10/31/12: 007 Car and Beat Makerz Car from Toy State

Adding to my Holiday Gift Guide is a fun toy for any boy on your list. Toy State released cool cars in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond movie franchise.  This is a new line under the 007 brand.  The one I received is the  Die Another Day 007 Aston Marton V12 Vanquish Secret Agent Car.   

Despite Evan now knowing who 007 is he still can identify with Spy cars.  Being a 7 year old boy he is very in to Spy gear.  He was very excited to see the cool features on this toy.

As a matter of fact so was our dog.  Fred really liked chasing the car around.  It moves, plays Bond music, lights up and has guns that pop up and make shooting noises.

You can see this better in the short video of it in action (excuse the darkness as we have no power thanks to Hurricane Sandy):

Here it is in the box.  It does include batteries which is always a plus when you have an impatient child waiting for you to open a toy.

Here is some more information about the 007 line:

Designed with the aspiring secret agent and ultimate James Bond fan in mind, the 007™ toy line feature replicas of the cars seen in popular Bond films such as Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever and Quantum of Solace, as well as the top secret feature car from the upcoming latest installment in the franchise, Skyfall. Featuring classic Aston Martin, Lotus and Ford models, each 007 car is fully equipped with Toy State’s best-in-class lights and sound play features, including Bond-style alterations straight from Q’s lab! Unlock secret weapon reveals, dramatic spinout and chase sequences, and exciting radio-controlled wheelie action, with the iconic James Bond Theme serving as the soundtrack for all of the play fun!

“Toy State has effectively captured 007’s signature style in creating authentic replicas of some of the James Bond franchise’s most celebrated cars,” said Michael Tavares, Licensing Director of Danjaq LLC. “We look forward to the release of these toys and seeing their contribution to the excitement of our 50th Anniversary year and the release of Skyfall worldwide.”

We also received the Toy State Beat Markerz Car.  This car is cool in the fact that it lights up and plays some cool music.  You can even control the music.

 With the DUB Beat Makerz DL4 Luxury Car your child can be a DJ! There is a sound board on top of the vehicle to select which instruments you want to play.  You can even scratch and use car effects.  Very cool. 

Here it is as packaged:

Here is some video of it in action:

 You can find more info from the Toy State Website.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ToyState

Twitter: @toystate

Disclosure:  This toy was received for review purposes.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions are my own.

10/29/12: Happy Halloween from Wreck-It Ralph

In honor of Disney's WRECK-IT RALPH coming out this Friday I wanted to share some downloads and links for your kids to play some games from the movie.

Here is a Ralph mask.

Here is a Ralph Pumpkin Stencil.

Here is a Vanellope Mask.

Another Vanellope Mask.

I was able to see an advanced screening of the movie with my kids and we really enjoyed it.  The movie really is a lot of fun.

Here is a new clip from the movie.

Let your kids play the games featured in the film now on the official Wreck-It Ralph website!

Play Fix-It Felix, Jr. featuring Wreck-It Ralph :  http://di.sn/e4w 

Play Sugar Rush Speedway featuring Vanellope von Schweetz :  http://di.sn/e4x 

Play Hero's Duty featuring Sergeant Calhoun :  http://di.sn/n5K 

Give WRECK-IT RALPH some love:

"Like" WRECK-IT RALPH on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WreckItRalph

"Follow" WRECK-IT Ralph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wreckitralph

Visit the official site: www.disney.com/wreckitralph

Disclosure:  No compensation was received for this post.  I have been provided 4 tickets for my family to see the Advanced Screening of the movie.

10/29/12: Secret of the Wings Starring Tinker Bell

My daughter loves Tinker Bell so we were extremely excited with the release of the new Tinker Bell Movie "Secret of the Wings".  This is the next addition to my Holiday Gift Guide for 2012.

In this movie you discover that Tinker Bell was born out of the same baby's laugh that another fairy was, making them sisters!  Her sister Periwinkle lives in the Winter Woods which is a place that warm fairies can not go.  We find that their wings light up when they are together showing they are sisters.

You really felt for the characters and my 5 year old daughter, Lauren even cried at one point at the thought of the sisters not being able to be together.  I am always amazed at how animated films can evoke this emotion.  This is a huge credit to Disney in the way they tell their stories.  The fairies are so much alike.  Tinker Bell collects Lost Things, and Periwinkle calls them Found Things.

Since the first Tinker Bell movie Lauren has loved her.  Every visit to Disney World has involved a visit to Tinker Bell.  This was Lauren's 1st time meeting her and she was so thrilled.

 Both of the kids love Tinker Bell.

 And they love getting hugs from her.  I could stand there all day and listen to Tinker Bell talk.

The DVD also includes extra bonus material.  One mini-movie that we enjoyed was the Pixie Hollow Games.  Quite a nod to the Olympics the different groups of fairies compete in several events.  It is funny to watch Rosetta evolve during this mini-movie and become an athlete and "Dig Down Deeper".  Lauren especially enjoyed the music video for "Dig Down Deeper" and "Great Divide".  She was dancing all over when this was on.

Here is the "Great Divide" Music Video:

Here is our very own copy.  This set includes the Blu-ray 3D.

Here is a clip of the movie:

More about the movie:

The Walt Disney Studios unveils an all-new, original full-length CG-animated feature film, “Secret of the Wings,” starring Tinker Bell, one of Disney’s most beloved and iconic characters, along with her fairy friends (Fawn, Iridessa, Rosetta, Silvermist and Vidia) and introducing a sparkling new winter fairy, Periwinkle.  

For Tinker Bell and the other warm season fairies, the Winter Woods remains a mysterious and forbidden place.  “Secret of the Wings” takes audiences on an amazing journey of discovery with Tink, into this forbidden world where she discovers a magical secret that changes her life forever.

A magical fairy adventure for the whole family, “Secret of the Wings” features a spectacular voice cast including Academy Award®-Winner Anjelica Huston (TV’s ‘Smash’), Timothy Dalton (TV’s ‘Chuck’, The Living Daylights), Lucy Liu (TV’s ‘Southland’, Charlie’s Angels), Raven-Symoné (TV’s ‘That’s So Raven’), Megan Hilty (TV’s ‘Smash’), Pamela Adlon (TV’s ‘Californication’), Matt Lanter (TV’s ‘90210’), Debby Ryan (TV’s ‘Jesse’) and Mae Whitman (TV’s ‘Parenthood’), and introducing the sparkling new winter fairy, PERIWINKLE, voiced by Lucy Hale (TV’s ‘Pretty Little Liars’).  A DisneyToon Studios production, the film is directed by Peggy Holmes, co-directed by Bobs Gannaway, and produced by Michael Wigert. John Lasseter serves as Executive Producer.

“Secret of the Wings” is Disney’s highly-anticipated all-new movie in the Tinker Bell Disney Fairies film franchise.  To celebrate the upcoming release of “Secret of the Wings,” Disney has launched a new destination in Facebook for parents to stay updated on Disney Fairies news as well as receive the best new content and activities that they can share with their children.

Audiences can become a fan at:  https://www.facebook.com/DisneyFairies. 

You can also log-on to www.Disney.com/SecretofTheWings  to view film clips, etc
http://disneyfairies.com/
Twitter: @DisneyPictures

Disclosure:  I was provided this movie for review.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

10/28/12: La Dee Da Dolls from Spin Master

Next up for my 2012 Holiday Gift Guide is one for the girls from Spin Master Toys.  It is a La Dee Da doll.  We received City Girl Dee who's secret talent is blogging!  How cute is that?  Of course I could appreciate it.

"La Dee Da encourages all girls to design their world and turn ordinary to extraordinary."  An online component will be introduced to enhance play at www.LaDeeDa.com and innovative apps and games will be developed for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. 

Here she is as packaged.

Lauren has seen advertisements for these dolls and was very excited when it arrived.  In fact I can't get the La La La Dee Da song out of my head.  Here she is switching things around.  The bow on her dress and the flower in her hair Velcro on so that you can swap them.

Of course little girls love to accessorize so she was excited to see that Dee had earrings and a beautiful bracelet.

Lauren thought she was very pretty and carried her around the rest of the day.  Lauren loves dresses so she loved her doll's dress.  Her leggings can also be made it to leg warmers.

The doll is very beautifully done.  Look at the detail on her face.  Check out her Statue of Liberty eye makeup.  She is a true New York City girl.

Lauren loved her and of course wanted to fix her hair, so here she is with a side pony tail.  She also decided to take her sweater off.  She looks very pretty.

Here are some of the other La Dee Da dolls that I got to see at the Time to Play Holiday Showcase.  They are all well done and retail for about $19.99.

I will be reviewing additional Spin Master Toys for my Holiday Gift Guide too, so stay tuned. 

Like La Dee Da Dolls on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LaDeeDaGirls

Like Spin Master on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpinMasterGames

and

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spin-Master-Toys/110370562325351?nr=105609066138872

Follow on Twitter: 

La Dee Da Girls: @LaDeeDaGirls

Spin Master Toys: @SpinMasterToys

Check out their pins on Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/ladeedagirls/

Disclosure:  I received the La Dee Da doll for review purposes for my holiday gift guide.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

10/28/12: Cra-Z-Art Lite Brix Star Shuttle and Launcher Review

I am kicking off my Holiday Gift Guide for 2012 with one of my favorite toys from the Time to Play Holiday Showcase.  It is Cra-Z-Art's new Lite Brix.  Specifically the Star Shuttle and Launcher caught my eye.  You may remember my post about me wanting to be an Astronaut.  I knew immediately my son would love it.

You may know of Cra-Z-Art as the company that makes creative products for kids, easels, markers, crayons, and other cool products.  You can check out their entire line here.  Let's start with how it all comes packaged.  Here is the box with all of it's contents (minus the cars my son was setting up a jump for).

There were quite a few pieces but as the package says it is for 6+.  We definitely had to help my 7 year old put it together, but we each took sections.  Evan worked on the rocket.

I helped put in the connections for the lights in that assembly.

The nice thing about these blocks is that they also connect to other blocks you may already have.  So you can add some light to other block sets.

Evan playing with that finished product.

I worked on the launch pad and John worked on the Star Shuttle with Evan's help.  Evan also made the 2 astronauts.

 Here is the whole assembly.

 I think this picture is super cool.

 Evan showing me the Star Shuttle and Rocket.

 How cool does this look?

So cool!

Evan playing with it and connecting the connections to make it light up.

A different set of colors.

Showing the pieces separated.

A bit brighter.  We all had fun creating this Star Shuttle.  What a cool innovative toy.

There are nine sets available this holiday season including the Lite Brix™ Space Trooper, Lite Brix™ Lazer Copter™, Lite Brix™ Lumi-Cycle™, Lite Brix™ Lumi-Star Racer™, Lite Brix™ Lite Up Fire Station, Lite Brix™ Super Jet Fighter, Lite Brix™ Star Shuttle and Launcher, Lite Brix™ Extreme City Lights™, and Lite Brix^™ Lumi-Port^™ , which was selected as a Top Holiday Toy for 2012  from Toys "R" Us. I will also be reviewing the Super Jet Fighter.

Backed by major TV advertising, the Full Lite Brix™ line is available at Toys R Us stores nationwide, Barnes and Noble and select other retailers.  

Disclosure:  I received this Lite Brix set for review purposes for my holiday gift guide.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

10/27/12: 7th Annual Monster Mash Halloween Party

Today was our annual Monster Mash Halloween Costume Party.  My Mom started this tradition when I was a kid and now I have continued it with my kids.

 We are missing some in the picture above (about 6 kids) but I needed to catch them at the beginning of the party before parts of their costumes started coming off.  Here are the kids in their costumes.

 The Angry Bird is scaring the princess.

 Now Evan's 2nd costume of the day.  He was also a Fire Fighter.

 Here is the boys table.

And the girls table.

 Here is the Graveyard cake I made.  This is super easy to make.  You use the Oreo cookie crumb cookie crusts and just crumble them up to make the dirt.

 Luckily it was nice weather so the kids got to get outside and enjoy the bounce house.

 Then they came in and decorated cupcakes.  Here is Lauren's creation.

 And Evan's creation.

 I dressed up like a Ghostbuster (my favorite movie of all time!).

 What a great time!

And check out the double rainbow!

What an awesome time!