Your Santa Story - Personalized DVD Giveaway

I'm not celebrating Christmas early.  I feel like I've given that disclaimer a lot lately.  Instead, I'm getting my preparations started, and I'm sharing my information now so you can enjoy some of the fun I'm discovering, as well.  Another item I discovered for Christmas this year that I absolutely fell in love with is Your Santa Story.  Santa is magic, and this is proof!

Your Santa Story is a new service that helps keep the magic alive.  And in our house, we are going to start to need to do all we can to keep the magic alive.  We attend public school, and Mister Man is in third grade this year... and Little Miss has some friends in second grade with plenty of older siblings.  I can't wait for them to watch our DVD Christmas morning.

What is it?  It's a personalized Santa story for your family and your family alone.  For that reason, there are limited quantities available, as Santa has to video each on individually.  The DVDs are then FedExed to your house to ensure you have them in plenty of time before the big morning.  The DVDs are easy to make by answering a few questions online, and the script read by Santa is a perfect fit for your family, from names of your pets to a special message for each child from Santa.

I love that there are so many neat touches included to make it even more real.  I love that Santa can create a DVD specifically for families with members in the military or ASL or Spanish-speaking.  And for those serving in the military away from home?  A second version of the DVD will be emailed to the loved on serving so they can experience the magic, too.  Because Little Miss is in a Spanish immersion program, we chose to have our DVD include Spanish language in Santa's message to her - and it was amazing, a little more scripted and less natural sounding, but amazing nonetheless.

The questions on the form to personalize the DVD are easy to answer and straightforward.  There is a maximum of five children, and I know a few families with more than six.  I would love to see that increased just a little.  I appreciate that when filling in names, you are asked to provide the pronunciation of the names to ensure everything is right - another of those touches I was mentioning.  Santa also directs a short message to each child.  For us, he congratulated Mister Man on his tae kwon do promotion and noted that he was in a new school this year.  Little Miss's message includes a comment about her hard work at gymnastics and her Halloween costume - because Santa knows these things!

Santa of course knows about our pets - and you can specify what they are, so anyone who has a hermit crab isn't stuck with no option to choose.  Again, the limit is five pets, but most people have no more than five.  I hope.  You also clarify you family's traditions - do you leave food for Santa or his reindeer?  If so, what is it?  And of course, you specify where the last gift will be left for your kids to go hunting once the DVD ends - another magical surprise.

Once you've completed these few fields, you have the opportunity to review the script for your DVD to ensure that what you wrote makes sense and flows properly.  If there are any corrections (I had to make a couple), it's easy to go back and edit the fields.  Each DVD is $29.95, and shipping is a flat rate of $5.95.

When our package arrived, it included not just the DVD but Santa's sleigh license (a super cute touch) and a brochure with cut out cards including three different scenarios.

I will admit that it took me a moment to figure out the scenarios.  As part of the DVD creation, you choose where the last present will be located for your kids to find after they've watched the DVD (ours will be under our bed, for example), and I initially thought that was what these scenarios referred to.  It finally dawned on me that these cards are to let children know that there is a DVD waiting for them, not that this referred to the last present's hiding place.  I am planning to cut out the thank you for the cookies note to place on the empty cookie plate and put our DVD in the mailbox.

As Santa suggested, we did watch our DVD.  We have an amazing Santa, and his Spanish was impeccable.  His beard was real, he looked like Santa, and it was a "real" set, not some screen.  The video is just over three minutes long, and the first minute or so is a generic introduction of Santa's life -  the barn with the reindeer and Santa petting them and so forth.  That part was a little slow for me, but I know the wee ones will be fascinated.  The rest of it with our personal message?  It was beyond cool.  I almost want to show the wee ones the video now, but I can't spoil the surprise.  How am I going to wait another almost two months?



Tell me this isn't one of the coolest things ever?  Once it's over, we'll be putting the DVD into a memory box so we can pull it out in years to come.  And next year?  We were told that the same Santa(s) will be there and that families will receive the same Santa next year to ensure continuity.  Brilliant, no?

I know you want one.  If you celebrate Christmas, how can you not?  I will admit that I would have added my husband as one of my "kids" and had a special message to him (and maybe me) had I thought of it.  That would only add to the fun, right?  So guess what.  I have one code for a free Your Santa Story DVD to give away.  Remember, there are a limited quantity of DVDs that can be made this year, so if you win, get yours made quickly so you don't miss out!  And if you don't win?  Order soon!  This is one surprise that definitely won't work if you procrastinate.

So, are you ready to try to win one?  First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Thursday November 22 at 7pm CST (yikes, that's Thanksgiving!). I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me - what is your favorite Santa tradition?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):
1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: Make the magic of Santa come alive with a personalized DVD giveaway from @YourSantaStory and @HonestAndTruly. http://bit.ly/Uyy8xd (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.
Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with a Your Santa Story DVD personalized to my family to facilitate this review.  I received no other compensation, and all opinions are my own.

Giveaway: Kung Fu Panda 2 Prize Pack

Do you remember growing up and getting to choose your own cereal at the grocery store? Maybe this is why I love grocery shopping to this day? Hmmm. Anyway, one of my favorite things to do was to get to walk back and forth down that cereal aisle trying to figure out what I was going to choose. I always chose a cereal I liked, of course, but a big factor was also what toy or special thing on the box was available at the time. They used to have some really neat ones.

Actually, I shouldn't say they used to. Cereal manufacturers still do, to be honest. Have you seen the General Mills promotion now? Inside specially marked boxes of Cocoa Puffs®, Trix®, Golden Grahams®, Reese’s Puffs®, Cheerios®, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios®, Cookie Crisp®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Honey Nut Cheerios, there are Kung Fu Panda 2 spin fighter toys.

Do you remember spin fighters? They were the little circle helicopter like things that you placed on a base, wound up and then released to go flying through the air. Once upon a time, I could really get them to fly high. I tried again with these new ones, and I almost got it to hit our cathedral ceiling, but ... my talents have definitely diminished over the years!

These spin fighters feature many of the characters from the Kung Fu Panda 2 movie that is out right now. There are eight different characters in the boxes, Po, Tigress, Shifu, Monkey, Lord Shen, Mantis, Crane, and Viper. The boxes add more fun to the spin fighter game. There are targets on the boxes for you to cut out and set up, then attempt to knock over with your spin fighters. Did I mention my skills have diminished? I have yet to hit a single target.

Sound fun? You can win your own Kung Fu Panda 2 prize pack that includes one box of a participating Big G cereal, a Kung Fu Panda 2 spin fighter toy, and the original Kung Fu Panda movie on DVD. (Since we missed the first one, as the wee ones were too young to see it in 2008, this is perfect for us to catch up before seeing the sequel!)

So what do you have to do to win? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Thursday June 16 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me - who is your - or your child's - favorite character from the Kung Fu Panda movies?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter and tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Win a Kung Fu Panda 2 prize pack with the first movie DVD & more from @honestandtruly and #myblogspark http://bit.ly/jclsdy" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Like my blog on Facebook and let me know what name you used to like it.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with a Kung Fu Panda 2 prize pack as described above courtesy General Mills and DreamWorks through MyBlogSpark. I have not received any compensation, and as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Giveaway: The Dolphin

We love children's movies, and the wee ones are getting to the point - at least Mister Man - where I am comfortable to start entertaining some PG options. (Although I'm really curious, what is it about animated movies now that so many are PG and not G? What's wrong with a G rating?)

I heard recently about The Dolphin: Story of a Dreamer, which is a story about Daniel the dolphin who wantts to dream and discover the purpose of life. The movie is based on the novel by Sergio Bambaren and has a great message about staying true to yourself and following your dreams. It's a message that we all need to remember.

While the movie has some dark moments from what I've read about it - perhaps it's not something Little Miss is quite ready for - there are uplifting moments and all sorts of great friends he meets along the way. The animation that I've seen in the trailer - see below - is amazing. I am so impressed at how realistic the animation is in this movie in places.



The movie is being released today December 7 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment with a suggested MSRP of $19.98. I have two copies of this DVD to give away - just in time for a Christmas stocking stuffer! Need something to do in the meantime? Print out the coloring page and have fun with your children coloring Daniel and talking about your children's dreams and how they're going to get there.

So what do you have to do to win a copy of this movie? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Tuesday December 21 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: What was your favorite movie as a child? (You must answer this question to get any entries!)

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter and tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Have you seen the cute kids' movie "The Dolphin" yet? Enter to win a copy from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/f4mGHB" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received product sample and no compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Winners!

Congratulations to the winners of the Strawberry Shortcake DVDs - each winner will receive one DVD, either The Glimmerberry Ball or Berrywood Here We Come.

I do want to point out that I had to disqualify some entries because they did not follow the rules I set out. If you enter a giveaway, please make sure you do what is asked! I always feel awful when I don't get to count an entry from someone.

In the end, I had twelve valid entries. Random.org chose numbers 8 and 12, meaning the two winners are:

Heather Y

Mommy Wants To Read

They have 48 hours to contact me with their information. Congrats, Ladies - and look for more soon!

Review: Barbie A Fashion Fairytale DVD

With Little Miss now in kindergarten, she's starting to get into things that little girls typically like more than what she has previously. While she still loves her Star Wars, she's finally figured out who Barbie is.

This past weekend, we had a special movie night where we watched Barbie's new movie, A Fashion Fairytale. The movie isn't rated, but it is definitely appropriate for my five year old.

I loved the fact that Barbie isn't rescued by someone else in the movie. She has a problem - several actually - and she is the one who comes up with the solutions. I appreciate the fact that she is portrayed as independent, just as I wish my daughter to be as she grows up.

The movie was a musical, which surprised me. I had anticipated it being "just" a regular fairytale type movie. Barbie is a movie star who goes to visit her aunt in Paris when she's having a tough time with some issues back home in the States (she's fired from her job, and Ken dumps her). Once she's there, more problems crop up with her aunt's fashion business. It's up to Barbie to find the solution so that her aunt doesn't lose her business, and of course she does - fixing those pesky problems from back home along the way, too.

The movie is fairly innocuous, and I do like the message. It's definitely more modern than I was expecting - especially the music. Fortunately, the movie has managed to straddle the line of being more modern without being inappropriate for a five year old - which is tough to do.

The Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale DVD also includes outtakes, a music video, and a ton more that we have yet to finish exploring. But according to Little Miss, we will. We'll do a different special feature each and every time we watch this movie.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of the Barbie DVD for review purposes from MomSelect. I was not compensated, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Giveaway: Strawberry Shortcake Movies

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of Strawberry Shortcake's "Berrywood Here We Come" and "The Glimmberberry Ball Movie" for review purposes. I received no compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

I remember Strawberry Shortcake from when I was a child. In fact, the first thing I ever saved my money for (from my palty allowance!) was the butterfly that Orange Blossom rode, Flitter-Bit (not to be confused with her small pet Marmalade). I still remember the trip to the White Plains Mall to buy the $7 toy.

I loved the dolls, and the song is now going through my head just thinking about them. They were so sweet and fun - and the little personalities that they created to fit their names were hilarious. I think I had almost all the dolls and their accessories, including Strawberry's house (which was a strawberry, as was the trolley).

The fad of Strawberry Shortcake faded as I grew older, but it has been revived in the past several years. Granted, the characters no longer look quite the same as they once did. Their makeover has given them a far more sophisticated (and, granted, modern) look, but their relatively innocent exploits continue.

There are quite a few movies that have been created for Strawberry Shortcake over the years, and two more have just been released: Berrywood Here We Come and The Glimmerberry Ball Movie. As always these movies aren't just cute and sweet, they have a moral to them that helps teach a life lesson that I'm working on reinforcing at home.

The wee ones have added these movies to their collection of acceptable movie viewing, and they are thrilled. The first time we popped one in, they sat still and silent throughout - even Mister Man loved them, although he later told me that they weren't quite as cool as Legos.

In Berrywood Here We Come, there are two parts to the movie, which makes it great to either watch the whole thing or just part one or part two if we're short on time. In the first part, Strawberry Shortcake heads off to Berrywood with her friends to go visit a friend - appropriately named Limelight. Limelight is a movie star, but the life they are expecting to see isn't exactly there. Limelight is not happy because she doesn't feel like she's successful. Strawberry Shortcake to the rescue! The moral to the story is that everyone is special and can be a star, and of course Limelight's movie is soon a smashing success.

In the second part, Strawberry and friends head back to Strawberryland and want to make their own movie. They reopen a local theater to do so, and the evil Pie Man (one of my favorite characters, especially with his twisty mustache!) appears. He decided he wants the theater, and Strawberry and her friends have to find a way to thwart him - and of course they do. Along the way, they learn the lesson from the story: if you have a problem, talk about it.

The second movie is one part, so we need to make sure we have time to watch it - although it's still just over an hour long. The Glimmerberry Ball Movie is a mystery, so Little Miss was a little bit scared, but she was fine. I have somewhat sensitive children.

In the movie, there is a Glimmerberry Ball to celebrate winter. It becomes somewhat sad when someone destroys all the decorations that Strawberry and her friends created, but they solve the mystery, and all is well again. The moral to this movie is again the importance of friends working together as a team, which is something that I love to encourage.

In addition to the movies, they have some special features, too. There is a sing-along available and a read-along storybook as part of The Glimmerberry Ball Movie, and both movies include printable coloring pages - and we can never have enough coloring pages around here. With Little Miss learning Spanish, I love that these movies can be watched in Spanish, too - although we'll wait until she's a little more profficient before doing that.

These movies were released last week, so you can buy them now! Or you can be one of my lucky readers to win your own copy. I have a copy of each movie to give away, and two readers will win one of the movies - first winner wins their choice and the second winner receives the other movie.

So what do you have to do?

First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Wednesday September 24 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Who is your favorite character from Strawberry Shortcake and why?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter and tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

Good luck!

Review: Marmaduke

In the interest of full disclosure, I was sent a DVD of Marmaduke for review, but I received no compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

I love how so many things from my childhood are becoming popular again (the zippered jeans being an exception). Apparently, I'm at a good age, and this is definitely a time I'm focused on enjoying so many of those special memories.

One of them was reading the Sunday comics with my dad. He had his favorites, and I had mine. They didn't always overlap, but we'd always read every comic, including the ones neither of us liked. We could always both agree on Marmaduke though. He was always such a silly dog who was funny but still harmless and without a mean bone in his body.

A new Marmaduke movie was just released, and Marmaduke is now live action. For some reason, I always pictured him as a cartoon, but the advances in computers makes a live action pet movie totally doable - especially when it stars Owen Wilson, George Lopez, Kiefer Sutherland, and Fergie (apparently I'm not the only one with nostalgia for childhood?).

Marmaduke has been reinvented and has a whole lot more character and personality than he did in the comic strip. He's also got some new pals, like his best friend the cat Carlos.

I was hoping to watch this with the wee ones, since I so enjoyed Marmaduke as a child, but the movie is rated PG for some rude humor and language - definitely things I don't want to introduce to the wee ones. I was disappointed by this, as there's no need to introduce things like this into just about every movie to make it something worth watching, but that's a whole 'nother post. I'm also sure that I'm in the minority in not letting my 5 and almost 7 year olds watch a PG rated movie, but those are the values we live by.

Instead, I popped in the movie to watch myself. Marmaduke and his family have moved from Kansas (the type of Marmaduke I remember) to the O.C. Needless to say, Marmaduke doesn't exactly fit in with the family's new life. He makes new friends with mutts he meets at a park, and the usual "I'm better than you but never abandon your friends" lesson is learned by Marmaduke throughout the movie.

My view? It was ok. This is definitely not my favorite movie, and some of the humor was too juvenile for me, but this movie was totally up my husband's alley. He loved it, and that doesn't surprise me. I'll let him keep the DVD in the rotation - but again, the wee ones don't get to see this one for awhile. I was hoping for something closer to the comic strip I remember reading as a child, but I also don't see how you can turn that into a full length movie.