Marijean

Humble Bugs – Character Values Subscription Kits for Kids Review @thehumblebugs

September 6, 2016 By Marijean

I am always looking for new creative and fun ways to spend family nights with my family. Some examples of family nights in our home are: Movie night, Game night & Reading night (where we all will read books to each other). I was contacted by a subscription kit service called Humble Bugs to review this month’s kit.

CHARACTER VALUE SUBSCRIPTION KIT

Each Character Building Kit features a different character value that helps build stronger, happier kids and families. The Humble Bugs’ Character Building Kits include supplies, information, a classic movie, crafts, and lots more that the whole family can enjoy together. Subscribers receive a new Character Building Kit at their doorstep every other month!

My kids were very excited when our Humble Bugs Subscription Kit arrived. When we opened it we noticed the box was filled with so many activities. Receiving the box when we did was perfect timing, since a hurricane was passing through our neighborhood that day. We were very excited to unpack the box and check out everything!

The kit I reviewed included everything in the below picture:

This box is themed: Setting Goals, featuring Olympians. It includes 5 days worth of fun for families.

Day 1 for us was Building a fun medal craft for the kids. For the parents it was to read the review booklet BUILD TRUE and to fill out the Life Journal. My kids had a blast making their own medals. I even made one! You get 9 medals to create (3 gold 3 silver and 3 bronze), 2 tubes of glitter glue (gold and silver) and lots of sticker shapes. There was plenty for all of us.

Day 2 for us was Parents BUILD TRUE Discussion Guide and Object Lesson. Our object lesson was to help kids understand the importance of taking small steps to reach goals. We were provided with cotton balls. The goal was for each child to catch all 5 cotton balls at the same time, and ask questions. The kids had a blast with this activity and did learn that it takes time to reach goals and to have patience.

Day 3 for us was Kids BUILD UP Family Olympics and BUILD TRUE writing activity.Our object lesson was to make a suitcase to help carry our goals with us wherever we may go. The kids had a lot of fun with this craft!

Day 4 was a craft activity for the whole family. We made dream catchers! So much fun, my kids were so excited to make them.

Day 5 was Movie night and Character pin celebration. We watched a family movie that was included in our box called “Jumping For Joy.” My family really enjoyed this movie, and the kids learned about sacrifices and team effort. I then gave the kids their Character pins for achieving their goals!

The prices for subscription is as follows: $35 for a kit every other month (billed every other month) a 6 month subscription for $33 per kit (you save $6 and receive 3 kits) and an annual subscription for $30 per kit (receive 6 kits).

We absolutely loved this month’s character box. My kids are so excited and have asked to subscribe, so we are looking forward to the next box. Your family will surely love Humble Bugs! Click here to subscribe!

Connect with Humble Bugs: Website Facebook Twitter Instagram

*I received a complimentary kit from Humble Bugs in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

How Can You Make Your House a Reading House? Book Giveaway

September 6, 2016 By Marijean

**This is a guest post.

How Can You Make Your House A READING HOUSE?

I have formally taught and tutored many different types of readers over the years: new readers, struggling readers, uninspired readers, and those that I like to call classic readers (fast learners). Their instructional needs are very different but they all have one thing in common … parents who want to help them become stronger readers who do well in school. These parents approach me regularly asking for suggestions. They explain that they know they should be reading with their children at home, but want to know what else they can do.

Well, first, here’s the good news. If you are reading to your child on a daily basis, then you are already doing the single most important activity that will contribute to your child’s future academic success. Don’t worry that it feels too simple to be all that powerful. The advantages of frequently reading to – or with – your child cannot be overstated. It’s immediate on-the-job training! Reading together stimulates language and cognitive skills, enlarges the vocabulary base, builds prediction and memory skills, strengthens comprehension, and so much more.

The second bit of good news for those attentive parents is that – yes – there are many other fun ways to practice reading with your children at home. In response to their requests, I have developed a plethora of reading games and routines that can easily be woven into a family’s busy day. In my book, THE READING HOUSE, there are learning experiences for children from birth through fifth grade that touch upon language development, phonics, book selection, loving literature, reading strategies, vocabulary, comprehension, and story extensions. These reading activities are super simple and loads of fun, written expressly for parents who want to engage their children in meaningful learning opportunities.

The reading routines and games below are only a few of the 120+ activities in THE READING HOUSE book. Try some of them at home and let us know how it goes.

GIVEAWAY

One copy of THE READING HOUSE will be offered as a giveaway through Mommy Has To Work! Please comment below with what your reading routine with your child/children is. Giveaway ends 9/20, US Only.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Nickelodeon Favorites: A Very Nick Jr. Christmas Available On DVD October 11th

September 6, 2016 By Marijean

SPREAD SOME HOLIDAY CHEER WITH FRIENDLY AND

FESTIVE NICKELODEON PRESCHOOL FRIENDS

NICKELODEON FAVORITES:

A VERY NICK JR. CHRISTMAS

Available on DVD October 11, 2016

NEW YORK – September 6, 2016- Nickelodeon preschool favorites from the past and present come together to help celebrate the most wonderful time of the year in the all-new collection, Nickelodeon Favorites: A Very Nick Jr. Christmas. This jolly and joyful collection includes beloved shows like Dora and Friends: Into the City! and Bubble Guppies, along with new hit shows like Shimmer and Shine, Wallykazam! and Blaze and the Monster Machines. Whether it’s racing to rescue lost Christmas presents with Blaze or visiting Santa with Shimmer and Shine, there’s no shortage of holiday cheer and festive adventure. Produced by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Media Distribution, Nickelodeon Favorites: A Very Nick Jr. Christmaswill be available on DVD October 11, for the suggested retail price of $14.99.

Nickelodeon Favorites: A Very Nick Jr. Christmas includes the following episodes:

Blaze and the Monster Machines – “Monster Machine Christmas” – It’s Christmas Eve and Blaze and AJ are helping Santa and his elves load his magic bag full of presents to deliver all over the world. Crusher wants to open his present early and sends all the presents flying away while sneaking into Santa’s bag. It’s up to Blaze, AJ and Crusher to rescue the presents and deliver them all before Christmas morning.
Shimmer and Shine – “Santa’s Little Genies” – It’s Christmas Eve and Leah forgot to mail Zac’s letter to Santa. When she calls on Shimmer and Shine to help deliver the letter, they transport her to the North Pole where Leah can deliver the letter to Santa in person. After Leah accidentally wishes Santa to a tropical island, it’s up to the girls to deliver the presents and save Christmas.
Dora and Friends: Into the City! – “Shivers the Snowman” – Dora and friends help a brave but lost snowman named Shivers keep his promise of always going back to his friend Carolina.
Bubble Guppies – “A Very Guppy Christmas!” – When Mr. Grouper’s van gets stuck in the holiday snow, Mr. Claws and his horse Snowflake come to the rescue. As snow falls and bells jingle, the Bubble Guppies will experience their first sleigh ride.
Wallykazam! – “Wally Saves the Trollidays” – Bobgoblin gets his hands on the Jingle Troll’s sack of magical wishes.
Wallykazam! – “Snow Place Like Home” – Wally and Norville discover a lost baby dragon and have to help him find his home.

Nickelodeon Favorites: A Very Nick Jr. Christmas Fast Facts

Street Date: October 11, 2016

Catalog: 59180590000 (US); 59181064000 (CAN)

Running Time: 137 Minutes

Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital

S.R.P.: $14.99

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Bright Star Gifts Data Pets Review

September 5, 2016 By Marijean

If you own a computer/laptop you probably own a USB stick or a backup hard drive to keep your files, music and pictures saved and safe. Obviously a plain USB stick is nothing exciting to look at while you are working at your computer. I was recently contacted by Bright Star Gifts to review a really cool concept, a Data Pet! I am excited to tell you all about Data Pets.

Data Pets are the softest hard drives that you will ever own! All of our stuffed animals are made by top manufacturers who care about toy safety and quality. The storage devices that we use inside the animals are also from one of the top manufacturers of memory devices. They are hand assembled with great love and care to give you many years of use and enjoyment.

Features:
* Data Pets are safe for young children.
* Data Pets produce no heat.
* Data Pets are completely silent except for the normal sounds that animals make 😉
* Data Pets have no moving parts inside them.
* Data Pets are rugged and impervious to rough handling.
* Data Pets are reliable.
* Data Pets are USB 3.0 capable. This provides up to 10x faster data transfers than USB 2.0 devices.
* Data Pets plug into any USB port on any computer.
* Data Pets are powered from the computer. No additional power supply needed.
* Data Pets can be used for backing up your pictures, music, videos, etc.
* Data Pets can be used for additional storage.
* Money back guarantee.*
* 1 year warranty.**

My Review:

Bright Star Gifts offers a huge variety of different Data pets to pick from. They even have popular animal characters from movies such as The Secret Life Of Pets. I picked out a really cute Data Pet called Sally the Siamese Cat. She is 8″ and super soft and cuddly! The cord comes right out the back of the Data Pet and sits so nicely on my computer desk.

When you choose your Data Pet, you can choose the USB cable cord length. The choices are: 1 foot, 2 foot, 3 foot, 6 foot and 10 foot. I chose the 3 foot cable for myself since I was my cute friend sitting on top of my desk near the computer screen. A longer cord would offer flexibility to have your stuffed friend away from your screen and up on a shelf to display as an example. After you choose your cord length, you then choose your storage options. They offer 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB. The prices are all different depending on what size you pick. I was able to receive the 16 GB and the price for my Data Pet is $39.95. Your pet then will be shipped to your door with a cute birth certificate you can fill out, and an included sheet which tells you about the Warranty, Guarantee and Cleaning of your pet. When you receive your pet, just plug the cord into your USB slot and you are done! What I really like about this Data Pet is that it does not get warm or hot to the touch. My 5 year old loves playing with it when I have it plugged in. You will be able to see a little icon on the computer screen that looks exactly like your data pet! It works perfectly and I am very happy with it.

Data Pets would be perfect for college kids! Let them pick out their favorite stuffed friend and it will look great on their desk.

Data Pets would also make great gifts for the upcoming holiday season. If you think about it, mostly everyone you know I am sure owns a computer or laptop I am sure. This pet would be perfect for your friends/family!

Check out the Website and Facebook page!

*100% guarantee: If you don’t like your Data Pet for any reason, please contact us within 5 days of receiving it for return shipping instructions. Once we receive it, and it’s still in ‘like new’ condition, we’ll refund your money for the Data Pet. Shipping costs are excluded.

**Warranty: Within one year of shipment, we warranty the electronics within the Data Pet to be free of manufacturing defects of any kind. If the Data Pet fails to perform as advertised, we will either repair or replace it at our discretion.

*I received a Data Pet in exchange for this review. All my opinions are my own.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today DVD Giveaway

September 3, 2016 By Marijean

If you have a little princess, a little pirate, or even a combination of both.. your children will be sure to love this new DVD coming out on September 6th!!

The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today is out on DVD September 6 from Sony Home Entertainment!

In the brand new original animated film, Princess Alise is training to be the perfect royal but in her heart all she wants to do is sail the seven seas as a swashbuckling pirate! After setting sail, Princess Alise is shipwrecked and washes ashore on an island where she meets Lucas, a young boy who has been living there by herself. They have to work together to survive and get back to civilization!

With her parents away for the summer, fun-loving, young Princess Alise must spend her time with Queen Uberta, training to be the perfect, proper royal…But what she really wants is to become a swashbuckling pirate! Princess Alise sets sail with Lord Rogers, Jean-Bob the frog and Speed the turtle on a bold, high seas journey filled with amazing adventure, danger and discovery. After a shipwreck leaves the brave crew stranded on a wild, mysterious island, they meet Lucas, a young boy who has been living in seclusion. Now the faithful friends must work together to escape the island and the ferociously hungry creatures that dwell there.

VOICE

Jennifer Miller, Yuri Lowenthal, Doug Stone, Grant Durazzo, Brian Nissen, Gardner Jaas, Jayden Isabel, Elle Deets, Clayton James, Kirby Leigh, Joseph Medrano

PRODUCER

Richard Rich, Jared Brown, Seldon Young

DIRECTOR

Richard Rich

Purchase the The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today! DVD

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Do you have a favorite classic Swan Princess movie?

GIVEAWAY

Would you like to win a copy of this DVD? One lucky reader will! To enter take the “Are You A Princess Or A Pirate Quiz” and post your results in the comments section! US Only, Giveaway ends 9/15.

*Each household is only eligible to win The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today! DVD via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.