Holiday Gift Guide: Mario Kart Wii Starting Line Building Set

November 18, 2011

 

 

Bring Mario Kart Wii to life! Build Mario and Luigi from the Starting Line of the Bowser’s Castle Track. The set includes the parts to build Mario and Luigi, 2 Sprinter Karts with super-fast battery-powered motors, a sound module with the starting sounds from the game and 2 collectible items from the game: a Mushroom and a Stal! Also includes 16 pieces of buildable, interconnectable track that creates a closed loop- combine this set with other sets from the Mario Kart Wii Series to build even bigger tracks!

***** We received this set and my kids were just thrilled, so I put it together for them. I have to admit that it took 4 hrs to put this playlet together, well I had kids running around that was the main reason. I finally got it put together, and the kids just had so much fun. The race cars are motorized and run on batteries, and you can smash them with big rocks just like on Mario Kart. The one problem we had was the track fell apart very easily, the track and K’Nex pieces. The other problem was the batteries die really fast in the cars.

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Retail:$59.99 but you can find on Amazon for $44.99
Rating:9

Disclosure: No formal compensation was received for this post, a product was provided for my review from K’Nex. All opinions are 100% my own.

3 Comments | childrens, gift ideas, Holiday Gift Guide, reviews, toys | Permalink
Posted by brandy3

Holiday Gift Guide: Become A Builder With Lincoln Logs

November 14, 2011

 

Go back in time with these real wood building logs and create a frontier fort! These familiar notched logs and accessories are made to fit together, allowing kids to build any kind of structure they can imagine.

****I have never played with Lincoln Logs until I received this set. Honestly I thought they were going to be like regular K’Nex and stick together when attached. These do not attach at all, and fall apart very easily.  My 6 year old daughter gets very frustrated at how easily these just fall apart. I listened every 5 minutes for ahhh darn it. Finally I stepped in and put it together. I have to say that it is a little difficult to put together, since it doesn’t stick. I finally got it put together right and the kids went to play, and of course it fell immediately.  So my son has been using these to build log cars.

Retail: $25.99 but you can find at Walmart for $15.54

Rating:6

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post, products were provided for review from the company. All opinions are my own.

 

 

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Posted by brandy3

Holiday Gift Guide: Nickelodeon Holiday Ornaments

November 11, 2011

Holiday ornaments from the Kurt Adler Collection for your favorite Nickelodeon shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Ni-Hao, Kai-lan, and iCarly. Ornaments come ready-to-hang with a gold cord.

****  My kids love Nickelodeon and asked if they could decorate the tree with all there toys. I suggested that maybe we could find ornaments that resemble their toys. When I came across Dora, Kai-Lan, SpongeBob and more. My tree isn’t up yet, but the kids are already excited about putting these on the tree.

The Dora ornaments are flat and really small, while the kai-lan ornaments are small, but are to flat at all. They fit the character descriptions perfectly. The SpongeBob ornament is really big and perfect play size. The only downside to having these is my kids won’t ever leave them on the tree, they can’t stop playing with them.

Retail:$2.95-$5.00

Rating: 8

Disclosure: No formal compensation was received for this post. Products were provided By the company for review. All opinions are my own.

3 Comments | childrens, gift ideas, Holiday Gift Guide, Nickelodeon, reviews | Permalink
Posted by brandy3

Holiday Gift Guide: Spongebob Mission Cookbook

November 8, 2011

 

 

Will it be SpongeBob’s Sponge Cake and Fruit Shakes orSquidward’s Fancy Fondue? Sandy’s Karate Chop Suey or Mr. Krabs’ Million-Dollar Mac and Cheese? In SpongeBob’s Kitchen Mission Cookbook,the whole family can join the ultimate culinary showdown! With more than 50 kid-friendly recipes, this easy-to-use book has dishes perfect for breakfasts, beverages, snacks, dinners, and desserts. So all hands on deck . . . and let the battle begin!

 

****This cookbook has fun and easy recipes for kids. My kids want to try all the recipes in the book, they also think the names are hilarious. So we decided to start out with Patricks Pasta salad. The recipe is mainly made up of penne pasta, cucumbers, olive oil, grape tomatoes, Chicken and feta cheese. We made ours without chicken and feta cheese.

It was good but a bit plain.  The book has so many more recipes though, like faces cupcakes, Sandy’s intergalactic fruit basket, Gary’s Speedy spirals, and so much more.

Rating:9

Retail:$16.99 but you can find on Amazon for $11.55

Disclosure: No formal compensation was received for this post. Product was provided by Nickelodeon for my review.

2 Comments | childrens, childrens books, food, gift ideas, Holiday Gift Guide, Nickelodeon, reviews | Permalink
Posted by brandy3

Holiday Gift Guide: My Little Pony Lily Blossom

November 4, 2011

Lily Blossom is known for being graceful when she flies, but she is just as elegant on all four hooves! Good friends always stick together – just like your LILY BLOSSOM pony figure and her adorable swan figure. Attach the wagon to your pony figure to pull and her little friend can ride in it everywhere they go! Keep your LILY BLOSSOM figure’s pretty yellow hair smooth with the brush, so she looks great no matter where her adventures take her. Pony figure comes with comb, swan figure and wagon.

****My daughter loves My Little Pony, her collection is piling up!  Lily Blossom is a newer pony to us and my daughter just loves that she is purple with Yellow hair. You can put her carrier on and she walks her pet swan. This would make a great gift for any girl and for under $5 it is a great bargain.

 

Retail: $4.99 at Hasbro Toy Shop

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post, A product was provided by Hasbro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted by brandy3

Holiday Gift Guide: Cars 2 Blu-ray combo pack review

November 3, 2011

Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2” when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car.  But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.  Mater finds himself torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile and the stunning rookie field spy Holley Shiftwell.  Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world.  The fast-paced fun includes a colorful new all-car cast, complete with menacing villains and international racing competitors.

Special Features:

  • Cars Toon: Air mater
  • Toy Story Toon: Hawaiian Vacation
  • Director John Lasser Commentary
****My son is a big fan of Cars, any kind of car actually. So we have been anticipating the release of Cars 2 on dvd, since we missed it in the theaters. The minute my son saw the movie he screamed with excitement.
This movie is really packed full of action and thrills. The first movie was all about Lightning McQueen, well this movie seems to be more about Mater. When Lightning gets challenged to a race by italian car Franchesco, he accepts and takes his team including Mater with him around the world. After their first stop in Japan, mater becomes to much of a distraction and embarrassment to Lightning to keep around. Lightning loses the race and ends his friendship with Mater. Meanwhile Mater gets mistaken for a secret agent and see out on a spy mission and ends up saving the day.   I don’t want to giveaway the whole movie, so you have to go see it yourself. This is a must have holiday treat for any little Cars lover.
The Toy Story Hawaiian Vacation short, is hilarious. i thought it was very cute and had my kids laughing so hard. Air Mater is of course another one of Maters, tales of imagination that he could fly. They are always funny.
Getting Behind The Wheel

Japan Fast Dirt

Get a $5 off Coupon for the 5 disc combo pack here
Retail: $39.99 but you can buy on Amazon for $24.99

Release date: November 1, 2011

Running Time:106 minutes

Disclosure: no compensation was received for this post, a product was provided for my review. All opinions are my own.

1 Comment | childrens, Disney, gift ideas, Holiday Gift Guide, movies, reviews | Permalink
Posted by brandy3

Holiday Gift Guide: Strawberry Shortcake Twirling Flower Fashion Doll

November 2, 2011

Strawberry Shortcake - Twirling Flower Fashions Doll

 

 

Create fashion “magic” with your sweet-smelling Strawberry Shortcake figure! Put your stylish red-haired friend on her flower stage and start the spinning action. While she’s twirling, spray water from her flower spritzer and a design will “magically” appear on her skirt! Are you two ready to create a new look? Put on her other color-change skirt or just wait for the first one to dry and then use your flower spritzer to create another new design!

****My daughter absolutely loves Strawberry Shortcake, she even kind of looks like her. LOL! This doll makes playing with strawberry so much fun, just fill up the rose with water and spray Strawberry’s dress and watch it change colors. The flower was a little hard to get off and on the stem. It seemed that when i finally got it back o most of the water had dripped out. My daughter still had fun with this toy.

Retail: 19.99 at Hasbro Toy Shop

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. A product was provided for my review. All opinions are my own.

1 Comment | childrens, gift ideas, Hasbro, Holiday Gift Guide, reviews, toys | Permalink
Posted by brandy3

Butterball Turkey Tips and Free Coupon GiveawayClosed

November 1, 2011

Frosty-the-Snowman-with-scarf-broomstick-and-corn-cob-pipe-218x300

 

Now that Halloween is over, the next holiday to think about is Thanksgiving. The first thing I think of is food, and of course Turkey.

check out the Butterball website for great tips and recipes. They have perfect portions and thawing guide to help you chose what pound turkey to buy, how long to thaw it, and how long to cook your turkey.

We cooked last year on our own for the first time, and though I set the Turkey out a day and a half before hand it still was not thawed. I tried water everything. So the best tip I can give is to prepare and set out the turkey well in advance or to buy fresh.

Frozen Turkey

Visit www.Butterball.com for great recipes and tips, what i love is they also have tips for getting your kids involved in Thanksgiving day cooking.

  • Be prepared-let them know what you will be cooking and how they can help. Mix up the routine a little for their enjoyment.
  • help them feel like a cooking whiz-let them feel the part with a cooking apron and hat, plus let them have their own plastic measuring spoons and utensils.
  • safety first- remind them that the stove and knifes are adult jobs and they shouldn’t lick spoons, and always wash your hands.
  • assign the right tasks-assign tasks that are age appropriate and they can handle.
  • have a blast-cooking can be a great way to bond with your child so relax and have fun.
If you have trouble at all on Thanksgiving, you can call the Butterball Turkey Talk Line 1800-Butterball (1800-288-8372).
Now to the Best part:
Butterball has given me 2 extra coupons to giveaway to  lucky US reader:


Disclosure: No compensation was received, a coupon was provided for me as well as for giveaways.

14 Comments | food, giveaways, Holiday Gift Guide | Permalink
Posted by brandy3

Holiday Cleaning GiveawayClosed

November 1, 2011

I have been putting items away I receive in gift bags, or items I received for review that I did not request. So now I am cleaning out my closet, for you.

One US reader will get these great prizes:

  • Scrabble Turbo Slam- Enhance your vocabulary knowledge and skills with this Turbo Slam scrabble. This crossword card game is ideal to be used during free time with your friends. It includes a deck of alphabet cards and a drawer to complete this set
  • 10 pack of Play-doh in a variety of colors
  • I love iCarly collection-featuring a variety of episodes, including iSpaced out, iSaved Your Life, and  iFight Shelby Marx
  • Nintendo 3DS glasses-helps your childs eyes while playing the 3DS



Disclsoure: Items were supplied for giveaways, No compensation was received.

4 Comments | childrens, gift ideas, giveaways, Holiday Gift Guide, toys | Permalink
Posted by brandy3

Holiday Gift Guide: Victorious Season 1 Volume 2 DVD Review

November 1, 2011

Hit the stage with Tori Vega and the students at Hollywood Arts High School in Victorious: Season One, Volume Two. The all-new two-disc set includes the last nine episodes of the series’ first season, including the hour-long special “Freak the Freak Out” and the hit TV event “iParty with Victorious,” which is included on the special features disc. Guest stars include Perez Hilton in “Wi-Fi in the Sky” and as well as Kenan Thompson and the cast of iCarly in the star-studded crossover special, “iParty with Victorious.” Plus, go behind-the-scenes for the making of the “iParty with Victorious” musical mash-up performance and the music video for Victorious star Victoria Justice’s single, “Best Friend’s Brother. 

Episode Guide:

  • The Diddly-Bops
  • Cat’s New Boyfriend
  • Sleepover at Sikowitz’s
  • The Wood
  • The Great Ping Pong Scam
  • DISC 2
  • Wok Star
  • Survival of the hottest
  • Wi-Fi in the Sky
  • Freak the Freak Out
  • Special Features
  • iParty with Victorious
  • Behind the Scenes:iParty with Victorious Mash up performance
  • Music Video: Best Friends Brother
****We absolutely love Victorious, it’s one of our favorite shows on Nickelodeon.  This dvd features some of our favorite episodes like Sleepover at Sikowitz’s where each of the kids has to improvise without breaking character. Tori dresses up as a cop who wears way to much red lipstick and is obsessed with raisin Bran. It is so hilarious.  This dvd also features our favorite Victorious movie: Freak the Freak Out.  where Tori, Cat and Jade trick two snobby girls into think Tori is a hideous girl, to win a singing competition.  If you have volume 1, you definitely need to add this volume to your collection.
Retail: $19.99 but you can find on Amazon for $13.99
Running Time: 240 minutes
Release date: November 1, 2011
Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post, a product was provided by Nickelodeon for my review. All opinions are my own.

Leave a Comment » | childrens, gift ideas, Holiday Gift Guide, movies, Nickelodeon, reviews | Permalink
Posted by brandy3

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