Vado HD

A little while ago, I saw the Creative Vado HD go on sale for $99, so I picked one up. It's a compact video camera that fits in your pocket and records HD video. I've been wanting something like this to carry around with me when I'm out with the kids. I don't always want to lug around my standard video camera when we go to the park or the beach or the zoo. I want to be able to capture all the fun, cute, spontaneous kid moments that pop up all the time and be able to easily share them with my friends and family.

I knew there would be a couple of downsides. First of all, there's no image stabilization, so if you don't hold your hand steady, things can get a little shaky. Another downside is that there's no zoom. I considered waiting to see if the price would drop on something like the Canon Powershot 780IS (a fancy point and shoot camera that does HD video and has image stabilization). But since my main priority was to get something that was super-easy to shoot and share video with (and pay under $100), the Vado HD won out.

Turns out it works quite well! The video quality is quite nice, better than my old (non-HD) camcorder. The image stabilization isn't too big of a problem since I'm just taking family movies. I like being able to plug the Vado into the HDMI port on our tv and watch videos right away. And the software installed on the Vado for uploading to Youtube and Photobucket is very convenient.

Here's a video that I made while playing around with it. It's a tour of my home office and boardgame collection.

In the Toy Aisle

I was at Target the other day looking around the toy aisle. A mom and her sons were near me. They were buying a birthday present for someone and were having a hard time picking it out. It was pretty funny to watch. Some of the stuff was funny because it's stuff that I've said many times in the past when picking out presents, but some of the stuff was brand new. Here are a few of the highlights...

Mom: Now remember...we're not picking out something for you. We're picking out something for Brandon...

Boy 1: We HAVE to get THIS! He needs THIS!

Mom: Does he even like G.I. Joe?

Boy 1: What's G.I. Joe?

Mom: Ummm...that thing in your hand...

(Boys are trying to decide on which Transformer to get their friend)

Boy 1: Oh, we should buy this one!

Boy 2: No...we can't get him that one...That's from the OLD Testament.

(Boys can't decide on which Transformer to get. Boy 1 wants Transformer A. Boy 2 wants Transformer B. So Mom comes up with a brilliant idea.)

Mom: Ok, I'm putting these both behind my back. And whichever one gets picked, that'll be the one we get. And no complaining!

Boy 1 (pointing to his mom's left arm): THAT ONE!

(Mom looks at box...it's Transformer A. Boy 1 is very pleased...)

Mom: You were peeking! That's why you chose that one!

(Mom not sure about what to do...)

Mom: Fine, I'm just going to pick one.

Fixed

This is a great idea. Next time our house needs fixing, I'm raiding the boys' Lego bins...

You can see more pictures here.

TracBall

I found my old TracBall set in a closet the other day. LilKat2 immediately asked me what 'that tennis thing' was. I told him that it was a game that I used to play when I was little and that we could go to the park and try it out sometime when the weather was nice.

Well, today was the first sunny day in a while, so at lunch, LilKat2 asked if I could take him to the park to play the tennis game (I couldn't remember what he was talking about at first, but Mrs. BigKat reminded me).

It was a lot of fun! Turns out TracBall is great for playing catch with small kids! It took LilKat2 a little while to figure it out (most of his first few throws went backwards. Many went straight sideways.), but once he got it, he could throw the ball quite far. He could also catch the ball pretty well too.

Compare this to when we throw the football around. The TracBall rackets allow him to fling the ball much farther than he can throw a football. And because they impart a backspin, the TracBall floats a bit, making it easier for me to chase his throws down when they're off to the side. He can also catch the TracBall easier than he can catch a football. All he has to do is reach his racket out and get the ball to hit it somewhere. And since the racket is so big, he can catch balls that go over his head (something he can't do with a football).  I can even whip the ball at him with a pretty good pace. He just sticks his racket out and watches the ball slide down into the pocket (the only thing I have to worry about is keeping it away from his face. I imagine getting popped with one of those hard plastic balls would sting).

I think LilKat2 really liked that he could throw the ball far and that he could catch the ball when I threw it normally (I could zip it in there from far away, instead of having to get close and throw it soft at him). I think it made him feel a little bit bigger.

So if you're clearing out your garage and find an old set, try them out with your kids! You might be surprised at how much fun you guys have!

Clearance Day 2009

About this time last year, Target put a bunch of stuff on clearance and I was able to get a big pile of toys. They put their stuff on clearance yesterday, so Mrs. BigKat was able to go down and snag a few toys for not so much money.

There weren't as many interesting things as last year, but I did manage to get a remote control flying bug for only $10. 

I also got a boardgame to play with the boys: Spy Trackdown: Find-the-Enemy Strategy Game. From what I understand, it's kind of like that old game Stop Thief, which was one of my favorites as a boy. 

It's probably not a game that I would choose to play with Mrs. BigKat, but it looks like a fun activity to do with the boys. I think they'll like it. It was just over $6.

And from what I can hear down the hall, LilKat2 is very much enjoying his new Shake 'n Go Batwing Flyer. It was under $5.

Oh, PrincessKat just came and showed me a new dolly. Not sure what it is or how much it costed. But she's quite happy with it.

So nothing super-spectacular this year. But I did hear a rumor that they have Yahtzee Free for All for just over $2. Now that's a deal! If you happen to be at Target, take a look at the game aisle and pick one up.

Edit: Ok, apparently the dolly that PrincessKat got was a Little Einstein's June doll that she's been wanting for a VERY long time. The original price was over $20 and Mrs. BigKat was not willing to pay that much. But I guess she was ok with it for $5.

Spin-4-It

I made a game order a little while ago and got this free gift attached to it. Here it is:

It's a gadget that you use to figure out who gets to go first in a game. Totally unnecessary, right? But for some reason, we use this each time we play a game now. Part of it is so that we don't have to try and remember who went first last time. But the other part is because the thing is just so darn cool! You give it a little, tiny flick and it just keeps on spinning and spinning and spinning.

Don't believe me? Watch, I'll prove it to you. I'm going to flick it right now and see how long it takes to stop...Ready...Here I go...

...still going...

...still going...

...still going...

...starting to slow down...

...almost there....

...ok, it stopped.

See? With just a little flick, it spun around for 59 seconds!

Ok, so maybe you're thinking, 'Hey! That's too long! I don't want to wait that long to find out who goes first!' But it's actually a good thing. It gives you time to go get your snacks, get a nice beverage (which does NOT go on the same table as the boardgame!), go get some napkins (because you are NOT touching my cards without wiping your hands Mister-Nacho-Cheese-Dorito-Fingers!).

If it looks like something you want to buy, buy it from Game Surplus. It's only 80 cents. You'll have to pay shipping so you might as well throw some fun boardgames in your cart while you're there. 

Christmas Shopping Part II

My boys love wearing costumes. So my great idea was to head to Target after Halloween and grab all the cheap costumes I could so we could give them to the boys at Christmas.

Well, it was a good idea, but the costume area after Halloween is a huge MESS! Parts of costumes are tossed here and there. If you find something you like, you have to search at the bottom of the display for the matching mask/hat/whatever. Not easy! There were some Star Wars costumes that I wanted to get, but couldn't find all of the pieces. Same with Transformers.

But in the end, I walked away with 2 Human Torch costumes, 1 Mr. Incredible costume, 1 Spiderman costume, 1 policeman costume (with muscles!), and 3 NASCAR costumes for about $35. I also got myself a costume for $5 in case I ever need to be Pontius Pilate in Sunday School.

Christmas Shopping Part I

Yeah, I know. It's still October. Why would I want to talk about Christmas shopping? Well, I just saw a very cool looking toy that I think I might get for LilKat2. Remember 'Lite Brite'? Everyone liked Lite Brite, right? Well, imagine that you have a Lite Brite that doesn't light up (ok, I know that makes it worse, but stay with me...), but still has patterns that you can copy to make interesting things. Now instead of lights, imagine that it has colored screws. And instead of just putting them into the board, you screw them in with a toy drill. What you end up with is something that looks like this:

Think it'll work for LilKat2? Well, he loves tools, he's creative, he loves making 'patterns'. I can seriously imagine him sitting and working on a picture for an hour straight with this. The only downside I can see is LilKat1 wanting to play with it while LilKat2's using it. Oh, that and it costs $40! I think we might have to get it for him though. Seems like a perfect fit.

Birthday Stuff

Last weekend, we celebrated my birthday. We went out for pizza, we ate some cupcakes, but best of all, I got a bunch of PRESENTS!!!

Some people have said that it's hard to think of good presents to buy me. I don't understand this at all. I think it's actually pretty easy. Just buy me some candy and I'll be happy.

Mrs. BigKat figured this out. She went to the Asian market and bought be a bunch of different Japanese candies. Here's what I got:

1) Some hard candies that look like little soda pop bottles (lemonade, cola, lime, and lemon flavored) that say 'shuwa shuwa' on them

2) Some soda pop flavored hard candy balls with interesting sugar filled centers

3) Some hard candies that taste like beverages called 'Cafe Latte', ' Dekavita', 'Dakara', 'CC Lemon', and 'Fruity Orange'

4) Some cola and ummm...blue drink...flavored chewy candies with extra chewy stuff in the middle. I mean really extra chewy. Like cola flavored cartilage...except delicious and not disgusting. These are called 'Miracle!'

5) Some marshmallow cat faces. On the package, it says 'Let's enjoy the new marshmallow generation !!' I tried one. The new marshmallow generation tastes a lot like a marshmallow.

6) Some peach gummy candies

7) Some fancy lemon drops.

8) Some Japanese things that look like Moon Pies.

9) 4 bottles of my favorite beverage...Calipis! (My mom also got me 2 more bottles)

LilKat2 also got me some Sour Patch Kids and Chewy Sweet Tarts.

And My-Friend-Who-Lies (MFWL) made a robot man out of Sour Pez!


So if you ever feel like you have to buy me a present, and don't know what to buy, just head to the candy aisle. You can't go wrong!



I also got some fun, non-candy presents. LilKat1 got me some running clothes. Mrs. BigKat got me some boardgames. And MFWL got me an Air Hogs Havoc Heli remote control helicoptor.

You know those moments in life where someone or something special enters your life. Where even though everything seems so new, you somehow have trouble imagining your life without them. Maybe it was when you fell in love with someone. Maybe it was when you got married. Maybe it was when you first became a parent...Anyhow, that's what it's like with me and my Havoc Heli.

It's really fun! I had trouble making it go forward at first. There's and up and down lever. And a spin around lever. But no forwards and backwards lever. I took a look on the internet and found a good tip. Just tape a little weight (I used a paper clip) to the front. That makes the nose go down and makes the helicopter move forward. I'm getting pretty good. Today, I took a break from work and flew the helicopter from the living room, through the archway to the family room, into the kitchen, through the maze of cookware hanging from the pot rack, through the doorway to the dining room, and back into the living room. Pretty impressive, huh?

Oh, and MFWL also got me a gift certificate so that I can whack golf balls at the driving range near my house. If you look at the picture of Sour Pez Man, his head is the gift certificate.

Bulls Eye Ball - Update

I just read my previous post about Bulls Eye Ball and I must admit that I'm pretty disappointed. I don't feel like I really captured the simple yet exciting, addictive yet satisfying nature of Bulls Eye Ball. Let me put it this way. There are a few very good decisions that I look back on and say 'Wow, I'm really glad that I did that!' Here are some of them (in no particular order):

 

1) Became a follower of Christ.

2) Asked Mrs. BigKat to marry me.

3) Bought my Honda Ridgeline.

4) Moved to Oregon.

5) Became a Sunday School teacher.

6) Planted apple trees in the backyard.

7) Put a Sport Court in the backyard.

8) Bought a Green Machine so that I can ride with my kids.

 

Bulls Eye Ball is on this list. It is just that good of a game.

Here are some of the great things about Bulls Eye Ball:

1) The games are short: When you play '30 Second Blitz', you can't afford to make many mistakes. But if you mess up, your game is only 30 seconds long, so you get to try again right away. It's also nice for taking turns.

2) The game is built well: For a little plastic toy, it allows you to be quite competitive. The bouncing ramp is very consistent. You can really get in a good rhythm once you find the right bouncing technique. If the bounce was inconsistent at all, you wouldn't be able to hone your Bulls Eye Ball technique, and the game would be much less fun.

3) The scoring is all by sound: This may seem like a bad thing, not having a visual scoreboard, but it really adds a lot of tension to the game. Every time you score, it calls out your new total. But once you start scoring in the hundreds, it can't keep up with you. As you keep pouring in shots, the announcer keeps trying to say your score. But each new score forces him to interrupt himself, so he just goes 'One-one-one-one-one...' because he can't fit in 'one-hundred-twenty-whatever' between shots. So when your time runs out, you have to wait for him to announce your final score. It's kind of like the Oscars...but different.

4) You don't need to practice a ton to get pretty good. I want to learn to play guitar, but it seems like it takes a lot of practice. I've gotten pretty good at Bulls Eye Ball just by playing it here and there with LilKat2. And a lot of that has been done with him in my lap helping me play. Try practicing a guitar like that!

In conclusion, I love Bulls Eye Ball. It scratches an itch that I did not know I even had. I hope this update has given this great game the respect that it deserves. By the way, my new high score is 150 and LilKat2's is 36.

Bulls-Eye Ball

A long time ago, while walking around Target, Mrs. BigKat saw a toy that she thought looked pretty fun. It was kind of like a very small Skee-ball (which she loves), but you bounce the balls instead of rolling them. I put this information in the back of my brain for safekeeping. Then, a little while ago on Clearance Day, I saw the same toy, so I grabbed it. I gave it to Mrs. BigKat as part of her Valentine's Day gift. And that is how our house was introduced to Bulls-Eye Ball.

Have you ever gone to someone's house and found some little toy or puzzle sitting on a side table, tried it out, and then felt silly afterwards because you ended up spending half your evening at their house trying to master that goofy toy? This is one of those kinds of toys. Let me tell you, this little game is a big huge pile of fun. The bouncing pad and scoring mechanism work quite well together. They don't limit your shot rate at all. Which means that you can spend hours sitting in front of this little electronic gizmo working your hardest to perfect your Bulls-Eye Ball tossing technique. If I was back in college, I imagine that this is something I very well would've done.

It has a few different game settings, but the best one is the '30 Second Blitz'. You get 30 seconds to score as many points as you can. Bulls-Eyes count for 3 points, the middle ring counts for 2, and the outer ring counts for 1. So far, the highest score I've gotten is 138 points. Yes, this means that I can shoot Bulls-Eyes both right and left handed. I'm just that good.

But you know who is also very good at this game? LilKat2. He's only 3 years old, but he's put up a high score of 29 points. You should see him when he gets a good score. His eyes get wide, a huge grin spreads across his face, and he starts shaking with excitement. It's pretty cute.

Mrs. BigKat is also pretty good at this game. She had the high score of 104 points for a little while. That was before I perfected my left handed Bulls-Eye shot...

Clearance Day

About a week ago, I went to Target to pick something up for Mrs. BigKat. While I was there, I took a walk through the toy section and saw a ton of stuff on clearance. So I did some shopping. Here are some of the good things that I got on Clearance Day:

 

1) Marvel Heroscape: $6. Original price $25. A little while ago, I had bought this at Target for My Friend Who Lies (MFWL) (it was part of his  birthday present). But I had bought it for a lot more than $6. I bought one and then returned it for my original purchase price. I also bought an extra one for LilKat1's upcoming birthday, since he's been bugging me to get him his own Heroscape set. Savings: $38

2) Hot Wheels Sizzlers: LilKat2 bought this for me (with the help of Mrs. BigKat's credit card). It's a figure 8 track with a Hot Wheels 'Sizzler' car. This is a toy that came out way back in the early 70's. It's a Hot Wheel with a rechargeable battery in it. You plug it in, charge it up, and then it zips around the track. It's a fun toy, but it only comes with one car. I went to buy some more cars for it, but they were about $10 each. Too much. But when I went on Clearance Day, the cars were only $2.50 each. So I grabbed 4 of them. I also saw the track itself for $7. I knew Mrs. BigKat probably paid a lot more for it, so I picked it up. She can return it and save herself some money. Savings: $52

3) Crossbows and Catapults: When I was little, one of my favorite games was Crossbows and Catapults. You basically got these little rubberband powered 'weapons' that would fling little plastic discs across your kitchen  floor (or any other non-bumpy flat surface). You and your friend would build little castles out of these big fake Lego blocks and take turns trying to knock the other guy's structure down. It was great fun. Well, they re-released the game recently, and I really wanted to get it. But I realized that I shouldn't buy it because 1) it was expensive ($35 for the base set, $10-$20 for the expansion sets) and 2) I would never play it (no one to play with and even if there was, I have many other games I would probably rather play). Well, on Clearance Day, they had the expansions for $2.50 each. So I grabbed a bunch of them. I got the Knight Trebuchet, the Orc Mortar, the Twin Crossbow, and the Gatling Gun. I think I also gotten the Triple Catapult and Battering Ram. I got a bunch for myself as well as some as a nice gift for MFWL (who also liked this game as a boy). So I may not have the game. But I have all of the fun toys and will be able to Trebuchet 2 blue discs into Mrs. BigKat's mashed potatoes at dinner if I so desired. Price paid for 5 sets: $12.50. Savings: $37.50

4) Kapla blocks: I saw 2 sets of these, and I couldn't believe it. If you don't know what these are, they're sets of small wooden planks that you can use to build things. They're built really well. All of the blocks are exactly the same size. I mean EXACTLY the same size. And the edges are all at a precise 90 degrees. What this means is that you can build very tall structures with them and they are incredibly stable. So they're basically kind of like Lincoln Logs, but without the limitation of where you have to join them. You can build all kinds of great things with them. Unfortunately, they're quite expensive, roughly 40 to 50 cents per block. I had never thought of buying these for my kids before, just because of the price. So when I saw a set of 40 green planks for $6, I was amazed! There was also a set of 100 plain planks for $11. I snagged both of them. If there were any more of them, I would've gotten those as well. Savings: $51.

5) Mad Scientist Egg Drop Kit: This is a kit that provides you with some basic components that you use to create a structure that will keep an egg safe when you drop it. It comes with drinking straws and connectors, materials to make a parachute, and and egg holder contraption. The original price was $10, way too much. On Clearance Day, it was only $2.50. Much better. I got one for myself, but then I thought that my boys might like to try it out as well. So I picked up another set. Then I thought about it some more and thought that it might be a fun thing for my Sunday School kids. I ended up buying a total of 12 of them. I tell ya, it's easy to go overboard on Clearance Day. Savings: $90.

6) I also got some stuff for LilKat1's birthday. There were some little toy skateboard items that I was considering getting him for Christmas, but decided not to because of the price. But on Clearance Day, they were all 75% off. When his birthday comes, he'll have more little skateboard toys than he'll know what to do with. Price paid: $10. Savings: $30.

That's the bulk of what I bought that day. I think I ended up paying $90 for roughly $360 worth of toys. And you know what the funny thing is? You know that thing that Mrs. BigKat wanted me to get in the first place? Turns out that she didn't need it, so I didn't buy it. Instead, I just came home with a big pile of toys.

Spending Spree

Ugh...I just spent more money on another slick deal. This time, I got some more Lazer Tag toys. A while ago, I purchased 4 Lazer Taz bazooka things for $5 each. LilKat's 1 and 2 have been wanting to play with me. Unfortunately, the bazookas are about as big as they are, so they end up having a really hard time carrying them around the house. So I got these new toys to make it easier on them.

Here's the really bad part. The Lazer Tag set was $20. I wanted to get the free shipping, so I had to bump my order up to over $25. The only thing that I had planned on buying in the future was the Nike + iPod Sport Kit that helps you run. That was $30. So I just spent $50 that I hadn't planned on spending AND I have to start running again in order to justify $30 of it!

Oh, and the other day, I spent $20 on the Heroscape lava set. But I got 2 of them! It was a really good deal!