reviews

disney on ice - celebrations

You've probably heard that Disney on Ice  is back to Philly! December 23-January 3, Disney on Ice presents Let's Celebrate! It’s one colossal party on ice, with all your favorite Disney friends!  Enjoy a winter wonderland with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, a Halloween haunt with the Disney Villains, a Very Merry Unbirthday Party, a Royal Ball with the Disney Princesses and more in a magical medley of holidays, celebrations and festivals from around the globe.

Thanks to Mom Central and the Feld Family Activator Program my family got to be there on opening night for Disney on Ice. And, of course, it was totally amazing. What else do you expect from Disney? The costumes, sets, the special effects and skating were all completely incredible. Particularly the skating - totally amazing. And our kids were in awe. My girls had seen Disney on Ice before, but the magic was just the same. They were most excited to see Tinkerbell, who they've never seen (even when we went to Disney, we somehow missed her!) and were very excited to see the characters from the Princess and the Frog.

We decided to do something crazy... we brought Colin with us. Taking a 21-month-old bot anywhere is tricky, but he had a BALL! He was very restless....  but He was so excited to see Mickey and he just about ran onto the ice when he saw "WOODEEBUZZ!!" (Toy Story!) It was so adorable!

This was a fantastic show - and the perfect way to kick off our Christmas celebrations!!

This would make an AMAZING gift for the holidays!!! If you have little people in your life, you don't want to miss this show! And Mom Central is offering a super discount: use the coupon code MOM at www.ComcastTix.com in the promotional box — for four tickets for $44 for Monday-Friday matinee shows, and $4 off Friday night and weekend shows; any additional weekday tickets are still priced at  $11.

k'nex - for budding engineers *giveaway*

**Giveaway is now closed! Congratulations to Brandon, comment #57! Enjoy!!**

My engineer of a husband was just about as excited as the kids when we opened a big box to reveal two boxes of K'NEX! My kids love building and creating with blocks and Legos and such, but we've never tried out K'NEX before because I thought my kids were too young!

My son was screaming in excitement when he saw the K'NEX Sesame Street Collection Building Set, designed for ages 2-5. It lets children build and then play with their favorite Sesame Street friends, including Elmo, Cookie Monster and Ernie. We got this Sesame Street Police Car Building Set featuring ELMO, much to my son's delight. His big sisters helped him put it together. The pieces were easy for little hands to handle, being nice and big. And the directions were clear enough for my 5-year-old to follow with minimal questions. He LOVED it! He loved it so much that he insisted on taking it into the bath with him and took a nap with it. Really.

While he played with his police car, the rest of us tore into the K'NEX 400 piece tub. The girls poured over the instruction book that has ideas for 20 different models and decided they wanted to build the swing. We all worked together and pretty soon we had this:

Next, they decided to make the most complicated model in the book. Of course! So we tackled the Ferris Wheel with amazing results:

We loved K'NEX! When we opened the tub up, my 6-year-old daughter said, "Yuck! Boy toys!" But she changed her tune quickly and had a great time playing! K'NEX are fabulous for developing fine motor school, creativity and problem solving. And everything is interchangeable with Legos and other K'NEX sets, so you can really expand your building possibilities with these K'NEX sets!

During the months of November and December, K'NEX (a Philly company!) is donating 10% of online sales on knex.com to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. How awesome is that?

K'NEX is offering a lucky Girlymama reader a K'NEX 400 Piece Tub AND a set from the Sesame Street Neighborhood Collection!! Here's how to enter: 

1. Contest ends Friday, December 18.
2. Entry #1: Leave a comment just saying you want to win.
3. Entry #2: Leave a SEPARATE comment telling me what Sesame Street character is your favorite.
4. Entry #3:  Leave another comment telling me in what way you promoted this contest (i.e., posting about it on your blog or Facebook, Tweeting about it, emailing  friends, and/or subscribe to my feed by email or in a reader).
5. Winners will be selected by Random.org, announced back here on this post, and notified via email with further instructions.

Good luck!!

cuisinart rice plus multicooker

I have a teeny-tiny kitchen. Not as small as my old kitchen which had 2 square feet of counter space (literally) but still pretty small.

Why am I sharing this? Because I have to be  very picky about what I allow into my kitchen. And - believe me - this is very hard. I love to cook, I love to bake and I LOVE dishes.

So when I learned all about the Cuisinart Rice Plus Multi-Cooker, I was immediately interested. (I already have a rice cooker that is currently residing in my attic.) But this doesn't just cook rice. The Cuisinart Rice Plus Multi-Cooker has pre-programmed options instantly prepare white rice, sushi rice, brown rice, risotto, and oatmeal. It also has functions for slow cooking, steaming, and soup. And has a Quick Cooking and a Reheat function. 

What they say:

• Fuzzy logic technology adjusts operation to match fluctuations in cooking.
• Programmable timer lets you set the start time up to 24 hours in advance.
• Nonstick aluminum pot resists stains and odors, promising carefree cleanup.
• Removable parts are dishwasher safe.
• Automatically switches to Keep Warm after cooking is complete, for up to 24 hours.
• Programmable Finish Time allows user to set when dish will be ready.

What I say:

Now THIS can have a place on my counter. Amazing.
My favorite things are the simplest: being able to set the timer for when I want things to be done, not when I want it to turn on, everything being dishwasher safe, and being able to press a button and it will cook whatever I want perfectly.

The versatility of the Cuisinart Rice Plus Multicooker impressed me. It is perfect for those busy nights when I'm coming home from soccer practice with hungry kids and I need dinner ready and waiting. I ditched my old rice cooker mainly because the brown rice was never quite done - it drove me crazy! But this cooks my brown rice perfectly. I'm dying to make risotto (which I've been too intimidated to try until now!)  and I haven't tried to slow cook anything yet.

I'm loving the soup function to heat up soup I had in the freezer, I've steamed potstickers to perfection with the Steam function (much easier than bamboo steamers!) and think the Quick Cook function is an absolute lifesaver! (I always forget to start the rice for some reason.)

If you have a small kitchen like me and need to maximize every inch, you will LOVE the multifunctional Cuisinart Rice Plus Multi-Cooker. And busy families will see this as an absolute lifesaver!

disclosure: i received a cuisinart rice plus multi-cooker from cuisinart to review. i was not compensated financially for this post.

just dance for wii

Dance to the rhythm of your favorite beat with Ubisoft’s Just Dance , a music & rhythm video game that allows you to dance the night away with your friends and family without ever leaving the house. 

What they say:
Just Dance

• Real music, real dance moves: step to the beat of over 30 dance songs and learn real-life moves from music spanning the 80’s, 90’s, Disco, Rock and more.
• Start the party right: play Just Dance with anyone and everyone you know via fun 4 player party modes.
• The dance game for everyone: no large or complex accessories required, anyone can easily pick-up and play using the intuitive wii-mote & nun-chuck control scheme.
• Feel good, stay fit: burn calories, stay fit, and enjoy a fun workout all while having a blast with your favorite songs
• Killer Soundtrack: iconic hits including “Womanzier”, “I like to move it” by real to real, “DARE” by Gorillaz, and much, much more.

What I say:

OHMYGOSH, THIS GAME IS SO FUN!!!!!

Okay - I love to dance and actually minored in dance in college (which comes in handy all the time), so I'm biased. And my kids and I have dance parties in our living room at least once a week. So we're all biased because this game is PERFECT for us!!

First, the music is amazing. What a playlist!!! And if you are shy - this game is not for you. You can not care who's watching - if it says to do the Running Man, you better do it with all you've got or you won't score points! (Its a great workout too, by the way! Jeez, I needed a nap after we were done!)

My girls - ages 5 and 6 - were absolutely hysterical with this game. Watching them try and do the moves was a riot, but they were literally rolling on the floor watching Daddy try and get down! They immediately decided to bring this game to my mom's at Christmas and making all their uncles play. (I'd post a video of that for you, but that would probably get me thrown in the pool. In December.)

This game is super fun for anyone on your list! Give it a try!

disclaimer: i received a copy of just dance to review from ubisoft. i was not compensated financially for this post.

imagine: detective

Look out Nancy Drew! (Did I just age myself?)  Here comes Kirsten Spark!! And she's the star in one of  Ubisoft's games for girls: Imagine: Detective.

What they say:
Imagine: Detective

• Play as an independent adventurous feminine heroine, Kirsten Spark, ready to clear her school from bullies and her town from bandits
• Use your wit, your feminine 6th sense, your photographic memory and your karate skills. Analyze clues sent by your friends and blog readers.
• Publish your findings in your personal blog and make your traffic grow. Get money from sponsors and fatten up your toy art collection.
• Dive into a captivating trilogy, it’s only the first episode!

What I say:

Here's another example of why I love Ubisoft's games for girls! So fun!

I loved that girls can play as a strong, smart heroine to solve mysteries and take an active role in protecting the people in her community! Now that's a heroine I want my daughters to play - I just love it. I'm a huge proponent of finding strong female characters to show my daughters - like Mulan as opposed to Ariel - so that totally sold me on this game. (And how fun is it that you run a BLOG in the game? Hee hee hee!!) And it was just  fun to play - I really enjoyed the mini-games and trying to figure things out - I felt like I was really having to use my brain to put everything together. Not typical for a video game!

This is a little too advanced for my 6-year-old, but I'm defiantly passing this on to my 14-year-old cousin. The whole time I was playing, all I could think of was how much she would love this. And how much I would love for her to play a game with such a strong female character!  I highly recommend this game for any tween girl on your list!!

disclaimer: i received a copy of imagine: detective to review and a nintendo ds in order to do the reviewing from ubisoft. i was not compensated financially for this post.

funky monkey: natural, healthy snacks for kids

Funky Monkey Snacks are a line of freeze-dried fruit  for parents and kids alike. Their “fruit that crunches” provides the ultimate snack, fusing the great taste, smell, and nutritional goodness of fresh fruit with the crunch and convenience of conventional snacks.

What they say:

• they are gluten-free, sugar-free and preservative free
• three servings of fruit in each bag
• vegan, gluten-free, and certified Kosher
• tasty, crunchy, and convenient snacks with the wholesome goodness of real fruit.
• Comes in 5 flavors: Applemon, Pink Pineapple, MangOJ, Bananamon, Purple Funk, Jav A Lime and Carnaval Mix.

What we say:

We got to try out Funky Monkey's newest flavors, Applemon, Pink Pineapple and MangOJ. Pink Pineapple (Pineapple and Guava flavor) was my favorite, but none of my kids liked that one. (It was really quite tart - too much for them and had guava, which I love!) All three of my kids liked the Applemon (Apple and Cinnamon)  flavor the best, and my son liked the MangOJ (Mango and Orange) as well. 

Overall, my older girls weren't huge fans of the texture, but my one-year-old son was gobbling them up as fast as I could give them to him. These are terrific snacks for toddlers - very easy to pick up and chew! And they have a natural sweetness that won't spoil them for real fruit (unlike traditional 'fruit snacks' - but I won't start ranting about those here ;-)

Give these a try - especially if you have toddlers who have trouble eating fruit!! You can just throw a bag in your purse or in your car and have them handy when you need to bribe, I mean feed your hungry kids. Personally, I'm a huge fan of any company who is designing and marketing healthy, natural food with kids in mind. From a mom who is constantly striving to feed healthy food to her kids, Thank you, Funky Monkey!

Funky Monkey Snacks are available at Amazon.com.

disclaimer: i received packages of funky monkey snacks to review. i was not compensated financially for this post.

disney of ice is coming to philly!

Earlier this year, my family went to Disney on Ice and it was AWESOME.  Now a new Disney on Ice show is coming back to Philly and we are sooo excited! December 23-January 3, Disney on Ice presents Let's Celebrate! It’s one colossal party on ice, with all your favorite Disney friends!  Enjoy a winter wonderland with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, a Halloween haunt with the Disney Villains, a Very Merry Unbirthday Party, a Royal Ball with the Disney Princesses and more in a magical medley of holidays, celebrations and festivals from around the globe.

Thanks to Mom Central and the Feld Family Activator Program my family will be there once again on opening night for Disney on Ice. To say that my girls are super-dooper-crazy-excited would be the understatement of the year! They loved - LOVED - Disney on Ice last time and this is going to be the perfect way to start off our Christmas vacation! (Again, I apologize in advance if you are sitting in front of us... you may no longer be able to hear because of their high-pitched little girl squeals at seeing their beloved Disney characters in real life!!)

This would make an AMAZING gift for the holidays!!! If you have little people in your life, you don't want to miss this show! And Mom Central is offering a super discount: use the coupon code MOM at www.ComcastTix.com in the promotional box — for four tickets for $44 for Monday-Friday matinee shows, and $4 off Friday night and weekend shows; any additional weekday tickets are still priced at  $11. 

imagine salon stylist and imagine teacher class trip

When I was growing up (in the prehistoric world before there were video games for girls), I spent hours playing hair salon and school. I had two little sisters and they were constantly being roped into being my students or sitting still while I did their hair over and over.  So I was super excited to recapture my childhood and try out two new  Ubisoft games: Imagine: Salon Stylist and Imagine Teacher: Class Trip.

What they say:
Imagine: Salon Stylist

• Run Your Own Beauty Salon – Develop your clientele and reputation as you make your customers beautiful in your own salon.
• Creative Styling Tools – Unleash your creativity in over a dozen beauty workshops, including hairstyling, hair color and accessories, and makeup application.
• Design Your Salon – Customize your salon so that it matches your style. • Unlock new furniture and color palettes or purchase them with the money you’ve earned.

Imagine Teacher: Class Trip

• Select and teach morning lessons in a variety of subjects, including Math, Science and Nature, and Geography
• Grade your students’ work and keep them attentive during class.
• Guide your class to clues and souvenirs on an exciting outdoor treasure hunt that will test their knowledge.
  -Select your star students to ace pop quizzes
  - Encourage teamwork and bonding to boost your scores
  -Discover and foil traps set up by other competitors
  
• Enjoy a variety of fun mini-games set outside from the forest to the lake shore.

What I say:

These games are a perfect example of why I love Ubisoft's Imagine line of games. They've really researched what girls love and turned it into a game that is both educational and fun.  Even though I'm a grown up now, I had so much fun playing these! I wish they had been invented 20 years ago when I was a tween! Imagine Teacher is so cute - I loved making the lesson plans and the games were so fun. I loved watching the class's reactions and taking them on the afternoon adventures.  Salon Stylist was terrific - but I didn't get to play it very long because my girls' stole it from me and wouldn't give it back. They just loved doing the beauty workshops!

And once again, I'm thrilled that Ubisoft takes the game to the next level by adding the business side of the Salon to the game - girls won't just be doing people's hair, but learning how to please customers and run a business!

I'm passing these on to my 10-year-old niece. The whole time I was playing, all I could think of was how much she would love these games.  I highly recommend both of these for any tween girl on your list!!

disclaimer: i received a copy of imagine salon stylist and imagine teacher: class trip to review and a nintendo ds in order to do the reviewing from ubisoft. i was not compensated financially for this post.

When I was growing up (in the prehistoric world before there were video games for girls), I spent hours playing hair salon and school. I had two little sisters and they were constantly being roped into being my students or sitting still while I did their hair over and over.  So I was super excited to recapture my childhood and try out two new  Ubisoft games: Imagine: Salon Stylist and Imagine Teacher: Class Trip.

What they say:
Imagine: Salon Stylist

• Run Your Own Beauty Salon – Develop your clientele and reputation as you make your customers beautiful in your own salon.
• Creative Styling Tools – Unleash your creativity in over a dozen beauty workshops, including hairstyling, hair color and accessories, and makeup application.
• Design Your Salon – Customize your salon so that it matches your style. • Unlock new furniture and color palettes or purchase them with the money you’ve earned.

Imagine Teacher: Class Trip

• Select and teach morning lessons in a variety of subjects, including Math, Science and Nature, and Geography
• Grade your students’ work and keep them attentive during class.
• Guide your class to clues and souvenirs on an exciting outdoor treasure hunt that will test their knowledge.
  -Select your star students to ace pop quizzes
  - Encourage teamwork and bonding to boost your scores
  -Discover and foil traps set up by other competitors
  
• Enjoy a variety of fun mini-games set outside from the forest to the lake shore.

What I say:

These games are a perfect example of why I love Ubisoft's Imagine line of games. They've really researched what girls love and turned it into a game that is both educational and fun.  Even though I'm a grown up now, I had so much fun playing these! I wish they had been invented 20 years ago when I was a tween! Imagine Teacher is so cute - I loved making the lesson plans and the games were so fun. I loved watching the class's reactions and taking them on the afternoon adventures.  Salon Stylist was terrific - but I didn't get to play it very long because my girls' stole it from me and wouldn't give it back. They just loved doing the beauty workshops!

And once again, I'm thrilled that Ubisoft takes the game to the next level by adding the business side of the Salon to the game - girls won't just be doing people's hair, but learning how to please customers and run a business!

I'm passing these on to my 10-year-old niece. The whole time I was playing, all I could think of was how much she would love these games.  I highly recommend both of these for any tween girl on your list!!

disclaimer: i received a copy of imagine salon stylist and imagine teacher: class trip to review and a nintendo ds in order to do the reviewing from ubisoft. i was not compensated financially for this post.

wii party - rabbids go home and cloudy with a chance of meatballs

We got to try out two new family games for our beloved Wii - Rabbids Go Home and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs .

What they say:
Rabbids Go Home

• The Rabbids’ First Comedy-Adventure: Control two Raving Rabbids pushing a shopping cart and cause mayhem in a world full of uptight humans with shopping on the brain. Collect varying sizes of stuff needed to reach the moon.
• Make a huge mess and provoke hilarious situations in over 15 striking game environments: Scour through supermarkets, race across rooftops, jet past airports and boost through the Bayou, visiting the game’s unique take on everyday places.
• Play over 40 missions: Race, chase, boost and generally run amok, while scaring the humans right down to their undies - literally!
• Unique Art Direction: Encounter a cast of colorful, oddball characters and explore a remarkable parody of the modern world as if you were living inside an interactive cartoon!
• Variety of Gameplay: Soup-up your shopping cart with a Jet Ski, an airplane reactor, or a hospital Bubble Bed, to wreak MORE havoc everywhere you turn! Learn to pilot your cart while boosting, jumping, gliding, floating and flying.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

• Play Flint, hero of the movie, and save the town from the rain of food! Use wacky and fun gadgets Flint invented to move, transform, and destroy giant pieces of food!
• Explore 20 levels and environments from the movie and beyond, from Jello-Land to Ice Cream Falls!
• Have fun with friends in two-player co-op mode starring Steve, Flint’s sidekick monkey

What we say:
My girls did not have a clue what was going on during Rabbids Go Home, being 5 & 6 and its rated 10+. The use of the Wii remote and the nunchuck is a little advanced for them. But that did not stop them from giggling hysterically at every scene. (I found the humor little crude, but isn't that what kids find the most hilarious? Clearly, whoever designed this game knows what kids find funny! I'm so sending this to my 14-year-old cousin. This game is exactly his sense of humor - he would totally love it!!) The open world structure is really cool - and will keep the game from getting old.  (The DS version was the same basic storyline, but is actually a different game. The rabbids have to solve puzzles in each level, complete with brain teasers and challenges, to gain the garbage they need to reach the moon. The Wii version was more fun for the kids, but I liked the DS version better!)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was okay. I confess that I didn't see the movie its based on (under protest of them changing such a Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs from my childhood) and it seems like this game is geared towards for fans of the movie. I liked how the levels are short enough to do a bit at a time (a plus, from a parents point of view) and gameplay was straightforward and logical. (I don't read directions. So I hate complicated games. Ahem.) My girls were not really interested in this one - but your average elementary age boy will enjoy this fun food fight!!

disclaimer: i received copies of rabbids go home and cloudy with a chance of meatballs to review  from ubisoft. i was not compensated financially for this post.

imagine fashion designer: world tour and imagine boutique owner

By now you know how we love Ubisoft's imagine games in our house. This week we got to try two new imagine games: Imagine: Fashion Designer World Tour and Imagine: Boutique Owner .

What they say:
Imagine: Fashion Designer World Tour

• Travel the World – Promote your fashion brand all over the world as you set up runway shows, photo shoots and celebrity endorsements.
  
• Design Your Brand – Create a fashion collection under your own label.
  -Choose your brand name and customize your own logo from a variety of fonts, backgrounds, and colors.
  -Design amazing collections of different themes.
  -Go shopping to accessorize your designs, from shoes and jewelry to hats and purses.
• Become a Fashion Expert – Become a world-famous fashion trends expert as you travel the world looking for the hottest fashions.

Imagine: Boutique Owner

• Run a Gift Boutique – Welcome customers to your shop and assist them in choosing the perfect gift for every occasion, from chocolates and jewelry to posters and games.
• Create Gifts in a Variety of Workshops - Personalize customers’ gifts by customizing them in fun mini-games! Create cakes, bouquets, necklaces, and more!
• Decorate Your Boutique - Put the spirit of celebration in your shop for all the major holidays! Celebrate occasions like Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, and more!
• Encourage Return Customers - Please as many customers as you can with your unique products, offer complimentary gift wrapping with the most unique papers and ribbons; you can even create a loyalty program and reward your favorite customers!

What I say:
If you have a budding fashionista in your life, these are PERFECT! My girls were a bit young (at 5 & 6) to really appreciate all the games had to offer, but even they enjoyed designing outfits and decorating their little boutiques.

Personally, I thought these games were super fun - seeing as I'm totally into fashion myself :-) I preferred the Boutique Owner game - I had fun designing and running my little shop. ("Mom, can I have the DS back now?" may or may not have been heard. Ahem.)  If you are shopping for a girl around age 10 or above who just loves reading fashion magazines and shopping, either of these games would be a perfect fit!!

disclaimer: i received a copy of imagine fashion designer and imagine boutique owner to review and a nintendo ds in order to do the reviewing from ubisoft. i was not compensated financially for this post.