True Form Midna Complete - and a dance!

I finally did it!   I made my True Form Midna costume, and I think it turned out great!
We didn't go anywhere for a photo shoot.  It was super hot that day, the costume is NOT heat friendly, and the fact that I was 9 weeks preggo didn't help much.  Yes... my belly is showing.  I worked like crazy the beginning of the year and actually got a flat tummy (I've not had that in years).  I was so proud!  But we got pregnant, so no more flat tummy for at least another year or two, lol.  That's ok though.  We had fun with it when dressed as Mario and Peach on the Sunday.

This costume took so many hours to make.  I spent about 30-40 hours on the cape alone (25 or more just putting the ribbon on the back... yes, that is ribbon cut, placed, and glued.  Paint just doesn't happen as evenly as ribbon does).  The zentai suit took forever as the paint did not want to work properly for me.  I finally 'finished' but am still unhappy with the 'splotchy' job of the paint (many people have assured me it looks so smooth, but it's not good enough for me, lol).  The blue is glow in the dark puff paint.  The headpiece is made from wood, clay, and wire.  And some chain.  I love how it turned out!  It is my favorite of the whole outfit!  The wig I'd do differently.  I bought a really cheap one from Party Stuff, and won't do that again.  It was not easy to work with.  It turned out alright, but next time I'll order a higher quality wig.  I got the contacts from honeycolor.  They were great!  I wore them longer than the perscribed 8 hours, and my eyes were fine.  I used Ben Nye clown white makeup and it was so much easier to apply than the diaper rash cream I used on my trial run 2 months earlier.  SO. MUCH. EASIER. 

In all, I'm happy with this costume!  I probably won't be wearing it again for a long time, but I'm still impressed with it.  I even entered the costume contest at AiKon and did a belly dance!  You can see it here.  I'm very proud of it, and I've never done a solo performance before... and this was in front of 700 people (and you could see them all!  I was so terrified, I almost backed out last minute).  It's a zills routing (finger cymbals) and yes, I am using the cymbals, and you can hear them (suprisingly) in the video!

Here are some pics of the costume, taken by Droo of Droo Photography.

Zelda Cosplay

I recentlly finished my Zelda costume! I'm so proud! I tried to be as detailed as possible, and I think for my first actual cosply, it turned out awesome! (I don't count Peach, because I actually started hers after Zelda's, and it didn't take any detail at all... not really). I finally bought the ears... I didn't want to spend the $21 for the ears and the spirit gum... I thought it was pricey. In all, including the ears (which will be used for other cosplays) I spent about $40. Yup! I'm so proud!

My husband took these photos. I love how they turned out. I thought this location reminded me of the Temple of Time in Ocarina of Time. I know, I'm dressed as Twilight Princess Zelda, but OoT is still my favorite Zelda game. I even made some cute charms and modified a purse for carrying around. I'll have to post pics of that some other time.

Enjoy my fave 10 photos from our shoot!

(Now to get started on Midna... my zentai suit arrived and I tried it on... perfect fit (except a little baggy by the wrists, but that won't take much to modify). I'm so excited!)

I added a 'glow' effect to this one. I love how 'twilight' it looks!

I have so many costumes I'd like to do. Ruto, Midna (both forms), a proper princess Peach, Sheik, Malon, Marin, Saria, Din, Nayru, Farore... I could go on...

Wishin to do some Cosplay

So, lately I've been in the mood to make some costumes.  I think getting a bunch of fun sewing done the last few years has helped... and the fact that i can zip up my zelda dress again after so long  (yup... lost some weight... good for me!).  So... I need to modify my zelda costume a bit.  It was never finished, and now I think I may try to finish it proper.  I also really want to do Midna.  I love her true form, and I also thought that would make a good belly dance type costume.  And Nabooru.  I would love to make a belly dance routine to the Gerudo music as well... one of my fave songs in OoT.  Yeah... although I think I should finish the costumes I already started, first.  I did make my gypsy costume for my belly dance recital... should do the egyptian one soon.  I've just been borrowing for now.

What sorts of costumes would you like to see?

Bits of Randomness

A little while back, I completed GBA's Golden Sun game.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and want to get the next one, Lost Age.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to get a hold of it.  I bought this one used from a friend, and I don't remember seeing the second installment anywhere.  I suppose I'll have to browse EB Games and things... maybe even garage sales... to see if someone has one somewhere.  The story feels a little... cut off... right now.

About a month ago, I also completed Epic Mickey for the Wii.  Awesome game!  I highly recommend it, especially for those of us who remember watching some of the older Mickey Mouse cartoons (my dad had a bunch of black and white goodies we enjoyed watching).  The game play, while a bit difficult to get the hang of at first, is actually quite good.  I was confused in the beginning of the game and couldn't quite see some of the stuff I was supposed to be doing (probably partially due to screen settings), and so I missed quite a few things I couldn't go back to and redo... so I may end up replaying this game.  One problem, although a small one, was the camera.  It felt a bit... wonky... at times.  It wasn't bad, though, the worst was when fighting large numbers of splatters, but I have quick fingers too, so adjusting the camera while running around and fighting isn't too much of a stretch for me.  Ah... brings me back to the first 3D games I played... N64, perhaps we need to get re-acquainted.  Anyway, this game's a good one, ok... Epic!  I highly recommend it!

Latest game we got was the Super Mario All Stars.  Talk about FUN!  I haven't played these classics in ages (although I do have SM3 on the Wii).  Only thing I don't really care for... the music and graphics changed.  I know this is the same as the one from the SNES... but I never played the SNES, and I miss the music from the old NES versions.  It's not bad, really... the only thing that I find actually annoying is the mini fortress music in the SM3 game.  The others are fine.  But these games are great!  My daughter keeps asking for us to play.  Unfortunately, I haven't had much time lately.  Lots of stuff going on.  So, my husband plays.  I don't think I've ever heard the 'death' sounds and game over music as often as I have in the last few weeks (haha... sorry hun, but you should be able to get past world 1 someday).  My daughter doesn't mind, though.   "Uh oh... Mario fall down..." or "Oh no!  Mario owiee".  Very cute.  Needless to say, it's painful to watch, so I'm usually in the other room doing computer work or cleaning the kitchen or something like that.  Always needs doing anyway.  :)

Oh, and I have to ask... does anybody else have a Nintendo Club account?  I have some coins expiring in June, and I don't know what to get.  It's a toss up between the black note bag (with the Mario star on it) or the other tote bag plus the blooper fan.  Or maybe the Mario fan.  Sigh.  I need to decide soon.  Don't want all those coins to go to waste!  Any suggestions?

Hope you've all been having a great start to your spring!  Happy gaming!

Mario Party

This year I decided to have my birthday early, and had a Mario themed party... it was nothing big (just a couple of couples came over).  We played Mario Kart for the Wii and had a blast...

No party is complete without food.  This was no exception.  And of course, it needed to follow the theme.

Below, 'pipe' pigs in blankets.

And 'star' biscuits.

Yoshi eggs in a carrot and celery nest (made spinach dip for those).

And here's the cake... made it to look like the mushrooms in the game.  It tasted good too!  :)

The whole 'spread'.

 And for fun, I took a pic as Princess Toadstool holding the cake.  No, I didn't dress up for the party... I didn't feel like it that day... but I decided to have a little fun with my costume later (half of the mushroom's head is gone, haha).  And playing with the pic is always fun, too.

Happy 25th anniversary Mario!  You've given us many fun times (and I look forward to many more). 

Bring on the games!

Mario and the Gang

Halloween was great this year.  We went to a costume party, which was a lot of fun... and I decided to make my family ... the Toadstool Family.

 Yup... Mario, Princess Toadstool, Toadette, and my son is Toad.  I know, I haven't posted about him on this blog yet.  I have on my main blog... I just haven't done much on this one lately.  Sigh.  Sorry about that.

 I figure Mario is embracing the present... looking at his blackberry text from Toad telling him the princess is in another castle...

And now for two collages of photos from the evening.

I have a few fun pics I will have to post later... you know... Mario shopping and all that... haha.

Funny thing is, our costumes won quite a bit!  At the party my daughter won in the girl's category, my son in the boys, and my husband and I in the couples.  Then, on halloween weekend we went to the mall and I entered the kiddos in the contest there (for 5 and under)... and out of what seemed like 50 kids, we won second prize.  Go figure.  For costumes that took maybe $10 and hours of my time!

I just think the toad and toadette hats are the cutest thing ever.  :)

Hope you all had a safe and fun Halloween.

A Zelda Halloween

I've been working on some costumes recently... and here are a couple of pics of them. They aren't completely done yet, but close enough for now.

My husband as 'Link'. Picture is a bit tilted due to having to hold the camera back a ways from where I was standing. I sewed a LOT that day... the gloves, hat, tunic (the brown pieces are sewn onto the tunic itself), tunic detailing in the corners (I guess you can't really see that) and I even made boots (which aren't in the pic). Turned out ok. Don't have ears yet, or the sword or shield. That is something I'll have to make eventually.

Here is our little Zelda family. My daughter is Epona (a purchased costume... whew). I'm Zelda of course. The 'armor' pieces didn't quite get finished. I have to find a way to keep them together other than tape, and I wish to actually buy a wig to attach the headpiece on permanently instead of having it on my own head and hair. I need to finish the base of the dress and detailing on the gloves as well. And I want some larger pieces of foam so I can make the shoulder pieces more like the belt/headpiece/neckpiece and three dimentional instead of painted cardstock. It would also be a LOT more comfortable. My fave piece is the front panel. I sewed it myself, and using yarn and glue, I attached all the decorative accents. It looks quite good! And my first attempt at sewing any type of clothing can be seen in the vest. I did the whole thing from scratch, even making my own pattern. It needs a bit of reworking, but on the whole, I'm very proud of it.

So, there you have it. What I've been up to this last week (instead of video games... although haven't done as much of that as I'd like either... sigh).

NiGHTS: A mini review

So, a month ago I picked up a couple of new games for the Wii... NiGHTS was one of them. When I first loaded the game, I was astonished at the graphics and the video that was playing on my screen. It was beautiful. The music was wonderful, and I couldn't wait to see how the game play was.

Please note, I never played the original. My view on this game will be on this game as a lone piece, not as a sequel.

After the movie sequences were over and I finally got to play the character (I picked Helen first), I was a bit disappointed in the quality of the graphics at Dream Gate. They weren't terrible, but after seeing such a beautiful movie sequence, they left much to be desired. Then hearing the voices for the characters... I was less than impressed. I found the dialogue cheesy and annoying, and the Owl... sometimes I just wanted him to shut up. It wasn't terrible, but definitely a bit of a let down.

Anyway, on to the game play. I entered the first world, having no idea what it was I was supposed to do. Some of it made little to no sense (you have to save NiGHTS, but the second you do, you escape the 'prison' and then have to chase birds for keys to the prison you are no longer in... I wasn't sure what the point of it was). However, flying around was so fun! Really! I enjoyed it immensely. The flying on rails still allowing you so much freedom (like and unlike the old Sonic games), I kept going back to those levels to try to capture things in my circles, and just enjoy the ride. The worlds are so colorful and gorgeous. I got a bit frustrated at first with the first boss I had to defeat (a giant fish... I had NO clue what to do and that Owl made no sense). I got him the first time out of sheer luck, and had to find out what I did by looking online. Once I realized I had actually grabbed the thing's head and bashed him, well, that made everything so much easier. The bosses were actually a LOT of fun in this game, as were the chases.

This game has a lot of extras that will bring a bit more game play time to it. Mainly, there is a Dream World where things you capture in your 'circle' (I cannot remember what it is called, but when you fly in a circle and 'grab' everything that was inside it) end up. It is fun to see what it turns into as you play the game. Also, trying to get a better score to end up with at LEAST a 'C' rating on ALL your levels (this allows you to get the last white Ideya and see an alternate ending). Then there are the Dream Drops to collect which will allow you to play as the original characters in the old game instead of Will and Helen... if you collect them all.

Oh, and my little girl (who is a year old) absolutely LOVED watching me play. The music and graphics grabbed her attention for a LONG time.

In all, this is a fun time waster, with enjoyable worlds and music. The main drawback is the cheesy voice acting. A great game for kids... but perhaps too easy for those of us who want a bit of a challenge. If you can pick it up for cheap (I got it for $10 at Best Buy), go for it.

Elebits

I see it has been an age since I last posted. Oops. In that time I got a new game. Elebits. Ok, so it's a new game for me, but a relatively old one for the Wii already. I managed to nab it for $15... sweet!

I really like this game. The story is cheesy, and the voices are even cheesier, but the game play makes up for it! Basically, you are given a variety of missions (20+) in which you have to meet the objectives of catching a certain number of watts of elebits within the time period following the restrictions (some are 'don't break more than _# items', or 'don't make loud noise', things like that). There are a variety of elebits, new ones appear as you move through the challenges (my favorite are the little yellow guys that suck up elebits around them to turn into big guys that you have to 'smash' to turn into the regular sized elebits again before collecting them). They have varying amounts of watts to each type of elebit, and each one has a characteristic that is different from the others. Really though, just smashing things and sucking things up is a lot of fun... but it won't get you through the game. Some of the levels are quite challenging.

The pink elebits are kinda fun. If you can catch all three, you will get the 'unlimited time' mode for that mission (one unlocks the challenge mode as well). You have to find the first two to get the third one though, and you have to complete the mission with a certain prerequisite to get that third one to appear in front of you. They hide again real quick too. And they don't carry any watts.

There is also an edit mode, where you can 'create' your own room to send over wifi to someone else to play. I haven't really played with this or figured it out yet, however. You can unlock items to place in your edited rooms as you play the game

There are also charged elebits. These guys come from various appliances/toys that you turn on with the wattage you've collected. Collect them to increase the power of your capture gun so you can lift bigger objects. They also don't have any watts. If you collect enough, you will be able to lift things like houses in later missions... nothing more satisfying than chucking a house over your shoulder! Move over, Superman!

Anyway, that is my brief blurb on Elebits. If you can nab this one for $15-$20, it is worth it!

Pikmin

I just completed the 30 days in Pikmin. I only managed to collect 29 of the parts as the last part you can get is only available after the 29 other parts were collected. I only had one day left when I landed in the new area, and I couldn't defeat the creature in time. SO yeah, one part short.

This is a VERY addicting game. I like the Wii controls, they work nicely. I never played with the Gamecube, so I have no idea which is better. For $30, it's a great game. I got it for $20 on sale, so even better.

Really, this is one addicting game. You control Olimar, a cute round headed guy who crash landed on Earth. He controls little Pikmin, plant like creatures that have varied characteristics. Red ones are fire-proof, yellow ones fly higher and can plant bombs, and blue ones can swim (others drown). You really want flower pikmin vs leaf ones as the flower ones will 'seed' when they die in battle and leave more pikmin there the next day. They are also much faster.

Basically, you use the pikmin to try to find your various ship parts. Collecting pellets of similar color to turn into more pikming seeds along the way. Defeated enemy's will produce many pikmin as well.

The worlds are bright and colorful, the music is just right, and it's quite the relaxing game to get into. You will soon be making sure you never leave a pikmin behind to be eaten overnight, you'll be building your army up in the best way you can, and collecting parts to your ship as you go.

A note... when you exit an area and go to another, all the enemies from the previous area will be back. If you don't want to have to deal with slaying enemies all the time, try to collect as many of the ship parts as you can from one area over consecutive days before you move to another.

All in all, a great game! Now I want to replay it and see how many days I can collect all the parts in.

Create Your Own

For those of you who like having Nintendo or game parties, guess what? You can make your own small rubber stamps at www.vistaprint.ca, and if you like, use a picture to make them! I've made one for you to use below... it's 300dpi and a perfect fit for the small stamper. Fun, huh?


Now to make iron-ons for t-shirts...

Animal Crossing: City Folk

So, here is my mini review on the Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii.

It's Animal Crossing... nuff said.

Ok, ok. There are a few differences with this game from the other two, AC for GC and ACWW. They kept many of the same features from both games and put them together, adding a few new elements as well.

Similarities to ACWW:
1. We still have the flowers browning and needing to be watered, but I've noticed that if you don't water them the day they go brown, that doesn't mean they'll be dead the next day... which is nice. Means you can maybe go a couple of days without playing and not worry about half your flowers being dead... like in acww.
2. The Town Hall is back, and very much the same as in ACWW, except now there is a ABD machine for your house payments and savings. You can also donate money to your own town... and I'm told that by doing so you can get another bridge (you choose the location), a town well (yippee! I loved the well in acgc), and eventually your choice of a lighthouse or windmill (which shows up by the ocean).
3. The scrolling is similar to acww. Which is good.
4. You still get points from Nooks shop... not tickets that need to be stored. Nice. And now they added visitor points, so if you visit his shop daily, even if you buy nothing, you can still get some points! I'm really happy about this. Apparently, I've heard that you can turn in some of these points later on for rare items... note the two point balances when you ask for your balance... more on this later (when I discover more of course).
5. August has fireworks week (this time on Sundays)
6. The flea market still happens (now on the fourth Sunday of the month)
7. The museum is the same. You still have Brewster and Celeste! And this is where you'll find K.K. as well.
8. You can save by going to sleep in your attic... the phone is there too. However, there is another save option by clicking in the top right corner of your screen... no matter WHERE you are!
9. The balloons still float above, and you need the slingshot to get them. Oh, and the timer is still around too.
10. Katie is back

Similarities to ACGC
1. Jingle is back! As are Jack and Franklin.
2. You can get the fountain if you pay enough to the town fund.
3. Each person gets their own house... only this time they are located in various places around the town.
4. Town is bigger! There are cliffs again!
5. The house upgrades are the same... main floor can get real big, and then you get an upstairs and a basement... unfortunately no side/back rooms.
6. Nook's no longer has Harriet's Salon in the back.
7. Remember collecting mushrooms? They're back!
8. Remember Don? He's back too, but only at the Roost.

Old
1. Wendal and Sahara still come... but Sahara is into carpets or wallpaper (a bit different from both games... you'll see what I mean) and Wendal still does the patterns.
2. You still upgrade Nook's the same ways.
3. Turnips are back, and Joan still visits Sunday afternoons.
4. KK is still singing his tunes on Saturday evenings... now at The Roost
5. Fishing Tourney's are back, same with Bug-Offs... but now I've heard Tortimer isn't hosting... instead look for some other character...
6. Pascal is back, but now he waits on your bridges and you need to give him a scallop to get an item with his words of wisdom.
7. You still fish, hunt bugs, dig fossils, fill the museum, decorate your home, create patterns, make snowmen, and so on.
8. Resetti... whenever you reset.

New!
1. The city... the most obvious of course. Most of your special guests are there... including the old gyroid that used to be outside the acgc houses. He's in charge of the auction house.
2. Harriet's offers you to have a Mii makeover.
3. You now need an invitation before you can enter Redd's shop... no more passwords. There are still fake paintings though. And you can visit him at the city too.
4. Silver tools...
5. I've heard a rumor that you can store a collection of your gyroids with a certain pigeon...
6. Sometimes a townie will lose a key... unfortunately I haven't seen the ball from acgc... sigh.
7. Wisp is back... but now he needs his lamp.
8. There are a variety of new celebrations and holidays... and each region has some specific to their region! (now is the time to visit your friends!)
9. Now you can play hide and seek with your townies!
10. As usual (but still new) there are more furniture collections for you to seek out.
11. You can now take pics and send them to friends... either by mail, or to their phones, email, or wii message board. You can save them to an SD card as well.
12. One button pressing to switch between tools. And you can push the 'up' arrow to view the sky. The Aurora Borealis is nice this time of year...

One new feature that many a person is complaining about is called "animal tracks". Wherever you walk, you will eventually wear away at the grass/snow. The problem is that it doesn't regenerate the grass fast enough, leaving the towns looking much like a desert... especially for people with multiple players and those that have many visitors. They say it's only supposed to happen if you run, but people who don't run at all have noticed their grass disappearing... at an alarming rate.

This aside, the game is great fun! I will continue to 'add' to these lists as I remember more... right now I feel they are long enough. Post a comment if you feel I missed something.

2D, or not 2D

Ok ok... corny title.

In case you haven't guessed (not sure if you could), I've started playing Super Paper Mario Wii. The story in the beginning is a bit long (but I love a good story, so I'm not complaining), and the graphic idea is strange at first (but now I'm used to it... after only 1/2 hour), and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of swapping 2D into 3D and back! Who came up with this?!? It's AWESOME!

Ok, so I just barely started playing, so I don't have a whole lot to say about this game yet, but I do like that there is no longer the turn based fighting system of the Paper Mario RPG's of the past, and more similar to the old games in fighting style. It still has attack power, and you can level up, which is awesome. In my opinion, it's great!

I hope to defeat this game and then maybe eventually start writing guides on some of the games that I have. Maybe not complete guides, but something.

Oh, I've also been into Animal Crossing City Folk... more on that later.

Keep Playin!

How 'Fit' Are You?

So... yeah, still on the Wii Fit... still losing pounds (although I'm at the right BMI now), and still discovering new things, even though I've unlocked everything there is to unlock... even the 'platinum' piggy bank.

I wonder what happens when you log 50 hours of credits?

Anyway, I noticed something new in the jogging sections of the game. I knew that with the short run you could follow the dog sometime in the middle of the jog... when you hear the dog bark, just start running faster and you'll be told to follow the dog instead. I didn't know you could do this with the others... I discovered the long run doggie a couple of weeks ago. It was great... you even jump off a wall chasing this dog! The dog shows up right near the beginning of the run, so you have to start out fast. You'll hear him shortly after you cross the start line. The island lap also has a dog near the beginning. Then you can go to a second dog who is moving faster later on, while in some caves. You take a completely different path while following the dogs, and it means a more interesting run, especially if youve been doing the running a lot. Also, look for more of those little Mario stickers along the path... hint, there's a star in a tree, Mario on some buildings, and I saw Luigi on a fountain...

I think I want to map out all those things yet... something to keep it interesting as I've already logged almost 40 hours! Maybe I'll put in those last 11 minutes today... (wink wink).

Keep on playin!

Another Wii Fit Update

So, I've officially unlocked everything, and logged over 25 hours of time on my wii fit (or at least, over 25 hours of wii fit credits). They change the color of the piggy 'bank' with the more hours you log... once at 10, and once at 20. I'll see in about a week and a half if they do so at 30 too.

I've been noticing something... I weigh myself every day, and in two months only missed one day of weigh in... it's awesome to see the graph and check my weight flux throughout the month. Anyway, on to my discovery... my weight increases on the weekend... usually due to friday or saturday. Then, it slowly decreases back to the previous weight... so I get small spikes each weekend and everything goes down again during the weeks... probably due to my workout routine and eating habits... I tend to eat more on weekends, and I don't tend to do the wii fit workouts on weekends (although I do get other exercise in usually, just not yoga and strength training).

So, my wii fit has been teaching me things! I'm currently at my ideal weight, which is nice... and my flux is always between 21.97 bmi and 22.65. Not bad.

I love this game... exercise... thing...

Oh, and as for the marble drop game... I beat the advanced with a score of 145! Whoop!

Been Awhile

Yeah... I haven't posted here in quite some time!

I ended up buying a new game for Wii called Zack and Wiki. It's quite fun. The puzzles are somewhat challenging as the game progresses and I have to admit I got stuck in a couple of places (I knew what I had to do, I just kept making one simple little mistake...). I don't care for the creepiness of Barbaros Castle at all, but the puzzles there are the most fun. Great buy for $20 in my opinion.

We also picked up a points card from "The Source" recently. That's the cheapest way to get them here in Canada currently. Taking into consideration the dollar, it costs $24 to purchase through the Wii for 2000 points. They go for $25 retail in every store I've seen except The Source... there they can be picked up for $20. So, cha-ching in my wallet! Now to pick the games I want... Tetris Party looks promising, as does World of Goo. I'm also curious about Protect the Castle, Strong Bad, Pokemon Ranch, and Aquarium. Oh, and this other game... Lost Winds or something? Heard that one is really good too.

Wii Fit has proved to aid in getting me down to a BMI of 22, which means I actually weigh a bit less now than I did before getting preggers... and dear hubby has noticed my tummy getting flatter. I'm more flexible now with the yoga I've been doing. I love the last yoga move, the shoulder stand I think it's called. I can actually do it properly now instead of having to use my hands to get my legs where they need to go. My ab strength is almost back! Woo hoo!

I registered Marin on Wii Fit now too... (smile). She currently weighs 9.4lbs. Her BMI is low for her 'length' apparently, but that's ok. She isn't underweight. It's nice that I can keep track of her weight this way, and now that she's not sick anymore, she's gaining again (she was at a steady 9lbs for almost 2 weeks straight... and they are supposed to gain about 2lbs a month I've heard, although if she gains in general I'm happy with that). She weighs so little the scale says it can't find her center of balance, which is good since she's laying on the scale instead of standing (smile again).
Well, that's it for now. Gotta go do my weigh in for today and my 30 minute exercise... yeah... I upped my daily to 30, and sometimes kick it up to 60 with the free run or free step in aerobics. Great stuff.

Keep Playin!

How fit are you?

So, since having our little girl, I haven't been keeping up with Wii fit... until now. I started working at it again recently, and I have to say, I love the weigh-ins... I'm already basically back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I only have about 2 lbs to go... and I want to get my 'shape' back. Let's face it, pregnancy does a number on the belly!

I love the yoga. I've already unlocked all the extra exercises on all sections. I've lately been doing 30minutes a day again, and trying to remember to put in my activities on the graphs. I love the graphs. And the yoga has been helping my hips and pelvis get back to where they need to be.

I have to say, exercise is helping me deal with stress. It's stressful having a new little one. I love her to pieces, but it is definetly a strain getting up during the night to feed her, and dealing with her cranky times especially when it's just me with her. So, when she naps, not only do I nap (sometimes... not often anymore) but I do some workouts, along with other work that needs to happen.

So... on to my goal... two more pounds!

Wii Fit... again

So today I'm starting on a "wii fit" routine. Yup... monday, wednesday, friday I'm going to do some aerobic exercise with some strength training, adding in yoga and balance games for fun. Then the other days I will forgo strength training and do lots of extra aerobics and yoga, with balance games thrown in for fun. I want to do at least 20 minutes on the "bank" each day, and add in some extra normal walking and other work (like tuesdays I clean house... that banks as "working out" for me).

Anyway, I'm so proud of myself. I did 31 minutes today already. Hubby did his 10 minutes today too. I did the table tilt game with the marbles and got all the way to the bottom... with one second to spare! Ha ha. So, 81 points. Not a lot, but better than the 40 I got yesturday. I also accomplished the "advanced balance test". Seriously... not easy. I did the hoola hoop and got over 200 points! I think I'm doing pretty good for being preggers. I was doing some of the strength training, and I'll have to make sure not to do any of the "twisting" things due to my belly, but the push up went well, as did the single leg extension and lunges. I unlocked two more strength training exercises as well and another yoga pose. I also unlocked a longer jogging section. That will be good for tomorrow.

I enjoy looking at the graphs. I only have 3 days up there. I just saw that you can log in any time you spend doing anything outside of the wii fit game itself. Light, medium, and heavy exercise. So, tomorrow I'll have to log in my housecleaning time. That's "medium". Cooking, stretching, etc is light. I like how it logs everything for you and helps you keep track.

Anyway, thats all for now. I'll keep you posted. I have to say, those strength training exercises really work the leg muscles! Woo! Time for bed soon.

Keep on Playin.

Wii Fit

So, on Saturday we broke down and purchased Wii Fit! I'm thrilled with it so far. Both hubby and I registered ourselves and did the fitness test. We didn't do so well the first time, both scoring an age that was more than 10 years above our actual age. I redid mine (I did it at 10:30pm) and got a much better score... right on my actual age actually. I was happy with that. I then proceeded to try the deep breathing and crescent moon yoga exercises. Apparently I have really good posture!

Yesturday evening I hit the scale yet again... and gained 1.5 lbs... so now I'm 162lbs and just barely overweight. Well, I AM 9 months pregnant! My Wii Fit age dropped to 20, which my little mii seemed thrilled about... I was quite suprised as well. I then proceeded to do some more yoga, as I really enjoy it! Did the deep breathing again, then the tree pose and the warrior. Did pretty good, but it seems my left side does better than my right... probably because they start with the right and I'm still trying to figure it out at that point. Apparently my balance is good because I got 3 stars on each. The breathing I got 98 points this time, vs 88 of last time.

The balance games were a lot of fun. I did the tightrope walk (woo hoo, I made it across), the marble drop (I got to level 5, which I thought was pretty good), the soccer ball one (I don't remember, but I know I did pretty well with that one... although I only got 2 stars), the ski jump (over 140 on the combined jumps), and the flags for skiing through... I did that one twice and only missed 2 flags on the second round. I'm feeling pretty good! Today I want to do some aerobics and strength training... if my protruding belly will allow for it of course. I'll keep you updated on my progress in this game. I've unlocked a few things already! Including a new yoga move... I'll have to try that one today yet too.

I think this game is a real good investment, even though I only have had it two days. It's a lot of fun so far, and even dear husband is getting in on it a little. It's fun to watch. Just think, pay $100 and have a game with a trainer and scale in your house you can use on your own time, no driving to the gym, etc. If you gain weight it asks you what you did the previous day that might have contributed to the weight gain and gives you suggestions on how to prevent it. Go to a gym... and not only do you spend money driving there (unless you live nearby, lucky you), I find the gym boring, and you pay $40-50/month for a membership. 2 months and you've already paid for this game and then some! Not only that, but combine the multiple members of your family and you've got even more savings! And they can each work at their own pace.

I can't wait to see what the game thinks of me after I give birth to baby (sometime in the next few weeks I'm hoping)... there will be quite the weight loss after only one day (smile).

Keep Playin!

It's been a month

Yeah... and I haven't updated in a while! Oops. What can I say, I've been really busy doing renovations and prepping for the baby to come. Only 4 weeks till my due date, and there is still so much to finish!

The other day my parents and sis came down. My dad helped me put up the casings on the babyroom ceiling, and as we did that my sis played Mario Galaxy. She had forgotten everything she did from the last time she played, which was a good few months ago, so I don't blame her. She started figuring out bee Mario... we all got a kick out of her noises as she would fly and try not to die or anything. I wouldn't mind them coming down more often, and if she comes she is more than welcome to play.

Speaking of which, if I get some spare time I should pick up the game again. I'd like to play around with Twilight Princess a bit too, and Wii Sports. I'm really hoping to get Wii Fit sometime soon... probably should before the baby is born or else I may not get it at all. That one and Mario Kart.

That's all for now.