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Holiday Gift Idea – The Odd Life Of Timothy Green On Blu-ray & DVD

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When it comes to movies that I have seen this year, I would have to say that The Odd Life Of Timothy Green is one of my FAVORITE movies of 2012. Once I seen the trailer I wanted to see it. I normally don’t get too excited about an upcoming movie, but this was a movie I really wanted to see.

Not only did I have the opportunity to see it before it came out in theaters in New York City with The Night Owl Mama in August, I was able to see it again once I got home from my trip with my two oldest daughters.  This is a movie that leaves you crying with happy tears, in hopes that there will be a sequel. I thought I wouldn’t cry the second time watching it, but I did. I am sure I will cry the next time too.

Can you imagine if you could write the qualities that you wanted for a child on little pieces of paper, put them in a box, bury the box and like a flower, grow a child?

Even though I have seen it twice already, I am already wanting to watch it again. My husband hasn’t seen it yet and I think I might watch it this upcoming week with him! He normally prefers the comedy or drama type movies, but I want to see if I can get him to shed a tear over this cute Disney story. (Read my review & watch the trailer here)

Synopsis –  An inspiring and magical story about a happily married couple, Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton), who can’t wait to start a family but can only dream about what their child would be like. When young Timothy (CJ Adams) shows up on their doorstep one stormy night, Cindy and Jim—and their small town of Stanleyville—learn that sometimes the unexpected can bring some of life’s greatest gifts.

For those that didn’t have a chance to see it in theaters, The Odd Life Of Timothy Green is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, High Definition Digital & On-Demand just in time for the holidays. If you have someone on your list that likes to collect movies, especially Blu-ray movies, this would make for a great gift idea.

With the Blu-ray Combo Pack, you have the chance so see never before seen bonus features that you might be interested in. Take a peek at what is available with the viewing options:

Right now Amazon has The Odd Life Of Timothy Green Blu-ray Combo Pack on sale for $22.99 (regular $39.99). You can also score the DVD today for only $17.99.

Disclosure – I received a copy of this Disney film to provide you with this coverage. This post is not a paid post and the opinions stated herein are 100% my own. This post does contain affiliate links

 

I Was Born To Bake Cookies + FREE Cookie Recipe Card – #CardstoreCookie

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Every year at this time I get a little excited about cooking. For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed making and baking cookies. When I was a child I spent a lot of weekends at my grandparents house while my mom was busy working. On many of those weekends I would bake cookies with my Nana just for fun. I remember putting on one of her aprons and helping her to make not only her sugar cookies, but her peanut butter cookies too. She chose sugar cookies because I really enjoyed using cookie cutters to make the cookies and of course top them with the pretty colored sprinkles. My grandpa’s favorite were the peanut butter cookies so I remember having fun with those by using a fork to make a cool indention on the top of them.

Here are some of my cookie snapshots from the past holidays:
Even when I became a teenager and then an adult, I always have enjoyed making cookies, especially now for my family. Each year though, for the last 15+ years I have made a variety of cookies to give to my family and friends during the Christmas season. For many of those years, I have baked Snickerdoodles, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies and those classic peanut butter blossoms. This year I decided I am going to put a little twist on the peanut butter blossoms that everyone is used to seeing.

And then there was…

This year I am going to make my family and friends some Minty Chocolate Blossoms. Don’t worry, these have peanut butter in them, they just have more chocolate topped with some minty sweetness. If you are a fan of chocolate bark, you might just really enjoy these cookies.

And if you are not a fan of the candy cane flavor, you can always just make Chocolate Buttons. I like them both as buttons and candy cane blossoms!

This is just one of the cookies I will be making this year. I haven’t decided on the rest of my lineup, but I know Santa is going to be happy this year with some of these Minty Chocolate Blossoms!

Now for your FREE Chocolate Blossoms Recipe Card From Me!

Whether it’s a personalized card or cookies right out of the oven, I love sharing the warmth of the holiday season with my family, friends and, of course, my readers! Comment below and I’ll mail you a card featuring my Minty Chocolate Blossoms Recipe, and Cardstore will share a coupon code for 75% off holiday cards so you can whip up a special batch of cards for the people you love. Just follow these simple steps:

  • Step 1: Leave a comment below sharing your recipe for a happy holiday
  • Step 2: When the registration box appears, complete the form
  • Step 3: That’s it! My recipe and a coupon code from Cardstore will be sent to you by mail

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cardstore. The opinions and text are all mine.

 

Melissa & Doug’s Terrific Twenty Holiday Gifts For 2012 & Giveaway

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If you are a Melissa & Doug fan or got a fan on your shopping list, you will definitely want to check out their Terrific Twenty Holiday Gifts for 2012. There is also a giveaway on the Melissa & Doug Facebook page where each day a lucky winner will receive one of the gifts from this list now through December 19, 2012!

Be sure to enter, you just might be the lucky one!

 

Kid Friendly Side Dishes From Birds Eye Vegetables + Yakimaniac Veggie Martians Recipe

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Almost every night I make a home cooked meal for the entire family that includes some sort of side dish that includes veggies. One kind of vegetable that everyone likes but my son is green beans, so I am always looking for new ideas on dishes I can make that includes green beans.

This month I have tried a few of the Steamfresh Chef’s Favorites from Birdseye as a side dish to our meals. These come in a variety of options that include vegetables, potatoes, pasta and different sauces. What is neat is they are ready to serve in about  5 minutes. When you cook them, at end you can hear them steaming in the microwave.

Birdseye Steamfresh Red PotatoesMy favorite is the Lightly Sauced Roasted Red Potatoes and Green Beans. I LOVE the combination of these two along with the yummy Parmesan sauce. This would be perfect for a dinner for 2 and I can’t wait to try some of the other varieties.

On the Birdseye website, they have a section just for KID inspired recipes. You can find A TON of very WILD creations that kids have made using veggies. You will actually find over 16 thousand recipes created from a virtual kitchen as part of the iCarly iCook with Birds Eye initiative. At my house we like to watch iCarly, so it is neat to see the show involved with veggies! I can’t wait to make some of the recipes submitted by other fans with my 8 year old that is a big fan of iCarly and maybe get crafty and submit our own.

Take a peek with of a video from one of my favorite iCarly stars.

Watching this video makes me want to encourage my kids to get creative with vegetables too. I was just explaining to my 8 year old the importance of vegetables and why it is important to eat them and it would be great if they came up with a veggie recipe to submit.

Here is the recipe for the Yakimaniac Veggie Martians that we think looks awesome that was shown on iCarly.

Yakimaniac Veggie Martians

Here is the recipe if you want to try to make it at home too!

Yakimaniac Veggie Martians Recipe – from iCarly

Ingredients
  • 1 bag (12 oz.) Steamfresh® Broccoli Florets, cooked according to package directions, divided
  • 1 bag (12 oz.) Steamfresh® Mixed Vegetables, cooked according to package directions, divided
  • 1 package (16.3 oz.) refrigerated biscuits (8 biscuits)
  • 1-1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek style yogurt
  • 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • Green glitter icing gel
  • Thin pretzel sticks
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. In medium bowl, combine 1 cup cooked broccoli florets and 2 cups cooked mixed vegetables with Swiss cheese, yogurt and cream cheese, blending well.
  3. Separate biscuits in half into 16 pieces; roll or press each half into 4-inch rounds. On ungreased baking sheet arrange 8 rounds. Evenly top each with rounded 1/4 cup vegetable mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with remaining biscuit rounds. Press edges to seal. Brush each with glitter gel.
  4. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
  5. Decorate each “Martian” with reserved vegetables and serve with remaining vegetables.

For more WILD & Wacky vegetable recipe creations like this one above, visit: www.birdseye.com/kids.

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Birds Eye. I received product coupons to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.”

 

MedImmune Preemie & RSV Awareness

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This month on November 17th was the 2nd Annual World Prematurity Day, a day to honor the more than 1 million babies worldwide that have died because they were born too soon! To also honor the 14 million more that are struggling each day to survive. This was a day to focus our attention to the problem of premature birth, but something we should be thinking of every day.

When babies are born premature, their lungs and immune systems are not strong, therefore they are at risk of developing infections and respiratory problems. One virus in particular that everyone should know about is RSV.This stands for respiratory syncytial virus that is common and virtually all children by the time they have reached aged 2 have contracted it. This virus causes a lung infection that can cause babies and small children to become very sick!

I want to share with you some important facts that many are not aware of:

  • In the United States, 1 in 8 babies is born prematurely.
  • Worldwide, 13 million+ babies are born too soon each year.
  • RSV is the leading cause of infant hospitilization
  • RSV is more prevalent during the winter months

Take a peek at this interesting RSV infographic below:

With all of my pregnancies, I remember thinking I couldn’t wait for the pregnancy the be over during the last few weeks. I was tired, felt huge and didn’t get much sleep. Although I never wanted to have my children early, I do remember that I couldn’t wait for the last few weeks of each of my pregnancies to be over. Unfortunately with all 3 of my pregnancies, I had c-sections so each of my children were born a week early. With my last pregnancy, my son had a some newborn jaundice which can develop if babies are born too early, but it went away fairly quickly.

When it comes to RSV,  we need to take the extra steps to prevent it! Here are some ways that you can help to prevent this virus.

  • Wash hands, toys, bedding and play areas frequently
  • Make sure everyone in your home uses hand sanitizer
  • Avoid large crowds or being around people that are sick or been sick
  • Never let smoke around your children
  • Don’t share personal items like pacifiers, bottles, toothbrushes, etc.

To learn more about RSV, visit: https://www.rsvprotection.com

“I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”

 

This Mom Can Cook