6 Tips to Help A Loved One Going Through A Tough Time

 

When someone we care about is going through a tough time, it's natural to feel a mix of emotions—helplessness, sadness, and a strong desire to help in any way we can. Whether they're facing health issues, emotional distress, or life's myriad challenges, the support of loved ones can be a beacon of hope and comfort. Yet, knowing exactly how to offer that support isn't always straightforward. This guide aims to shed light on practical, compassionate ways to stand by your loved one, making their journey a little less daunting.

Family-Friendly Vacation Ideas You Need to Know

 

Are you planning a vacation for your family but you’re not sure what to do? Fortunately, there are hundreds of ideas that you can choose from, to suit all kinds of budgets. A fun family vacation does not have to be an expensive trip to the other side of the world. Of course, it could be, but that will require a lot of time and budget and is usually considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A vacation is all about quality time together and having fun, and there are many places and scenarios where you can make that possible.

How to Reconnect With Family This Thanksgiving

 

Family can be complicated. It’s easy to drift apart from family members- those within your own home and those outside of it. You may feel the weight of this disconnection and want to do all you can to reconnect.

Family night out at Cracker Barrel

We recently took a trip to our local Cracker Barrel for a family dinner out. We don't really eat out that much other than a quick trip through a fast food place while running a bunch of errands so a sit down restaurant is a special outing. And on top of that it's not very often we are all home at time same time so it was quite a big deal for us. We like Cracker Barrel because it reminds us of grandmas home cooked meals. And because everyone is always so friendly. You're greeted as soon as you walk in the door and made to feel welcome all the way through till you walk back out.

I especially like it for the vast menu of food choices. Finally a place where the entire family can find something they like and not complain! We all like home-cooked comfort foods and this is the best place to find them. My daughter will vouch for that as it's the only place she can always find her chicken and dumplings as a meal. Some places occasionally have it as a soup side dish, but at Cracker Barrel you can make it your main dish. And it's served up with a nice tender piece of chicken breast so she's getting her meat fill at the same time. I opted to have one of my sides be chicken and dumplings so she would even have some leftovers. I've never finished a meal at Cracker Barrel so I always try to order something I know well get eaten as a leftover. I love that they have such a wide variety of sides to pick from. I have to say everyone got exactly what they wanted, and plenty of it!

After the meal we also got some dessert. There was no way I was going to eat all of mine so I had them put my apple turnover in a to-go container and just ate the ice cream since it would have melted before we went back home.

The kids on the other hand both got a sundae in a mug because they had room to eat it before we left. I honestly don't know where they put it after their meals! But hey it's not every day we go out as a family so they definitely deserved it. And after sneaking a little bite from my daughter's hot fudge sundae I have to say it was amazing! They use real hot fudge, not chocolate syrup...YUM!

If you have a Cracker Barrel in your area and haven't ever been I would highly recommend checking it out. They have a wonderful staff that is very attentive and friendly. And the menus are awesome too. You can order off their breakfast menu at any time, not just during morning hours. So if you're one of those that wishes you could have a big ole breakfast platter for dinner they won't let you down. We've actually done it while traveling because we didn't want to eat a big dinner while on the road and it was really good. They also have a country store right in their lobby that you can shop before, or after your meal. It has a lot of really unique and nice things. I've actually gotten a few things from their apparel line and I love them! If you missed my previous posts on them you can check them out here, here, and here.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of the above mentioned brand. I may have received monetary compensation and/or product in exchange for my honest and unbiased thoughts. However, all thoughts and opinions stated are my own and are in no way influenced by my partnership with mentioned brands.

Special Savings for your next trip to StoryLand! #StoryLandNH

I can still remember the first time we visited StoryLand on our trip to NH to visit my in-laws. My son was just a little guy at the wee age of five (he is now 17) and I can remember him just taking it all in. It was a pretty fantastic day for the three of us and we all had a great time.

Since we will be heading back to NH for a family vacation this summer I'm already planning a trip back to StoryLand so we can make some of the same (and new) memories with our daughter. Be sure to watch for my post coming up in August when we visit. In the meantime I've got a nice disocunt offer to share with you in case you've been thinking about making a trip to StoryLand yourself!

About Story Land
Story Land is a children’s theme park that has entertained thousands of families with young children for over 60 years. New generations of children, their parents, and grandparents visit year after year to share past memories and create new ones in the Land Where Fairy Tales Come to Life!

You can visit this link directly for the special offer: StoryLand Discount Offer

Of if you're already on the website use my special Promocode: StacyTiltonReviewsSBlog17

Connect with Story Land: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of the above mentioned brand. I received monetary compensation or product(s) in exchange for my honest and unbiased thoughts. All thoughts and opinions stated are my own and are in no way influenced by my partnership with mentioned brands.

Nucleus: Connecting families from anywhere!

Have you ever really stopped and thought about all of the new technology that fills our lives these days? I know I sure have. I can remember when I was a teenager how cool I thought I was with my first cell phone. They hadn't been out very long so they were pretty big, and there wasn't a whole lot you could do with them. Fast-forward to present day and now there's actually not very much your phone can't do for you. I will say some technology I feel would have been better off having never been discovered because it's made us lazy when it comes to basic tasks that we can now program our phones to control. However some technology has really been a great benefit to our lives. Take for instance the Nucleus Wi-Fi Intercom. Through the awesome advancements of technology you can talk and see family members in different rooms of the same house, house to house, or mobile to house with an app. Yes I know you can Facetime but not everyone has come into the smartphone stage. Take for instance my in-laws, they have a cell phone but don't use it for anything but calls and texts. And they live several states away so my kids only get to see their grandparents once a year. And that's where Nucleus is going to change our lives! We have a Nucleus unit at home connected to our wi-fi and I'm going to send one of the units out to them to set up on their home wi-fi. Then the kids can not only talk to them, they can also SEE them at the same time! It will be super awesome for my daughter to be able to finally share projects from school with her grandparents in living color instead of having to just describe them over the phone.

You can connect as many Nucleus units as you like between family members which is awesome if you ask me. Of course you don't have to use them to connect with people outside of your home. As I mentioned before you can use them in different rooms of the same house. This is great for me because the boys spend a lot of time working in the garage so I will be able to quickly see and talk to them if they need me to bring something down to them. The part I'm really excited about is by using the app on my phone I can check in on a room of my house at any time day or night. I like this because there are times when I can't make it home before my daughter gets off the bus. With this unit I can watch for her to arrive, and she can also let me know she's home safe.

Set-up is very straightforward and everything you need is right in the box. Simple - which is what I like! After you're set up and ready to go I suggest testing it out with others in your home so everyone is familiar with how it works. It can really be a great and useful tool to have in your home. Plus it has bonus features like the ability to play music, control smart devices, start a call, all with your voice. It's even the first touch-screen device with Amazon Alexa.

In case you're wondering, I have a Nucleus unit in my kitchen to use when I'm cooking. I can tell it to play music, or answer incoming calls from the family all through the use of my voice hands-free!

Have you ever wondered about ways that technology keeps you safe? Check out this handy graphic with lots of great ways! After reading through it myself I've really come to be thankful for how far we've come in this day and age!

Connect with Nucleus: Facebook | Twitter

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of the above mentioned brand. I received product(s) in exchange for my honest and unbiased thoughts. All thoughts and opinions stated are my own and are in no way influenced by my partnership with mentioned brands.

Don't miss IDIOTEST at Family Night! #Giveaway Ends 3/23

Ovation Brands’® portfolio of restaurants - Old Country Buffet®, Ryan’s®, HomeTown® Buffet and Country Buffet® - as well as Furr’s Fresh Buffet® are sparking some kid-friendly competition with their latest Family Night promotion inspired by GSN’s family game show, IDIOTEST. Starting Thursday, March 2, 2017, kids will be challenged to flex their brainpower and creativity, while having fun at their favorite buffet restaurant. During Family Night, kids eat for $1.99 from 4 p.m. to close and activities take place from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Activities may vary by location.

“The partnership with GSN features wholesome fun that the entire family may enjoy together, which is our primary goal with Family Night,” said Mike Griffith, Director of Marketing for Ovation Brands® and Furr’s Fresh Buffet®. “We are excited to offer this particular program because it encourages children to utilize their thinking and creativity skills, which is essential for their growth and development.”

IDIOTEST, based on the highly popular app game, pits two pairs of contestants against each other in
several rounds of visual brain teasers that look deceptively simple, but whose answers actually require a keen eye, quick mind and heightened sense of logic. Every quiz involves a colorful and often whimsical scene that tests observation and attention to detail. IDIOTEST airs on GSN every Thursday at 10/9c.

Each Thursday, from March 9th through April 6th between 5 pm and 8 pm, kids may participate in different interactive and educational activities in Ovation Brands’ restaurants and Furr’s Fresh Buffet locations.

The featured activities are as follows:
●      March 9 – Trivia Time!
●      March 16 – Game Show Night
●      March 23 – Kidiotest!
●      March 30 – Act it out!
●      April 6 – Spin to Win!

Tell me what's your favorite game to play with the kids?

Win it:  One lucky reader will win (1) pair of Idiotest Glasses, (1) Idiotest stylus bracelet, (1) Idiotest stress brain and (4) free meal passes. This giveaway will end March 23rd at 11:59 PM EST. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to my email. If no response, a new winner will be chosen.  Prize fulfillment will be made by the sponsor, I am not responsible for prize delivery or lost or stolen deliveries. Open to residents of the US.

Entry Method:  Please use Rafflecopter form to enter.

Travel back in time at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament

We had such a good time back in 2014 when we first visited Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Schaumburg, IL we decided to go back. This time the weather was a little colder out and a lot more windy. I mean being right next to Chicago (The Windy City) it shouldn't have been a surprise, but man did it blow us around on the highway this time. So much so it slowed traffic down and we didn't get there early enough to do everything we did last time. But we were just glad to be back for another round of fun and some really awesome food! When we arrived we hustled inside to check in and got our team color for the night. This time we were representing the black & white knight. We all put on our crowns and VIP passes and headed for the dining area. Since we were VIP that meant we got to be seated first!

Ovation Brands Family Nights with Paddington

The nice thing about Ovation Branded restaurants is that they always have something fun going on for family night. It's more than giving your kid a discounted meal like most restaurants. If you have kids you know they aren't always able to sit through an entire meal and not get fidgety. It's nice to have a place that knows this and gives them something fun to do to break up the just sitting.

Family Night at Ovation Brand Restaurants #Giveaway Ends 9/16

One thing I've always loved about the Ovation Branded restaurants is that they always have something fun going on for family night. If you have kids you know they aren't always able to sit through an entire meal and not get fidgety. It's nice to have a place that knows this and gives them something fun to do to break up the just sitting.

About Family Night
Ovation Brands is launching its next Family Night promotion at its buffet concepts - Old Country Buffet, Ryan’s, Hometown Buffet, Country Buffet. Furr’s Fresh Buffet  is also joining in on the fun! From now through October 6th, we are teaming up with Anchor Bay Entertainment and featuring their film, Underdogs. Each Thursday, from 5 pm to 8 pm, kids may participate in different interactive and educational activities in Ovation Brands’ restaurants and Furr’s Fresh Buffet locations. Additionally, we have invited local heroes such as firefighters and police officers to participate in the weekly activities and teach the kids about what it takes to be a hero in their community.

The featured activities are as follows:
September 8th – Teacher Heroes
September 15th – Soldier Hero
September 22nd – Thank you, Police Officers!
September 29th – Literary Heroes
October 6th – Little Heroes

Win it:  One lucky reader will win an Underdogs DVD, $25 Amazon gift card and (4) free meal passes for any of Ovation Brands’ locations. This giveaway will end September 16th at 11:59 PM EST. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to my email. If no response, a new winner will be chosen.  Prize fulfillment will be made by the sponsor, I am not responsible for prize delivery or lost or stolen deliveries. Open to residents of the US.

Entry Method:  Please use Rafflecopter form to enter.

Celebrate National Bake for Family Fun Month with some fun recipes from Country Crock

Did you know that February is National Bake for Family Fun Month? I know I didn't have any idea until I got these super fun recipe suggestions to celebrate and make with my family. I thought they were awesome and wanted to share them with you so you can celebrate with your family too!

With snowy days keeping most indoors, here are five simple recipes from Country Crock ― perfect for Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day celebrations ― that families can bake together!

Mardi Gras ― Bring the celebration to your kitchen by getting the whole family involved in making a traditional Three Kings Cake. It’s a great way to kick off the week-long holiday.

Valentine’s Day ― Make baking for others a family affair this Valentine’s Day with easy-to-make recipes, like Red Velvet Cupcakes or this Chocolate Lover’s Cake. You can add your own festive twist to these Country Crock Sugar Cookies by using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, or dress up Cake Pops with red and white sprinkles to make perfect gifts for loved ones.

All of these recipes are made with Country Crock, a buttery spread that is the go-to ingredient for baking and made with real, simple ingredients, including delicious oils, purified water and a pinch of salt.

What fun recipes do you like to make with your family?

Hedbanz: The game that makes you wonder..."What am I?"

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Spin Master Games for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

We try to play a game as a family at least once a week, of course when things get busy that doesn't always happen. Seems to be in the summer when we are outdoors a lot that we have the most trouble making time. But now that the cold weather has settled in and it gets dark so early we are inside and have more time to spend together playing games. Actually over the last few weeks we've even squeezed in two family games nights each week. Our latest game night included a new game I picked up called Hedbanz. My daughter had heard of it from friends at school and thought it would be fun for us to all play together. And after playing a few rounds I have to agree with her. Basically you start out by fitting one of the plastic head bands around your head, then drawing a card to insert in the front of it. You are the only person that doesn't get to see your card. Everyone else gets to see the card so they can answer simple yes or no questions that you ask during your turn. When I first looked at the timer in the game I thought there was no way anyone could ever guess their card before it ran out. I was wrong however and just so happened to be the first one to guess their card. Tip: Start out asking questions like "am I alive" or "am I found indoors". Things like this help you narrow down what could be on your card much faster than asking things like "am I green" or "am I small". I was able to narrow down my card (a rabbit) pretty quick with "am I alive" and "am I a pet". From there I just went through common pets and got it. I was pretty excited because that meant I got to choose another card and keep playing for the round. My daughter on the other hand  was not so lucky. She just couldn't figure out her card and it really had her worked up. So after we finished up the first round I explained to her ways to make it easier to figure out what her card was.

On our second round it was our son that got stumped with his cheese card. He had it narrowed down to something indoors that he could eat, and even ruled out fruits and vegetables. But then gave up on the food groups and started asking other questions. So we decided to do a hit and told him to go back to food groups. He asked "am I a protein?" and somehow from that decided he was cheese. Interesting way to get to cheese, but hey it worked for him. We played a few more rounds after that and we were all laughing and having a good time. Everyone guessed at least a few of their cards so no one got really upset which was nice. I really liked it because it wasn't really a win or lose sort of game. I'm actually looking a few other games from Spinmaster that I thought might be good for us to play too. One of them is Quelf and the other is Would You Rather. I like them because again they aren't really win/lose games and that seems to be a better fit for us.

About: 
Play Hedbanz, the quick question game of “What am I?” Ask “yes” or “no” questions to figure out if the cartoon on your head is an animal, food or man-made object. Be the first player to guess what you are and win!

Buy it: You can purchase Spin Master games at Amazon, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, and, Toys-R-Us.

Connect with Spin Master:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Keeping my family connected with the T-Mobile Simply Prepaid™ Plan #ad #ChangingPrepaid

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ChangingPrepaid #CollectiveBias

If you have kids you know what it's like always wondering if they are okay if you aren't home. I know for me as a stay-at-home mom I always try to make sure I am home from errands/appointments before my kids get home from school. But as I'm sure you already know things happen and our days don't always turn out like we plan. And well, sometimes we don't make it home exactly when we want to. For me that's not usually a big deal because I have a teenage son that gets home before my daughter so she isn't arriving home to an empty house. However my son has started getting involved in after school activities this year and therefore he doesn't always come straight home from school now. That means some days he doesn't get home until after his sister, and if I'm not here she would be here alone for a short period of time. It would only be about half an hour, but as a parent I'd like to make sure she arrived home off the bus and to our house okay. We don't have a land-line phone so I wanted to find a simple and cost effective way for her to communicate with her dad and me if we aren't home. I was afraid of going to a contract plan and her going over on the usage and it costing way too much. I know how she likes to play games on my phone and text family members. I needed to find a plan that would provide her with what she needed, but not get me in trouble with overages or extra fees. Thankfully I found just what I was looking for: Introducing Simply Prepaid™ from T-Mobile.

On a recent trip to Walmart we checked into the Simply Prepaid™ plan and found out just how economical and affordable it was. For just $40 dollars a month we would get 4G LTE data with unlimited talk and text. Now that sounds like the perfect plan for my daughter. It would give her the ability to call or text us anytime she needed to whether it's when staying at a friends house, or arriving home from school. Plus she has data for the extra fun stuff that kids love to use cell phones for.

Yep, that's a happy little girl right there. She's been wanting a phone ever since her older brother got one a few years ago. We knew it wasn't an affordable option at the time and told her when she got older and really "needed" a phone we would get her one. Yes she's still pretty young, but living in the country with not a lot of close neighbors we thought now was a good time. Plus the Simply Prepaid™ plan gives us just what she needs, and there's no fear of her going over on her limits causing extra fees. With T-Mobile you get nationwide 4G LTE on a Data Strong network, award winning customer service, and an awesome selection of all the latest smartphones.

And now that she has a phone she actually doesn't mind sitting on the couch next to her brother. I've even caught the two of them texting each other and giggling. Yes from the same couch, kind of funny if you ask me. But it's actually brought us all closer together because now we can all text each other with cute messages like "Hope you have a good day". Something as simple as that can make the day of a child that doesn't get to see their dad when they wake up in the morning. My daughter loves finding texts from her dad in the morning before she goes to school. And of course she loves sending him messages back to find when he is on break at work.

And of course no phone is complete without a case to protect it. I knew she was going to be carrying the phone in her backpack to and from school so I ordered her a case right away for the phone too. Now I don't have to worry about it getting dropped and broken when she's away from home. The other day she even called me after school to remind me she would need picked up after her Girl Scouts meeting. Of course I already knew that, but I thanked her for the reminder and for being responsible with the phone using it for a good thing. The call came in nice and clear and I have to say for prepaid that made me very impressed. We tried prepaid a few years ago and it was definitely not worth the money because half the time we weren't able to use it for calling when we needed to.

Prepaid often has slow data, a spotty network, and second rate phones with a lot smaller selection. However with Simply Prepaid™ you get 4G LTE data on T-Mobile. Now that's a prepaid plan worth investing in. Time to sit down and rethink those pricey contract plans with all the extra fees.

Been thinking about a prepaid plan for yourself or someone in your family? Check out this awesome video that shows lots of great reasons why you might want to try it out for yourself.

Take a Mini-Vacation to Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament

Over Christmas break our family took a trip up north and went to the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Schaumburg, IL. We had never been there and I thought it would make a great little mini getaway for us. We could see the awesome castle as we exited the highway and the kids started getting very excited. Thankfully we were a little early so there wasn't a big line yet and we were able to wait inside in the heat for the doors to open.

Big Splash Adventure Indoor Water Park - Family Fun for ALL!

My family recently made a trip to Big Splash Adventure Indoor Water Park in French Lick, IN.  We didn't plan a big vacation this summer because my husband didn't have a lot of time due to a new job and not having paid time off yet. So we took advantage of his few days he had off over shut down to head down to northern Indiana. We had never been to Big Splash before but had seen advertisement brochures at our local visitors bureau. From the time we arrived the kids immediately got super excited. You could see some of the slides that came outside of the building as soon as you pulled into the parking lot.

From the moment we walked inside the doors I knew we were going to have a ton of fun. They had a nice large indoor arcade area as well as a place you could order food. Once you arrived, you honestly didn't have to leave for anything. They were even working on an area for younger children to play which I thought was pretty awesome. I remember when my kids were younger I always wished more places offered an area for them to play since they were too small to play the arcade games.

Once we hit the changing rooms and got our suits on we immediately headed into the water park area. All I can say is WOW was it amazing. I couldn't believe just how much they had packed inside the building. There were several water slides, a lazy river, a kiddy tide pool, pool basketball, and lots of other adventure zones. Of course the kids made sure they checked it ALL out, some things even multiple times. My husband and I opted to take the lazy river around a few times and take it slow. Then we checked out the water slides with the kids. It was a ton of fun.

Then we opted to check out the hot tub that was for adults only. It was in a separate area inside fenced in to keep it safe from the little ones so they didn't accidentally step into the hot water. It was very nice being able to relax, but also being close at hand in case our kids needed us. There was also a nice sized pool outside, but we didn't get in it because it was a little cooler out with the clouds that loomed above.

All in all we had a wonderful day and we spent it as a family. I couldn't have asked for a better mini-vacation.

Introducing Marco's Pizza with Spinach! #MarcosFreshSpinach

This is a sponsored post in partnership with  The Niche Parent Network & Conference and Marco's Pizza. However all thoughts and opinions stated are my own.

When I received my Marco's Pizza package in the mail my mouth immediately began to water as I studied the pictures on the free pizza coupons I got. Looking at the brightly colored tomatoes, onions, and spinach made my stomach hungry. Thanks to my partnership with Marco's Pizza I got the opportunity to try their new Grilled Chicken Florentine Pizza and a cheese pizza with spinach as soon as they came out.

Here's our local Marco's Pizza, it's actually just a little corner of a big marketplace building just off the local collage campus.

It's a little hard to see in this picture (I didn't want to look crazy standing in the one-way drive taking pictures so I took it quick) but right on the door they have an advertisement for the new Grilled Chicken Florentine Pizza at a special price of $10.99 for a medium.

Since my husband was driving I took the opportunity to snap a shot of the top of one of the boxes. I thought it was pretty cool that it included coupons we could use on our next visit. And it again mentioned the special offer on the Grilled Chicken Florentine Pizza. It even had a code to enter if you ordered online. I could hardly stand it as we headed to our destination with the pizzas on my lap. Man did they both smell so good! Finally we arrived and I was able to open them up to see just how tasty they looked inside the boxes.

The first box I opened contained the Grilled Chicken Florentine Pizza. Imagine, tender grilled chicken, parmesan garlic sauce, four cheeses, fresh spinach, sliced tomatoes, and chopped red onions all on dough made fresh daily. Now tell me that doesn't make your mouth water. I wasn't really keen on the red onions part, but they were nice sized pieces so I was easily able to slip them out and onto my husbands pizza. They didn't even leave their taste behind on my slices. The pizza didn't exactly look quite as colorful as the one in the picture on my coupon, or the box coupon. I think they had to cook the spinach under the cheese to keep it nice and soft and not dehydrated like it may have gotten if cooked on the very top like the picture shows. Either way I wasn't complaining because it tasted just as good as it smelled.

And now for the cheese pizza with spinach. Spinach is a whole new topping for Marco's that you can order on any pizza, not just as part of the Grilled Chicken Florentine Pizza. Marco's cheese pizza is made with a three cheese blend of fresh never frozen cheese on fresh never-frozen dough made daily. Add some spinach and you're all set with a simple, yet tasteful dinner.

I would have to say I really liked both pizzas about the same. The spinach added a new flavor I had never had before on pizza, and it was just subtle enough even my daughter (who won't eat lettuce on a taco) said she liked it and asked for seconds and thirds. I think this mom just found a new way to get some more greens into her kids diet! I can't wait to see what other toppings I can pair along with the spinach next time.

You can check to see if there's a Marco's Pizza in your area right on their website. And if there is you can even place your order while you're there for carry-out or delivery.

Walking with Dinosaurs DVD/Blu-ray #WalkingwithDinosDVD #Giveaway - Ends 4-8

Dino fans of all ages will be ‘herding” to get their own copy of Walking With Dinosaurs The Movie, out on Blu-ray™ and DVD TODAY!  Hailed by viewers for its explosive visual achievements, Walking With Dinosaurs is “Jurassic Park meets The Lion King” (The Today Show) and “…too good a visual treat to miss” (Philadelphia Inquirer).

Experience the spectacular story that brings dinosaurs to life and the viewer back in time. Directed by Barry Cook (Mulan, Arthur Christmas) and Neil Nightingale (Meerkats: The Movie) and the writer behind the hit film Happy Feet, Walking With Dinosaurs The Movie features heart-warming performances from an incredible ensemble of Hollywood’s biggest stars including: John Leguizamo (Ice Age, Rio 2), Justin Long (Alvin and the Chipmunks, Dodgeball) and Karl Urban (Star Trek).

You can read my review post from my M-Go experience as well as see a clip from the movie on my previous post here.

In the meantime here are some awesome Walking with Dinosaurs themed activities and printables for you to enjoy. Just click on the photo to enlarge and print.

Win it:  One lucky reader will win a Walking with Dinosaurs DVD/Blu-ray. This giveaway will end April 9th at 12:00 AM EST. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email. If no response, a new winner will be chosen. Open to residents of the US.

Entry Method:  Please use Rafflecopter form to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclosure:  Thanks to PR Firm/sponsor I was provided with this product(s) for the purpose of my personal review. This blog post is not a paid post and the honest opinions stated are my own. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, entry via Facebook like is completely optional. Please allow 4-6 weeks for prize delivery from the sponsor.

Against the Wild DVD

TOGETHER THEY WILL FIND A WAY.

AGAINST THE WILD BRINGS THE UNFORGETTABLE WILDERNESS ADVENTURE OF TWO SIBLINGS TO AUDIENCES ON DVD AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

The action-packed feature film tells the dramatic tale of two siblings and their Alaskan Malamute, who must make an emergency landing when their small plane has engine problems. They find themselves in a beautiful but potentially dangerous natural environment that they must overcome together.

A gripping adventure for the whole family, Against the Wild (SRP $24.98) begins with siblings Zach (Adams) and Hannah (Pitt) traveling by seaplane with Chinook, their Alaskan Malamute, to visit their father (Ted Whittall of “Beauty & The Beast”) for the weekend. When their plane encounters engine trouble, the pilot is forced to make an emergency landing in the woods in the middle of nowhere. As they travel on foot to seek help, Zach, Hannah and their loyal companion come face-to-face with the challenges of the wilds – from wolves and grizzly bears to forest fires. Using all the wilderness skills they know – and with some help from Chinook, the siblings must work together to overcome each obstacle and conquer the ultimate goal – returning home again.

DVD Special Features: Outtakes and the Music of Against the Wild.

My Take:
My kids have always been drawn to movies that feature animals as part of the main storyline. As soon as they saw me pull this one out of the box with the dogs picture on the cover they immediately they started asking when we could watch it. I first showed them the YouTube trailer above and they got even more excited, and I started to get excited too. It looked like a great family friendly movie so I was on board. I was very pleased with the storyline and that it was truly family friendly from start to finish. My kids liked that it was mostly centered around the two children in the movie and their dog. Overall it was a good movie with a good (believable) storyline that I'd recommend for a great family night treat.

Win it:  One lucky reader will win an Against the Wild DVD. This giveaway will end April 2nd at 12:00 AM EST. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email. If no response, a new winner will be chosen. Open to residents of the US.

Entry Method:  Please use Rafflecopter form to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclosure:  Thanks to PR Firm/sponsor I was provided with this product(s) for the purpose of my personal review. This blog post is not a paid post and the honest opinions stated are my own. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, entry via Facebook like is completely optional. Please allow 4-6 weeks for prize delivery from the sponsor.

Cheerios Family Breakfast Project - Take the 7/7 Challange #FamilyBreakfast

Cheerios believes that when families connect over breakfast, amazing things can happen. That’s why they’re partnering with the Family Dinner Project, a grass roots movement whose mission is to help families everywhere access the benefits that come from connecting over a meaningful family meal, to launch the Family Breakfast Project.

As part of the Family Breakfast Project, Cheerios they are encouraging families to take 7 minutes for 7 days to have family breakfast and explore the possibilities that brings. After all, breakfast is the meal of shared possibilities.

My take: 
I received a package that contained the above items pictured as well as simple meal prep ideas, fun activities, and breakfast recipes. I was really excited about this project because breakfast has always been one of those hurry up lets get it done things in my household. I took a few minutes and browsed through the packet I received and here are a few things I read and was excited to try:

1. Encourage children to get their clothes out the night before to save time in the morning. It also included a Clothing Checklist you can hang up for younger children so they know what all they need to get ready.

2. A recipe for Jumbo Breakfast Cookies. I enjoyed this because my kids were able to help me prepare the cookies one evening after school, and they could customize them with things like raisins or other add-ins.

3. Various questions and activities I could do with my children either while they were eating breakfast or later in the day to keep the momentum going.

You can find these things and more on the Family Breakfast Project website. You can even find a link to sign up for a daily email to receive each of the seven days of Family Breakfast sent right to your inbox. And of course there are coupons and loads of recipes you can check out. I really liked that there are so many recipe ideas for the plain Cheerios. My kids have this mindset that because they are plain they don't "like them". But now that I'm equipped with lots of recipe ideas using them I can show them that they are not only good for them, but taste good too!

Meet one of America's Farm Families #AmericasFarmers

Meet the Schroeder Family:
Bill Schroeder knew from the time he was 8 years old what he wanted to be when he grew up – a farmer. On the other hand, his wife, Nicole, did not always see farming in her future. So when the two first started dating and she went on dates that took place in the combine or the tractor, she had to make some adjustments. But that's farm life.  When they first started out, it was just Bill, Nicole, and Bill's father, Bill Sr., handling all of the farm duties. As the farm has grown, roles changed. Nicole, for example, now handles payroll, and Bill has been able to take on a more managerial role.  The Schroeders love being a farm family and they work to make sure everyone involved in their farming operation feels the same ownership and pride in the farm they do.