It’s beginning to heat up outside, so we’ve been staying indoors during the hottest part of the day. It’s a little sad because we will probably have little relief from the heat until August. The positive is that since we are inside, it’s time to play some games to pass the time.

I bought a PS2 steering wheel that i’m anxious to play with. Also I want the game Shrek II. Friends have this game and love it. I watched them play and think it’ll be right up our alley since up to four people can play cooperatively.

I ran across the Karaoke Revolution video I had done with Rae a few months back. I’m going to have to plug that game again to see how she likes it now. We played the game for about a week, then everyone got a cold and a sore throat. I think we are finally over the illness, at least I hope so.

Mario Party 8 for the Nintendo Wii will be out late May. The game will make use of the Wii remote and have players tackling such tasks as shaking cola cans and lassoing barrels.

There are plenty new boards and puzzle games in Mario Party 8. Up to four people can play Mario Party 8 on the Nintendo Wii. More from Nintendo:

Play with motion control: Players row their way through a river race, punch a statue to pieces, steer race cars, mopeds and go-karts and handle a balancing pole while walking a tightrope.

Play using the Pointer: Shoot at Boos in a haunted house, rag and drop toppings in a cake-decorating competition, select the correct answers in game show challenges.

Play using the Wii Remote’s buttons: Players jump and pummel their way through a football brawl, hop and run across a field of spinning platforms

Mario Party 8 also includes dozens of new minigames, six new party boards and many new game modes. In a series first, players can transform their characters into many forms, such as player-smashing boulders and coin-sucking vampires. Mario Party 8 also includes “extra-large” minigames like Star Carnival Bowling and Table Menace. One to four players can play Mario Party 8, each with a Wii Remote.

Going on vacation is always fun. I love getting away from our everyday life and staying somewhere new. Planning the trip can be the most stressful part of the whole process. From viewing various vacation rentals to actually booking a place to stay, by the time I’m done researching a trip I need to getaway.

I’m not sure what our summer plans will be yet. We’ve talked about going back to Florida, which would be fun. The little one should really enjoy the beach this time. We’re still undecided. One thing is for sure and that’s we will be going somewhere. The time away from home is priceless.

You can play the casual game Fish Tycoon at Yahoo! games. In Fish Tycoon, you raise fish for profit. You will need to buy all of your supplies including fish eggs. Release your fish eggs into a tank, then wait to see what happens.

No fishing tackle is required to harvest the fish since all the action takes place inside an aquarium. Clicking on a fish will show you information like the health and species of the fish. You will need to feed and care for your fish to keep them well so you can sell them later.

The online version of Fish Tycoon is not as inclusive as one for download. Fish Tycoon at Yahoo! games gives a good idea as to what to expect from this casual game.

Fox has apparently canceled the show Drive already. Sigh. I’m not even sure why I bother to watch shows on this network in the first place. Fox is notorious for pulling the plug on good shows. The rating system is flawed in my opinion. I remember working at a local TV station and getting the ratings book data. Some ratings family actually watching a show on our network wrote down that they were watching another station. I’m not sure if they collect data the same way or not. Hopefully with the great technology today they have made great improvements.

There is a bit of good news. The two final episodes of Drive will air sometime this summer.

I’ve been using a pedometer to track how far I walk each day. Right now I’m walking about two miles a day. I will probably need to walk more if I want to walk for weight loss and not just for the exercise.

I had read recently that some pedometers are inaccurate because they may count sitting down as steps or some other movements might cause it to advance. I’ve driven my walking route to have a clear idea of how many far it is and just use the pedometer as a record. I do think my pedometer doesn’t measure properly. Of course that could be my stride and not the pedometer at all.

Either way I really don’t use the mileage on my pedometer for anything other than knowing that I did walk that day. If that changes then I will need to make sure I’m getting an accurate reading.

Even though Rae will only use a toddler bed for a short time, we are thinking of getting one anyway. A twin bed, however, might be a better financial choice since instead of buying two beds in the new couple of years, we will just have to buy one.

Powell furniture has some nice twin beds. Getting a twin bed would mean more options when it comes to bedding since most, if not all, toddler beds use a crib mattress. Ofcourse, there’s the added expense with a twin bed to buy a mattress.

Decisions, Decisions. The toddler bed is way lower to the ground and would be nice if she can get in and out of bed by herself. The toddler bed may be the right choice at this time.

I’ve been wanting a web camera for quite a while now. A web camera could be used for web conferencing or for keeping in touch with family. I have an idea to set up a web camera in the play room so the little one’s grandparents can see her anytime they like.

I may still do it. It’s just something that has been pushed down on the priority list. Maybe I will get to it before the little one is all grown up.

Web cameras are getting cheaper all the time and the quality of the cameras is improving. By the time I get one hopefully the cheap one will be a quality one as well.

In Survivor, I knew the Four Horsemen were doomed when they named their alliance. It seems the more sure an alliance is, the less far they go. If you do name your alliance, then be original. We had the Four Horsemen a few seasons back in Big Brother. It was a pretty successful alliance as one of them won.

I think Alex may be next to go. I’m not sure what he can offer any of the six. I do like that the immunity idol was hidden again. It really could make the game more interesting.

I’d love to go on a cruise but the idea of being on a huge boat with 1500 people doesn’t sound like a great adventure on the water. I guess if I found the right cruise I’d go on it.

Now something that does sound like a whole lot of fun is crewed yacht charters. Imagine sailing on a yacht with your friends and your own personal crew. Now that sounds like a great adventure on the water. The price for such a unqiue experience is relatively the same cost as a cruise.

On a yacht there would probably be no shuffleboard or other games. I’d have to bring along the DS and make sure I could charge it. Sailing on a yacht would be fun and a chance to experience something extraordinary.