Just Dance 4 for the Wii {Review} #CleverJD4 #spon

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. #UbiChamps

Admittedly, we are Just Dance FANatics.... so we were thrilled to see the new release of Just Dance 4 in the series. As you will read, it's TONS of fun... and great entertainment for the entire family!

About Just Dance 4 for the Wii

The world's #1 dance game* is back and better than ever! The new Just Dance 4 gives a new twist to the already spontaneous and outrageous dance game.

Just Dance 4 is your ticket to the best new music with over 40 tracks from a variety of top artists, popular genres and hot billboard songs like "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen, "Good Feeling" by Flo Rida, and "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. The tracklist also features legendary artists such as Barry White and The B-52’s to get the whole family up and moving.

Just Dance 4 is the perfect catalyst for the best parties, no matter what the occasion, thanks to innovative modes like the all-new Battle mode, an upgraded Just Sweat mode, and even more fun, alternative dances. Everything you know and love about Just Dance gets even better with Just Dance 4—hot new tracks, fun irreverent dances, and more.

Key Features

Top Of The Charts: Over 40 all-new tracks, ranging from chart-topping hits to classic dance party tracks! There's something for all tastes so everyone will find their groove. Want more songs? Download from an expanding catalogue of new tracks from the in-game store.

 

Just Dance-Off! Challenge your friends in 6 rounds of dance battles with the all-new Battle mode! Go head to head to unique choreographies and music to be crowned the dance battle champion!

Bring Your Crew: With songs that feature 4 concurrent dance routines, it’s your time to shine! Each player can get his own moment of fame with unique choreographies and moves for each member of your dance crew.

 

Just Sweat It Out: The popular Just Sweat mode gets a major upgrade with brand new workout sessions, personalized programs, and a real calorie counter. Stay fit, and have fun playing Just Dance!

Alternative Choreographies: Unlock alternative choreographies for your favorite tracks including ultra-challenging and outlandish routines.

Dance Quests: Discover and win up to 6 challenges per song and unlock more rewards.

Dancer Card: Create and personalize your own dancer card to check out all your awesome dance stats (e.g., favorite tracks, best scores, and challenges).

Just Can’t Get Enough: Just Dance 4 still has everyone’s favorite modes like Duet Mode, Dance Mash-up Mode with 45+ mash-up choreographies, and more!

ace and friends thoughts

We've been Just Dance loyal fans since it's inception. Our household was anxiously awaiting the release of Just Dance 4. Since it's arrival to our home, we've been playing it non-stop. It's truly addictive! The game play itself is a lot of fun and quite entertaining. As the dance moves require you get up and move... you will definitely break a sweat.

There are many current hits that if you are a Top 40 fan like me, you will recognize and enjoy. Although some of the dance moves were a little advanced for our kids, all of us had a great time laughing and dancing along.

The noticeable new feature to this series is the addition of a Battle Mode, allowing players to compete in a six-round dance off. In addition there is the ability to unlock alternate choreography for some of the songs. My kids loved to challenge each other in the Battle Mode. 

The Sweat Mode has also been improved with the expansion of the mode itself. It allows players to get a pretty tough workout based on the choice of music selected. This mode also features an on-screen calorie counter to monitor if you are working hard enough (or just moving your remote fast or slow). Workout can be as short as 10 minutes to an intense 45 minutes session. This mode is fun and my favorite of all the different options. 

The only issue that I noticed with this {Wii} game in particular was that some of the arm movements aren't recognized as well with the Wii remote. The dance moves are pretty easy and are typically repeated throughout the entire song which makes it easy to dance and pick up.

Final Thoughts: Overall, Just Dance 4 surpassed my expectations. The game is certainly entertaining and fun for the whole family. Now go out and get it.... you will not be disappointed! Lots of dancing FUN!

Rated: 

Check out the dancing fun:

 

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Buy It

Just Dance 4 is available for the Wii, Playstation 3 and XBox Kinect on Amazon.

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[Product review & giveaway disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free from the manufacturer of a PR Agency. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." See ace and friends Disclosure Policy HERE.]

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Fun, Delicious and Tasty Veggie Recipes With Country Crock

This post is sponsored by Country Crock. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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I don't know about your household, but in ours... vegetables are a hard sell to the kids. No matter how I try and serve them... it's takes a lot of convincing to even get them to try it.


The smart folks at Country Crock just recently introduced something I think my kids are going to LOVE. The Crock Country Chronicles offers easy vegetable recipes ideas that are delicious and more importantly, kid-friendly.


If you head on over to the Crock Country Chronicles, you can download a cookbook for FREE - A Very Veggie World by Clare Crespo.

This particular cookbook offers colorful pictures and inspirational recipes to make serving those veggies a little more fun for the family. From veggie pets to lighting bolts, veggie volcanos to rocket ships, your kids will certainly get a kick out of at least giving those veggies a shot.

For my family, I opted to give the Pasta Full of Posies a try. The recipe was simple to follow and called for the following ingredients:


2 yellow and/or orange bell peppers

1 package (16 oz.) whole wheat penne (or pasta of your choice)

3 Tbsp. Country Crock® Spread
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 5 cherry tomatoes, halved

7 basil or baby spinach leaves 


Chop off top and bottom of peppers. Slice down the side, remove the seeds and lay pepper flat. Cut into petal shapes.

Boil pasta according to package directions; drain.


Melt Country Crock® Spread and heat olive oil on the stove over medium heat in a pan big enough to hold pasta. Cook garlic and peppers together for about 5 minutes. With tongs, remove pepper petals and set aside.

Add pasta and cheese to garlic and toss together. Put pasta in shallow serving dish. Arrange tomato halves on top and surround them with pepper petals to make “flowers.” Add a basil or baby spinach leaf to each flower.
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Thankfully, I had the majority of ingredients on hand and the directions were easy enough to follow.

First, I wanted to get the pasta started.

Then, gathered my veggies - yellow pepper and cherry tomatoes.

Began to cut my flower petal shapes from the yellow peppers.

Added my Country Crock, along with olive oil to the pan.

Saute the yellow pepper flower petals along with the garlic in the pan.

Removed the flower petals from the pan and added the cooked pasta to the pan, along with the parmesan cheese. Stirred for a minute or so.

Once combined, added to a serving dish and created my posie flowers with the yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes and baby spinach leaves.

I loved how it turned out and so did the kids... they said, "How did you do that?" I thought, YES, they LOVE it. The overall flavor of the pasta was actually more delicious than we expected it to taste. The peppers that were sautéed with Country Crock (with  70% less saturated fat, 30% fewer calories than butter and 0 trans fat) had a nice crisp, roasted flavor. The kids added a little extra parmesan to their pasta mixture and were super pleased! Ahhhh... a veggie success!

Want to learn more about Country Crock, please visit:

• Country Crock on Facebook
• Country Crock on Twitter

Are you looking for quick and simple tips and recipes to make serving veggies more fun? Download the free Clare Crespo Cookbook here for fun and whimsical recipes your family is sure to love!



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Just Dance 3 for the Wii {Review} #UbiChamps #spon

Admittedly, we are Just Dance FANatics.... so we were thrilled to see the new release of Just Dance 3 in the series. As you will read, it's TONS of fun... and great entertainment for the entire family!

About Just Dance 3 for the Wii

The world's #1 dance game* is back and better than ever! The new Just Dance 3 gives a new twist to the already spontaneous and outrageous dance game.

Just Dance 3 kick-starts the party with over 40 tracks from multiple genres and popular artists including today’s hottest hits like “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO, “California Gurls” by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg, and “Forget You” by Cee Lo Green. Also included are legendary favorites like “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” by Kiss.

With a variety of all-new gameplay modes, tracks that allow up to 4 dancers to uniquely shine, and innovative cardio training options, Just Dance 3 was made to bring the party and keep America dancing!

Key Features

Top Of The Charts: Over 40 all-new tracks, ranging from chart-topping hits to classic dance party tracks! There's something for all tastes so everyone will find their groove. Want more songs? Download from an expanding catalogue of new tracks from the in-game store.


Dance Crew Mode: With now up to 4 concurrent dance routines, it’s your time to shine! Each player can get his own moment of fame with unique choreographies and moves for each member of the band.

Shake the World: Just Dance 3 lets you bring down the house with dynamic environments. Watch the background change as you perform progressive moves.

Just Sweat: The popular Just Sweat mode gets an upgrade with more workout plans and playlists. Stay fit, have fun, and Just Dance.

Dance Nonstop: Use the Party Mode and lose yourself in the music! No navigating through menus, no need to stop to select the next song… Just Dance 3 gives you a non-stop dance-a-thon!

Sing Along: All tracks provide song lyrics on-screen, so even if you don’t score points with your voice, you’re sure to score some with the crowd


LOTS of Dance: Just Dance 3 still has everyone’s favorite modes like Duets, Non-Stop Shuffle, Medley, Simon Says, and more.

ace and friends thoughts

We've been Just Dance loyal fans since it's inception. Our household was anxiously awaiting the release of Just Dance 3. Since it's arrival to our home, we've been playing it non-stop. It's truly addictive! The game play itself is a lot of fun and quite entertaining. As the dance moves require you get up and move... you will definitely break a sweat.

There are many current hits that if you are a Top 40 fan like me, you will recognize and enjoy. Although some of the dance moves were a little advanced for our kids, all of us had a great time laughing and dancing along.

What I believe to be new for the Just Dance series, is a medal and point system which helps unlock new songs and extra content. There are goals such as "Finish a Song with No X's" as well as "Gain 300 Sweat Points". With enough dancing, you can earn enough {mojo} points to unlock extra content such as a new song, dance mash up or new modes.

The only issue that I noticed with this {Wii} game in particular was that some of the arm movements aren't recognized as well with the Wii remote. The dance moves are pretty easy and are typically repeated throughout the entire song which makes it easy to dance and pick up. 

Final Thoughts: Overall, Just Dance 3 surpassed my expectations. The game is certainly entertaining and fun for the whole family. Now go out and get it.... you will not be disappointed! Lots of dancing FUN!


Rated: 

Check out the dancing fun:

************************************************************
Buy It

Just Dance 3  is available for the Wii, Playstation 3 and XBox Kinect on Amazon.

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Disclosure: 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.

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Heart of Haiti and Macy's

The devastating earthquake of January 2010 has made it nearly impossible for Haitians to earn a living. Raw materials have been wiped out, there are a lack of secure and sanitary conditions and little funding to support economic relief.

Through the sale of Heart of Haiti products, artisans are able to earn life-changing income for themselves, their families, and their communities. The initiative is enabling artisans to repair homes, pay school fees, and feed and clothe their families. The income also allows them to have access to better nutrition, improved education and healthcare.

The Heart of Haiti collection has already led to employment of 350 artists in Haiti and has provided some financial benefits for an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 people in the country.

Check out the Heart of Haiti collection on Macys.com.

 

{Please Note: I was selected for this very special “CleverHaiti” opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity. All opinions are my own.} Pin It

Petz Bunnyz Bunch Nintendo DS Game {Review & Giveaway}

About Petz Bunnyz Bunch

Petz Bunnyz Bunch is a single player animal simulation game for Nintendo DS/DSi that tasks players to raise and care for an extremely cute batch of bunnyz, but these bunnyz are more than cute - they are special. The game features eight different species of bunnyz, all of which can be trained to do a variety of things ranging from coming when called, to even expressing a surprising musical side. Keep your new little friends happy, clean and cared for as you bond with them and you will be rewarded in game and even be given the opportunity travel the virtual world with them in tow to meet other Petz.

Key Game Features

• Adopt Your Own Family of Bunnyz - Choose between 8 different breeds, each with unique personalities and preferences.

• New Fun Activities - Give your bunnyz exercise by teaching them to follow you around the room, or toss toys between each other.

• More Ways to Bond - The living room is your bunnyz new home. Show them their new toys, teach them how to get around, and even ask them to hop up to join you on the sofa.

• Bunnyz Go on an Adventure - Send your bunnyz to Petz World virtual world, and be one of the few with a bunny to play with.

ace and friends thoughts

When the game arrived *A* was thrilled because she had seen it on television (The power of advertising, right?) Here are *A*'s thought on Petz Bunnyz Bunch...

With the Easter holiday just around the corner, this would make a perfect Easter basket present. This game is rated {E} for everyone! Now, that's my kind of game!

*A's* Petz Bunnyz Bunch DS game rating: Two Thumbs up!

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Buy It

Purchase your Ubisoft Petz Bunnyz Bunch on Amazon or at Toysrus.com. 

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Win It 

One LUCKY *ace and friends* readers will each win an Ubisoft Petz Bunnyz Bunch Nintendo DS Game of their very own.

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Mandatory Entry: Tell me who will get to enjoy Petz Bunnyz Bunch. (make sure to include your email). 

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Earns 1 Entry Daily: You can copy and paste the following Tweet at Twitter once per day. (leave status link)

Copy and Paste The Following Tweet:  

#Win a {Petz Bunnyz Bunch DS Game #UbiChamps} @aceandfriendsco Blog! http://bit.ly/hgoaNK ends 4.16 #giveaway #moms #kids

  

Entry Rules: The giveaway is open to US residents only. Entries are valid through Saturday, April 16th at 11:59 PM EST.

The winners will have 48 hours to respond via email before a new winner is selected.

[While Ubisoft provided me with this game to review, the opinions I've expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Ubisoft, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." See ace and friends Disclosure Policy HERE.]

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