I checked out some new Pokemon games for the Nintendo DS the other day, and I’ll confess… I didn’t know anything about Pokemon before I started playing. You should also know that I never read instruction manuals unless the item in question has the potential to explode or otherwise cause bodily harm.

That said, I was up and running in no time. And by “no time” I mean — hey, look at the clock, wow it is 2 hours later and I’m still playing this game! I’m probably more of a Super Mario fan than Pokemon, but now at least I understand what my kids will be into in a few years.

These new games have some cool features. For example, if you play them at night, the setting of the game is night time. Clever! Also, the Pokemon you can catch vary by the time of day as do the skills the Pokemon have. You can feed them berries, dress them up, and give them accessories to hold and fight with. You can even play with other gamers worldwide using the built-in Wi-Fi. Neat!

But as a parent, my favorite part of Pokemon is the toned-down violence. Yes, you have “battles” but as far as I can tell, no one gets killed. When a Pokemon runs out of power it doesn’t die, it faints. You can then recharge it and use it again. When my boys are older and really jonesing for video games I’ll likely let Pokemon be one of their choices.

There are also some fun new accessories available to pimp your Nintendo DS system. For example, there’s a headset designed to work with games that use voice interaction. Plus you’re able to talk to other players you’re battling with when using the online system. Kind of makes me feel old to say this, but if I’d had something like this when I was a kid it would have blown my mind.

My oldest child is only 5 and he’s not asking for video games yet, but I see that day coming. I’m on the fence about when I’ll say he’s old enough to have a game system, but at least now I know that Pokemon would be a good choice when we get to that point.

Sanity Savers: Tips for Women to Live a Balanced Life is an interesting book when you only have a minute or two to read.

Broken down into daily readings, it contains tips to help you reflect on your life and become more thoughtful. Some chapters are very specific, such as “When your daughter has an eating disorder” and you are given very concrete steps to consider. Other chapters are more general and cover different stages of life, for example “Empty Nester Mom.” If you would like a self-help book written in the style of daily affirmations, this is a good one to consider.

As I’ve mentioned before, Mike is going to kindergarten this year and boy oh boy is he ready.

Or is he? It’s hard to tell, because even if I remembered how prepared I was at that age, all the standards and requirements have changed since then. In California in the 70s we were all required to learn the signs of the zodiac. What, they don’t do that now? Hmmm, I guess I have some research to do then.

And just in time I found “Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten!”, a cute laminated book for introducing kids to the concepts they’ll be covering in their first year of school.

And when I say “laminated” I mean it. This is a seriously sturdy book — good thing too since Mike ended up sleeping with it for a few weeks! And when his 2-year-old brother “examined” the new book it still survived. But the best part about the lamination is that it allows the kids to write with a dry erase marker, wipe it off, and do it again. This is particularly helpful in the section where you’re learning your address and phone number.

There are so many great skills covered in this book. Sharing, waiting your turn, colors, shapes, numbers, money, printing, left hand / right hand… On and on! Mike really enjoyed this book, and I’d bet paper money (page 16) that your child will too!

A contest

Would you like the chance to win this book as well as a copy of “Let’s Get Ready for First Grade!” Easy, just go leave a comment at the PBN site and you’ll be entered in the drawing!

Remember Leah Remini from “The King of Queens”? I watched for the first season and thought she was pretty funny in it. She’s doing an online show now, and I’ve got a clip of it for you.

I was predisposed to dislike this show because most of this kind of stuff is just dreck, but even I found this clip to be funny. You can find out more about it at inthemotherhood.com and even submit story ideas. (Just note that anything you submit becomes their property. Word to the wise :)

So how about a little somethin’ somethin’ for yourself?

That said, I have one way for you to profit from this new show immediately. Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a prize pack from the show’s sponsors. I have no idea what is in it, but it is free so that’s always nice. (And full disclosure: they’re sending me one too.)

The rules are simple. Leave a comment on this post by Friday, April 27th, 2007. I will choose one comment at random. The winner needs to give me their mailing address (NOT limited to just the US :) and the show’s representative will send you your prize. Sweet!

Have you seen the new kinds of K’NEX? My boys think they are a blast. They put on their toy-tester hats and tried the KID K’NEX Undersea Pals which are for ages 3 and up.

They are larger than regular K’NEX and a little rubbery, so they fit together pretty easily. Plus they come with hilarious add-ons like bulging eyeballs so you can make funny animals. These entertained my 2 and 5 year olds as well as the 4 year old, so I’d say they were a hit!

We also checked out the K’NEX Fun Rides 10 Model Building Set which is for ages 5-7. The really great feature of these is that they now integrate with Lego-style bricks. The set comes with some bricks, and you can also use any you happen to have lying around to make some huge creations.

My kids love K’NEX building sets, and these new styles are a great addition to an already cool toy. Mom likes them too because while the kids are using them, they are not fighting or begging for chocolate milk. Win win!

I recently finished a fun new book with the incredibly long title of “Men May Come and Men May Go but I’ve Still Got My Little Pink Raincoat: Life and Love in and out of My Wardrobe” by Gigi Anders. You should pick this one up if you’d enjoy reading about a fashionista who lives her life in chunks of time defined by major additions to her wardrobe.

Some sample chapter titles are “Peach Panties,” “Backless Black Dress,” and “The Just-Perfect Jean Jacket,” and you get to hear the story behind both the purchase of the item in question as well as its relationship to the man in her life at the time. She chronicles the details of her love life as she dates a variety of men. I enjoyed reading these stories the same way I enjoy eating popcorn at the movies. It is a great activity while distracted.

Are you looking for something to read on vacation this summer? Something to read while you lounge by the pool stealthily checking out the cabana boys? Pick up this book and drop it in your beach bag.

Another book I read recently is “House of Testosterone: One Mom’s Survival in a Household of Males” by Sharon O’Donnell. She is a mom of boys like myself, but her children are older than mine.

I enjoyed parts of this book, but I think I’ll have to put it away for a few years. My oldest child is 5 so we’re not really into the sports-laden testosterone-charged years she writes about. I have a small quibble with the way she frequently turns observations of her own family into generalizations about boys at large, but other than that you may enjoy it if you too are living in a truckballcar-infused world!

My hands are always dry, and sometimes they are flaky and sore. I wash them many times every day, and I rarely have time to put on lotion. That’s why I was happy to try Gloves in a Bottle.

It is a barrier lotion that aims to trap moisture in your skin over long periods of time. (I’m no scientist, so I’ll leave it to the company’s web site to explain how this stuff works.)

I’ve been using it for a month now, and my hands are very happy with the results. It goes on thick, and I thought that was going to mean that it would be oily and never soak into my skin. But amazingly after a minute or so my hands just felt smooth and not sticky, and that was a great surprise. A little goes a long way, so the bottle will last a long time. Let me know if you give it a try.