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Disneynature Oceans & the Crimson Wing for Kids who Love the Nature Channel

October 18, 2010 By Whitney Leave a Comment

My kids would be just as happy watching the Nature Channel as they would be cartoons so I love that Disney has a studio dedicated to bringing us movies about the amazing world around us and my kids love them too.

Releasing tomorrow (October 19, 2010) from Disneynature – the same studio who brought you Disneynature earth – comes Disneynature Oceans and Disneynature the Crimson Wing.

Disneynature Oceans is $18.49 on Amazonwith free shipping.

Disneynature:  Crimson Wing – Mystery of Flamingo tells the story of flamingos.  Interesting facts like the fact that flamingos are actually black and white naturally but only turn pink due to their algae diet.  Did you know that?

The flamingos followed are from Africa – northern Tanzania to be precise – and the footage is breathtaking.  Get it for $19.99 on Amazon with free shipping. (currently 33% off!)

Filed Under: Movies & Music Tagged With: , ,

25th Anniversary of the Black Cauldron Releases today

September 15, 2010 By Whitney Leave a Comment

Released today, the 25th Anniversary of the Black Cauldron.

About:  Whoever releases the mysterious Black Cauldron’s power will be invincible! The fearsome Horned King will do anything to possess it, but he is challenged by the most unlikely adversary: a young assistant pig keeper named Taran, who dreams of doing heroic deeds. With a motley team of the brave Princess Eilonwy, a minstrel named Fflewddur Fflam and Hen Wen, a remarkable pig who can predict the future, Taran embarks on a quest to stop the Black Cauldron’s evil once and for all. Will he have the courage to succeed?

The 25th anniversary includes a digital remaster of the original.  Get the 25th Anniversary of the Black Cauldron for $13.99 on Amazon with free shipping

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Bullyproof Your Child for Back To School

September 11, 2010 By Momfluential 2 Comments

I first learned about the Gracie method when one of my friends shared their audition for Oprah’s own show on YouTube. Their videos had millions of hits and the charismatic brothers became an overnight sensation. These two engaging coaches take a no nonsense, FUN, approach to teaching kids the skills to both give them confidence and the ability to defend themselves. Two essentials for making themselves “bullyproof”. Now the Bullyproof series is available on DVD.

Whether you live in the inner city or the poshest suburb, your kids will at some point face a bully. Consider this:

  • According to the National Education Association, 160,000 kids miss school every day in the U.S. just to avoid a bully.
  • According to the U.S. Secret Service, the majority of school shootings have been linked to cases of excessive bullying.
  • Studies show that adults who were bullied as children have higher levels of depression and lower self-esteem than those who weren’t

The Gracie Academy was established in 1925 to teach kids and adults vital self defense skills through the art of Jiu-Jitsu.

You don’t have to live near the Gracie Academy to learn from the Gracie family. You can learn remotely using their innovative dvd series. Watch the short video above for a preview of the sort of games/activities you’ll find in this DVD series.

We were initially apprehensive about these videos but once we saw what they were all about, we were hooked! Each video contains a series of exercises that are really games. In fact they are called the “Gracie Games”. These exercises are pretty similar to what your kids already do, rolling around wrestling with each other, with you or a friend. But they have specific objectives and moves. And they are fun. Fun for you and your kids. It’s a great way to be active and physically rewarding. My kids had such pride at being able to “beat” me and their dad at various wrestling assignments.

The videos are a full course in that you can register your child online, purchase a belt and receive stripes for your accomplishments when you send in a video of your child performing the assignments.

Check out one of the games online for a taste of what this video series is about. I cannot think of a better gift for your children than the gifts of confidence, security and physical fitness that this series promises. The fact that the Gracies make it fun is just the icing!

Filed Under: Child Safety, Kids, Movies & Music, Play Time Tagged With: , ,

Tinkerbell And the Great Fairy Rescue Is a Wish Come True

September 8, 2010 By Momfluential Leave a Comment

Do you believe in Fairies? Remember when you did? Here’s an 8 minute preview of the latest film in the Tinkerbell series, to remind you!

Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue, coming to DVD on Sept 21, will bring you back to the time in your life when you believed in magic. It’s pure wish fulfillment in a film and utterly endearing. I had the privilege of watching this film on the Disney lot, and afterwards going behind the scenes at Disney Animation studios to learn a little bit about how the film was made from story to art to animation. We also got a sneak peek at some of the merchandise your fairy loving kiddos will certainly be clamoring for! Brace yourself for character gummies, fairyhouse dollhouses, backpacks with attached fairy tutus, and a gorgeous and a huggable heirloom quality Lizzie doll that I kind of wanted to buy for myself.

While at Disney Studios I met the team that put together the film. Their creativity and dedication were infectious. So many details about this film were touching and special and it made me love the film even more. Little details like the credits thanking all the children who contributed drawings of fairies to the movie. You may be surprised to learn that Tinkerbell has her own costume designers and that her virtual wardrobe is fussed over as much as what an Emmy nominated actress wears to the awards ceremony.

If you live in the LA area you can catch special screenings of this movie at the El Capitan Sept 3-19th

Feeling fairy inspired? Head over to Momfluential for a quick tutorial on how to Make Tinkerbell’s Fairy House.

Filed Under: Movies & Music, Play Time Tagged With: ,

The Last Song: A Cute Movie for the Fam this Labor Day Weekend

September 4, 2010 By Whitney 2 Comments

For the family all play, Miley Cyrus’s latest movie the Last Song is a cute romance that the tweens and teens will love.  It’s a little bit corny but definitely entertaining and cute and age-appropriate for Miley Cyrus fans.  Plus Moms will enjoy if they’re a fan of author Nicholas Sparks’ (The Notebook, Dear John) as he’s also the writer for this movie.

Besides Miley Cyrus, the movie also stars Kelly Preston, Greg Kinnear and Liam Hemsworth as Miley’s romance interest in the movie. The DVD also includes a Miley Cyrus music video “When I Look At You,” as an extra to the film.

Buy The Last Song on DVD at Amazon for $19.99 with free shipping.  It released August 17th.

Filed Under: Movies & Music, Tweens & Teens Tagged With: ,

Great headphones for kids: JVC Flats

September 1, 2010 By Whitney 2 Comments

Technically these aren’t “children’s” headphones.  But I don’t know about the rest of you, but the ear buds that come with Apple products (iPhone, iPod) don’t seem to stay in my kids’ ears all that well.  In fact, they pretty much pop out as soon as we put them in.

We’ve definitely had some frustration with it over the years when we’re traveling.

So last winter, we got a pair of JVC Flats to sample.  My oldest son loved them!  Finally, a pair of headphones that will stay on his head and block out outside noise.

They retail for $19.95 and you can purchase various colors on Amazon with free shipping.  The red ones only are on sale for $15.26!

Nate uses his pair on the train up to NYC last spring to meet Jennifer Garner

Filed Under: Electronics, Entertainment, Family Travel, Misc, Movies & Music, On The Go Tagged With: ,

Thomas the Tank Engine Arrives in NYC To Celebrate Misty Island Rescue DVD Release and Fisher-Price’s New Thomas Toys

August 31, 2010 By nancy Leave a Comment

Image and video hosting by TinyPicA life-sized Thomas the Tank Engine arrived at NYC’s Brooklyn Bridge Park, on a barge last week, to celebrate the HIT Entertainment’s DVD release of the Thomas & Friends Misty Island Rescue and to introduce the newest Thomas toys from Fisher-Price.

Thomas was tugged by The Pegasus, a historic tugboat that participated in both World Wars, and play station activities were hosted aboard the Lehigh Valley #79, a restored 94 year old wooden covered barge.   Showcased were the latest Thomas & Friends toys from Fisher-Price including the Zip, Zoom & Logging Adventures Playset, Thomas & Friends Shake Shake Bridge, Return from Misty Island Playset and Follow Me Thomas. Children got to experience the new toys and to watch a sneak preview screening of the movie before the DVD officially debuts next month. My kids, pictured below, attended the event and had a wonderful time. Image and video hosting by TinyPic

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Filed Under: Kids, Movies & Music, Play Time, Toys Tagged With: , , , ,

At the Movies: Regal’s Free Family Film Festival Starts This Week

June 20, 2010 By Whitney Leave a Comment

Do you have a Regal Entertainment Movie Theater near you?  We do – and this week starts the Free Family Film Festival for the summer. 

Every summer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 am, there are two free children’s movies to pick from at your local Regal Movie Theater.

Check out the schedule to see if there’s a theater near you, and what’s playing each week.  It’s a great free activity for the kids on rainy or too-hot day!  I’m looking forward to taking advantage of this and taking my boys to a couple of these movies while the Festival is running.

Filed Under: Entertainment, Family Travel, Misc, Movies & Music Tagged With: ,

Juno Baby DVDs and CDs: Beautiful, Original Music That Gives Back!

June 15, 2010 By nancy Leave a Comment

Juno Baby is an Emmy Award winning product line that features DVD’s, CD’s of original orchestral compositions. Also offered are tees, and toys and gifts. Founded by Dr. Belinda Takahashi, the line includes beautiful music written for developing minds. For each Juno Baby product purchased, one is given for free to a Headstart child.

This summer Juno Baby is coming to a city near you on their One For All Bus Tour and Rising Star Search, winding up their tour in Philadelphia on August 14th at the Please Touch Museum. Visit www.junobaby.com for locations and dates!

Discount: Use code: Summer for 20% off all DVS – good until 8/31/10 at www.junobaby.com.

Filed Under: Coupons & Freebies, Entertainment, Kids, Movies & Music, Play Time Tagged With:

Buy Avatar on DVD today & adopt a tree for Earth Day #earthday

April 22, 2010 By Whitney 3 Comments

I’ve been dying to see the movie Avatar.  I wanted to see it when it was out in the theater but movie nights are few and far between around here.  No doubt you have heard the rave reviews of the movie, if you haven’t yet seen it for yourself.

The premise of the movie is a story set on another planet sometime in the future.  Pandora is a lush planet with a very eco-conscious group of habitants living a peaceful existance until greedy colonizers try and take and capitalize on the planet’s natural resources. 

The animation and storyline are supposedly unbelievable and made this one of the biggest movie sell-outs in the history of Hollywood.  I can’t wait to see it.

So the tie into Earth Day:  Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has teamed up with the Earth Day Network to plant 1,000,000 trees worldwide in celebration of the release of the film.  People who purchase the film will be given a unique access code that allows them to go online and actually adopt one of the million trees being planted, charting its location and progress.  This is just so awesome – I can’t wait to go and adopt my tree.

Get it on DVD on Amazon for $15.99 for the single-DVD pack, or get the two-disc Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack for $19.99.

Filed Under: Eco-friendly, Movies & Music Tagged With: ,

An Earth Day Giveaway: Win one of three Word Girl book & DVD prize packs on Mommies with Style

April 15, 2010 By Whitney 38 Comments

As many of you know, Thursday, April 22nd is Earth Day.  On that day, PBS will be airing the WordGirl episode “Earth Day Girl.”  The language loving superhero saves the planet in this episode. 

We have three prize packs to giveaway to 3 Mommies with Style readers as we spread the word about the episode – the prize includes the “Earth Day Girl” DVD from Paramount (which includes the episode plus 7 others) and a new WordGirl reader book of the same name from Scholastic Press.  Check out http://pbskids.org/wordgirl/ to play cool WordGirl games with your kids.

To enter, leave a comment about what your family does to help the environment or keep green. 

For extra entries, tweet about this giveaway (one extra entry per day – only one please).  Follow and @mommieswstyle so we know you have tweeted it out.

This contest ends on Thursday, April 22nd.  3 winners will be selected and notified after that time.  Please be sure to include your email address in your entry!

Filed Under: Books, Books for the Family, Eco-friendly, Giveaways, Movies & Music Tagged With: , ,

Look Out World Here I Come!

March 30, 2010 By julie Leave a Comment

I’ve slowed down on reviewing movies and music lately, but when we view a movie that gets a “Mom! I WUV this one!” I know its worth a second glance.

The Look Out World DVDs each focus on a different major city. (We have the first, NYC, which is great for us because Middle visited there this winter and is a bit obsessed). 

We join the story as Otto, the world adventurer, Blink, his fuzzy brown bear, and Casey, his friendly suitcase,  travel through and introduce kids to the city.  Watching the DVD today, we traveled on a taxi, walked through central park while interactively exploring our surroundings (“now you try tapping like a woodpecker!”) and saw the Empire State Building, which we learned is the tallest building in the city.

We also visited the Statue of Liberty, and on Middle’s second viewing, he prepared me by telling me that the Statue of Liberty lives on an island. We continued visiting the city through Bronx Zoo, a pizza shop and more. All through the video we practiced shapes, counting, colors and reading. When not viewing, the DVD is kept in an Adventure Guide Book, packed with activities relevant to the DVD and city.

There are many cities planned in this series, but currently only the debut New York City DVD/book is available.

This DVD was received as a sample.

Filed Under: Family Travel, Movies & Music Tagged With: , ,

Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey DVD

March 28, 2010 By nancy Leave a Comment

Image and video hosting by TinyPicIs your child a Curious George fan? They’ll be excited to hear that Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey was just released, straight to DVD.  It’s the sequel to the popular animated 2006 movie and will delight Curious George fans!

In this movie, Curious George and the Man With The Yellow Hat end up on a crazy cross-country railway adventure with an elephant named Kayla. Of course there are funny misunderstandings, site gags and shenanigans — because it’s Curious George! We thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie. Tim Curry, Matt Lauer, Jamie Kennedy and Jerry Lewis lend their voices to this production. It runs an hour and 21 minutes and is directed by Norton Virgien.

Extras include two unseen episodes of the Curious George TV show on PBS Kids, “Hold On, Here We Go” Music Video, and Curious George’s Cross Country Caper Game ( which can be played on your computer).

Get it on Amazon for $14.49.

Filed Under: Movies & Music Tagged With: ,

Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel – We’re obsessed

March 27, 2010 By Whitney 2 Comments

In the last few months, my boys have become obsessed with Alvin & the Chipmunks.  It started when they saw the modern-day original version of the movie on TV a few months ago.  Since then, they ask for Alvin & the Chipmunks all of the time.

Lucky for us, we were able to get them out to the theater to see Alvin & the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel.  They loved it.    In fact, we all loved it so much that I ended up downloading most of the soundtrack on my iPhone before we even got home.  True story.  Just so we could hook it up and listen to the music before we got back.

Even if you haven’t seen the original, it’s a movie worth seeing.  Dave and the Chipmunks are back but new to this movie are the Chipettes.

Alvin & the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel releases on DVD on March 30th.  Get it on Amazon with free shipping for $16.99.

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Verizon Palm Pre Plus Post #6 – Phone Quality

March 23, 2010 By nancy 1 Comment

Image and video hosting by TinyPicWe talk about smartphones and what they can do with internet, apps and social media –but what about the actual phone quality?

The Palm Pre Plus that I am testing is running on the Verizon Network. I rarely ever get a dropped call and I’m very happy with the phone quality.

To put a number in, use the touch screen, to search for a name in your contacts, use the slide-out keyboard.  To hit the speaker phone, hit the icon that will come up on the left-hand bottom of the screen. I mentioned in my second post how much I liked the following function:  when you take the phone from your ear to hang up, the screen lights up and you can touch the screen to end your call. But one of the coolest feature is that if you do a search for a phone number on the web (or if it’s hyper-linked in an email),  just touch the link — it will automatically dial the number. And yes, the 1 + area code is included.

Usage time is 330 minutes with standard battery. Standby time is 350 minutes with standard battery. In my opinion, it feels like the battery gets drained very quickly (but isn’t that  a common smartphone issue?) Which is why I’ll be buying an auto charger, since  between preschool and afterschool activities, I practically live in my car!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Disclosure: I am taking part in the Verizon Palm® Pre™ Plus Mommy Blogger Program and will be testing out the phone for rest of this month on Mommies With Style.


Filed Under: Dads, Electronics, Games, Mommy Time, Movies & Music, On The Go, Parents

Nintendo DSi: Gaming (and much more) on the go

March 22, 2010 By debbie 1 Comment

Another product we brought along on our trip last month was a Nintendo DSi system. My daughter couldn’t have been more thrilled about receiving it. She actually might have been more excited about getting it than going on the actual trip!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with a Nintendo DSi, it is a portable gaming system that kids love! The Nintendo DSi system comes with nine different built-in software applications: Nintendo DSi + Internet, Nintendo DSi Shop, DS Download Play, System Settings, Nintendo DSi Browser, PictoChat, Nintendo DSi Camera, Nintendo DSi Sound and Flipnote Studio.

The coolest feature of the DSi is that the unit is able to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots for Internet browsing and online gaming. While we were away, we frequented coffee shops that had Wi-Fi and my daughter was able to quickly download a new game. The DSi does have parental controls available so that you can limit access to certain content. Additionally, the DSi’s digital camera makes it ideal for capturing anything you want. My daughter is really into taking pictures of anything and everything, so she really loves this feature. There are actually two cameras – one inside for showing the player in an online gaming environment and the other on the outside for taking more traditional pictures. The outside camera is 3.0 megapixels and the quality is pretty good.

As far as the gaming on the DSi goes, it should be noted that the DSi plays all Nintendo DS games. There are literally hundreds of titles from which to choose. One game we received and that my daughter loved was Style Savvy, a game that combines creativity and fashion with a collection of trendy clothes, chic accessories and stylish shoes. In the game, you’re the owner of a clothing boutique and you must purchase inventory, monitor the store’s funds and try to please your fashionista customers. Once you build up some cash from your loyal customers, it’s time to start making real business decisions: Should you expand your inventory? Should you start getting ready for seasonal changes? Utilizing the wireless capabilities of the DSi, your child can join up to three of their friends in hosting a fashion runway contest to see who has the best eye for fashion!

The DSi is on-sale this week at Target and is available in the following colors: White, Blue, Pink and Black.

Filed Under: Coupon Codes & Sales, Electronics, Games, Kids, Movies & Music, On The Go, Play Time, Toys Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
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