Send The Gift Of Jacksonville, In A Box! #JacksonvilleInABox

January 29, 2016 By Marijean

I moved to the Jacksonville area in 2014. I immediately fell in love. Jacksonville has so much to do, and so many shops and restaurants. My parents come visit often from New Jersey, and love bringing home goodies from local owned businesses here in Jacksonville. When I was asked to review Jacksonville in a box, I thought this would be a perfect gift to send to my relatives up north who love to visit Jacksonville.

I reviewed the Jacksonville Experience Box which includes so many great things from Jacksonville.

What I received in my box.

Jax Experience Box

The Jacksonville Experience Box contains:

– Peter Brooke’s Chocolate Popcorn
– Sweet Pete’s Candy Taffy
– Papa John’s Cotton Candy
– Alligator Bob’s Jerky
– Bono’s BBQ Sauce
– Jacksonville Jaguars Pennant
– Jacksonville Suns Foam Finger

– Vintage Jacksonville Postcard
– Jacksonville Flag Postcard
– 904 Paper Co Heart of Jax Poster
– Intuition Ale Koozie or Sticker
– Bold City Beer Koozie or Sticker
– FreshJax Grilling Seasoning

The experience box costs $54.99 and is definitely worth the price. Anyone who loves Jacksonville will love this box. I have sent out my postcards already to my family up north, and my kids are loving all the football goodies and of course, the snacks!

If you only want to send some of the best Jacksonville snacks, I recommend sending the Jax Snacks Box. This box costs $34,99 and contains all yummy goodies from your favorite Florida city!

Jax Snack Box

The Jacksonville Snack Box contains:

– Peter Brooke’s Chocolate Popcorn
– Sweet Pete’s Candy Fruit Taffy
– FreshJax Grill Master Seasoning

– Papa John’s Cotton Candy
– Alligator Bob’s Jerky
– Bono’s BBQ Sauce

My family was thrilled with our box and can’t wait to order for our families up north. They really do include everything you need for a taste of Jacksonville. My kids loved the cotton candy, my husband is loving the BBQ sauce and I am loving the Peter Brooke’s popcorn!! Yummy!

To learn more and to order your box, click here.

Connect with Jacksonville in a box: Website, Facebook

***I was given a product in exchange for my honest opinion. This review is based on my experience with the product. I am not affiliated with the company and everything in this review is my opinion.

Marijean

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

Create Personalized Gifts At Shuttertoons: Review And Giveaway #shuttertoons

January 26, 2016 By Marijean

I love creating personalized gifts for relatives and friends. I also love receiving them. I feel that it is extra special to create a gift that will last a lifetime and be treasured. When Shuttertoons asked me to review one of their products, I was excited to see what they offer and what I could create.

About Shuttertoons

Shuttertoons founder, appreciates and understands the importance of cherishing and preserving memories with photo’s. That’s why she brings to you the Shuttertoons photo products to display your photo memories that don’t fade away. Choose a product(s) (photo globes, aluminum or hard board panels, slate rock, t-shirts, hats, awards, stuffed animals, key chains, coasters (and SO much more) from our categories, customize, upload your photo, use Shuttertoons art or templates then preview your design!

How it Works

Browse through our product categories to find the perfect gift, award or personal treat. Watch our how it works videos! We’ll help you add your own graphics, photograph or saying with our top-of-the-line design center that lets you easily resize and add pizazz to your personalized product. When you complete the checkout process our work begins!

Behind the scenes the Shuttertoons system routes your order to the partnered printing press closest to your ship to or pickup address. You get all the benefits of shopping with a national retailer, like access to a diverse range of products, easy online ordering, and the ability to use the Shuttertoons design center, while at the same time supporting a local small business. They’ll print your product, and the shop’s close proximity means it will be dropped at your doorstop or picked up in no time!

Back of Canvas

Front of Canvas

Shuttertoons offers a wide variety of products, from frames to christmas ornaments. I decided to create a 8 x 12 photo canvas of my sweet cat, Scarlet. I can never have enough pictures of my fur baby. The website was very easy to use and navigate. To create my canvas was simple, upload a picture and fit it to the canvas. They do have “how to” videos if you need some help doing so. You can add text to the picture as well. Checkout was simple, and I received my canvas in 13 days after I placed my order.

Canvas on wall

The canvas is really beautiful. I used a cell phone photo, so I wasn’t sure how the quality would be. It came out great, I am so pleased. It came with wire on the back and all ready for hanging, and also a nail for the wall. I look forward to ordering more items as gifts and for myself.

To order, please click here and use code MHTWDRAGON for 20% any purchase site wide!

Connect with Shuttertoons: Website Twitter Facebook

Be the Hero of your own Story

You’re invited to the

Name the Shuttertoon’s Dragon & Design Center!

Contest to win free gifts!

Shuttertoon’s

is running a contest to name their mascot, the Shuttertoon’s Dragon, and their Design Center. Shuttertoon’s is a digital printing company that specializes in personalized gifts with the intention of helping others preserve precious memories. The company recently updated their Design Center software in order to make an intuitive platform that allows people with a wide range of technological and artistic abilities to design their own customized products.

Win Free Gifts!

The grand prize winner will receive a monthly free product of their choice from Shuttertoon’s for one year. The first runner up will win three free products of their choice, the second runner up will win two products of their choice, and the third runner up will win one product of their choice.

The contest begins on February 1st, and entries will be collected until February 14th. Judging will run for three days, and the potential winners will be put to a vote on Facebook on February 18th. Final judging will last for one week.

Please email Patrice@shuttertoons.com with your entry!

GIVEAWAY

Enter to win one free personalized item from Shuttertoons! A winner will be picked on 2/2!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Marijean

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

Disney•Pixar The Good Dinosaur Available On Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere February 23rd.

January 24, 2016 By Marijean

From the Studio That Brought You “Inside Out”

Comes the Hilariously Heartwarming Tale of Unlikely Friendship

The Perfect Adventure for the Whole Family Stampedes Home On

Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere February 23

Extensive Bonus Features Include the Academy Award© Nominated Theatrical Short “Sanjay’s Super Team,”

Making-of Featurettes, Deleted Scenes and More!

The Perfect Adventure for the Whole Family Stampedes Home On

Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere February 23

Extensive Bonus Features Include the Academy Award© Nominated Theatrical Short “Sanjay’s Super Team,”

Making-of Featurettes, Deleted Scenes and More!

SYNOPSIS: From the innovative minds of Disney•Pixar comes a hilariously heartwarming adventure about the power of confronting and overcoming your fears and discovering who you are meant to be.

The Good Dinosaur asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely, and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? In this epic journey into the world of dinosaurs, an apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.

Bring home this original story full of humor, heart, action and imagination, perfect for the whole family!

CAST:

Raymond Ochoa (NBC’s “The Night Shift,” TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles,” “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”) as Arlo; Jeffrey Wright (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Parts I & II”, HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”) as Arlo’s wise Poppa; Frances McDormand (HBO’s “Olive Kitteridge,” “Fargo”) as Arlo’s strong Momma; Marcus Scribner (ABC’s “black•ish”) as Arlo’s brother, Buck; Jack Bright (“Monsters University”) as Spot; Steve Zahn (“Captain Fantastic,” “Ridiculous Six,” “Rescue Dawn,” “Mad Dogs”) as a fearless pterodactyl named Thunderclap; A.J. Buckley (TNT’s “Murder in the First,” FX’s “Justified”) as teen T-Rex Nash; Anna Paquin (HBO’s “True Blood”) as Nash’s tenacious sister, Ramsey; Sam Elliott (FX’s “Justified,” “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” “Grandma”) as T-Rex patriarch Butch

DIRECTOR: Peter Sohn (Short – “Partly Cloudy”)

PRODUCER: Denise Ream (“Cars 2,” “Up”)

EXEC. PRODUCERS: John Lasseter (“Inside Out”), Lee Unkrich (“Monsters University”) and Andrew Stanton (“Inside Out”)

ORIGINAL CONCEPT

AND DEVELOPMENT: Bob Peterson

STORY: Peter Sohn, Erik Benson, Meg LeFauve, Kelsey Mann and Bob Peterson

SCREENPLAY BY: Meg LeFauve (“Inside Out”

MUSIC: Academy Award®-winning film composer Mychael Danna (“Life of Pi”) and Emmy®-nominated composer Jeff Danna (“Tyrant”)

RELEASE DATE: February 23, 2016

PRODUCTS: Digital HD, Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA), Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On-Demand

BONUS: Digital HD*, Blu-ray Combo Pack & Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA)

THEATRICAL SHORT – Sanjay’s Super Team – Sanjay loves the world of cartoons and comics, while his father tries to draw him into his Hindu traditions. Reluctance quickly turns into awe-inspiring adventure as the boy embarks on an amazing journey, returning with a new perspective they can both embrace.

TRUE LIES ABOUT DINOSAURS – We know – it’s preposterous to think Apatosaurs spoke English. Learn more about what separates the fictional dinosaurs of “The Good Dinosaur“ from what scientists know about real dinosaurs.

RECYCLOSAURUS – Pixar takes creative competition seriously. Maybe a little too seriously. Watch as “The Good Dinosaur” crew competes to see which department can create the best dinosaur ever…using only discarded items from the studio’s “free table.”

THE FILMMAKERS’ JOURNEY – Finding your way from an idea to a film takes a lot of exploration. Director Peter Sohn and his fellow filmmakers talk about the challenging, inspiring, and unexpectedly emotional experience of making “The Good Dinosaur.”

EVERY PART OF THE DINOSAUR – The filmmakers talk about the special animation challenges of “The Good Dinosaur” – including figuring out how to animate a dinosaur who’s really a boy, and a boy who’s got the spirit of a dog.

FOLLOWING THE T-REX TRAIL – Follow the filmmakers as they travel to a working cattle ranch and meet the McKays, a close-knit family whose work ethic, generosity, and stories inspired the T-Rex ranchers of the film.

COMMENTARY – Commentary from director Peter Sohn, story supervisor Kelsey Mann, supervising animator Mike Venturini, director of photography/lighting Sharon Calahan, and supervising technical director Sanjay Bakshi.

DINO BITES – Montage of original animated pieces produced to promote “The Good Dinosaur.”

HIDE AND SEEK – A short animated clip produced to promote “The Good Dinosaur.”

DELETED SCENES

o The Attack – An idyllic introduction to the family farm is cut short when a savage predator attacks the newborn Arlo. With an introduction by Director Peter Sohn.

o Building the Silo – An admiring Arlo is thrilled to follow along as his father builds a silo for the family farm. With an introduction by Director Peter Sohn.

o Waiting for Poppa – Arlo awaits the return of his beloved father on a stormy night, only to be greeted with tragic news. With an introduction by Director Peter Sohn.

Blu-ray 3D & DVD:

THEATRICAL SHORT – Sanjay’s Super Team

Digital Exclusive:

JUST LISTEN – Trace the development of the unique soundscape of “The Good Dinosaur,” from the wilds of British Columbia as Sound Designer Craig Berkey collects sounds, to the recording studio where Jeff and Mychael Danna use instruments from around the world to create the music.

*Digital bonus offerings may vary by retailer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PixarTheGoodDinosaur

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheGoodDinosaur

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thegooddinosaur/

ABOUT DISNEY MOVIES ANYWHERE (DMA):

Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA) is an engaging and family-friendly cloud-based digital movie service that makes it simple to buy your favorite Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars movies once and watch them anywhere. With DMA you can explore Disney’s library of over 450 eligible digital movies, discover hours of new and exclusive short-form content, and watch your digital movies from the comfort of the living room or across multiple mobile devices. Using the free DMA apps and website, you can connect your DMA account with participating providers including iTunes, Amazon Video, VUDU, Microsoft Movies and TV and Google Play and unlock access to your eligible movie collections across platforms and devices – iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV/Airplay, Amazon’s Fire tablets, Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Microsoft Movies and TV service on Windows and Microsoft Xbox devices, Android mobile and tablet devices and Android TV, Chromecast and the Roku platform. In addition, you can redeem Digital Copy codes found in Disney, Pixar and Marvel Blu-rays and DVDs, as well as earn Disney Movie Rewards points with every digital purchase.

ABOUT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS:

For over 90 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel Studios; Lucasfilm; and Touchstone Pictures, the banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are distributed. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!.

Marijean

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

Nickelodeon’s Shimmer And Shine DVD Review And Giveaway #nickelodeon

January 22, 2016 By Marijean

SHIMMER AND SHINE MAKE THEIR STANDALONE DVD DEBUT

WITH AN EXCITING SEVEN-EPISODE DVD

Nick’s newest and most magical twin sisters sparkle their

way to DVD on February 2, 2016

Nickelodeon’s (mis)adventurous and magical twin sisters come to DVD on Shimmer and Shine. In its standalone DVD debut, fans can join Shimmer, Shine, Leah and her friend Zac in the magical worlds of genies, dinosaurs and more. Despite any obstacles, the power of teamwork and friendship help to make their adventures turn out great! In addition to over 2 ½ hours of magical content, this DVD comes with a set of four hair ties as a fun gift with purchase! Created by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Media Distribution, Shimmer and Shine is available for the first time on DVD February 2, 2016 for the price of $14.99.

About Shimmer and Shine:

Twin sisters Shimmer and Shine are Leah’s secret genies-in-training! Leah always has some dilemma that she needs her magical friends’ help with, and the genies are happy to grant her three wishes a day. As genies-in-training, they sometimes misinterpret what Leah wishes for, and often times they’ll accidentally grant her wishes she didn’t even mean to make. Each wrong wish quickly compounds into a crazy adventure. Ultimately, through teamwork, the genies and Leah find a way to fix the problem without the use of wishes.

Shimmer and Shine airs on Nickelodeon, weekdays at 11:30am ET/PT.

I received a copy of this DVD to review, my daughter loves this series. She loves watching and finding out what magical adventures the genies, Shimmer and Shine, are up to next with their friend Leah. This show premiered on Nickelodeon in August 2015. The episodes are so cute and will surely have your little one want to keep watching to see what happens next. Definitely check this DVD out, your children will love it!

Shimmer and Shine includes the following episodes:

Genie Treehouse – Leah and Zac try building a treehouse but find themselves in over their heads. Leah asks her genies for a treehouse and is thrown for a loop when Shimmer and Shine turn her house into a house of trees.
Ahoy, Genies! – When Leah’s bucket full of beach treasures floats into the vast ocean, Leah summons Shimmer and Shine to help her retrieve the loot. With the genies’ assistance, a typical day at the beach quickly escalates into a magical beach treasure hunt, complete with a treasure map, pirate ship, and a talking parrot.
The Sweetest Thing – When Leah wishes for help making cupcakes for her school bake sale, she and the genies find themselves stuck with a giant birthday cake, some farm animals and a river of cupcake batter. How in the world will Leah finish her cupcakes without any wishes left, or worse, explain all this craziness to her curious (and hungry) neighbor Zac?
Lights! Camera! Genies! – When it looks like Movie Night will be a no-go, Leah asks Shimmer and Shine for some movie magic help. But when they accidentally wish the movie to life, they turn Leah into a medieval princess with a flying dragon to tame in her own backyard.
What a Pig Mess – When Leah’s party food accidentally gets run over by Zac in his battery-operated car, Leah needs to figure out what else to bring fast. Leah asks her genies for more Pigs in a Blanket, but the genies give her real pigs wrapped in a blanket. It’s up to Leah and the girls to catch the fast little pigs and find a way to fix this hog-sized mistake.
Abraca-Genie – Leah notices Zac the Magician’s magic tricks aren’t going quite so well, so she calls on her genies for some real magic assistance. But Shimmer and Shine aren’t getting the tricks right either and suddenly more than a rabbit pops out of Zac’s hat – a whole zoo of animals. The girls have to find a way to fix the magical mess before Zac’s big performance.
Dino Mite! – After searching endlessly for Zac’s missing dinosaur toy, Leah asks her genies to wish up a replacement and gets stuck with a real live Apatosaurus. Now Leah, Shimmer and Shine have to figure out a way to fix this behemoth mistake before Zac finds out – and it all starts with a little bit of dino training.

Connect with Nickelodeon: Website Facebook Twitter

GIVEAWAY

Would your little one like a copy of this DVD? One lucky reader will win! Giveaway ends 1/29/2016!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***I was given a product in exchange for my honest opinion. This review is based on my experience with the product. I am not affiliated with the company and everything in this review is my opinion.

Marijean

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

5 Simple Ways To Avoid Toy Clutter For 2016 #Clutter #Pley #Sponsored

January 22, 2016 By Marijean

If you have kids, you probably have toy clutter. My kids are getting older, so that does mean less toys in the house, which would make you think less clutter? Not necessarily. Here are some ways I am trying to avoid toy clutter for 2016.

Don’t Give In To Toy Fads: Of course, every child wants the newest and coolest toy out there that they see on a TV commercial. That was one of my problems. Every time my daughter heard of a new toy, I would go out and buy it for her, which means more toys and more clutter.

Out With The Old: Start the toy purge. Kids get older and end up not wanting 500 stuffed animals or barbie dolls. Consider donating these old toys, or sell them and put the money in your child’s piggy bank.

Bins, Bins, Bins: Any kind of storage bins are a lifesaver. Organizing toys in these makes it a snap!

Outdoor Storage: We have LOTS of outdoor toys, and it can get overwhelming at times. This deck box comes in handy to store all the outdoor toys and look really nice in your yard.

A Toy Subscription Service: Toy subscription services, like Pley, make it easy to keep control of the clutter. Pley sends you Legos, K’NeX and more right to your door, your children play with them, and when they are done you just send it back! With different subscription plans, Pley makes it easy to reduce the clutter and save money. Go check out their website here and give Pley a try!

Key benefits of Pley:

Pley offers access to a large selection of educative toys, including 400+ LEGO sets and popular robotics toys. More toys are being launched in the next few months. Stay tuned for updates!
Pley is always on the hunt for the best toys, so our assortment reflects the latest and greatest toys.
All these toys come at a low price point vs. buying toys. Average members save ~$800/year.
It’s really convenient and helps reduce clutter: Pley packages get delivered to your door and when the kids are done playing, they can return them for a new toy. No more toys sitting unused on shelves!
The savings in plastic alone from reduced purchases amounts to at least 240lbs fewer C02 emissions per annum per Pley member. And while the Pley business model relies heavily on shipping, we usually take advantage of trucks already on the road. If anything, our shipments are smaller than the typical Amazon package for the same LEGO set (Pley re-package them in smaller bags). Also, Pley helps reduce CO2 emissions from cars going to malls/stores to buy toys.
Besides having access to a variety of toys, kids learn the concepts of sharing and reducing waste for the environment.
Pley makes a fantastic gift! Shoppers can either gift unlimited subscriptions or gift cards!