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Sep
6
Would you put your eggs in this basket?
Filed Under DVD | Leave a Comment
Here’s the premise:Successful and single businesswoman Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) has long put her career ahead of a personal life. Now 37, she’s finally determined to have a kid on her own. But her plan is thrown a curve ball after she discovers she has only a million-to-one chance of getting pregnant.
Undaunted, the driven Kate allows South Philly working girl Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler) to become her unlikely surrogate. After learning from the steely head (Sigourney Weaver) of their surrogacy center that Angie is pregnant, Kate goes into precision nesting mode: reading childcare books, baby-proofing the apartment and researching top pre-schools. But the executive’s well-organized strategy is turned upside down when her Baby Mama shows up at her doorstep with no place to live.
An unstoppable force meets an immovable object as structured Kate tries to turn vibrant Angie into the perfect expectant mom. In a comic battle of wills, they will struggle their way through preparation for the baby’s arrival. And in the middle of this tug-of-war, they’ll discover two kinds of family: the one you’re born to and the one you make.
Here’s what I thought:
Although the flick is predictable and not as funny as the trailer leads you to believe I was quite entertained. It helps that I love Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. I was also pleasantly surprised that Steve Martin plays the role of Kate’s health nut boss since there was no mention of him in the trailer.
Baby Mama was more sentimental than I would expect from these expert comedians but it works and does not completely disappoint.
The bonus features include hilarious deleted scenes and an alternate ending which is worth watching.
Baby Mama
hits the street September 9, 2008 and is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language and a drug reference.
Sep
4
The Nightmare Before Christmas Giveaway
Filed Under DVD, contest/giveaway | 150 Comments
Now digitally restored and remastered with state-of-the-art technology, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is deeper, darker and more brilliant than ever just as Tim Burton originally envisioned it.Can Christmas be saved?
Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere!
This is one of my favorite animated flicks ever! Even with all its darkness my kids also love it. It is visually stunning, the music is lovely, and the message of Christmas comes through loud and clear.
The collectors box makes it a great gift and the digital copy included is the coolest thing because it allows you to copy the film onto your computer, iPod, iPhone, and compatible Windows Media devices.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (2-Disc Collector’s Edition) + Digital Copy
We have two copies of this gorgeous 2-Disc Collector’s Edition and Digital Copy to give away to two winners.
Leave a comment about your favorite Halloween or Christmas movie to be entered in the giveaway. Receive an additional entry for blogging about the contest and/or subscribing to the mailing list/RSS feed.
Deadline to enter giveaway is Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 11:59 pm central time. Be sure to include a valid email address. Winner will be randomly chosen via random.org.
Winner will be notified via email and announced on this post.
If the winner does not claim prize by September 14, 2008 they will forfeit their prize to alternate winner who will be drawn at random.
Giveaway only open to residents of the USA.
Sep
3
My First Period Kit
Filed Under DVD, PBN, education, health, parenting | 2 Comments
I’ve been reviewing many products of late that have to do with puberty and sex but so far none have impressed me like the My First Period Kit & DVD that I recently reviewed for PBN.
This must-have for parents includes:
An informative, 99-minute DVD to view WITH your daughter featuring the Healthy Chats for Girls™ seminar with a sensitive-yet-fun presentation of the changes associated with puberty, basic pad and tampon demonstrations, and more.
The bonus DVD Extra: The Birds & the Bees with Ease!™ The comfortable, age-appropriate explanation you’ve been looking for!
Gifts for your special girl: A handy Butterfly Pad Purse to slip into her schoolbag and a fashionable Butterfly Wristband.
Added help for you: A detailed Parent Guide, a convenient Quick Reference Card, and 1-year Healthy Chats Online/Interactive Subscription with insightful newsletters and email access to Dr. de Freitas.
Dr. Freitas recommends that parents should view the DVD prior to watching it with their daughters but since I’ve already talked to my girls about the birds and the bees and all related already I figured I would be pretty comfortable with what is on the DVD.
Not only was I comfortable but quite impressed. The seminar with the doctor, mothers and their daughters is set up like a chat. Dr. Freitas uses slides and props to explain puberty and menstruation while asking for input from the girls and their mothers.
I liked how Dr. Freitas gives age appropriate information in a language that children understand. Some may balk at her using the word “potty” rather than toilet but I think her silliness and gift to speak like children adds to her charm. It definitely makes everything seem so less medical and more personal.
I also liked her use of props such as a balloon to represent the uterus and vagina and red dyed water to show how much bloody fluid is lost during an average period.
Dr. Freitas not only discusses the physiological aspects of puberty and menstruation but also the emotional. She also goes into great detail about how to wear a pad, dispose of a pad, make a pad out of toilet paper (what woman hasn’t had to do this at least once in her lifetime?), and used the balloon to show how to insert and remove a tampon. She also discussed how there can be a sudden gush with standing up, coughing, or sneezing. Early on I can remember worrying that I was going to bleed to death when that happened to me. These are all things I wish my mom had shared with me but probably never thought to. It certainly would have saved me a lot of embarrassment in my trial and errors.
During the entire “chat” I couldn’t help but to feel like my daughters and I were part of some exclusive female only club. Call me premenstrual but I couldn’t help to tear up when Dr. Freitas told the girls, “Welcome to the club.” She really had a great way of making the whole business of menstruation feel like an amazing thing that shouldn’t be feared but celebrated. When I was growing up menstruation was considered “the curse” and most of the women in my life treated it like it was a dirty secret that happened to women.
I teared up again (I swear I’m not premenstrual. I don’t even have a uterus anymore!) when she told a story about a girl whose father gave her a dozen roses when she got her period. How sweet is that? I’ve made a mental note to encourage my husband to do something special for our girls when their time comes.
The second part of the DVD features a chat just with the moms about talking to their girls about sex. It was interesting to hear about how the mothers felt about “the talk”. I couldn’t help but to laugh at the mom who told her daughter that she could get pregnant by shaking a boys hand. I realized that I’m much more open and comfortable about talking about sex with my girls than I thought.
The cool thing is Dr. Freitas never made any of the moms feel like their views were wrong however she did a great job of explaining that giving information doesn’t mean giving permission. I couldn’t agree more. I would rather my kids find out from me and to know my beliefs than hear the wrong information from a friend.
I also have to agree with Dr. Freitas that the earlier we tell our children the better. My oldest daughters were 7 and 9 when we had “the talk” and my 7 year old was much more intrigued and interested than my 9 year old who couldn’t get over her embarrassment.
The birds and bees chat is a separate segment on the DVD for those parents who aren’t comfortable yet with the topic or would like to save it for later. Either way I think at some point it should be viewed because Dr. Freitas does an excellent job of explaining it and getting her message across that sex is a big thing that can have big consequences such as pregnancy or diseases. She does talk in the traditional sense that you need to be married but at that point parents can elaborate on their values if they differ.
My First Period Kit & DVD is designed for girls ages 9-12 can be purchased here for $19.95.
Aug
28
John Oliver- Terrifying times is hysterical.
If you like political humor and a taste of the outrageous you will love him. John Oliver is a correspondent on “The Daily Show” and is always dead on. He has a knack for finding those moments when the humor is prime and pouncing, especially when it’s not the right time.
- Release Date: August 19, 2008
- Price: $12.99 on Amazon
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 56 minutes
If you want a great laugh this is the DVD to get, this has big names like Dave Atell, Mike Birbiglia and Frank Caliendo. It is some of their best work over the years and compliated into this single DVD.
This DVD is wonderful for a summer afternoon and a cup of tea. You will laugh until your cheeks hurt.
- Release Date: August 26th, 2008
- Price: $19.99 on Amazon
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 457 Minutes
~by Lilith Silvermane
Lipstick to Crayons contributing writerAug
25
Muhammed Ali: Made In Miami
Filed Under DVD | Leave a Comment
If you are a boxing fan you will enjoy Muhammad Ali. As a woman who grew up in Texas I only knew him by name my whole life. However, now I have a lot more respect and understanding for him.I have a lot of respect for him from his adoption of Islam to his friendship with Malcom X.This video was well made, and mostly in black in white unless there are interviews from his friends. I think it added to the mystique of the video. This video is a documentary of his life and one of the most comprehensive and honest ones that I’ve heard of.
- Release Date: August 12th, 2008
- Price: $17.99 on Amazon
- Rating: Not Rated
- Genre: Documentary
- Run Time: 60 Minutes
~by Lilith Silvermane
Lipstick to Crayons contributing writerAug
25
Meet The Sight Words
Filed Under DVD, PBN, education | Leave a Comment
Flash cards aren’t my thing. I prefer to leave the educating to the teachers. Educational DVD’s are more my style and are a slacker mom’s best friend for guilt free television viewing. We have a plethora of them in our DVD collection. I can’t say for sure whether or not my kids learn from them but I figure it can’t hurt.We’ve recently added a new one to our collection. Meet The Sight Words 1 from the Preschool Prep Series is a DVD recommended for ages 15 months to 6 years which makes it a good fit for two of my kids who are two and six.
The DVD introduces sight words by repeating them several times as each word transforms from a memorable character to printed text. This is done by first showing the word in full color as the narrator repeating it several times then transforms into an animated character which doesn’t always have anything to do with the word. I don’t think the point of the DVD is to teach the meaning of the sight words so much as to teach them what the word looks like.
That must be why they are called “sight words”.
I never said I was the sharpest tool in the toolbox.
After the sight word has finished its animation it transforms to black and white much like it would be on a printed page.
It all sounds and looks impressive but I’m not so sure my kids agree. The only way I could keep them interested in the DVD was to play it in the car where they had no choice but to watch it. But I can say this about all our educational DVD’s. I guess they aren’t the sharpest tools either.
My two year old did repeat the words with the narrator and seemed entertained but like most two year olds she checked out after 15 minutes.
My son who is six needs this DVD the most. He has some auditory processing issues and is barely sounding out words so I had big hopes for this DVD. Having him learn the sight words would be a great start to helping him be successful at reading.
Unfortunately he felt the DVD was a bit too babyish and was embarrassed to act interested in it when his big sisters were around. Three to five year olds are probably the age group that would get the most out of this DVD with all its adorable animations.
My hope is that in the very near future there will be DVD’s geared towards the older child who is struggling to learn how to read. My son will be seven in a few months and I have to agree with him that the animation is a bit young for him. He would have been much more interested if there were IRL kids his age or graphics similar to video games.
Overall I love the premise of Meet The Sight Words 1. It is great for preschoolers and would be a great teaching tool in the classroom. I also really liked the flashcard feature. Those are my kind of flashcards!
I’m not so sure that the DVD will actually teach a child the sight words but I do think it’s perfect for supplementing and reinforcing the memorization of the them.
Bonus features include:
- Select ’special case’ “
” or traditional “
“
- Short lesson selection for classroom use
- Video Flashcards
Featuring “of, play, it, he, you, in, I , to, have, and, a, said, is, the, for & that”
~Kristie
A Parents Blogger Network product review.Aug
24
South Park: Season 11
Filed Under DVD | Leave a Comment
Teens love South Park, teens in Colorado visit South Park and then come home to watch South Park.That is what mine did!
With the peals of laughter, I can say they loved it!
I enjoyed this DVD, from the episode about Guitar Hero, which is so true, to the episode where the girls rate the boys on their attractiveness, it’s a good time.
I have always enjoyed South Park, so this was a great video to watch with the kids, or while I was blogging.
This is a three disk DVD set. Makes a great collectors item.
- Release Date: August 12, 2008
- Price: $29.99 on Amazon
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 100 minutes
~by Lilith Silvermane
Lipstick to Crayons contributing writerAug
23
This has to be one of the strangest shows I’ve ever watched. The humor is perfect if you like South Park or Jackass or if you happen to have a 13 year old son who will sit and watch TV with you. I am lucky enough to have one.He laughed so hard at times he had to shut off the TV. In fact, during the joyous ride to school, he imitates them.
I think I created a monster.
The premise behind this show is two Canadian roommates who play the game, “Who can…”. Examples “Who can resist getting a stain on an all white suit”, “Who can eat the most meat” and more disgusting and horrifying games. If you have a weak stomach, I would not suggest the meat episode. Then, who ever loses this game, has to endure Humiliation.
It’s something you must see, once the children go to bed, and you have a few drinks.
- Release Date: August 12, 2008
- Price: $17.99 on Amazon
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 220 minutes
~by Lilith Silvermane
Lipstick to Crayons contributing writer
