Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest For Crystal Mickey REVIEW

Is it just me or is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse one of the most popular shows on television for kids?  My kids love it and there is a reason why!  The show is full of fun, excitement, learning, and adventure...so when we heard about the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest For Crystal Mickey DVD release on May 21st, 2013 we were anxious for a peek inside the feature before it hit the shelves!

Synopsis:

Join Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and all their pals in the newest Clubhouse crusade. When the legendary Crystal Mickey goes missing, Mickey and friends go on an adventure to save the Clubhouse from losing its magic. Grab your hat, buckle your seatbelt, and get ready to embark on a thrilling adventure in “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest for the Crystal Mickey!” There’s no time to lose after greedy Plunderin’ Pete snatches the legendary Crystal Mickey statue from the Clubhouse. Without this sparkly statue’s magic, the Clubhouse will disappear forever! Can the world’s most extraordinary hero "Kansas City Mickey," get the magical statue back in time? Only with help from young viewers at home…and the right Mouseketools can Mickey journey across the Sandy Desert, brave the Rushing River and make his way through the Hidden Jungle. But watch out for Pete’s trickiest traps!

Full of magic and mystery, the DVD includes four extra episodes of Disney Junior's Emmy-nominated series "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" (over 2 hours of content!) and a FREE Adventure Activity Map plus Stickers. 

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest For Crystal Mickey was a huge hit with my kids!  They loved watching Mickey and the gang as they took on the "naughty" Pete and returned the Crystal Mickey back to the clubhouse.  I love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse because throughout watching this DVD my kids were completely entertained.  There is a lot of interaction encourage in the shows, there is a bunch of great teaching that goes which touches on topics like shapes, colors, counting, and more!  I can never get enough of the "Oh Tootles" shouts from my kids as well!

GRAB IT:

You can officially grab your own copies of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest For Crystal Mickey on DVD at your local retailers now!!

ACTIVITIES:

 

A big THANK YOU to Disney for providing me with a free DVD to review.  I was not compensated for this review. I receive product(s) for free so that I can provide my insight and experience. These are my honest opinions. Your experience may vary.

Seventh Generation REVIEW

I feel that today's generation of parents are trying their best to be innovative, environmentally conscious, and trendy.  It's not every day that I come across a company that not only help parents attain that goal, but who will inspire your children to protect themselves and the environment as well.  Seventh Generation allows you to indulge yourself with something special with their gentle formulas that reawaken your softer side and prepare you for a better tomorrow! "Treat yourself to our plant-based lotions to recapture the pure, naturally soft feeling you love about your skin. For your baby, make every moment as special as can be. Seventh Generation baby personal care products are designed with gentle, hypoallergenic, baby-lovin' formulas. Seventh Generation products use natural fragrances derived from 100% essential oils and botanical extracts. Seventh Generation also offers solutions for your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room."

I had heard of Seventh Generation before, but had never actually tried any of their products.  Which is why I was thrilled when I had an opportunity to try out a variety of their products through a Smiley360 campaign.

 I received:

- Mandarin Refreshing Facial Cleansing Cloths

- Mandarin Nourishing Body Wash

- Lavender Moisturizing Lotion

- Baby shampoo and wash

- Baby Lotion

- Natural 4x laundry detergent

All of the products were great!  I love the clean, fresh scents, the natural glow the personal products left on our skin, and the overall positive impression that I got with their performance!  Although I really loved the baby products that I could see making my kids' skin smoother and less irritated, my favorite product from the group ended up being the facial cleansing cloths.  Surprisingly they turned out to be the most used and I just really enjoyed them.  The cloths are infused with natural cleansers and moisturizers and are used to take off your makeup.  They leave your face with this soft and natural glow and they are perfect for those exhausting days where you can't wait to hit the sack.  Just wipe away the dust and grime from your day in one fast and easy step!  So convenient!  Overall, I was really impressed with my first experience with Seventh Generation and definitely seeing myself using their products in the future!

BUY IT:

For more information on Seventh Generation products CLICK HERE!  

You can also purchase Seventh Generation products from Amazon,  Walgreens, or the Seventh Generation website 

CONNECT:

Like Seventh Generation on Facebook

A big THANK YOU to Seventh Generation and Smiley360 for providing me with free products to review.  I was not compensated for this review. I receive product(s) for free so that I can provide my insight and experience. These are my honest opinions. Your experience may vary.

DIY Photo Walls (Guest Post)

Hello there! I am Brooke from Start at Home. I am beyond flattered to be contributing here at Take It From Me. 

 I am a stay at home mommy that has an addiction to anything OLD and I love the thrill of treasure hunting for that perfect piece. In my free time you will find me in the garage refinishing/repurposing my latest find. I love decorating my house with all my fun finds and refinished furniture. 

 I don't know about you but I am obsessed with taking pictures of my children, naturally I have A LOT of pictures. I wanted a fun way to display their pictures and showed off all those fun moments! 

 What better than a Family photo wall! 

 What!? You want one too? You have come to the right place! I will walk you through how my photo walls have come to be! 

 When creating a photo wall don't be afraid to add elements other than picture frames. If you have a favorite family saying try incorporating it as I have with our family wall. You can find sign tutorials on my blog here.

  I made this wall for a boutique I recently had in my home, I wanted to add fun elements to bring character to the wall. Old vintage knobs, fresh flowers in a mason jar vase, a fun shelf and a chalkboard all break it up a little and add a fun flair to the wall. 

 The 2 photo walls above are very large and take up my entire wall. Which are great for that big wall you don't know what to do with. 

 Don't have a space that big? No problem. 

 This photo wall is only 36inches by 42inches. It is in my VERY small half bath. 

 You may have noticed in all 3 of my walls none of my frames match! Some of them I have made, others I have found/collect, and some were even in an old forgotten box downstairs.

 I know those wheels are turning! 

 Lets get to work making your own photo wall! 

 First things first decided how big of an area you have. Big or small and tape out where you want your pictures to be on your wall. 

 Next I like to tape the same dimensions out on the floor and rearrange my picture frames until I like how they are positioned. This saves lots of nail holes in the wall. 

 Once I have found that perfect arrangement I decided what colors I want them to be. I liked all of the frames current colors except for the large oval one, she got a coat of paint! I than add what I want in my frames. For this project I found cute old sheet music at a thrift store.

 Next position your frames one by one. In your taped out area on your wall! 

 Pull off the tape ......... 

 and TADA you have a new photo wall! 

 Don't be afraid to be creative, after all it is your WALL!!! 

 Thank you again to Take It From Me for letting me take over your blog for the day!! 

TTFN 

Brooke

Kids Bowl Free Program

I can't tell you how excited I am about the Kids Bowl Free Program this summer!  Today is the last day of school and I have been trying to come up with ways to entertain all of my kids over the break.  The Kids Bowl Free Program is the perfect way for your kids to get out of the house, get a little active, and throw in a GREAT DEAL--what can be better?

Designed by bowling centers to give back to the community and provide a safe, secure, and fun way for kids to spend time this summer, Kids Bowl Free allows families can get two free games for up to six children per day!  And if the adults want to get in on the bowling action, you can buy family packs for the whole summer for only $24.95!!

Just head over to KidsBowlFree.com and check out which select bowling centers around the country are participating in your area!  Then simply register your children whose age does not exceed a limit by a participating bowling center for 2 free games a day, all summer long, courtesy of the participating bowling centers along with the schools and organizations.

Fun right?

Do like I did and get a bunch of friends together, sign up your families, and get ready to enjoy tons of fun bowling throughout the summer!

GET IT:

Head over to KidsBowlFree.com for more information!! 

A big THANK YOU to Kids Bowl Free for providing me with a family pass for this campaign.  These are my honest opinions. Your experience may vary.

Chicken Soup For The Soul - Raising Kids on the Spectrum - Review & GIVEAWAY

Chicken Soup for the Soul: 

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum

By Rebecca Landa, Mary Beth Marsden, Nancy Burrows & Amy Newmark

403 Pages (Paperback)

Date Published: April 2, 2013

About the book:  "With its 101 stories from other parents and experts, this book will comfort, encourage, and uplift parents of children with autism and Asperger’s.If you are the parent of a child – from newborn to college age – with autism or Asperger’s, you will find support, advice, and insight in these 101 stories from other parents and experts. Stories cover everything from the serious side and the challenges, to the lighter side and the positives, of having a special child on the autism spectrum."

Buy It!

Purchase Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum on Amazon for only $11.08!

Win It! 

Chicken Soup for the Soul has generously offered 1 very lucky Take It From Me reader their very own copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum

 ENTER: Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below. For info on how to use the Rafflecopter form, check out this video tutorial HERE.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  
A BIG THANKS to Chicken Soup for the Soul for providing me with a copy of this book, and for providing one as a giveaway for one of our readers.  These are my honest opinions, your experience may vary.

National Restaurant Association’s Kids LiveWell Event

Ahhhhhh, it's finally here!! I wrote on facebook that I received some very good news, and well… it's here!

I am going to be attending the National Restaurant Association's Kids LiveWell event that is exclusively for Mom Bloggers! Eeek!

At the event I will be watching the Kids Recipe Challenge Award Presentation, which highlights award-winning recipes from restaurants across the country offering healthful and tasty menu options for kids. From there, I'll attend a special reception to meet and take photos with celebrity chef Marc Murphy, speak with Kids LiveWell participating restaurants and Registered Dietitian Joy Dubost!"

I am so excited to be at this exciting event and can't wait to share this experience with you!

Kids Recipe Challenge:

Children's nutrition is a top trend on restaurant menus. To shine the spotlight on the industry's commitment to providing healthful menu options for children and to inspire others to adopt similar practices, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and McCormick For Chefs created the Kids Recipe Challenge. The Kids Recipe Challenge is a fun and creative way to showcase healthy menu options available when dining out.

Participating restaurants & foodservice providers submit their creative culinary creations from their kids menu for consideration for this exciting, new award.

I will be taking lots of photos, so make sure to check back soon!!

Winners!

The winner of the Barney: Dance with Barney DVD giveaway is…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner of the Albert Whitman & Company giveaway is…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I've sent emails to the winners.

Twinkle Toes Music Video Collection (Review)

Inception Media Group Proudly Presents

Twinkle Toes Music Video Collection

Find Your Inner Sparkle!

Twinkle Toes Music Video Collection

Inception Media Group

Running Time: Approx. 35 Minutes

Suggested Retail Price: $12.98

Street Date: May 21, 2013

Synopsis: 

Kids and tweens will dance the days away with thirteen (13) fun, positive and uplifting music videos on the new Twinkle Toes: Original Motion Picture video collection. Music videos from the hit Twinkle Toes movie. The program includes four (4) original videos not in the movie including featured performances from Laura Baruch, the voice of Twinkle Toes star, Gracie.

Our Thoughts:

My girls really enjoyed watching Twinkle Toes Music Video Collection and thought it was a lot of fun. They had a blast as they got up and danced to the featured thirteen catchy and uplifting music video performances. The dazzling fashionista Grace "Twinkle Toes" Hastings is adorable and so fun to watch. 

Buy It!

Twinkle Toes Music Video Collection is available online on amazon for only $11.98 and is also available at Target, Walmart and Barnes & Noble.

A big THANK YOU to Inception Media Group for providing me with this DVD to review. I was not compensated for this review. I receive product(s) for free so that I can provide my insight and experience. These are my honest opinions. Your experience may vary.

Herbalogic (Review)

"Herbalogic produces easy-to-take, concentrated liquid herb formulas based on centuries of Chinese herbal medicine. Each functional herb formula addresses common health concerns with a powerful combination of medicinal herbs long used to support the body's natural return to a healthy, balanced state. Our formulas address back and muscle pain, stress and tension, menopausal hot flashes, nervous worry and agitation, nose and sinus issues, mental focus and concentration, energy and performance, trouble sleeping, and periodic mood swings related to PMS. All Herbalogic formulas are made in the U.S.A. to exacting standards of quality."

I had the pleasure of sampling Herbalogic's Decompress and was simply amazed by the results. I have to admit, I was a little doubtful at first, but I was open to try anything to calm the stress and tension in my life. Decompress was exactly what I needed and it really works. I don't handle crying, fighting or yelling very well and it seems like that is the only thing my kids like to do these days, so having this was a life savor! I took Decompress twice a day for four days and I felt great! I was able to find the balance I needed to handle my kids craziness and it made me a better mom. I love having it in my cupboard and knowing that I can take it whenever I need it. 

WHEN YOU SHOULD TAKE DECOMPRESS

Use fast-acting Decompress concentrated herb drops:

» to reduce irritability & short-temperedness

» when feeling irritated, aggravated, or overwhelmed

» to promote a healthy & stable emotional response to stressful situations

» to reduce stress-induced shoulder & neck tightness

» to moderate muscle stiffness and occasional pain

» to support healthy digestion in stressful times

» to assist in seasonal mood support

Other products I would love to try would be Herbalogics' Solid Eight. After my second child was born, I have a hard time getting a full night sleep and would love to try Solid Eight, especially after trying Decompress and seeing the positive effects it had on me!

I would also love to try their Fixed Focus. There are days that go by where I need to get a lot done and I need to be focused or it's a disaster!

Buy It!

Herbalogic products are available online and are definitely worth purchasing!

A big THANK YOU to Herbalogic for providing me with this product to review. I was not compensated for this review. I receive product(s) for free so that I can provide my insight and experience. These are my honest opinions. Your experience may vary.