You sure are the Wii bowling champ at my house, mom. My arm still hurts from the boxing "accident." It's funny that you like the games that have absolutely no "story" along with them. I guess you really did need a break. Halo 3 had over 35,000 lines of background dialogue, and Grand Theft Auto 4 (that hit shelves today) is supposed to have a story line that changes based on the decisions you make. But I guess you'll stick to bowling, the story of a ball hitting some pins.

I've been gaming since the old Pong days (never get on a plane without my PSP) and am totally addicted to my Wii!!! I take breaks from writing about 3 times a day to play tennis. And although I still get tennis shoulder from time to time, I'm now a pro in the 1800s, though I can't seem to get opponents any higher than 2000 and am beginning to wondering if that's as high as they go.

I'm terrible at cow racing; always run off the track into the trees and fences. My sweetie's really good at that one. I also love the shooting. My grandson has one at home (which is where I first played) and is waay ahead of me on Super Mario Galaxy, though. I'm beginning to think this is a generational thing. One of my fave games on Nintendo used to be destruction derby; I wish Wii would put out one of those. There's something so satisfying after a tough day about racing around ramming into cars. LOL

I've been waiting for months until May 19th when Wii exercise goes on sale.

Barbara - I love that you dropped everything to be with your son. I'd do the same thing. As they get older, the time with them is priceless. Glad you had such a fun time together. As for Mother's Day, yep, I'll be with my son in NY. I get to do whatever I want and what I wanted was to see "Young Frankenstein" on Broadway with him. So bless his heart, we're going to lunch and then he bought us front row seats to the show. I can't wait. It definitely sounds like we have the best sons ever! Love - D

I love those racing cows, they are so much fun. I, too, have always said no to video games, but the Wii is a whole new beast. They are coming out with WiiFit and it's goingto have yoga moves and snowboarding and all sorts of cool stuff. I'm hoping that will help get me back into shape. I'm also glad I finally beat Super Mario Galaxy because it was way too time consuming and there was absolutely no fitness element (it was just an odd addiction LOL).

I remember all the craze at Christmas on this gaming system. My dh stood in line at a number of places but never was close enough to get one. But when his brother in the Seattle area called and said he picked one up there and did we want him to ship it to us, my husband was in seventh heaven. Like Barbara I live in the frozen tundra and you can't golf here in the winter so the Wii was the perfect gift for my husband so he could still have his cyber game until he could get to the real thing. Thanks JoAnn for the heads up...I will have to check out the Wii exercise program, sounds like fun.

I LOVE that you and your son spent the afternoon Wii bonding. That's so cool. And I was really glad to get an explanation on that picture because my first thought was, "What in the heck is Barbara doing?" :)

I also heard about the Exercise Program and I can't wait for it. Maybe my boys can chip in together. (An even bigger HINT, HINT)

On which game does the cow racing come on? It sounds like a hoot. Not sure if our family owns it.

We have a Wii as well and we LOVE it. It's great for family time and just about anyone can do it! I'm looking forward to getting Wii Fit since it's hard to get to the gym with four kids. We're having fun with Mario Kart right now. A bit like the cow racing. The cow racing is on Wii Play, by the way.

The cow racing comes on Wii play. With the shooting and fishing, and pool (which I find really boring, but then again, I don't play regular pool, either) and a bunch of other games designed to teach the basic moves. I like them because they don't take long to play, so they're nice for short breaks. MG -- You're right about Mario Galaxy being a time sink. I still haven't figured out why it sometimes backs up and makes me do things over even when I haven't died. Oh, anyone who's interested in Wii Fit, it goes on sale May 21, not the 19th, and since I suspect it's going to be as hard to find as Wii initially was, I just pre-ordered it from Amazon. If you have Prime, it's free shipping. Though I do think I'm already getting some exercise with tennis. If you get all sweaty and your heart is racing for 20 -30 minutes, isn't that exercise??

I so want to get a Wii of my own, but am afraid I'll never get anything done around the house. I play it when I visit my friend. It's so humbling to get my butt whupped by her 5 and 8 year old daughters. They talk trash about it, too. Then, when I actually win, I can't respond because, well, they're only 5 & 8! I've bowled on it and played tennis and baseball. I'll have to ask about the racing cows and fishing. Assisted living facilities and nursing homes are installing these things because the movement is beneficial to their residents. Go, Barb!

I may have to get a Wii just for the cows and Fit. And wouldn't my grandsons think I'm the hippest Nana in town? LOL

I got a Wii for Christmas. Well, not for Christmas exactly. More like a month or so later. I'm with the rest of you -- this is a game console *I* can manage! We don't have cow racing, though. It sounds like fun! There's a Wii "mishap" in the book I just finished writing. LOL.

The more I read about the Wii, the more I want one. I think I would enjoy the tennis game (I played all the time growing up), and the cow racing sounds really fun too. I read about the fitness game on Monday, and it sounds like a great way to keep in shape.

I'm thankful I read this post before I went out and got my mom her mother's day gift. I bet she would love one of these.

Where was virtual football when I needed it?!! After 3 sons (2 of whom played this sport & broke various arms/legs), our family could have used this!! Thanks for the memories Barbara!!

I love your son's comment: "the story of a ball hitting some pins."

My 6 yr old and I played Wii Sims Castaway together and now we're doing Endless Ocean, where you basically just scuba dive and identify fish! I love that some games don't involve punching, hitting, blowing stuff up, etc. Though when you add a little cow racing to it, everything is better!

Barb, how wonderful that you got to spend the day with your son...and playing games too! I hope they are listeing as Mother's Day is coming up! Our community (retirement) just got a system and they are in the early stages of forming teams for bowling and golf. I think it is wonderful that ANYONE can play this. I have yet to try, but I'll get there soon.

Ooooo! I'm so tempted to run out and get a Wii. But I love how you and your son still spend time together. You're a great MOM and have a great son who still wants to hang with mom.

Barb, the Wii is awesome. We have one at our house, and I love Wii bowling. I can cream everybody in the family. I haven't thought about using it for exercise, though. Hmmm... I could do that. :) There was an article in the paper at Christmas that mentioned a nursing home that had bought a Wii system for the residents. They have gaming hours daily, and the grandkids like to come and visit and play. I love that that the Wii is good for kids, middle-agers like us, and the older ones, too. Brilliant strategy for Nintendo.

the Wii Rocks!! We have one and an XBox 360 but I love the Wii best

Kathleen I JUST saw an ad for the Wii Fit...I can't post the link but it looks like TONS of fun! Amie www.amiestuart.com

OMG, you HAVE to try Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii. It's SO addicting. The first weekend we had it, I started to play. Next time I looked at the clock, I had been dancing for 3 hours!! And it's FUN! We love our Wii and can't wait to get Wii Fit!!! Let's hear it for the book ladies Wii team!!!