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To Happy Meal or not to Happy Meal

Posted on August 20, 2010 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a child, I remember going to Mc Donalds from time to time to have a Happy Meal. Back in the day, the Happy Meal was packaged in a really neat cardboard contraption that went along with the toy being promoted. When you opened it up, you found your hamburger, french fries, Mc Donald Land cookies (miss those) and toy. These days, the Happy Meals come in a generic paper bag with a puzzle or two on the outside.

We do not go to Mc Donald’s too often. When we do treat the boys to it, they usually do not get a Happy Meal. The kids are just as happy getting something else that is less expensive. The last two times we went to Mc Donald’s, I admit, I caved. NHL and JSL really wanted the Super Heroes that they were promoting. On Tuesday, when I asked NHL where he wanted to go for his 7th birthday lunch, he immediately replied Mc Donald’s. We walked into the restaurant and saw the Super Heroes on display. When we placed our order, I asked if they still had any left. Thank goodness they had two, and they were ones that we did not have from the previous trip.

As you can see, the boys were very happy. So my question to you this week:

What was your favorite Happy Meal toy growing up? If you can’t remember, what about your kids or grandchildren?

I still remember as a high school/college student going to chase down the mini Ty Beanie Babies. Ah, what memories.

If you are a fan of The Wiggles or know someone that is, be sure to enter my giveaway for their new DVD. For another chance stop by TechyDad’s blog for a second chance to win one.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #113

Categories:
Aloha Friday birthday food glorious food fun jsl losing my mind nhl photos yummy

Hot Potatoes! The BEST of The Wiggles (Review & Giveaway)

Posted on August 19, 2010 12:56 pm by TheAngelForever

It’s confession time again. Seven years ago, when I was a first time mother, I was introduced to The Wiggles. At that time, they were part of Playhouse Disney and on several times a day. Now, The Wiggly Waffle is part of Sprout, which we sadly do not have on Time Warner Cable – BOO!.

When I first saw Greg, Anthony, Murray and Jeff, I didn’t know what to think. As a teacher, I was familiar with other children’s musical groups, but not this Aussie sensation. The true confession is I was not a fan at first. I would quickly turn off the television when The Wiggles would come on because I just did not get them.

My tune (pun not intended) changed when my son perked up and wanted to dance to their music. As a curious new mother, I looked at the background of the group. It was interesting to see that The Wiggles are educators. After a few shows, I was hooked. I liked the messages in their songs, and I especially enjoyed how the group managed to get kids and parents up off their rears to dance together to fun and catchy songs.

Fast forward seven years and we have been to three Wiggles concerts (and counting – I hope), own a lot of Wiggles DVDs and CDs, and frequently go to Wiggles World at Six Flags. We were at a concert just weeks before the official announcement of Greg handing over the yellow skivvie to Sam. These were big changes for kids and parents alike. We mourned losing Greg and wished him a speedy recovery, but looked forward to the future with Sam.

Recently, TechyDad and I were contacted by The Wiggles PR team to check out their new DVD called Hot Potatoes! The Best of The Wiggles (Amazon Affiliate link).

About Hot Potatoes! The Best of The Wiggles:

The most successful children’s entertainment group in the world has finally released a collection of their most loved songs, Hot Potatoes! The Best of The Wiggles. The Wiggles’ songs have drawn millions of people over the years to see their live concerts. The New York Times called The Wiggles, “the band that rocks the cradle” and this is certainly true. They have set records for their sold out performances everywhere from Madison Square Garden in New York to the Hammersmith Apollo in London to their home town of Sydney, Australia. Their songs are instantly memorable and get you wiggling in seconds! Those same songs have seen music royalty line up to record music with the fab four of fun! We’ve picked the best for you to listen to, but snap it up as this DVD will go like….hot potatoes!

The songs/videos included on this DVD are: -> Hot Potato, -> Can You (Point Your Fingers And Do The Twist?), -> Fruit Salad, -> Rock-A-Bye Your Bear, -> Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car, -> Wake Up Jeff!, -> Wiggly Party, -> Captain Feathersword Fell Asleep On His Pirate Ship (Quack Quack), -> Wiggle Bay, -> The Monkey Dance, -> Get Ready To Wiggle, -> Go Santa Go, -> Dorothy (Would You Like To Dance?), -> Ooh It’s Captain Feathersword, -> Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport, -> Dressing Up, -> Move Your Arms Like Henry, -> Lights, Camera, Action, Wiggles!, -> Do The Owl, -> The Zeezap Song, -> Play Your Guitar With Murray, -> Rockin’ Santa!, -> To Have A Tea Party, -> Here Come The Chicken, -> Getting Strong!, -> Murray Had A Turtle, -> Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, -> I’m Dorothy The Dinosaur!, -> You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, -> Dr Knickerbocker, -> The Shimmie Shake!, -> Over In The Meadow, -> Wags The Dog Is Chasing His Tail, -> Monkey Man, -> Hot Poppin’ Popcorn

In addition to the songs listed above, there are a lot of special features on this DVD. A few of them include interviews with The Wiggles’ Mums, Original clips from 1991, and Growing up with The Wiggles (Clare and Larissa). Some of the special guests that are on the DVD are Kylie Minogue, Leo Sayer and Steve Irwin.

What we thought:

As I mentioned before, we have a lot of other Wiggles DVDs at our house.

Still, I think we have a new favorite Wiggles DVD. From the moment we put the DVD on, both of the kids were actively engaged. Hot Potatoes! The BEST of The Wiggles is chock full of Wiggly classics. As a parent, I really loved that before each song one of the familar Aussies comes out to introduce the songs. This really worked well with the flashback style that was used on the DVD. Yes, each of the songs is in the original format from their television show, DVD or live performance. Thanks to this, we are able to see both Sam and Greg in the yellow skivvy.

The other items that I really enjoyed were the extras. It was so much fun listening to the Mums of The Wiggles talk about their little boys. The women really were a hoot and we were able to learn a lot about Anthony, Murry, Sam and Jeff. My older son also enjoyed the section with Clare. Clare is Anthony’s niece who has grown up around the Wiggles. She appeared on earlier shows with them and now travels as one of the Wiggly Dancers. NHL recalled seeing her long ago and when we went to the Go Bananas show last fall.

There was no doubting what JSL thought about the DVD. Here is a glimpse of him in action at Nana and Papa’s house:

From the moment the DVD went on, he was non-stop singing, dancing and running around. He loved each and every song and asked for it again. When I asked what his favorite was, he said Popcorn.

If you are a Wiggles fan, we highly recommend adding this to your Wiggly collection. The best part, you could win a copy here!

Giveaway:

Thanks to The Wiggles, one lucky winner will receive their very own copy of Hot Potatoes! The BEST of The Wiggles DVD.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Answer the following question: What is your all time favorite Wiggles song? Yes yours, not your childs (will be asking another bonus question below).

The following Bonus Entries may also be done. Please be sure to leave separate comments for each that you complete below to make sure you get the right number of entries.

1 Bonus Entry – Who will this DVD be for and what is their favorite song by The Wiggles?
1 Bonus Entry – Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and The BEST of The Wiggles DVDGiveaway in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment for each daily entry. Example Tweet (feel free to use): Get ready to Wiggle. Chance to #win The BEST of the Wiggles DVD from @TheAngelForever http://bit.ly/cAh1al. #Giveaway #kids
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Who is your favorite Wiggle or character from The Wiggles and why?
1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of July/August. Leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done only twice per person.
3 Bonus Entries – Add my blog button to your website and leave a link with the location. Be sure to give yourself 3 comments for credit.
5 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the giveaway. Be sure to leave 5 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries.

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today August 19 and ends at 10:59 EST on September 2 , 2010. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Also note that TechyDad is having a giveaway on his website where you increase your chances for another DVD there.

Disclosure: I received this DVD complimentary of The Wiggles PR agency in order to facilitate this review. They were also sweet and sent a few other Wiggly surprises for my sons that included a T-shirt, CD and Henry the Octopus doll. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own and you can see we have been long time Wiggles fans. The Wiggles are also providing the giveaway item to my readers.

Categories:
fun giveaway jsl looking back Music photos Product review show TechyDad

Happy 7th Birthday NHL

Posted on August 17, 2010 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear NHL,

Seven years ago today, my world changed. The instant that you were born, I fell in love. You were and are such a special little guy. No matter how old you get, you will always be my baby. It is so hard to believe that you have grown into quite the young boy. In a few shorts weeks, you will be off to second grade to learn new and exciting things. It seems like only yesterday that I held you in my arms rocking you to sleep. Now, you are quite the independent kid who is shying away from hugs and kisses in public. It’s okay, I understand since I was a kid a long time ago. I know that when you smile your silly way, or give me a zerbert that you love me.

Now let’s take a walk down memory lane at the last year – NHL at 6.

About a week and a half after you turned six, you lost your first tooth. Sure it was filled with drama, but you did it. That night when we got ready for the Tooth Fairy you were so proud. (August 2009)

The school year began and you were ready to go with your new backpack from Bubbe and Grandpa. (September 2009)

The flu hit hard just before Halloween. Luckily, you were finally well enough to head out to a few houses that Goulish night. Your love of Mario Kart Racing showed with your costume selection. (October 2009)

Twas the night before Thanksgiving and you had a blast at a hockey game. You lived up to your initials of NHL and had a blast watching warm-ups down by the boards. (November 2009)

December was a month filled with many items. On my birthday, you ended up in the Emergency Room to have a cut by your eye glued. There was Chanukah and playing in the snow. Thanks to Hebrew school, you wanted to say the prayers each night that we lit our menorah. (December 2009)

January was a very cold month. There were some days that we decided to stay in our PJs and play. Some of the happiest memories were watching you and JSL together. Loved brotherly tickle attacks. (January 2010)

In February, you became another official Disney addict. When we planned a quick trip to Disney World for a conference, you fell in love with everything – including the characters and getting autographs. (February 2010)

In March, you were able to say some of the four questions for Passover in Hebrew. You rode your bike like a pro when it was warm and were even interviewed on television about saving your school the day before a rally. (March 2010)

April marked a first for you, you cut your own hair. The scissors are now a lot higher, along with the Sharpies. The end of the month was also when you officially finished the Alef Bets at Hebrew School. We were so proud of you and your love for Sunday School. (April 2010)

In May, you helped us plan JSL’s third B-day party looking for all things Winnie the Pooh. You also had fun at another building clinic at Home Depot. (May 2010)

June marked the end of first grade. You were sad to leave school for the summer. Earlier in the month, you went to a family wedding. You declared that you wanted another wedding to go to soon since you had so much fun. (June 2010)

The start of the summer was fun filled with movies, being silly outside with water, camp, cherry picking with family and spending the day at the lake. Oh and thanks to your super skills at potty training, JSL is no longer in pull-ups! (July 2010)

So far this month you have wanted to keep things a bit more quiet. You love using the computer. Most days we will allow you to have some time using it. At home, you have my old laptop that you love playing math games and doing puzzles on. Here you are at Nana and Papa’s house. (August 2010)

This year, we have learned a lot about you and together we have grown. I hope that this year is even more fun and care free than last year. Please know that Daddy and I will do everything in our power to be in your corner cheering you on. I know that you can do and be anything that you want. This year is going to be great and togetehr we will make sure it happen. May the magic of your birthday continue the whole year through. NHL, always know that I love you with all of my heart.

Mommy

Categories:
birthday Disney family fun looking back milestone nhl photos school

New word – Swag

Posted on August 14, 2010 6:37 pm by TheAngelForever

Dear JSL,

Last Sunday, Daddy and I came home from our weekend away in NYC at BlogHer. You had a fabulous time with Nana and Papa.You went to the local amusement park, a science museum and to see Toy Story 3 again. I actually think you thought twice about coming home. Then we opened up a bag with some new items in it. That was the moment that you learned a new word – SWAG.

Yes, at three you probably assume that is we go away Swag will follow us home. Thank goodness you were so amused with the fabulous Swiper shirt from the people at Nick Jr. that we hid some items away for another time.

Love,

Mommy

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If you want to participate in Dear Kid Saturday, head on over to Cutest Kid Ever by clicking on the button below.

Categories:
BlogHer Dear Kid Saturday fun jsl laughs

Thursday evening in NYC – BlogHer10

Posted on August 12, 2010 4:53 pm by TheAngelForever

One week ago, we packed up the boys to go to Nana and Papa, met Christina and were on our way to BlogHer10. We drove into NYC in style via our Chevy Tahoe Hybrid courtesy of Chevrolet for the ChevyBlogHer carpool. TechyDad wrote about our adventure and included a video of the pictures from the road. By the time we arrived and had finally left our car to the valet, our nerves were a bit frazzled.

After circling the block several times, seeing a few too many yellow cabs nearly crash into us, and being told the parking lot of the Hilton was full – we were ready to get inside and relax. Luckily, the valet found our rather large SUV a spot to sleep in for the weekened and we were able to head into the hotel to get our rooms. TechyDad and I went to drop off our things in our room on the 31st floor.

We quickly called the boys, left our things and went back downstairs to see when we could officially register for BlogHer. It was still too early, so we went back to our room and I tried to get in touch with Debra, Cathi, and Kailani about the event we were all going to. While I waited, I got ready to head out for a night in NYC. Just as we were about to go down, I heard back from the ladies that they would meet me at the Hilton. They figured they could register and then we would get a taxi to the Toy Industry Association’s Girl’s Night Out.. Christina met us down stairs and we posed for a quick photo all dressed up and ready to go.

Soon it was time to head out with Debra and Cathi, Kailani would be meeting us later on at the dinner. So the three of us went to get a taxi. Thank goodness Debra and Cathi knew what they were doing. We quickly got one and were off to the Dashing Diva Salon for the start of our Girls’ Night Out hosted by the Toy Industry Association. Let me preface this with a HUGE thank you to Adrienne, Stacy, Reyne, Kristen and Joan who made an amazing event for all of us in attendance.

When we walked into this pink palace, there were drinks on the table and gorgeous specialty cupcakes. We signed in and then set off to select a polish color to start with a pedicure. It was during this time that I was able to chat some more with Debra. We had met at DisneySMMoms in February, but never had a lot of time to talk. Here are some photos from the time here.

During our time here, I also met other bloggers. While sitting with my fingers and toes drying, I got chatting with Selfish Mom. As we were talking, she mentioned that she had lived in our area while working at the New York State Theater Institute. When I asked which productions, she was able to list them off and I had actually seen at least two of them. It truly is a small world!

Eventually, it was time to head from the Dashing Diva Salon to Cafeteria for dinner. Once again, we needed to get a cab from one side of town to the other. Here are Reyne and Debra getting us a cab to go.

Once we arrived at Cafeteria, we were whisked away to a private room in the basement. Here there were cocktails and an array of amazing foods served. Check out the bacon popcorn, their infamous macaroni and cheese, and amazing goodies at the end. (I goofed and was too busy chatting and enjoying the other food to take photos.)

Of course, the night was also about finally meeting friends that I have been talking with online for years now. Here are the four of us with our Twitter names above. We represented Hawaii, California, Texas and New York proudly at this dinner.

We also had wonderful conversations with Reyne and Helen from Working Mother Magazine. The evening flew by so fast as we talked about our life experiences, blogs, travel, and love for toys.

When it was time to go, we thanked everyone from the Toy Industry Association, gave lots of hugs and went back in a taxi toward the hotel. TechyDad met up with me to walk back to the Hilton where we went to bed to get ready for a day filled with non-stop sessions, connections and fun. Thank you again to Adrienne, Stacy, Reyne, Kristen and Joan for a magical start to the BlogHer10 weekend. I look forward to working with all of you in the future.