Recently I was sent a copy of Brain Age to review — it is software for the Nintendo DS game thingy. I’m not into video games, but this one seemed interesting. It has various puzzles for you to solve and it is supposed to tone up your noggin.

You can do sudoku puzzles (which I keep hearing about and now finally know what they are!) as well as speed math drills. There are also other more creative games to get your brain going which involve memorization and speedy recall.

You hear the stories of ladies who do crossword puzzles every day and remain sharp at 100, plus studies that show you can tune-up your brain, and I think this game could be an easy way to do that. It is fun, you can keep it in your bag for when you have a spare moment, and you can tease your kids by saying that it is just for grown-ups. Win win win!

Note: I am so not the “target demo” for this product I was asked to review. It is called The Book of Cool and it documents with photos how to do lots of cool stuff. Mostly typical college-age guy stuff. I am neither. Onward.

It is actually a book and 3 DVDs. I didn’t watch the DVDs, but the book consists of lots of photos of how to do things like spin a frisbee, do trick card shuffles, hackey sack stuff (did you know it is now called “footbag”?), breakdancing moves, juggling chainsaws, and so on. I say “and so on” like you’re going to know it also has gun tricks, trick pool shots, and fancy bartender moves covered.

It is a fun book that you might not want to leave lying around for your 5 year old to find — unless you don’t mind your 5 year old learning how to do a Butt Flourish. (Pretty sure my kids don’t need a book to learn that anyway.)

Watch for a contest to win this book. But since it is heavy and gonna cost me a few bucks to mail, yer gonna have to work for it!

APO Industries sent us some cute wood Christmas ornaments that you decorate yourselves. Mike and Robbie worked on them one day after school and they turned out very cute.

If you really get your crafty on, I bet you could do an even more spectacular job!

When the nice folks at Matisse & Jack’s asked me if I wanted to try out their make-your-own energy bar mixes, my first thought was that the last thing I needed was for my kids to have more energy! I also told them that I thought they looked more like something I’d serve for dessert than give the kids for a snack, but if they wanted to try to convert me I’d be happy to give them a try.

I baked some up this morning, and they are right — it isn’t possible for this to be easier to do. Put the dry mix in a bowl, add yogurt and applesauce, bake. Even I can do that.

My kids are resistant to trying new foods, and these bars were no exception. I can’t say they were a hit with the under-5 set, but I don’t think that is their target market! I made the chocolate chip ones and contrary to what I expected, they were not too sweet, and Mr. Plain gave them a thumbs-up. If you’re looking for a very easy and tasty energy bar mix, this is it!