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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

Growing up with Elvis

Posted on August 16, 2010 4:48 pm by TheAngelForever

I was just eight months old when Elvis Presley passed away, yet I grew up with him. My father is a HUGE fan of the King. From an early age my brother and I learned to rock out to Rock-A-Hula, Blue Suede Shoes, Don’t Be Cruel and other Elvis Presley classics. Each year, on my parent’s anniversary, they would dance together to their wedding song, Can’t Help Falling In Love (the classic is still so much better than the remake by UB40). Over the years, Dad’s record collection has been replaced with CDs to keep the tradition going. Now, Papa is proud that his grandchildren learned to hula with the King!

Since today marks 33 years since Elvis Presley passed away, I thought I would share my father’s growing collection of unique Elvis items.

So on this sad day for Elvis Presley fans, I ask you what is your favorite song from the King?

Categories:
family interesting looking back me moments Music

NY State license plates

Posted on August 6, 2010 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up, one of the things that I liked about road trips was seeing license plates from different places. Driving from upstate NY to North Carolina and other parts of the south along the Atlantic Coast allowed us to see many items. Of course, I still remember the gorgeous license plates from our trip to Hawaii in 1988.

I think I took license plates for granted until recently. I knew they changed in New York from time to time, but never thought much more of it. Enter being an adult and realizing that the change in plates being an increase in registration fees and everything else that the state slaps on. Hello instant revenue in one easy step. For those of us in New York, we are experiencing this right now. Our very generous governor (on his way out – might I add) decided to alter the plates. Nobody knows why since they were not an improved look, we all speculate it was a nice money maker for New York which is in a lot of trouble.

So why am I complaining? It is not just because of the cost. It’s because of the look of the plates. The new plates are U-G-L-Y! Not being a fan of orange to begin with, they are bold, hard to read from a distance when driving, and have nothing to do with our state. If you are not familiar with the New York State license plates, here is a view of them from my life:

My feeling is that this should have been canned and redone to make it better. This was rushed and uncalled for at this point in time. Luckily, mine will not be switched out for quite some time.

My question to you this week:

What state are you from and do you like you license plates? Also curious if yours have changed a lot during your lifetime or stayed mostly the same.

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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 #111

Categories:
Aloha Friday looking back me moments road trip

A childhood best friend

Posted on August 5, 2010 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It’s only fitting that today, while heading to BlogHer, I write about long time friends. Later today, while at BlogHer, I will finally be able to meet many people that I have known in the blogosphere for three or more years. I am so excited about this. The list of people that I hope to meet and some see again (from DisneySMMoms) would be too long to list here, plus I no doubt would leave out someone important without meaning to hurt feelings.

Last Friday, I had a reunion of a different kind. I have to admit, I was really giddy about this. I actually called my parents to see if I could have a friend come over to "play" at their house. When my parents heard that it was my lifelong friend and former neighbor Julespearl, they immediately agreed. Heck, they were excited at the prospect of seeing her. They had probably not seen her since my wedding, nine years ago.

Growing up, Julespearl and I were inseperable. The two of us would knit together on the porch in the summer, watch Little House in the Prarie first thing each morning, and share our dreams of teaching. She was actually one of the few people that knew I secretly wanted to teach when I started off at pharmacy school.

Julespearl and I have tried to get together in the past, but things just didn’t work out. This time we both knew it was a must. So the other night I sent her a message. I asked if she could come over to play – seriously! For old times, TechyDad even made WhirlyPop popcorn that I brought and we had ice tea as we chatted while the boys played. The sad thing, Julespearl had never actually met my boys in person while we both lived in the same city all these years.

It was like time had stopped and we had never grown up. We talked and talked and talked. Each of us catching up on things that have or are happening in our lives. We both commented on how special our neighborhood was growing up. All of the kids played together, summers did not need camp because we all went on adventures to the park and beyond together. It really was a different time period. As much as I love our neighbord here, our busy schedules means that we do not see each other often and it is sad especially based on my childhood.

As dinner time approached, Julespearl had to head home. She and her hubby were heading out to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. Just another reminder that we had indeed grown up.

So today, as I make new friends and see others once again, I also look forward to making more memories when I get back home from BlogHer with my good buddy. I can not wait to sit down and knit together with citronella candles lit listening to Beetles in the background.