Disney’s Descendants is now on DVD. Did you watch it yet? My girls and I are having a movie night tonight to watch it. I’ll admit I can’t wait to see it, too. Make sure to grab these free printable activities.
Archives for July 2015
FREE Descendants Activity Sheets
July 31, 2015 By
Home Now on DVD- Enter to Win #HomeInsiders
July 31, 2015 By
My girls and I loved HOME in theaters and are so excited that it is finally on Blu-Ray and DVD. It is such a cute movie for the whole family.
GET THE PARTY STARTED AND GROOVE LIKE THE BOOV WITH- DREAMWORKS ANIMATION’S HOME – NOW ON DIGITAL HD, BLU-RAY 3D , & DVD.
Celebrate family, friendship and fun in the surprise smash comedy hit of the year from the creators of How To Train Your Dragon and Shrek! In DreamWorks Animation’s HOME, Oh, a lovable misfit from another planet meets a girl named Tip. The two unlikely friends embark on the greatest journey of all time…the journey HOME. Hailed by critics as “an animated triumph” (CBS Radio News) that is “family fun with tons of heart” (Fox TV).
Directed by Tim Johnson (Over The Hedge, Antz), HOME features the voice talents of Golden Globe® and Emmy® winner Jim Parsons* (“The Big Bang Theory,” The Muppets), Grammy® winner Rihanna** (Battleship), Oscar® and Emmy® winner Steve Martin*** (The Pink Panther, Father of the Bride) and Golden Globe® nominee Jennifer Lopez (“American Idol,” Maid In Manhattan)
“HOME is smart, fun and funny” proclaims Bill Bergoli of CBS Radio. A hit with audiences and critics alike, the film received an outstanding audience reaction with a coveted “A” CinemaScore®.
The HOME Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD feature a Boov-tastic party of never-before-seen bonus features that will persuade the entire family to get their groove on, including “Oh’s Boovy Jukebox” of top tracks, “Oh’s Shake Your Boov Thing,” a toe-tapping, music video mash-up, hilarious deleted scenes, character-drawing tutorials and more!
Want your own copy of HOME?
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Being A Parent In The Armed Forces
July 30, 2015 By
As a parent, it can be difficult to leave your children for long periods of time. Unfortunately, some jobs require long leaves of absence from your family. This is particularly true if you are in the armed forces. For a large duration of the year, you will be away from home, defending your country. You may think that your partner and children will suffer because of it. But there are ways to cope, making it easier for them and you.
Long Distance Relationship
If you are married with children in the army, you are in a long distance relationship. There is no getting around this fact, but that does not mean the relationship will be tough. It will be a challenge, but only because emotionally, it is difficult to be away from the people that matter most. The positive thing is that technology has evolved a lot and now you will be able to see your loved ones face to face over video calls. During your time in the army, there will be times when there is no internet, to hide your location. But these moments will be infrequent. For the most part, you will be in touch with your family during the time you are away from them.
Do not forget, when you join the army, you are taking on a whole new kind of family. Your fellow soldiers will be there with you, and many will be facing the same situation as you. You will not be the only soldier with a family at home. It is a good idea to share your problems and emotions with your fellow recruits.
Giving Them A Home
You should think about where your family will live while you are away in the army and during your return. There are special residences for families of soldiers. Military apartments are situated near towns and populated by soldiers like you. You may find it comforting to know that your family will be living in a community with people who are sharing the same experience as them. It may also help your partner to know the people living nearby will understand their emotions about the situation.
Explaining It To Young Children
If you have young children, the biggest problem you will face is that they will not understand where you are going or why you are leaving. You need to help them understand the situation as much as you can. This will mainly be up to your partner who is at home with the children. The first thing they need to do is keep you part of your child’s life and their experiences. They can do this by mentioning you in a context in different situations during dinner time and play. You can help the child realise that being on duty is just like any other job by referring to it as “going to work” or any other suitable phrase.
Some children understand what having a parent in the army means. However, they are still frightened that their parent is not safe. If you are not engaging in combat, explain this to your children in a way that they will understand and talk about your role in the armed forces. You can tell them where you are going and what you will be doing there.
Although life in the armed forces will be a challenge, it will not stop you being a great dad or mother.
FREE Disney’s Descendants Printable Party Planning Package
July 27, 2015 By
From the Emmy Award-winning director and choreographer Kenny Ortega (“High School Musical” franchise) comes a new epic universe featuring the untold story of Disney classic characters in Descendants on Disney DVD July 31st (and airing on the Disney Channel on July 31st at 8 p.m.)! As you’re eagerly preparing for the face off between the villainous offspring who must choose between following in their parents’ footsteps to help all the villains regain power or embrace their innate goodness to save the kingdom we have an awesome party package for your viewing parties.
How to Design the Perfect Playroom
July 23, 2015 By
Adding a playroom that gives your kids their own place to play and let their imaginations soar is a great way to give them the opportunity to learn and grow in a creative and safe space. But designing a playroom could be confusing if you don’t have any idea of where to begin. With the tips below, though, it should become easier to set up a playroom that your kids will love to be in.
Provide Plenty of Floor Space
Even though it may be tempting to buy a lot of furniture to hold your kids toys and give them a place to play, it is just as important to maintain a good amount of floor space in your playroom. If you’re dealing with a small room, though, you’ll need to get a little crafty with how you’ll implement storage space throughout the room. A good way to do that is by using the walls as storage by putting shelving up. The floor space will provide your children with plenty of opportunities to do things like play with trains, play hopscotch, or just run and exercise.
Add a Space for Learning
Dedicate an area of the playroom to learning by adding a small table and chairs, a children’s blackboard, and some books so your kids can develop a true love of learning while getting creative, reading, and understanding new topics for the first time. Infuse educational elements throughout the playroom so that it isn’t only about fun and games, but also about making learning fun and easy.
Keep It Colourful
The best way to make your playroom fully engaging and stimulating is by adding colours throughout it. Stick with bright, vibrant shades that will get your kids excited to be in the room. Colours like orange and yellow aren’t only really cheerful, they also tend to stimulate creativity and imagination, so they’re perfect for playrooms.
Keep Toys Organized
Again, keeping your kids’ toys organised in the playroom is important, so finding ways to add storage throughout is definitely a step in the right direction. You want your kids to learn where their toys go so they can learn to put things away neatly while developing their own sense of being organised.
Get Outside
In addition to creating a playroom for the kids inside, consider also giving them a space outside in your backyard. Many parents decide to add a garden room from a garden rooms provider in order to give their kids a safe place to be when they want to be outside alone or with their friends. Much like a treehouse gives kids the opportunity to have their own private space while in the middle of nature, a garden room can do the same while developing a love of the outdoors.
A playroom is one of the best ways that kids can learn and grow while they’re at home, and it should be a lot of fun to design one because you want the room to be one that evokes joy in your children.
Why I’m Getting Ready For School Early This Year
July 21, 2015 By
If your kids are home with you for the next few weeks, you may be wondering what on earth you’re going to do with them! No matter what activities and days out you plan, the first day back at school will creep up on us fast. There isn’t as much time as we think in the summer vacation weeks. We’ve put together a quick list of things you might want to check, so your whole family is ready to head back to school:
Health checks – This is the perfect time to get all those eye health and dentist appointments out of the way. Start early in the holidays, so you have time for any follow-up appointments. You may be able to find some bargains as well like Walmart vision center discounts to help you cover the costs. If you like keeping track of how quickly your kids are growing, why not have their height and weight checked too?
Uniforms – Some schools like the kids to wear uniforms when they attend. Of course, kids just keep growing all summer long! Towards the end of the summer, measure them and buy any new uniforms you need. It could be for band or for the sports teams they are enrolled with, but if the kit is too small, it’s not going to do them any favors.
Back to School image from Flickr
Stationery – Most children need to take their own pens, pencils and notebooks into school. You can buy these supplies almost anywhere. Some kids like to have bits and pieces that have pictures of their favorite band or movie character. This may push the price up a bit from the budget supplies you can find in the supermarkets.
If you have a budget you need to stick to, why not come up with a compromise your kids can get on board with? Perhaps the pencil case can be branded, but the items inside are the budget ones.
New subjects – For older children enrolled in classes they haven’t taken before, you might want to get a head start. Schools usually detail which textbooks are going to be used the semester before. Even if you don’t have a book list, it can be fun to find out a little bit more about particular topic or subject before school starts. A morning in the library may be all you need. Alternatively, see what you can find online that could be helpful.
Homework – Most kids are given holiday homework to complete. It’s up to you when you think would be an appropriate time to tackle it. You both might enjoy spending a couple of hours sitting together and talking about what they’ve got to do. It’s nice to be involved with their work, and lots of older kids relish the chance to teach a parent a thing or two!
School may still be a few weeks away, but all of you can enjoy the summer if you tackle your back-to-school tasks early enough. Leaving it all to the last minute can leave you stressing about getting everything ready in time. Starting as soon as school finishes means you have several weeks to spread the cost over too. Have a great summer with the kids.
JetBlue to Donate 100,000 Books With Soar With Reading Program
July 20, 2015 By
Disclosure- We received free museum admission to attend the event mentioned below but all opinions are 100% my own.
Last week my girls attended a special Soar With Reading event at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We had the opportunity to meet Author Mary Pope Osborne, the author of the beloved Magic Tree House series. Ms. Osborne is the reason many of my friends’ children found a love a reading so meeting her was an honor.
We were treated to a special reading by Mary Pope Osborne of her new book, Shadow of the Shark as well as a performance from Jack and Annie, the lead characters from Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House book series. The room was packed with children (and parents) on the edge of their seats listening to Ms. Osborne, and then Jack and Annie. 
My girls enjoyed the show and were so excited to talk with Ms. Osborne after the show. Both of my girls are avid readers so this was especially special for them. 
Make sure to click here to download the FREE Magic Tree House Passport to Adventure.
The Soar With Reading program is a joint project with JetBlue Airlines. JetBlue Airlines will be donating 100,000 children’s books to children in need. Soar with Reading places age-appropriate books in the hands of children in underserved areas while also encouraging children’s imaginations to take flight through reading. Residents of Fort Lauderdale will have the chance to bring books to local children in need through the national Soar with Reading #BookBattle. Five cities – Detroit, Houston, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, and New York – are currently competing in the first-ever #BookBattle. The city that receives the most online votes by August 31, 2015 will receive 100,000 children books.
PLEASE VOTE FOR YOUR CITY TO WIN THE 100,000 BOOKS FROM SOAR WITH READING AND JETBLUE!!!
Adding a Bit of Extra Comfort to Your Bedroom
July 17, 2015 By
If your bedroom isn’t comfortable, then you have a big problem. If there’s one thing your bedroom should be, it’s comfortable. Here’s how you can change things by adding a little extra comfort.
Improve On Your Bed
The bed is not only the centerpiece of the room but also your main source of comfort! There’s nothing worse than climbing into bed at night if it’s lumpy and uncomfortable to lie in. If your mattress is old, it’s probably a good time to replace it with a new, modern one. I have a waterbed in my bedroom – you can browse at www.Boydwaterbeds.com if you want one too. They’re great at supporting your body and moulding to its shape.
Your sheets are just important as the mattress if you ask me. They need to be as soft as possible as they’ll be making contact with your skin every night when you get into bed. If you want to really splash out, you should buy Egyptian cotton sheets. They’re truly the softest and most comfortable sheets you’ll find on the market. They’re the high water mark of bed sheets.
Make it Warmer
It’s impossible to feel relaxed in a bedroom that’s always cold and drafty. I had this problem for a while. I realised that it was because the window was in poor condition and needed replacing. In the end, I had it removed, and a double-glazed window was fitted by a professional. The room is now much better at keeping the heat inside and the cold outside, so think about whether this is something that could help you.
That’s not the only way in which you can warm your bedroom up a bit though. Your overall loft and cavity wall insulation should be checked and improved if heat is escaping from your home in that way too. To give you an even greater level of warmth and comfort, you should consider investing in an electric blanket. They are great during the winter when the nights are freezing; I have one of my own, and I love it.
Add a Chair and Take Away Distractions
A huge chair that you can kick back in and relax away from the rest of the household is an essential in the bedroom. Most people don’t do this; they place their armchairs in the living room. But everyone in the family has access to the living room. Your bedroom should be a tranquil place that belongs to you and your partner – not the children. Find something that’s comfortable and allows you to sink into it at the end of a long day at work.
You’ll probably only get to relax in it for ten minutes before something comes up that demands your attention. But at least they’ll be an incredibly comfortable ten minutes! Making your room comfortable isn’t all about physical comfort though. It’s also about creating an atmospheric and relaxed environment. You can do this by taking away distractions like electronics. Make it a haven of tranquility complete with candles.
Making your bedroom comfortable should be your top priority, so put these top tips into practice as soon as possible.
Jet Blue and Magic Tree House Present: Soar With Reading on 7/17/15
July 16, 2015 By
My girls and I are so excited to be attending the Museum of Discovery and Science’s Soar with Reading event tomorrow, July 17th in Fort Lauderdale. Sponsored by JetBlue and Magic Tree House, this event is free with paid museum admission. This is the fifth annual Soar with Reading program event which is part of a nation-wide tour of the award-winning summer literacy initiative. In honor of its 5th anniversary, Soar with Reading will host a book party featuring Shadow of the Shark, the latest book from best-selling author Mary Pope Osborne. My girls (who LOVE reading) are so excited to be able to meet Mary Pope Osborne!!!!
Here are some of the fun things scheduled that are included with general admission to the museum:
– Reading by Mary Pope Osborne of her new book, Shadow of the Shark
– Performance from Jack and Annie, the lead characters from Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House book series
– Shark-themed interactive activities such as digging for shark’s teeth beneath a 50’ Megalodon shark inside the Museum’s EcoDiscovery center and creating a shark tooth necklace
Soar with Reading places age-appropriate books in the hands of children in underserved areas while also encouraging children’s imaginations to take flight through reading. Residents of Fort Lauderdale will have the chance to bring books to local children in need through the national Soar with Reading #BookBattle. Five cities – Detroit, Houston, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, and New York – are currently competing in the first-ever #BookBattle. The city that receives the most online votes by August 31, 2015 will receive 100,000 children books.
Join us- July 17 from 12-4 p.m. Museum of Discovery and Science 401 SW 2nd St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
How to Keep Your Kids Entertained on a Road Trip
July 16, 2015 By
A road trip is a great way to enjoy a fun, memorable vacation as a family and see a lot of different places during the same trip. But when you are traveling with children, a road trip can be a frustrating ordeal, especially as they become restless while sitting in the car for long periods of time. So how can you keep your kids occupied and maintain your sanity at the same time?
Continue reading for a few tips that will help you keep your kids entertained during any road trip, no matter how long it is.
Pack a Variety of Toys
Kids get bored really easily, and they will only play with a single toy for so long before they want to do something else with their time, so make sure that you pack a variety of toys for the long journey ahead. You can even give them a surprise new toy every day of the road trip so that they have something brand new to look forward to and try out.
Depending upon the age of your kids, you can bring along everything from an iPad and puzzle toy, to a deck of cards or a miniature version of their favorite board game. Get creative and ask your kids what they would want.
Give Your Kids a Digital Camera
A small digital camera is a great alternative to constantly using a mobile device to take pictures, and your kids will enjoy having a camera that they can call their own and that allows them to tweak settings to take creative photos of their road trip. They will be excited to take pictures inside the car and during any stops that you make, and they will also definitely want to document the actual destinations.
Travel in Comfort
Rather than packing the family into a very tight vehicle, making it uncomfortable and almost impossible for your kids to keep themselves occupied, consider renting an RV or searching for toy haulers for sale. These provide plenty of space for the whole family and make it a lot easier for your kids to find things to do, such as watch movies, listen to music, or play video games.
Plan Enough Stops Along the Way
If you have a really long ride ahead of you before you reach your final destination, plan a few stops along the way. For example, a 12-hour ride could be really rough on the kids, especially if they get bored easily and quickly. So as you are planning your vacation and your route, see if there are any good attractions along the way that you can stop and check out. Beaches along the coast are a great option, as are popular cities with a lot of shopping and restaurants to choose from.
For extended journeys, it is also a good idea to book a hotel rather than force the family to sleep in the car while you and your spouse switch spots in the driver’s seat. But, again, if you are riding in an RV, you can bypass the need for a hotel and save time and money at the same time.
Pack Books, Magazines, Coloring Books, and Audiobooks
As long as your kids do not end up feeling carsick while looking down reading, it is a good idea to pack books and magazines, as well as coloring books, to keep them occupied. In the event that you have a child who starts to feel unwell when he or she looks down in the car for too long, stick with audiobooks instead. Play these over the car’s radio or give your children their own music player that they can use to listen to the audiobook while you drive.
Have Enough Snacks on Hand
A hungry child is an angry and annoying one, so make sure you also pack plenty of snacks to keep your kids satisfied in between stops for complete meals. Stick with snacks that will not make your kids super active, though, so you may want to steer clear of super sugary options and instead go for healthier alternatives. Fresh fruits, healthy cookies that are loaded with complex carbohydrates, and vegetables with a healthy dip are all great options that will keep your kids feeling full without making them feel sick or depleted.
Even though a long road trip with the kids can turn into a pretty annoying ride, if you keep the above tips in mind, you should be able to keep your entire family happy and entertained until you reach your destination.
