MomReviews

I have two copies to give away of the DVD “Johnny Kapahala-Back On Board”. “Back On Board” is the 70th Disney Channel Original Movie, and is the sequel to 1999s “Johnny Tsunami”. It’s the story of a teen snowboarding champion from Vermont who comes to Hawaii for the wedding of his grandfather. He meets his “Uncle Chris”, the 12 year old son of his grandfather’ fiancee, and through Chris, meets a group of boys who practice a sport called dirtboarding. The dirtboarders run a surf shop directly across the street from the shop that Johnny’s grandpa and fiancee had planned to open, and of course, conflict ensues, ending with a dirtboarding competition to determine who gets to open their shop.

This movie is rated G with a running time of 92 minutes. Rules for the giveaway:

For one entry, leave me a comment on this post, and tell me what your favorite competitive sport is.

For two entries,  leave me a comment AND do one of the following: subscribe to this blog’s feed or add this blog to your blogroll, or fave it on Technorati. If you have already done all three, let me know in the comments (honor system!)

For three entries and my undying gratitude, do both of the above PLUS mention this contest on your blog with a link back to this entry. Contest ends October 31st. Winners must provide me with their full name and shipping address. U.S. only, please.

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I consider it a personal challenge to get Kaitlyn to watch anything that isn’t Dora or Diego, so when Parent Bloggers Network asked for volunteers to review “Phonics 4 Babies: Baby’s First Words“, I said yes, please. We received a free copy in exchange for this review.

I have mixed feelings about this DVD. The selling point for me was that the creator and star is Mallory Lewis, daughter of legendary Shari Lewis, who won countless awards for her work with puppets, the most famous of which was LambChop. I knew Mallory had taken up her Mother’s work with puppetry after Shari Lewis passed away, and I thought it would be interesting to see if any of my kids even noticed that Mallory’s mouth didn’t move while the puppets were “talking”.

But there’s just one problem for me-Mallory Lewis has a gigantic mouth. I’m sorry, it’s true! Her teeth are a shade of white that has never been found in nature, and quite frankly, I found them distracting while she was speaking. Also, the “Tummy Tots” are just creepy.

On the positive side, words like “please” and “thank you” are taught, and the premise of the DVD is a colorful and musical introduction to words, phrases, letters, shapes and more. Each is in a short segment for kids who can’t sit still for a whole half an hour. This would be a good first DVD for young children, and anything they watch that reinforces manners and teaches the basics is a plus for me. I just wish Mallory Lewis’ teeth didn’t have to have a starring role.

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I took French in seventh and eighth grade, and I learned it quickly and easily. When I went to college and learned that Freshmen were required to take a foreign language, I thought I would try Spanish, so I enrolled in the Beginning Spanish class. Who else was in Beginning Spanish? People who had taken FOUR YEARS of High School Spanish; apparently, the professor wasn’t too picky, and for them, it was an easy A. For me? An easy C minus.

So when Parent Bloggers Network was looking for reviewers for a set of DVDs called Kids Love Spanish, I thought that maybe it would help my kids not be so far behind by the time they have foreign language requirements in school. We received the colorful set of seven DVDs, which start with Basic Words and then cover Basic Phrases, Family, Food, Animals, Colors & Shapes, and Alphabet & Numbers.

The DVDs were created and produced by sisters Krisse Brock Kelly and Julie Brock Campbell, who grew up speaking Spanish at home. Unfortunately, the self-production is evident. My kids cringed when each DVD got to the part near the end where Krisse and Julie sing and dance-they don’t even sing in Spanish, and it seems like the only reason for that part of the DVD is to either a. have enough material to fill the whole running time of the DVD or b. let them show off their singing and “dancing” skills. I have to keep my finger on the fast-forward button on the remote so we can skip that part! My son Ryan asked me why they didn’t at least sing in Spanish so kids watching could hear Spanish songs. Excellent point!

I will say, however, that the scenes of different children saying the word in Spanish is helpful because it shows how the same word can sound different depending on the pronounciation of the speaker. And, even several weeks later, when I ask my boys what the Spanish word is for food, they immediately say “Comida”, and they remember that water is “agua”. So, the repetition is reinforcing the word.

I’ll keep popping in the DVDs once in a while, especially now that Nathan tells me he is taking Spanish once a week at school-his elementary school has a Spanish teacher this year. Maybe he can even help me learn the Spanish I couldn’t learn in college.

This post has been brought to you by Parent Bloggers Network.

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I am just thrilled to be posting this review, because for years, our DVD collection contained mostly talking toys, talking dinosaurs, and talking animals. During trips to the Disney store for Buzz Lightyear toys, I would gaze fondly at the “girly” section of the store, where the Disney Princesses lived. Now that I have Kaitlyn, I finally have a reason to start collecting items featuring Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, and Sleeping Beauty. I received a package from Disney that contained several DVDs, one of which I’ll be reviewing soon and another for a contest (yay!), and this one:

Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams is a magical new collection of Princess tales featuring Princess Aurora in her first new story since Sleeping Beauty, and Aladdin star Princess Jasmine, and in each story, they discover what it takes to be a true Princess. what it takes to be a true Princess. Running Time: 56 MPAA Rating: G
Bonus Features:
1. Aurora Dress-Up Game
2. Find Sahara Game
3. “You’ll Never Lose This Love” Music Video Featuring Belle

What I like most about this DVD is the 10 separate chapters. I can play just one for Kaitlyn and then turn it off without losing the thread of the story. She seems fascinated by the Princesses, and she loves the songs. The bonus games do require using the DVD remote, so they are appropriate for older children. She had fun helping me play the Princess Dress-Up game!

I have a trailer you can watch, but I can’t embed it, so if you would like to watch it, visit the Official Disney Princesses site . While you are on the website, check out each Princesses’ separate “world” page, with wallpapers, printable greeting cards and stationery, plus Sleeping Beauty’s music video from the DVD. There is also a “wish list” for your Disney fan, a link to DisneyShopping.com, and the best part-THE CONTEST!

To celebrate the release of this special DVD, Disney is having a contest, and the Grand Prize is a trip for four to Walt Disney World plus a stay in the Cinderella Suite, or five first prizes of a build-a-bear-party at Build-A-Bear workshop, plus hundreds of other Disney Princess prizes! If you, your daughter, your granddaughter, your niece, or anyone else you know loves the Disney Princesses, this DVD will make a great addition to your collection. And remember, it’s important to Follow Your Dreams!

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