reviews

When I think of graphic novels, what usually comes to mind are two of my favorites, Watchmen and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. I enjoy the dark, gritty feel of the characters, whose flaws play just as big a part as their admirable qualities. So... when the opportunity arose to check out a book that was billed as part novel, part graphic novel, with a rather grim story, I decided to check it out.

Are you reading this at 1am on your Blackberry while trying to quiet a screaming child who refuses to sleep? Or maybe after an exhausting day you have a hard time falling asleep. Then you may be in luck.

When we put Special K to bed, she shifts around for about 10 seconds before she's out like a light. However, with Princess P it's a whole different ball game. After tucking her into bed it may take her up to 2 hours to fall asleep. So, when the opportunity arose to test a product that could shorten her 2 hour cool down period, I was intrigued.

When I was growing up, some of my favorite 'books' were put out by Klutz. So when the opportunity arose to check out their new Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars, I was curious too see if the books were still top notch.

Childsplay is a free, cross platform suite of developmental software for children. Since it is cross platform, that means it will work on Windows, Mac, or Linux. The version used for this post was the Linux version.

One of the great things about Childsplay is that the activities vary greatly in difficulty, so children from about two and a half up can enjoy at least some of the activities. Also, the activities are fairly intuitive, so children are able to immediately grasp the goal of each activity.

The three year old has been using this piece of software for about 5 months now. Over that time she has gravitated toward three of the activities: Memory, Packid, and Puzzle.

Memory

The memory game is great because it has such a wide variety of difficulty. It starts with a 2x3 layout, and after completion steadily gets harder. At its most difficult, the board is 4x6. The three year old has become more proficient, and it's fun to see her logic in action. Even though I love the traditional non-electronic memory, for some reason it always ends in the three year old hording the cards. I've found that the electronic version is a nice change of pace, and at this point will keep her attention longer.

Packid

Packid is a Pacman clone with a twist. Instead of collecting little pellets, you find letters that spell out a given word. Another change from the original is that you must find the letters in the correct order.

Puzzle

Puzzle is pretty self explanatory as well. There is a cut up picture that you must drag from one side of the screen, to the appropriate position on the other side of the screen. The puzzle pieces are all rectangular, so the difficulty doesn't go too high on this one. However, it does help to sharpen observational skills.

A Few of the other activities

Sound matching
Falling Letters (type the falling letter)
Pong
Billiards

If you're thinking about purchasing software for your child, or maybe even just letting them tinker on a computer I highly recommend giving Childsplay a shot. It will practically raise your child for you…or not.

Be sure to head on over to dad blogs for another great round of fatherhood friday posts!

When someone mentions St. Louis, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Romance, candle lit dinners, and a cozy bed and breakfast? Or is it the Arch, St. Louis Cardinals, and beer? Until recently, I would have said the latter, but now I can say it also includes the former.

If you're looking to unwind, and get away from the kids for a night, I've found the perfect place... and it is the Park Avenue Mansion.

There have been times when we've dropped the kids off with a babysitter, only to wonder how they were doing mere moments later. However, after my wife and I stepped foot into the Park Avenue Mansion, the kids were an afterthought (at least for the night).

First, we were greeted by one of the owners, Mike, who quickly made us feel at home and proceeded to give us a tour of the house. The house includes a beautiful living room containing a cookie jar stocked full of cookies (which is always a good sign for a cookie lover like me). The house also has a library full of books.

Soon we were escorted out to the garden, which had multiple water features, a secluded swing, and plenty of other places to unwind. The garden would have been a perfect place to enjoy a late night drink (if it hadn't rained).

Then there was the bedroom, which contained a beautiful canopy bed, Jacuzzi tub, and a view of the garden below. Mike informed us that we should leave the window open at night, because when all is quiet, you can hear the gentle babbling of the garden's water feature.

Since the Park Avenue Mansion is located in the heart of historic Lafayette Square, it is within walking distance of many great restaurants and shops, like the Chocolate Bar. My wife was eager to dig into the Chocolate Bar's 'Brownie Royale,' and after we had finished, we were glad that all we had to do was roll our bloated bodies one block to get back to our room.

So if you're ever in the St. Louis area, and need some rest and relaxation, be sure to check out the Park Avenue Mansion, you won't be disappointed.