The First ever animated movie created for 3D! Young housefly Nat is looking for adventure and hatches a plan to jet into outer space with his two best friends, I.Q. and Scooter. In their homemade space suits, they take a wild ride aboard Apollo 11 all the way to the moon. As their families watch at home, the three flies become the first insects ever to journey into space… but this is no ordinary thrill ride. After a potentially disastrous mechanical problem, these daredevil flies must save the day. Featuring the voices of Kelly Ripa (Live with Regis & Kelly), Nicollette Sheridan (Desperate Housewives) and Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), this animated adventure brings Nat, I.Q. and Scooter’s out-of-this-world tale to life!
For the past 3 nights E.B. and I have watched Fly Me To The Moon, which releases tomorrow, December 2. It happens to be the first CGI animated feature film created and released in 3D and it’s one of the cutest movies for kids we’ve seen in a while. The movie comes with 2 pairs of 3D glasses and cool bonus features, like the interactive planetarium game. The film is also in your choice of 2D or 3D on the same disc, so if the 3D isn’t your thing, then it’s cool. The 3D actually didn’t work so great on our non- hi-def TV, so we watched it in 2D.
E.B. loved the rockets and space shuttles and I loved the music that was featured in the movie. It also features the voice of Buzz Aldrin, one of the real-life Apollo 11 astronauts. And anytime E.B. wants to watch a movie over and over, it’s a hit at our house. So we give it a 4 thumbs up! (2 for me, 2 for E.B.)
Jump Start
My son loves the computer. I mean loooooves the computer. Thank goodness I have a laptop because anytime he catches me on the desktop he begs to have a turn, which means kicking me off of it. We visit lots of preschool educational sites, so we were thrilled to have the opportunity to try out Jump Start’s 3D Virtual World, My First Adventure.
I’m familiar with Jump Start from working in the education field. We used these games regularly in the classrooms to give our students a fun way to reinforce skills. I was excited that My First Adventure was geared towards E.B.’s age group. He loved the characters and the games and I loved the fact that he was learning as he played.
Some fun facts about Jump Start:
DID YOU KNOW…
JumpStart is the leader in adventure-based 3D virtual worlds for 3-to-10 year old kids?
DID YOU KNOW…
JumpStart’s adventure-based learning approach inspires kid’s minds through immersed play and endless adventures?
DID YOU KNOW…
JumpStart 3D Virtual World My First Adventure is the first 3D virtual world adventure for pre-schoolers?
DID YOU KNOW…
JumpStart lets kids create their own avatars and interact with friendly JumpStart characters online in a safe virtual world?
DID YOU KNOW…
JumpStart is sold in all your favorite retailers including Target, Best Buy, ToysRUs, WalMart, Costco, Office Depot @ MSRP $19.99?
I’ve always said it’s never too early to introduce scholastic learning to a child, and Jump Start has the products to help you do this with your preschool and grade-school aged children. It would also make a fantastic Christmas gift, guaranteed to provide tons of learning time.
Dawn Plus Hand Renewal
Im an obsessive hand-washer, I use lots of antibacterial hand wash and I’m also constantly using disinfectant wipes. Needless to say, my hands are dry 99% of the time and don’t look or feel as soft as they should. So to combat this I’ve started washing dishes more.
Yes, seriously.
I was recently given the chance to try out Dawn’s new Dawn Plus Hand Renewal dishwashing soap. The product description promised to transform the look and feel of my hands with just 5 dishwashes. Getting softer hands while I do dishes? That’s the kind of multi-tasking this mama is talking about!
Besides the really great smell of the product, my hands eventually did start feeling much better even after doing dishes, something I thought I would never admit to. I’ll still be using lotion and trying to take better care of my skin, but if using Dawn Plus Hand Renewal while I wash dishes can help with that, then I’m all for it. And I highly recommend it!
Heeeere’s Your Sign
My husband. God love him, he would give a person the shirt off of his back but sometimes I just wonder “what is he thinking??!!!”.
A few weeks ago a man knocked on our door and introduced himself. I recognized him…he was a couple of years older than me in school. He said he was doing a roof on a house in our neighborhood and noticed that we had a few loose shingles and offered to fix them for $25. I politely thanked him and refused the offer. I’m thinking a few loose shingles is the least of my worries.
So today, I call Cracked Daddy to see what he was up to. He had the day off. He then mentioned that a man knocked on our door and offered to fix some loose shingles for $10!!! My radar immediately went up. I had told Cracked Daddy the first time the man stopped by…and why was that man coming around again when I said no the first time?
Me: “Honey, you told him no, right?”
Cracked Daddy: “It was a good deal!! Why are you mad? It will be ok.”
2 hours later, The Man hasn’t shown back up to fix the shingles. He told Cracked Daddy he had to go get his tall ladder to reach our roof.
OK.
4 hours later….Cracked Daddy calls The Man, who did indeed give Cracked Daddy his cell number and real name. Apparently, one of the man’s workers has fallen off a roof and he is at the emergency room waiting with him until his family arrives. He promises Cracked Daddy he will be there within the hour to fix our roof.
I notice Cracked Daddy is getting very agitated, so I suggest he chill…I mean, we aren’t out of any money if he doesn’t show up, right?
Right?
It is then that Cracked Daddy informs me that he only had a twenty dollar bill, so he gave it to The Man who promise in return to bring his change back.
Do we see where this is going, people?
It’s now 11 PM, I still have loose shingles on my roof and am $20 poorer.
Should I kill my husband now or later?
The Pledge of Allegiance- According To E.B.
We are pretty darned impress that at only three years old, E.B. can say the Pledge of Allegiance and sing My Country ‘Tis of Thee. Tonight after his bath he wanted to stand in front of the bathroom mirror and recite these for me. I could barely contain myself when he got to this part:
…and to the Republic
for which it stands,
one Nation, ohmyGod,
indivisible….
Squashing Little Dreams..Just One More Free Parenting Service I Offer
I think becoming an adult and being in the “real world” has jaded me somewhat. I’m practical beyond the norm, I don’t get my hopes up about anything, and I prefer to be told the sobering truth than have sunshine piped in, if you know what I mean. While these aren’t necessarily unflattering traits to have, it’s also a little sad that I don’t allow myself to dream a little more…to expect the good in life…just to be child-like and take a freaking chill pill every once in a while.
A few nights ago E.B. and I were looking through a Target Holiday Toy catalog that had come in the mail that day. E.B. was excitedly oohing and ahhing and “LOOK MAMA LOOOK’ing!!!!!!” at all the bright, beautiful toys. He especially made a big fuss over a toy which he is way too young for and that was way too expensive. He was pointing and saying, “LOOK MAMA!!!”, and I sweetly replied, “I see that! Isn’t it beautiful? Too bad Santa Claus can’t afford that…”.
My MOM: “Mandy! Don’t say that to him!”
ME: “What? That it’s too expensive? I’m just being truthful…”
MOM: “You’re not supposed to tell him that…just let him dream.”
And then I remembered looking through the big Sears Wishbook as soon as I was old enough to know what a Sears Wishbook was. How I’d circle everything I wanted Santa to bring, no matter the cost or how ridiculous it was that a girl would want a He-Man figurine set or a skateboard. I’d also dog ear the pages so “Santa” could know exactly where to look. I dreamed big. There was no limit to my wishing or circling or dog earing.
And then I felt like crap. In my mind, I had reasoned he was only three…he doesn’t understand about recessing economies, unemployment rates, or drastically cutting unnecessary expenses. He doesn’t understand age limits on toys…that his dad would not be too understanding of his desire for the My Little Pony, or that he would not be getting everything he wanted. He couldn’t possibly understand at three, so why even censor myself?
But he can sense things. And soon, he WILL catch on to negativity and the fact that it’s sometimes a cruel world out there and that it’s not all sunishine, Polly Pockets and Wii gaming systems. And I decided right then that I don’t want to be one more contributer to that negativity. I wanted him to dream big. Those tough lessons will come soon enough. Seeing wonder and magic in his three year old eyes won’t ever come around again.
Yesterday the Wal-Mart Holiday Toy Catalog came in. E.B. and I crashed on the couch and oohed and ahhed and “LOOK MAMA LOOK’ed!!!!!!!” for a long, long while. We even dog eared the pages.
Christmas Sucks Review and Giveaway
Does the coming Christmas season conjure up going into debt (again), terrible travel and creepy mall Santa Clauses? Then you probably agree- Christmas can suck! Good news… there’s a new book that says you’re not alone.
CHRISTMAS SUCKS: WHAT TO DO WHEN FRUITCAKE, FAMILY AND FINDING THE PERFECT GIFT MAKE YOU MISERABLE by Joanne Kimes is a collection of practical tips that will help you save your sanity this holiday. It’s an amusing look at America’s commercialization of the Christmas holiday season and all the strife and stress that goes with it. I recently had the chance to read a copy of this book and found myself identifying with so many of the points Kimes made about how Christmas has turned into a huge holiday free-for-all and less about the true meaning and spirit of the holiday. Her tips are practical and if you are looking to scale back and “just say no” this holiday season, then this is the book for you.
The Mission Minded Family
Often, parents and teachers ask their children, “What do YOU want to be when you grow up?” In a world that is increasingly self-seeking, self-centered, and self-absorbed, the answers are consistently more egocentric—“a movie star,” “a rock star,” “a dance star.” Even within the church, this present generation is fixated on obtaining fame, wealth, and pleasure. But shouldn’t we be encouraging our children’s willingness to surrender to God’s plans for their futures? Shouldn’t our question instead be, “Oh, I wonder what awesome plans God has for your life! When you grow up, will you do whatever GOD wants you to do?”
In her new book, The Mission Minded Family: Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny (Authentic, July 2008), author, teacher, and missionary Ann Dunagan shows parents how to combat the influences of the “Me Generation” by giving readers the tools to revolutionize their families into ones dedicated to fulfilling God’s will and potential, instead of their own. In the first chapter of her book, Dunagan quotes David Shibley as he clearly addresses the current crisis within the church.
“We whine, ‘I just want to know my purpose; I’ve got to reach my destiny.’ We race all over the country to attend ‘destiny conferences,’ and we devour tapes and books on ‘reaching your full potential….’ Even cloaking our self-centeredness in Christian garb and jargon cannot cover the nakedness of this cult of self that has infested much of the church…. How can we ever hope to discover our purpose in the earth with little or no interest in His purpose?”
Dunagan, who also wrote The Mission-Minded Child, brings the same perspective to what it means to be a mission-minded family. Her goal is to equip today’s godly parents to train our next generation to make a powerful impact for Jesus Christ by directing their focus outward. “Every day, approximately 150,000 people die; the majority of these people are not saved, and far too many have never even heard God’s Good News of salvation,” says Dunagan. “How can we sit back and hear the Gospel again and again, while many are still waiting to hear it for the first time? Today’s Christian families desperately need to remember that our purpose in this world involves so much more than what we can attain for ourselves. We’re here to reach the lost.”
The Mission Minded Family includes suggested activities for families to participate in together as well as resources to help families develop the desire to become more missions-focused. Dunagan discusses the need for families to balance and prioritize their everyday lives and delves into what a family’s finances would look like if they were focused on missions. Families who read and practice principles from this book will receive a rekindled closeness as they participate in ministry together.
“In a mission-minded family, there’s a God-infused energy,” Dunagan explains. “There’s a focus on God’s worldwide purpose and a passion for the lost. There’s a spiritual depth and hunger that reaches beyond the maintenance mode of cultural Christianity.”
Packed with motivating missions stories, hymns, and quotes, The Mission Minded Family is a quick resource tool with examples of missionary family heroes, ministry ideas, exciting prayer projects, and even practical tips for international travel. Filled with passionate inspiration, The Mission Minded Family will be picked up again and again, read aloud, and used as a reference for years to come.