James Bond movie Skyfall 007

Skyfall 007 is the latest James Bond movie acted by Daniel Craig.  It is available on blu-ray and DVD since February 12th.  
This movie is directed by Oscar® winner Sam Mendes and has dominated the worldwide box office.  It has become the highest grossing film ever in the United Kingdom, Daniel Craig's home country.  Accolades continue with the recent announcement of eight BAFTA®  (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nominations and five Academy Award® nominations.  Javier Bardem performs as Silva the bond villain in Skyfall, he acts as the twisted exMI6 agent who keeps Bond guessing until the very end.  
It is a good action movie to watch that will be enjoyed by all James Bond movie fans.

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Valentine decorations

My children made these Valentine decorations using...
construction paper
coloured markers, crayon and glitter pens
yarn or wool to hang
and tape

First cut shapes of heart on construction paper.  My daughter enjoyed drawing the hearts and cutting it.  Then they decorated it using different coloured markers, crayon and glitter pens.  
To hang these heart decorations, they attached a piece of yarn using tape to the back of the heart.

Don't forget to join the Madly Madagascar giveaway open to everyone in Canada and US until Feb 16th.  "It is not how many cards you get, it is who you get it from" a quote taken from Marty :) in Madly Madagascar.  

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Madly Madagascar: Love Potions & DVD Giveaway

Madly Madagascar DVD will be available on January 29th.  

Our favourite Madagascar pals are back in an all-new 22 minute adventure during Alex’s favorite holiday, Valentine’s Day.  
They bring lots of hilarious surprises and excitement. Melman plans a big surprise for Gloria, Marty tries to impress a new friend and everyone wants to get their hands on King Julien’s love potion. Children and adults in my home really enjoyed the funny DVD and its bonus features that were all about love.
The DVD also had two bonus features; First Flight was a feature about man and a bird, where the man thought teaching the bird to fly was more important that things that happen in the daily life. The second feature Hammy's Boomerang Adventure was by the characters from Over the Hedge.

We can get our hands on King Julien's love potion by making these recipes with our children. Be warned the potions may make you irresistible, and sometime you need alone time :) just like Marty did in the movie.

Bubbly pink love potion

1 can pink lemonade concentrate

4 cups raspberry sherbet

1 can lemon or lime soda

water

Mix the lemonade concentrate with water according to instructions in a large pitcher. Blend the sherbet with 4 cups of lemonade mixture then pour about a cup into individual glasses. Fill the glass with the soda and serve. The mixture will bubble to look like a love potion. I have not tested this :)

********************

Love Spell Perfume

Distilled water

Fragrance oils i.e. rose, lavender

Polysorbate 80

Mix the distilled water with the Polysorbate 80 into a spray bottle. Mix the fragrance oil in a separate container then add it to the water mixture. Shake well and spray.

********************

Magic Sand

A glass bottle with a lid

Different coloured sand i.e. red, pink, white

Ask children to layer different coloured sand and put the lid on. This would make a lovely decor.

********************

Love Potion Tea

Rosemary

Black tea

Thyme

Nutmeg

Fresh mint leaves

Fresh rose petals

Lemon leaves

Water

Put all the ingredients in a kettle or pan and boil. Serve with honey, sugar and lemon to taste. I have not tested this :)

Giveaway:

If you would like to win this DVD please enter through the rafflecopter below.  This giveaway is open to everyone in US and Canada until February 16th.

To win please make sure you are following my social media networks and commenting on the posts.  Winner will have 24 hours to confirm from the time of contact if they want the DVD and provide postal information.
Update: The winner is Wendy

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Won't Back Down: a must watch movie

Won't Back Down is a fabulous movie that I highly recommend all the adults who are concerned about education to watch.  This empowering drama is inspired by actual events.  
It is about a hard-working single mom Jamie Fitzpatrick (Gyllenhaal) who is concerned that John Adams Elementary is letting her daughter down.  She teams with a caring teacher (Davis) who wants the best future for her own son.  They set out to improve attitudes and elevate the school’s academic standards, despite the odds with courage, hope and persistence.

The movie points out that unions usually protect the interest of teachers, but not necessarily the students.  It is a big eye opener for parents, teachers and administrators to start thinking and focusing on our children.  

Being a teacher is more than a job and I don't think every good student can become a good "teacher".  I think a good teacher has to have a committed teachable personality.  I don't feel our system gives the opportunity for people who have the passion for teaching to get the jobs.  Unfortunately, not every classroom or teacher across North America sees being a "teacher" in the same way.  

This movie highlights the problems that we have in the North American education system such as 

• The system passes children that don't meet the grade criteria, which in turn doesn't help the child become motivated to learn, as they know they will be passed no matter what.
• Putting children into "special needs" programs without making sure that they have a good foundation from the start so we prevent issues before it arrives such as reading.
• Many of our "smart" students are not challenged in a fun way at school so they become bored and easily give up.

This movie Won't Back Down is fabulous from start to finish, it doesn't only highlight the bad things in our education system rather it shows the value of caring teachers and importance of education.  
As a parent, I try to do my part as time permits to teach things outside of school, reading with my children, respect and other morale.  Since children spend most part of their day in the classroom, their thinking and learning is in the hands of the teachers and other school staff.  Therefore having the best teacher is very important.  The education system really needs to be looked upon on how they approach learning from the start.  Paperwork over paperwork is not the solution as it makes more unnessary work for teachers that takes away from their real purpose, which is teaching. 
We should also remind our children that they too are responsible for learning and taking a stand.

I believe our children are our hope for the future and these types of movies make us stop and think before it is too late. 

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Sinbad The Complete First Season is lots of fun to watch

This Blu-ray and DVD, Sinbad The Complete First Season is a wonderful collection to our Home entertainment selection.  The 2 discs with 12 episodes are packed with action, adventure, which takes a modern spin to an ancient legend.  This TV show is more suitable for teenagers and adults, not for little ones.

The episodes are about Sinbad's sea-bound adventure after he is forced to flee from his hometown of Basra.  The episodes have entertaining special effects that has kept me in the edge of my seat.  Some parts are funny, scary and adventurous.

Synopsis

Sinbad's sea-bound journey is because he is forced to flee from his home town of Basra following his involvement in the accidental death of Lord Akbari’s son, a death that in turn leads to the murder of Sinbad’s own brother.  Sinbad stows away on board in a departing ship called the Providence with his grandmother’s curse literally hanging around his neck.  This curse prevents him from staying on dry land for more than 24 hours at a time.  After the Providence survives a violent and magical storm, Sinbad and the remaining crewmembers embark on a series of adventures, not knowing that Akbari is still bent on revenge. 

On board the Providence, Sinbad is joined by an intriguing band of travelers including Norwegian sailor Gunnar (Elliot Cowan), the jewel-thief Rina (Marama Corlett), aristocrat Nala (Estella Daniels), the Cook (Junix Inocian) and the cerebral doctor Anwar (Dimitri Leonidas).

Bonus features

The blu-ray and DVD has bonus features such as "The Magic of Sinbad," which shows us places around Malta where the scenes where shot.  There are lots of movies like Gladiator filmed in the island of Malta.  

The actress Marama Corlett, who is from the island of Malta takes us behind the scenes to see "the Magic of Malta" and its beautiful architecture.  

We enjoyed seeing how "The Magical Costumes of Sinbad" were made and how the ideas came to be.  There are lots of work put into making this TV series.

Can't wait to watch the second season.

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An animated series based on Hasbro's Littlest Pet Shop

My children really enjoyed watching Littlest Pet Shop: Little Pets, Big Adventure.  This is the first DVD collection based on Hasbro's popular Littlest Pet Shop brand toys.  

This new animated series has five fun episodes that will entertain children.  The DVD also has bonus features such as colouring sheets, "A look behind the pet shop doors" and an offer for a virtual collectable pet on the Littlest Pet Shop App. 

This animated comedy series follows Blythe Baxter and her father as they move into a Big City apartment above the Littlest Pet Shop store.  The store has an amazing day camp for pets of all kinds including a doggie diva, dancing gecko, a sweet, adorable panda and others.  The real adventure begins when Blythe discovers that she can understand and talk to all of the pets. Blythe joins the pets on fantastical adventures that include uproarious song and dance sequences.

My children really enjoyed the show as they told me how funny it was.  My son thought it was quite funny because the animals were talking and he was laughing when he told me that his favourite part was when the hedgehog rolled down.  

Your children will enjoy this DVD too, so don't forget to preorder it through Amazon as it will be available on January 15th.

Update: The winner is Lindsay

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My little pony: Friendship is Magic Adventures in the Crystal Empire

My little pony: Friendship is Magic Adventures in the Crystal Empire is on DVD.  My children were excited to watch this entertaining five episodes and the bonus features.
In Adventures in the Crystal Empire, a magical empire suddenly appears in the arctic north of Equestria and Princess Celestia needs Twilight Sparkle and her friends to find a way to protect it.  My daughter's favourite part is when Princess Celestia's horn got power when she was looking at the Crystal heart.  Both my children liked when the evil pony king was conquered by the Princess's power.

Princess Celestia

Here is some fun information about a few My little pony characters.

Rainbow Dash is a capable, athletic pony that lives for adventure.  This proud and mischievous character is always around to help in danger and proves to be a true hero.

Fluttershy is a graceful, fawn like filly who is shy, gentle, serene and soft spoken.  She cares for all her animal friends and her pony friends treasure her kindness and help her come out of her shyness.    

Pinkie Pie is giggly, playful and brimming over with energy.  The silliest pony around and nothing makes this pony happier than making her friends smile and giggle.  

Princess Celestia taught Twilight Sparkle that friendship is a special kind of magic.  She is a natural born leader that is eager to learn and help.

Applejack has grown up working hard to keep her family's famous apple business growing.  This pony is known to be the most down-to-earth, resourceful and dependable pony.  She is not afraid to get her hooves dirty.  She has an impeccable ability to break down a situation to its core and fix it fast.

 

Rarity is beautiful unicorn that has a gleaming white coat and purple curls that makes every pony's head turn.  She is a talented fashion designer. 

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Activities inspired by The Odd Life of Timothy Green

The Odd Life of Timothy Green was a fabulous fun movie that we enjoyed watching. It is a heartwarming movie that can be watched over and over.  This movie reminds us importance of family and to count the blessings in our lives.

These printable Wish Leaves from Disney help kids describe the kind of person they wish to be.  These can be used as a decorative reminder of their goals or use it to convey gratitude of good wishes to someone who has made a difference in their lives.

Here are more activities to make a family tree, click on the images to see the instruction for the activities.

 

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Netflix subscription for our readers just in time for the holidays

We have been busy with shopping and baking lately, so I am counting the days for the winter break so I can relax and spend some time with family and friends.  Usually when family and friends come over we like watching movies together.  Our subscription to Netflix has allowed us to watch a variety of movies and TV shows on our TV, computer and on other devices i.e. phones, iPad and iPod touch.  I like that there are so many options of movies and shows on Netflix for us to choose from depending on our mood and company.  It is easy to navigate Netflix and I like the way they have organized it, which allows us to narrow down our options.  Another wonderful thing is no commercials to worry about. 

I was a little surprised when I saw the recent research done by Netflix and Leger Marketing that show the top 5 holiday traditions in Canada was to watch movies together.  I didn't know that other families also liked watching movies and shows just like us :)  The other holiday traditions on the list were holiday dinners, cooking, baking and shopping.  
This survey is based on a total of 1009 Canadians who celebrate the holiday season, where most of them said that it is hard to find the perfect gift that doesn't cost a lot. 
69% think it’s difficult to find a great last minute gift
83% try to avoid crowds when holiday shopping
42% shop online to avoid crowds and lineups

3/4 of the people can name a gift under $10 they'd be happy to receive

Over 3/4 say it’s possible to purchase a meaningful gift online

After looking through the results I agree that a Netflix subscription is a wonderful gift to children or adults as the cost is about $8 per month.  We can stream the content on Netflix through the Internet and watch it in over 800 devices from anywhere we want.

I think Netflix would be a wonderful gift to any of our friends or family.  I am glad that I can bring this Netflix subscription entertainment giveaway to our readers.  
Giveaway:
Two people in Canada can win 3 months of Netflix subscription.  This giveaway ends on December 15th please enter through the rafflecopter below and leave a comment on this post.
Update: The winners are Crystal and Brianne
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Win your copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid & Ice Age + Inspired activities

Here are some activities that are inspired by the movies, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Ice Age that you can enjoy with your children and family :)  If you want to know more about the movies check this post.

The activities below are inspired by the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

S’mores, the yummiest camping treat that can be made indoors.

You will need...

graham crackers 

milk chocolate

large marshmallows

Place a couple pieces of chocolate on one half of the graham cracker. Place the marshmallow on a skewer and hold it over the stovetop on high heat.  Once it is toasted place the marshmallow on top of chocolate and stack the other half of the graham cracker on top.

Other ideas...

Why not build a tent with ropes and sheet in the living room.  Or cozy up and watch a marathon of movies, if your kids are up for it :)

Activities that are inspired by Ice Age: Continental Drift 

Watch a movie in the theatre with dad, then eat out and talk about the movie.

Go shopping for something specific so both you and dad will enjoy the experience.

Do a DIY project together, however before doing make sure mom approves :)

During good weather camp out or take a trip to the zoo.

Giveaways

2 people can win a copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Blu-ray   

1 person can win a copy of Ice Age: Continental Drift Blu-ray and an acorn ice-cube tray gift pack 

These giveaways are open to people in Canada and US, ends on December 15th.  Please enter the giveaways through the rafflecopter below and please make sure to leave a comment. 
Update: The winners are Jennifer and Dawn 
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Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups in time for the holidays

Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups from the makers of the Disney Buddies franchise comes to Blu-ray combo pack, DVD and HD Digital on November 20th, just in time for the holidays.  This heartwarming hilarious movie will be enjoyed by everyone at home.   
The story is about four playful frisky pups Hope, Jingle, Charity and Noble that live in the North Pole .  These four pups destroy Santa's workshop with their mischievous gamboling.  They realize the best way to prove that they are responsible is by trying to be Santa's Helpers and spreading the Christmas spirit by themselves.  With the help from a magic crystal the pups decide to grant everyone's wishes, including an unhappy boy that asks for Christmas to go away forever.  When this boy's wish comes true, the joyous spirit quickly disappears from the planet.  
Mrs. Claus and the pups have to find a way to reverse the spell or risk losing Christmas forever, watch the movie to see how they remove the spell.

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Win a copy of Modern Family Season 3 blu-ray

Join TV’s #1 family for another hilarious season of “Modern Family”!  As the extended Pritchett/Dunphy clan faces an uproariously unpredictable array of family vacations, holiday hassles, troublesome in-laws and surprising secrets, they still somehow manage to thrive together as one big, loving family even as they drive each other absolutely insane.

Modern Family season 3 has won the 2012 Emmy Awards for:

• Outstanding Comedy Series
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
• Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
• Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour and Animation)

If you would like to win a copy of the blu-ray for Modern Family season 3 please enter through the rafflecopter below.  The giveaway is open to people in Canada and US, ends on December 1st.
Update: The winner is William
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Movies for the holidays: Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Ice Age

Some upcoming movies that would be wonderful to watch during the holidays :)  

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days will be available on December 18th.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid is based on the popular book series and is wonderful movie for the whole family.  We enjoy watching part 1 and 2 many times :) so we are eagerly looking forward to the 3rd one.  In this movie, Greg, a.k.a Wimpy kid's dad threatens to send him to military school if he doesn’t stay out of trouble.  Greg finds all-new ways to land himself in the doghouse.  For starters, Greg’s in over his head when he pretends to work at the swanky country club where Rowley’s family has a membership.  Things don’t go much better on a father-son camping trip with the Wilderness Explorers, and then there’s the Heffley’s new dog, Sweetie, who fetches even more trouble for Greg in this hilarious family movie.  

We are also excited to see what bonus features will be in-store :)

Ice Age: Continental Drift is another wonderful movie that children will enjoy.  It comes out on December 11th. 

A little synopsis: Sub-zero heroes Manny, Diego, and Sid embark upon a high-seas adventure after their continent is set adrift. Using an iceberg as a ship, they encounter sea creatures and battle pirates as they try to reunite with their herd. In the wake of these upheavals, Sid reunites with his cantankerous Granny, and the herd encounters a ragtag menagerie of seafaring pirates determined to stop them from returning home.

Until the movie releases here are some fun printable activities for children such as drawing the characters, connecting, patterns, finding hidden objects (click on the images below to make it big).

 

If you would like to win these movies :) keep following the upcoming posts...

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Cinderella II & III Limited time 2 movie collection for Princesses

Cinderella II & III will be available on November 20th for a limited time on blu-ray combo pack, DVD and Digital with bonus features such as how a girl can become a princess by going to "princess school" and "put it together" music video.  Our favourite characters return with double the magic and memorable music.  This would make a perfect holiday gift to any of our princesses :)  These two movies are fun for the whole family and we enjoyed watching them.

Cinderella II Dreams Come True is about Cinderella's life as a newly crowned princess.  Cinderella learns that life at the Palace is more challenging than she had imagined.  Cinderella calls on her animal friends and Fairy Godmother for help as she discovers that being true to yourself is the best way to make dreams come true.

Cinderella III A Twist In Time Special Edition is about Princess Cinderella's stepmother getting her hands on Fairy Godmother's magic wand.  Cinderella's stepmother puts a wicked spell that turns back the clock and erases the Prince's memories of the girl he met at the ball and shatters Cinderella's happily ever after.  Jaq and Gus help Cinderella.  Watch to see if true love will triumph :)

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Disney's Brave

We have anticipated the release of Disney's Brave for a long time :) and glad that it will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download on November 13th.  
My children enjoy playing the Brave Temple Run game on the iPad every chance they get :)  This game is about Merida trying to run away from the bear/monster.  

Here are some printable cut outs of the characters that my children enjoy playing with, hope yours will too.  

Here are some connect the dots, word puzzles and more activities.

Brave is Pixar Animation Studio's 13th hit and #1 animated movie of the year.  It is definitely a breathtaking adventure that kept my children and us in the edge of our seats.  We laughed, cried, became nervous and got excited while watching the movie.  We really enjoyed this stunning movie, the bonus material, behind the scene features, deleted scenes, the short film La Luna, "The Legend of Mor'du" and other interactive engaging bonus features.

We enjoyed the funny pixar short movie La Luna.  It is about three generation and how each of us are different.  We love our children and our parents love their grand children, but our parents and we don't always see things the same way.

The movie Brave is set in the ancient magical highlands of Scotland.  It is about Princess Merida's adventure.  This headstrong young girl is determined to carve her own path of life, as she confronts tradition and defies old customs of marriage.  While watching this heartwarming adventure we learned many lessons.  The big message in the movie is that our fate lives within us and we just have to be brave enough to find it.  Own these 5 disc collector's edition staring November 13th.  I think we will watch this movie more than ones and enjoy it each time.  

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Love’s Christmas Journey and The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Love’s Christmas Journey will be on DVD October 30th.  This movie is not recommend for young children because some parts have violence.  This a good movie for the parents/adults, I enjoyed watching the movie.  It is heartwarming movie inspired by the best selling novel series Love Comes Softly from Janette Oke.  The DVD also includes a lovely card for the holidays.

Synopsis

While still mourning the loss of her husband and daughter, recently widowed Ellie visits her brother Aaron and his children for Christmas. Ellie does her best to enjoy the holidays, even making new friends. Settling in nicely, Ellie also meets Erik, a young man abandoned by his outlaw father whom Aaron has taken in as one of his own. When Aaron travels out of town to purchase adjacent land for farming, Ellie agrees to watch his children, but the season’s festivities are threatened when Aaron goes missing.

Upcoming family movie...
We are looking forward to watch The Odd Life of Timothy Green, which is coming to Blu-ray combo pack, DVD, HD Digital on December 4th.  This will be a wonderful movie to snuggle up and watch with the family this holiday season :)  The combo pack will have bonus features; documentary, music video and more.

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Secret of the Wings

We are excited Secret of the Wings is coming on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital release on October 23rd.
This fairy adventure will be enjoyed by the whole family as Tinker Bell and friends go into the never before seen mysterious Winter Woods.  Tinker Bell finds out that she has a sister discovers secrets that will change her life.
Some fun facts and quotes about sisters on the link below.

Tips for our garden from Tinker Bell's close friend Rosetta a garden fairy, whose talent is to nurture plants and flowers.
* Collect seeds from flowers and keep them safe for next planting year.
* Notice the beautiful vibrant leaves of fall, collect the leaves and petal of flowers and save it between pieces of paper and keep it under heavy books to make flower press, which would be beautiful in crafts and cards.
* Make a compost pile with the help of an adult.

Some Fall Facts
* When Autumn or Fall gets closer the chlorophyll found in plants are no longer needed and is discarded.  The Chlorophyll keeps plants green and when it is not there other colours emerge such as red, orange and yellow leaves.
* When leaves fall and decompose they release minerals back into the earth and provide nutrition to the trees.
* Nuts and seeds that become available during fall will be collected by animals such as squirrels to prepare for hibernating.

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