Mommy Ramblings

October 23, 2015 · 2:01 am

Chuggington: The Big Freeze DVD Giveaway #HolidayGiftGuide

Last Sunday when I awoke to find a coating of snow on my van, I was not impressed. October 18th is way too early to be seeing that white stuff. It was short-lived thankfully and this week saw us getting into the high 60’s and low 70’s. However as much as I hate to admit it, that white stuff will be here and we are supposed to be in for another cold, harsh winter. I am hoping they are wrong this time but I guess time will have to tell us that.

Cool winter fun is coming down the tracks with the newest Chuggington DVD: The Big Freeze!

This super-sized release from Anchor Bay Entertainment features a Never-Before-Seen Holiday Special, to Warm Hearts All Winter Long

The latest release in the popular DVD collection is jam-packed with six fun-filled adventures – including a never before seen holiday special episode from the top-rated Disney Junior series. “The Big Freeze” pulled into retail stores on October 13, 2015, just in time to help families from coast-to-coast celebrate the season – Chuggington style!

The chuggers perform one heroic rescue after another in this cool new seasonal collection of “Chuggington” adventures! When icy temperatures cause the town to run out of fuel and all diesel engines are grounded, it’s wheels-to-the-rails as Chief Jackman and his team of brave Chug Patrollers work together to find a way to the frozen docks to retrieve fuel and get the town of Chuggington moving once again. Fans can join Fletch as he tries to repair the lighthouse, chug along with Calley as she tests to become a first responder, watch as Brewster gets closer to being a Chuggineer, and more! “The Big Freeze” will help teach little chuggers nationwide important lessons about safety, responsibility and teamwork as they ride alongside their favorite friends, Wilson, Koko, Brewster, and Asher!

This is a great movie to give to little ones on your wish list this holiday season. You will find it on a pick for kids on Mommy Ramblings’ 2015 Holiday Gift Guide!

Episodes:

The Big Freeze – Never-before-seen holiday special!
First Responder Calley
On Track Brewster
Hodge Can’t Wait
Zephie’s Star Club
Toot’s New Friend

DVD Bonus features:

Badge Quest Episode: “Share the Load”

Character Montages: “Daley” and “The Docks Crew”

Dove.org reports: “Now this is what good children’s entertainment is about! The stories are terrific, the characters are delightful, and the animation is awesome!” And, for double the turbo-charged adventures, Anchor Bay Entertainment will release in tandem the new-to-DVD dino-sized “Chuggington” title, “Wilson and the Dinosaur.”

Young fans can experience even more “Chuggington” fun at Amtrak Train Days events, taking place across the country. For information click HERE!

Now in its fifth season on Disney Junior, “Chuggington” is a colorful and contemporary CGI-animated TV show from Ludorum that reinforces early social readiness skills. The series has become a global sensation since its debut in September 2008 in the U.K. The show has been licensed to more than 175 territories worldwide and has established ratings records in several key international markets, including the U.K., Germany, France and Australia. The series made its U.S. debut in January 2010.

About “Chuggington^™”

“Chuggington” is a contemporary, action-based, energetic and vibrant CGI series for children ages 2-5. The series follows the adventures of three young trainees – Wilson and his friends Brewster and Koko – as they ride the rails and take on exciting challenges that test their courage, speed and determination. Along the way, and with help and support from a strong community of engines and people, they learn positive values and new skills that empower them to become the best trainees they can be. Further information is available at www.chuggington.com.

“The Big Freeze”

Street Date: October 13, 2015

Audio: Surround 2.0

Retail Price: $14.98

Genre: Children’s, TV on DVD

Rating: Not Rated

Run Time: 73 Mins

Year: 2015

Enter The Giveaway

Anchor Bay Entertainment is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win a DVD of Chuggington: The Big Freeze!. Thank you Anchor Bay Entertainment for the review product and for sponsoring this fantastic giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.

Chuggington: The Big Freeze! DVD Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!

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Filed under Attractions, Gifts, Giveaway, Holiday Gift Guide, kids, Movies, Toddler, Toys

Tagged as 2015 Holiday Gift Guide, Chuggington, DVD, Gift, Giveaway #holidaygiftguide, kids, Movie, The Big Freeze, Trains

October 20, 2015 · 1:55 pm

NY Sheep & Wool Festival #sheepandwool2015

Last Saturday my daughter and I embarked on a day trip to Rhinebeck, NY to attend our first ever New York Sheep & Wool Festival. This 2 Day Day Extravaganza of Fiber is a yearly pilgrimage for many. Held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds it is full of workshops, book signings, lectures, livestock, fleece sales, competitions, shows, parades, demonstrations, food, music, kids’ activities and more!

I have so many more photos but you can check out our Instagram for some more. Did anyone go this year? If so let me know. I am going to try my hand at felting this year after seeing so many of the whimsical creations at the festival.

Pink Limited Edition Charms- 50% Donated To Help End Breast Cancer #GlamuletPinkOctober

Glamulet the Charms brand jewelry company was founded in 2014 with a mission to offer every woman a new range of trendy, elegant and quality jewelry at affordable prices. They believe that every woman should have the ability to express herself and feel pretty. The gorgeous charms are able to be mixed and matched to allow women to create their own unique and special bracelet. Charms are available in all kinds of styles and designs.

I want to share some very special charms that Glamulet has created. The Pink Limited Edition Charms were created to support the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign. For every set of charms added to the cart, 50% is donated to a charity organization.

Breast Cancer is the 2nd deadliest cause of death for women around the world. By 2050, no woman should die of breast cancer. Check out the new Pink Limited Edition Charms and remember that Glamulet is going to donate 50% of every set of charms you buy to a charity fund for breast cancer. To see the charms and learn more about what Glamulet is doing to help put an end to breast cancer click HERE!

This post is sponsored by Glamulet. As always my words and views are 100% my own.

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Filed under cause, jewelry, Life

Tagged as #GlamuletPinkOctober, Bracelet, Breast Cancer, Charity, Charms, Donate, Glamulet, Jewelry, Mommy Ramblings, Pink Limited Edition Charms, Pink October

· 2:46 pm

Spin Master Giveaway- Three $125 grand prizes & 10 runner up prizes. Enter Here!

Take a look at this awesome new Quick Cups video from Spin Master Games and enter the giveaway below for a chance to win 1 of 3 grand games packages including Fibber, Moustache Smash, Boom Boom Balloon, Shark Mania, Rapidoodle, and Quick Cups! There are an additional- 10 Fantastic Runner Up Prizes of the Quick Cups Board Game!” Quick Cups is a great game where kids can outperform their parents if they have a quicker eye and hands! It’s a game for everyone to play and ANYONE can be the winner!”

Check out the Spin Master YouTube Channel for more great videos.

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Tagged as giveaway, Mommy Ramblings, Prizes, Spin Master, YouTube

· 1:56 pm

Kids Academy Apps Updated | Free Educational Apps + Printable Worksheets!

This blog has partnered with Mom Buzz Media to announce this exciting information!

Kids Academy Releases Preschool Education Center
for iOS and Android!

Looking for some great educational kids apps that your kids will like to play? If so, I am excited to share with you this great Kids Academy App that makes it fun for kids to play and learn essential preschool skills.
Kids Academy – the team behind some of the top educational apps for kids with over 10 million downloads worldwide just released the long-awaited version of their flagship app – Preschool Education Center.
As the name suggests, Preschool Education Center is an all-in-one educational app for kids and toddlers. The app covers all aspects of early childhood education from the alphabet and reading to writing, building vocabulary and developing math skills. Based on the proven Montessori method the app offers a number of fun games that help master essential learning skills through play.

I have reviewed this app and it is perfect for preschool and kindergarten age kids. There is a lot of great free material and in app purchases. Your kids can have fun with the free content alone. The learning games are Montessori based and kids will play games and activities that will help them learn to spell, write and form letters correctly and read! The music and fun let kids really enjoy themselves while learning. The learning level will go up as your child becomes more proficient at skills. Helpful hints are given if your child gets stuck on something. The curriculum was developed and reviews by a preschool education expert which makes this mom of 5 feel good.

Until now, Preschool Education Center has only been available on iTunes but today’s release makes it finally available for Android device on Google Play! This fun and free app is currently being featured in the Family section of the Android store in the USA, Australia and Canada.

Get the app free on Google Play!

For iOS devices:

Kids Academy have also updated the iOS version of the app: Preschool & Kindergarten Early Learning Games adding new games, books and educational cartoons and shows as well as printable worksheets.
– The update boasts a bunch of cute little monsters that will teach your kids about money and how to count it.
– Kids Academy TV now has a 24/7 Live Zoo channel offering web-cam views on real-life animals.

Grab your free copy of the update on the iTunes App Store!

………………………………………………………………………………

BONUS!
Free Preschool & Kindergarten Worksheets for Kids

Kids Academy is also finding a way to expand beyond the screen and help master pen and pencil with free printable worksheets. You can get free preschool worksheets on a variety of subjects from alphabet to math (the library is being constantly updated).
Download, print out and get start practicing with good old pen and paper in seconds!

Head over to to the Kids Academy to get your FREE PRINTABLE WORKSHEETS and get your kids busy!

#SnackAndGo Treats To Make For Halloween!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SnackAndGo #CollectiveBias

Do you have a Halloween party coming up? Are you in charge of bringing in snacks for a Halloween class party? If so, I have a fun idea you might want to try. I was in Walmart recently and picked up some NABISCO Go-Paks!, Snack Pack® puddings and Reddi-Wip. You might wonder why these three items? Well, did you know that Go-Paks! come in sturdy, plastic containers that are half full and perfect for adding mix-ins or other ingredients to create a super, special treat!

Go-Paks! come in many varieties like TEDDY GRAHAMS, Mini NILLA wafers, Mini OREO Chocolate Sandwich cookies, CHIPS AHOY! Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, NUTTER BUTTER Bites Sandwich Cookies, Mini OREO Golden Sandwich Cookies and more. Snack Pack® puddings are available in chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, chocolate and vanilla mix and more.

Another cool thing is that the containers themselves are great to decorate. You can even let the kids help!

Some easy ways to dress up the containers for a Halloween, Halloween parties, classroom treats and more are:

Pirates- Take a costume pirate eye patch and secure it to the container. This would make a great favor at a pirate theme birthday party too!
Mummies-Wrap vanilla pudding cups with white net fabric securing the beginning and end with tape. Then, glue on some google eyes.
Spiders-Take a pudding cup and 3 long sparkle craft sticks in any color you like. Next, just cut the craft sticks in half so you have 6 spider legs. Tape the legs to the back of the pudding cup and fold them around to the front. Add some google or sticker eyes.
Bats-Cut out bat wings from black construction paper and tape to back of chocolate pudding cups. Add google or sticker eyes.
Create Your Own-Cover Go-Paks! with sparkly paper and use it as a blank canvas to create monsters, funny faces and more. Decorate pudding cups with stickers to create funny faces.

There are endless possibilities. Kids will love them and love helping you make them!

Then let them mix up a fun snack! Some great combinations we found were big hits are the TEDDY GRAHAMS, Chocolate Pudding and Mini Marshmallows topped with Reddi-Wip and some additional Teddy Grahams for a new take on the S’more. If you take Mini NILLA wafers Go-Pak! and mix with vanilla pudding and fresh sliced banana then top with Reddi-Wip and banana and more Mini Nilla wafers you have a banana cream pudding snack cup. Let kids pick and choose and mix up their own creations. They will love being able to create their own recipe.

Save Now With This Coupon!

BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE NABISCO Go-Paks! Buy ONE (1) Snack Pack® Pudding and get ONE (1) FREE (up to $1.00) NABISCO Go-Paks! (2.25 oz. or larger) with Coupon-Click HERE To Get Coupon!

So what do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts and if you do try this, please let me know how it went in the comments.

Make Halloween A Day Full of #Treats4All

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Treats4All #CollectiveBias

With our busy lives some days can feel like we are running in circles, scrambling to get things done. When we have extra things to do, it can make doing the everyday things even harder. With Halloween approaching you may be stressed about how to coordinate dinner, trick or treating, answering your own door etc. I am here to help and offer some suggestions. Make it easy on yourself this year! Use paper products for dinner so you have one less thing to worry about and take a few short cuts that won’t be short on taste for your family.

I was in Walmart the other day and picked up some STOUFFER’S® Family Size Entrées. There is a nice assortment to choose from including vegetarian dishes, chicken dishes, pasta and more. I chose Italiano Lasagna and Stuffed Peppers.

TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Cookie Dough lets us get to the best part of making cookies even faster-eating them! This refrigerated cookie dough is all ready to go right onto a cookie sheet straight out of the package. Now you can easily bake hot, fresh cookies in minutes with no mess! These cookies are great for dessert, class parties and more. You can find Halloween Chocolate Chip or Harvest Apple varieties out now! Of course I could not forget the candy.

The NESTLE® Jumbo Assorted Fun Size Candy was a great price for a lot of candy. Plenty to have on hand for all the little ghosts and goblins that will be heading to your door.

You can use paper products and the STOUFFER’S® Family Size Entrées can be cooked and served right in their own container so that saves lots of time. Add a salad and some garlic bread and you have a dinner your whole family will love!

Cookies are easy with TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Cookie Dough and the Halloween Chocolate Chip are festive and fun! Right out of the package just put on your cookie sheet and bake.

nestle 3

Perfect to pack in boxes to send to school class parties or give as gifts!

We can’t forget the candy treats. NESTLE® Jumbo Assorted Fun Size Candy has you covered so you don’t run out of treats this Halloween!

Eye can see you looking at that candy. Looks good doesn’t it?

Don’t get stuck this year feeling stuck with the Tricks, make your Halloween easy and fun. Let NESTLE® and STOUFFER’S® help you have a day that is filled with Treats For All of you! Do you have any great time saving tricks to make Halloween a treat? If you do, please share them in the comments.

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Filed under Family, Holiday, Life, Shoppertunity

Tagged as #Treats4All, Dinner, Easy, Fast, halloween, Nestle, Stouffer's, Trick or Treat

October 3, 2015 · 1:39 am

Bon Voyage Charlie Brown (AND DON’T COME BACK!!) DVD Giveaway! Peanuts Gang Is Back!

I just love the Peanuts^® Gang and so do my kids. Did you know that a classic feature-length movie is arriving on DVD for the first time ever about the gangs first international adventure? It is! BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!) will be available on DVD on October 6th, 2015!

So go get your passport, even Woodstock has his and pack your bags! Released in theaters in 1980, BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!), celebrates its 35th anniversary this year! This film was the fourth feature-length film made with Charles Schulz’s beloved Peanuts characters. The film was a product of the long-time collaboration between Schulz, animation director Bill Melendez and producer Lee Mendelson. Together, these three helped create all of the Peanuts animated television specials and feature films, starting with A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1969.

In BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!) Charlie Brown, Linus, Peppermint Patty and Marcie are chosen as – you guessed it! – exchange students, destined to spend two weeks in France. Of course, Snoopy and Woodstock join the French odyssey, which turns out to be a combination of mystery, intrigue, and romance coupled with the usual misadventures that seem to follow Charlie Brown wherever he goes!

The BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!) DVD includes the classic film digitally remastered in 4K, along with a brand new featurette that gives fans insight into the creative process of animating the beloved comic strip, how the feature film came to be and what it took to bring the movie to the big screen. The featurette includes new interviews with Charles Schulz’s widow, Jean, at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, producer Lee Mendelson and Steve Melendez, son of Bill Melendez and president of Bill Melendez Productions.

The BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!) DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with English Mono Dolby Digital, French Mono Dolby Digital, and Spanish Mono Dolby Digital; English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles; and English captions. The DVD includes the following:

Feature film, digitally remastered in 4K and presented in standard definition
New Making-of Featurette
Theatrical Trailer

BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!)

Street Date: October 6, 2015

SRP: $14.99 U.S.

Running Time: 75 minutes

U.S. Rating: G

About Paramount Home Media Distribution

Paramount Home Media Distribution (PHMD) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), home to premier media brands that create television programs, motion pictures, consumer products, and digital content for audiences in more than 165 countries and territories. The PHMD division oversees PPC’s home entertainment and transactional digital distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CBS and applicable licensing and servicing of certain DreamWorks Animation titles. PHMD additionally manages global licensing of studio content and transactional distribution across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies.

GIVEAWAY

Paramount Home Media is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!) on DVD. Thank you Paramount Home Media for the review product and for sponsoring this fantastic giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.

BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!) DVD Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!

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Filed under Attractions, Entertainment, Giveaway, Movies, Review

Tagged as Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown, DVD, giveaway, Peanuts, Snoopy

October 1, 2015 · 10:26 pm

Meet Max-New “Clean Plate Club” Member #MyCatMyMuse

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyCatMyMuse #CollectiveBias

Our cat Max is a member of the family and I know we’re not alone in feeling that way. Being a beloved four-legged family member, we want to give him the very best we can. This is especially try with nutrition. The other day in Petsmart I saw Purina Muse® Natural Cat Food. I have to say, I was intrigued. The flavors sounded great and the topper variety came in a clear container and did not look like any cat food I have ever seen. I learned why I had not seen Purina Muse® anywhere else, it is only available at Petsmart.

I was amazed at the variety that was available. Purina Muse® was available in chowder, in broth with toppers, in gravy and paté. All the recipes are made with real chicken and real fish like mackerel, salmon, tuna, sea bass and more. The food does not have any artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. The recipes are 100% complete and balanced for adult cats. There are 30 delicious recipe and 24 grain-free varieties. With Muse® you don’t have to choose between natural nutrition and food that tastes great. Your cat can have both when you choose Purina Muse® Natural Cat Food. I picked up a selection of recipes and flavors and wondered how Max would like them.

So the real test is what Max thinks right. Just like with kids if they won’t eat something that’s good for them it really doesn’t matter how good it is. I was so anxious to get Max’s feline opinion on things. My husband started making me nervous telling me that Max does not like wet food and did not think Max would give the food the four paws up I was looking for.

As soon as I put the bowl of Natural Tuna & Shrimp Recipe in Gravy down Max dove right in and would not look up for any pictures. He was in feline Heaven and my husband could not believe the way he loved it! Purina Muse® made Max a member of the “Clean Plate Club”! It looks like we have a new cat food. Natural has never been so delicious.

I am thrilled that Max loves a food I feel great giving him. If you have a special Kitty or kitties in your life and care about natural nutrition you should put Muse® to the test with their clean plate guarantee.

Money Saving Coupon-Free Cat Food

I want to share a special coupon for Purina Muse® Natural Cat Food when you BUY 3 you get 3 FREE with this COUPON at Petsmart! I hope you give it a try with your cat and if you do, please let me know if they’re a new member of the “Clean Plate Club” like Max!

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Filed under Coupon, Pets, Saving Money, Shoppertunity

Tagged as #CollectiveBias, #MyCatMyMuse, Cat, Cats, Clean Plate Club, Coupon, Free Cat Food, Grain Free, Kitten, Natural Pet Food, nutrition, Purina Muse, Real Chicken, Real Fish

September 27, 2015 · 11:50 pm

Make Our Get “YOU” Back To “YOU” Treat Bags -#EatASNICKERS

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EatASNICKERS #CollectiveBias

Have you ever been so hungry you turn into a different person? Do you find it hard to even think straight at that point? If so, you need something to take the edge off that hunger. You need something fast that’s going to satisfy that extreme hunger that’s transforming you.

Many people including myself seem to turn into someone else when that hunger strikes. I have found it is better to be prepared for these hunger attacks. For me, SNICKERS® bars are an extremely satisfying and delicious way to curb my hunger. Mine usually strikes mid day for me. SNICKERS® has been one of my favorites as far back as I can remember. I love the caramel, milk chocolate, nougat, and roasted peanuts that are packed into each bar.

SNICKERS® Get “YOU” Back To “YOU” Treat Bag Tutorial:

I want to share a fun and easy gift bag tutorial with you. These SNICKERS® Get “You” Back To “You” Treat Bags are funny and serve a purpose. Keep some in a basket on your counter, on your desk at work or in your purse. You can hand one to that mom in the school pick up line that is clearly not herself. Give one to your coworker who is coming unhinged or your best friend, who is turning into someone you don’t know. Whoever you share them with, they are sure to appreciate you helping them get back to themselves. Don’t forget about yourself, you want to be able to get back to you fast too!

I was in Walmart recently and picked up some multi packs of SNICKERS® full size bars in the candy aisle. SNICKERS® individual full size bars can be found on store displays and in/near the checkout aisles. While I was there I picked up some craft ribbon, treat bags in clear, red and yellow and some colorful paper napkins.

I made three different bag labels with PicMonkey and Microsoft Word and printed them. You can add your own touch in saying what you want. Next, I glued them to some heavy construction paper using a glue stick. You could also use card stock.

After that, I cut them out and punched a hole in the tag for the ribbon.

I took a treat bag and put one full size SNICKERS® bar and a colorful paper chevron stripe napkin. You need the napkin because as you or someone else turns back into themselves they will remember their manners.

Then use the little twist ties that come with the treat bags to close the bag. Use any kind of ribbon your like to attach the tag. That’s it! Wasnt’ that easy. You can do all kinds of variations of this idea. All kinds of treat bags can be used, you could add a mini bottled water if you like. You really can make it as simple or elaborate as you want. Customize them for your child’s teachers, bus driver or babysitter.

Now I have something really fun to share with you. Find out who you are when you’re hungry by taking the quiz below. Let me know your results in the comments. I also love to hear what you think of the treat bags and if you are going to give them a try.