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Show Kids Being Different is a Good Thing with the New Koala Kid DVD

May 7, 2013 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

My boys are at a bit of an awkward age when it comes to choosing movies and television shows at the moment. Zackary’s choices are often a little violent or rude-humoured for Benjamin and Benjamin’s favourites are dull to Zackary. So finding a light-hearted family movie with a great plot is always a welcome occurrence in our household. Recently we received the new animated comedy Koala Kid from 20th Century Fox to review and it sounded like a great choice for both my boys. Here’s a brief synopsis:

koala kid box art Johnny is a rare white koala bear who just wants to fit in and make friends. But when a twist of fate mistakenly transforms him into a fearless protector of animals, called “Koala Kid,” Johnny finds himself in over his head on a thrilling trek across the outback. With help from his hilarious new sidekicks, including a crafty Tasmanian devil, a lovable lizard and a boomerang-flinging female koala, Johnny may just outwit a villainous crocodile named Bog and become a true hero after all.

The movie features a star-studded voice cast featuring Rob Schneider, Tim Curry and Alan Cumming. My boys loved following along with the adventures of Johnny the Koala Bear and I loved that the movie delivered the message that differences make us special. With topics that touched on bullying, accepting others and being true to yourself, the movie had the kind of positive messages that both my boys appreciate. [Read more...]

Wordless Wednesday with Linky-I Don’t Lick You

April 23, 2013 by Kathryn 52 Comments

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While in a time out for hitting his brother, Zackary got his hands on a piece of paper and wrote a little note for me.

Not to worry, though. After he was allowed to go back to his movie, he wrote me this.

If you have a Wordless Wednesday post, please link it up below; I’d love to check it out! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Features, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: children, family, funny, humour, kid, kid note, note, parent, parenting

Sid the Science Kid: The Movie on DVD Has Action and Education for Kids-Giveaway

April 18, 2013 by Kathryn 80 Comments

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Who’s every kid’s favourite insatiably curious little scientist? Sid the Science Kid, of course! Sid, like most young children, is always asking questions about the world around him. And in his search for the answers, he helps teach kids about the scientific process! Zackary discovered this hit PBS Kids show when he was about three years old and I have to admit, I was a bit of a fan myself! And now Sid is starring in his very own movie now available on DVD! Here’s a brief synopsis of Sid the Science Kid: The Movie:

sid science kid movie box art Sid and his classmate Gabriela enter a contest and win the exclusive opportunity to visit a new modern science museum before it opens to the public. There the kids meet a quirky scientist, voiced by special guest star Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), who has designed robot tour guides of the future! Then one of the robots goes haywire and the grand opening is in jeopardy! It is up to Sid and his friends to work as a team to find the rogue robot and save the day!

My boys were so excited to watch this movie featuring Sid and Gabriela. They especially loved the robot tour guides that were featured in the movie, since Zackary has lately had a fascination with robots that he has passed to his brother. The movie had a great engaging storyline and I loved that my boys were learning about lightning, dinosaurs and robots as the action progressed! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: cartoon, children, DVD, DVD reviews, entertainment, kid, kids, movie, ncircle, ncircle entertainment, pbs, pbs kids, science, science kid, sid, sid science kid movie, sid the science kid

Wordless Wednesday with Linky-All About Me

April 16, 2013 by Kathryn 41 Comments

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Every year the Lumsden Elementary School holds a Heritage Fair and each student creates a project. The Grade One theme was “All About Me.” I just love Zackary’s self portrait hanging over the chair!

If you have a Wordless Wednesday post, please link it up below; I’d love to check it out! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Features, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: art, boy, children, class, grade one, heritage fair, kid, school, school project, self portrait

Helping Your Child Discover the Basics of Money Management

March 18, 2013 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

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It doesn’t take long for your little ones to realize that the green paper in your wallet has a special ability to get them things. Before long, they start wondering what it is and how it works. If you want to help your kid out in a big way, teaching them the basics of how to manage money at an early age is critical. Here are a few tips to try out when you want to help your child in this area.

1. Let Them Earn It

From an early age, you should associate money with doing something to earn it. Let your children do odd jobs around the house to earn $.50 or $1. Once they get older, you could let them mow the neighbours’ yard or do other miscellaneous jobs. You don’t have to just let them trade work for money either. For example, you might want to let them set up a lemonade stand or sell something else. Help them foster the spirit of being an entrepreneur as much as possible.

2. Encourage Them to Give Back

One of the most important lessons that most people learn is to give some of their money back to charity. Whether that’s giving money to a local church or giving it to a special cause, it can make a big difference for those who need it. Show your child how to take a percentage of each paycheck and give it to a charity. This will not only help them make a difference now, but it will also give them some nice tax breaks in the future. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Money, Parenting Tagged With: allowance, budget, child, children, children money, education, kid, kids, learn, learn about money, management, money, money management

Earth’s Best Yogurt Puffs are a Delicious Portable Snack-Giveaway

January 31, 2013 by Kathryn 115 Comments

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My boys are huge fans of yogurt. They love the creamy texture, the different fruit varieties and, most of all, the tangy flavour. But while yogurt is a fun and healthy treat at home, it’s not a great choice when we’re on the go. Luckily Earth’s Best is here to help! The company’s new Yogurt Puffs are the perfect portable choice for any yogurt-loving child.

Earth’s Best is taking yogurt above and beyond with these flavorful, bite size morsels. The new Yogurt Puffs combine two favorite yogurt flavors, blueberry and peach, with whole grain oats and flour. Earth’s Best Organic Yogurt Puffs create a mouthwatering, melt-away texture that will have you wanting to steal from your little one! We received the two varieties of Yogurt Puffs to test out and the boys couldn’t wait to open the containers.

Create a Peaceful Bedtime Tradition with the I Am Sleepy Children’s CD by Sukey Molloy-Giveaway

October 31, 2012 by Brenna

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Bedtime is always a challenge in my home. Neither of my daughters take it well. In our efforts to make it easier for them my husband and I have a fairly consistent routine for them at bedtime which includes a half-hour warning, a bath on some nights but not all, moisturizer, teeth brushing and always three stories for each girl. However most nights still end with the frustration of them continuously coming out of their rooms to go pee, ask us “very important” questions or otherwise delay the inevitable task of falling asleep. Needless to say we are generally willing to try most reasonable tips we hear about easing your children to sleep when the time for bed arrives.

i am sleepy cover art So when we got the opportunity to review a musical CD called I Am Sleepy by Sukey Molloy that was designed to help young children fall asleep, I was hopeful and excited to give it a try. First of all I must say that even as an adult I found the music to be extremely soothing. The CD has 17 tracks which are mostly musical but also includes a few whimsical stories mixed in. Sukey Molloy states that her inspiration for the CD came from her warm childhood memories of her own mother singing to her at bedtime and I found that peaceful feeling really came through in her music. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: bed, bedtime, bedtime music, child, children, children's music, i am sleepy, kid, molloy, music, music cd, night, sukey, sukey molloy

KidKraft Outdoor Chairs-A Must-Have Accessory for Yards This Summer

May 14, 2012 by Kathryn

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While I sometimes dream of having a gorgeous landscaped back yard like the ones I see in magazines, creating and maintaining an area like that just isn’t one of my top priorities. When it comes to outfitting our yard, there’s only one real goal I have right now and that’s to make the space as fun and inviting for my boys as I possibly can.

kidkraft Outdoor Sling Chair With a trampoline, two swing sets and a variety of smaller play sets filling the yard already, I think I’m doing pretty well. But the boys really didn’t have a place they could sit down and relax. My husband and I had our comfy patio set, but all Zackary and Benjamin had was a small plastic picnic table. So I was delighted when KidKraft gave me the chance to review two of its gorgeous outdoor chairs for children.

I received the children’s Outdoor Sling Chair and Adirondack Chair to review. I decided to get ambitious and put the Outdoor Sling Chair together myself. It looked like it would be fairly easy to assemble and since Curtis usually takes the lead with any projects like this, I thought it would be fun to see how I did on my own. Luckily, the chair came with easy-to-follow instructions and all the tools I needed for assembly. Within about half an hour, I had managed to completely assemble this cute and comfy chair!

I left the Adirondack Chair to Curtis, however, and I’m very glad I did! It had far more pieces and the assembly was a much more complicated process than that of the other chair, but Curtis is a genius when it comes to things like this and soon both chairs were ready for the boys to enjoy!

Zackary and Benjamin couldn't wait to relax in their new chairs once we'd assembled them!

The chairs were the perfect size for Zackary and Benjamin, though Zackary will likely be too large for them in a year or so. The boys looked so cute sitting together side-by-side in their new chairs and I was very excited to move them outside so that they could have a comfy place to sit outdoors.

Shortly after moving the chairs outside, Saskatchewan received a solid week of rain and I was a little worried about how the chairs would hold up, but KidKraft products are built to last and these sturdy wooden chairs were no exception. They still looked like new even after the dreary weather and the boys had so much fun with their new seating once the weather warmed up again! It was wonderful to see how much they enjoyed having a place to sit down and rest after running and playing.

kidkraft adirondack chair KidKraft has plenty of other fabulous children’s furniture for both indoor and outdoor use, not to mention some of the most popular toys available as well! And the quality and durability of the KidKraft products makes them a great investment for your household. Unlike so many products for children today, items from KidKraft are almost certain to last for generations!

My boys love their KidKraft chairs and I love that they have such a nice place to rest when they’ve tired themselves out playing. Not to mention the fact that the chairs add a little extra style to our yard too! If you’re looking for gorgeous and durable outdoor furniture for your kids, check out KidKraft and see what pieces might be perfect for your back yard. You’re sure to find outdoor furniture that you and your kids will both love!
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