Winners!

Congratulations to the following winners:
 

Bear Grylls Survival Bracelet: #176 Serge B.
Epic: #253 Ronald O.
Nickelodeon Back to School DVD Prize Pack: #73 Tina L.
FunBites: #112 Saver S.

I have emailed the winners and you have 48 hours to respond before I pick a new winner.  Thanks to all who entered!

#EpicDay Check Out These Fun Activities and an Exclusive Movie Clip from Epic!

**This is a sponsored post.  I will be given the product(s) mentioned in exchange for this giveaway post.

Today is the day!  You can now purchase Epic on Blu-ray combo pack!  In honor of the release, enjoy these fun bookmarks - perfect for Back to School time!

Also check out this exclusive clip about the making of the movie Epic!

   

This one is great for the kids!  They can make their own bird!

 

 

Make the most of these last warm days and make this hummingbird feeder with your little ones.

 

 

Have fun with your kids and make your own Epic story with this fun activity sheet below!

 

 

Here's a fun Memory game for the kids - Epic style!

And finally, your kids will love these fun coloring pages!

Our Epic Camping Party! #EpicDay

**This is a sponsored post.  I was given the product(s) mentioned in exchange for this post.

Last weekend my kids had an awesome Epic Camping Party!  I'm excited to tell you all about it!  With summertime coming to an end, I want to tell you about what we did, so that you, my readers, can have your own Epic Camping Party!

As a Fox Home Entertainment Insider, I get to review some wonderful movies, and my family and I were thrilled to have this opportunity to host a backyard camp out with our friends and family and get to view the movie Epic in DigitalHD.  We had my sister and her family over as well as one of Bella's friends from school.  The Fox Home Entertainment Insiders gave each kid a fun party kit and we got to do some fun activities with them. 

Each kit came with the following items:

• 1 flashlight
• 1 magnifying glass
• 1 woven tote bag
• 1 hot cocoa set (includes mug and hot cocoa mix)
• 1 bug viewer
• 1 grow kit
• Epic activity sheets

First we let the kids plant their basil seeds in their grow kits.  The grow kits came with a cute Epic planter and some soil that expands when you add water, and some basil seeds.  Bella and Sam have been checking on their plants every day and they have already started sprouting.  It's so much fun to watch your children grow something and see the wonder in their eyes!

Next we went on a nature hunt with the help of one of the Epic activity sheets included in the kids' kits.  We had fun trying to find things such as a humming bird, dandelion, sparrow, snail or slug, caterpillar, frog or toad, daisies, a crow and a moth.  The most exciting thing we found was a caterpillar.  I was hoping someone would find a frog or toad, but no one did.  It was still fun to explore the backyard and look at the nature around us!  You can print this activity sheet to have a nature hunt in your own back yard!

We also did and insect experiment with the help of another Epic activity sheet.  We made a 12 inch square with masking tape and placed it on the grass.  We left it there for a bit and then came back to inspect with our magnifying glasses to see if there were any bugs left behind.  The kids were thrilled to find an ant and another unidentified bug.  (I think it was some type of beetle.)  Bella loved drawing pictures of the bugs she found.  You can try this experiment in your backyard too!  Just follow the directions in this activity sheet courtesy of Epic!

After our planting, nature hunt and insect experiment, we were getting pretty hungry!  My husband grilled us a nice dinner and then the kids began to settle down with some hot cocoa in their new Epic mugs of course!  We also made some S'mores later that night for a yummy treat!  The main event of the kids' night was the premier of Epic on DigitalHD!  We were so excited to get to watch the movie before anyone could buy it in the store.

With an on the go family, it's so nice to be able to download a movie to my phone that my kids can watch in the car, while waiting for a sibling's sports practice to be over, or while waiting in the doctor's office for what can seem like hours!  I like to have things to keep them occupied for those boring moments.  With DigitalHD you can download movies to your smart phone or tablet and your family can watch them anywhere!

The kids were very excited to watch Epic on my smartphone.  Bella and Sam had been wanting to see it ever since we saw the previews for it when it was in the theater.  Although I have yet to see it.  The kids LOVED it and once we gave them the movie to watch, we didn't hear from them until it was over!

Epic will be coming out on Blu-ray and DVD next Tuesday, August 20th.  I can't wait to watch this movie with the kids!  We plan on watching it on our next family movie night (indoors on the big television) after it comes out on Blu-ray and DVD.

Are you excited to throw your very own Epic party with your kids!?  We had a great time as a family and will definitely have another back yard camp out in the future.  It's so fun to make these memories with our kids!  Make sure to go pick up Epic on Blu-ray and DVD as soon as it hits stores on August 20th!  Make the most of those last days of summer with your family!

BUY IT:

You can purchase Epic on Amazon for only $21.99!

WIN IT:

Click here to enter to win a copy of Epic right here on Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy!  Hurry!  This giveaway ends on August 23rd!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Going Green for an "Epic" School Year and an Epic Blu-ray Reader Giveaway! - CLOSED!

**This is a sponsored post.  I will be given the product(s) mentioned in exchange for this giveaway post.

Going Green For An Epic School Year

 Debuting on Blu-ray & DVD August 20

That time of year has come again! The kids are heading back to school and they are filled with excitement to see their friends and experience new things. The new school year is a new beginning filled with new teachers, experiences, and lessons. You can start off in the right direction by being environmentally friendly in your preparations for this school year. Take some advice from the Leafmen and follow these ten tips for going green to ensure you have an EPIC school year!

From the creators of Ice Age, the year’s funniest, most exhilarating animated adventure comes home as EPIC debuts on Blu-ray Combo Pack, Deluxe Edition Blu-ray, and DVD this August 20 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Directed by Chris Wedge (The Ice Age Franchise) and featuring an amazing voice cast including Colin Farrell, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler, Pitbull, and Beyoncé, the blockbuster film comes home just in time to help families become one with nature and end the summer in Epic style. 

 

1. Before heading to the store in search of supplies, take inventory of what items are left over from last year that can still be used this time around. Shopping for school can be exciting with all of the bright, fun items! Try to make sure you aren’t forgetting what you came for and don’t buy any unnecessary products that will go to waste.

2. When you have reduced your list of school supplies to the necessities, ensure that you think about what you buy. Look for pens and pencils that can be refilled or supplies that are made from recycled product. Read the labels and make smart decisions to help preserve the magic of Moonhaven!

3. There are so many ways to decrease the pollutants created by getting to and from school each day! If your child’s school has a bussing system, let them take the bus with their neighborhood friends each day. For older kids who live close to school, walking or biking each day not only provides them with exercise, but also completely eliminates any pollution from cars.

4. The Leafmen made their own clothes and armor from natural products to help protect the environment. You can also make a difference with your clothes by arranging a clothing swap party with some of your kids’ friends!  Everyone will walk away with new clothes and a happy conscience when they realize they are helping the environment!

5. The end of the day can be quite hectic as you run around dropping kids off at various after school activities! You can save your sanity and the earth by setting up a carpool schedule with other parents. Bonus: your kids will love the extra time with their friends!   

 6. When packing lunch for your little ones, keep the residents of Moonhaven on your mind. Invest in reusable water bottles, lunch boxes, and food containers. The kids will probably have tons of fun picking out lunch supplies with fun patterns and themes! Buying these products will also conserve tons of unnecessary waste!

7. The packaging isn’t the only part of lunch you can change to become more green! Send healthy, eco-friendly snacks and lunches with your little ones each day. Things like local, organic fruits and veggies are a great addition to your kids’ lunch!

8. In Epic, Queen Tara wears a gorgeous dress made from flower petals and leaves! You can get creative like her by changing the style of your backpack! Instead of purchasing a new bag every year, have a craft day and let your kids change up their bag with patches, paint, or other supplies.

9. Find out if your school already has a recycling program in place. If they don’t, take a stand and help set one up for each classroom! If recycling is already part of the plan, be sure to inform your own kids of the benefits of recycling so that they will participate!

10. Consider buying used books for your young students! Look online for gently used books or visit a local bookstore. This tip benefits students from grade school through college, when textbooks get extra expensive!

BUY IT: 
 
You can purchase Epic on Blu-ray combo pack on Amazon for $21.99!

WIN IT:

Thanks to Fox Home Entertainment Insiders, one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win a Blu-ray of the movie Epic! Click "Read more" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. 

Gearing Up for Our "Epic" Camping Party! Get Epic on DigitalHD Today!!! #EpicDay

**This is a sponsored post.  I will be given the product(s) mentioned in exchange for this post.

My kids are super excited because we are gearing up for an "Epic" camping party this weekend!  We are inviting friends and family over to sleep in tents and have a great night in our back yard!  Right now we are getting sleeping bags, our tent, flashlights and bug spray among other things set out for our fun camping party!

The best part of our camping party is that our kids get to watch Epic on DigitalHD!  Today is the first day that Epic can be viewed with DigitalHD.  The best thing about DigitalHD is that you can watch your movie anywhere!  We have lots of electronic devices like most families.  The kids will get to watch Epic on our Kindle Fire, but if they wanted to, they could watch it on my iPhone, my husband's Android smartphone, or even my laptop!  We also get early access to movies!  Epic doesn't release to Blu-ray and DVD until August 20th, but everyone gets to watch it early on DigitalHD!  The kids have been wanting to see Epic since it came out in theaters, but we never got around to taking them and they have been asking about it ever since!

This camping party is going to be so much fun!  The Fox Entertainment Home Insiders are hooking us up with some great party gifts for all of the kids in attendance of our party.  Each kid will receive:

• 1 flashlight
• 1 magnifying glass
• 1 woven tote bag
• 1 hot coco set (includes mug and hot coco mix)
• 1 bug viewer
• 1 grow kit
• Epic activity sheets

We also need to work on the menu for our camping party.  The kids are expecting S'mores of course!  My husband is planning on barbecuing for us for dinner.  Snack time is all me though.  Bella wants to make ants on a log.  That ties into our Epic theme so I though that was a great idea!  You can use this fun activity sheet listed below to have your own Backyard Campout with your family.

We are also planning on doing some fun things before the movie and before it gets dark.  The Fox Home Entertainment Insiders team provided me with this fun activity sheet below for the kids to have a nature hunt to find creatures and plants from the movie Epic!  I hope we find a frog or toad!  That would make the kids' night!

BUY IT:

You can purchase Epic on DigitalHD today!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Pack an Eco-Friendly Lunch with Epic! - Bring the Movie Home on August 20th! #EpicDay

**This is a sponsored post.  I will be given the product(s) mentioned in exchange for this post.

 

It's almost "Back to School" Time!  Get your kiddos excited with this fun printable activity sheet from the movie Epic!  This activity sheet has some great eco-friendly lunch tips that you and your kids will love!  Don't forget to pick up Epic on Blu-ray and DVD on August 20th!  You can pre-order on Amazon now!  I have some fun things planned for my readers with the release of this fun family movie including a giveaway of a Blu-ray copy!  Stay tuned!