10/26/12: Halloween Family Night Party at School

We had a very fun time at our school's Halloween Party tonight.  The kids got to decorate pumpkins, do crafts, play games and have a costume parade.

 Here is Lauren decorating her pumpkin.

 Evan doing his.  I got to run this room during the night.

 Here is Lauren with her decorated pumpkin.

 Here are the kids with their friends.

 Craft time.

 Lauren having fun with her treats.

 Evan had a great time too.

 The kids are ready for the Costume parade.  What a fun night.

10/25/12: Monsuno Toys - Fun to Launch and Battle

When I was at Toy Fair I got to tour the JAKKS Pacific showroom in New York and I was introduced to Monsuno.  This is a cool line of toys for both boys and girls. 

 Here you can see the variety in the line.  There are the cores with Monsuno action figures in them, there are launchers, battlefields, and even trading cards.

 They are quite addictive to play with.  You basically spin them to launch them at each other and battle to see one of the figures be released.  When you launch them you say "Monsuno Launch".  To start off you see which core spins the longest and that person is the Defender and launches first in the game.

 There are 100s of figures to collect.

 Here is one close up.  Full directions on three levels of play are here.

 I was fortunate to receive a party pack of Monsuno toys.

 Here are some of the figures.  These are combat two packs.

 As you can see my son loves the blue ones.  He got very good at putting them back in their cores.  Me with my Mechanical Engineering masters had to ask Evan how to do this.

 Here is another one close up with the cards.

 Evan checking everything out.

 We invited some friends over to play with them.  Here are all the kids picking out their cards.

 And of course playing with them.

 The kids had a really fun time battling each other.  The kids really enjoyed playing with them and they seemed to keep their attention for quite a while.  We stuck with the Basic play as they got too confused by other levels of play. 

 These are really cool and I am recommending them as part of my Holiday Gift Guide so go check them out.

Follow Monsuno: https://twitter.com/monsuno

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MonsunoToys
You can also watch full length episodes of Monsuno on Nicktoons! New episodes premiere Thursdays at 8:30PM EST. http://nicktoons.nick.com/videos/monsuno-videos

Disclosure:  I was provided the Monsuno Toys for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

10/25/12: Happy Halloween from Frankenweenie

Happy Halloween from Frankenweenie!  I wanted to provide you some more information about the vision for the film so read on.

 The movie is out in Theaters so go check it out.  My husband saw it and really liked it.

More about the Film:

From Disney comes acclaimed filmmaker Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie,” a visually stunning, black-and white, stop-motion animated film in 3D, featuring the talented voice cast of Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell and Winona Ryder.

“Frankenweenie” is a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.

“Frankenweenie” harkens back to the classic horror films of Tim Burton’s influential youth, not only by filming in black and white, but also in the expression of innocence embodied by the use of stop-motion animation, which respects the simplicity of the story and adds both depth and texture to its presentation.

When Tim Burton originally conceived the idea for “Frankenweenie,” he envisioned it as a full-length, stopmotion animated film. Because of budget constraints, he instead directed it as a live-action short for Disney in 1984. At the time, Burton made drawings of how he imagined the characters.

For this animated feature-length film, he used those original drawings and drew others for all the new characters in the film.  Many of the characters are modeled on the look and traits of characters in classic horror films from the 1930s and several of the character names pay homage to those films.

Burton always wanted to make a feature-film version of “Frankenweenie.” When he was a child, he loved watching classic horror films, especially “Frankenstein.” But what was also compelling to Burton was the personal connection he has to the story of a boy and his dog.

Burton explains: “The reason I originally wanted to make ‘Frankenweenie’ was based on growing up and loving horror movies. But it was also the relationship I had when I was a child with a certain dog that I had. It’s a special relationship that you have in your life and very emotional. Dogs obviously don’t usually live as long as people, so therefore you experience the end of that relationship. So that, in combination with the Frankenstein story, just seemed to be a very powerful thing to me—a very personal kind of remembrance.”

"Like" FRANKENWEENIE on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FrankenweenieMovie

 

Disclosure:  No compensation was received for this post and all opinions are my own.

10/23/12: Stop Zombie Mouth - Give Games Not Cavities

This Halloween the American Dental Association (ADA) and PopCap Games are attempting to redefine what a Halloween “treat” can be by giving a fun game free, instead of candy.  I am lucky enough to be giving away these limited edition trading cards including a code for a free game at my annual Monster Mash Halloween Party that is coming up.

The American Dental Association (ADA) and PopCap Games did a survey of parents trick-or-treating age kids 5 to 13 years old, looking at views and perceptions of Halloween. 

Would you believe that the average child receives just over 90 pieces of candy on Halloween?  I have two kids so that is 180 pieces!  WOW! 

70% of parents agree it would be good if their children received less candy and more non-candy treats. This year, that’s a real possibility, through the PopCap and ADA “Stop Zombie Mouth” campaign which includes the giveaway of millions of coupons redeemable for free copies of the family-friendly hit PopCap® game Plants vs. Zombies®.

Anyone wishing to give away PopCap’s hit Plants vs. Zombies instead of sweets for Halloween this year can download free game coupons (redeemable for the full PC/Mac edition of Plants vs. Zombies) at http://stopzombiemouth.com.  I am lucky enough to be giving my party goers these cute little cards and am proudly displaying my Stop Zombie Mouth poster in my kitchen.

The free codes can be redeemed at http://stopzombiemouth.com starting Oct. 30, but no later than Nov. 10. They are good for the PC or Mac version of the super-popular game, which normally sells for $19.95.

Check out this cute little video:

Want to join the conversation, join the #StopZombieMouth Twitter Party on Wednesday, October 24th 9-10 pm ET with Halloween Party Tips and Great Prizes!

DETAIL AND RSVP FORM:

LOCATION: #StopZombieMouth

http://www.partybluprintsblog.com/uncategorized/stop-zombie-mouth-twitter-party-popcap-ada/

HOSTS: @DawnSandomeno @BethRosen @RoleMommy @Partybluprints and @EvolvingStacey

SPONSORS: @Popcap and The American Dental Association @ADAMouthHealthy

Support the Movemement:

http://stopzombiemouth.com

On Twitter Hashtag: #StopZombieMouth

@PlantsvsZombies

@PopCap

@ADAMouthHealthy

Disclosure:  I was provided cards and posters for promotion.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

10/23/12: Iron Man 3 New Trailer

IRON MAN 3 releases in theaters on May 3, 2013!  I wanted to share with you the new trailer.

Here is the Trailer, it looks great!

Movie Synopsis:

Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, “Iron Man 3” is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of “Tales of Suspense” (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with “The Invincible Iron Man” (#1) in May of 1968.

“Iron Man 3” is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures and DMG Entertainment. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing and Jon Favreau, Louis D'Esposito, Stephen Broussard, Victoria Alonso, Alan Fine, Charles Newirth, Stan Lee and Dan Mintz are executive producers. The film releases May 3, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Visit the website: http://marvel.com/ironman3

Website and Mobile site: IronManMovie3.com

Like Iron Man 3 on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ironman

Follow Iron Man 3 on Twitter: @Iron_Man

Disclosure:  No compensation was received for this post, all opinions are my own.

10/21/12: Boo at the Stone Zoo

We went to Boo at the Zoo today at the Stone Zoo.  The weather was absolutely beautiful for a day out at the Zoo.  This is our 5th time going to this event and we have a great time every time we go.  The kids met a friend at the Zoo.

Of course we had to see the real black bears too.  They are always a favorite of the kids and me too.

Nice Teddy Bear.

Here are the kids checking out the Cougar.

He came right up to the window where the kids were. 

They feed the animals treats in a pumpkin throughout the day.  I have to share one really cool picture of the kids from last year when the Jaguar got fed.

Look at this guy on his bowl.  He was funny. 

 If you missed Boo at the Stone Zoo you can still go to Zoo Howl at the Franklin Park Zoo on October 27th or 28th from 11:00 - 3:00 pm.  Cost is $17 for adults, $11 for children 2-12 and children under 2 are free.

  Of course when you go to Boo at the Zoo you have to go Trick or Treating.  The Stone Zoo always focuses on healthier options.  This year they had Unreal Candy and other treats.

The kids also did crafts and Radio Disney was there with music and a costume contest.
Here goes the Fire Fighter down the pole off to a fire. 

 Love the Gibbons.  They were amazing to watch swinging all over the place.

 The wolves are cool too.  Look at this guy, he looks like he is going to take a bight out of Evan.

 Lauren checking out the wolves.

 The snow leopard is cool too.

What a beautiful day and lots of fun for the kids.

“Like” the Stone Zoo on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stonezoo and follow them on Twitter @zoonewengland

Disclosure:  Tickets were provided to the Zoo.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.