Jake and the Never Land Pirates DVD Review

My son loves to get up early in the morning to watch cartoons. Since momma's not nearly as excited to be awake bright and early, I always make sure that I leave the tv on an acceptable channel. Disney Channel is one of Little Man's top choices, as he loves the shows on Disney Junior, especially Jake and the Never Land Pirates.

We were so excited to hear that Jake and the Never Land Pirates was coming to DVD for the first time this month. Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Yo Ho, Mateys Away is a 2-disc combo pack, which includes the DVD, a CD of 7 songs, and an official pirate eye patch.
Episodes included on the DVD include:

• Hats Off to Hook!/Escape from Belch Mountain
• Hide the Hideout!/The Old Shell Game
• Izzy's Pirate Puzzle/The Never Land Games
• Off the Hook!/Never Say Never!
• Cubby's Sunken Treasure/Cubby's Goldfish
• Happy Hook Day!/No Returns!
• The Sky's the Limit!/Bucky Makes a Splash

Plus bonus features:

• "Pirate Party" Music Videos
• Pirate-oke Sing Along
• Yo Ho, You Ready to be a Never Land Pirate?

I love watching the adventure- and music-filled episodes with my son. He is always entertained with the adventures of the young pirate crew, and ready to help them out, through the interactive treasure hunts during the show.


Disney has also released a Jake and the Never Land Pirates soundtrack. It contains 18 exciting songs from the show, each performed by Loren Hoskins and Kevin Hendrickson, aka Sharky and Bones.

Buy It:
The Jake and the Never Land Pirates soundtrack went on sale September 20, 2011. The Jake and the Never Land Pirates DVD and album sampler went on sale today, September 27, 2011 for $19.99.

A copy of the DVD was provided for our review. All opinions are our own.

Danimals Rally for Recess

Yogurt is one of the top choices for snacks in our house. My son has it at least once a day, if not more. And if he's with us in the grocery store, Dannon is typically the top pick, especially the Danimals Coolision Tubes. He loves the flavor, and I love how portable they are.

Dannon Danimals recently launched it's national initiative, Rally for Recess, as an effort to motivate parents and kids to support recess, and overall health and fitness of children. As schools nationwide have been forced to cut recess time due to limited resources, childhood obesity has been on the rise. Dannon Danimals wants kids to get back to the playground.
Rally for Recess is a healthy competition between schools across the country. Five schools have the opportunity to win new playground equipment and an all-day recess celebration. Through February 8, 2012 you can find codes on Danimals packaging (or free by mail). Then head to the Rally for Recess site to enter and register your school online. The schools in each of the five categories (based on size) with the most codes registered wins!


Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Danimals and received a gift card to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Spooky Buddies on DVD 9/20

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. We love decorating, dressing up, trick or treating, and carving pumpkins.

When my 7 year old saw that the Buddies were going to be starring in a Halloween movie, he was ecstatic. He can't wait until Spooky Buddies comes out on DVD on September 20th.Check out the slideshow below for some fun glimpses into the movie. And you can even download a dog biscuit recipe, Halloween tips, and a fun activity sheet.



Information was provided for this post. All opinions are our own.

Back to School with Eight O'Clock Coffee: Giveaway

Closed: Congrats to Tes283

We are a few weeks into school, and I still am looking for all the back to school tips I can get. It seems that every night we rush around before bed getting everything ready for the next day, but come morning, we still feel unprepared.

With a new baby, I'm up all night long, so starting my day with a cup of coffee is essential. Eight O'Clock is perfect for a pick me up in the morning, and they have also come up with a few back to school tips to help our hectic household.

Tip 1: Become Your Own Brewista – Save time, money and gas this back-to-school season by brewing your morning coffee at home. You can even set your coffee maker’s timer the night before to wake up to great-smelling Eight O’Clock Coffee.

Tip 2: Preplan Lunch – A few days before school starts, sit down with your kids and create a grocery list of healthy snacks and lunches they would like for school. Rotate each of their selections throughout the week. Make Tuesday "Turkey Tuesday" or Wednesday "Wrap Wednesday" – adding variety to keep lunch exciting. When possible, pack their lunch the night before to reduce stress in the morning.

Tip 3: Assemble Weekly Wardrobes – Every Sunday check the upcoming weekly weather forecast with your kids. Then, have them pick out five outfits for the upcoming school week. Hang them in daily order in their closet to avoid the inevitable, "Mom, I can’t find my favorite blue shirt!"

Tip 4: Be Prepared for School Projects – Avoid late night rushing around to complete school projects by having art supplies on hand. Create an arts and craft bin that includes more than just crayons and colored paper. Collect items like pipe cleaners, stickers, figurines, beads – even coffee beans – and other creative finds, and put the fun back in school projects.Win It: To help get your school year off to a good start, Eight O'Clock is offering one lucky reader a Back to School Parent Survival Pack, which includes a drawstring bag, travel mug and 2 bags of Eight O’Clock Coffee

Mandatory entry: Tell me your best tip for keeping your house running smooth in the morning.

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Giveaway ends 9/23 at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be notified via email, so be sure to leave a way to contact you. Open to US only.

Product was provided for review. All opinions are my own.

To Be Sung Underwater: Book Review

Growing up in Nebraska, Judith Whitman learned about independence, friendship, family, and love. To Be Sung Underwater, follows Judith's journey at 17 in Nebraska, as well as 25 years later, living in Los Angeles.As a teenager, Judith fell in love with a blue-eyed, easy-talking carpenter, and as the years go by, she finds herself looking back on what could have been. Entering middle-age, Judith discovers her husband may be cheating and questions her role as a mother. Though she doesn't understand her own actions, she fabricates a fake identity, buys a storage shed, and recreates her teenage bedroom there. All the while, she carries a photo of her teenage love hidden in her wallet, and finally decides to find him again.

The story is both captivating and graceful. It is a story of love and heartbreak, confusion and wonder. Anyone who has ever asked themselves "what if?" will find themselves relating to Judith, pondering what other paths may have led to, what other dreams could have been followed.

To Be Sung Underwater is written by Tom McNeal, a critically acclaimed author of several short stories and the novel, Goodnight, Nebraska.

Buy it:
To Be Sung Underwater is available for under $14 at Amazon.

A copy of the book was provided for review. All opinions are my own.