Mr. Pencils 2 The Lost Colors of Doodleburg can be used with all leapfrog tablets. This ultra ebook gives children an opportunity to learn and grow at 3 different reading levels. It sounds out words as children read along giving them the opportunity to read each word as it’s said and repeat as the story is read along. It starts off with simple text and advances onto more difficult words for the advanced reader.

While the story is being read the words are highlighted so children can learn to recognized the pronounced word. The story is really cute and is a drawn character story. It starts off with both a boy and a girl in the story so that both child can relate to the story. Children encounter having to draw in objects to complete shapes as well as other tasks during the story. Characters also do the talking as well as objects make noises to give the reader a more enhanced and entertaining experience. My children will spend several minutes on one page of the story just to make sure they touch all the objects to hear all the sounds. It’s so fun and they love it. There are other options along with reading a story or having a story read to you. Within the story book children will find fun learning games that will keep them engaged and learning, advances to read on their own, or just watch the story as it plays out. It’s like a fun interactive cartoon that kids love to watch and they don’t even know they are learning.

One of the only complaints that the kids have is that there’s a loading screen that comes up during flipping of the pages or advances onto the next screen. It doesn’t last long but you know how kids can be.

My preschooler is advancing to Kindergarten this year and I’m really excited about the letter recognition and tracing feature game in this story. It keeps the letters fresh in his mind and he gets the practice he needs to keep those letters looking as they should. Practice makes perfect and Mr. Pencil2 gives him all the practice he needs.

• enhances listening and reading comprehension
• enhances phonic and vocabulary skills
• Word recognition with repeat reading
• Pre-K to 1st grade readers
• Spelling and word building
• Reading mode: story is read, story will be read page by page and you read the story
• 3 reading levels: Perfect for new readers, readers who need assistance and fluent readers
• Games: several games to choose from to help enhance word and letter recognition, playtime and more.
• For Children ages 4-7

Mr. Pencil: The Lost Colors of Doodleburg available for $19.99

Want to know why we love the LeapFrog LeapPad? Be sure to read our LeapPad2 review with video review. You’ll find it’s a sanity saver especially in the car and at the Dr. office.

disclosure: I was provided with this game to share out honest thoughts and opinion. No other compensation has been provided.

In Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Quest for Crystal Mickey are faced with trying to save the clubhouse from disappearing forever when sneaky Pete steals the magical crystal Mickey statue. By helping Mickey Pick the right Mousekatools kids can help Mickey get the crystal back and save the castle. Mickey takes the kids on a journey across the sandy dessert, head across the rushing river, and cross the hidden jungle. The journey won’t be easy because kids will need to keep an eye for tricky Pete’s traps to help Mickey on the journey.

1 – Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Quest for the Crystal Mickey
2 – Donald of the Desert
3 – Donald the Genie
4 – Goofy’s Coconutty Monkey
5 – Goofy’s Giant Adventure

My boys loved watching this episode and the other four episodes that come on this dvd. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Mickey’s friends has always kept them entertained, engaged and all the while learning how to deal with certain situations and what tools are needed for the right job. The Quest for the Crystal Mickey is kinda like the journey of Indiana Jones. You’ll love all the obstacles Mickey has to cross and love how the journey ends.
Out of all the episodes my youngest loves Goofy’s Coconutty Monkey Episode. He loves silly monkey and he loves Goofy so it’s the perfect story that has him laughing out loud.

Keep your kids engage and learning all summer long by stocking your at home Disney Junior movie library with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest for Crystal Mickey.

disclosure: We received a copy of this title to form an honest opinion. Thoughts are 100% our own.

I have used Corelle dishes for years. I still have the original set I bought over 20 years ago. I like to switch out my dishes from time to time just to brighten up the table and change the mood, and to add a whole new fresh outlook on meals.

These Red and White dishes will be the perfect addition to our Memorial day table.

To add in pops of color the Chicago Cutlery Vivid offers the perfect pop of color with it’s non-stick, stainless steel blades. They have a comfortable, soft grip handle. These bright colors scream summer time fun.

And when the meal is over and it’s time to put away left overs pick yourself up a 10 piece set of Pyrex no-leak lid set. These bowls and lids are perfect for those messy meal sides like Chili, salsa, homemade BBQ sauce, Cucumber salad, or anything else that may drip. The air tight seal keeps food fresh and allows for heating in a microwave if necessary.

Brighten up your kitchen and add some color to your outdoor events. Your friends and family will complement you on such a beautiful setting.

disclosure: I was provided with dishes for review. Thoughts added are 100% my own and honest opinion. Detailed information on other items were provided by Pr rep.

Miracle-Gro Premium Plants are easy to grow and easy to maintain. Miracle-Gro Premium plants are only available in Chicagoland area Home Depots. So get out to your local HomeDepot before they are all gone. Have a look at the selection I found at my local Chicago Home Depot. They were easy to find with the beautiful descriptive sign.

Do you notice that on the sign it shows that they bloom even larger than whats currently in the planter. I can’t wait to share how they turn out in a few weeks. I bet they’re going to be gorgeous.

Miracle-Gro Premium Plants

They had a beautiful selection of different flowers and colors to select from to complete any decor.

They also had some beautifully done Miracle-Gro Premium Plants Hanging baskets that would look beautiful outside or inside your home.

To show you what I’m working with on the side of the house this is what it looked like before we got started.

Yes I have weeds.  About two years ago I redid the side of the house. I purchase new rock, and some beautiful stepping stones.  I really loved the way it looked but I didn’t add flowers.  I couldn’t wait to see how it turned out.  It wasn’t much to look at but what til’ you see how it looks today.  To get started I got out our gardening tools and picked the planting locations and let my son go to work digging a hole large enough to fit the plant in.

After he was finished I handed him the plant to put it in.  He absolutely loves planting flowers and couldn’t wait to do some more. I think he has a green thumb. It was so nice having some one on one time with my boy. With having four kids is so important that you give each one of your children some special time and build memories. He didn’t see it as work but really had fun. I love that!

The plants that we planted were called Petunia Blue and Petunia white. They require full sun so the side of the house gets full sun most of the morning and during the day. It was the perfect place to plant them.

The card says they will grow to be 10 -14 inches in height and 30-36 inches wide. Its says they’ll do okay down to 35 degrees and since its not quite summer yet it does still get cold her in Chicago but not that cold so they should be just fine.

For some really great tips from Home Depot and Miracle-Gro be sure to watch this wonderful video for examples of Miracle-gro Plants as well as a wonderful Planter pot decorating idea.

Take your landscape from this

 To this

What do you think? I love the way it gives the landscape a fresh look. The flowers really brighten it up and make such a welcoming entrance for my home. To finish my project and take it to the front yard I’m going to round up the rest of the kids this summer and let them all help me plant.

Now I have a little treat for my readers. How would you like to shop for Miracle-Gro Premium Plants to spend some time planting with the kids out side of your home? Enter below to win.

~ * ~ GIVEAWAY ~ * ~

Win it: One reader of the Night Owl mama will win a $100 Home depot gift card to purchase Miracle-Gro Premium Plants for planting outside your home or in a planter for the inside of your home.

How to Enter: Log into the Rafflecopter below with your Facebook acct or your email address. Complete each task to increase your chances of winning. Winner will be drawn using random.org and remember it only takes 1 entry to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

disclosure: I received a gift card to promote this post and thank me for my time & to purchase miracle-gro premium plants. Thoughts are 100% my own and honest opinion.

P&G with Dollar General G.C PRIZE PACK 5/16

Creamette Pasta Prize Pack 5/24

$50 Visa Gift Card & Epic prize Pack 5/27

Pajanimals 15 inch Plush Giveaway 5/28

Here’s what’s going on Around the Blogisphere. Please link directly to your giveaways and if you would please click a share button below to help spread the word I would greatly appreciate it.   I take time to promote the Giveaway linky all week long to help drive more traffic your way all week. Thanks for stopping by.

I had two people in mind that I was shopping for. First on my list was my mothers husband. His birthday is this week and I really wanted to get him something special. He and my mom have been together for almost 20 years and he really takes great care of my mom. I don’t get to tell him often enough how much I appreciate all he does for her so when I can find something extra special for him I love to get it. He’s a guitarist and he’s really good too. He’s also the owner of the band Designated riders, they are out of Batavia, Il perhaps you heard of them?  Anyway, as I was shopping Novica for somethings special I ran across this spectacular Iron statuette, ‘Rustic Rock Guitar‘ that was truly perfect and beautiful all at the same time. It was described as being made from recycled materials from a bicycles, automobile parts and used as rustic art. It was designed by an artist named Ramirez, who is very talented. Just have a look at this.

Measurements are 39.5 cm H x 14.5 cm W x 13 cm D

I picked this up and it feels kinda heavy to me although it says it only weighs 1.27 kgs. It has a chain that runs along the outside edge as you can see and it’s so creative. I think he’s going to love it. If you have someone in your life who loves music and loves guitars this would make a perfect gift. It comes gift wrapped for free and I received an email to let me know when it was shipped.
Regularly priced $114.95 but is currently on sale for $51.99.

Another items that I chose was a Lacquered wood figurine, ‘Prancing Thai Horse‘. My niece is graduating from eighth grade and she loves Horses. I saw this and thought she’d love it. The figurine is made in Thailand. It’s beautifully hand painted and measures about 2″ W x 6″ H x 5″ D and weighs about 0.2 lbs. She adores it and placed it on her dresser.

Perfect for anyone who adores horses.

Priced at $29.95 on Sale. Regularly $55.95

Be sure to check out all Novica has to offer on www.novica.com/curation/. Here shoppers can pin items that catch their eye and share it with others!

What unique items would you love from Novica?

disclosure: Gift card was provided free of charge. Thoughts in this post are 100% my own and honest opinion.

The Jim Henson Company’s is joining in on celebrating National family month with the adorable PAJANIMAL characters. They have a number of fun family activities created to encourage and support family togetherness. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? Hopefully you and your little one’s caught the delightful episodes aired on Sprout on Mothers Day.

Missing Mom and Dad:” At bedtime, Sweet Pea Sue misses Mom and Dad and wishes she could sneak into their bed where it feels so “warm and safe.” The Pajanimals travel to The Night Sky where The Moon comforts her and tells Sweet Pea Sue that her parents are very close by and will always be there (if she needs them). And the episode, “Mom is Amazing!:” Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and the Pajanimals have decided to help Mom with her chores, but they quickly realize that Mom does A LOT of chores for the family. Not sure what to do, the Pajanimals travel to the Night Sky, where The Moon tells them that just recognizing all that Mom does and offering to help her is a great gift not just for Mother’s Day, but any day.

During the Month of May, Sprout will also air a special on-air spot for its Kindness Counts campaign featuring the Pajanimals. Sprout’s Kindness Counts campaign helps parents teach young children the importance of kindness and encourages children to perform random acts of kindness such as helping, sharing, making a new friend, etc. Kindness can come in so many forms such as helping a neighbor with yard work. Picking up their paper from the curb and putting it on their door step or offering to walk their dog. Children are very creative and can help you think of ways they can help others. The Kindness Counts website features a Kindness Counter where families can document these kind acts with the goal of reaching 1 million acts of kindness.

Looking for fun Pajanimals themed activities for the entire family visit www.sproutonline.com . You’ll find all these fun activities and more including

• Printable Pajanimals Bedtime Activity Cards which parents and kids can use to learn about and reinforce healthy bedtime routines!
• The site also features fun family games like Sweet Pea Sue’s Heart Catcher — this fun, online game keeps kids and parents on their toes as they try to catch all of the falling hearts by moving the basket left or right; and Pajanimals Adventure Game, which takes the whole family on an adventure with The Pajanimals, including a visit to Jerry the Bear’s house in the Friendly Forest!
• There are also fun family craft projects like Big Blue Sea Felt Aquarium, which instructs families on how they can create an indoor aquarium out of felt; and Apollo’s Night Time Memory Game, which helps families to create their own special memory game to play again and again.
• Nothing brings a family together like meal times, and the Pajanimals have a number of easy recipes the whole family can make and enjoy, including CowBella’s
  S-moo-thie, Apollo’s Moon and Stars snacks and Sweetpea Sue’s Horseshoe Bread, a sweet snack that’ll be fun to make for mom

Parents can also share the fun of the Pajanimals Light in the Sky App with their toddlers.  This interactive adaptation of theLight in the Sky episode,” developed by N Fusion Interactive, recently earned a coveted Parents’ Choice Award in the mobile app category. Be sure to check out the new Pajanimals Play Time app! Turn bedtime into fun time with the Pajanimals! Preschoolers will love playing games with all their friends from the Pajanimals series on Sprout! Available on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/Pajanimals-play-time/id628503554?mt=8.

Pajanimals DVDs, available through NCircle Entertainment at retail outlets nationwide, including the latest release, “Pajanimals Playdate”, as well as perennial favorites “Meet the Pajanimals” and “Good Night Pajanimals”.

~ * ~ GIVEAWAY ~ * ~

WIN IT: One Night Owl Mama reader will win a PAJANIMALS Plush .

a Rafflecopter giveaway

disclosure: Nothing was provided for running this promotion. thoughts added are 100% my own. My preschooler loves the Pajanimals and I think it’s a wonderful bedtime show full of animation and sweet bedtime stories.

4/29 Starting weight:    Me: 150.8                Hubby : 222.8
5/6 Week 1:    Me: 147.4             Hubby: 215.0

Hubby’s not soo good with the camera at 5:00 a.m. Sorry for the blur but you can still see those awesome numbers.

Me: This week started off great. I was off to a good start other than getting the stomach flu over the weekend and having a headache for the first 4 days it was good. I am addicted to stepping on the scale every morning although when I talked to my coach about this practice it wasn’t something that he approved of and suggested I try getting on the scale once a week. I tried to stay off the scale for the next three days but on that third day I just couldn’t help my self. I asked my self, ” Why am I not getting on the scale?” not only is not stepping on the scale every morning stressing me out, but it’s really bugging me not to know where I am in weight-loss numbers.

The scale is what motivates me. I know that there are other factors besides food, water, exercise, time of day and so on  that can make the scale go up or down a few pounds so I’m not so obsessed by the numbers that I’d get discouraged. I have a plan. My plan is to lose weight.  My flattening stomach is great motivation. I’m no stranger to losing weight and encouragement is what I need.

My husband has been a wonderful partner in this journey and my health coach asks me questions that really get me thinking about why I want to lose weight and what’s important to me. It’s so important that you too know the answers to those questions if your looking to drop weight.  Your answers need to be honest and they need to reflect exactly why you want to drop the pounds because if you don’t have positive answer for your self your going to keep struggling. You can’t fool yourself.

For those of you curious about what I’m eating and what the food looks like here’s a sample of four of the Medifast meals.

Craving chocolates, snacks, cakes and shakes? I get to have them all on the Take Shape for Life Plan.

My Medifast meals looked like this. Don’t forget I get 1 Lean and Green Meal a day, too.

Here’s my Lean and Green Meal

I am not a really big snacker and I usually try to snack healthy. I think a big part of my problem before when I was  that when we ate out we didn’t always make wise choices.  Sure I drank Shake shakes, had ice cream, snacked on chips and liked my Fiber bars for mid meal snacks.  Portion control was always a issues.What a lot of us don’t know is a real portion size. I think because so many restaurants over size their portions that we just keep eating and eating and that’s not good.

The Medifast food taste different that the food I have been eating and it takes some getting used to. I have my favorites and I must say in the beginning I was quiet surprised at the taste of some of the  food options.  It just seems like’s a snack fest of meals to me. Have a look at this months shipment.

See anything that you’d love to try?  Every snack bar is really tasty and I love dropping them in by purse when I have a long day of errands to run. The cakes and meals do need to be heated up in the microwave but even the snacks are portable with the provided mix jar and ball that Medifast provides.

Medifast meals I like: 

• Strawberry shake
• Mixed Berry Cereal
• Most of the Cereal bars except the Caramel crunch
• Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Meals that don’t quiet like my taste buds

• Parmesan Cheese puffs
• French Vanilla Shake
• Cinnamon and Brown sugar cereal

There are a few things I haven’t tried yet but hubby has and I’d just rather skip those.  I knew that not everything on the plan is something that I was going to like but once I realized that the food is perfectly engineered for weight loss  having all the proper nutrition needed to keep muscle and still burn calories and really works to help you drop pounds and inches in the end getting where I want my body to look when I look in the mirror is all that matters.

Did I cheat at all during the first week? Yes, twice. I had a 1/3 glass of Pepsi on the 4th day which helped get rid of my headache.

I taste tested a noodle for tenderness for a meal I made for the kids.

Was it hard to give up the foods I love? Yes, but my determination to not keep going in the direction I was going was stronger than my desire to stop at a fast food restaurant.

Hubby:  I’m laborer and I just got back to work 2 weeks ago. I work approximately 8-10 hour shifts sometimes more.  I like that Medifast meals are easy to throw in my lunch box and take with me to work. Eating 5 small works well for me except on days when the work is hard and I have a long day. I drink over a gallon a water if not more on hot days. There are some days that I’m super hungry and the small meals just aren’t enough for me. I grab a healthy sandwich and eat everything on the sandwich and toss out the bread. If I don’t eat I get really terrible headaches, I get sick and throw up. It’s just the way I am.  I’ve lost more weight in the past week eating Medifast meals daily than I normally do at the start of a work year.  Usually it takes me about a month if not more to burn 10 lbs. even with the tough work schedule I got.  I’m really happy with the way things are going right now. I can’t wait to see next weeks weight-loss numbers. I can already feel a difference in the way that I feel and see the difference when I look at my body.

On weekends or short work days I do work out. I did two days of stairs at Swallow Cliff on both Saturday and Sunday. It’s 126 stone steps at a 90 degree angle. Only the fit can handle it and many fail and many are life long steppers. I love walking the trails and hope that my wife one day will give the stairs and the trails a try with me.

Favorite Medifast Meals are:

• Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Crunch and the Mixed Berry Cereal
• All the bars except that Mint crunch bar
• Strawberry shake
• Vegetable chili
• Chocolate Pudding

I’ve tried these but their just not to my taste

• Parmesan Cheese balls
• French Vanilla Shake

Looking forward to getting healthier and dropping the weight.  Can’t wait to see what the next few weeks brings.

Be sure to return on Thursday when I update weight-loss with photos for week 2 results on Take Shape for Life Program featuring Medifast Food plan and Free Health Coach.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All meals and free coach services were provided by Take Shape for Life program. Thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and honest opinions. If you have any questions please leave them below I’ll be happy to answer them.

If you’d like more information on the Take Shape For life Program please visit http://chicago.tsfl.com/explore

Want a Free Health Coach contact Dr. Jean-Claude Doornick at www.westfamchiro.tsfl.com/explore

Twitter: @takeshape

 Facebook: Take Shape For Life

 Pinterest: Take Shape For Life

 Instagram: @TakeShapeForLife

Medifast on Twitter @Medifast

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Mike Wazowski’s (voice of Billy Crystal) lifelong dreams of becoming a Scarer are derailed during his first semester at Monsters University when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), and their out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program

Monsters University Coming to Theaters

June 21, 2013

Genre:Comedy/Animation
Rating: TBD
Voice Talent: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, Alfred Molina, Dave Foley, Sean P. Hayes, Joel Murray, Peter Sohn, Charlie Day, Nathan Fillion, Bobby Moynihan, Julia Sweeney, Aubrey Plaza, Tyler Labine, John Krasinski, Bonnie Hunt, Beth Behrs and John Ratzenberger.

Director: Dan Scanlon
Producer: Kori Rae
Composer: Randy Newman

disclosure: No compensation for this post. I LOVE DISNEY!!

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for MetLife. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Give Mom the full attention she deserves. Log off of social media for a day and share your day with Mom. Mom has always been so attentive to your needs over the years doesn’t she deserve one day of your full and undivided attention?

I can’t tell you how many times I find your self repeating to the kids to put down the electronics before coming to the dinner table. Our dinner table has always been a place of family discussion and talking about our day. As the kids get older I tend to feel like I come in second to a cell phone and Nintendo Ds games. It’s nearly impossible to get their attention when they get sucked in by a text or by the bleep bleep bleeping of a video game. Repeating my self over and over again makes me feel frustrated and aggravated. I put a ban on having electronics at the table and atleast I get that time of the full undivided attention but wouldn’t it be great if I can get it for the whole day? I think it would be the perfect Mother’s day Gift.

Pack up those electronics and put them away and wish mom a Happy Mother’s Day all day!

A big thank you goes out to Metlife for reminding us the importance of face to face conversations and shutting down electronic and social media outlets.

Metlife is running the Mother’s Day social Blackout movement on Sunday, May 12! Won’t you join us in on of the best movement ever to give Mom the best Mother’s Day gift of all. Read up on the full details of MetLife SoicalBlackout Movement.

Connect with MetLife Facebook page for more information: https://www.facebook.com/metlife