Main Event Entertainment is Inviting Pokémon Go Players This Weekend For Pokémon Go Fun!

July 15, 2016 By Marijean

Pokémon Go continues to sweep the nation with its free, location-based game that places players virtually inside the world of Pokémon. are looking for a safe and family-friendly “Poke Stop” or “Gym”, Main Event Entertainment, the ultimate fun destination, is inviting players into all of its 28 centers this weekend for even more Pokémon fun and a free $5 Bonus FUNcard!

This Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17 only, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., consumers can come to any Main Event Entertainment center and show their Pokemon Go app to receive a free $5 bonus FUNcard.

Plus, many of Main Event centers are Poke stops and will be setting lures on Saturday and Sunday, July 16 & July 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to increase the chances for guests to catch the Pokemon characters. The following Main Event Entertainment locations are designated poke stops:

Avondale, Arizona
Atlanta, Georgia
Alpharetta, Georgia
Fort Worth (South), Texas
Grapevine, Texas
Katy, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
San Antonio North, Texas
Shenandoah, Texas
Webster, Texas
Tempe, Arizona

For even more fun, customers can also enjoy Main Event’s state-of-the-art bowling, multi-level laser tag arena, 100+ interactive and virtual games, and full service restaurant and bar.

Click here to find a location near you.

Marijean

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

Creative Me Art Studio in St. Johns Now Open! Family Fun Night Review

July 15, 2016 By Marijean

My children love art. They love to create paintings, drawings, clay creations…you name it! We just heard about a brand new Art studio that has opened up near Bartram Springs off Racetrack Rd in St. Johns called Creative Me Art Studio. Very convenient to the Nocatee area, so we were excited to check it out!

Here is what Creative Me has to offer:

Anne, myself and our children were invited to Creative Me’s Family Fun Night. Family Fun Night is offered in July every other Wednesday evening from 6pm-8pm, and in August they offer it every other Thursday evening. Family Fun Night is great for families with children 3 years old and up to do some hands-on, make-n-take art projects. There is a minimal fee of $10 per child. Parents can join in for FREE! You must call to register since this event sells out quickly!

When we arrived, we were greeted by very friendly staff and given raffle tickets for a raffle that evening. We headed down to get our aprons on and then found a seat. Once everyone arrived it was time to start our project!

The kids were excited to find out they would be making an Owl art project. It looked very cute and they couldn’t wait to make it.

All the supplies you need are provided and on the tables. There are 2 large TV screens in the room where the projects are being projected by the Art helper. It is nice to have the screens to show the children step by step on what to do.

The project took about an hour and a half to do, and the kids had so much fun with all of the various steps. They were able to color, paint, cut, glue and more! When the project was completed each child received a balloon to take home.

I highly recommend visiting Creative Me Art Studio for the next family fun night! The projects are so much fun, and for only $10 per child, you can’t beat it! We are looking forward to returning and creating more fun projects together! Check out their website to find out information about all they have to offer!

Connect with Creative Me: Website Facebook Twitter Instagram

*We were invited to Family Fun Night in exchange for an honest blog post. I am not affiliated with the company and all 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.

LeapFrog® LeapStart, an Interactive Activity Book for Kids #Review #Leapfrog

July 11, 2016 By Marijean

LeapFrog® Unveils LeapFrog LeapStart™, an Interactive Activity Book System for Preschoolers through First Grade

New interactive system and library of activity books bring learning to life to teach key school and life skills and provide children with the tools they’ll need to prepare for tomorrow.

The LeapFrog® LeapStart is an all-in-one interactive early learning system for children ages 2-7. The LeapStart is designed to help little ones build an practice new skills including reading, phonics, problem solving, shapes, colours, social skills and more. With off-screen, offbeat fun, LeapStart is a complete interactive learning system that teaches kids 200+ key skills though a library of books to help prepare for school and life. From Science to Social Skills, Math to Critical Thinking and Reading Comprehension to Communication, it complements schooling in the most out-of-this-world way!

The LeapStart learning system features two different system versions. There is a Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten system for ages 2-4, and the one I received for review is Kindergarten and First Grade for ages 5-7. Each system retails for $39.99.

I have 2 children ages 5 and 7, so this system is great for both of them. 16 activity books are available for this system and they are $12.99 each. They teach Science, Math, Reading and so much more. The system comes with 1 Kindergarten/1st Grade sample book. Both of my kids were very excited when the system arrived. When you open the box you will receive the system, sample book, instructions and USB plug. The system requires 2 AA Batteries which are not included. Make sure to plug the system into your computer via USB to download the sample book content. You will need to do this with each book you purchase. Once you have done those steps your child is ready to learn with the Leapstart system.

I am always trying to limit screen time, and this includes my kids tablets. They do have learning apps on their tablets, however it seems they are what the kids go to grab first. The LeapStart is perfect because they don’t have to look at a screen to learn, but look at an actual book. A big plus in my opinion! My kids were so excited to open the box, my son grabbed it first and started playing on it immediately. The stylus fits his hand perfectly, and he enjoyed pressing it on the pages to hear all of the cool sounds. this kept him very entertained for awhile. Both my kids LOVED learning about the different countries in the sample book. I must say though I was bummed that it didn’t come with at least 1 full book. Once he was done playing he asked me for a book which I didn’t have. When purchasing this, definitely pick up a few books to go along with it. My kids both love this system and are excited to try out the books that go with it!

If you are looking for a fun, interactive and educational activity for your children to do during the summer break and during the school year, the LeapFrog® LeapStart would be ideal. This system is also great for travel in the car or on an airplane, and will surely keep your child entertained for a good amount of time.

Right now you can Pre-order through Amazon, the system will be released on July 12th.

Connect with LeapFrog®: Website Facebook Twitter YouTube Pinterest

*I received a LeapFrog® Leapstart Learning System in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts 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.

Disney’s The Jungle Book on Digital HD August 23rd and on Blu-ray August 30th #TheJungleBook

July 7, 2016 By Marijean

The Legend Comes to Life

Disney’s Groundbreaking, Live-Action Adventure

arrives on Digital HD August 23 and on Blu-ray™ August 30

Venture deep into the jungle with in-depth bonus features

Audiences were mesmerized by Disney’s live-action epic adventure “The Jungle Book,” which has earned more than $911 million at the global box office to date. Critically acclaimed, Jon Favreau’s stunning live-action reimagining of Walt Disney’s animated classic, will be available early on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on August 23, and on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On-Demand on August 30.

Venture behind the scenes with in-depth bonus features that reveal the innovative filmmaking technology used to create the richly immersive jungle world and characters; Follow the journey of the film’s only on-screen actor, charismatic newcomer Neel Sethi (Mowgli); Delve into a candid and humorous scene-by-scene audio commentary with director Jon Favreau and meet the all-star voice cast who help bring the film’s colorful characters to life, as well as the musicians who accent the adventure with a majestic music score.

The all-star cast includes Bill Murray (“Lost in Translation”) as the voice of Baloo, Sir Ben Kingsley (“Learning to Drive,” “The Walk”) as Bagheera and Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) as the voice of mother wolf Raksha. Scarlett Johansson (“Avengers: Age of Ultron”) gives life to Kaa, Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”) provides the voice of alpha-male wolf Akela, Idris Elba (“Beast of No Nation”) roars as the voice of Shere Khan, and Christopher Walken (“The Deer Hunter”) lends his iconic voice to King Louie.

Bonus features include*:

BLU-RAY & DIGITAL HD:

“The Jungle Book” Reimagined – Favreau sits down with producer Brigham Taylor and visual effects supervisor Robert Legato to discuss “The Jungle Book” and reflect on the years they devoted to the reimagining of this timeless tale. Discover how Rudyard Kipling’s original stories and the classic animated film influenced their unique approach, witness the technical wizardry that enabled the team to create a believable and thrilling movie-going experience, and learn how they borrowed a page from Walt Disney’s innovation playbook to make it all happen. Lastly, meet the all-star voice cast who help bring the film’s colorful characters to life, as well as the musicians who accent the adventure with a majestic music score.

I Am Mowgli – Follow the extraordinary journey of 12-year-old Neel Sethi, who was selected from thousands of hopefuls worldwide to play Mowgli “alongside” some of today’s biggest movie stars. Get a glimpse of Neel’s life before Hollywood came calling, check out his audition that sealed the deal, and see how a close-working relationship with Favreau brought out his best. Plus, Neel shares how filming “The Jungle Book” was one wild ride, from working alongside imaginary animals to performing some super-fun stunts.

King Louie’s Temple: Layer by Layer – So, exactly how do you create a musical number featuring one man-cub, a massive, legendary ape and an army of wild and wily monkeys in the Seeonee jungle? Viewers are granted rare and unique access to the development of the “I Wan’na Be Like You” sequence in which King Louie attempts to coerce Mowgli into giving up Man’s deadly “red flower” (fire). A fast-moving musical progression reel showcases storyboards, animatics, Christopher Walken’s recording session and visual effects layers, which ultimately merge to form one of the film’s most memorable scenes.

Audio Commentary – Favreau delivers his scene-by-scene perspective on the live-action adventure “The Jungle Book” with all the candor and humor you’d expect from this multi-talented actor-writer-director-producer.

DVD

*Bonus features may vary by retailer

Note: The 3D version of The Jungle Book will be available later this year.

Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2,” “Chef”) and produced by Favreau and Brigham Taylor (executive producer of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “Tomorrowland”), “The Jungle Book” is a live-action epic adventure based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories, inspired by Disney’s classic 1967 animated film and centered on Mowgli (Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat.

The film’s musical score, composed by Emmy® winner and Oscar-, BAFTA- and Annie Award-nominee John Debney (“Elf,” “Iron Man 2”), features a classic orchestral sound accented by ethnic instruments and pays homage to the original film by highlighting snippets of the classic songs we all know and love.

DISC SPECIFICATIONS:

Product SKUs: Digital HD/SD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD and On-Demand

Feature Run Time: Approximately 106 minutes

Rating: PG in U.S. and Canada

Aspect Ratio: Blu-ray Feature Film = 1080p High Definition / 1.85:1, DVD Feature Film = 1.85:1

Languages/Subtitles: English, French & Spanish/English SDH, French & Spanish

Audio: Blu-ray = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA & 2.0 Descriptive Audio, Blu-ray = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA & 2.0 Descriptive Audio, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks, DVD = English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio

Languages/Subtitles: English, French & Spanish/English SDH, French & Spanish

Social Media: Facebook Twitter Instagram

Marijean

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

Aquatica Orlando’s “Cool” Summer Party Returns Friday July 8th #Aquatica #IslandNights

July 7, 2016 By Marijean

Beat the Central Florida heat this summer at Aquatica®, SeaWorld’s Waterpark®. Beginning this Friday, Aquatica will offer another way to cool off with Island Nights presented by Coca-Cola®. Taking place every Friday and Saturday night through August 6, guests can enjoy an evening celebration of summer with a special Island Nights soundtrack, extended park hours, a daily happy hour from 5 p.m. to park close, an evening menu sizzlin’ with flavor at Waterstone Grill and an evening kick-off party with a DJ and dancers. Event included with park admission to Aquatica.

Summer Festivities Include:

Evening Party-As the temperature cools down, the fun kicks off. At 5 p.m., the DJ drops the first beat with a burst of water over the crowd marking the start of Island Nights. Park goers can enjoy the atmosphere all evening long with the Island Night’s dancers or enjoy the tunes broadcasted throughout the park while hitting the slides.

Extended Hours-As part of Island Nights, park guests can enjoy extended hours every Friday and Saturday night with the park closing at 8 p.m.

Happy Hour and Special Offers- After 5 p.m., select food locations in the park will offer $2 off beer and wine; and half-price Refillable Souvenir Cups.

Sizzlin’ Island Flavors- Waterstone Grill features an Island Nights exclusive menu featuring a mojo pork sandwich and pineapple burger. Banana Beach will offer Hawaiian pizza, curry meatballs and pigeon pea rice.

Ihu’s Breakaway Falls- Experience Orlando’s tallest, steepest, and only multi-drop tower slide of its kind as the sun sets across the Orlando skyline. After climbing 80 feet into the air, guests step into one of three breakaway boxes anxiously waiting to see who will drop next as part of this wild ride.

Best Way To Play:

Guests can enjoy Island Nights for just $38 when they buy their tickets in advance online, a $20 savings off of general admission. Guests can also visit both Aquatica and SeaWorld for only $99 with the Choose Your Adventure 2-parks ticket option.

New this year, guests can ride more slides and save time with Quick Queue at Aquatica. With Quick Queue, guests can skip the regular lines and enjoy front-of-the line access to six of the most popular water-slides including Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, Taumata Racer and Omaka Rocka. Quick Queue is available online for as low as $15.

From high-speed water slides and exhilarating wave pools, to tranquil beaches and remarkable animal habitats, Aquatica, SeaWorld’s Waterpark has it all. This one-of-a-kind waterpark is home to some of the world’s most thrilling water rides, featuring 42 slides, rivers and lagoons, and 84,000 square feet of sparkling white, sandy beaches and breathtaking animal exhibits.

For more information, park hours and to purchase tickets, visit AquaticaOrlando.com. Events and times are subject to change. Follow Aquatica on Facebook and Instagram for the latest Island Nights information. Join the conversation with #Aquatica and #IslandNights.