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UPDATE: The winner of this giveaway is #112…Huguette English. Congratulations!

Boys.

Are they all like mine?

Mine think anything related to the “bathroom” is humorous.

Mine have no problem with having sticky faces and dirty fingernails.

Mine always have something interesting to find in their pockets. Rocks. Nails. Gum wrappers.

I’m not a real girlie girl, but I’ll never get over the differences between boys and girls. (And I will NEVER be convinced its due to modeled behavior. No way, no how.)

My boys are at the age that the dirtier, faster, higher, sillier, more dangerous, the better. Gone are the days of cute little baby jean overalls and over-sized Legos. No, no. We’re on to bigger and better things. Quads, pellet guns, friends, sports, video games…

Speaking of video games, I was asked by Performance Designed Products to review their newest Wii game, Squeeballs Party. The game was just released in October and is available for the Wii, DS and iPhone. The Wii game retails for $19.99

Now I am no gamer. In fact, Wii Sports and a little Rock Band are as far as this mom has gotten. So I thought it best to gauge my review on my boys’ reaction to the game.

The game got a lot of ‘ewwwwww…cool…’s and giggles and out-loud laughs. I think that was a good sign.

From my perspective, the game is appopraitely marketed to kids 10 and up, with a warning of “cartoon violence”. If you or your child find yourselves becoming easily attached to cute, inanimate objects, this may not be the game for you. For instance, in the cooking game, the poor little suckers are sliced, diced and chopped up into a tasty stew (not in a bloody, gory kind of way…but still. Ew!)

This game is for pure fun and silliness. And my boys enjoyed every slimy, silly, goofy moment.

WIN IT! Know a boy like mine who would like to find Squeeballs Party under the tree this year? Enter for a chance to win your own copy of the game for Wii! Just leave a comment here and get extra entries by tweeting about this giveaway up to once a day. Entries must be made before Dec. 14 at 11:59 p.m. MST.

I’ve mentioned before that our family has been been a big fan of JumpStart educational games for children. Our 13 year old played many of the games at different developmental stages.

Fast forward 13 year and enter the age of the Wii. Like a lot of people, “Wii” love this new technology as well, frequently engaging in games like Rock Band, Wii Sports and Mario & Sonic at the Olypmic Games.

Well now JumpStart has entered the Wii arena. I love that something fun and interactive is also educational.

I had the privilege of trying the new JumpStart Pet Rescue for Wii. Unfortunately, my own dear children are a bit too old for this game, targeted for ages 3-6. But, this last weekend, I stole borrowed invited my four year old nephew over to give the game a whirl.

Not only did we have to peel him away from the game, but he really looked like he enjoyed himself while he navigated through it. I figured he would, (we’re talking JumpStart here…) but I was surprised at how fun it was for my 8 year old to show him the ropes. And the adults enjoyed how “unannoying” the audio was. There were no shrill bells and screeching whistles in the background, trying to keep his attention. Just fun, interactive activities teaching simple skills.

As a first time Wii player, it took a few minutes for him to get the hang of the remote and how it interacted with the game. But before long he was navigating through the different areas and enjoyed the various activities. He particularly enjoyed the cute animals, the Movie House and the dress up area. The Pet Groomers was fun for him too.

Pet Rescue is due to release this week to major retailers such as Walmart, Fry’s, Best Buy, Sam’s Club and other retail stores. If you’d like more information about Pet Rescue for Wii, check out the Jumpstart blog. There you will find the latest information on their games, tips for parents and helpful links.

I cant wait to see what JumpStart has in store for the future. Its bound to be a hit!