2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Peter Pauper Press - Spongebob Scratch & Sketch Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED!

I have a really fun book for kids to add to my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide!  It's the Spongebob Scratch and Sketch book from Peter Pauper Press!  I gave this book to Bella.  She's such a big Spongebob Squarepants fan!  She just loves these Scratch and Sketch books!  They are so fun to scratch out designs.  The paper underneath the black coating is either rainbow or gold, making a really fun effect on the pictures!  This book also contains 20 pages for regular sketching as well.  This is a great art and activity book and would bring some big smiles if it is found under the Christmas tree come Christmas morning!

More About Spongebob Scratch & Sketch:

Join SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends for fun and games at Bikini Bottom! Sandy Cheeks, Patrick Star, Sheldon Plankton, Mr. Krabs, Gary—the gang's all here! This fun new activity book invites young artists to dive on in with the accompanying wooden stylus and scratch away their own drawings and designs on the black-coated pages. They'll be amazed when glittering colors and shimmering swirl patterns emerge! 20 pages included for regular sketching, too. Copyright © 2010 VIACOM INTERNATIONAL INC. NICKELODEON, SpongeBob SquarePants, and all related titles, logos, and characters are registered trademarks of Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Created by Stephen Hillenburg. This SpongeBob SquarePants Scratch & Sketch™ Art Activity Book features: Wooden stylus for drawing on black-coated paper to reveal glittering, gleaming colors beneath. Wire-o bound hardcover binding. 20 scratch-off, 20 illustrated, and 20 sketch pages. Ages 6 and up. 6-3/8'' wide x 8-1/2'' high. Non-toxic: Potential eye irritant. Avoid inhaling particles of scratch coating. Not for children under 5 years. Meets all applicable safety standards.

BUY IT:

You can purchase all of the great products at Peter Pauper Press right here.

Thanks to Peter Pauper Press, one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win their own Spongebob Scratch & Sketch!  Click "Read more" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: The Wiggles: It's Always Christmas With You! Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED!

My family and I have enjoyed The Wiggles for years now!  I remember when Bella was just two years old, she'd dance along to The Wiggles and we thought it was the cutest thing we had ever seen!  Sam now loves The Wiggles and I knew he'd be thrilled to have this DVD: The Wiggles: It's Always Christmas With You!  This DVD is a collection of Christmas carols from around the world.  There were many of our familiar favorites and some new ones that I had never heard.  They were all beautifully sung and performed!  Of course Sam got to wiggling around our living room, along with the other kiddos!  Christmas is such a wonderful time of year and I love that my kids can enjoy some Christmas carols of their own - Wiggle style!  This would make a great stocking stuffer or Christmas gift for your little ones!

DVD Synopsis:

Join The Wiggles on their around- the-world holiday adventure! Travel across three continents from Australia to New York City to Ireland to learn how Christmas is celebrated in many ways. Sing along with 14 holiday hits and dance your way through Jingle Bell Rock with Dorothy the Dinosaur. This festive favorite also features celebrity guests, including *NSync's Joey Fatone singing O Holy Night! All this merry singing, dancing and playing is so exciting even Jeff can't sleep on Christmas Eve! It's always a special time with The Wiggles, and with this delightful DVD it will feel like Christmas every day. Yes, It's Always Christmas with You! Run time includes a 50 minute animated Christmas special featuring Dorothy the Dinosaur! 

BUY IT:

You can purchase The Wiggles: It's Always Christmas with You! on DVD here for only $8.99!

Thanks to NCircle Entertainment, one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win a DVD copy of The Wiggles: It's Always Christmas with You!  Click "Read more" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Perplexus Giveaway! - CLOSED!

I have a fun and challenging toy to add to my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide!  I am anxious to try this toy!  My cousin has this toy and can't put it down.  The Perplexus by Plasmart is up for a pretty prestigious award.  It has been nominated for the Educational Toy of the Year award and they need our help!  First I am going to tell you about this amazing toy and then I am going to tell you how to vote!

What is Perplexus?

PERPLEXUS is a maze game where players maneuver a small marble around challenging barriers inside a transparent sphere. Unlike traditional flat-surface mazes that are composed of one path, PERPLEXUS houses various challenging tracks with 100 barriers providing a frustrating three-dimensional experience. Players select the track they would like to attempt and must work with gravity to carefully shift, flip, and twist the sphere to guide the marble. Players can race each other or the clock. 

PERPLEXUS assists in child development allowing children to exercise their motor and dexterity skills, as well as improve their hand-eye coordination. Its small size makes it easily portable. No batteries required. Ages 6 and up.

Perplexus Educational Benefits

Perplexus Original is the original 3-D maze. It has been nominated for Educational Toy of the Year by the Toy Industry Association (TIA). The educational benefits of playing Perplexus include:

Thinking – Each path is numbered and leads to the next path, offering 100 chances to test visual processing and subtle control.

Strategy – Perplexus promotes strategic thinking – a benefit for any of life’s challenges. Working through the maze requires a structured and deliberate approach.

Perseverance – Learn to try and try again. Some people call this frustrating, others an addictive challenge. Either way, you are learning patience.

Numeracy – There are 3 paths and 100 barriers. Players count through the barriers sequentially, and recount, and recount.

Visual Stimulation – Colorful and 3-dimensional, players must navigate through over 12 feet of twisting, turning, paths and never lose sight of the metal sphere.

Focus – It takes concentration, disciplined attention and focus to maneuver your way through Perplexus Original and learn from your previous mistakes.

Fine Motor Skills – Perplexus is an exercise for hand and eye coordination. Players rotate, flip, angle, and make subtle adjustments to speed and balance to make it through the maze.

Self-Esteem – There is nothing like the satisfaction of solving Perplexus, or just improving on your last attempt.Challenge – 3 levels let players build their skills and challenge themselves to improve their progress each time they pick up Perplexus. Players can compete against themselves or other players in a Perplexus Challenge.

How to Vote:

The voting takes a few steps:

1. Go to http://www.toyawards.org/iMIS15/toyaward/custom/EducationalToy.aspx
2. Select Perplexus
3. Click Submit My Vote at the bottom
4. Register your information to complete your vote.

BUY IT:

You can purchase your own Perplexus on Amazon for only $16.67!

Thanks to Plasmart, one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win a Perplexus of their own!  Click "Read more" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED!

Our family owns the entire Ice Age collection!  My kids just love the Ice Age characters!  Their favorites are Sid the Sloth and of course the funny squirrel who is always chasing an acorn!  Well now those loveable Ice Age characters are back in an all new Christmas special: Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special!  My kids and I thought this was just so darn cute!  Sid the Sloth accidentally breaks Manny's heiloom Christmas rock and Manny then convinces him that he is on Santa's naughty list.  Sid ventures out to the North Pole to make things right and we all know Sid, he makes things worse.  Now Manny, Diego and Ellie must help Sid set things right to save Christmas for the entire world!  This DVD also contains a sneak peek of the new Ice Age movie: Continental Drift which will be in theaters this summer!  Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special would make a wonderful holiday gift for your little ones!  Complete your Ice Age collection today!

More About Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special:

A perfect family gift for the holidays, ICE AGE: A MAMMOTH CHRISTMAS landed on Blu-ray and DVD November 26 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and features the original voice talents of Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Sean William Scott. Available for a low price ICE AGE: A MAMMOTH CHRISTMAS arrives on single disc DVD and a Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy combo pack with extra features, making it a great holiday stocking stuffer for the whole family to enjoy.

In ICE AGE: A MAMMOTH CHRISTMAS, America’s favorite arctic herd is busy decorating for the holiday season. In his rush to help, Sid (John Leguizamo) destroys Manny’s (Ray Romano) favorite decorations. Manny is so upset he convinces Sid he is now on Santa’s naughty list. Sid, Crash (Seann William Scott), Eddie (Josh Peck) and Peaches (Ciara Bravo) take off for the North Pole to plead their case to Santa (Billy Gardell). Meanwhile, Manny, Ellie (Queen Latifah) and Diego (Denis Leary), worry over Peaches’ safety and race to find her. Back at the North Pole, Sid and his crew accidentally destroy Santa’s Workshop on Christmas Eve, and it’s up to these newfound friends to orchestrate a Christmas miracle. The instant holiday classic, directed by Karen Disher, also features the voice talent of Chris Wedge, T.J. Miller and Judah Friedlander.

With over $4 billion in box office, home entertainment and consumer products sales, the “Ice Age” franchise is a perennial hit, and continues to grow with next summer’s all-new animated feature “Ice Age: Continental Drift.” From Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, the film features new characters voiced by Jennifer Lopez, Wanda Sykes, Keke Palmer, Aziz Ansari and Drake, among others. Share in the all-new adventure as they join the original cast voiced by John Leguizamo, Ray Romano, Seann William Scott, Queen Latifah and Denis Leary. “Ice Age: Continental Drift” arrives in theaters everywhere July 13, 2012 in 3D.

BUY IT:

You can purchase your own copy of Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special on Amazon for only $7.98!

Thanks to Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win a DVD copy of Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special!  Click "Read more" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Step2 Cozy Kitchen Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED!

I have a wonderful toy to add to my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: the Cozy Kitchen from Step2!  This adorable kitchen is a great size for the little ones on your holiday list!  We have a really large play kitchen in our living room for the daycare kiddos (and of course Bella and Sam).  It is a Step2 product as well.  We've had it for 3 years now and it is in excellent condition!  With approximately 4-6 kids playing in it in any given day, it has to be tough!  We are so pleased with our Step2 play kitchen that I knew my little nieces would LOVE the Step2 Cozy Kitchen!  My sister and I put together this kitchen in less than 15 minutes!  There weren't too many pieces to put together.  As you can see from the picture below, it comes pretty well assembled!  We just had to screw on the sink/stove and add the stickers!  Then fun was had by all!

This kitchen is the perfect size for my sister's house!  There was an empty spot by the counter, and now all of her kiddos can pretend to be cooking in the kitchen with mommy and daddy!  Bella and Sam had a great time playing with it too!  They wanted to bring it home with us.  I kept having to remind them that it was for their cousins and that they already had a larger kitchen of their own!

The Step2 Cozy Kitchen comes with a 21 piece accessory set that includes, pots, pans, utensils, plates, cups, etc.  There are two cabinets for storage as well as an oven and refrigerator!  It is very lightweight so that you can move it from room to room.  It's very sturdy too, like all Step2 products!  My sister says that her little ones (ages 13 months to 3 years) are having a great time with their new Cozy Kitchen!

BUY IT:

You can purchase your very own Step2 Cozy Kitchen right here for only $59.99!

Thanks to Step2 one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win their very own Step2 Cozy Kitchen!  Click "Read More" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Stick'n Click Jewelry from The Orb Factory Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED!

Bella loves to make things.  She is very crafty and can be found keeping herself occupied making potholders, bracelets and soap!  I knew that she'd just love the Stick'n Click Jewelry kit from The Orb Factory!  It includes over 300 pieces of fun shaped plastic pieces, sparkly stickers and shiny gems for her to decorate however she chooses!  The plastic pieces stick together to make bracelets, headbands, belts, and more!  It is such a fun set that Bella has been having a blast with!  She has made bracelets for her cousins and friends too!  This would make a wonderful holiday gift for girls ages 5 - 12!

More About The Orb Factory:


Located in Halifax Nova Scotia, The Orb Factory Limited is a provider of award winning crafts & activities products, recognized for innovative designs, top quality products, and outstanding customer service. During 2011, we are celebrating 20 years in business! We are now sold in over 40 countries, have won numerous awards and have become a recognized and trusted name in the toy industry.

Steven Kay started designing toys when he was 6 yrs old. With formal training in photography, sculpture and design, he founded The Orb Factory in 1991. The company’s first line was based around the Celestial Orb, a transforming hand-held widget made from wire.

Steve knows that he has made it this far by focusing on the 2 most important things: a fun and rewarding play experience for kids, and the best customer service in the industry.

Our kits are easy to use, mess-free, and give amazing results every time. Our best selling line of Sticky Mosaics® allow kids to peel & stick sparkling foam and jewel tiles to create Mosaics by Number® that are ready for display. Our My First Sticky Mosaics® line brings crafting to kids 3+ with Big Pieces for Little Fingers®. Our toys are both imaginative and educational, and have been used as learning tools in classrooms around the world.

As a creative toy manufacturer, The Orb Factory prides itself on creative designs, high quality products, and outstanding customer service. This allows the company to keep focusing on those aspects which are the most important. For example, every product has an educational component to it. As a result, many have been recognized as useful learning tools in the classroom. For items that are made by sub-contracted manufacturers, The Orb Factory employees are involved in the production decisions and quality control process.

We believe in the power of play. We strive to produce toys the not only stimulate a child’s mind, but their creativity as well. Our kits allow children to lose themselves in a world of magic, imagination and artistic freedom.

We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
-George Bernard Shaw

BUY IT:

You can purchase all of the great products The Orb Factory has to offer right here!

Thanks to The Orb Factory one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win their very own Stick'n Click Jewelry kit!  Click "Read More" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Bath and Body Works Lip Gloss Review!

I have always shopped at Bath and Body Works!  The smell just lures you into their store!  I have not actually ever tried any of their lip glosses until this review.  I usually shop for lotions, body washes, and hand soaps.  I was given 3 different Lip Glosses to review: Liplicious Rich Toffee Truffle Lip Gloss, Liplicious All I Want is a Gingerbread Giggle Lip Gloss, and Liplicious Raspberry Creme.  They were all fabulous flavors and made my lips feel so soft!  I really suffer with chapped lips in the winter and the Bath and Body Works Liplicious products that I received really helped my lips to feel better!  These lip glosses would make great stocking stuffers this holiday!

 

Our Limited Edition Gingerbread Giggle Lip Gloss is a sweet, flirty festive gloss that glides on for sheer coverage and high shine!

• Moisturizing formula with vitamin E and jojoba oils
• Adds a pale pink shimmer to lips
• A warm and delicious gingerbread flavor
• Perfect as a stocking stuffer or fun addition to any gift!

Raspberry Crème is a delicious, creamy flavored gloss perfect for the holiday season!

• Moisturizing formula with vitamin E and jojoba oils
• Adds a touch of soft pink to lips
• A juicy raspberry flavor
• Perfect as a stocking stuffer or fun addition to any gift!  

Rich Toffee Truffle is a delicious glistening gloss inspired by the sweet treats you'd find at a bakery in Paris!

• Moisturizing formula with vitamin E and jojoba oils
• Adds a touch of sheer creamy shimmer to lips
• A saccharine toffee flavor
• Perfect as a stocking stuffer or fun addition to any gift!

BUY IT:

You can purchase Bath and Body Works products online here or you can find a retail location near you right here.

Disclosure: I received the products mentioned above for this review. No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Lumps, the Elf Coal Game Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED!

I have a really fun game/stocking stuffer to add to my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide called Lumps, The Elf Coal Game!  We have had such a great time playing this game as a family!  Sam is a bit young for this as the suggested age is 6 and up.  Bella, Travis and I have been really having fun with it though!  The goal of the game is to get the highest number while rolling pairs of the same number.  For instance, if you roll a pair of 4s, you get 4 points and so on.  You have to use strategy though because there aren't as many of the higher numbers, so you have less of a chance to roll the high numbers.  Lumps, The Elf Coal Game would make a great stocking stuffer this holiday!

More About Lumps, The Elf Coal Game:

Getting coal in your stocking is now the best gift of the holidays! 


The Lumps Legend: Children around the world have been so good over the past few years; lumps of coal have built up at the North Pole. Puzzled by what to do with the excess coal; Santa’s elves decided to create an exciting new game that uses lumps of coal of all shapes and sizes. The game is so much fun, good little boys and girls, for the first time ever, are excited to get lumps of coal in their stocking!


Lumps, the Elf Coal Game is the most addictive family dice game you’ll ever play! The goal is to score the most points in three rolls by rolling pairs of the same number. Roll a pair of 3s, score 3 points…a pair of 10s scores 10 points. What makes the game unique is that it has four different types of dice and there are few high numbers. On each turn you have to make decisions on which dice to keep and re-roll. Do you play it safe and hold a pair of 4s, or chance it and try for a high pair? The endless possibilities make Lumps exciting and addictive. Great stocking stuffer!


BUY IT:

You can purchase Lumps The Elf Coal Game here for only $7.99!  Lumps, the Elf Coal game is also available at Hallmark Gold Crown stores, Books-A-Million, Go! Games and 100s of specialty toy stores in the US!

Thanks to Continuum Games one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win Lumps, The Elf Coal Game!  Click "Read More" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Get Great Christmas Gifts at GourmetGiftBaskets.com! (Donation to our Soldiers)

I have had the pleasure of receiving a snack gift basket from GourmetGiftBaskets.com!  Their baskets come beautifully wrapped and all of the snacks that were included were delicious!  Do you have more Christmas shopping to do?  If so, why not get someone a Christmas Gift Basket from GourmetGiftBaskets.com?  They have an amazing selection of gift baskets for just about anyone on your list!  You can purchase wine gift baskets, gift baskets with items with your favorite Baseball team's logo, food gift baskets and much more!  How can you make gift giving any easier?

GourmetGiftBaskets.com is doing a wonderful thing this year!  In return for me writing this blog post, they will donate two gift baskets to injured soldiers at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda Maryland on behalf of Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy!  You can get in on the donation as well!  If any of my readers writes a review post about the Christmas Gift Baskets at GourmetGiftBaskets.com, and sends me the link by December 14th, two more baskets will be donated.  I love to honor our soldiers for fighting for our freedom!  So get those blog posts written and add your link to the comments section below!

BUY IT:

You can shop the huge selection of gift baskets at GourmetGiftBaskets.com!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post.  Instead two Christmas Gift Baskets are being donated to injured soldiers at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda Maryland on behalf of Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy.  I was not required to give a positive review.  All opinions are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic for Nintendo 3DS Review

Newly released for the Nintendo 3DS, Majesco Entertainment brings us Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic!  We have never played the first 3 Cooking Mama games, but we are all hooked on Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic!  This is such a fun game!  I've been sneaking it away from Bella to take a turn playing it!  I love trying to beat all of the mini games - there are over 200!  In these games you can chop food, set the table, knead dough, slice bread and more!  (These are things I want Bella to start helping with - maybe she'll get the hint from playing this game!)  The 3DS features are really cool because you can move your game and the gyroscope  tells the game how to move so that you can balance plates, crack eggs, flip pancakes and more.  These are all chores that us mamas are good at, so it's really fun to see them as a video game!  Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic would make a really fun holiday gift for almost anyone on your list!  I sure do like it myself!

More About Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic:

“Mama fans will love the fresh, fun and new recipes that Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic serves up,” said Jesse Sutton, CEO of Majesco Entertainment. “The Cooking Mama franchise is the best-selling third-party DS franchise of all time and we’re extremely proud to continue this leadership by bringing Mama to the Nintendo 3DS™ platform for the first time.”

Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic invites you to join Mama in the kitchen as she whips up true culinary masterpieces. Featuring new recipes and innovative dish combinations, you can learn the secrets of a chef through fun kitchen activities and exciting 3D surprises. With over two hundred mini games to choose from, Mama will show you how to chop, slice, stir, knead, roll and toss your way to being a top chef. Choose from 60 mouth-watering recipes to prepare for your friends and see if you have what it takes to beat the time-based activities and earn bronze, silver and gold medals. Work side by side with Mama to learn new recipes and work your way to becoming a true kitchen master!

Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic features:  

• Cook in new ways with the Nintendo 3DS gyroscope; move your handheld itself to crack eggs, balance plates of food, grate cheese and more. 
• Watch kitchen mishaps unfold in comedic 3D events and work to save your mistakes with additional activities on top of each recipe step. 
• Race against the clock as you set the table, wash dishes, clean up, organize, decorate, and more in new time-based activities! 
• Combine any two recipes to make your very own delicious dish and whip up everything from designer cupcakes to gourmet popsicles, New England clam chowder and cherry pie. 
• The stylus serves as your ultimate cooking utensil in over 200 unique mini games as you chop, slice, stir, knead, roll, toss and more. 
• Recipes progress from simple to complex, from small to large dishes, so do your best to meet Mama's expectations and impress your friends! 
• Combine two recipes to make your very own delicious or unusual dish.  
• Cook off with up to 4 players using DS Download play. 

BUY IT:

You can purchase Cooking Mama4: Kitchen Magic for Nintendo 3DS on Amazon for $39.99!

Disclosure: I received the products mentioned above for this review. No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure for Xbox 360 Kinect Review!

I am a huge Jillian Michaels fan!  I watch The Biggest Loser every week.  I never miss an episode!  This season sure isn't the same without Jillian.  She sure knows what she is doing in the fitness industry since she looks amazing AND gets such great results from The Biggest Loser contestants!  Well now we have a chance to be trained by Jillian Michaels in her new game for Xbox 360 Kinect entitled Jillain Michaels: Fitness Adventure!  I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this great game to review, and I'm so excited to tell you all about it!

I love to exercise outdoors by going for a walk after dinner or running around the back yard with my kids.  In the winter months, we are mostly confined to our house since it gets so cold here in the midwest!  For this reason I am thankful for the great fitness games available for the Wii and Xbox 360 Kinect!  Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure is a great way for me to get some exercise this winter!  I can be found working up a sweat with this great game after the kids are in bed!  This game has some great features, such as a calorie counter - I don't know about you, but I love to know how many calories I am burning.  Armed with that information, I am motivated to work even harder!  I also love being able to track my progress.  This game has social integration and you can see how your performance measures up to your friends and other game users.  You can play in different modes: predefined circuit training or you can design your own workout.  These exercises were handpicked by Jillian herself, so you know they are going to be tough and effective!

I would definitely recommend this game!  It's fun working out when you are playing Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure for the Xbox 360 Kinect!  This game would make a fabulous holiday gift for the fitness lover on your list!

More About Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure for Xbox 360 Kinect:

Developed by N-Space, Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure brings a unique exercise experience into your living room with an empowering workout that includes lifestyle tips from one of America’s most passionate trainers.

The latest iteration of the Jillian Michaels franchise that has sold more than a million units, Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure takes your fitness routine beyond a classic workout, turning it into a true adventure through a mission-based journey set in a lush jungle environment. The high-energy motion-based experience offers intense, results-oriented personal training that you could only expect from teaming up with Jillian to achieve your fitness goals.

Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure features include:

• Core Exercise Modes:
• Fitness Adventure Mode – featuring over 50 predefined circuits filled with freeform-style action (running, climbing and jumping) and plenty of surprises all set in a unique jungle temple environment. Reach for those bonus medallions along the way for extra points. 
• Fitness Training – Select from ten predefined circuits with 12 exercises each that have been handpicked by Jillian to give you the best results based on your personal goals. Or create and save a custom built circuit by choosing from any of the exercises within the game. 
• Social Integration: Check out how you stack up against your friends’ performance in the online leaderboards. Keep up the great work because Jillian will monitor the boards and honor the best performers on her Facebook page. 
• Stats and Fitness Calendar: Review your performance on completed workouts and preview or change upcoming scheduled workouts in your training plan. See the number of Adventure Levels, Training Circuits, and Single Exercises completed, calories burned, and how much time you’ve put into each.

BUY IT:

You can purchase Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure for the Xbox 360 Kinect on Amazon for $39.96!

Disclosure: I received the products mentioned above for this review. No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: "Mr. Holidays Presents The Roof Top Hop" Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED!

We have a new book/song to add to our family Christmas tradition this year!  It's called Mr. Holidays Presents The Roof Top Hop and it's written by Michael Sheahan!  It is an adorable book that is a song called, you guessed it.. The Roof Top Hop!  The book comes with beautiful illustrations and a CD of two songs, that my kids just love!  The songs included are: The Roof Top Hop, Jingle Jangle Jingle All Night Long and the same two songs as instrumental versions.  There is also an instructional DVD that teaches you how to do the dance for The Roof Top Hop!  My kids, daycare kiddos and I had a blast learning how to do "The Roof Top Hop"!  This is a really fun book/CD/DVD to share with your family!  Are you looking for a new holiday tradition?  Get your kids "on the roof" with Santa as they learn to dance and sing "The Roof Top Hop"!


More About Mr. Holidays Presents The Roof Top Hop:

It is not often you can say that your child is reading a book written by a NYPD Detective, but with Mr. Holidays Presents The Rooftop Hop that is exactly what they will be doing. The book is award winning, recently winning 2 Moonbeam Awards for Best Holiday Book and Best Book with Music/Theatrical and critically acclaimed.

For millions of people around the world, the love of reading was born with a Christmas story. Who can forget the first time we read-or had read to us-Dickens' A Christmas Carol or 'Twas the Night Before Christmas or one of the other classic stories that bring the season magically alive? At the same time, who can forget the delight we feel while singing Christmas songs and watching Holiday galas featuring wondrous dances?

That's the all-in-one idea behind the ultimate new Christmas package, Mr. Holidays Presents The Roof Top Hop. Through the merry character of Mr. Holidays, award-winning singer-songwriter Michael Sheahan tells children an instantly classic new Christmas story , performs the title song on a sing-along CD and has his friend, Broadway's own Michael Balderrama of the hit Broadway show, In the Heights, teaches kids the new roof-top-hop dance steps, ones step at a time.

Lavishly illustrated by Douglas Wright, Mr. Holidays Presents The Roof Top Hop storybook/CD/DVD package invites young readers to read, sing, and dance as they share a never-before-revealed secret about Santa. As Michael Sheahan proclaims, it's "hip-hop . . . be-bop . . . rock n' roll . . . that brings joy and happiness to every soul."

Michael Sheahan, a decorated retired NYPD detective, is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and musician. His love of celebrating the Holidays with his wife Barbara and three boys inspired him to create the character Mr. Holidays, along with an entire series of characters, songs, books, and dances that cherish the values, warmth, and traditions of each Holiday. Mr. Holidays Presents The Roof Top Hop is the result of the collaboration of Finest Music, Finest Media, and Fine St. Records. Creatively working together, they provide this first book, CD, and DVD released as a all-in-one product by Finest Books. The book/CD/DVD package is a wonderful value at $19.99.

Mr. Holidays Presents The Roof Top Hop is available on-line at www.MrHolidaysSongs.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com, www.Amazon.com &www.FinestEntertainmentStore.com

BUY IT:

You can purchase Mr. Holidays Presents The Roof Top Hop by Michael Sheahan on Amazon for only $15.59!

Thanks to the publisher, one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win an autographed copy of Mr. Holidays Presents The Roof Top Hop by Michael Sheahan!  Click "Read more" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: BBC America Shop Giveaway! - CLOSED!

Find DVDs and official merchandise from your favorite BBC shows including Doctor Who, Planet Earth, Top Gear and more. Also, find traditional holiday decorations from the United Kingdom including ornaments and nutcrackers: http://bit.ly/BBC_Gifts

Plus, it’s back! The annual BBC America Shop Sweepstakes giving you a chance to win two $500 Gift Cards for you and a friend: https://bitly.com/BBC_Sweeps (Valid toward your purchases on the BBCAmericaShop.com)

Now for the really fun part... one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader is going to win all of the products pictured below and more!

BUY IT:

You can purchase merchandise, DVDs and Blu-rays from all of  your favorite BBC shows right here!

Thanks to BBC America Shop, one LUCKY Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will receive the following: Connemara Marble Mirror Compact, Pottery Mugs, BBC Holiday Drama, Gavin & Stacey: Season 3 plus 2008 Christmas Special, Spot: Spot's Magical Christmas, Last of the Summer Wine: Holiday Specials 1986 – 1989, and more!

Click "Read More" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter!

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Rock 'N Learn: Letter Sounds DVD Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED!

 

As you all know by now, I am a huge supporter of Rock 'N Learn learning materials! We were just given a copy of their newest DVD: Letter Sounds! Sam is really starting to learn his letters. Now we just need to work on the sounds that the letters make. Thankfully I have the help of this new Rock 'N Learn DVD: Letter Sounds! The recommended ages for this DVD are 4-7 years. Sam is 3 1/2, but I don't mind giving him an early start! I love how this DVD works on teaching our children the sounds letters make, and then puts the letters and sounds together to teach kids how to sound out a word.. and read! I wish I would have had this DVD when Bella was younger! I think it would have really helped her to learn letter sounds and how to read faster! She's a good reader now thankfully, but I think that it's never too early to introduce reading to our kids! With the daycare kids, this is a great resource for me to teach them their letters as well! When I am making lunch, or otherwise preoccupied, I love popping in Rock 'N Learn DVDs for them! This way I know they are learning while they are enjoying some fun tv time! Give the gift of learning this holiday with the fun and educational CDs and DVDs from Rock 'N Learn!

Program Description:

Energetic music and fun games build excitement about learning to read. Letter Sounds covers the most common sound that each letter makes. The completely new Letter Sounds DVD with its "on-screen mouth" shows how to form each sound. Letter Sounds CD comes with a full-color illustrated book. By the end of these programs, students are combining letters to read words and even simple sentences. Ages 4–7.

Approx. 62 minutes (DVD video);
Approx. 51 minutes (audio CD)


More about Rock 'N Learn:

Rock 'N Learn began as an idea that would help children learn by putting educational material to music with a current sound -- the kind of music that kids enjoy and find motivating. Now with over 50 products, we have sold millions of audio/book and video programs to teachers and parents throughout the United States, Canada, and other countries. 

Rock 'N Learn programs help students learn math, phonics, reading, early childhood, social studies, Spanish, test-taking strategies, writing, and science. Our DVDs incorporate music with exciting, colorful imagery.

Headquartered in Conroe, Texas, just north of Houston, Rock 'N Learn is owned and operated by its founders, Richard and Brad Caudle.

Working as a school psychologist in 1986, Richard saw the need for multi-sensory learning programs using the styles of music that kids love. He consulted his younger brother Brad, an accomplished musician, to record their first program to help kids learn multiplication facts. Strong sales of this recording in the school specialty and book markets led to other programs and the start of a successful company.

Richard and Brad never varied from their number one goal of providing children with programs that would make learning easier and fun. Brad's wife Melissa, a former second-grade teacher, writes material and coordinates educational research for Rock 'N Learn. Richard's wife, Kathie, manages our sales and marketing team.

Rock 'N Learn programs have received numerous awards such as Dr. Toy, Parents' Choice, iParenting, National Parenting Publications, Learning Magazine Teachers' Choice, Early Childhood News, National Parenting Center, and Parent's Guide to Children's Media. Our programs lead in the areas of quality and customer satisfaction based on surveys of school supply stores.

As documented in case studies by numerous school districts, Rock 'N Learn programs work. The overwhelmingly positive response from parents, teachers, and kids generates tremendous word-of-mouth support. By consulting with educators and featuring talented vocalists and performers, Rock 'N Learn will continue to develop quality audio and video programs that hold interest and help kids learn.


Rock 'N Learn also has some FREE websites to help your children learn!

• www.free-phonics-worksheets.com
• www.worksheets-for-math.com
• www.markothepencil.com

BUY IT:

You can purchase your Rock 'N Learn CD's and DVD's here! Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy readers will receive 25% off of their entire purchase with the code: JQ7711 at checkout!

Thanks to Rock 'N Learn, one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win a Rock 'N Learn CD or DVD of thier choice!  Click "Read more" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Jaxx Candles Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED!

I LOVE candles!  They really give my house a more homey touch.  I love for my candles to smell good, because with all of the dirty diapers I change in a given day, they can really make my house stinky!  I have found a really great place to purchase candles, wax melts, etc. called Jaxx Candles.  I received two containers of wax melts to try: Cucumber Melon, and Lavender.  I just broke the wax melts from Jaxx Candles into pieces and put them in my wax warmer with a lit tealight and the aroma was wonderful!  When the parents came to pick up their kids, everyone commented on how good my house smelled!  It's really important to me to have a good smelling and inviting home and the wax melts from Jaxx Candles, really did the job!

You can purchase some lovely gifts for the holidays at Jaxx Candles!  Candles make great hostess gifts!  You could also pick up some for your child's teacher, scout leader, or coach!  I found this beautiful candy cane soy tin candle on their website!  It's 20 ounces and is candy cane scented!  I know I'd love to receive this as a gift this holiday season!

More About Jaxx Candles:

Jaxx Candles is a business inspired by the passion for candles and candle making.

It all started with a few trials of gel candle making in 2002 and the passion for candle making was born. From there it expanded into gifts and craft shows. The creativity and inspirations were endless. There was a bit of a hiatus while becoming a Mom of three so during that time it was fun projects and gifts. While creating and learning the joys of candle making, I discovered a passion for soy, but still only focused on container candles. More recently I’ve been researching and making new things including molds, specialty items and novelty items using paraffin and soy. My ideas and interests are endless so I decided to follow my dream and turn my passion into a business. This website is the foundation for not only building a business, but a candle community.

So hang around and get to know us. We are continuously adding to the website and will be expanding our online sales. Whether you burn candles occassionally or are a candle enthusiast with your own business, we welcome you to visit our forum, sign our guestbook, check out our projects and join in the fun. We are planning big things and look forward to meeting many crafters and customers.

Thanks for reading our story.

BUY IT:

You can purchase the wonderful candles, wax melts, etc. from Jaxx Candles here!

Thanks to Jaxx Candles, one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win two wax melts in their choice of scents!  Click "Read More" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter!

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Socks In Stock Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED!

I don't know about your family, but we have a tradition in our family, that everyone gets new, colorful socks in their stocking for Christmas!  In my search for socks for this year's stocking stuffers, I found a company called Socks In Stock!  They carry a huge selection of socks for everyone in the family!  We received two Triple Treat packages of socks for Bella!  She is just going to be thrilled to find these in her stocking on Christmas morning!  I just love the look and feel of these socks!  They are made from cotton, polyester and spandex and feel very stretchy.  They seem to be very well made.

At Socks In Stock, you can shop for socks for the whole family: men, women, kids, baby, seamless, organic, outdoor and more!  I was amazed by the large selection and the prices are great too!  If you have a holiday sock tradition, check out the huge selection of socks at Socks In Stock!  They even carry some adorable holiday socks!

BUY IT:

You can shop the large selection of socks at Socks In Stock right here!  You will get FREE shipping on all orders of $35 or more!

Thanks to Socks In Stock, one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win a Triple Treat package of socks of their choice!  Click "Read More" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter!

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: NCircle Entertainment Winter DVDs Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED!

My family and I are huge fans of all of the great DVDs from NCircle Entertainment!  We were thrilled to get the chance to review two new DVDs: The Cat In The Hat Knows a Lot About That: Told From the Cold and Chloe's Closet: Chloe's Winter Wonderland.  These DVDs are perfect for the snowy weather to come this winter.  My kids really enjoyed both of these DVDs!  I had never heard of Chloe's Closet, but Bella really seems to like this program.  All of the daycare kiddos are big fans of The Cat In The Hat Knows a Lot About That, so they were all thrilled to get to see some wintry episodes of one of their favorite shows!  These awesome DVDs would make great presents for your little ones this holiday!

Told From the Cold

Come join in the fun,

on new adventures we go,

With The Cat in the Hat

and his friends all in tow!

Discover how water

can turn into snow,

That penguins don't fly

but, boy can they go!

Black bears get ready

for a very long sleep,

Before the weather gets cold

and the snow is too deep.

Run Time:  Approx. 45 minutes

Chloe’s Winter Wonderland

Meet Chloe, an adorable little girl with a great big imagination! Chloe discovers magical new worlds while playing dress-up.  With each new costume she tries on, she goes on a fantastical journey with her best friends! Join them as they visit the land of ice and snow and embark on an anything-can-happen winter wonderland adventure!

Run Time:  Approx. 35 minutes

BUY IT:

You can purchase Chloe's Winter Wonderland here for only $8.99 and Told From the Cold here for only $9.99!

Thanks to NCircle Entertainment, one lucky Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy reader will win DVD copies of The Cat In The Hat Knows a Lot About That: Told From the Cold and Chloe's Closet: Chloe's Winter Wonderland!  Click "Read More" and follow the Rafflecopter directions to enter.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Shaun the Sheep Season 2 Review

My kids just love to watch Shaun the Sheep!  We were delighted to receive a copy of Shaun the Sheep Season 2 to review!  This show is so funny and adorable too!  My kids can be found glued to the television, laughing out loud to the barnyard antics of Shaun the Sheep!  This collection of over 40 episodes would make a wonderful holiday gift for your kiddos this holiday!


More About Shaun the Sheep Season 2:

He’s ba-a-a-ack! Get ready for a whole new collection of woolly antics with Shaun the Sheep™ and his barnyard buddies in Shaun the Sheep: Season Two Gift Set, available on DVD November 15, 2011 from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment. Featuring 40 fantastic episodes – including five on DVD for the first time ever – all your favorite characters return for more wool-raising adventures around the barnyard. Combining slapstick and classic silent comedy, Shaun the Sheep never fails to make you laugh! So flock to add this delightful collection to your home library today!
Five minute shorts of the series currently air in the U.S. on the Disney Channel. Fans can only find full-length episodes on the DVDs.

DVD SYNOPSIS

The complete second season of Shaun the Sheep has arrived with 40 hilarious episodes of woolly shenanigans! The Oscar^®-winning creators of Wallace and Gromit™ strike again with the mischievous barnyard antics of Shaun, Bitzer, Shirley, Timmy and those naughty Pigs next door. From fancy wheels and outrageous deals to foxy crimes and Christmas time, there’s something for everyone in this fun-filled collectible gift set of must-have treats the whole family will love!

DVD BONUS FEATURES

·         Behind The Scenes Gallery

·         “Whack-A-Pig” Game

·         “Sheep-Shearing” Game

·         “Meet The Animals” video

·         “Sing-Along With Shaun” Video

·         “Building-A-Pig” Video

·         “The Mini Making Of Shaun” Video

·         Timmy Time Sneak Peek:  “Timmy’s Tune”

BUY IT:

You can purchase Shaun the Sheep Season 2 from Amazon for only $21.99!

Disclosure: I received the products mentioned above for this review. No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Planet Earth Six Disc Special Edition Review!

When Planet Earth first aired on the Discovery Channel, my whole family watched in awe.  This documentary is truly breath taking!  These plants, animals and insects are not things we see in our everyday surroundings, so this is a great way to expose our kids to our beautiful planet!  BBC has recently released Planet Earth Six Disc Special Edition to Blu-ray and DVD!  This Special Edition set would make a great holiday gift for the nature lover on your shopping list!

About the Blu-ray/DVD:

Arriving in stores on October 4, the blockbuster series looks more beautiful than ever, taking advantage of new advances in high definition technology since the original release. Both the 6-disc Blu-ray and DVD box sets showcase over three hours of fresh bonus materials including a sneak peak at Alastair Fothergill’s next project Frozen Planet, the all-new specially made program Greatest Planet Earth Moments and several other new features. Additionally, the Planet Earth Special Edition Blu-ray contains the eleven production video diaries and the bonus series Planet Earth: the Future, which were not included on the original Blu-ray release. Available only while supplies last, the Planet Earth Limited Collector’s Edition comes in an exquisite, numbered, collectible globe package with an exclusive set of four art cards.

From the makers of The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, Planet Earth premiered on Discovery Channel in 2007 and became a global phenomenon. Featuring the original BBC series presented by Sir David Attenborough, Planet Earth is the #1 selling documentary DVD and #1 selling non-theatrical Blu-ray release of all-time - with over 5 million units in print. The recipient of four Emmyâ Awards including Outstanding Nonfiction Series, the groundbreaking series garnered media acclaim including the New York Times hailing it as a “a tour de force…a masterpiece” and the Chicago Tribune lauding it as “an absolutely extraordinary achievement.”

Fuelled by a production budget of over $25 million, Planet Earth is the most expensive factual series ever created by the BBC. Five years in the making, the first-ever nature series to be filmed entirely in high definition required over 2000 days in the field and used 40 cameramen who filmed across 200 locations around the globe. Utilizing state-of-the-art filming techniques and technologies - ranging from revolutionary aerial lens stabilization and flash strobe-systems to ultra high-speed cameras - Planet Earth lovingly captures rare action, impossible locations and intimate moments with our planet’s best-loved, wildest and most elusive creatures. From the highest mountains to the deepest rivers, this awe-inspiring series takes viewers on an unforgettable journey through the daily struggle for survival in Earth’s most extreme habitats.

NEW BLU-RAY AND DVD BONUS FEATURES

• Special Sneak Peek at Executive Producer Alastair Fothergill’s next blockbuster project: Frozen Planet
• Commentary on select episodes 
• Greatest Planet Earth Moments – Relive the greatest moments of this revolutionary series and discover how these scenes were captured on film. 
• Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth – The BBC Natural History Unit explores a secret cave deep in the mountains of Pakistan where generations of snow leopards return each year to raise their young. 
• Secrets of the Maya Underworld – The freshwater pools that dot Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula were believed by the Mayans to be portals to the underworld. For the first time ever, the BBC Natural History Unit explores this incredible, labyrinthine system of underground rivers. 
• Elephant Nomads of the Namib Desert – Follow the struggle for survival of two female elephants trying to raise their young in one of the harshest climates on Earth. 
• Music only viewing option

BUY IT:

You can purchase Planet Earth Six-Disc Special Edition on Blu-ray from Amazon for only $34.99!

Disclosure: I received the products mentioned above for this review. No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Spy Kids: All the Time in the World Review!

Just released in time for the holidays, Spy Kids: All The Time in the World is available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray!  We were given a copy of this movie to review and my kids love it!  They've been asking to watch it over and over again all week!  My kids were already a fan of the other Spy Kids movies, so they were super excited to receive the next one: All the Time in the World.  This movie has some great gadgets that any kids (and adults) would love to have!  This movie is like James Bond for kids!  Your kids would love to find this awesome movie under their tree on Christmas morning!

Movie Synopsis:

The action packed franchise is back...with the next generation of Spy Kids! Marissa Cortez Wilson (Jessica Alba) has it all: married to a famous spy-hunting television reporter (Joel McHale), with a new baby and intelligent twin step kids, Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (Mason Cook). When maniacal Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven) disrupts her domestic bliss--threatening to take over the planet--Marissa comes out of retirement as a top secret agent. With Armageddon quickly approaching, Rebecca and Cecil are thrust into action! With a little help from some familiar Spy Kids friends, Carmen (Alexa Vega), Juni (Daryl Sabara), and their faithful dog Argonaut (Ricky Gervais) and some mind-blowing gadgets, they just may be able to save the world!

BUY IT:

You can purchase Spy Kids: All the Time In the World for only $14.99 on Amazon!

Disclosure: I received the products mentioned above for this review. No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours.