"Man is a gaming animal. He must always be trying to get the better in something or other."

If you are a regular reader of the blog then you will know how I feel about Nintendo and the effects they have had on my life over the years. It's all about the handheld gaming for me and my 3ds has become a permanent fixture during my week. Handheld gaming fits in with my lifestyle, those quiet moments with Opeie asleep in the car, a relaxing hour in bath and even linking up with the boys 2ds' for a bit of multiplayer fun. Mrs M is always saying how many of the consoles she sees on the train in the morning going to work so it's clear that Nintendo's handheld consoles are as always on the up.

The 3ds offers great games with crisp clear graphics and we have been lucky enough to have been able to review many great titles over the last few months, but what else does the console have to offer?

I've mentioned it before but the great thing about the 3ds system is that even if you didn't buy a game straight away you could keep yourself entertained for months solely on the software that comes installed. My favourite accessory on the console is street pass. A way of connecting with other gamers, street pass gives you a way of making friends on the streets just by walking by with your console in Sleep mode. It's safe and the only information that is received is a Mii character, name and a life achievement that you chose from a list when registering. That probably doesn't sound that interesting at first but it's what you can do with your street pass friends that makes this software so addictive. There are street pass games installed but also the option to buy other games and with every gamer passed in the street you have another player to use on your gaming adventures.

The console also has another similar wireless software (Nintendo Zone) that picks up and sends you Nintendo information and news in certain areas while you are out and about. Kind of like what the mobile networks do bit rather than random rubbish it is all Nintendo based.

When it comes to the 3d side of things then there are some games that need to be played in 3d. Personally though I still tend to play many of my games in 2d. The console has a few games installed though that are quite simple but really show the possibilities of what the 3d screen can do. Face raiders is a game based around your own face, you use the consoles camera (front or back) to photograph your face or someone elses and then you are transformed into moving targets to shoot at, The consoles also come with a pack of cards to be used on the Augmented Reality software which is something a little different and really makes the most of the 3d side of the console.

If you have friends or family that also have a 3ds/2ds console and they are registered then you can use the Nintendo Letter box software to send each other letters to stay in contact using streetpass. this can now include photos too.

 A few months back i wrote a post about creating Mii characters (click here to read more), despite having lots of games to play creating Mii's is one of the boys favourite things to do and can keep them entertained on long car journeys.

If playing with Music or photographs are your thing then you could have so much fun playing with Nintendo 3ds sound or Camera, Nintendo have come a long way since their original GBA Camera and printer (although i did have a lot of fun with mine when i was younger). With plenty of creative options to make your own personalised sounds, pictures and videos you can let your creative side run wild and again this is all software that comes installed on your system.

There is so much more going on with this console and it seems that the more that you play the more fun you find. If gaming is your thing then for me being such a huge fan of Nintendo and the games and software that they have to offer there really is nothing better. With so much going on installed on the console it has been perfect for entertaining the boys on long car journeys or anywhere where there may be some waiting.

In the next couple of months we'll be writing a 'Top toys for Christmas' post but I'm sure its quite clear that the Nintendo 3ds family will be right up there at the top. 

I'm Stickman, I'm Stickman, I'M STICKMAN! Thats me.

While in Asda we did our usual rounds perusing the toy aisles but there was nothing to take our fancy so we headed over to the books. Since our friends bought the boys 'Zog' by Julia Donaldson for Christmas, everytime we read it and get to the pictures of her other books on the back page Opeie always points to 'super worm' and says 'I'd really like that'. Well today it was staring right at us from the shelves and as it was on offer we got to choose another book. I liked the look of 'stickman' so that found it's way in to the trolley too. 

Stickman is a great children's book and Opeie finds his adventures lots of fun, We've read it at least once every day since getting it. It made me think of when I was younger and how much fun i could have with a stick. A stick is the ultimate classic toy and it's up there with the rock, the cardboard box and the piece of string. Sadly with technology taking over this simple yet extremely versatile play thing probably doesn't get the attention it deserves these days.

Thankfully in our house 'Stickman' has awakened something in Opeie and his love of sticks is growing stronger by the day. Despite all the toys he has to play with over the last few days our garden role play has been stick heavy. His beloved stick (which now resides in the house and lounges about on the boys sofa like a lazy teenager) has been subject to many different games. The cliche but ever popular use as a sword or 'Lightsaber' if Opeie's feeling a little futuristic has been the weapon of choice for some up close and personal scrapping but it has also been transformed in to some form of gun/blaster to get him out of sticky situations (perfect for long distance battles and fending off up and coming attacks...

Are you a little bit bored while waiting for your Nemisis to attack? Why not make use of the phone setting (I'm not sure what the reception is like but I'm guessing its better that EE)...

The stick also comes in handy if your foe's nose resembles that of an elephant or prehistoric monster beak and you need to throw a little smack talk down. "hey big nose..."

Nature really is a wonderous thing and as I said before the classic, true vintage toys are really unbeatable in the world of play, so get outside while the suns out, grab yourself a free toy and let your imagination run wild. After all it's what being a child is all about and us parents need to be encouraging that.

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?"

Firstly I'd like to say that working with Nintendo is amazing, if I haven't made that clear with every other post I have written for them. Having the 3ds has rekindled my love of handheld gaming. I find it difficult to find time to play console games on the TV especially due to the fact that Mrs M isn't really that interested in gaming. She asked me a few nights back if I'd love it if she had a DS too and we played some nights, clearly that's a silly question. What I love most about handheld gaming is it fits into my busy lifestyle as a stay at home parent. If Opeie's asleep and I've done everything I need to do around the house, then I'm gaming. If I'm relaxing in the bath... I'm gaming! Seth's physio? We're gaming! and if all is quiet in the house at night and I'm the only one still awake (like most nights) then aside from writing, I'm gaming.

Thanks to those gaming legends me and Seth have gained a new member of our 2ds/3ds gang. A week a go we received a package for Opeie with a very special surprise inside, his very own 2ds, he was so excited and rightly so. If you own one then you know how amazing Nintendo's handheld gaming has developed over the last few years and now Opeie has his very on console to play his beloved Mario 3dland.

As I've said on many of my posts I know across the parenting forums and other blogs, console gaming gets some bad press. I read a great post over at the Bigjigs Bigblog about how you can't replace human interaction with technology and I completely agree. But I also think that anything done in moderation as a family is great for your children's development. Sitting down together and getting stuck in to Mario's many escapades occasionally is great for bonding. With Seth it has been a perfect distraction for doing his physio together and for Opeie I have found it a great way to relax him when he is a little hyper (I'm going to have to film him at some point, it blows me away how good he is at some games at 3)

Well our newest DS member has been making the most of his new console so thank you Nintendo you have made our littlest gamer very happy. His favourite games at the moment include new Yoshi's island, Mario 3d land and Lego Movie. The boys remind me of myself when I was younger excited by completing levels progressing through games. They deserve all the gaming time they get because they are two intelligent and grounded little men.

Thanks Nintendo you are helping to shaping my boys childhoods just like you did mine.

"In the quiet moments, the discoveries are made."

It's been a really odd few weeks for us. With the loss of a well loved family member and an array of negativity around us. Things seemed to be going from bad to worse but then one afternoon the week before last there was a knock at the door and there stood our postie holding an intriguing package. I love seeing a package at the door especially when I'm not expecting anything. It seems that those magical pirates that watch over the boys had been watching over me too. I opened the box to find the one thing I'd been pining over since Seth got his Nintendo 2ds back in November. 

for the last month or so while Seth has been doing his Physio Ive heard "i wish you could play 3ds games with me" and "when is mommy going to buy you a 3ds?". One afternoon Seth even told me that he was going to work really hard around the house for pocket money so that he could buy me one because, in his words.. "You're the best Stepdad ever". Seth is such a cutie and clearly was desperate for a play mate, so when i picked him up from school that afternoon and told him the news his little eyes lit up. Finally he would no longer play alone.

Mrs M has been working on something big over the last two weeks and since we are down to one Macbook due to a recent sippy cup accident, Ive had limited access to the computer. The blog has suffered a little but my gaming has come on a treat. We limit the boys during the day when it comes to gaming. Seth will always want to play during Physio and Opeie will always want to play Super Mario before bed, every quiet chance Ive had when I'm alone the 3ds has gone on and Ive switched off from the rest of the world. It doesn't happen as much as i would like being a stay at home dad but i take full advantage where i can.

Prime times for me are waiting in the car for Seth to come out of school or if that little angel of mine drops off while I'm driving home i just pull up outside the house, pop my feet up and play until he wakes up, my console is always close by.

Or my favourite time is in the bath, although i do tend to get carried away and lose track of time. The bath usually needs the water warming up three or four times while I'm in a Nintendo bubble.

Having the console has been a great distraction for the boys too, especially when we are waiting around for mommy. Last weekend while Mrs M was in the Opticians we sat down for a three player game of Mario Kart. Its great how the newer consoles can be linked to the older DSi's for multi player action. All this talk of gaming has made me realise i really need a bath, so I'm off for a bit of me time while Ive got the chance.

A big thank you to my Nintendo pirates, they've made this hairy gamer very happy.

"The trick is growing up without growing old."

I have a lot to thank Nintendo for, they unknowingly helped to shape my childhood and my development from an early age. I remember how excited I was when we got our NES console and how great it felt holding that Duck hunt gun and shooting at the screen, it was the cutting edge in video games and I couldn't get enough of it. When I was at school you were either in the Nintendo gang or you were Sega and while some of my friends spent their free time at home with that jumped up hedgehog Sonic, I was a Mario boy through and through. Because of this, over the years I have owned every console they have released, apart from the 3ds, I'm hoping one of those will find its way to me at some point soon.

Nintendo will always be special to me and Seth, a few years back when we found out Opeie was on his way Mrs M fell very ill and was in and out of hospital through the pregnancy, I feared the worst and because of this me and Seth would spend a lot of our days hanging around the hospital waiting to see Mrs M. I decided to buy Seth a DS to keep him entertained, i did think at the time maybe he was a little to young for it but he was instantly hooked and within a week I had brought myself one and we would sit in the hospital cafe or under the huge weeping willow on the grounds playing together. I guess it kept our minds off what was going on inbetween visiting times. Our gaming sessions is something that has continued ever since, It kept us fully entertained during our recent long haul flight and we have all been happily playing Mario together earlier.

Our gaming party of two has now increased to three and Opeie seems to be even more interested in handheld gaming than us. Ever since being sent the 2ds by Nintendo for our holiday, Opeie has become an addict and considering he hasnt even turned 3 yet he is pretty good. I know that gaming gets some bad press especially when it comes to younger children but I really think that it is good for Opeie's development. It's challenging, helps to finely tune his fine motor skills and his hand eye coordination has been amazing because of it, it's also great for strategic planning. We do so much with Opeie and he has such variety in his day to day activities that a little bit of gaming is nothing to worry about.

As I said at the start of the post I have a lot to thank Nintendo for and most recently something very unexpected, Nintendo's  participation in the cleaning of my boys teeth, we've always had a problem with Opeie when it came to cleaning his teeth but it seems that since having the 2ds to play with his dental hygiene has taken a pleasant turn and toothbrushing has now become effortless. Another win for Nintendo and a continuing dedicated following at Gifts from the Pirates.

"There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle."

You can't beat the good old fashioned ways to keep your children entertained. Jigsaws are timeless, I played with them when I was younger, the boys love them now and I'm quite sure that if we're lucky enough to have grandkids in the future they will too. Their great for quiet play which can come in handy every now and again if you need to get things done or if someone is sleeping in the house.

I was always told to start with the corners and then do all around the edges. These days though I tend to throw caution to the wind and start with the first piece I pick up. Unfortunately Seth is a stickler for the rules so it was corners and sides all the way. Jigsaws a great way for teaching the boys about shapes and spatial awareness. 

Doing our Toadstool Pirate Jigsaw today made me think of a comment i had on one of our posts earlier In the year. A reader had left a negative comment about a shape sorter and how it wasn't good as the wrong shapes could be pushed through other holes (obviously another one of Seth's lot who stick to the rules). But as i said in the reply the same could be said about jigsaws, Opeie sat there today attaching pieces that didn't go together but they did fit. This is where you jump in as a parent and explain, There's a valuable lesson to learn there that is relevant in many aspects of life. 'just because that's the easy way it doesn't make it correct!'

"A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow."

Its 3am and i cant sleep, this doesn't happen very often but tonight there is no chance of me dropping off so it looks like come tomorrow afternoon I'm going to be a very tired boy which Isnt great when you have 2 young children that crave your attention the entire time they are awake.

As i sit here and eat what i can only describe as a cocktail of cereal (there was lots of boxes with bits in the bottom) i decided to play some Lego Batman 2 on the xbox which Mrs M had bought me for my birthday. I dont get to play computer games anywhere near as much as i like, i was brought Arkham city months back and have barely touched it but with the Lego games at least its a game me and Seth can play together.

We love the Lego games in the house and spent months completing the Star Wars game to its entirety and when were not in the house then weve got the games on our DS's which usually come in handy when were waiting around in the car or our frequent trips to the hospital for Seth.

The game is great and i really enjoy playing it, Seth's not so sure because of the split screen game play when playing on multiplayer. This only happens when you venture to far apart which works out great for me because in the 1st game Seth would rush off to far usually trapping me under a flight of stairs or round a corner,very frustrating.

The game contains a wide variety of characters not included in the first game such as wonder woman, green lantern, superman and the flash i haven't played it enough yet to know if there are any new villains but there are 50 characters to unlock in total.

The game has the added bonus of a free roaming open-world environment which you can run or drive about in for as long as you like. great for children with a short attention span that get bored after 5 minutes. Also like all the other Batman games there's an option on the pause screen to drop in and out of the game mid level which if like me you have lots of other things going on around the house ie younger children to watch over, keeping an eye on dinner cooking is perfect because you can drop out, do what youve got to do and jump back in without affecting the game play.

This Lego game is the first to have the characters voices which is great because i didnt fully understand what was going on between the levels of the last game so i just ended up flicking through them as soon as i could. There's a lot better story line on this game.

The only negative thing Ive got to say about the game is that the DS version is really short and i had all the levels completed in no time so i was a little disappointed, hopefully i wont feel the same about the Xbox version but time will tell on that one.

I'm off now to continue my game, I'm sure Mrs M is going to wonder why I'm not in bed, I haven't heard Opeie wake up for a feed much so it looks at least like she has got a better nights sleep tonight. I'm sure he will be up in the next couple of hours so ill have to find something to entertain him ( If by that time i can manage to keep my eyes open).