Thursday, May 23, 2013

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest for Crystal Mickey

Jaw-dropping action! 
My two youngest kids love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so we were very excited to review the newest DVD, "Quest for the Crystal Mickey." The DVD has five episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Quest for the Crystal Mickey" is first, and the other four episodes also have adventurous themes, making this a great DVD for summertime. My kids enjoyed all the episodes very much. "Quest for the Crystal Mickey" is a fun parody of Indiana Jones, with Mickey as the swashbuckling and adventurous leader, "Kansas City Mickey." If you enjoyed the Indiana Jones movies, you will probably appreciate some of the little references and jokes included in the episode (of course, all totally appropriate for kids.) All the episodes have the same wonderful format that we love from the show on Disney Junior. The characters do some good problem solving, use tools, and work together to figure things out.


I appreciated how well-designed the DVD was. Sometimes kids' DVDs have really complicated menus and it is practically impossible to start the actual show. This DVD had the Disney "FastPlay" option which showed some bonus features followed by all the episodes, or you could hit the menu button and go straight to a clear and easy-to-use menu with options to play all the episodes or select them individually.
Ready for an adventure!
My kids also loved the goodies included in the prize pack. The adorable hat and binoculars were especially popular. In fact, my son tried to watch most of the DVD through the binoculars! So fun! Thanks for a relaxing and adventurous morning, Mickey Mouse!

In honor of this fun movie coming out on DVD, we have a great giveaway for you!  One lucky winner will receive a Crystal Mickey Adventure Kit.

The Crystal Mickey Adventure Kit includes:

  • Straw Safari Hat
  • Adventure Drawstring Backpack
  • Mini Adventure Journal
  • Pirate Treasure Maps
  • MMCH Quest for the Crystal Mickey DVD

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Free 30 Day Trial at ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy


I am sure that you have heard about ABCmouse.com.  I heard about it first from a television commerical and my son was begging to give it a try ever since.  Did you know that you can get a FREE 30 day trial period?  You can sign up for this free trial HERE.



Mickey Mouse Club House Crystal Mickey Adventure Kit Giveaway


About the Movie:

Join Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and all their pals in the newest Clubhouse crusade. When the legendary Crystal Mickey goes missing, Mickey and friends go on an adventure to save the Clubhouse from losing its magic. Grab your hat, buckle your seatbelt, and get ready to embark on a thrilling adventure in “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest for the Crystal Mickey!”

There’s no time to lose after greedy Plunderin’ Pete snatches the legendary Crystal Mickey statue from the Clubhouse. Without this sparkly statue’s magic, the Clubhouse will disappear forever!

Can the world’s most extraordinary hero "Kansas City Mickey," get the magical statue back in time? Only with help from young viewers at home…and the right Mouseketools can Mickey journey across the Sandy Desert, brave the Rushing River and make his way through the Hidden Jungle. But watch out for Pete’s trickiest traps!


In honor of this fun movie coming out on DVD, we have a great giveaway for you!  One lucky winner will receive a Crystal Mickey Adventure Kit.

The Crystal Mickey Adventure Kit includes:

  • Straw Safari Hat
  • Adventure Drawstring Backpack
  • Mini Adventure Journal
  • Pirate Treasure Maps
  • MMCH Quest for the Crystal Mickey DVD

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

How to Arrive Sanely at Bedtime

I am a stay-at-home mom of three kids. I love that I get to do this and am so grateful we are able to financially. However, from about 5pm-7pm everyday, I would actually pay to work in a boring Office Space cubicle, and a $25+/hour nanny sounds completely reasonable. How can a couple hours threaten to ruin the good will and fun memories from the first 3/4 of the day? Ugh.

I have a two-part theory. One: The mom is tired and phoning it in. I definitely find myself transitioning to "me time" earlier than I should. "Quit bugging me! I'm checking Facebook! Geez!" I no longer really see my kids; instead, I see needy, whiny, laundry-creating beings I can't wait to get rid of. Two: The kids are also tired, which manifests itself in increased neediness and (inexplicably) energy.  That's a pretty bad combination, a combination easily leading to yelling, crying, and flying toys.

So what to do? First, make yourself stay clocked in as "Mom," and second, engage the kids in a simple, non-messy activity in which you can all participate.  Keep it realistic...the activity could last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour.  Ending the day on a positive note together as a family is better than getting dishes done early or catching up on e-mail.  Seriously.  To focus and see your kids as the funny, smart, amazing people they are will refresh you more than any book or phone call. Of course, some days you might need a caffeinated beverage to get you there.

Here are a few ideas to get you started...



1. Dance Party

When I got engaged, I sometimes wondered/worried if I'd still allow myself to dance around the house to music. My dancing is embarrassing but liberating. So, it's been a fantastic discovery that my kids also love dancing around and are only rarely critical of my sick moves. An equally happy discovery is that it is nearly impossible to be frustrated at my five-year-old when he's doing The Robot.

Variations my friends have done:
  • Every day at 5pm, the family (older kids and teenagers) stops whatever they're doing and does "bad dancing" to one song.
  • Shut the blinds, turn off the lights, and grab the glowsticks...it's a Family Rave! Just building necklaces, headbands, and bracelets provides some fun.
2. Reading Party

We traditionally read bedtime stories just before lights out, but I'm often grumpy about reading longer books, seeing them as the last hurdle to going "off duty."  "Reading Parties" help me enjoy reading aloud again by shaking up the routine.  I let the kids choose several books (rather than just one each), and we read them on my bed, on which they aren't normally allowed.

3. Coloring Party

Notice how everything is a "party" so far? That simple word fools you and your kids into thinking you are doing something extra special and extra exciting.  And surprise...you kind of are!

I'm sure we all let our kids color and draw throughout the week, but how often do you sit down and participate too? I love to color. There is something so relaxing about choosing colors and staying in those lines. The added bonus here is visiting amidst the Crayolas.  Sometimes dinnertime is too chaotic and stressful to engage in conversation. And kids do say the darndest things, things funny enough to undo previous naughtiness.

4. Play a Game

A main component of the "get sanely to Bedtime" activity is that it NOT create a giant mess for you to deal with...that tends to cancel out the whole "re-connect with your children" portion of the event.  So, stick with games that don't have a lot of pieces or assembly, or maybe require no equipment at all.  Lately, we've been enjoying card games like "Go Fish" and "Crazy 8's."  My kids are also nuts about "The Animal Game" (people guess what animal you are acting out) and "Simon Says." You can also make up your own versions of classic games. A long road trip inspired "I'm Thinking of Someone in My Family," which is played like "20 Questions."

5. Photo Shoot

Kids like having their picture taken, whether still or video. Technology lets them immediately enjoy seeing themselves. Let this ego work in your favor. You can use your phone or your camera, of course. But it's also fun to do something a little different. We have an Apple desktop, so we'll crowd around the computer and use "Photo Booth." I also got a free app (thanks to a Crate and Barrel catalog) called "Pocketbooth," which creates a classic 4-photo strip.  Your kids will probably ham it up all on their own, but it's also entertaining to shout out commands like "funny faces" and "angry faces."  Older kids could create a more complex production for you to watch and video (pssst..that means they will occupy themselves for a bit!).  The big bonus here is that you're documenting your kids.  The more kids I have the less often I'm bringing out the camera, as my hands and "to do" lists are too full most of the time.


Enjoy your kids! Enjoy your sanity! And feel free to share your own ideas...we're all in this together.



Monday, May 20, 2013

Burley Kazoo Trailercycle and the Plus Review


I have four awesome kids.  They have spent most of their life growing up in California.  I love California.  The weather is beautiful and the beach is amazing.  We lived in Los Angeles area where the streets were all on high hills and really not the best place for riding bikes.   My husband worked long hours and it really wasn't convenient for me to take four kids to another location to learn how to ride bikes.  We had lots of fun enjoying outdoor activities but riding bikes wasn't one of them.   

About a year ago, my husband had an opportunity that took our family to Utah.  This was a fun move for us because my husbands family lives in the area so we were able to move close to them.  We bought a house in a beautiful neighborhood with lots of flat roads and bike trails.  All the neighbor hood kids spend hours playing outside together and riding bikes.  It seems like all the kids ages 2+ knew how to ride bikes.  At this point, my 9, 7, and 3 year olds all had no idea how to ride.  I felt really bad about this because it wasn't a priority in California, but in Utah this is something that the kids really enjoy doing and I wanted my kids to be able to join in on the fun.  It was about this time that I got contacted about the Burley Trailercycle.  The timing couldn't have been more perfect and the product couldn't have been more awesome.

Check this out:

The Kazoo single-speed trailercycle lets your child learn how to ride a bike while staying safely behind you during the trip!


  I wish you could have been here to see how excited my daughter was to be riding with my husband.  She had a huge smile on her face.  Her confidence was rising and she was having so much fun. She had the opportunity to learn to balance, and pedal without having to worry about her bike tipping. The Kazoo is single speed which is perfect for my daughter learning how to ride. 

  

The Burley Trailercycles include everything needed to connect to your bike.  It connected easily to my husbands bike and they were ready to ride without any problems.  We were very impressed with the ease and speed of getting them ready for their first bike ride.  The Kazoo has a Lightweight aluminum frame which is great for durability, high performance and a solid ride.  My husband commented that the ride was very smooth and it was easy to ride with my daughter.


The Kazoo also has an Adjustable handlebar and seat post so you can adjust the height to fit your child perfectly.  The Kazoo is Recommended for children 4 to 10 years old and up to 85 lb.



 We also had the opportunity to review the Burley Plus! The Burley Plus extends the life and value of your Burley Piccolo or Kazoo trailercycle by converting it into a bike! Now, you can turn your super-stable, tow-behind trailercycle into a fully functional bike for your child.  



Is that not awesome?   When your child successfully learns to ride their bike, you can comfort the trailercycle into their own bike! I must say, it is a good looking, bike!  I love the stunning colors that they chose for the Kazoo.  They really stand out and look very elegant.  You can tell by both the look of the bike, as well as the functionality that this is a high quality product.  After spending many hours on the trailercycle, my daughter was so excited to give the Plus a try.  

I asked my husband to put the bike together for me and expected it to be a long slow process only to have him come in less than 5 minutes later telling me that it was finished.  My daughters Trailercycle was now a bike and a good looking bike, too!


I think the Burley Kazoo bike is the perfect size for kids.  My daughter was able to fit comfortable and not have to worry about struggling to reach the pedals.  I have to say, I was surprised at how quickly she was able to learn to ride on her own.  She was able to start riding the first time we put the bike together.  I definitely think that it helped her learn confidence and basic mechanics of how to ride a bike as she used it at a trailercycle behind my husbands bike.  This helped her understand exactly what she needed to do once she was on her own.

Here she goes:


The smile tells all!  She was so excited to FINALLY be riding a bike!  She kept saying over and over again how much fun she was having.  Her confidence grew so much in this process and I am so excited to have her enjoying what all of the neighborhood kids are enjoying! I am so proud of her.  We love the Burley Kazoo Trailercycle and the Plus attachment.  We couldn't have done it without it!



For more information, you can visit them online and on Facebook or Twitter.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Receive up to $250 a year in coupon savings!


Sign up for our FREE newsletter and become an Insider to Betty Crocker's Kitchen! You'll get coupon savings up to $250 per year, exclusive Insider-only offers, and our best recipes!

Disney’s PLANES releases in theaters everywhere on August 9th!


From above the world of “Cars” comes “Disney’s Planes,” an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar. “Disney’s Planes” takes off in theaters on Aug. 9, 2013.


“Like” Disney’s PLANES on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DisneyPlanes

"Follow" Disney’s PLANES on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DisneyPictures

Visit the website: www.disney.com/Planes

Disney’s PLANES releases in theaters everywhere on August 9th!