Bumbo Review

December 31st.  Another year is expiring.  This was quite the eventful year for you; getting promoted, the birth of your daughter, and getting married.  With a new year comes the opportunity for new beginnings and the ubiquitous new year's resolutions.  Prosperity or poverty, forgiveness or grudges, victory or defeat.  What choices will define your new year?


The new year approaches with an ominous messenger.  Tornado watches are in effect for most of the tristate area.  Went to walmart this morning to grab some milk and it was like a war zone in there.  Most of the checkouts were open and at least five deep in line.  Luckily, a register opened up just as I got in the next line over.  That saved me at least ten minutes.

I'm working tonight and likely won't be home this year, so happy new year to everyone reading, and don't drink and drive.  I'd really hate it if you wrecked my car tonight.  And now, for the review!

Vindication / Walker Review

As you make the final turn to your mother-in-law's house, you begin to consider the different outcomes that could arise from this visit.  You plan arguments and rebuttals before you even shift into park.  Your mental warfare against Negligent Mother is not unlike a game of chess against an opponent with no king.  You and your wife enter the house.


Negligent Mother is out for the day.  After you sent your message to her, your wife also gave her an earful about her blatantly lacking parental instincts.  Somehow, you get the impression that she is avoiding the two of you.  With the imminent drama removed from the situation, you are free to enjoy a day in the company of loved ones.


All the drama of the past few days seemed as though it would fizzle out when we arrived and she had run off for the day.  Later, by some innate agent of chaos, it was revealed that Negligent Mother had also been spreading a lie about her parents that was hurtful to my wife's other sister.  For the record, Negligent Mother lives with her parents rent-free, so making them angry seems like a poor decision to make.

Most of the day was great though.  We got a Leapfrog My Pal Scout for Negligent Mother's daughter, and she had a blast with it.  I had it programmed for her name and favorite food, color, and animal before we left. I also took a nice nap with my baby girl during "Batman Begins."  Here's a picture of Kennedy on Christmas day with her new Leapfrog My Pal Violet.

I promised to do a review today, so I'll be talking about the walker we bought for her about a month ago from Toys R Us.  It is the Fisher Price Little Superstar Step 'n Play Piano.  This is an amazing walker that Kennedy adores.  When turned on, the piano keys at the bottom actually sound a piano note when stepped on by baby's feet.  On the front of the play set are smaller keys that will activate music when pressed.  There is a small assortment of melodies and songs included.

Kennedy's favorite part of the set is the noisemakers.  On either side of the seat are rotating drums, one which has little balls inside that make a rattle noise, and the other makes clicks.  In the picture, you can see Kennedy playing with a rattle, and on the other side is a little yellow bell.  Once she has grabbed that bell, game over, man.  She's also fond of the triangle mirror on the back side.  For some reason, every time she looks in, there's a pretty baby looking back at her.  She's not quite figured that part out yet, but she's working on it.

This is a wonderful walker, but I don't think I would have paid Amazon's list price of $199.95.  We got ours at Toys R Us for a little under $100, which I think is a good price for what you get.

Next up for review will either be "Green Lantern: Blackest Night," or DJ Hero 2.  I want your input!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

We resume our adventure several months later on Christmas day.  You are driving south to see your wife and daughter at her mother's house.  She has been helping her mother during her recovery from surgery, and it has been nearly a week since you've seen her or Kennedy.  Before you left, your wife called to tell you that your daughter has gotten another ear infection.  Her sister neglected to give her daughter the medicine that she needed, and as a result of her negligence, your daughter's coughing and congested breathing can clearly be heard over the phone.


Also, she doesn't bathe.


As you drive along the empty country roads, all you can do is think about your poor daughter being sick as a result of your sister-in-law's ineptitude.  You can feel the rage rising up inside you like stomach acid, eating away your sense of common decency and political correctness.  For the duration of the scene, take a -2 penalty to all diplomacy checks related to your sister-in-law.  


You arrive at your destination, turn off the car and unbuckle your seatbelt.  You take your daughter's Christmas present and walk up to the front door.  As you open the door, you see your mother-in-law, your wife and your daughter on the couch, and the sister-in-law in a chair on the other side of the room.  What do you do?


For the record, I critically failed my first diplomacy check of the day after I arrived.  The sister-in-law's daughter walked into the room chewing on something that wasn't quite discernible.  When my mother-in-law asked what she was chewing on, the mother carelessly replied, "A piece of styrofoam."  I rolled a '1' on my diplomacy check and looked at her with a less-than-pleasant expression on my face and blurted out, "Really?"

My critical failure ended up working out for me in the end, though, as she got up and left the room.  The gift in question that I brought for Kennedy was a Leapfrog My Pal Violet.  It is a purple stuffed dog that sings and talks like so many other baby toys, but this one really piqued my geek.  It can be connected to a computer with the included USB cable and programmed to use your child's name and even spell it out.  The onboard memory can be programmed for ten different songs from a list of over forty from the Leapfrog website.

Kennedy absolutely loved it, and we really liked the lullaby feature that plays two, five, or ten minutes of bedtime music.  With Kennedy being sick, it was nice to see her finally get some rest.  My wife suggested to her sister that she should get one for her daughter.  A nice educational toy like this one could really do wonders for the child.  But no, her mother simply scoffed at my wife, as though we had just told her she couldn't watch TV tonight.  We'll get one for her if her mother doesn't care enough to do it herself.

How was everyone's Christmas festivities?