DVD Review: Veggie Tales: Pistachio: The Little Boy That Woodn’t
March 9th, 2010 • Family entertainment, Featured Reviews, movies • No comments
Last week Big Idea, Inc. released the newest Veggie Tales adventure, Pistachio: The Little Boy That Woodn’t, a cute retelling of the classic Pinocchio with a veggie-twist and a moral tale that’s easy to grasp. The theme of this DVD is all about listening to your parents and telling the truth – but like all Veggie Tales movies, it does so with humor and a good story. I love that the Veggie Tales DVDs always have a good lesson to be learned but rarely get too preachy.
“The storyline of Pistachio created the perfect opportunity to teach children the importance of family and listening to their parents,” said Greg Fritz, SVP of Sales and Marketing at Big Idea. “Everyone knows the story of Pinocchio and how he became a ‘real boy’, but Pistachio has a clever VeggieTales twist that incorporates elements of truth from the classic tale, while emphasizing the father-son relationship and the strength of family. Parents will resonate with the desire of ‘Gelato,’ who only wants to do what’s best for his child, while kids will see that there’s ultimately great reward in listening to them.”
My son and I both really enjoyed this cute story. It had a lot of catchy music and funny moments. The brand new Silly Song, “Where Have All The Staplers Gone,” was hilarious and gets stuck in my head a lot. It’s another great hit from Big Idea, Inc. that you’ll want to add to your collection for sure. I’d also note that this DVD is much more PG than the Disney classic it was inspired by. I know several scenes in the Disney movie have made me pause and think, “Am I really letting my three year old watch this?” but Pistachio manages to get across a similar message in shorter time and in a much more age appropriate way.
DVD Synopsis
Once upon a time in the small town of Bologna-Salami , there lived a lonely toymaker named Gelato and his assistant Cricket. Gelato had no children of his own, so one day he decided to carve a little boy out of wood. Imagine Gelato’s surprise when he learned this little boy could walk…and talk…and definitely had a mind of his own! When Pistachio tries to do things his way, he lands in a “whale” of a situation! Will he decide to listen to the wisdom of a loving father in time to save his whole family from becoming fish food? Find out in this all-new adventure with a lesson about the importance of family and learning to listen.
Thanks to Big Idea, Inc. for this review opportunity. Although I did receive a DVD to review with my son, I was not monetarily compensated in any way.
Giveaway: Princess and the Frog DVD
March 2nd, 2010 • Featured Reviews • 133 comments
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will be releasing THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG March 16th on Blu-ray & DVD! Disney’s triumphant return to hand-drawn animation features the wonderfully talented Anika Noni Rose as the voice of Tiana, the first African American Princess! Academy Award-winning composer Randy Newman supplies a jazz-infused score for this enchanted New Orleans tale. Bonus material include deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, games, and more!
Per Disney Press Release
Look forward for a review in the near future!
We’re giving away one copy of Princess and the Frog on DVD to one lucky Mommas Review reader. Here’s how you can enter to win:
1. Tell us: Who was your favorite Disney Princess? This is mandatory – if not done, all other entries will be null and void.
2. For a second entry follow @mommasreview on Twitter, then come back here and leave a comment telling us you’ve done so.
3.For a third entry, tweet about this giveaway. Need some tweet-spiration? “Win the Princess and the Frog on DVD @mommasreview http://www.mommasreview.com”
4. For a final entry, subscribe to our RSS feed, leaving a comment here to tell us you’ve done so. We’ll be posting more giveaways on Momma’s Review soon so subscribing will be a great way for you to stay informed about all the great things you can win in the days and weeks to come.
This giveaway is open to U.S. readers only and will end at 12:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010.
DVD Review: Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey
March 2nd, 2010 • Family entertainment, Featured Reviews, movies • No comments
Way back when, when my son was just a wee little baby, my husband and I fell in love with the original Curious George movie, starring Will Ferrell as Ted, The Man in the Yellow Hat. I remember secretly hoping that my son would love it, too. I was in luck – George is a big hit in our home. My now almost four year old loves both the movie and the PBS television show and we read a collection of the original stories at bedtime almost every night.
So when they announced that there would be a second movie, you could say I was a bit giddy. Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey has the classic charm of any good Curious George story. Here’s a quick synopsis from Universal Studios:
The world’s most beloved and inquisitive monkey is back in Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey, the fun-filled sequel to the hit animated movie. Join Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat as they set out on a madcap cross-country adventure to reunite Kayla, a homesick elephant, with her family. This unlikely trio faces all types of comic calamities and colorful characters and in the end, learn that with family, friends and determination, you can achieve anything. Featuring the voices of Tim Curry, Matt Lauer, Jamie Kennedy and Jerry Lewis, Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey, “proves that family, friends – and curiosity – are number one.” (Francine Brokaw, Los Angeles Family Magazine)
One of the first things I noticed was that most of the characters were voiced by different actors than the previous movie. The Man with the Yellow Hat is now voiced by Tim Curry who plays Ted in the Curious George PBS show, a very smart move. I watch the tv show so often that I almost didn’t notice the change. But I did notice that Maggie is now voiced by Nickie Bryar (rather than Drew Barrymore) and even more noticeably Mr. Bloomsberry who is now voiced by Fred Tatasciore as opposed to the infamous and irreplaceable Dick Van Dyke. I can’t say either actor did a bad job voicing their characters but the change bothered me nonetheless, especially Mr. Bloomsberry who simply sounded nothing like the Van Dyke.
In some ways, especially in the beginning, it felt like the sequel was clinging to the original movie with screenshots from the first movie being displayed as artwork in the home of Ted and George and a lot of references to the original plot. But after twenty minutes or so the movie seems to gain its bearings and I was able to mostly forget that it was a sequel. It also helped that Maggie wasn’t in very much of the movie because her character, in my opinion, was drawn very poorly. Maggie was one of my favorite characters in the original, but in Curious George 2 it was hard to look at her with those crazy bug eyes and weirdly drawn hair.
All that aside, I loved the story and was able to ignore these small details after the movie got into the thick of its own plot, which is very good. And the four year old who the movie was aimed at? He loves it and requests it frequently. I give this movie a B+ because while it will never hold up to the original in my own highly biased opinion, it tells a great story, has a lot of funny moments and entertained my kid from start to finish.
Review: Minui HandySitt
February 19th, 2010 • Featured Reviews, around the home • 1 comment
If you’re disgruntled with the majority of high chairs and booster seats on the market and looking for something with a sleeker design and a smaller package, the Minui HandySitt might be the answer. Designed in Denmark and manufactured in Europe, the HandySitt has been sold in Europe for twenty years. Here in the U.S. their compact booster seat has been on the market since 2005 and in March of 2009 they rolled out a new model, the minui HandySitt portable high chair – giving you even more options to an already option-packed product.
I recently had the opportunity to review their booster seat model and I was very impressed with the array of options it affords you. The HandySitt can accomodate children from 6 months to 5 years old and they sell additional accessories to help tailor to your needs. While I think it’s fairly expensive compared to many booster seats and high chairs on the market (the booster seat sells for $129.95 and the chair is $169.95), I am impressed with it’s compact design and durability – and I like the fact that you can choose to pay less if you don’t need the bells and whistles offered in the accessories (like a baby cushion or the three or five point harnesses). It’s available in a variety of colors so you can match it to the rest of your decor and get exactly the look you want.
I should mention that there is no tray to attach to the seat so if you don’t want baby eating directly at the table with you this might not be the best chair for you. Also your six month old will need to be able to sit fairly stable on her own with just the three point harness there was not much to keep my daughter from tipping forward when we first tried the chair out with her. The booster seat can attach to most chairs on the market (click here for their fitting guide) and now you can buy the “chair” portion as well to transform it into a full high chair.
Minui is also marketing these chairs to restaurants which I think is genius given their compact design – I would love to see these in the restaurants I frequent as opposed to the chunky booster seats and wooden high chairs you typically see. I think this chair would also make an excellent travel booster seat – it would take up very little room in your vehicle since it folds flat and you can even purchase a travel bag with handles to help you carry it and everything else from place to place. So if you’ve got the money to spend on the sleek compact high chair of your dreams, check out the minui HandySitt – it might be just the chair for you!
Thanks to Chic Execs for coordinating this review opportunity.
Spring Fashions: Window Shopping For Warmer Weather
February 17th, 2010 • Featured Reviews, clothes shoes & accessories • 2 comments
While most of the country is being hit with one snow storm after another, my heart has already started to dream of Spring – mainly Spring fashions. It started when the Hanna Andersson catalog came in the mail. All that color and cuteness had me picturing my infant daughter in their latest styles in a couple of months, crawling in the park while my oldest son burns off all the extra energy he’s been storing up this winter on the jungle gyms. And I thought, why just tell you all about my window shopping when I can show it to you?
clockwise from top middle: roomy romper, first walkers by simple, fresh air baby set, easy breezy dress, it's a playdress it's a daydress
From Hanna Andersson for her, I found myself at Gap Kids for my three year old. I like fairly traditional boys clothes with splash of fun. If I had my say (and some extra money) here’s what son would be sporting this Spring at the playground.
top to bottom and left to right from hat: Khaki bucket hat, Graphic slub T, Rugby polo, Extreme sport graphic T, Patchwork cargo shorts, Flap-pocket shorts, Burgundy plaid shorts
And what would I be wearing while the oldest is swinging from the monkey bars and the youngest is precariously exploring the great outdoors? Lately I’ve been drooling over the clothes at New York and Company – they are the store I promise myself I’ll shop at when I’ve lost some weight and need to get a new wardrobe. Here’s what I’m eyeing in their new arrivals – lots of pretty tops plus a swimsuit caftan in case the weather gets really warm:
top to bottom and left to right: Uptown Shirred Dot Print Sleeveless Top, Sleeveless Ruffle Print Blouse, InMotion Graphic Print Dancer Tee, Uptown Shirred Print Sleeveless Top, Elastic Scoop Neck Peasant Top, Beaded Floral Scoop Neck Tee, NY Swim Mesh Solid Caftan
Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
February 16th, 2010 • Featured Reviews, books • No comments
Grade: B-
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater seems to be the new “it” book of the moment. Perfect for cuddling up on a cold winter’s night it tells a story we’ve all heard before now – angsty teenager with immature parents falls in love with a boy who isn’t all that he seems. But if the book sounds like a Twilight knockoff, I can assure you that it doesn’t read like one. Shiver has a plot to hold it’s own that is intricately laid out in the pages of Grace and Sam’s little love story.
Here’s a quick description of the book from people better at book descriptions than me:
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human … until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human–or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
This book came strongly recommended to me by fellow book lover Vivienne so I was looking forward to diving into this love story… until my husband read it and despite enjoying most of the book, disliked the ending so much it ruined the whole book for him. I didn’t really know what to expect going into it and I kind of wish I’d been able to read it with no expectations whatsoever, but here’s my opinion as best I can explain it…
For the most part, like my husband, I enjoyed this book although I must confess that I had a hard time ignoring the age of main characters Sam and Grace. What I mean to say is that, while reading Twilight for the most part I was able to lose myself enough in the story that I could either truly remember being a teenager or I was able to ignore the fact that they were “only teenagers.” Not so with Shiver. I constantly found myself rolling my eyes at the seriousness with which Sam and Grace took their relationship. I tried giving them the benefit of the doubt, but… but… but… I was very aware of how young they were – but I do remember being a teenager. I know I was the same way in a lot of regards. Everything feels heightened and more important when you are young – everything is forever and always until it’s not.
I guess what I’m really saying is that I never really got that fully lost in the story feeling. I was always there as the voice of reality to kind of ruin it all for myself. My fault or the authors? Not sure.
And then there’s the ending… which Vivienne calls “breath taking” and my husband calls … a long string of profanity. I have to admit… it confused me. Even now sitting here I don’t really understand it. I won’t give anything away to future readers of the book, but yeah… it kind of wraps it up without really wrapping it up and left me feeling unsatisfied and uneasy. What the heck happened, Maggie? Dan compares it his old high school english assignments. His teacher always told him that he’d have a great story but then run out of steam at the end and just sort of peter out. But this seemed less like petering out and more like… confusing. I just didn’t understand.
I get the impression that it’s exactly the ending the author wanted either because she likes making her readers confused or because she’s leaving it open for a second book perhaps… and of course there’s the chance that my husband and I are having a dumb moment and missed something obvious – but when you combine my lack of being able to immerse myself in the story and the unclear ending… it did kind of leave a bad taste in my mouth that is unfortunate for such a promising book that was otherwise really good.
Good story – good plot – mostly well thought out. Nice details, lots of details and imagery (some might say too much). But… it does leave something to be desired. Still, if Stiefvater does write a second book, I’ll be in line to get my hands on it for sure.
Are You a Shoeaholic too?
February 11th, 2010 • Featured Reviews • No comments
I love shoes. I may only own about five pairs total but lately I’ve found an obsession of finding the best deals online and just savoring in the good deals. Today there are certainly plenty of them! Two that make me drool like a madwoman are at 6pm.com.
Michael Kors shoes for only $24.95
166 pairs of brand name Michael Kors shoes for under $25. Heck yes, please, and thank you very much! I normally wouldn’t be able to afford anything that had his name on it. But at this price I’d be dumb not to buy at least one pair.
http://www.6pm.com/brand/402/KORS-Michael-Kors
and
Lumiani Shoes for $9.99 – Men and Womens
These shoes are normally $100-$250
At 6pm.com shipping is always a single flat rate of $6.95
Please share in the comments below if you buy any! I love to share my good deals with you so I hope you’ll share them back.
DVD Review: MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE: Minnie’s Bow-Tique
February 9th, 2010 • Family entertainment, Featured Reviews, movies • No comments
Minnie Mouse is the star of the day in the new Walt Disney Studios DVD, MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE: MINNIE’S BOW-TIQUE, which was just released today.
This DVD features four Minnie-themed stories including one never-before-seen episode, Minnie’s Pajama Party which will air in April on Playhouse Disney. My son is a really big fan of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so I was thrilled to get a copy of this DVD to review for him which has some great episodes that have quickly become favorites in our home.
In Minnie’s Bow-tique, Minnie has just opened her very own Bow-tique where she is selling beautiful bows of all kinds – from polka dots to pinstripes to “camera-bows” and
“mood-bows.” Minnie definitely has a large variety of bows – like nothing you’ve ever seen before! The gang runs into a few problems on her grand opening and use their Mousketools to catch a bunch of runaway butterfly bows and help Pete who is shopping for a present for his Aunt Mabel but has never shopped for ladies bows before.
One thing I love about these stories are the little lessons in problem solving. In Minnie’s Bee Story the gang is searching for Minnie’s friend Buzz Buzz who runs off after being scared by Donald accidentally. Everyone has ideas for how they can find Buzz Buzz and it turns into quite an adventure. In Minnie’s Pajama Party (the never before seen episode) there are several lessons about dividing things up fairly so that everyone has a good time and gets enough pie to eat and room to sleep.
The DVD also comes with a fun Minnie Magnet Bow Frame which my son loves to play with on the refrigerator and two of the episodes, ‘Minnie’s Pajama Party,’ and ‘Minnie’s Bee Story,’ include Disney’s Adventure Mode – an interactive game using the remote control with multiple play levels.
We’re big fans of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse around here and I know my son and I would both recommend this DVD to any Mickey fans in your life!
Giveaway: Caress Evenly Gorgeous Beauty Bars
February 3rd, 2010 • Featured Reviews, bath & body • 23 comments
What kind of body wash do you use? Are you a loofah girl or do you prefer to use bar soap?
For the most part, I’ve always been a loofah girl myself. Most of my encounters with bar soap or “hotel soap” since that’s usually where I find myself using it have left me with dry skin and a sort of clammy, filmy feeling. It goes away eventually but it always feels like you’ve used some inferior soap-like thing that you’re hoping actually got your skin clean and now you need some moisturizer in the baddest way.
But one advantage to bar soap that I’ve often thought about is the environmental impact – all those plastic body wash bottles add up, never mind the loofahs we use to wash with (I suppose you could use a washcloth, but in my experience the loofah just does a better job distributing the soap). My point is that I’ve sometimes wished I were a bar soap gal just for the simplicity and what I’m assuming is a more environmentally friendly purchase.
I recently received a pack of “beauty bars” as well as a bottle of body wash from Caress’s Evenly Gorgeous Skinwear Collection. With burnt sugar and karate butter, it claims to help moisturize while gently exfoliating and cleansing your skin, revealing “even-toned, radiant and silky skin.” I have used their body wash before so I decided to try the beauty bars to compare and I have to tell you, I was so pleasantly surprised!
The bar is shaped into a sort of curvature which I found helped to keep the bar in my hand while I soaped up. The exfoliating worked really well, I liked the scent a lot and my skin felt so much more soft than any bar soap I’ve ever used has left if feeling. I still think I prefer using the body wash, but I would have a much easier time to converting to bar soap with the Caress Evenly Gorgeous Beauty Bars if I decide to.
My husband tried the beauty bar also as he prefers bar soap for some bizarre reason. He liked the exfoliating bits also and thought it did a good job cleaning – although in the shower he confessed the scent was a bit over powering. But once out of the shower the smell was much milder and didn’t bother him at all. If Caress makes a slightly more masculine scented version of these bars I think he’d love it.
WIN IT!
Thanks to Caress, we’re giving away a set of Caress beauty bars to one lucky Mommas Review readers. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Tell us: What is your favorite brand of body wash? Do you prefer a liquid body wash or bar soap? This is mandatory – if not done, all other entries will be null and void.
- For a second entry follow @mommasreview on Twitter, then come back here and leave a comment telling us you’ve done so.
- For a third entry, tweet about this giveaway. Need some tweet-spiration? “Want “even-toned, radiant and silky skin”? Win a set of Caress Evenly Gorgeous Beauty Bars @mommasreview http://tinyurl.com/d35zv8”
- For a final entry, subscribe to our RSS feed, leaving a comment here to tell us you’ve done so. We’ll be posting more giveaways on Momma’s Review soon so subscribing will be a great way for you to stay informed about all the great things you can win in the days and weeks to come.
This giveaway is open to U.S. readers only and will end at 12:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, February 10, 2010.
This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program for Caress, who supplied the product for review. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.
Do you Amazon? Get Free Prime Membership (Free Shipping for 3 months!)
February 2nd, 2010 • Featured Reviews • No comments
I love Swag Grabber! Seriously, I think the site is the reason why I wanted to post the good deals I find. It’s thorough and always has the best deals. Right now they have a deal that I took advantage of a month ago and I am still enjoying. You can get a FREE Prime Membership at Amazon.com by following the steps outlined on Swag Grabber. This membership means that whenever you order something from Amazon that qualifies for Prime shipping you get the 2nd day shipping option for FREE. I’ve used this option multiple times since getting the membership and it’s come in handy and saved me loads of money that would have been wasted on shipping cost.
Go here to learn how to get this upgrade to your account for free.
