziger and found a great video that gives examples of Plyometric exercises. The video is from Self.com, here is the link: Plyometrics Workout

This workout looks fun and is a great way to melt fat and burn calories through jumping and hopping. They are good because they torch a lot of calories and are considered cardio, so you can do them in place of other cardio activities.

I am not a workout type of a person because I get bored pretty easily and lose motivation. However, these exercises look fun and seem to get your heart rate up pretty easy. I will try them tonight and hope that I look as cute as the perky girl in the video - lol.

Movie Review: The House Bunny

I admit it, I rented this movie over the holidays. I really didn't expect a lot from this movie and this was a good thing, since there was not much to it.

Story: It's the story of a beautiful Playboy Bunny (Shelly), who lives at the Playboy Mansion, but has never been a centerfold. She becomes homeless and stubbles upon a sorority house and talks the girls into allowing her to be their house mom. The house is filled with misfits and losers who are about to lose their charter and their house. With Shelly's help, the girls throw a killer party, get make-overs and become popular. Shelly tries to win the heart of Oliver, played by Tom Hank's son, but has problems getting him to fall for her airhead persona (which is really just the way she is).

Characters: The character, Shelly, is bubbly, sweet as pie and dumb as a box of rocks. She uses her sex appeal to her advantage, with her skimpy clothes and a raspy voice. Guys will love this movie, especially the scene were she drops her towel and you get to see her back-side.

The misfits at the sorority house are as annoying as nails on a chalk board. There is the lead girl who looks somewhat mentally challenged and acts the part too. There is a girl with piercings all over her face with horrible hair and dresses like a guy. There are a variety of other characters in the movie that fit the stereo types the movie tries to portray. The MOST annoying character that drove me crazy was the "Lumber Jack" girl who really made you wonder if she was even a female. It was hard for me to watch this person, with her deep-throated voice, her hunch-back walk/run and the actual words that came out of her mouth. The second most annoying would be Rumor Willis' character, who lived in a full body brace because she was afraid to take it off years ago when it was medically possible. She mimicks the Forest Gump scene where she begins running and her brace magically falls off and underneath she has beautiful long hair, a hot body and skimpy clothes. UGH!!!!

On a good note, if you like The Girls Next Door, you will enjoy seeing cameos of the Girls and Hef throughout the movie.

Over-all, this movie was lame. I did find myself envious of Anna Faris' body and it is giving me motivation (this week) to try to start working out and eating better. LOL

Moving And The Race Against Time

Have you ever moved around the holidays? Let me tell you from experience, it's not any fun. This is probably the third time that I have done it in my adult life and you would think I would have learned my lesson.

Not only did we move 5 days before Christmas, but here it is, the day before Christmas Eve and I still have tons of shopping to do! The good news is that we are in our new house, after lots of hard labor (mine, Dan's, my mom's and some helpers) and we have lots already put away.

Next step: shop for gifts and groceries for Christmas dinner (oh yes, we are having it at our house). We have the tree and decorations up, so that is a huge plus!

After Christmas, but before the end of the first week in January, we have to clean our old house and get it looking presentable for the owners to regain possession.

My goal for next Christmas: Start shopping and saving money 6 months early, bake, actually make and mail my own cards (maybe even do a family picture card), get a tree early and put decorations up long enough to enjoy them.

Were you prepared for this holiday season? Have you ever had to move during the holidays? Tell us your story......

Would You Want To Smell Like A Burger?

Have you heard the news? Burger King, the fast food restaurant, is coming out with something other than burgers and fries. They have a new scent, a fragrance that sells for $3.99 on average and can be purchased for your favorite guy. The spray is called FLAME and it lives up to it's name. Not only will your man smell like a flame-broiled hamburger, but it is supposed to have the scent of seduction.

I don't know about you, but smelling cooked meat on a man just doesn't do it for me. How about you? Would you buy it for the love of your life?

Presents or Money?

I heard an interesting topic the other morning on my way to work. A valley Disc Jockey was asking the question, "Given the economy, would you prefer to receive money (gift card) or a present from your loved ones?"


I have thoughts about this, of course. Putting aside that the holiday is about giving and not receiving, I think it is wonderful to receive something that you want. Those that know me the best claim they have no idea what I want. I understand, I really do. I don't ever really want anything, but I would love to buy something, and have the means to do so, when I see it. I also know that if I were to buy them something that I think they might like, I might make a mistake.


So what's wrong with giving money or a gift card? Some will say that it takes away from gift giving and that you should put a lot of thought into what the person wants. I agree with this as well. However, some people, like myself, are hard to buy for. I am not offended if someone gets me a gift card and I always welcome money. Another comment I heard on the radio show was that someone might spend less on a present, but feel obligated to give more when money is being given.


How do you feel about this? What are your thoughts?

Tips For Remembering Names

Let's face it, first impressions are very important. When you meet someone for the first time, it is imperative to remember their name. Too many times when we meet people, we are eager to get to know them or introduce ourselves, that we forget to pay attention when the names are exchanged.

When someone introduces themselves, repeat their name after they say it. Let them know it is nice to meet them. For example, "Dan. Nice to meet you Dan, I am Jennifer." If possible, after finishing the conversation or when saying good-bye, repeat their name.

You can also use word associations or special tricks for trying to remember their names. I sometimes think of an actor/actress or famous person with the same name.

Lately, I don't remember anything unless I write it down or set an alarm or memo on my cell phone. This also helps in remembering names. Additionally, you can record a description of the person or something important you want to remember about them.

Introducing a person to someone else is another good way of remembering a name.

Most people are bad with names and don't hesitate to admit it. If you didn't catch their name or forget what they said, simply ask them for their name again. Using the wrong name is more embarrassing than having to ask.

BBQ Pumpkin Pie - Oh My!

This Thanksgiving, we were surprised by the phone call that Dan's sister and her family of five (+1 dog) were driving from CO to stay with us for the holiday. Once they got here, we received another surprise - his parents were able to make it as well. Their party of 7, plus our party of 5 and my mom, made for lots of holiday happenings.


My wonderful husband, Dan, is a great chef. Not only did he smoke ONE turkey in the bbq, he smoked TWO turkeys and bbq'd a pumpkin pie! Everyone could not go on enough about how awesome the meal was. Dan really did a great job. Kudos to everyone for their participation and for the wonderful contributions to the meal.


What was the main thing I loved about the meal? That superman himself told me I didn't have to lift a finger OR clean!!!! Can you believe that? I didn't think it was possible to love him any more, but after that comment, can you blame me?


Dan truly is a amazing man and I am lucky to have his love and support (and his wonderful cooking).

My Face Lift

No, I didn't get a face life, but my blog did. I thought I would get into the holiday spirit, at least with my blog that is. My sister has a very talented friend named TJ and she offers free holiday backgrounds (this is where mine came from). You should check out her Sugar and Spice site - it's got lots of neat stuff.

UPDATE: Sadly, the website that was hosting the background exceeded it's bandwith, so now I am using a different background, compliments of Aqua Poppy Designs 2. They have all sorts of cute backgrounds over there. I hope you like it.

Danifer's Daily Commute Vol. 3

This week, I have noticed during my commute that I see many of the same people, day in and day out, while I am traveling to and from work. I wanted to give a shout out to:

1. The boy on the bike every morning who wears his helmet, but never straps it on. Do you REALLY think you are going to be protected? And does your mom know you are not wearing your helmet the right way?

2. The "marathon man" who runs up and down the road waving to people. This man has to be about 80 years old but is out every morning running his little legs off and waving as if he is being watched by crowds of people cheering him on.

3. The scary motorcycle guy who wears a bandanna on his face that looks like a skeleton.

4. The woman and her 3 kids that are always waiting at the bus stop. I feel a sense of guilt as I drive by in my car and realize how lucky I am to be able to drive my kids to where they need to go.

5. The old, Chevy truck guy who I see every morning heading in the opposite direction. He drives a big, grey primer odd shaped truck.

6. The little old man on his bicycle, wearing his helmet (properly attached, I might add) who rides his bike in the middle of the intersection in front of the college.

7. The two "mobster look-alike" crossing guards who look like they are doing their community service.

8. The man and his daughter who wait for the bus to go home every day after work. They look happy and he looks like a good dad to have.

9. The couple who ride down the streets, hand-in-hand on their little rascals.

10. And lastly, the homeless man who lays on the ground at the bus stop by my work.

Are there people you see often who would stand out in your mind?

Okay, So I Am Jumping On The Bandwagon

Okay, so I am jumping on the bandwagon and reviewing the Twilight movie. I know, everyone and their brother is either raving or ranting about this movie. "It's not like the book - I hated it," some say. Others, like myself, did not read the book so they "loved it". And lastly, there were those who liked both the book and the movie. I did not know what to expect, so I was pleasantly pleased. I liked everything about this movie. I am not going to go into a full review, since it is really being over done. Let's just say that I will buy it when it comes out.

As I mentioned, some are saying the movie is not as good as the book. I admit, books are ALWAYS better, no matter what. Books allow you to get in tune with the character's inner being, their thoughts, dreams and fears. Movies have a harder time portraying that. Many try, but it is just not the same. Now, don't get me wrong, after I see a movie I like, the vibe from the movie stays with me for the rest of the day. However, with books, you have a sense of longing after a book ends. You miss the characters and wish there was more. When there is a sequel you become very excited. Movie sequels are rarely as good as the originals.

What do you think?

1. Has there been a book/movie sequel that you have liked as much if not better than the original?

2. What books or movies do you wish would have a sequel?

Baby Bump? Are You Kidding Me?

Photo by Don Arnold

A recent picture of Nicole Kidman surfaced showing her in a form-fitting dress (see above). This woman is 41-years old and had a baby 4 months ago. She looks incredible!!!! Sadly, Hollywood sees her as having a "baby bump" and asked if she was expecting. Are you kidding me?

I am opening the floor for venting. Feel free to answer any of the questions below or give us your opinion:

1. Do you think she looks pregnant?

2. How do you feel about Hollywood & the media reporting about people's weight?

3. Do you think society puts too much pressure on women to maintain their figures?

4. Do you find yourself comparing your weight to other people?

5. Do you weigh yourself often? If so, how much?

6. Are you happy with your weight?

Tipping - For What It's Worth

I recently came across a really informative post over at Squawkfox. Fox asked readers, "Do you tip? How much?" As you can imagine, this led to a slew of varied comments. Within those comments, you really get a feel for the different ways that people handle tipping and what the service industry is like in general. Being someone who used to be in the service industry, I always wished that people were more educated in this topic. After all, when you are making less than minimum wage, tips were very important. They put the food on my table and dressed my family.

This is a really informative post, I think you should check it out.

Tips For Thawing A Turkey

So you want to thaw a turkey but don’t know how? Have I got the scoop for you.

If you have time, you can remove the turkey from the freezer and put it in your refrigerator and let it sit for a few days. You will need about 24 hours per every 5 pounds of turkey. So, for example, a 15-pound turkey would take about 3 days to defrost.

Another alternative is to use the microwave. Obviously you need a large enough microwave to hold your turkey. Turn the microwave on a low-to-medium setting for about 6 minutes per pound. Make sure you rotate it now and again from top to bottom and end to end. Be careful that the microwave doesn’t begin to cook the bird.

If you are limited on time, put the turkey in a leak-proof bag and then put it in a large pot of cold water and let it soak for about half an hour per pound. You should replace the water every half an hour.

Now that your turkey is defrosted, it’s time to cook it in the oven or to smoke it on the smoker. Make sure you know what kind of time frame you are working with before you begin this whole process. Actual cooking time can range from 3 – 5 hours, depending on how you cook it. Please consult your turkey’s packaging for details.

Problem in the Feed World

Being fairly new in this Blogging World, I have found myself excited at figuring out all the ins and outs of creating my blog and making it do fun things. Sadly, I am experiencing a problem with my FeedBurner feed. In my Yahoo reader, I am noticing that my feed is a week outdated and I don't understand. I have done some of the things like pinging and re-synching and checking the validity but so far, nothing is working. My last resort is to post a new post (this one) and see if it clears up the problem. If not, I will need to create a new feed and could potentially lose my readers *SIGH*.

Have any of you had this problem? If I do lose you, my dear readers, will you come back and visit me? I promise, I will put up a new feed so you can find me easier.

Thanks for your support.

UPDATE: I RE-DID MY FEED SO THE FEED CHICKLET ON THE BLOG IS GOOD. IF YOU ARE READING MY BLOG FROM THE OLD READER, PLEASE UPDATE. (I DON'T WANNA LOSE YA, MAN...)

Danifer's Daily Commute - Vol. 2

Welcome back to The Daily Commute. When I started this series, I thought of all these interesting things to write about. After the first post, it seemed like I drew a blank. But today, I want to just let you all know about something cool that has been popping up all over Arizona.

Throughout the cities that I travel through during my daily commute, I have noticed that at certain intersections, they have done something to help everyone. Of course, we have had RED LIGHT cameras put on a lot of corners where accidents are known to happen. These were put up to discipline drivers who were running red lights. This was done with the hope that drivers would be inconvenienced by having to pay a fine and realize that to avoid this, all they have to do is slow down and stop on red. This is a safety measure that IS necessary. However, as a driver, it can stress you out. Do you drive really fast just to get through before you think the light will turn red? Do you drive really slow and upset everyone behind you? I have often found myself feeling quite anxious when I approach a red light camera.

Instead of simply punishing people, the city has decided to help alleviate the problem by making flashing, crosswalk signs do a "count-down". If you are not familiar with what I am talking about, take a look at this picture:



Not only do pedestrians have an idea how much time they have to get across the street, but so do drivers who want to try to avoid running a red light. I think that the use of these crosswalk count-downs are excellent and a really great idea. I have noticed that the majority of them are right on, but others are not calibrated correctly and do not always coincide with the red light. I think that if they are maintained and working properly, they are a wonderful addition to our cities.

Do you have these in your city? What do you think about them?

Movie Review - The Strangers

This movie was scary! Yes, I admit, I was on the edge of my seat. Horror movies now days are pretty cheesy, but the ones that get me are the ones that could be true. Dan agrees, in fact, he won't even watch them with me. So, my mom watched it with me and she didn't even fall asleep - this is a sign of a good movie.

The Strangers stars Liv Tyler and cutie, Scott Speedman as a couple who are obviously going through relationship issues. The movie starts out by making you curious as to why the wedding they just went to was so tense. They both come back home pretty upset and as the scenes play out you begin to realize what is going on. Along the way, the plot turns from their obvious problem to a really SCARY problem that any one of us could REALLY have. I know, I am being a little cryptic, but I just don't want to spoil this movie for you. I want you to see it the way I saw it, which was without seeing the trailer or reading any reviews.

So, rent this. Watch it during the day (or at night if you feel brave). Grab a blanket, cover your eyes if you need to, and enjoy the terror!

Have you seen this movie? Did you like it?

Anjana The Chimp

I saw the cutest story on the internet about Anjana the Chimp. Apparently, Anjana is a two year old, female chimp who lives at The Institute of Greatly Endangered & Rare Species, in Myrtle Beach, SC. Anjana has been mimicking her caretaker, China York and began mothering two newborn White Tigers.


Anjana not only lies with the baby tigers but she also helps with feeding them their bottles. The chimp is well known for helping out with tiny lions and leopards from the institute. As you can see from the pictures, Anjana is full of personality and loves being a surrogate mom to her fellow roommates.



I just think this is the neatest story!!! It appears that these photos were taken by someone named Barry Bland. The story, along with the pictures are being shown throughout the internet.

Movie Review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

I had been putting off renting this movie for no particular reason. I finally took the plunge and rented from one of those wonderful Red Box video locations. BTW, how convenient is that?

Anyway, the female lead, Kristen Bell, was in a UPN show that I was sad to see go, Veronica Mars. I really like her. She's quirky, cute, funny and very likable (even as a cheating girlfriend). In a nutshell, Jason Segel plays a guy who was just dumped by his famous girlfriend of 5 years (Bell). We've all been there, dumped that is, and to watch what this poor guy goes through is too funny. This movie has a great cast, almost every single character got a laugh out of me (which is hard to do). I must warn you, some of what caused me to laugh was the reason this movie was rated R. There is full frontal nudity, sexual discussions, and all sorts of inappropriate behavior,which performed by this cast, ends up being hilarious!

I don't want to spoil it, so I am not going to tell you anymore, but if you liked SuperBad, 40 Year-Old Virgin or Old School, you will love this movie.

Did you see this movie? What did you think?

How To Become A Patient Parent - Zen Habits

I have discovered a great blog called, Zen Habits, written by Leo Babauta. This blog has so many wonderful articles about living a Zen lifestyle. I wanted to share a post that I found educational and helpful for parenting.


I don’t claim to be the world’s most patient parent — but it’s a goal of mine for this year, and it’s something I’m dedicated to becoming. Every parent loses his or her patience — it’s a fact of life. There are no perfect angels when it comes to moms and dads — we all get frustrated or angry and lose it from time to time.

But patience can be developed over time — it’s a habit, and like any other habit, it just takes some focus.

Here’s a list of 10 great tips and methods I’m trying out and experimenting with to help me become a more patient parent:

1. Count to 10. This one really works. When you feel yourself getting frustrated or angry, stop. Count slowly to 10 (you can do this in your head). When you’re done, most of the initial impulse to yell will go away. Alternatively, if you count out loud to 10, your kids will learn quickly that this is a good sign to run away. :)

2. Deep breaths. This works very well in conjunction with the above tip. Count to 10, and then take three slow, deep breaths. Feel the frustration draining out of you with each breath.

3. Tally marks. One of the most effective and important methods for controlling an impulse — these worrisome urges that we have difficulty controlling — is to become more aware of it. And to do that, you should carry around a little pencil and paper all day, and each time you feel the impulse (in this case, to react with anger), mark down a tally. This is an extremely important first step. Once you become aware of your impulses, you can work out an alternative reaction.

4. Pretend someone’s watching. I forgot where I read this tip (a couple places, I think), but it’s effective. Pretend you have an audience. You’re less likely to overreact with your child if someone’s there watching your every move.

5. What would mom do? My mom is one of the most patient people I know (although she’s human like the rest of us). So when I find my ire rising, I think … “How would my mom handle this?” And using this role model, I begin to change my behavior to something more positive. You can use any role model you want — not necessarily my mom.

6. How does this help? When I’m about to say something to my kids, when I can remember, I ask myself, “How does this help my child?” This helps me to re-focus on what’s really important. Yelling or getting angry rarely helps any situation.

7. Take a break. Often it’s best just to walk away for a few minutes. Take a break from the situation, just for 5-10 minutes, let yourself calm down, plan out your words and actions and solution, and then come back calm as a monk.

8. Teach. This is something that helps me a lot. I remember that my kids are just kids — they are not perfect, they do not know how to do things, and they have a lot to learn. I am their teacher. I must be patient, and teach them how to do things — even if I’ve tried to teach them 10 times before, it might be the 11th time when things click. And remember, none of us learn things on the first try either. Find new ways to teach something, and you’re more likely to be successful.

9. Visualize. This works best if you do it before the frustrating situation comes up. When you’re alone and in a quiet place. Visualize how you want to react the next time your child does something that typically gets you mad. How do you handle the situation? How do you look? What do you say? How does your child react? How does it help your relationship with your child? Think about all these things, visualize the perfect situation, and then try to actually make that happen when the situation actually comes up.

10. Just laugh. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that no one is perfect, that we should be enjoying this time with our kids, and that life should be fun — and funny. Smile, laugh, be happy. Doesn’t always work, but it’s good to remind yourself of this now and then.

Bonus tip: just love. Instead of reacting with anger, teach yourself to react with love. Your child spills something or has a messy room or breaks your family heirloom? Yells at you or gets in trouble at school? React with love. It’s the best solution.

15 Tips To Stay Positive In Negative Situations

I recently read a great article on  Donald Latumahina's blog, Life Optimizer and with permission, I am sharing it with you:


There are times when we must go through negative situations. Maybe people say something negative about us, or they show rejection or even resentment against us. In such situations, it may be difficult to stay positive. We may be inclined to react negatively to them. That won’t do us any good though; doing so will just make the situation worse. People may behave even more negatively to us. Our day would be filled with anger and disappointment. At the end, nobody wins.

Though it’s not easy, it’s important to stay positive in negative situations. Beat the negative situations by staying positive. Here are 15 tips on how to do it; pick the ones that work for you:

1. Never respond when you are not calm. If you are not sure that you are calm, don’t respond. Take time to calm yourself down first.

2. Take a deep breath as a first step to calm yourself down.

3. Speak in gentle tone to reduce the tension of the situation.

4. Realize that you can find opportunities in negative situations. Albert Einstein said: “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”

5. Look at the content of what people say to you for something positive that you can act upon to improve yourself. Don’t just reject the whole messages.

6. For the rest of the messages which is negative, simply ignore it.

7. Maintain positive view of the people. Maybe you don’t like their messages or behavior, but that doesn’t mean that you can hate them personally.

8. Realize that having negative feelings will just hurt you, not them. So there is no reason for you to have any negative feeling.

9. If you make mistakes, be open to admit it.

10. If you make mistakes, remember this quote by George Bernard Shaw: “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”

11. If you can, listen to motivational audio program to feed positive thoughts into your mind.

12. Talk to a positive friend who can encourage you.

13. Remember your favorite quotes to give you inspiration and motivation. This is one reason why you should have quote of the day.

14. Look at the negative situations as your training sessions for real life. The higher you climb in life, the worse the negative situations would be, so you’d better be prepared for them.

15. Realize that you can’t please everyone. In fact, nobody can. Sometimes you need to just let some people go. Realizing this will relieve you from a lot of unnecessary burden so that you can focus on the people that you can positively interact with.

Movie Review - Running Scared

I have to admit, I rented this movie because of Paul Walker, and I was very glad that I did. Running Scared kept my attention all the way through. It was one of those movies that starts at the end and then goes backward 18 hours, so you know (or you think you know) how it ends. It is set in either New York or Chicago and has that dark, tense, mob-type feel about it.



At the beginning, the scenes are shot in an unusual way and if you have ever seen CSI, you will know what I am talking about. Specifically, when the bullet shoots through the house from the neighbor’s house, they shoot the scene in slow motion, doing possible scenarios of how it could have happened, versus the final outcome (very interesting). This is the first time that I have seen Walker play this kind of gruff, violent, tough guy, but he is still believable as the “good guy”. The supporting characters do a great job as well, with bad guys that you love to hate – especially the child molesters.



The movie is based on a continuous pursuit of a missing gun that keeps falling into the hands of yet another person that Walker has to catch up with. There are some graphic scenes (blood and nudity) and lots of profanity, but it wasn’t bad enough that I had to hide my eyes or cover my ears. In closing, the last five minutes of the movie left me with varied emotions, and to me, that is the sign of a good movie.

Repost: Approval, Do We Really Need It?

Ever since we were little, we searched for approval to make ourselves feel better. We may not have been aware of how important it was or that we were even looking for it. When we heard that "Atta Girl" or "Way to Go" or even better, "Good Job!" it made us feel so wonderful. The start of this need for approval began and continues throughout our lives.

Many people brag about their accomplishments so that they can receive the praise they are searching for. Others sit back and wait and hope that someone notices. When we hear something other than praise, it can be devastating. And what about when we do something we know will not win the approval of others? This is when lying comes into play. We have all lied to hide a mistake or to keep something from someone we respect. We respect those people for their opinions, but don't want to hear about it when we are wrong. We are so funny that way.

What happens when you are living your life the way YOU want to and don't expect any one's criticism or approval, and you get it anyway? Say for instance, from your boss, parent's or in-laws. That's when you have just got to hold your tongue and change the subject!!!!!

Has there been an instance lately when you got an opinion and you didn't ask for it? Was it an opinion that you valued? Did this opinion change your mind? How did you feel after hearing it? Let's hear from you.........................

These Are Some Great Blogs

I recently came across some good blogs that I wanted to share with you:

1. Mommy Mayhem

2. In The Trenches Of Mommyhood

3. Scary Mommy

4. The R Family Diaries

5. Who's Yo Mama?

6. The Stiletto Mom

7. MakeUseOf.com

8. Annie Anderson Blog

9. Mommy Blogger

10. Lessons From A Recovering Doormat


Happy Exploring!

Movie Review - 88 Seconds

I was excited to watch this movie since seeing the trailer at the theater. Sadly, I was disappointed. This is one of those movies that has so much going on that you feel you are missing things and that you will have to watch again just to get a good idea as to how it all comes together. Halfway through the movie I knew how it would end. It was a crazy 88 minutes for Al Pacino and I felt as stressed as he looked just from watching it. This is a "ah, I have seen everything else, okay, I will get this" kinda movie.


Did you see it? What did you think?

Review of Nintendo's Wii Fit

Dan bought me Nintendo's Wii Fit when it first came out. We were both very excited with the purchase and actively played it for a couple of weeks. If you have not made this small investment for your Wii system (it's about $100), you should. It's a fun activity for the whole family.

Wii Fit is meant to help you improve your balance, get exercise and have fun doing it. There are four core options in Wii Fit: yoga, strength training, balance games and aerobics. Within each of those sections, there are lots of fun, useful activities.

When you start doing Wii Fit, you get to create a character and choose what kind of goal you are trying to acomplish. You will weigh yourself and be able to set up your own, private account. You are given a piggy bank that keeps track of the time you spend doing your workout throughout the system. Everyday you sign in, you will be given an opportunity to do some balance tests and determine your Wii age. You will also get to place a stamp on your calendar if you decide to do certain tests. After each activity, you will get coins in your bank. After thirty minutes of exercise, you will be reminded to take a break. Throughout the game, your Wii Balance Board talks to you and makes exercising fun. In addition, each time you perform an activity, you will see what rank you receive for your efforts. This is a fun tool for motivation. You will also be able to open more activities within each section.

I will start with the funnest section and that is the balance games. There is soccer heading, ski slalom, ski jump and table tilt. There are also more games that open up once you have played more. These include tight-rope walking, a penguin game and a bubble river game. These are all fun to do and help to build balance.

The aerobics section has boxing, step aerobics, running, and hula hoop. Each of those are available in beginner and advanced. If you continue to do several of the activities, without stopping, you will find that you do get a pretty good workout. No workout is more than 5 minutes long, unless you choose an advanced level, and then I believe they might be a little longer.

For the strength training and yoga sections, you will be offered one of two personal trainers who will guide you through each exercise. They are great at encouraging and helping you to perform the exercise properly.

The strength training section which includes various activities, when done in repetitions can be really beneficial. Again, as you continue to perform the exercises, new ones open up.

With the Yoga section you will be given many popular poses to strengthen your body and help find the center of your balance. These include the Warior pose, the Half Moon and the Standing Tree.

As you can see, Nintendo's Wii Fit is fun for the whole family. In my opinion, it is not meant for mega workout freaks, but I think it is a good low-impact type of exercise for anyone who just wants to get off the couch, have fun and get a little bit of a workout.

Introducing Danifer's Daily Commute - Vol. 1

I have found that I have a lot to say about traffic, driving, idiot drivers and various topics associated to my daily commute to and from work. In keeping with that trend, I will have a post series titled, "Danifer's Daily Commute". Don't worry, I will not post everyday about my frustrations with driving, I am sure that you have your own. I am writing this series in hopes that we can get through traffic together and express our feelings about it and possibly have a laugh or too as we relate to others' stories.

These are the top 8 things that bother me the MOST about driving/drivers:

1. Tailgating - It's not nice and it really upsets people. If you need to drive fast, go around. If you can't go around, try to pass when safe.

2. People who do not use their turn signals - Every car should be equip with them, why can't you use them? It just takes a second and it allows others to know what you are about to do.

3. The carpool lane and fast drivers - The carpool lane was made to reward drivers who transport other drivers and/or who ride motorcycles. This was not made to be the SUPER FAST, INDY 500 lane!

4. Waiting to get out into traffic - When I am waiting to make a right-hand turn and looking at the flow of traffic, as soon as I notice it is safe to go into a lane, I expect to go. Instead, someone from another lane sees the opening and switches right as I am getting ready to enter the traffic. Ugh!!!

5. Stand-still traffic

6. Never-ending construction

7. Merging, see my post about me being a lane blocker.

8. Slowing down coming toward a light - the person slows down as they approach the intersection just enough to get themselves through in time and once the light turns yellow, I am forced to run the light.

What about you? What bugs you.......?