My Fitness Coach for Wii

I ordered this on a Gold Box or some other special a few months ago, but admit I didn't even crack open the package until last week. I finally decided it was time.

I already have WiiFit, which I do like. I also have Outdoor Challenge, which is very fun and very exercise-y. So, why did I decide to try this one, too? Because the package said it personalized an exercise routine for you.

So, after putting the game in, you run through a whole series of information in setting up your program. Along with age, weight and height, you need to measure your bicep, chest, waist, hips and thigh. You input your resting heartrate, and then your exercising heart rate. You also count squats, pushups and scrunches to help the program determine your current fitness level. It took me about 20 minutes to get all the information entered. Then, on to the exercises.

It is a lot like exercising to a video, except there are certain places you have to input information, and you always have the option of stopping for information on how to do an exercise. And it does base the exercises on your current fitness level (it adjusted some things for me after I told it I could not do something -- I'm currently not very flexible), and you do different exercises depending upon the focus you (or the program) pick for the day.

If I can keep this up, I think this will be better for me than the WiiFit, since I don't have to figure out what I need to do. The program will tell me. I hope I can keep it up. I will update in about six weeks!

Bird Spikes

We have a problem. Our front door has a decorative thing on it that apparently makes a perfect nesting place for robins.

Now, I hate birds. Or I am afraid of birds. In any case, I don't want birds on my front porch. I couldn't use the front door until the eggs had hatched and the birds had flown off.

You might see a little speck of red next to the bird nest. That was a fake bird that was supposed to keep the real birds away. You can see how well that worked!

So, once the bird was gone, I put up bird spikes. These little plastic strips of spikes get glued on where you don't want birds to nest. They were easy to put up, and -- for the last three weeks or so, have kept the birds away. The real test will be next nesting season for robins.

Since I have put these up, I have noticed similar spikes in other places. Like on the tops of the letters on the sign at the local Kroger store. They don't appear to have birds nests on them, so I am very hopeful.

DVD Reviews

I've been lazy on my postings, so today I am doing a round up of the some DVD's I have purchased at Amazon over the past few years.

The Big Bang Theory, Season One

I love this show. I didn't watch it when it first came on, because I did not like Kaley Cucco on Charmed. I started watching the series with our friend Andy, and ended up laughing hysterically over the antics of Leonard and Sheldon, and the interactions with "normal" Penny.

The scene in one of the first episodes where Penny asks "There was more than one Superman movie?", which led to a discussion of the physics of Superman's abilities is eerily similar to conversations I have heard and HAD with my dear husband and some of his cohorts.

This is a short season, due to the writers' strike, so I would not recommend paying full retail for this set, in spite of all of it's geeky gloryessness. Instead, watch for a deal at Amazon or Target. Amazon has had this for at least half-off, so they probably will again.

Wall-E

This Pixar flick is about what you'd expect from a Pixar movie. It was a good story, the animation was excellent. The three-disk set with the digital copy (which we did get) seemed like a good deal on sale, but we had to wonder why the packaging said the digital copy was included, when we had to download it from iTunes. Doesn't make a lot of sense, Disney!

Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog

Absolutely, utterly, completely hilarious. Even if you saw this on iTunes, or in the original downloads, the DVD is an excellent addition to your collection -- if only for the musical commentary that accompanies it. I would pay for a soundtrack of that commentary! The Whedon factory really can put together a package.

If you are unsure about what the story is, you can check out Hulu, where the "blog" can be heard in it's original form.

Aerogarden Classic

I purchased the Aerogarden Classic about six months ago, as a Gold Box purchase. (Aside: If you are not familiar with the Gold Box, click on Today's Deals on the main Amazon page. There is a different Gold Box deal each day; there may be several lightning deals there, as well as Quick Picks especially for you, if you are logged in.) I had been looking at the Aerogarden for quite some time, but it really was too pricey to get for no occassion. But through a series of events not detailed here, Mark "owed" me a present, so I picked the Aerogarden.

The garden comes with seed pods for a mixed herb garden. The directions were comprehensive, it was easy to set up, and the herbs started growing quickly. I grew two kinds of basil, mint, thyme and dill. The mint and basil did the best. I got very few chives, a good bit of dill and thyme, but an abundance of basil. For the first time, I made pesto. And more pesto. And even more pesto. Good thing I like pesto.

My herbs lasted quite a long time, at least four months. They quite probably would have lasted longer, but Mark and I were going to be away for about a week, and I was worried about them running out of water and burning out the pump, so I turned off the garden and cleaned it out.

I liked this Aerogarden so much, when it went back into the Gold Box, I got another one! In that one, I planted lettuce. For about 4 months, we had lettuce for sandwiches and garnish whenever we wanted it. There really wasn't enough lettuce for entree sized salads, but there certainly was enough for two side salads a couple times a week, and lettuce for burgers and turkey sandwiches. The lettuce seemed to die off sooner than the herbs did. By the end, I only had one pod producing lettuce. Before we left for vacation, I had a BIG salad and turned the garden off.

So, since we are back, I replanted. Of course, my refill kit came from Amazon. Conveniently, they were on sale in the 4-for-3 promotion, so I got two kits, and two replacement grow lights. In one garden, I will grow flowers. In the other, I am going to try tomatos. A note about the grow lights -- Aerogrow recommends replacing them every six months. I am going to try going longer, or replace only one grow light per unit every six months. I am hoping this works okay.

The new gardens were planted about three or four days ago. I am already seeing sprouts.

I am not using the gardens to grow "special herbs." From what I have heard, "special herbs" do not do well in Aerogardens. More room is needed.

Although I really like my Aerogarden, I don't know that I would recommend it for everyone. It is a trifle pricey, and replacement bulbs and seed kits can add up. This is not really economical, but if you can get one cheap, it might be a fun growing experience.

Fox Run Set of Four English Muffin Rings

Today's Amazon purchase is the "Fox Run Set of Four English Muffin Rings." Zoe, on her blog, talked about using no-knead bread to make easy English Muffins. I love English Muffins, with all their little nooks and crannies for butter and jam. So, this was a no-brainer -- I would make English Muffins. (English Muffins -- It is starting to sound really strange -- English Muffins, English Muffins -- English Muffins).

I used the Buttermilk Dough from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day , and followed Zoe's instructions on using 3.5 ounces of dough. Here they are rising in the rings:
There was a recipe that came with the rings, which some reviewers said was really good. But using the pre-mixed no-knead dough was certainly easier. I baked them for about 20 minutes, but I did put my baking stone on top of them to try to get a more traditional flat muffin. I had some problems with that:

The stone held the dough down in the rings, but some of it pushed out the bottom. Not a big deal, I just cut that part off. I would also have liked to have them slightly browner, but that might be a combination of the dough choice and the silicon sheet I used.

The rings came off nicely, the muffins fork split easily, and tasted delicious. Next time, I will probably use 2.5 ounces of dough, to be sure I don't have the leaks around the rings.

All-in-all, the muffin rings lived up to their purpose. They held the dough in place while baking, they were easy to clean, and very inexpensive. I give these a thumbs up rating.

My First Post

I love Amazon. I like to browse books, check out the Gold Box and Lightning Deals. I comparison shop, and read reviews (and occasionally post one). Every once in a while I like to read the forums.

Take today, for instance. The Gold Box special is the complete "Get Smart" series for $68.00, which includes shipping. What a deal! I am so tempted to get this for Mark, who loves the show. But I MUST RESIST! We'll see -- maybe by the end of the day I will have plopped it into my cart and it will be winging its way to me courtesy of USPS or FedEx.

In any case, since I am very lax about about posting reviews on Amazon, and since I wanted to start a blog, I am combining the two. I am going to try to make a post for every Amazon purchase I have ever made, or make in the future. What a goal! We'll see how it goes.