Music Monday: Guns N Roses "November Rain"

This is my favorite song of all times.

Santa Buddies Blu-Ray Review

***good Christmas gift for children alert***

Disney’s irresistible talking pups are back in SANTA BUDDIES: THE LEGEND OF SANTA PAWS. The beloved pups take a journey to the North Pole in an exciting new escapade featuring more new friends, fun, and teamwork than ever before unleashing a stocking full of holiday cheer with a fun-filled film and plenty of never-before-seen bonus material.

In SANTA BUDDIES: THE LEGEND OF SANTA PAWS, the lovable “Buddies,” B-Dawg, Budderball, Buddha, Mudbud, and Rosebud embark on a journey to the magical world of Santa’s Workshop. When Puppy Paws, the fun-loving son of Santa Paws, gets tired of the North Pole, he checks out Santa’s “naughty” list and finds Budderball’s name right on top. Puppy Paws heads south to meet the Buddies and find out how “ordinary” pups spend their days. But when the world begins to forget the true meaning of the holidays and the magic of the season begins to literally melt away, it’s up to Puppy Paws and his new-found Buddies to save the day in another epic adventure. Their extraordinary exploits highlight the importance of collaboration, courage and tradition in a joyous celebration of life and friendship.

SANTA BUDDIES: THE LEGEND OF SANTA PAWS stars the voices of Tim Conway (The Carol
Burnett Show), Richard Kind (A Bug’s Life, Spin City), Tom Bosley (Happy Days), Field Cate (Pushing Daises), Josh Flitter (Nancy Drew), and Skyler Gisondo (The Bill Engvall Show) and the acting talents of George Wendt (Cheers) and Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future).

Unfortunately for me, talking dogs just aren't as fabulous as they might have been. It's hard to live up to the brilliance that was Babe and even the sleeper, "Cats & Dogs," both taking up space on my shelf. But, for what it is- a kids' movie, it's not too shabby.

Family Time Factor: Mostly enjoyed by children 4-10.

MOTR Grade: C

Santa Buddies is currently available on DVD and Blu-Ray!!!

Blu-Ray specs: 1080p high definition/1.78:1, English 5.1 DTS HD

Veggie Tales DVD WINNER

Congratulations to the winner:

panicxduh

Thanks to everyone who entered!

5 Favorite Holiday Activities

Here's a bit of serendipitous fun that greeted me this morning in my inbox. So, A usually only watches Nickjr (formerly Noggin) because it doesn't have commercials. (I can't deal with hearing, "mommy will you buy that for me on your computer" every 15 minutes.) But, they do promote upcoming specials on Nickelodeon and recently A has been obsessed with the upcoming Dora Christmas Carol special.

So, I awake EARLY this morning because an excruciating migraine forced me to bed early last night and surprise! TwitterMoms was hosting a blogging contest alongside Nickelodeon for a Dora Christmas Carol DVD... cha ching! If you're not a part of TwitterMoms, you should consider signing up and check out their current discussions. So, as part of the Dora Christmas Carol Blogging Contest, I am posting my five favorite holiday activities with my kids. And since my kids are so young, none of these are long running traditions.

1) Presents!: This is my daughters favorite part about Christmas. I love buying her presents, she loves opening them and she and my son both love playing with them. Seeing how excited my kids get on Christmas morning makes the holidays magical again.

2) Eating Free, Good Food: I'm cheap. I can cook, I think I'm a good cook, but food just tastes so much better when it's made by someone else and it's free. And this is an activity I enjoy partaking in with my kids cause it opens their pallets up to something I normally don't fix.

3) Reading Christmas stories: I love to read and hope my kids follow in my footsteps, so any chance I get to read to them is fun. But it's especially fun to read them Christmas stories because they think the stories are magical as well. And they learn about other holiday traditions.

4) Sea World: Each year at Christmastime, my extended family goes to Florida. And my favorite Florida activity is Sea World! This will be the first time A gets to go and I can't wait to see how excited she gets to pet a dolphin and experience it with me.

5) More presents: Everywhere we go, A and L get presents! I like seeing what they get almost as much as they do... plus, there's that added satisfaction you get knowing that the presents I got them were the coolest... unless it was something that I told someone to get them... hehehe

There you have it! My five favorite holiday activities with my kids. I'm sure as they get older, there will be new ones, but right now we're a bit limited. Be sure to check out TwitterMoms and also, if your kids don't watch Nickjr as much as mine, remember to watch Dora’s Christmas Carol premiere on Nickelodeon on 12/6 @ 8PM EST!

The Open Road DVD Review

Dear Justin Timberlake,

Anything you do I will love forever. But if you could do comedies all the time, that would be even sweeeeeeeeeeeeter!

Love always,
hammy

Okay, now that I have that off my chest...

So, in The Open Road, Justin Timberlake plays Carlton, a minor league ballplayer. Carlton's mother is in the hospital and needs heart surgery. She refuses to get the surgery done until Carlton's father comes to see her. His father is legendary ball-player Kyle Garrett, whom Carlton has not spoken to in four years. Carlton tracks his dad down in Ohio and embarks on a mission to bring him back to Texas to visit his mother. His "friend" comes along for the ride and Carlton comes to realize he wants her to be more than a friend. Along the way, Carlton begins to learn more about his father, while also learning more about himself and his own road in life... very touching. It was some good, wholesome entertainment... with Justin Timberlake!

Family Time Factor: I would say this is more of a date night movie or a movie to watch on rainy afternoons.

MOTR Grade: B+

The Open Road is currently available on Blu-Ray and DVD!!!

Music Monday: Leona Lewis "Happy"

Oh, the Humanity!

Bear with me on this mini rant:

Many things in life drive me nuts, but the most recent one is the annoyance that I feel when people feel the need to push their thoughts and beliefs on another person. For instance, if you did not attend college, what gives you the right to tell your children where they should go? (This is not referring to me.) And if I hear the words, "I assume you are feeling..." one more time, I'm gonna explode.

And parents that severely punish/yell/talk down to their children for their grades makes me batty, too. My brother graduated with a 4.0 from high school and I can guarantee he did not get yelled at once for his grades. I graduated with something more like a 3.5, I'm thinking, but I was over putting much effort into grades- still am.

And speaking of yelling? GAW! I hate when people yell... hate hate hate. I can't imagine what makes people think that in a civilized society, it is okay to yell at another human being...

Why can't we all just realize that life would be much easier if we didn't shove our opinions down each other's throats, belittle one another or treat people with disrespect? Life's too short for misery.

Mashed Potatoes Make Life Worth Living

This will be a somewhat hodgepodgery of a post again. Yesterday began my Thanksgiving break from school, woo hoo! Coincidentally, yesterday I turned the big 2-8. Birthdays are always depressing and miserable, so I have nothing to say about that. But, I don't have to go back to school or that job until November 30. But, because I'm all over making money, I already agreed to sub at a local elementary school Monday and Tuesday. Today my kids are at daycare, so this is the first day I've had to myself since... probably August. I don't even know what to do with myself! Initially I said I was going to lie on the couch and watch chick flicks all day, but I have yet to do that. I was taking the kids to daycare and discovered I had a flat tire, so aired it up and had the hubby follow me to WalMart- had to get a new tire (there went my birthday money) and run errands, so I got home, started a load of laundry and went about getting some reviews done.

My only goals over break are to read a book for fun and shampoo the carpet in the laundry room. (To which A said, "mommy, the carpet doesn't have hair, how will you shampoo it?") I'd also like to get my rough drafts turned into final drafts so I can hand them in early, but we'll see what kind of motivation I have. Then, after break I only have TWO WEEKS left of this semester, thank you, Jesus!

And December brings in the birthdays, more holidays and the trip to Florida, which I hope is a heck of a lot more fun than it was last year. This will be A's first time going to Sea World, so I'm excited about that... I frickin' LOVE Sea World! And then I think we will go to Universal Studios.

I will try to keep some good blog posts rolling out as the holidays come and go to keep you posted on what's going on with me. I'd also love to hear back from all of you to hear about what you're doing over the holidays! And of course, you can always chat with me on Twitter.

Take care!

hammy

Spongebob Squarepants: Spongebob's Truth or Square DVD Review and Giveaway!!! ***CLOSED***

***GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR KIDS ALERT***

Because you can never have enough SpongeBob in your life, Nickelodeon released another fun DVD on November 10th.

If you're unfamiliar with SpongeBob SquarePants, it's about this cute little guy who lives under the sea, works as a burger flipper and has friends that are such creatures as a starfish, a squid and a squirrel. He chases jellyfish for fun, has a pet snail that meows and has a laugh the will drive you crazy.

The DVD features the Special Extended Director’s Cut of the “Truth or Square” TV Movie with celebrity appearances along with four other episodes. It also includes behind-the-scenes of the SpongeBob opening and karaoke music videos!

Family Time Factor: I personally enjoy watching SpongeBob with my kids and have found that it spans most every age group! It's a guilty pleasure that allows parents and kids to watch cartoons together. Some jokes will go completely over your kids' heads, but that's okay. Most kids can appreciate the kookiness that is SpongeBob!

MOTR Grade: A-

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

I have one new copy of this to giveaway! Giveaway will end at noon on Dec. 4 and is open to US and Canada residents only.

To enter:

1) Leave a comment telling me your favorite cartoon of all times.
2) Digg, stumble, tweet or post a link to this somewhere and comment below.
3) Become a new subscriber to either my blog or the blog Miss Advice.

Thanks and good luck!!!

Bill Engvall Aged and Confused DVD Review and Giveaway ***CLOSED***

***GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR DUDES ALERT***

Okay, so redneck comedy is definitely NOT my cup of tea, but my dad loves it, so I agreed to do this review just so I could give him my copy of the DVD- aren't I a good daughter?! So, when I watched this DVD, I had to put on my "open minded cap" and listen from another perspective.

Comedian Bill Engvall’s new stand-up comedy special “Aged and Confused” will make its World Television Premiere on Comedy Central, Sunday, November 22nd. Following the premiere, Warner Bros/Jack Records will release “Aged and Confused” on DVD on November 23rd.

I was pleasantly surprised that this DVD was only mild in its redneck atrocity. I'll take Bill Engvall over Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy any day! I actually found myself laughing out loud a couple times.

MOTR Grade: B-

Bill Engvall Aged and Confused is currently available on CD and will also be released Nov. 24th on DVD after Comedy Central airs the special on Sunday, Nov. 22!!!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

I have one copy of this to give away. Contest ends December 4th at noon and is open to US and Canada residents.

To enter:

1) Tweet, stumble, digg or post a link to this giveaway somewhere.

2) Become a new subscriber or a new follower on twitter or facebook.

3) Tell me your favorite joke.

SnuggleBug NapSac Winner

The winner of the SnuggleBug NapSac giveaway was:

Angela G.

Congratulations to her and thanks to everyone who entered. If you'd like to purchase a SnuggleBug NapSac, please visit their website to order.

Down with North Face!

I've started talking on Twitter lately about my dislike for North Face. I actually am not a fan of most brand whoring in general, but right now I'm going to take out my annoyance on North Face. Why take a $30 jacket, stick a logo on it and mark it up $70 bucks or so... or 20, or 30, etc. And especially when kids expect their parents to pay for this... *shudders* Ack, ack, hard earned money down the drain! I'll take Old Navy performance fleece anyday.

So, feel free to join my cause if you get bored on Twitter. I'm adding #northfaceisout to some of my posts cause I think it should no longer be "cool." I will point out that they are made in America, which is nice, but adding to American consumerism that promotes spending big bucks on a name brand when we're in a recession kinda makes me wanna stab things.

@a99kitten on Twitter directed me to this funny website called "Stuff White People Like" that included a section on North Face. It's hilarious... because it's true... and I don't know why. Although I only really like about 10 of the things on there... so hopefully that makes me not white.

Enjoy your Wednesday! Tomorrow's my birthday, woo hoo!

Music Monday: Evanescence "My Immortal"

General Mills Movie Ticket Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to the winner of four movie cash passes and one certificate for a box of free cereal courtesy of General Mills and MyBlogSpark:

clc408

Thanks to everyone that participated! I have some upcoming DVD giveaways planned as well as a current Veggie Tales DVD.

Rocky: The Undisputed Collection Blu-Ray Review

I imagine that when this collection released, thousands of men lined up in eager anticipation. Think of it, a collection of six of the "greatest" sports movies of all time together on Blu-Ray! It's a dream come true.

For the first time ever, Rocky 1-5 and Rocky Balboa are together on Blu-Ray.

Each movie is featured in widescreen, with specs of 1.85:1, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Dolby Surround (Rocky Balboa is English PCM 5.1) along with French and Spanish subtitles.

Bonus Disc has over 3 hours of special features and includes:
Interactive game.
Three-Part Making-of Documentary.
Behind the Scenes Featurettes.
Boxing Featurettes.
Tributes to Burgess Meredith and James Crabe.
Interview with Bert Sugar.
Video Commentary.
Sylvester Stallone on Dinah! (1976)
Theatrical trailers and more.

Family Time Factor: I'm gonna say more geared towards dudes ages 12 and over, but I'm sure some females like them.

MOTR Grade: B

Rocky: The Undisputed Collection is now available from MGM on Blu-Ray!!!

Yesterday was Tubular

Some of you follow me on Twitter, so might have caught me tweeting about this, but yesterday A had to get tubes in her ears and have her adnoids removed. I was not really worried because L had this done last winter, so I knew the drill. Plus A had no clue what was going on, I just told her the doctor was going to "fix her ears." So, she gladly went with the nurse, completely unaware. I waited and read some articles for school. They brought her back, said she was an A+ patient and I sat in the rocker recliner with her while she came out of it more. She was none too happy, mainly because of the IV in her hand (I felt her pain!) About 20 minutes into waiting, she threw up all over me and herself, so that was a treat.

The doctor came to check on her and informed me that she would probably be cranky for a few hours and then be back to her normal self by the evening. Either he sniffs glue or he way overgeneralizes, but he was so wrong. She was a zombie all day up until about 7pm. She snoozed and cried off and on, but then the weird thing was she didn't perk up until she had Tylenol with Codeine... isn't that supposed to knock people out?

So, we went to bed around 10pm and this morning she is right as rain- or so she says. Hopefully she will be able to sleep better now, hear better and quit digging in her ears. Unfortunately L started running a temp yesterday afternoon and is not much better this morning. And I have to present at a conference tomorrow morning, so I won't be home from 10:30 am today until noon tomorrow. It will be the first night I've ever spent away from the kids! And they're both under the weather- go figure... now I will be riddled with guilt the whole time...

Veggie Tales- Saint Nicholas: A Story Of Joyful Giving DVD Review and Giveaway ***CLOSED***

As aforementioned, Veggie Tales was one of my daughter's favorite shows a couple years back. In fact, her second birthday cake had a veggie tales picture on it! (Thanks, Dairy Queen!) Now that my son is her age, I like to watch him experience Veggie Tales as well. It has catchy songs, witty conversation and cute stories that teach good morals and values.

Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving features all-stars Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, and tells the story of Saint Nicholas, the world’s greatest giver. This new movie alsointroduces Nicky the Pepper, the first new Veggie Tales character in five years! Bonus features include an original new song by singer-songwriter Matthew West called “Give This Christmas Away.” It is performed by West and Amy Grant.

Family Time Factor: Tolerable by adults, but probably more enjoyed by children 10 and under. (Although they did used to show Veggie Tales clips at this youth group program at church when I was in high school.)

MOTR Grade: B

Veggie Tales' Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving is now available on DVD!!!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

I have one copy of this DVD to giveaway. Contest is open to US and Canada residents and ends November 27th at noon.

To enter:

1) Tell me about the most generous thing you have done or someone else has done for you for Christmas.

2) Stumble, digg, tweet, or post a link to this giveaway.

3) Follow me on Twitter or follow my blog on Facebook.

Up Blu-Ray Review

As aforementioned, Disney + Pixar= instant hit. When Up came to theaters, it had quite a buzz in terms of how good it was. I can't recall why I didn't think to go, but I'll make up an excuse and say that my leprosy had flared and I had recently lost all ten fingers and three toes. But now it's on DVD and Blu-Ray, so wooo hooo!

FYI, did you know that the same dude responsible for Up was responsible for Wall-E and Monsters, Inc.? He and I should have lunch sometime. (Yes, Peter Docter, I have invited you to lunch.)

"Up follows the tale of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. Their journey to a lost world, where they encounter some strange, exotic and surprising characters, is filled with hilarity, emotion and wildly imaginative adventure."

I was actually really surprised at this story because it was deep enough for adults, but fun enough for kids... man, how do they do it? Plus, the Blu-Ray made it so vibrant and for a brief second I wondered if I was in an IMAX theater. (Okay, so that didn't happen, but the picture quality is aweseome!)

Family Time Factor: Another one that's great for all ages.

MOTR Grade: A

Up is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray!!!

Blu-Ray Specs: 1080p/1.78:1/English 5.1 DTS-HD

Monsters, Inc. Blu-Ray Review

Disney Pixar movies are huge hits at my house. And I am not ashamed to admit that I went to the theater to see Monsters, Inc. when it came out. Sure it was in 2001 when I didn't have kids and was a freshmen in college, but hey- don't judge! So of course, finding out it was being released on Blu-Ray for the first time was pretty sweet. Disney Pixar animation is already great, but seeing it on Blu-Ray... killer sweet.

If you've never seen Monsters, Inc., first, I don't think I can know you. Second, you really should. It's a cute story about two monsters named Mike and Sully that work in a scare factory. They go into different kids' rooms through these magical doors and scare children. Sully is a scarer and Mike is a tech guy. One night Sully happens upon a door that is left out because one of his coworkers was being deceitful. Sully checks the door and accidentally lets a little girl out (who he names "Boo.") Monsters think that children are toxic, so this is a big no-no. Mike and Sully try to figure out how to get the girl back before getting caught, but the whole situation ends up enlightening them into seeing scaring children in a whole different light.

Genius!

Family Time Factor: I think it can be enjoyed by young and old, but then again, I haven't become bitter about life yet, lol.

MOTR Grade: A+

Monsters, Inc. is now available on Blu-Ray as a four disc combo that includes the DVD, Blu-Ray, Special features Blu-Ray and Digital Copy!!!

Blu-Ray Specs: 1080 high def/1.85:1/English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse DVD Review

How do companies know exactly what kids want and when they want them? That was completely rhetorical because clearly they make the big bucks for a reason! Well, now that Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is approaching, it seems there's only one thing on kids' minds right now- Christmas. And, what better way to get a kid excited about a new Christmas movie? That's right, put a ton of different Disney characters in it so they're guaranteed to like at least one! That's what happened with my kids, at least.

In this full-length movie (that was originally debuted in 2001), a huge snowstorm leaves Mickey, Minnie and many other friends stranded, inspiring Mickey and his guests at the House of Mouse to whip up an impromptu party that includes instilling a “Humbug”-quacking Donald Duck with the holiday spirit. Everyone shares their home movies and even grumpy Donald starts to smile when they realize the best Christmas of all is the one you share with friends and family.

Disney Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse stars more than 35 Disney characters including Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Bambi, Dumbo, The Lion King and more.

BONUS FEATURES

*Episode of animated series House of Mouse.

*The Sounds of Christmas – discover the secrets of movie sound effects with a
Disney sound effects artist. This also includes a special version of “Twas the Night
Before Christmas.”

*Sing-Along Songs “Deck the Halls” and “Sleigh Ride”

Family Time Factor: It is tolerable for adults to watch, but I don't think it would appeal to many children over 8, possibly 10.

MOTR Grade: B (My kids sat through it, but didn't ask to watch it again. I had to bring it up.)

Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse is now available on DVD!!!

Hodge Podge... Dodge Ball?

So I'm reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallly lagging here lately on churning out the bloggy goodness, so you'll have to forgive me! We're in the last 4 weeks of the semester, so all these huge papers are due for me. Any free time I get I'm working on school work, working, or trying to spend some time with the family. Last week I had the kids go an extra day to daycare, but I got called in to work at a different job, so I figured money was more important than that extra time to do school work. This weekend I had SEVEN school papers I wanted to get done and so far I've finished 2. I'm quite behind! Then tomorrow I have to work again... then begins the busy week of class and work. Add to that that A has to get tubes on Thursday and Friday/Saturday there is a conference hosted by the English Grad Organization that I have to attend and present at, so I am going to have to spend the night at a friend's apartment. Plus, Nick just got a new part time job, so he'll be going through orientation this week. Ay carumba!

My last day (hallelujah) of this semester is Dec. 9, so I will be a free woman after that... well, until spring semester starts. I promise as things wind down and all my papers are handed in I'll put my blogging hat back on... until then... feel free to go through the archives, lol.

Have a great week!

'Tis the Season!

It's my favorite time of year again! I looooooooooove the holiday season. Of course, I went through that phase between high school until having kids that the holidays didn't mean much. After you're no longer a kid, holidays just seem boring and chalked full of awkward conversations and monotony. But, having kids has injected some fun back into the holidays! It's so cute to see how excited they get about everything "magical" about the holidays.

Here's all the things I'm looking forward to:

November:

My birthday (not sure why, two years ago I spent the whole day crying about getting old)
Thanksgiving (free food is always the best kind!)
Thanksgiving vacation from school (hallelujah!)

December:

A's birthday (she'll be a whopping FOUR!)
End of the semester (I might die of joy overload that day)
Christmas
Going to Florida with the family (I love Sea World!)
New Year's Eve

January:

L's birthday (he'll be TWO!)
School starts again mid-January (maybe I'll be over taking a break by then)

What are you looking forward to most about this holiday season?

SnuggleBug NapSac Review and Giveaway! ***CLOSED***

Moms always know best about new inventions that will come in useful because as moms, we know what we need and we know what works! Well, this is definitely one of those inventions. The SnuggleBug NapSac is a washable nap mat, blanket, pillow and carrying sack all in one! Now, whether your kids are in daycare, you're traveling or you need a portable, fast bed for your child, you can buy the perfect device to fill all your needs!

There are many incredible features that make this a great, convenient, fun product for both parents and children to appreciate! I've only had this a couple days and my daughter loves it! She likes to take her NapSac out and lie in front of her TV with it. She's already fallen asleep in it once!




The SnuggleBug NapSac is perfect for children ages 2-5 and will save you a few extra steps that will make life that much easier!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

The makers or SnuggleBug NapSac have graciously provided one NapSac for giveaway! Contest is open to continental US residents only and ends Nov. 17 at noon.

To enter:

Visit the SnuggleBugNapSac website and tell one thing you found about this product that makes it a useful invention or helpful to moms.

Additional entries:

1) Stumble, digg, or post a link to this giveaway on another website.

2) Follow SnuggleBug NapSac on twitter.

3) Tweet a link to this post and include #snugglebugnapsac!

Music Monday: Matchbox 20 "Push"

Throwback to my high school years... I LOVED this song! (still do)