The Lion King Two-Disc Diamond Edition: A Must-Have for Your Family Movie Library

Need I even tell you that this new 'Lion King' DVD release is a must-have? If your children didn't see The Lion King in 3D in theaters recently (and really, even if they did), you can still save face by presenting them with a copy of the movie, which is now available for a limited time in a combo pack that includes discs for both Blu-Ray and DVD players.

And let me assure you that this movie will be played OFTEN in your home! My children absolutely adore it, and have practically memorized every single word to Hakuna Matata. They say that phrase ALL THE TIME now. Many of my friends and relatives believe that The Lion King is Disney's best movie of all time, and it's hard to disagree with them! I'm so glad my kids are being introduced to the movie and all of its lovable characters now!

Just to give you a little more bang for your buck, Disney also has made the following free crafts and activities available to go along with the movie-watching experience:

To download coloring and activity pages, click on this graphic:

For fun Lion King-inspired crafts, click here:

And for Lion King recipe ideas, click the graphic below:

You can make an entire Lion King day of it!

And why not?!

The Lion King Two-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-Ray/DVD Combo is available now for $24.99 from Amazon.com.


Disclosure: I received a review copy of this DVD in order to write about it. My opinions are my own.

African Cats: An Eductational AND Entertaining Family Movie

My favorite movies for my kids are those that teach them something.

That's why I'm loving Disneynature's documentary-style movies that are instructive, emotional and entertaining for the whole family.

We missed African Cats at the theater, to my seven-year-old's dismay, so I was more than happy to present her with a review copy of the new DVD release, available now as a Blu-Ray+DVD combo for $24.99.

Called "a real-life Lion King" by Amazon reviews, it's a great companion movie to watch with Disney's recent re-release of The Lion King, which my children are obsessed with right now. (How many times can I hear the phrase 'Hakuna Matata' in one day??!!)

Here's a synopsis from the studio:

AFRICAN CATS takes viewers deep into the breathtaking African savanna to witness the heart-stopping rivalry between two lion prides and the epic journey of one brave cheetah family. Shot over the course of two and a half years using state-of-the-art camera equipment, AFRICAN CATS captures the awe-inspiring beauty of one of the wildest places on Earth as it tells the dramatic and often intimate stories of Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion clan.

My children loved this movie, and so did I. The cinematography is spectacular and the story is captivating.

Of course, the question every parent has about these types of film is whether there is gore and death. On those counts, this film is family-friendly, but since it is true to life in the wild, death is part of the movie. If you have young children who would be negatively impacted by this, keep that in mind. For those who are comfortable with the 'circle of life' analogy, this movie will be a hit.

To add to the experience, you can download printable activities by clicking on this link:

Enjoy!

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this movie. My opinions are my own.

Spooky Buddies: The Year's Most Hotly Anticipated Release (According to My Kids)

If your kids are anything like mine, they are COMPLETELY BESIDE THEMSELVES over the release of Disney's "Spooky Buddies" today on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Seriously, mine have been talking about it for weeks, particularly my 4-year-old. Those Spooky Buddies commercials are doing their job, Disney! He's managed to find all of our movies from the "Buddies" franchise and watch them in anticipation of the big release. And he asks me for the new Spooky Buddies movie AT LEAST once a day.

Fortunately, it's out now at stores everywhere, and we're going to be watching it soon to start getting in the mood for Halloween. And Disney is helping us enjoy the movie even more with these three FREE downloads in honor of the movie's release:

A Spooky Buddies activity sheet...

A Spooky Buddies Family Night party guide...

And a recipe for bat-shaped doggy biscuits!

Want to download these sheets? Head here to get them!



Spooky Buddies is available now on Amazon for $16.99.

affresh: My Choice for Easy Stainless Steel Cleaning

As the appliances in my (built in 1990) kitchen slowly begin to crap out, we're replacing them with stainless steel versions. So far, I now have a stainless steel refrigerator, range, convection/microwave, trash can, and as of next week, oven! (It's amazing how a certain amount of years pass and everything breaks down at about the same time, isn't it?)

With all this stainless steel, I leaped at the chance to review affresh Stainless steel cleaner. I do know, after all, that stainless steel requires special care, but I wasn't all that clear at what that 'special care' actually involved.

I've been using affresh a few times a week on my stainless steel for a couple of months now and it definitely does the job.

My stainless steel appliances and accessories look brand new, and cleaning with affresh literally couldn't be easier.

Thanks, Mom Central, for letting me try it out!

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of affresh and received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Enter to Win a Yosemite Family Adventure from Uncrustables!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Triad Retail Media for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

There's a special place in my heart for Smucker's Uncrustables sandwiches.

I have actually sat around with other moms wondering what about Uncrustables makes them so darn good- because heaven knows, my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches don't even approach the gloriousness of the Uncrustables-- even when I cut off the crusts. I suspect there's some sort of hidden ingredient that I simply can't approximate. All I know is that my kids LOVE them and will eat them any time, anywhere, any place.

For us, Uncrustables are a decadent treat that I keep hidden away in the freezer for special occasions-- i.e., Mommy overslept and has to make lunch in five minutes! Ahem.

The point of all this is that you already know how good Uncrustables are, and how much your kids love them.

What you may not know, however, is that liking Uncrustables can actually win you and your family a family adventure trip to Yosemite National Park! Neat, right? Go to the

Uncrustables website and learn how to enter to win!

If you like Uncrustables as much as we do, you'll also want to 'like' them on Facebook.

And keep up-to-date on special Uncrustables promotions and special offers by following them on Twitter.

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Affresh Stainless Steel Cleaner: In My Cabinet From Now On

When I moved into my house nearly ten years ago, there was no stainless steel to be seen in the kitchen.

Since that time, though, it has slowly infiltrated my living space. First there was a brand new stainless steel refrigerator. Followed by a stainless steel microwave/convection oven. And then a stainless steel kitchen trash can. A few days, our ove broke and the stainless steel revolution will nearly be complete.

The dishwasher is our lone holdout.

Stainless steel is wonderful, and very easy to care for. But it calls for something a little more special than your basic kitchen cleaner. I received a bottle of Affresh stainless steel cleaner from Mom Central to test out on my own stainless steel appliances and the bottom line is this:
I'll keep a bottle of Affresh under the sink from now on.

For one thing, it easily cleaned off all the smudges, fingerprints, and bits of dried food (I have small children. Don't judge.) that had accumulated on my stainless steel appliances. I just sprayed Affresh, waited a few moments, and wiped it off. Boom! Cleanliness.

For another, it is the best-smelling kitchen cleaner I've ever come across. It has a fresh plum scent that makes me want to spray it on myself like perfume. But I won't, of course. Because that would be wrong. And weird.

Affresh costs about $6.99 per bottle and it's recommended that you use a stainless steel cleaner on your appliances about once a month. I'll likely be using mine far more than that because you know, small kids. Jam fingers.

Anyway, that's what I thought. AFFRESH FTW!

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a test drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Affresh and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central Consulting sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Why We Love Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine

We have a Walgreens just a few minutes from my home, and with four children in the house, we've gotten to know Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products very, very well.

One of the first things I learned as a wife and stepmom was that Walgreens medicines work just as well as the name-brand products that cost far more money, They're also Walgreens pharmacist-recommended, most have the same active ingredients as the other national brands, and they carry a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Equally important when it comes to kids, they taste just as good. As a result, our medicine cabinet is chock full of Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products and medicines. But I have to admit that there's one Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Product I love more than any other. It looks like this


It is known as the Walgreens Cool Mist Humidifier. And it is one of my favorite things that we own.

Once or twice a year, each of my small children ends up getting a respiratory illness, generally one right after the other. As every parent knows, when your child is coughing and rasping with every breath, it can be very distressing. There's often not much you can do about it, either, particularly at night when the coughing is at its worst. The act of getting out our humidifier and setting it up always makes me and my kids feel better. Not only do they seem to sleep better through the night, the soft whushing sound that the humidifier makes and its night light are very comforting to them. They love running their hands over the mist that comes out the top before they go to bed, and they always complain when they're better and I put the humidifier back in the closet!

I still remember when we were trying to decide whether to buy the humidifier. Buying the Walgreens brand was a no-brainer, since we were very familiar with the quality of Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products and it was at least five dollars less than the next-cheapest humidifier. Purchasing a humidifier is a bit of an investment when you're watching your budget, but I haven't regretted our decision for a second. We've had our Walgreens Cool Mist Humidifier for several years now and it still works great and never leaks.

Want to try out a few Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products for yourself? A number of bloggers are giving away a free Walgreens gift card right now! You can find them here.


Visit Walgreens.com to learn more about Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products.

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