Big Hero 6

Thanks to an email from Sandbox Strategies, Game Mill Entertainment and Disney Interactive, the kids and I got to go to a screening of Big Hero 6 yesterday. I admit that when I got the email, I hadn't really heard much about Big Hero 6.

But my kids had off from school that day and my dad is awesome about driving us into the city for stuff (I hate taking the kids on the train. I also refuse to drive into the city. This could be a bigger problem, but between my husband and dad it's not. Yes, I am spoiled.) So I figured, "It's a Disney movie. It's gotta be decent."

The kids were just happy to get to see a movie in the theater. That before going to the theater we walked around Times Square was a big enough bonus that I'm pretty sure they would have sat through that horrible Dora movie they all used to love.

And then on our way in we got popcorn, drinks and 3D glasses.

It began to matter even less how good the movie was. We heard a couple of presentations first; one on the very cool NintendoDS game that continues the movie's story and one on the characters being added to Disney Infinity. I'm pretty sure Lovebug would have taken notes if I'd had a pen. The games look cool, but any game reviews will have to be written by Lovebug at a later date.

Big Hero 6 is the story of Hiro, a brilliant 14 year old and his group of equally brilliant friends. There are some sad moments, but the creation of Baymax (the large white being who sort of looks like what would happen to the Pillsbury Dough Boy if he went badass) mitigates them. I loved, loved, loved the characters in this movie. They were diverse, interesting, smart and not one of them fit some simple stereotype.

I think this might be the most subversive Disney movie ever.

I loved it.

And I don't think that it was recently turning six that made Hugmonkey sit so still in the theater. My kids were completely enchanted; they loved it too. We are all looking forward to watching it again with Daddy and honestly? There are very few kids movies I want to sit through once, let alone twice.

While there is humor in the movie, it's not snarky. There aren't a lot of jokes meant to appeal to just adults. And there is absolutely no romance whatsoever. I have nothing against romance (unless it's Nicholas Sparks - then I loathe it), I may have teared up during the wedding of The Princess and The Frog. But my kids aren't interested in romance. My daughter doesn't need the idea of a wedding always being the happy ending shoved down her 9 year old throat. And of course I'm gonna love a movie that turns smart nerds into superheros.

This is definitely worth seeing with your kids, no question.

Fun With Creative Galaxy!

When I first saw that Amazon Prime Instant Video  had a kids' show called Creative Galaxy, I wasn't sure if I was the right person to review it. Hugmonkey, though he is only 5, tends to watch more "big kids" shows. Mostly because he wants to keep up with his siblings, not because he is especially interested in big kids' shows. He was reluctant to watch Creative Galaxy at first, assuming it was for "little kids" since we were watching while his older siblings were at school.

He started out like this. 

It took all of five minutes for him to be like this. 

What's more, I did not wish for earplugs once. Normally, there's at least one voice on every kids' show that grates on my last nerve. Honestly, that gives Creative Galaxy a lot of points in my book. But even better is the show's focus on creativity, problem solving and the arts.  Animated buddies Arty and Epiphany travel the galaxy solving problems with art. It's a fantastic premise and I only wish they'd started the show when my other two were smaller. 

After the first episode we watched, Hugmonkey wanted to do a craft together. It might have been the live action piece at the end that inspired him. In addition to the cute story about helping Arty's mom with goody bags for his birthday party, there were step by step instructions from real kids about how to do the art project. Hugmonkey, of course, had his own ideas. We were to make people out of paper, he decided. 

He was very serious about his craft idea. 

He was so serious that he made me follow his directions too. 

But his turned out the best. 

Hugmonkey has since mentioned that he would like to do some of the cool crafts mentioned on the show, but only if we do them "his way". He's definitely got the clear vision of an artist, that's for sure. We've since watched a few more episodes and I've become even more impressed with Creative Galaxy. I think if you've got a kiddo 6 or younger you should definitely let him/her watch this show. And older kids will definitely be interested in most of the crafts. 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

We Had So Much Fun At iPlay America

I received ride passes and game cards from iPlay America to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own. Or my kids'. Or my husband's. All the (dreadful) pictures are mine, but you can get a really good look at iPlay America on their 3D tour. 

On Saturday, we should have been going to the welcome picnic at our local lake. Except that Saturday's weather was not the kind of weather for picnics, swimming or even being outside. I love my home state - and we have some lovely days - but it seems like New Jersey's weather is getting worse and worse. Which is why whoever created iPlay America and placed it within a half an hour of many shore points is a genius. Now when it rains during your beach vacation, you can just go to the indoor boardwalk at iPlay America.

We got a tour when we arrived. Here is the very kind Eric showing the family one of the cooler arcade games. It's set up like a giant square, with two sections that are like the boardwalk and two sections like the city. The giant arcade sets in the center. 

It kind of reminded me of a family-friendly casino; all bright and exciting and with no connection to the outside world. 

I think this is how you bribe your kids to leave. 

We spent a lot of time in the arcade area. There were games for every skill level and every preference. All the kids played several rounds of skee-ball and Hot Guy found plenty of complicated shooter type games. 

This is what we did while waiting for each kid to have a turn at the Go-Karts (they all had to go with an adult). The fishing game was pretty easy. 

But they had a good time doing it. 

And there were prizes after each turn. 

The Go-Karts developed quite a line as the afternoon wore on (when we go again, we will go at 10am when they open, because it got much more crowded in general around 3). The kids loved their rides around the track. 

One of the first things we did was laser tag. Well, Hot Guy, Ironflower and Lovebug did laser tag - Hugmonkey freaked out as everyone was putting on their vests so he and I left. Lovebug was apprehensive (he doesn't like the dark), but he fell in love with it. Hot Guy says they have a great system and area for it. Next the family daredevils did the kiteflyer, which they described as very fun. 

There were lots of air hockey tables in the central arcade area. We LOVE air hockey. 

And there was a huge climbing structure for kids over 32 inches tall and less than 100 pounds. 6 credits gets kids unlimited play time there. It was Hugmonkey's favorite thing; I kind of enjoyed relaxing and watching them for a few minutes, to be honest. The area near the climbing structure also had a bunch of games geared just for preschoolers - the air hockey table there was the perfect size for Hugmonkey. 

Hugmonkey did not want to do the bumper cars. Hugmonkey might have been a little overwhelmed with the noise. As Hot Guy pointed out, "It's like a carnival without all the carnies." And carnivals - especially when they're indoors - are loud. So that would be my complaint, if you forced me to have one. But I'll take the noise level for the cleanliness of the facilities and the kindness of the employees at iPlay America. 

Lovebug went on the boat ride (similar to the Dumbo ride at Disney) while Ironflower went on the giant swing. Needless to say, I could not get a decent picture of her on the giant swing. But to be fair, this was after we all went on the dragon ride. Which is a spinning ride. Did I mention that I had a horrible head cold going on? Yeah, spinning around and around is not good when your sinuses are already messed up. I was dizzy for the next half hour. 

I did manage to get a photo of a party room, though. My kids would flip out to go to or have a birthday party here. 

One thing I really liked is that instead of collecting all those tickets in the arcade, everything was saved on your card, so you didn't have to worry about losing tickets or whatever. And when you collected your prizes or were finished with your ride cards you could drop them in one of these boxes to be recycled. 

There are lots of places to eat; many are boardwalk style places for treats like funnel cakes and frozen yogurt. But there's also a huge sports bar with really yummy spinach dip and very tasty chocolate cake. It was great to relax there after our busy day. It had pool tables and giant screens for sports; I saw one dad relaxing there with a beer while his older kids went off and did various activities. 

It took us about an hour to get there and it was TOTALLY worth it. I highly recommend it. 

Summer Basketball Fun

When I was a kid, the only sport that I did not find utterly humiliating was basketball. It was also the only sport that I could actually follow while watching. Despite all the football my family watched, I really didn't get the whole downs and yards thing until I was a teenager. But basketball made perfect sense. Plus, there were the Harlem Globetrotters.

They probably weren't on TV as much as I remember them being, but I can still picture how cool they were. And are, of course. Only now, they do skills clinics for kids.

A lot of times, I hear about a promotion and I'm all, "Meh, not a fan of that brand," or "If only I sill had babies,". . . . .but this one? This made me break out into a huge grin. Lovebug fell in love with basketball when he was 5, despite the fact that we didn't even teach the poor kid to play. So the idea that my kid could got to a skill clinic done by Harlem Globetrotters and not a local coach (not that all of those local coaches haven't been totally fabulous, because they have, but not one of them was ever a Globetrotter) made me so happy.

The clinics are two hours long and for kids aged 6 to 12. They learn skills and tricks and the Globetrotters emphasize how to be a good teammate on and off the court. AND kids who attend get their own Globetrotter nickname and a voucher for the 2015 Harlem Globetrotter tour. AND the clinics are held all over the country, it's not just a thing we get to do thanks to our proximity to Harlem. There are clinics in Texas, Missouri, Texas, Virginia, Kansas, Florida and so on.

You can automatically save $10 OFF Harlem Globetrotters Summer Skills Clinics with promo code USFAMILY. US Family Guide is the only company with the $10 off for this summer's clinics. 

This is a sponsored post. Lovebug gets to attend the clinic for free in exchange for my social media posts. But I have always been a Globetrotters fan and I think the clinics sound great. I promise. :) 

Safely Dispose of Medicines

This is a sponsored campaign with the Mums the Word Network and Pill Terminator. All opinions are my own. 

Ever since Ironflower learned to crawl, we've kept our medicines in a high cabinet in the kitchen. Our birthing class instructor spent a lot of time talking about the dangers our kids could get into after they were born; it was both helpful and terrifying. But now that Ironflower is 9 and Lovebug is 8, they can reach the bottom of the cabinet without help and are perfectly capable of bringing a stool over to reach the upper parts of the cabinet.

Not that I think they might start shoving brightly colored pills into their mouths like a toddler might. But in a few years, they (or their friends) might start rummaging through my medicine cabinet for things like cough syrup and pain killers. I mean, I sure hope they won't, and of course I plan to talk about all the dangers of doing such things and how I'd much rather they rebel with a couple of beers.

Okay, I probably won't say that last part.

Anyway, wouldn't it be better if we just didn't have any leftover painkillers in the back of the cabinet for them to find?

But here's the problem with just getting rid of them. Throwing them away isn't a guarantee; people can still get into your trash. . . .and so can animals. And while I may not be a fan of the raccoons that attack my trash, I don't want any of them overdosing on my front lawn, either. Flushing them down the toilet can mean they get into the water supply, which breaks my environmentalist heart.

Enter the Pill Terminator.

Put your medicines in, add warm water, shake the bottle and throw it in the trash. It's super easy and safe.




You can get 15% off your own Pill Terminator at PillTerminator.com by using the code "dalton" at checkout. You can also enter this $250 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway.




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Teachers Change Lives

As most of you already know, I used to be a teacher. I taught in an urban school district and I could have spent my entire (fairly meager) paycheck on supplies for my classroom and stuff for my students. As it was, I spent more than I should have. On necessities like paper and on enriching things like books. Heck, even Hot Guy spent money on my classroom; he built a model rocket with my students when we were dating. Plus, I had to buy stuff every time we had a class party, because many of my students' parents couldn't afford to send in treats. My former students are teenagers now and I don't know how many of them remember their first or second grade teacher, but I like to think that teaching them to read changed their lives for their better.

Office Depot's Teachers Change Lives program recognizes how many teachers spend their own money and most of their free time helping students succeed. They've partnered with Adopt-A-Classroom to recognize and help all the amazing teachers across the country.



I teared up (just a little) watching this video. #TeachersChangeLives, and these students are proof. Watch as students express how much their teachers mean to them.

• How to Donate to the Teachers Change Lives Program
1. Go to Teachers Change Lives. 
2. Click on the teal "Donate to a Teacher" box on the Teachers Change Lives website, which will take you to the Adopt-A-Classroom website.
3. Follow their directions. 
• How to Register Your Classroom as a Teacher
1. Go to Teachers Change Lives.
2. Click on the red box that says "Register Your Classroom," which will take you to the Adopt-A-Classroom website.
3. Follow the directions provided. 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Staycation Planning: Madame Tussaud's

As we all know, I've been a little disappointed that we couldn't go away this spring. But the kids will still get a vacation from school (and their activities) in April, which means I do get to plan a staycation. One place we're finally going to visit is Madame Tussauds in Times Square.

Not only do they have over 200 wax figures of celebrities and historical figures, they have tons of interactive exhibits. And there's a 4D Marvel Superheroes theater, where we will be spending A LOT of time. I think Ironflower will be into the Music Experience, where she can pretend she's Katy Perry. Lovebug will probably like the Sports Zone, where somehow you can box with Evander Holyfield. I'm assuming he goes easy on children. Hot Guy will be all about the Gallery, where he can sign the Declaration of Independence with Ben Franklin. I'm curious about the working Newsroom, myself. And Lovebug will get to see all of his favorite superheroes.

I love going new places with my family. And Hot Guy and I will have so much fun explaining all of the famous people that the kids don't recognize. I have a feeling it's going to take us a long time to get through the Gallery, that's for sure.

Click here if you'd like 15% off your visit to Madame Tussauds!



I'm receiving tickets to Madame Tussaud's as compensation for this post. This has not influenced my opinion, just made it easier for our family to go to Madame Tussauds. 

Shopping Saturday: JenJenHouse

I'll admit it; the first thing that caught my eye about JenJenHouse was the name. In real life, people call me Jen. (Well, some do. Mostly I am "Mo-om". ) Anyway, I clicked on it and found prom dresses. Lots of prom dresses.

So many pretty dresses.

This is one I would want to wear now, never mind to a prom.

I mean, it would have been much better than the floral dress I did wear to my prom, but I would rather wear it now. But not to a prom, because that would be weird. I think this dress is so nice and sophisticated that I could wear it. . . .somewhere fancy. Not that I go anywhere fancy.

This is the dress I probably would have picked, had it been available back in the dark ages when I went to prom:

Well, I wouldn't have picked it in black, I would have chosen a pale pink. I was obsessed with the dress that Maggie wore in the movie Lucas, which was similar, but pale pink. The cool thing about http://www.jenjenhouse.com is that many of their prom dresses are available in lots of different colors. The dress I wore to my prom was available in two colors only and I swear there were about six people wearing in it each color. We would have been so much better off if we'd been able to pick lots of different colors. Or been able to find decent dresses in a few more stores.

Or been able to shop on the internet.

At least I'll be able to look on the internet when Ironflower gets to be prom dress age. Not that she'll like anything I pick, but at least I'll have an excuse to look at pretty dresses for a couple of hours. Would it be weird to start a pinterest board now?

I know exactly what site I'll start with.


This post is (obviously) sponsored. I was compensated for writing this post, but every word and opinion is my own. 

Friday I'm in Love: With Jell-O

So, as we all know, I am not exactly a domestic goddess. When it comes to cooking, I'm not even a domestic priestess. Or noblewoman. Or servant. We should all be happy that my children don't starve to death when Hot Guy isn't here, is what I'm saying. I'm so nervous in the kitchen that I don't tend to let them cook with me (though they'd probably be better at it), unless it involves decorating cookies.

But then I saw that JELL-O had Halloween recipes. Making Jell-O is only slightly more difficult than boiling water, so I figured I might be able to handle their Spooky JIGGLERS recipes with assistance from the children.

Hugmonkey even helped me with finding the right JELL-O Gelatin at the grocery store.

If I was smart, I would have taken a photo while we were actually at the grocery store. 

We decided to make the Halloween JIGGLERS Hands, mostly because Ironflower wanted to be able to use Halloween cookie cutters on the leftover JELL-O. 

First we traced our hands. 

Some of us more carefully than others. 

Then we cut them out. 

Next was water boiling. 

And powder mixing. 

Then there was chilling time in the fridge. 

The laying on of the hand patterns. Lovebug was at basketball practice.

And then we added in Halloween cookie cutters. 

Lovebug's hand. Because you can't just trace a simple hand outline in second grade.

Pumpkin. Though it could be an apple. 

Post-practice snack. 

Ironflower would like to do commercials. 

So yummy! 

As soon as everyone was done and I was trying to shoo them upstairs, all I heard was, "This was so fun! When can we do it again? It was fun cooking with you, Mom!" So thank you, JELL-O. I owe you one. 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Friday I'm in Love . . . .With Dinner

I (sort of) made dinner the other night.

Normally, in our household, Hot Guy does the cooking. . .and if he's not around, we have hot dogs. Or grilled cheese. Or a delivery from the pizza place. Sometimes - if he's been gone a lot and I feel guilty - we'll do a hummus/veggies/crackers thing. But even I'm getting sick of our staples. Somehow it seems wrong to demand that my children try new foods when they've only seen me cook five things (I can also make spaghetti. But without the meatballs. Not popular.) So I decided to branch out.

The next day, when I was seriously questioning my decision to branch out (I mean, 3 busy kids, beginning of the school year. . .what was I thinking?) I got an email about easy, quick recipes using Pillsbury's Grands! Biscuits.  Obviously, a sign from the universe. Especially since my super-picky kids loooovvvveee biscuits.

But just to be on the safe side, I had Hot Guy supervise.

With assistance from Hugmonkey, who decided that his jester hat was more appropriate than his chef hat.

Except for the whole lack of vegetables and protein, I probably could have just served these plain. They are definitely within my tiny comfort zone. 

Not so much cutting chicken. It would be hard to try the Easy Grands Chicken Pot Pie without, you know, using chicken. 

Hot Guy said I didn't have to follow the recipe exactly (the email said that too, but it still made me nervous), so I   we cooked the chicken a bit first. It made things take a bit longer, but only by a few minutes. 

Almost ready for the oven. 

These are the boys actually eating real food at a meal. You can download the Pillsbury's Grands! Biscuits recipe booklet and tell me which recipes you think your kids will eat. We're trying the Taco Melts next. 

I had planned to take a picture of the just out-of-the-oven and put it here. Except that by the time I got my phone, Hot Guy had dished plates out to the hovering children. 

I didn't even get a picture of Ironflower eating at the table. It might have been because I was too busy eating myself. Definitely the best pot pie dinner we've had around here. 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of General Mills. Compensation was provided by General Mills via Clever Girls Collective.