As a blogger, I am sometimes lucky enough to be able to try out some of the newest, coolest things on the market. I know, I am SO lucky! When those products happen to be games or toys, my kids think I have the coolest job on earth. Over the last few months I've tried out a few new Wii games, and the kids have been thrilled. Here are the games we're loving at our house right now.

Skylanders Spyro's Adventure

Image from Skylanders website

This game is just so cool. Every time the commercial comes on TV, my three-year old just goes nuts, saying, "It's Spyro Skylanders! We have that!" The reason he's so gaga over this game is that it is so different than any other game on the market. Skylanders Spyro's Adventure is an interactive game. It comes with a "portal of power" and figures that kids can use to customize their game. The player can choose which character to play as simply by sitting that particular guy on the portal. Each character has different strengths and abilities, so players will need to be strategic in their choice of character to play. Isn't that awesome? My kids just love this game.

* product provided

Just Dance 3

This game is just FUN! I bought the kids Just Dance 2 at the beginning of the year, and I have to say that I enjoy it just as much as they do. But Just Dance 3 is one that they seem to like even more. This one seems to have newer, more modern tracks that the kids really like. They hate it when I pick an '80's song to dance to. They call my music "ancient tribal music." Nice, huh? Some of their favorite songs to move to are:

• Black Eyed Peas - Pump It
• Cee Lo Green - Forget You
• Jessie J Featuring B.O.B. - Price Tag
• Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
• LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
• Taio Cruz - Dynamite

But don't worry, parents, they are still tons of songs for us old folks, too. There is a total of 51 songs! You definitely get your money's worth for this game. Just Dance 3 offers the traditional dance mode, as well as the Just Sweat feature, which I like. There are new features for the Just Sweat mode. that allow you to monitor your progress on the dashboard and choose your program. There's also a new 4 player dance crew mode where each person can have a chance to shine. If you don't want to choose each song individually, it's easy to just choose one of 13 available playlists and go from there. You can even get competitive by racking up stars to unlock up to 30 special song modes. I love the convenience. It's fun! Did I mention that? If you want to get Just Dance, you can head to retailers such as Toys R Us or order online from Amazon.

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

ABBA You Can Dance

This game is hysterical for the kids. For those of us who are old enough to remember when ABBA songs were cool, it's so much fun. If you love disco and ABBA, you'll love this game. Even if ABBA isn't your thing, you'll have fun. Trust me, even my cynical children had fun dancing to songs like Dancing Queen, Take a Chance on Me and Mama Mia. What I really like about this game is that the dance moves are fairly easy to follow. In case you don't know me, I'm not exactly graceful, and I really don't have much rhythm. But even I can do this game. It's rather aptly titled You Can Dance, I'd say!

What is most cool for a former choir geek such as myself is that there's a karaoke mode. That's right, not only can you dance - you can sing, too! Up to two friends can join in the song. I believe you will need microphones meant to plug into the Wii, and these don't come with the game. We just happen to have one from our Glee karaoke game. See, I told you I'm a choir geek at heart. If you are a true ABBA fan or are just nostalgic, you'll love this game because it uses actual footage from concerts, videos and photos. Takes you back.

Truthfully, I'm kind of cheating on this review. I was supposed to have an ABBA dance party in my home with my friends. I tried, I really did. My pals on Facebook all sent their regrets. Everyone was up for it, but this time of year just isn't good for this type of get together. Everyone was headed to family or work holiday events. But I will have that party after the New Year, and I'll be sure to post about it here. I have to do it - Clever Girls and UbiSoft sent me a disco ball! Can't wait to get together with my pals and hang out just being goofy. There will be pictures. Maybe. I have a feeling these pictures could be a bit embarrassing! Stay tuned for my party post in January. In the meantime, head out to Toys R Us or go online to Amazon with these coupon codes and order this game with discounts. You deserve some Wii dance fun, too!

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

Recently, I wrote about ways to treat yourself for free or inexpensively. I'd like to expand upon those ideas with some more suggestions because it truly is the main purpose of this blog to encourage moms to give as much to themselves as they do to their familieis. One of the quickest ways to begin to feel stressed and overwhelmed is to neglect yourself. Because it's in our nature to take care of those around us, it's easy for women to forget to take time for themselves. Here are some more ideas for ways you can pamper yourself without spending a lot of money.

Ways to Find Free Time and Enhance Your Life

We are all unique individuals with interests and activities that are separate from our families and our work. But in order to tend to our own identities, we need to find some time. That can be the most difficult thing of all to do. Whether it's time to hang out with friends, engage in a hobby, read a book or just take a bubble bath, alone time is an absolute necessity when it comes to finding fulfillment. Try these strategies to carve out a little "me time."

• Make "me time" a priority. The first thing you have to do in order to carve out some time for yourself is to make a commitment to yourself. If you don't feel you deserve the time, it will never happen. Give yourself permission to take some time just for you.
• Communicate your needs. You'll want to be sure to tell your loved ones that you need time for yourself and explain to them why it's important to you. If they are aware of your needs, they will be more likely to give you some alone time.
• Put it in your scheudle. Actually write down time in your planner each day or throughout the week to increase the likelihood that you'll take the time for you. Treat these moments as you would any other appointment or obligation.
• There are tons of things you can do for yourself that cost little or no money at all. Here are some ideas: wake up early to enjoy your coffee or tea in silence, take a bubble bath with a magazine and a glass of wine, put your headphones on and just chill, call a friend to chat, take a walk to clear your head, read a book to unwind before bed, watch a chick flick, exercise to a video or Wii game, schedule a girls' get together. The possibilities are endless. You just have to allow yourself to commit, then sit down and figure out how to enjoy your time.
• Take a class or just learn something new. One of the best ways to get back to you is to focus on intellectual or spiritual development. Take a class at your local college. Many offer low-cost adult ed courses that cover a variety of topics. You can even learn something new online without leaving your home. Top colleges and universities even offer free courses online. A little research and due diligence is all it takes to find just the right learning opportunity for you.

So what are your ideas for making time for yourself? I'd love to hear them. Let's brainstorm together!

The other day I wrote about how my new hairstyle has improved my outlook. I also mentioned that I'm fortunate enough to blog for a wonderful local hair salon, and I'm able to trade my writing services for hair and beauty treatments. It's an awesome exchange! Even if you're not lucky enough to have your hair stylist on retainer, there are still tons of ways to treat and pamper yourself, as well as your family, without spending a ton of money. These are tough economic times. Throughout my working life, I've had various period of ups and downs with my finances. The times I was the least happy were the ones in which I constantly denied myself. Living in a mindset of lack or want is not healthy. It's no good for you, and it's no good for your loved ones. So I'm going to get you started with a list of things you can do to add some fun and pampering to your life without spending the big bucks that so mahy of us just don't have right now.

Health and Beauty

Going to the salon and buying beauty products can really take a chunk out of your budget. Consider these ways of pampering yourself on the cheap.

• Ask a hairdresser friend or family member if you can barter services. Or check out your local beauty school to see if you can't get a great new color from one of the school's students at a significant discount.
• Score some freebies at the beauty counter. I know that some cosmetics brands at high end department stores offer samples for customers to try. Stores like Sephora or Crabtree & Evelyn are also generous with the free samples. Sometimes these samples can last up to a week or more.
• Check out online beauty sample sites. There are websites that allow you to sign up to receive small boxes of samples sent to your door for a relatively small fee. Some of the ones I'm familiar with are birchbox.com, newbeauty.com and herbeautysamples.com.
• Get a makeup lesson at the beauty counter. Many department store makeup counters will provide complimentary makeup application lessons in the hopes of making a sale. It's a great way to learn new techniques and get a little pampering for free. If you can't afford to make a purchase, you're likely to find an item you'll add to your wish list for later.
• Give yourself a mani/pedi or trade services with a girlfriend. I always feel so much better with a coat of polish on, and a nice scented lotion just adds a touch of pampering. It's almost as good as going to the salon. It is!

Dining and Leisure

We all can start to feel a little deprived after being stuck in the house for weeks on end. Don't get stuck in a rut. There are plenty of things you can do to get yourself and your family out and about.

• Head to the internet for deals. There are so many discount sites right now like Groupon, Living Social and PopSugar Shop.They may not all be to your liking, but surely you'll find some bargains that work for you and your family. My husband and I got to have dinner at a fabulous local restaurant we normally couldn't afford for half off because of a Groupon deal.
• Go for ice cream. One thing I always said was that I could take my kids out for ice cream no matter how poor we may be. It doesn't have to be to Dairy Queen, which can be a bit pricey. Head to McDonald's for a sundae off the dollar menu or pick up supplies at the store for a make your own sundae bar at home. It's a fun tradition.
• Have a movie night. Going to the theatre can cost an arm and a leg. It's a luxury we can't often afford. But another tradition my kids love is movie night where we choose a Netflix movie to watch together. We eat popcorn or a sweet snack and stay up late. The kids get to sleep out on the living room floor. It really feels special.
• Check out your local radio station for auctions or half price deals. Most stations these days have some kind of discount partnership with local establishments.

There are so many more things you can do to treat yourself and your family for little or no money. I will continue this post in the coming days with ways to find time for yourself and ideas for enriching your life spirutually or academically.

Leave a comment sharing how you treat yourself without spending a lot of money.

I have to admit that I am really in a rut when it comes to TV. I predictably will channel surf between HGTV, The History Channel, SyFy Network, Food Network and TLC. When did I get old? Gee, I really am pretty boring. I watch a lot of educational and reality TV. But last night was different. I was reminded by one of my favorite blogging communities, Collective Bias, that it's fall TV premiere time when they asked for volunteers to review some of the new shows that are debuting this week. I wasn't chosen for the official review, but I decided I just had to watch 2 Broke Girls anyway.

When it comes to movies, I simply adore chick flicks. Chick lit is my favorite book genre, so it just makes sense that I would be drawn to a TV comedy depicting female friendship. I'd seen the commercials for this show and thought I might like to check it out. I'm really glad I did. The show's premise is not new. It's about a working class girl who meets a rich socialite that suddenly finds herself down and out. In this case, the working class waitress is Max, and the rich girl is Caroline. What's new is the way the characters are portrayed. Max is quick witted, with a soft side. Caroline isn't some clueless blonde. She's my favorite and proves to be smart, savvy and on the ball.

I will admit that some of the lines were pretty cliche and expected. The plot also seemed to be a little predictable. For example, Max's boyfriend hits on Caroline, and Max immediately believes her boyfriend over her new friend. Who didn't see that coming? But the way it's handled and resolved was new and fresh. Check it out yourself on the CBS website. You can watch the full episode at your convenience and get caught up for next week. I know I'll be watching every week that I can!

* This is not a compensated review, but I do have a chance to win a gift card. Even if I don't win, I'm happy because I've been lifted from my TV rut!

If you're a devoted HGTV viewer like me, you've probably seen commercials for the newest program, Showhouse Showdown, which premieres tomorrow night, September 12th, at 10pm EST.  Those of you who aren't as obsessive as I am about HGTV may not be familiar with this show. The low down on the showdown is that two designers each have the task of decorating a model home, then compete to see whose design is the favorite.

Who does the voting, you may ask? We do! Competitions occur across the country, where local residents are invited to view the taping and vote on which of the two houses they like best.  Pretty cool, huh? What is even cooler is that they came to my area, near Pittsburgh, PA, and we got to check out the houses. Because the episode hasn't aired yet, we weren't permitted to take pictures of the designs. So I can't show you how beautiful they were. The designs were totally different from each other. One was pretty modern, with bright colors and patterns, while the other was more elegant and subdued. I liked the bright one! Because I have trouble keeping a secret, we didn't even stay the entire time to hear the results. Nope. I have no idea which design won, so I'll have to be surprised like all the rest of the viewers. What the heck was I thinking? I'm dying to know!

Okay, truthfully, I probably would've stayed if it weren't for a certain cranky little three-year old and his daddy, who were ready to go. But I can share a few pictures of the day and the outside of the houses. By the way, did I mention that the show's host is Bob Guiney, formerly of The Bachelor? He's cute. At least, he seemed cute when he waved back from the passenger seat of the van he was riding in from one house to the other for taping!

Anyway, I got a glimpse of Bob, and it was a fun day. Here are some pictures.

These are some pictures of the first house we viewed, with the bright and modern decor. These houses were in a development and were SO amazingly beautiful.

No, this isn't the second house we saw, but it IS in the development with all the gorgeous houses mentioned above. I swear. It was right there in the middle of it all!

Here's the second house. I like the exterior of this one best. I couldn't even imagine living here.

Another photo of house #2. Isn't it regal? I really liked this house.

Just for fun, here's a photo of Brady being adorable, with cherry sno cone all over his mouth. It was a good day!

I'm looking forward to watching the premier of Showhouse Showdown tomorrow night. I'm not sure when our episode will air. No, you won't be seeing me on TV, as I didn't get the chance to sign the waiver. Oh yeah, this event was totally professional. They had their stuff together. It was also a lot of fun. They provided refreshments and games for the people in attendance, and everyone was very nice. It looks like it's going to top my list of favorite HGTV shows. Wait, is there even an HGTV show I don't like? Nope.

The Help opens in theaters today. I've already written about its opening, but I'm just so super excited about this movie that I have to talk about it again. I love gong to the movie theater. It's such a great getaway for me. In fact, I usually go alone. It's great just to get away on my own and lose myself in the film, while enjoying whichever chocolatey snack I snuck in (usually Junior Mints). Tonight, however, I'll be seeing the movie with my neighbor, Rosemary. I'm super psyched to see the movie, and I'm glad I decided to ask Rosemary to go wtih me.

Rosemary is not my age. She's in her 60's, and we don't have tons in common. But I enjoy spending time with her. She's watched the kids on occasion so that Bill and I could go out. We check each other's mail when one of us is out of town. We've had her over to supper and taken her meals after her surgery. She's a great neighbor. We've often discussed our love of movies and said that we should get together and go sometime. You know how that is. So many times in life we tell people, "We should get together. We should do that sometime." And sometime either never seems to come around or gets pushed back to a much later date. Well, I decided to make sometime now and asked Rosemary if she'd like to go to the movie with me. I'm so glad I did. She was super excited. You could hear it in her voice. It feels awesome to reach out to someone in a way that's different from the norm. I'm really looking forward to our evening.

I'm especially psyched after seeing some of the newly released trailers for the movie. Here are a few of my favorites to get you excited too.

You may remember that not very long ago, I shared some information about a very fun contest Hershey's has going on. Well, guess what? There's still time to enter. If you head over to the Hershey's Facebook page, you can see the official contest rules and to upload a photo of your special S'mores memory. The grand prize includes a Canon Rebel camera, slate marble fire outdoor firebowl, $250 SnapFish giftcard, roasting skewers and a kit of ingredients to make your own S'mores. Plus, you can also download a coupon for $1 off any 2 Hershey's milk chocolate bar 6-packs.

We are loving our S'mores this summer. My little guy had his very first one this summer at Grandma's cookout and has been begging for them ever since. Here's a picture of him eating his first S'more.

And check out this video of my kids showing you how we make S'mores since we don't have a fire pit outside.

Making S'mores in the microwave can get pretty messy, but we don't mind. Here are some photos of the kids getting gooey.

We don't think it's fun unless you end up with a mess.

Wanna win a S'mores pack of your own so that you can share the messy goodness with your family? Just leave a comment below telliing me where you like to eat S'mores. A U.S. winner will be chosen at random sometime after noon EST on Friday, August 12th.

And don't forget to head over to Hershey's Facebook page to enter to win that Canon camera and all the rest of the goodies they're offering!

I had the chance to talk with toy expert, Elizabeth Werner, on what's hot for kids this summer. Take a peek at our interview to find out what Elizabeth, toy expert for the Today Show, recommends. It's the middle of the summer, and if you're like me, you could use some suggestions for fun ways to entertain the kids!

Hershey's has just launched a fabulous new contest on their Facebook page that is bound to be a lot of fun. I'm thrilled to share with you that I get to be a part of Say S'mores campaign and will have some super S'mores surprises for you later in the summer, including a giveaway right here at Everyday Baby Steps. But right now, I'll tell you all about the contest that's going on over at Hershey's Facebook page.

Hershey's wants everyone to share their own S'mores memories this summer, and to encourage you, they're offering some amazing prizes. Simply by submitting a photo of your family enjoying a S'mores moment, you'll be eligible to win some really cool stuff. The grand prize is a Canon Rebel camera, slate marble outdoor firebowl, $250 Snapfish gift card, roasting skewers set and everything you need to make S'mores - Hershey's bars included.

What I like about these prizes is that there's something for everyone. Dads will surely dig that firebowl and skewers, the kids will be thrilled with the S'mores, and I, oops, I mean moms will LOVE the camera and Snapfish gift card. Okay, everyone will love the S'mores. Don't you want to win? Then all you have to do is visit the Hershey's Facebook page to download the Say S'mores application and participate in monthly photo contests. Plus, you'll get a $1 coupon good toward the purchase of 2 Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar 6-packs.

So get snapping and enter this contest. Will you invite my family over for S'mores if you win? Thanks!

Just had to add this. It's my little guy eating his very first S'more! Cute, isn't he?

*This post is part of my participation in the Hershey’s “Say S’mores” Promotion. All opinions expressed are mine.

We did it! We survived our first sleepover last weekend. Both kids invited friends, and we actually had a really good time. Ten kids, a toddler, and me. Notice what's missing here? Yep, no husband. Just me. I went out with the girls the night before, so I let him off the hook for the party. What was I thinking? We managed to get through it with lots of Wii games and food, including Orville Redenbacher Pop Up Bowls. I wrote about Pop Up Bowls recently, and they're now available at Walmart. Check out all the fun we had at the party!

I was compensated for my time by Collective Bias, but all opinions are my own.