Video games common around the house

The latest addition to our family's entertainment options arrived Sunday afternoon in the way of the Wii Fit Plus. My wife, Jena, made the purchase, as part of a birthday present for herself and the rest of the family.

So far, it's been a hit. The kids love all the balancing games, from the snowboarding to the ski-jumping to the soccer ball heading. Jena is looking forward to some of the many yoga exercises included. And I've even been able to take my running habit into the cyber world, via the unique technological capabilities of the game.

Wii Fit joins a strong portfolio of electronic games in our household. On the Wii, we enjoy everything from Wii Sports to something called "Just Dance."

There's also the Nintendo DS that actually belongs to 8-year-old Drew. He bought the DS used last spring, after saving up his money for several months. He has a coveted Pokemon game for it, as well as a game featuring some kind of "Kirby" character. The DS will also play the plethora of GBA games we had for our old worn-out Game Boy Advance, which technically belonged to now-10-year-old Katie.

And of course, we have our iPhones, which Jena and I have loaded with games ranging from checkers to Scrabble to Othello.

So I guess you could say we do a lot of gaming these days. Whether it's in the family room, in the car or waiting at the doctor's office, it seems there's always a video game within reach.

It's a far cry from my childhood. When I was in elementary school, about the only place to play video games was at the video arcade at the mall or in the back room of the bowling alley. My parents weren't keen to let me spend too much time in either place, so I wasn't much of a gamer.

Somewhere along the line in elementary school, Atari came out with the 2600 game system. Suddenly, everyone was playing video games in their living rooms, from Space Invaders to Pac-Man. Well, everyone but me, it seemed. My parents saw no need in spending money on such a silly fad, and the closest thing I ever got to a video game was a crude handheld electronic football game.

By the time I got to college, the Nintendo Entertainment System was king of the dorm. Indeed, during my freshman year, I think I learned as much about Super Mario Brothers and Zelda than I did about College Algebra or English Comp. Later, my roommates and I were known to stay up into the wee hours of the morning playing simulation games like Civilization on our PCs. (We were quite the party animals.)

Needless to say, growing up in the 1980s, it was pretty much impossible to not spend a little time playing video games. Any effort my parents put forth to eschew such trivialities was futile.

So that's why, when my own kids fire began showing interest in video games, I was generally content to oblige. I understand the allure of such games — and in today's computer-driven world, it's good to be technologically savvy.

Of course, there need to be limits. I have no intention of raising a couple of couch potatoes, who do nothing but stare at video screens all day and recoil at the sight of the sun.

That's one of the things I like about the Wii, and especially the new Wii Fit Plus. There's no sitting on the couch with these games. They get you up, get you moving around. You're likely to break a sweat. On Sunday, Drew jogged in place for nearly 30 minutes straight playing one of the running games. Katie has been building up balance, agility, flexibility and endurance with the strength activities and the hula-hoop game.

In other words, this isn't their father's video game system.

And with the hot Delta sun making it pretty much impossible to get outside this time of year, the Wii Fit is certainly a welcome option for indoor family fun. I'm glad it's part of our home.

Disney magic alive for young and old

I never got to go to Disney World as a little kid.

There's no doubt I wanted to go. I'd see the commercials on TV, or see images from the theme parks Sunday nights on the old "Wonderful World of Disney" television show.

And though my family took many nice vacations — to places like the lakes of Minnesota, the Black Hills of South Dakota and the skyscrapers of Chicago — Disney World was never in the mix.

It wasn't until my freshman year of high school that I made my first trip to see the mouse in central Florida. It was with my high school band. I immediately fell in love with the place. It wasn't just another theme park — it was a place of whimsy and adventure, where the dreams of tomorrow became the realities of today. On that trip and on another band trip two years later, I began laying plans for future return trips in my adult years.

The first of those trips came in 1998, when my wife, Jena, and I went to Florida, along with my sister and her husband. It would be a year before any of us would have children. It was a great trip, and we pledged to repeat the journey in the years to come, as our families grew.

Three years ago, Jena and I took our two kids, Katie and Drew, then ages 7 and 4, to Disney World for their first trip. It was a magical trip, the fulfillment of many of the plans originally hatched on the high school band trips of many years ago.

But the ultimate fulfillment of my Disney World plans came last week, when we made a return trip to the World, this time with my sister and her family, along with my 70-year-old father. The nine of us, with kids ages 6, 8, 10 and 11 in tow, had a truly spectacular time, making memories that will last us a lifetime.

Visiting Disney isn't like any other vacation. If you picture a vacation as a time to sleep in, lounge around all day and generally relax, Disney World probably isn't for you.

But if you still have a 5-year-old child somewhere deep within your soul, and you want to let that child come out to play for a while, there's no better place to be than Disney World.

On our weeklong trip we piloted a spacecraft to Mars. We hang-glided over California. We road magic carpets. We pillaged with pirates. We took an African safari. We had a close encounter with the Yeti on Mount Everest. We dined in a German village. We braved the spooky Hollywood Tower Hotel.

I could go on and on about the wonderful attractions we saw — which are truly awesome. The imagination and innovation that Disney puts into its attractions are truly phenomenal.

But the best part of our trip was not the attractions we experienced, but rather the people we experienced them with. For instance, the Studio Backlot Tour wouldn't have been nearly as much fun if my sister hadn't been picked to be part of the show. Walking down Main Street USA for the first time wouldn't have been nearly as special if it hadn't been my father's first time seeing Cinderella Castle. And Space Mountain wouldn't have been nearly as exhilarating without the screams and laughter of my children and their cousins ringing in my ears.

In fact, some my favorite parts of the trip had nothing to do with the attractions. Some of the best times were simply the moments spent with family, whether it was around the dinner table, in line for an attraction, on the bus to our resort, or waiting at the airport. That special family time — coupled with the magic of Disney — is what made this latest trip one that will be difficult to top.

It will probably be some time before our family returns to Disney World. Increasingly hectic lives, along with the allure of other locales, (not to mention other financial commitments) will no doubt keep us busy for quite a few years.

But as long as there is still a small child resting deep within my soul, I will always quietly be making plans for my next trip to see the mouse in central Florida. You're never too old for Disney World.

A long time before the next holiday

With the Fourth of July now behind us, we enter the longest holiday drought of the year. From early July until early September, there are no major holidays on the calendar.

I've always found it odd that August is the one month of the year without a holiday. It almost seems unfair. January has New Year's and MLK Jr. Day; February has Valentine's; March has St. Patrick's Day; April has Easter; May has Mother's Day and Memorial Day; June has Father's Day; July has the Fourth; September has Labor Day; October has Halloween; November has Veterans Day and Thanksgiving; and December has Christmas.

But August: Nothing.

Sure, there are a couple of bizarre, trivial holidays in August, such as "Respect for Parents Day" (Aug. 1), "National Underwear Day" (Aug. 5) and "National Waffle Day" (Aug. 24). But none of these seem like the proper occasion to shoot off fireworks, exchange gifts or gorge ourselves on turkey.

I've often thought that we ought to celebrate New Year's in August. After all, for many families, the annual cycle does not begin in January, but in August, with the start of the school year. Besides that, we've already got enough holidays in the weeks from late November to early January. But it's too early to even contemplate anything having to do with the start of the school year and the end of summer, so we'll end that discussion right now.

Back to the Fourth of July — it's always been one of my favorite holidays. Anytime you can put together warm afternoons, family get-togethers and blowing stuff up, you've got a winner.

I enjoyed my night at the Sportsplex Sunday watching Blytheville's city fireworks display. It was a good show, and I tip my hat to the organizers. The highlight, I think, was simply seeing the people in lawn chairs and on blankets, coming together to celebrate their nation's birthday. A few kids were playing with sparklers. Some boys were playing a pick-up game of football. One girl had a hula-hoop that would light up when spun around. It was a slice of Americana right here in Blytheville.

My only complaint on the evening was the constant passing of motorists — with their bright headlights — into and out of the area throughout the entire fireworks show. Perhaps the entrance to the parking lot ought to be shut down once the fireworks begin. Something to think about for next year.

If I were to rank my favorite holidays, the Fourth of July would be near the top.

Christmas is clearly the No. 1 pick. In spite of the chaos and hassle that sometimes drives me nuts, it's still one of my favorite times of the year — from the music, to the gifts, to the excitement of Christmas morning.

Halloween used to be near the top, but it's really more of a night for kids than anything else. I do, however, enjoy stealing any Sweet Tarts or Nerds candy my children are lucky enough to procure.

As I'm not a huge fan of turkey, Thanksgiving has always been just "OK." It's always nice to see family, though.

The egg hunt at Easter is a good time, as is the decoration of said eggs in anticipation. The only problem is figuring out what to do with a bunch of hard-boiled eggs after the fact.

New Year's was more fun back when I was young enough to stay up until midnight. I still enjoy the Rose Parade and watching football games, though.

And as a dad, I naturally appreciate Father's Day.

So as I think about it, I'd have to say that Independence Day comes in at a strong No. 2. It's a great holiday, both in the history that it celebrates and in the modern rituals that have been created around it.

I'm glad I had a good Fourth this year. I'll need these memories to tide me over in the long weeks until Labor Day.