Happy Mother's Day From Monsters University

Have you heard? The Monster Inc. gang is returning to the big screen in Monsters University! This glimpse into how everyone's favorite monsters came to be the Scarers they are today will be hitting theatres on June 21st. In the meantime check out this fun Mother's Day video featuring the Monsters University characters.



Ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right.

 

Feeding the Family With Walmart

Last week I received a challenge from Walmart Canada - feed my family of four for four days with $100. As part of the Frugal Heroes Challenge, I was invited to shop at my local Walmart to see how far I could stretch my dollar. It's expensive feeding my house full of boys so I was a little nervous but definitely up for the challenge.

I started out by making a meal plan and from there made my list. Here's my meal plan for four days:

Day 1
Breakfast - cereal and milk, OJ
Lunch - ham and cheese sandwiches, apples, juice boxes
Supper - spaghetti, french bread, salad, water
Snack - watermelon

Day 2
Breakfast - blueberry waffles, milk
Lunch - spaghetti, french bread, yogurt, water
Supper - chicken burgers, corn on the cob, apple juice
Snack - apples

Day 3
Breakfast - cereal and milk, OJ
Lunch - tuna sandwiches, juice boxes, bananas
Supper - Hamburger Helper, broccoli, water
Snack - yogurt

Day 4
Breakfast - blueberry waffles, milk
Lunch - salami sandwiches, cheese, apples, water
Supper - baked ham, potatoes, peas, apple juice
Snack - bananas

So that means my list included milk, cereal, orange juice, waffles, deli ham, bread, deli salami, tuna, juice boxes, apples, spaghetti, french bread, mushrooms, pasta sauce, chicken burgers, corn, watermelon, Hamburger Helper, salad, broccoli, mayo, apple juice, ham, potatoes, peas, cheese, yogurt and bananas.

I also ended up picking up a bag of cookies and a box of ice cream sandwiches for treats and my grand total was $97.13 so I succeeded at the challenge! Walmart makes it easy to stay within your budget while still enjoying life.

What's your biggest budget challenge?

Koala Kid Exclusively at Walmart Canada on April 30th

Koala Kid is being released April 30th exclusively at Walmart Canada!

"Journey down under and meet a whole new breed of hero in this laugh-filled, action-packed animated adventure with an all-star voice cast, including Rob Schneider, Tim Curry and Alan Cumming. Johnny (Schneider) is a rare white koala bear who just wants to fit in and make friends. But when a twist of fate mistakenly transforms him into a fearless protector of animals, called “Koala Kid,” Johnny finds himself in over his head on a thrilling trek across the outback. With help from his hilarious new sidekicks, including a crafty Tasmanian devil, a lovable lizard and a boomerang-flinging female koala, Johnny may just outwit a villainous crocodile named Bog (Cumming) and become a true hero after all."

My eight year old and I watched this movie together and we both got some good chuckles out of it. I appreciated the voice talents of Rob Schneider, Tim Curry and Alan Cummings while my son enjoyed the array of animals and their antics. This full length film had a great storyline that kept our attention and left us wanting more. You can pick up your copy at a Walmart Canada store today!

Parental Guidance on Blu-Ray/DVD Review

Parental Guidance, the fun family flick starring Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei and Tom Everett Scott, was released on blu-ray and dvd March 26th.

Old-school grandparents Artie (Crystal) and Diane (Midler) get more than they bargained for when they get stuck babysitting their type-A daughter’s (Tomei) overprotected kids. But things go from hectic to hysterical when Artie realizes the kids are running the house with their newfangled technology. By playing by his own rules, which include sugary snacks, old fashioned games and tough love, Artie manages to outsmart the kids and achieve the impossible- bring the family closer together!

This is a great movie for the whole family! It's not too often we find a movie that our 8 year-old, 13 year-old and the grown-ups all enjoy but this one was perfect. It is funny and entertaining without resorting to inappropriate language or situations. The story line is one most parents (and grandparents!) can relate to and my kids loved watching the antics of the kids in the movie. Being a fan of both, I personally loved Billy Crystal and Bette Midler together. Overall, this is a sweet movie with lots of laughs.

Why not pick up your copy today and make it family movie night?!

 

 

*Disclaimer-I received a copy of this blu-ray for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Kellogg's Latest Snack & Cereal Products {Giveaway}

If you've spent anytime in the cereal or snack aisle lately, you may have noticed some new additions from Kellogg's. In the cereal aisle there are two new products:

All-Bran Cranberries & Clusters - These toasted bran flakes have a lightly sweet vanilla flavour with tangy cranberries and crunchy clusters. They are made with natural wheat bran fibre to help you feel your best.

Mini-Wheats Centres Raspberry - Eight layers of 100 percent whole grain with a real raspberry fruit filling. This cereal is low in fat and sodium delivering the perfect balance of taste and nutrition.

We tried both of these new cereals and while only the grown-ups liked the All-Bran (as we kind of expected), our whole family really enjoyed the raspberry Mini-Wheats. I love that it's a cereal that isn't too sweet but the kids don't look to add sugar to it.

In the snack aisle the latest products are:

Nutri-Grain Soft Bakes - These soft baked bars provide 14 grams of whole grain per bar and are a source of essential nutrients. A perfect an-the-go snack in two delicious flavours, Blueberry Muffin and Banana Bread.

Special K Granola Bars - The first granola bar from Special K is a chewy 110 calorie treat with five essential nutrients available in Dark Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Butter flavours.

Special K Cracker Chips - Two new flavours have been added to the Special K Cracker Chips line-up - Bar-B-Q and Zesty Southwest. These crunchy, savoury snacks contain only 80 calories per 18 chips!

My family had an opportunity to taste each of these new snacks and the whole family agreed on our favorites. We absolutely love the Nutri-Grain Soft Bakes, especially the Banana Bread flavour! These are now a staple in our pantry. We are also loving the Bar-B-Q Cracker Chips. They are a perfect movie snack.

So which of these products do you think your family will love? Why not enter the giveaway below and you can test them out for yourselves. Kellogg's has been kind enough to offer one product coupon sheet that includes six free product coupons for one flavour of their newest products!

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Share Your Creativity With Lysol For a Chance To Win!

Lysol is looking to spark your creativity with their latest contest. The Decorate Your Hand Soap Dispenser Contest is a great chance for you and your kids to spend some fun time together decorating your Lysol No Touch hand soap dispenser and you may even win a mini tablet!

To enter the contest, you simply get your children to decorate the soap dispenser and upload a picture of the creation to the contest page on facebook. You can then share your link to get friends and family to vote. The voting is only a small portion of the judging criteria though so don't worry about it being a popularity contest. The entries are also judged on creativity, originality, fun and fit with the Lysol brand. A winning submission will be chosen each day for 21 days and each daily winner will receive a mini tablet valued at $329! Make sure you check out the full rules to make sure your submission meets the guidelines.

If you don't already have a Lysol No Touch dispenser to decorate, you can print a $5 coupon or download a blank image of a dispenser to decorate from the contest page - so there's no excuse not to get in on the fun!

Yesterday we dug out our pipe cleaners, googly eyes, card stock and glitter glue to start decorating. After a few minutes of brainstorming, my son asked if he could use my permanent markers (the ones he's not allowed to touch after using them to draw on his carpet one time!) I decided he could use them since he was so excited about his idea. All the craft items were forgotten and he created his own design using just my markers. He has been learning about abstract art in school so that is what inspired him. He spent over an hour creating his abstract design! I think it turned out great and he's proud of his creation.

 

You can submit your entry starting today so get the creative juices flowing and put your little artists to work!

 

*Disclosure – I am participating in the Kid Who Touches Everything blog tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Lysol. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own

Easter Fun with Kinder

Did you realize that Easter is in March this year? For me Easter really represents the start of spring and finally getting to spend more time outside with the family. We always have an egg hunt and a big Easter dinner but we also spend Easter outside playing with the new bikes, kites, bubbles or whatever new outdoor toys the bunny has left for my boys.

Nice weather, family fun and delicious chocolate all come together to make Easter one of my favorite times of year. You know who else loves Easter? KINDER! They have all kinds of fun and excitement happening in March.

First of all, make sure you visit the Kinder Canada facebook page today and tomorrow to play their "Shake & Win" contest where you can instantly win a coupon for Kinder Mini Eggs or a Kinder Surprise 100g Egg. There are 2000 coupons total so hopefully you are one of the lucky winners!

If you are looking to fill some Easter baskets, visit the Easter Gallery to check out the awesome toys and treats Kinder has to make your holiday delightful. Also, keep an eye out for Harry the Kinder bunny hanging out at family events across the country spreading joy with free samples of Kinder Mini Eggs. Keep in mind the mini eggs contain a hazelnut centre meaning they are not nut-free.

Kinder Canada is always a strong supporter of the Children's Miracle Network and this Easter is no exception. They will be donating $1 for every new facebook friend from March 1st - 31st up to $25000 so make sure to like their facebook page and encourage all your friends and family to do the same.

How do you plan on spending Easter?

Disclosure: I’m part of the Kinder® Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own

Phineas and Ferb: Animal Agents DVD Giveaway

Phineas and Ferb is such a fun show and on February 26th (today!) you can take a part of the fun home with the release of Phineas and Ferb: Animal Agents on DVD... or you can take your chances and try to win a copy right here. 

 

(Stay tuned for my review very soon)

 How well do you really know your pet…or ANY animal? Behind a cute and/or cuddly exterior there may lurk a cunning crime-fighter with a brown fedora, a top-secret identity and a license to thrill! Meet the heroic Animal Agents of the O.W.C.A. (Organization Without A Cool Acronym)

 

Join Perry the Platypus – a.k.a. Agent P – and his fellow operatives as they team up to thwart Dr. Doofenshmirtz and his dastardly “Inators.” Be they furry or feathered, scaly or slimy, these fearless agents roll over for nobody when it comes to crushing evil in the Tri-State Area and beyond. Fully loaded with over two hours of animal-themed adventures, including the exciting, two-part Phineas And Ferb cliffhanger “Where’s Perry?”, this fun-filled, action-packed laughfest will drive you wild!

 

 

Giveaway is open to Canada only excluding Quebec

 

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Oz The Great And Powerful

We have come to expect magic and adventure from Disney and I am sure they will not disappoint with this movie. Oz The Great And Powerful comes to theatres March 8th in Disney Digital 3D, Real D 3D and Imax 3D and I will be first in line!

Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved wizard character. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great wizard but into a better man as well.

Unsolved Mysteries

When I was a kid, I remember most Wednesday nights were spent on the couch with my parents watching Unsolved Mysteries...and then I would head to bed and lay there completely frozen in fear as I imagined all the murderers and other criminals featured on the show were just outside my bedroom window. I'm not sure why I chose to watch the show when I knew it scared the living daylights out of me but week after week I would make the same choice.

Now, you're probably wondering what how I spent Wednesday nights about 25 years ago has to do with anything. Well, the past few weeks my 8 year old has ended up in our bed several times. He says he hears footsteps on the stairs and he's scared someone has broken into the house. This is the first time in about 5 years that he has wanted to sleep with us and I can't figure out why he is suddenly so scared.

It doesn't really bother me that he wants to sleep with us. My thirteen year old acts like giving me a hug is pure torture so I know that these snuggly moments are fleeting. It does bother me that he's scared and that it's affecting his sleep (and that if he keeps growing we are going to have to upgrade to a king sized bed!). I've been talking to him about all the precautions we take so no one will break into our house to try and ease his mind, so hopefully he gets over it soon.

Do your older kids ever want to sleep in your bed? Do you think there's an age when you should stop letting them?