This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by! Congrats to Paula H, Amber and Bridget C!

Sunny Days…Ok…so I’ve been singing this with my little boy the past few days (giggle!).  I grew up watching Sesame Street.  In fact, my mother tells me that at the time, it’s really the only television show she’d let me watch.  My son loves watching the show and his favorite character is Elmo. My mother-in-law gave my son my husband’s stuffed Elmo from when he was a child.  My point is, Sesame Street has been around a long time (40 years to be exact) and a lot of history has been made.  It’s interesting to watch the same show we watched as children with my son.

On November 6, 2009, Sesame Street:  40 Years of Sunny Days will be released on DVD.  Since I haven’t seen it yet, here is a little more information from the site:

For 40 years, sunny days have swept the clouds away and inspired preschoolers to learn, grow and achieve their highest potential.  Relive the best-of-the-best when SESAME STREET: 40 YEARS OF SUNNY DAYS debuts as a two-disc DVD set November 10 from Vivendi Entertainment and Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind Sesame Street. Premiering on November 10, 1969, Sesame Street is the longest running children’s series and “…arguably, the most important children’s program in the history of television” (Newsweek.com). Featuring nearly six hours of everyone’s favorite Sesame Street stories, songs, Muppets™ and celebrity segments, the SESAME STREET: 40 YEARS OF SUNNY DAYS collectible set spans the renowned show’s four decades, includes never-before-seen archival footage and a limited-edition hard covered commemorative book.

I am so excited about seeing this.  I have no idea if I’ll remember any of the episodes but it’s going to be fun reliving those memories.  Tomorrow is the release (did you happen to see Google yesterday and today?) and the two-disc set will be available for $29.93.

Win It! Two of you will win a copy of this DVD and one of you will win a copy of the DVD PLUS a copy of Sesame Street: A Celebration – 40 Years Of Life On The Street.  Simply leave me a comment with your favorite Sesame Street moment.  Comments will close on November 20, 2009 at 10 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winners are Baba, Susan L, and Kelly Ann T. Congrats!

One of the things I’ll be doing a LOT more of lately is spending time at home!  I’m getting further and further along and while I still have some events lined up, curling up on the couch with my husband and my son, a cup of tea and a good movie sounds very appealing! Genius Products and Curious Pictures just released a Little Spirit:  Christmas in New York, which looks adorable!  We haven’t sat down to watch it yet, but I wanted to give you a sneak peak!  Stay tuned for my review.

About the movie:

A young boy embarks on the holiday journey of a lifetime in the city that never sleeps in the charming animated movie Little Spirit: Christmas In New York.  Moving to a new house in a new city is never easy, but when Leo’s dog (and best friend) Romona is accidently lost in Central Park, Leo is determined to find his furry little friend in time for Christmas. Feeling lost and alone, a magical spirit takes him on an incredible adventure and Leo soon learns that this new city isn’t as scary as it seemed – and that the true meaning of Christmas may just be found in the people he meets along the way.

Check out a sneak peak here:

Little Spirit: Christmas in New York is available now and retails for $16.95.

Win It! Three of you will win a copy of Little Spirit: Christmas in New York.  Simply leave me a comment with your favorite thing to do during the holidays!  Comments will close on December 1, 2009 at 10 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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For more fabulous Holiday Gift Ideas, visit The Mommy-Files

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winners are Sara, Cat, and Linda.  Congrats!

Elmo is at it again…and this time, his adventures include animals!  Elmo’s Animal Adventures (SRV $14.93) was just released on DVD this week and I can’t wait to watch it with my son.  But since we JUST got it, here is a little info about the release:

Join Elmo and his friends as they embark on 3 fun-filled adventures. Help Elmo and Tilly find Little Bo Peep’s missing cow by following clues and working together as a team. Use animal facts to help Elmo & Abby succeed in the “Find The Amphibian Game” and join Elmo in a camping adventure as he learns that sharing is fun and discovers the different types of food that animals eat. Includes special appearances by Cameron Diaz and Patricia Arquette.

Win It! Three of you will win a copy of Elmo’s Animal Adventures. Simply leave me a comment with something you liked or learned on the site!  Comments will close on October 23, 2009 at 10 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winner is Melanie B.  A HUGE congrats!

My husband may not appreciate what I’m about to write…but he is a HUGE fan and collector of Disney movies.  I remember when we first met and he told me and then showed me his collection how surprised and impressed I was.  He hasn’t quite reached the D23 category but he’s close!

For the first time in seven years, Disney released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in high-definition Blu-ray today. And did you know it hasn’t been available in any form since 2001?  I didn’t! I just adore this classic story of a beautiful princess, her ugly stepmother, a talking mirror, singing Dwarfs and a handsome prince!  It’s been hailed as “the most acclaimed animated movie ever made” and I have to say I agree (although I have many close runner-ups in the animated category).  The movie debuted in 1937 (seriously?) but is as timeless as Disney.  It was also the first full-length animated film every made!

Some of the highlights of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition include a series of DVD bonus features including a sneak peak at Disney’s brand new The Princess and the Frog,” a beautiful video by Tiffany Thornton singing Someday My Prince Will Come, and a lively “Heigh-Ho” Karaoke Sing-Along (and that isn’t even half of what you’ll find in the “bonus” section).

We don’t have a Blu-ray player (yet) so we weren’t able to view the bonus features, however, they sound incredible, including Family Play games and activities, Backstage Disney, and some very cool-sounding Blu-ray features like DisneyView’s expanded viewing experience, and 7.1 Digital Theater System Hi-Def Surround Sound.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition is available in two forms:  Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack ($39.99) and the 2-Disc DVD set ($29.99).  You can view a trailer of the movie here.

Win It! One of you will win Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition Combo Pack +  Seven Dwarfs Plush Toy set (RV $85).  Simply leave me a comment with your favorite part of the movie!  Comments will close on October 20, 2009 at 10 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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Profuse thanks to One2One who provided the DVD for review!

When my son was younger, we introduced him to the Baby Einstein series of CDs, DVDs, books, and toys.  I am one of those parents that allow my son to watch a limited amount of carefully selected, age-appropriate television (and DVDs).  My son is a happy, healthy little boy who is right on track with his developmental milestones. A lot of what we allow him to watch on television is content he would otherwise not be exposed to.

For example, we recently had an opportunity to preview Baby Einstein World Animal Adventure on DVD. Here is a little more information from the site:

World Animal Adventure DVD is the newest product from The Baby Einstein Company that brings exotic animals from all over the world home to babies,  presenting dozens of playful animals in their natural habitats. Set to original world music specially orchestrated for little ears, the DVD includes fun baby animal puppet shows and animals from each of the seven continents. The DVD also presents a Grow with Me feature, offering a second viewing mode with content that changes as your baby grows so that you can get more out of the DVD.

As I do with other forms of media, I sat down with my son to watch this a few times over the last couple of weeks.  He’s at an age where we’ve talked about many of the animals featured on the DVD.  It was fun teaching him about some of the more exotic animals that we hadn’t had a chance to learn about yet.  I like how the DVD takes you from country to country, showing you live animals in motion.  It’s adorable when my son sees a mother and it’s baby.  He makes sure to mention the “mama monkey and the baby monkey.”  The music is jungle-esque and catchy.  My son giggled at the puppet scenes but he much preferred watching the real animals…he was definitely fascinated! My son can name a ton of animals and we’ve just added to his repertoire, thanks to this DVD!

The DVD comes with a guide for parents on how to watch with your child.  There are two, Grow With Me viewing modes, that allow younger children to watch the animals visually along with the music.  The second mode, geared towards older children, incorporates text and spoken language (we viewed this version with my son).

If you’d like to keep up with the latest from Baby Einstein, you can follow them on Twitter, watch previews on their YouTube channel, and follow their blog.

World Animal Adventure DVD is available for purchase on the site for $15.99.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Baby Einstein and received a World Animal Adventure DVD to facilitate my candid review.”

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by.  The winners are Dan, Ken, and Val.  Congrats!

My son just turned two and he is so curious about everything!  We spend a lot of time going over certain concepts, one of them being the parts of his body.  Many of you know that my son co-slept with my husband and I for many, many months and we still nap together.  Very often when he’s waking up, he’ll start pointing to his eyes and mommy or daddy’s eyes…his nose and mommy or daddy’s nose…you get the point.

Genius Products and Sesame Workshop will be releasing a brand new DVD on September 1st entitled Elmo’s World:  All About Faces.  It’s perfect for toddlers interested in learning about their body.  Here is a little more information about the DVD:

A delightful “Elmo’s World” compilation, the DVD features three separate episodes illustrating different parts of the face and significance of taking care of each one in a fun and entertaining way.  In “Elmo’s World: Mouths,” Elmo and his friends love all the things they can do with their mouths; whistle, brush their teeth, and if you’re Cookie Monster, eat cookies!  Kids will also learn how to wink like Dorothy and why they should get their eyes checked regularly in “Elmo’s World: Eyes.”  The third segment, “Elmo’s World:  Noses,” teaches children all about noses through “The Tournament of Noses Parade,” how to smell a flower, and much more!

The DVD is set to be released on September 1st and will retail for $12.95.

Win It! Three of you will win a copy of this DVD.  Simply head on over to the site and take a look around.  Come back and leave me a comment with something you liked or learned.  Comments will close on September 12, 2009 at 10 PM PST. One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winners are Felicia, Angie, Cherice, Jennifer B, Treasia.  Congrats!

Last week, Dr. Dolittle:  Million Dollar Mutts premiered on DVD!  This fun-filled summer movie will make the entire family laugh!  Here is a little more information from the site:

An all-star cast of loveable animals highlights this fast and furry-ous adventure set in exciting Hollywood, where everyone’s favorite wise-acre mutt Lucky proves he’s worth millions in love and laughter!  It’s Lucky to the rescue when his owner, Maya Dolittle (played by Kyla Pratt), finds herself in hot water – Hollywood-style!  Dropping her dreams of becoming a vet, Maya (and Lucky) travel to L.A. where her talent for talking to animals lands her a job hosting an animal talk show with famous heiress Tiffany Monaco (played by Tegan Moss)!  But just as Lucky starts falling in love with a pedigreed pooch, Maya falls out of love with Tiffany’s bird-brained ideas about how to help animals.  And just when Maya thinks she’ll be trapped in Tinseltown forever and never become a vet, Lucky, his new girlfriend and a whole herd of animal friends spring, trot, fly and slither into action to save the day!

I haven’t seen it yet but it sounds like an upbeat movie, perfectly timed for the summer!  You can own it now on DVD for $29.99.

Win It! 5 of you will win a copy of Dr. Dolittle:  Million Dollar Mutts.  Simply leave me a comment with something fun you’re going to do this summer!  Comments will close on June 10, 2009 at 10 PM PST. One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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Enter Tanya and Amanda’s giveaways

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This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winners are Shasta, Susan S, Helen.  Congrats!

My son is going to be so excited because Elmo is back with yet another onscreen appearance!  I haven’t seen it yet but on June 2 Elmo and Abby’s Birthday Fun will debut on DVD from Genius Products and Sesame Workshop.

Here is a little more information about the release from the site:

It’s Dorothy’s birthday on Sesame Street!  Elmo is excited to celebrate his little fish’s birthday, and he has planned a big birthday party. Abby wants to help, but she has never been to a Sesame Street birthday party – only Fairy Tale birthday parties!  Elmo teaches Abby all about pinning the tail on the donkey, playing the pinata game, and opening presents.  Then Abby magically takes Elmo on an adventure to Fairytale Land, where they celebrate Little Red Riding Hood’s birthday.  Join Elmo and Abby as they learn about the many ways that birthdays are celebrated.  With a big flowered hat, a gigantic cake, and a bunch of birthday wishes, Elmo learns the true meaning of a birthday wish!

Be sure to check out the release on June 2.  The DVD will retail for $14.93.

Win It! Three of you will win a copy of Elmo and Abby’s Birthday Fun on DVD.  Simply head on over to Sesame Workshop and tell me something you found interesting on the site!  Comments will close on June 3, 2009 at 10 PM PST. One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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Enter Tanya and Amanda’s giveaways

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If you are the parent of an infant, toddler, or preschooler, you know what a challenge going to the movies can be.  To be honest, I usually just give my son some grandma and grandpa time so that we can have a fun date night together.  There is a, however, a fantastic program called  Kidtoons which helps parents connect with their children by offering family-friendly, animated movies to theaters across the country. I’ve never done this with my son but it sounds like it would be a lot of fun!  And if I’m in the theater with other screaming, jumping tots then how much more insane fun is that?  

Earth Day is rapidly approaching and I wanted to share with you how Kidtoons plans to celebrate.  They have compiled specially-themed episodes of SuperWHY! and WordWorld,  along with music videos from RAGGS, SteveSongs and Franny’s Feet which will run throughout the month at participating Kidtoons theaters.  Here is a brief overview of the episodes that will be airing for the rest of the month.

SuperWHY!/Tiddalick the Frog:  Whyatt’s mom tells him that he’s wasting water. So Super Why and his friends dash into the Australian folk tale of Tiddalick the Frog and make the acquaintance of a funny amphibian and learn how important water is to the planet, along with a valuable lesson about conservation.

WordWorld/ W Drought: It’s a hot summer day and all the WordFriends are using water to stay cool. But all the letter W’s start to disappear, and you can’t have “water” without the letter W! Sheep leads the gang in the hunt to discover just who’s causing the W drought.

WordWorld/The Rainbow Birthday Cake: It is Frog’s birthday, and Duck wants to make him a big, beautiful birthday cake frosted in the colors of the rainbow. Such a cake requires lots of cans of frosting, and Duck learns he can’t just throw cans anywhere—they must be recycled.

If you’re looking for a fun way to engage your children this Earth Day, check out Kidtoons!  At the end of the film, be sure to stay for a slew of fun giveaways including stickers, temporary tattoos, activity books or toys.

I’ve sat and watched a lot of children’s movies and television shows (the joys of motherhood!).  While most of them are cute, entertaining, and educational, I don’t envision them winning an Oscar.  I recently had an opportunity to see The Princes’ Quest, a French animated film.  Here is a little more information about the movie from the site: 

Deemed “Pure magic” by the Hollywood Reporter and “truly entertaining” by BBC Radio’s Live, the meticulous CGI animated fable from acclaimed French filmmaker Michel Ocelot dazzles with its lush visuals. Rich in story, the tale follows Azur, a nobleman’s blond blue-eyed son and Asmar, the nursemaid’s dark-skinned and dark-eyed child.  As kids they fought and loved each other as brothers; as grown-ups, they mercilessly become rivals in the quest to rescue a beautiful fairy princess. 

The movie is visually stunning.  It’s filled with culture, adventure and fantasy.  What I like most about this film (apart from it’s beauty) is that it allows parents and children the opportunity to discuss topics that may not normally come up.  From the begining when the movie opens with a nursing scene to the unforseen ending (which I won’t give away) and the Arabic influences and subtitles, this movie boldly goes where other children’s movies do not.  I would recommend that parents view the film beforehand because some of the themes (discrimination for example) may be too mature for younger children.  Overall, a powerful but simple tale.

The Princes’ Quest in on sale now and retails for $19.97.