Holiday Gift Guide: Dreamworks Holiday Collection DVD Set Review & Giveaway

My kids look forward to the weekend for many reasons- getting to stay home from school, spending time with Papa and playing with their cousins. However, there is one activity we always get excited about and that's our Friday movie night! This past weekend, the kids got their pajamas on, we made popcorn and put a new movie in the DVD player, the Dreamworks Holiday Collection, which I knew the kids would really enjoy.

About the Dreamworks Holiday Collection
This 2 DVD set features four stories based on popular movies with a holiday twist the entire family can enjoy! Originally shown on tv for holiday specials, now this set is available for purchase so you can watch and enjoy any time.

Featured Episodes

• Shrek the Halls (2007) - Made in between Shrek 3 and Shrek Forever After, this great short film features Shrek, Fiona and their three kiddos. Shrek wants to give Fiona a very special Christmas surprise, but, with Donkey in tow, there are some shenanigans along the way! 
• Merry Madagascar (2009) - While attempting to escape Africa and return to the zoo in New York in a hot air balloon, the gang unintentionally shoot down Santa Claus' sleigh. What will they do?
• Gift of the Night Fury (2011) - Based on one of our favorite movies How to Train Your Dragon, this story is all about the preparation of a Viking winter holiday.
• Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010) - Po is picked to host the annual Winter Feast, a very important event where all Kung Fu masters will attend. Po needs help to pull off everything and wants to make the event a night to remember. Who knows what will happen!

Our Thoughts

I love this time of year and all of the special holiday features that come on each year. We caught a few last year, but hadn't seen any of these before. Each of the short movies are about 22-27 minutes, including the credits. I honestly didn't know what to expect from the DVD, but knew how much the kids had enjoyed the movies these were based upon. I think our favorite was definitely Shrek the Halls. The boys absolutely love Shrek and, after meeting Shrek at Universal Studios this fall, they were very excited about watching this one. As in all the Shrek movies, Donkey and Shrek get into trouble and almost every moment is hilarious. We were all laughing during this one. 

My youngest really enjoyed Merry Madagascar since he loves animals and he thought they were absolutely hilarious. My older son wants to be a knight when he "grows up", so he was very into Gift of the Night Fury and has been asking to watch it again already. 

I don't want to give too much away in my review, but I was happily surprised at this great collection of holiday films. This was the perfect length for children and I really like that the episodes are split up, making time for bathroom breaks and for making more popcorn. Oh, there were lots of extras on the DVDs, too. You will find funny shorts, songs and more. Watching the DVD was definitely a great kick-off to the holiday season. The boys are already asking when Santa will be here and it's not even Thanksgiving yet. I'm sorry to tell them it will be another month, but, in the meantime, we can watch great movies like these, set up our Christmas trees, decorate the house and listen to some holiday music!

Ready For A Giveaway?

One Lucky Reader Will Receive Their Own Dreamworks Holiday Collection DVD! 

Jack The Giant Slayer DVD/Blu-Ray + Ultraviolet Combo Pack Giveaway #JackTheGiantSlayer

Warner Bros. is proud to announce the arrival of Jack the Giant Slayer released on DVD & Blu-ray on June 18!

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of this life to stop them and rescue the princess!

The question is... are you courageous enough to rescue the princess? Are you brave like Jack?  Take the quiz to find out!

This is such a great movie and we are so excited to celebrate with the new app that is so much fun! Take a look at all the different features, including the Giant Soundboard so you can compose your own mash-up sounds from Jack The Giant Slayer. Kids will absolutely love this.

Giveaway Time

We are also excited because we have an awesome giveaway for our readers! One Reader Will Win a Jack The Giant Slayer Combo Pack (Blu-Ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)! This retails at $35.99! 

Just use the GiveawayTools form below to enter! This giveaway is open to USA & Canada and will end on Tuesday, July 10th at 11:59pm. Good Luck!

Entry-Form

About Jack the Giant Slayer:
Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of this life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom and its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend... and gets the chance to become a legend himself! Directed by Brian Singer (X-Men, Superman Returns)

Starring: Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy), Ewan McGregor (Star Wars, Moulin Rouge!), and Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones).

Disclosure: This giveaway was sponsored by Partnershub. No compensation was received. All opinions written are my own.

Celebrate The Week of the Young Child & Pajanimals Boxed Set of Three DVDs Giveaway

Every year, the National Association for the Education of Young Children sponsors and celebrates the Week of the Young Child™ (April 14 – 20), which recognizes that the early childhood years (birth through age 8) lay the foundation for children's success in school and later life. The theme this year is “Early Years Are Learning Years.” 

According to the NAEYC site:  “Today we know more than ever before about the importance of children's earliest years in shaping their learning and development. Yet, never before have the needs of young children and their families been more pressing. The Week of the Young Child™ is a time to recognize that children's opportunities are our responsibilities, and to recommit ourselves to ensuring that each and every child experiences the type of early environment—at home, at child care, at school, and in the community—that will promote their early learning.”

It's Giveaway Time!

To help celebrate The Week of the Young Child, The Jim Henson Company along with NCircle Entertainment are giving away a Pajanimals DVD Gift Set that includes all three Pajanimals DVDs, including:

Good Night Pajanimals

Meet the Pajanimals

Pajanimals Playdate!

Wild Kratts Lost At Sea DVD Review & Giveaway *4 Winners*

My kids are huge PBS fans and we watch PBSKids shows more than any others. Caillou, Word Girl, Super Why (Liam's favorite) and, of course, Wild Kratts, are saved on our DVR for occasions when we are stuck indoors and need something good to watch. I love that PBSKids shows are not only fun and interesting for kids, but they are also educational. Wild Kratts is a show we more recently discovered and Josiah loves all the adventures the two Kratt brothers go on and the trouble they get into. We received the newest Wild Kratts DVD, Lost At Sea, to review and Josiah was so excited he couldn't wait to watch it!

About Wild Kratts Lost At Sea
The Kratt Brothers, Martin and Chris, are on adventures again and meet up with many cool creatures along the way! They visit far of places and, with their creature smarts, and newly invented Creature Power Suits, the brothers use their amazing capabilities to save the day!

This DVD includes 2 new episodes:

Speaking Dolphinese

Blowfish Blowout

Our Thoughts
The boys settled down Friday night for a movie and I put in Lost At Sea. Liam had never seen Wild Kratts before and was upset that we weren't watching Super Why, but his sadness soon changed to happiness when he saw all the sea creatures and watched all the action taking place. The boys love going to the ocean and these episodes are all about underwater discovery!

Approximate running time for the DVD is 55 minutes, which was honestly the perfect length for a movie before bedtime. It will also be nice for shorter car rides to keep the boys happy. I have to admit, I actually enjoy watching Wild Kratts, too, because there is always something new learned from the episodes. Plus, I love animals just as much as the kids, and enjoy the parts of the real Kratt brothers with the cartoon version, with real animals and educational information.

This DVD retails at $9.99, but can be purchased on Amazon.com for only $8.99!

Ready For A Giveaway? 

Thanks to PBSKids, 4 Lucky Readers Will Receive the new Wild Kratts Lost At Sea DVD!

Pajanimals Play Date DVD Review & Giveaway (US & Canada)

Finding a show that is interesting and fun for both Liam and Josiah is near impossible. However, we caught a few episodes of Jim Henson's  Pajanimals on Sprout® and it was an absolute hit! This is why I was so excited to receive the newest Pajanimals DVD, Play Date, to review with the kids.

Of course, as soon as we received the DVD, the kids had to watch it. If you haven't watched Pajanimals with your kids before, this is a must! The Pajanimals consist of the awesome puppet characters Cowbella, Apollo, Sweetpea Sue and Squacky. They use their imagination, go on adventures and sing songs as they go along.

Pajanimals Play Date DVD includes 5 stories:

• I'm Sorry, Really Sorry
• A Colorful Problem
• Game Day
• The Rocket Ride
• Share Day

Pajanimals Play Date DVD, for ages 0-6, is available from NCircle Entertainment and retail value is at $9.99. You can also purchase on Amazon.com for only $8.99.

Our Thoughts

We stumbled across Pajanimals within the past few months and we didn't come across it much on tv, so it's great to now have a DVD we can watch anytime. I popped it in when the boys were settling down for bedtime and they immediately snuggled into bed to watch. My oldest is 5 years old and he was thinking he was too big for such a show, but the next night he was asking to watch it again! Obviously, he loved the Play Date DVD and can't get enough of it. I never thought we would find a show that is actually appropriate for bedtime and helps kids wind down and get ready for sleep, but Panjanimals is the show! We've probably watched it five times since it came in the mail two weeks ago!

Watching the Pajanimals with the boys, I had to give the puppets some credit for being educational and fun. I love that the show is not only creative, but includes life lessons in a way children can understand and helps them understand how to deal with those situations. Sharing is something my boys are really working on, so Share Day was an episode I really enjoyed. It's great that the puppets present such lessons in a way that makes kids also want to share or apologize or say thank you. These are things even young children can grasp and, as they grow older, they can come to appreciate these ideas.

In addition to DVDs and episodes on television there are some great free activities and games available on the Sprout website. There is also a Pajanimals App, letting children "join in the fun with their favorite Pajanimals characters". The 3D app will extend the reach of the TV series onto iPhone, iPad and iPod touch! Be sure to check it all out! If your child is too grown up for the Play Date DVD or any others you may have, then help the environment by recycling them at musicMagpie.

Giveaway Time!

One Lucky Children Teaching Mama Reader Will Receive A Jim Henson's Pajanimals Play Date DVD! 

Just use the Giveaway Tools form below to enter! This giveaway is open to US & Canadian Residents, ages 18+ and ends on Wednesday, March 13th at 11:59pm. Good Luck!

Holiday Gift Guide Event: Knocked-Up Fitness DVD's Review/Giveaway

One thing I wish I would have done while pregnant with my daughter was work out. I've never been too great at keeping up with a workout,I usually get bored, or like what happened just recently, Netflix took the workout videos off. This time around, as we're trying to conceive, I've really been starting to look at different work out videos and many of them have been Prenatal workouts. I want to make sure that I get my chance to work out and stay extra-healthy this time around!

I've heard that while you are pregnant you can continue working out if you're able. Well I decided it was time to find a workout that I could do before and throughout a future pregnancy.

So when I got the opportunity to review the Knocked-Up Fitness DVD's I was super excited. These DVD's were not what I was expecting. Honestly, I was thinking that I could just fly through these workouts and I would be able to do this easily. I mean, the lady doing them is very pregnant, so I should have no problem right?

I was wrong!
These Fitness DVD's are no joke and are awesome. I got the best workout I've every had. I loved that you were given tips as well as Beginner Advanced moves, which was super helpful.

One thing I really enjoyed was using the Thera Band. I've never used one before and was a little skeptical at first, but it was great. I've been trying to do these work outs as often as I can, and honestly am so glad I got the chance to review them. I look forward to continuing use with any future pregnancies, if I'm able!

Along with these Fitness DVD's, I was sent 6 simple tips to ensure your baby arrives as healthy as possible.

1. Eat nutritiously and make sure you take your vitamins! Pregnant women should adhere to a healthy diet that includes daily servings of whole grains, lean protein, and fruits and vegetables. A diet filled with the right foods can help you avoid conditions such as gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia.

2. Avoid toxins and chemicals that may harm your baby, including many common household solvents and cleaning agents. If you must use these chemicals, make sure the room is well ventilated and wear appropriate clothing to protect your skin.

3. Protect your baby from radiation. These days it seems nearly impossible to avoid the radiation that comes from common technology like iPads, cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices, but attention has recently been brought to the harmful effects of these products on a fetus. Taking the precaution of shielding against radiation exposure throughout pregnancy can significantly lower the health risk. Belly Armor products use RadiaShield® technology, which is integrated with basic maternity wear and accessories, to shield more than 99 percent of radiation, making every day tasks safer for mom and her growing baby.

4. Drink water. It is important for pregnant women to drink enough water to maintain proper circulation. Try to drink several full glasses of water per day to help you stay hydrated. This is especially important during times of excessive heat.

5. Keep Your Body and Mind Fit. Maintaining a regular exercise routine two or three times a week and eating wisely throughout pregnancy can help you stay healthy and decrease some common discomforts, such as backaches and fatigue. Pilates is known to be the safest and most effective type of exercise during pregnancy as it helps to strengthen your core, which makes for an easier labor and delivery. Try Knocked-Up Fitness DVDs with pilates master Erica Ziel!

6. Set goals and track your progress. Use the Use the Mama2b Fitbook to ensure an active and healthy pregnancy. The Mama2b Fitbook is a notebook that includes a guide to determine a goal for healthy baby weight gain, tips for a fit pregnancy, and power pregnancy foods to feed a growing baby bump.

What exercise routines do you have during pregnancy? 

Ready For A Giveaway?

One Lucky Children Teaching Mama Reader Will Win The Knocked-Up Fitness DVDs we received to review! 

Childrens Hospital: The Complete Third Season Now On DVD

We have been long-time fans of Adult Swim on Comedy Central and were so excited when we found another awesome show to watch. Childrens Hospital is so hilarious and makes me laugh every time I watch. If you haven't seen it yet, it is a must-see show. For those of you who are already fans (you rock), don't forget that Childrens Hospital: The Complete Third Season is now on DVD, so be sure to add this to your DVD collection. It's something all true fans should own, of course, and, yes, we also have it!

On the show all kinds of outrageous situations occur due to the silly doctors and the senseless staff. I have to admit, I've had my fair share of mix-ups and situations that were, at the time, not so comical, though looking back I have to laugh. One that sticks out in my mind is when I was on college and my roommate Holly was quite the stickler for keeping the apartment clean and tidy. I, on the other hand, was just the opposite. One day she asked me to clean the house and the dishes, so I got to work doing so. I'd eaten a Pop-Tart for breakfast on a plate and, just like all the other dishes, I thought it had already been cleaned. However, when cleaning, somehow the couch pillow got moved on top of the Pop-Tart and there it remained until Holly came home and managed to sit right down on top of it. DOH! That was over 10 years ago and she still brings that up, so yes, I got caught and will never live down the infamous Pop-Tart on the butt.

I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for 'Childrens Hospital.'

Babar: The Complete First Season on DVD Review & Giveaway

When I was a child, I remember turning on the TV and watching Babar the elephant and his many adventures with his siblings and friends. I was so excited to review the Complete First Season of Babar DVD set because I knew my children would also enjoy watching. Last week, when we went on vacation, it was one of the first items I packed and once on the road, it didn't take long for the kids to start asking about watching Babar. Of course, I happily obliged and couldn't wait to see what they thought about the series.

About Babar

First appearing in Histoire de Babar, Jean de Brunhoff’s 1931 storybook classic based on a tale that his wife Cecile had invented for their children, Babar the Elephant has, for 80 years, captivated millions around the globe. The story of the little elephant who leaves the jungle, visits a big city and returns to bring the benefits of civilization to his fellow elephants has been captured in a multitude of best-selling books (tens of million sold worldwide, and more than 1000 titles in print), motion pictures and animated series, including “Classic Babar,” which currently airs on Qubo, as well as a new hit series, “Babar and the Adventures of Badou,” which airs on Disney Junior.
 

Entertainment One invites families to discover the magical world of de Brunhoff’s elephant king with the debut DVD release of BABAR: THE CLASSIC SERIES: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON. Originally seen on HBO, these wonderfully animated stories – 13 episodes in all, perfect for the whole family and never before available together as a complete season – follow Babar, his family and friends undertaking many challenges and adventures, all while teaching the most valuable lesson of all: despite life's challenges, great things are possible if one never gets discouraged. As Babar says, “Long live happiness!”  

My Thoughts

The 9 hour drive to Myrtle Beach, SC is almost unbearable, but with the Babar Complete First Season DVD set, the kids were quite content in the backseat, watching, laughing and enjoying the episodes. They all loved Babar and have continually asked to watch these dvds again. Of course, I happily oblige. I am so happy that this classic series is still as loved today as it was in the 1930s and I love that I can share something from my childhood with my children.

What's more is that my 11 year-old nephew rode in the car with us to eat one night and the boys were watching Babar. He sat quietly watching and, as we were getting out of the car, he said to me,"You know, that Babar show is actually pretty good, even for older kids"! I agree because I enjoy watching it and am in my thirties. Plus, it has such a great message, always teaching something new in each episode. You can keep up with Babar news on the Babar Facebook Page!

Who else loves Babar like we do? Ready for your chance to win?