12/20/12: Heelys Socialite Cute Shoes for Girls

I posted previously about back to school Heelys.  The last post was about a pair of Heelys for boys but this time I wanted to highlight a cool looking pair of Heelys for girls. 

How cute are these Heelys style Socialite?  They are designed like Mary Janes and with the purple flower my daughter was in love!  You probably expect designs that look like sneakers from Heelys but I bet you didn't expect this super cute design. 

They are super cute.  Heelys are for the whole family.  I have a pair, Evan has a pair and now Lauren has a pair.   

Lauren showing me how awesome they look. 

 Here are Lauren and Evan showing off their super cool Heelys.

Lauren showing me how she can skate with her Heelys.  She needs some practice but she especially enjoyed when I held both of her hands and she could slide between my legs.  She was giggling away and saying again, again. 

It was super easy to pop in the wheels and take them off.  There is even an instructional video online.

You can purchase Heelys through Heelys' online shop http://shop.heelys.com/, as well as through popular online retailers, such as Zappos and Amazon.

What can you do to give Heelys some love:

“Like” the Heelys Facebook page.

Follow @HeelysWorldwide on Twitter

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/heelys/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/Heelysworldwide

Disclosure:  Heelys were provided to me for my daughter to review.  All opinions stated are my own and no other compensation was received for my review.

12/20/12: Littlest Pet Shop Toys from Hasbro

Littlest Pet Shop toys are so cute.  They are so adorable.  Plus now they walk with the new Littlest Pet Shop Walkables!  We received the Butterfly and Lauren had fun playing with her.

Lauren watching her go.  Her wings flap as she moves and she has a small button on her head to stop her.

She thought the butterfly was very pretty and she loved her sparkles.

 Here here is the butterfly up close.

 We also got the Littlest Pet Shop Series 3 Collectible Figure Penguin. I love that he is on a jet ski and has cute little goggles.

 Lauren was making him ride some high waves.

And of course the most fun is having them play together.

 She really had fun playing with both of them and thought they were super cute.  Seriously how adorable is he?  

I saw them at Toy Fair in New York first at the Hasbro Showroom.  There is a Cat, Seal, Bee, Bunny, Elephant, Octopus and so much more! 

Stay tuned as I will also be reviewing   The First DVD Collection from the Littlest Pet Shop Animated Television Series after the new year.

 You can go here on the Hasbro website and check out Littlest Pet Shop toys.
You can follow Hasbro on Twitter here: @HasbroNews

Disclosure:  I was provided with these Littlest Pet Shop toys for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

12/17/12: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days

I had heard really good things about the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books so when I had the opportunity to review the movie I knew the kids would like it.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days Releases TOMORROW on Blu-ray and DVD!

I really enjoyed the movie.  It was a fun movie of a kid who loved to play video games and had dreams of staying in all summer to play them have a great time outdoors having fun with friends and a girl he has a crush on.  Plus folding in some great Dad and Son time in between.

 It is always funny to watch someone play Tennis that really doesn't know how to play.  It gave the kids some laughs.

All the characters are pretty likable and my kids really enjoyed the movie.  I liked it too.  It definitely is a fun movie to watch and now my son wants to read the books.

More about the movie:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 Everybody’s favorite wimp, Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon), is back for three times the fun in the latest film based on the super-popular book series! When Greg’s dad (Steve Zahn) 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 film! Director: David Bowers Screenplay by: Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky, based upon the book by Jeff Kinney Producers: Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson Cast: Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, and Steve Zahn 

Here is some video of an Alternate Ending:

And some deleted scenes:

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

12/16/12: Splat Strike Amazing Spiderman from Tech4Kids

Next up in my Holiday Gift Guide is the Splat Strike Amazing Spiderman from Tech4Kids.  Lots of fun for kids to play with and can be washed with warm water to play over and over again.

It comes with two lizard crawlers that you put on a wall or flat vertical surface.  They climb down your wall as you launch sticky red shots to fling at them and a launcher.  My son has always loved little sticky guys that climb down the wall.  I even get a kick out of them.

Evan and Lauren liked throwing them at them instead of using the launcher.

Here you can see the Lizard crawler and red sticky shooter.  They are really sticky but as I said earlier can be washed with warm water if they start to collect dust/hair or anything else.

Here it is as packaged.  They also have Splat Strike Angry Birds that I know Evan would love.

Here is a short video of it in action from Tech4Kids.

Like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tech4kids

Follow them on Twitter:  @TechFourKids

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

12/15/12: Cool Baker Cake Pop Maker from Spin Master

Next up for my 2012 Holiday Gift Guide is another one for the girls from Spin Master Toys.  It is the Umagine Cool Baker Cake Pops.  I love to cake decorate and have made Hello Kitty Cake Pops for Lauren's birthday so I knew she would enjoy this.

 1st you start by stirring the batter.  It comes with packets that make up to 4 cake pops.  All you do is mix the packet with 2 spoonfuls of warm water.  The spoon is included along with the mixing bowls.  Everything you need to make the pops is included.

Once it is completely mixed you put it in to the top of the Cake Pop Maker. Then you just crank it to put the batter in to the cake pop forms.  This worked really well and filled the domes.

Here is what it looks like.  It is really easy to put together and easy to clean.

After the mixture goes in to the cake pop form all you do is put the sticks in and then put them in to the refrigerator for 15 minutes. 

After they come out of the fridge you remove the dome by unsnapping the sides.  They pop out pretty easily and then you can put the icing on.  Here is Lauren making her icing.

Then you can decorate them which of course is the fun part.  After you dip them in the frosting you can add sprinkles.  It comes with sprinkles but of course you could use any of your own.  Here it is with all colored sprinkles. 

Or you can put the sprinkles in the stencils and make designs on your cake pop.  I thought this was a cool idea and may use these stencils when I make my own cake pops. 

Yum!  Lauren really liked the way they tasted.  She ate three of them! 

Sprinkles, yum! 

 Here it is as packaged.

Here is a short video on them:

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

Follow on Twitter: 

Spin Master Toys: @SpinMasterToys

Disclosure:  I received the Cake Pop Maker for review purposes for my holiday gift guide.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

12/14/12: The Odd Life of Timothy Green Review

I had the honor of receiving one of the most magical family movie's recently to review.  The movie is Disney's The Odd Life of Timothy Green.  It is truly a movie you can feel good about watching as a family.

The story starts with Cindy (Jennifer Garner) and Jim Green (Joel Edgerton) finding out that it will not be possible to conceive a child.  More than anything they want their own child and they start to envision what this Perfect Child would be like as seen through this clip.

They write down all of their thoughts on little scraps of paper and bury them in the yard in the garden.  Miraculously a little boy comes to them during the night with leaves growing out of his legs.

This little boy truly touches everyone he meets despite being different.  Everyone is changed for the better after meeting him.

I have to bring up one quote that I absolutely loved.  On Timothy's first day of school, Jim Green says to him "Have a good day" and Cindy says to him "too much pressure" and he then says "Have the day you have".  I love that!

Here's some behind the scenes from Director Peter Hedges':

The relationship between the characters was so real.  Especially between the Green family.  Here is some behind the scenes on Jennifer and Joe's On-Screen Relationship

Timothy also met a friend and through Timothy she embraced how she was different.

I am not going to lie there is a sad ending and I did cry, however it was an uplifting ending too that makes you feel that everything is going to be ok.

Here are some activities you can do that is great for the holidays with pictures of family on a tree:

More about the movie:

FROM THE MAGICAL WORLD OF DISNEY COMES A FAMILY FILM WITH HEART, HUMOR AND FUN Releases In Full Bloom For the Holidays on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, High Definition Digital and On-Demand, December 4, 2012 

Disney’s “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” one of the year’s most uplifting and enchanting family films, springs up on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, High Definition Digital and On-Demand platforms on December 4, 2012. It’s the perfect, must-own family-film for audiences of all ages to enjoy and snuggle up to this coming holiday season. From Academy Award-nominated writer/director Peter Hedges (Dan in Real Life, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape), and starring Golden Globe® winner Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, Oscar® winner Dianne Wiest and CJ Adams as Timothy Green, comes this highly imaginative story about a happily married couple who can’t wait to start a family but can only dream about what their child would be like. Then one stormy night young Timothy shows up on their doorstep. Soon they and the small town in which they live learn that sometimes the unexpected can bring some of life’s greatest gifts. The story is written by Ahmet Zappa (“American Gangster,” “Changeling”). “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” Blu-ray Combo Pack provides viewers with the chance to delve deeper into this captivating movie experience through never-before-seen bonus features, including the documentary “Family Roots: Bringing ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’ to the Screen,” which looks at this unique family story and the creative team that brought it to life; “Glen Hansard: Behind ‘This Gift” – the Academy Award® winning songwriter tells how he and Marketa Irglova crafted the moving end-credits song; “This Gift” Music Video by Glen Hansard; Five all-new deleted scenes; and a director audio-commentary.

“Like” them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OddLifeMovie

Follow them on Twitter at: @OddLifeMovie

Follow them on Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/disneystudios/the-odd-life-of-timothy-green/

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

12/13/12: Great Stocking Stuffers from The Wish Factory

I always struggle trying to find meaningful cute stocking stuffers for my kids.  The Wish Factory has some items that are perfect for my daughter.  One Direction has you probably know is very hot right now.  In fact I even get the song "What Makes You Beautiful" stuck in my head.  Here is Lauren proudly displaying her One Direction charm bracelet which she likes to wear as a necklace.  She told me received many compliments at school.

The Wish Factory came out with a brand new line of 1D licensed products are here and for #Directioners everywhere!  They have the largest and broadest collection of novelties featuring One Direction, including fashionable wristbands, 3D clip-ons, key chains, dog tags, dioramas, earbud charms and more, all within an affordable price range of $5-$15. 

 Here is the charm bracelet with Louis.  These are perfect for stocking stuffers or for school grab gifts.

Here is a cool little key chain of Zayn.  This is sort of cute.

 Here he is out of the little dome.

You can check out The Wish Factory Website for all products.

Like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWishFactory

Follow them on Twitter:  @wishfactory

Disclosure:  I received these products for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.