We actually got some exercise today to work off all those Christmas cookies and goodies. First, we went for a jog on the trails and did some jump-roping. Then we went roller skating. Then we went white-water kayaking. Then we went for a ride in a mine-car through mountain tunnels.
What's that? Why yes, yes it is a little cold outside for those activities. No, I'm not really that much of an outdoor stud.
Did I mention we did this all in our pajamas?
We did them all from the comfort of our home theater in the basement with this new Wii Active Life Outdoor Challenge the boys got for Christmas.
The game uses a floor-mat sort of like I've seen for sale with other game systems. This provides a much more aerobic workout than the Wii Fit. Don't get me wrong, Wii Fit is great for balance and stretching and stregth. The Wii Active Life doesn't measure your weight or balance like Wii Fit. It just senses you hitting the buttons on the mat as fast as you can with your hands or feet.
Active Life Outdoor Challenge
Trail Jogging.You have to jog in place to make your Mii run on the screen. The faster you move your feet, the faster your character moves on the screen, and there are obstacles like rolling logs you have to jump over.
Roller SkatingIn roller skating, you sort of walk in place on the mat to move your feet, and you use the handheld Wii remote to steer to avoid obstacles.
Jump Rope.
Kayaking.In kayaking, you hold your Wii remote like it was your paddle and paddle with your arms and "lean" left and right with your feet on the pad.
Overall, I like the Outdoor Challenge a lot. It really got my heart and respiration rates up. I'll have to wear my heart rate monitor next time I play and see how many calories I burn.
It's really good for the kids, too. It has "kid" versus "adult" setting at the beginning. The kid settings are a lot easier. Plus, they keep the kids' attention because they rotate through the activities and don't stay on any one event for very long.
Besides playing Wii today, we did a lot of this...
And some more of this...
LW and YB putting together a Coast Guard life raft.Later, we put the Coast Guard helicopter together as a family. That was a cool activity to do together as a family. It just amazes me how different legos are today than they were when I was a kid. They make some really amazing stuff nowadays.
We also played a really good game of UpWords.
ES whispering to Grammy. ...Cheaters.
We ended up using all but TWO of the letter tiles!Generally, I'm not a terribly big fan of tea, but this stuff is really good. The smell alone will put a smile on your face.
In case it wasn't already obvious, my wife and her family love me. LW, Grammy, and GG made sure I had my favorite pecan pie for Christmas - LW bought the ingredients and Grammy and GG made the pie.
Mmmmmm... pecan pie! :-9
In case it wasn't already obvious, my wife and her family love me. LW, Grammy, and GG made sure I had my favorite pecan pie for Christmas - LW bought the ingredients and Grammy and GG made the pie.
Mmmmmm... pecan pie! :-9It was only due to this pecan pie calling my name from home that I was able to turn down the chocolate creme brulee after our delicious dinner at Bonefish tonight.
Guess I better go fire up the Wii again...
Guess I better go fire up the Wii again...
You opened the box!?!?!?! We were shopping for this year's lego gifts for our boys and came across a bunch of the lego city stuff that our kids own and have left the parts for all over our house on Amazon. Apparently, the Lego city stuff is now worth lots of money. For example, the Lego City Passenger Plane
ReplyDeletewe paid maybe $40 brand new two Christmases ago is now selling for six times that price. If only we hadn't opened it..... Ah who am I kidding, they love that thing and have built millions of spaceships from it's fuselage. C'est la vie.
MMMMMM Pecan Pie, DROOOOOL,
ReplyDeleteI'm Jealous, No one in my immediate family or the local inlaw's enjoy such a wonderful confection and needless to say; do not know how to prepare one.
I purchased a Pecan pie from a local restaurant recently, it was OK, but was missing that special taste only home made pies have.
I don't make one myself because truth be told, I usually destroy the kitchen and upset the better half with my futile attempts at baking. So, I stick to grilling large and small chucks of meat and veggies on the BBQ where the clean up is easier with a hose.
And, the bagged pecans you purchase at the store just will never be as good as those we got off the trees around my Grandma's house.
Sounds and looks like a wonderful family day. I love that photo of your kidlet whispering to Grammy. Adorable.
ReplyDelete188 Calories burned in 26 minutes doing Teamwork with YB on the Outdoor Challenge! That is almost equivalent to walking 2 miles for me!
ReplyDeleteAgain with the delectable-looking pie! And me, a pre-diabetic with too much PC time on my hands.
ReplyDeleteSadist.
We made the kids wait to do stockings and gifts until after my parents arrived and had xmas breakfast of Virginia special order specialty sausage and bacon and of course local sweetrolls/sticky buns!
ReplyDeleteIt was the first year I got a shower and dressed and that was great!
Meredith was awake while Santa came and I jumped up about 5 feet in the air when she came out of her room. Whew! A close call.
But I covered with a nice "I thought you were Santa, you scared me. Go back to bed" and shooed her into her closed room.
All we need is one more xbox controller and then we'll have 4 like you do says John. Also we like the game Viva Pinata. It's really fun.
Merry Christmas and have a very fun New Years. We are going to a party and plan to be the first ones there and the last to leave! Our card will be late this year, but we did order one.