Friday, September 30, 2011

Disney Jake and the Never Land Pirates DVD Review


In my home movies are a family friendly way to connect. I love watching my sons movies with him and then showing him stuff he sees in his daily life to relate to it. As a kid I remember watching Peter Pan over and over and love it. This is the new Pirates show for kids from Disney Junior. The show still has the charm of the Pirate spirit of Captain Hook, Mr. Smee and the crew. As well as the crocodile Tick Tock. It is geared towards kids 2-5 and is kind of a cute pirate type. It is a good guys (Jake and his friends) vs the bad guys (Captain Hook) and different situations they get into.

Just released September 27th Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Yo Ho, Mateys Away! on DVD will be in stores now.  I think it would be a cute to show it on Halloween to the kids that will be coming over. I know at least one of them wants to be a pirate for Halloween.


Movie Summary:
Ahoy, mateys! Set sail for adventure just off the shores of Never Land. Join Jake, Izzy and Cubby, parrot pal Skully and their trusty ship, Bucky, as they go from muddy swamps to enchanted jungles, solving pirate problems and hunting for lost treasure. But watch out for Captain Hook! With the help of faithful Mr. Smee, Hook is always trying to snatch the kids' treasure, and it's going to take teamwork, smarts and even pixie dust to outwit him. Overflowing with 7 action-packed episodes filled with treasure, adventure, and fun pirate rock music, Jake and the Never Land Pirates is swashbuckling fun for everyone!

If you are new to Jake and the Never Land Pirates you can check out the website on Disney to play games, find coloring pages and more.


*I was not paid or compensated for this post. The opinions in this post are 100% mine and may vary from other opinions. I was provided for free a copy for my review.







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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Novica Review and $35 Giveaway






I have always been a fan of National Geographic. As a kid in elementary school my Mom would rent me VCR tapes of National Geographic shows. I was the only one who wanted to watch them and there being 5 kids my mom was awesome to rent them for me. I said as a kid one day I want to be a Nat Geo photographer! I still hold onto the dream that one day a photo of mine will be in their magazine!

When I learned about the Novica website I was thrilled to be able to share the company with everyone. Novica helps support artist all over the world by connecting them through the internet to buyers like myself. They have unique items for any home. I have been wanting a nice glass pitcher for tea and juice. I do not like plastic containers for drinks. I found a beautiful Blue Hand Blown Glass Pitcher made in Mexico by the artist Javier and Efren. The pitcher is free of lead and toxins and holds 98oz of liquid. Its perfect for my green tea.





Novica sells many great items that would make great gifts for the upcoming holidays. For the professional people in your life they have great fair trade Unique Corporate Gifts. The stationary and jewelry would make great gifts for co-workers, bosses and business contacts.





 Novica has introduced a new idea for selling their worldwide artistic products. They have created Novica Live. 



Novica Live is an at home party program that can help individuals be able to make some good money and support artisans worldwide. Like many at home party programs you purchase a starter kit to have products and business materials to host a party in your home. You will be able to sell beautiful handcrafted jewelry, Batik Sarongs, Glass Pitchers and more. You can find out more about becoming a consultant on the Novica Live website.



A great way to see the products for yourself to know if you would like to be a consultant would be to win the giveaway of $35 that Novica has offered to one of my readers.



GIVEAWAY
Win a $35 gift certificate to Novica.com

To Enter This Giveaway: 

What item from Novica would you like to have in your Home?


 *Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if its not public in your Google account*

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry. If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on. 

Like Novica on Facebook +1
Follow Novica on Twitter +1

-Follow Frugal Family Tree on GFC ( right hand side) +1

-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree +1

-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1

-Share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 for each share you do. (can be done once a day) This means you have the chance to get 2 extra entries a day.

-Add our button to your blog and leave a link of where it is located +2 (right hand side) 


*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts September 29, 2011 and ends on October 10, 2011 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others.

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Frugal Home



I love to buy stuff for my home. I really LOVE it when its such a great deal I smile when I see it in my house! Yesterday at Target I found a lamp for only $11.98 on clearance. I love to shop the back of the departments for great deals. I thought about buying it for my home office so I can see better and it would look nicer. But my son was getting restless so I eneded up leaving before deciding on if I really wanted it.



This morning I thought ok I really do need that lamp so I can see better in that room. We went back to Target today and I found the lamp I was looking at had been marked down to $4.24!! I was so giddy with joy that I waited a day and got an awesome deal. The toy clearance was marked down as well as the back to school supplies. I would definitely go check your local Target for early holiday gifts and for school supplies. I know when I was in school having new supplies after the holiday break made it fun to go back to class after so much time off.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Epicurious Shop and $25 Cooking.com Giveaway




I love to bake and cook. Sometimes I burn stuff and get complaints but I always blame it on my cooking tools and not me. After all its like a doctor with medieval tools! I have always wanted to cook and bake like my Mom does. She can make awesome dinners and delicious desserts like a professional. I always tell my husband about the meatloaf she makes and the chicken legs that I can almost taste as I picture them. I want to be that kind of cook for my son. I want him to smile and mmmmm when he eats my food. Well since hes only 22 months old there is still time to "Get it in gear turkey" as Norman from On Golden Pond said.

Stoneware Rectangular Baker with Bonus (10.5x7-in.): Lavender by Le Creuset

Only $35.95



I enjoy shopping online for cookware and bakeware. I can read reviews of the item, compare them to other brands, look for online coupons and best of all I can sip a cup of coffee and shop while my son naps. I recently found Epicurious.com Shop. They are associate with Cooking.com and carry tons of great items for the home chef. 

Simply Calphalon Nonstick Bakeware Nonstick Bakeware Set (6-pc.) by Calphalon

Only $29.99



They have all the top names in cookwear such as Le Creuset, Calphalon, All-Clad, as well as bakewear, cutlery, cookbooks and electric small cooking appliances. I could spend all day looking at the awesome stuff. My Christmas wish list has gotten a lot bigger since I have found this site!

My favorite section is the Specials. Being a Frugal Mama I love buying high quality items when they are an sale. They are having some items up to 70% off! 

For our Home Event Epicurious has offered one of our lucky readers the chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Cooking.com. I was so excited to be able to share a great giveaway for that site! It would be perfect for the up coming holidays as a gift for you or someone special.


GIVEAWAY
Win a $25 gift certificate to Cooking.com

To Enter This Giveaway: 

What is your favorite Cookware or Bakeware in your home?


 *Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if its not public in your Google account*

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry. If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on. 

Like Epicurious on Facebook +1
Follow Epicurious on Twitter +1

-Follow Frugal Family Tree on GFC ( right hand side) +1

-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree +1

-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1

-Share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 for each share you do. (can be done once a day) This means you have the chance to get 2 extra entries a day.

-Add our button to your blog and leave a link of where it is located +2 (right hand side) 


*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts September 27, 2011 and ends on October 8, 2011 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others.

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Monday, September 26, 2011

Furniture Fix Review and Giveaway



As a frugal Mom I try my best to save money where I can to have money for the fun and special things we might want. Furniture has been something we have needed for over a year now but cannot seem to find a great price. I have been to RC Willey and other places to find over priced items and the quality lacking. Since we have great quality furniture right now (stuff we purchased before my son was born, when we could afford more lol) we thought we just need a way to give the couch and bed a makeover. I really did think and say to my husband maybe plywood? My husband laughed and said I dont think that will work.

Our two middle seats of the sectional are saggy and uncomfortable



When I saw online an item made by the As Seen on TV company called Furniture Fix I immediately thought it was a fantastically frugal idea!

Here is what the Furniture Fix can do:

"Furniture Fix the quick fix for old sagging furniture. Save money and your furniture. Weak sagging springs lead to uncomfortable sagging furniture, Furniture Fix as seen on TV provides instant support to sagging springs. So why throw out our favorite chair or sofa when you can renew it and experience great support with Furniture Fix. Easy to use, no tools required, just place Furniture Fix under sagging cushions for instant firmness. The six panels interlock instantly and are customizable to lift and fix sagging upholstery of any size. The especially designed to stand up to heavy use. Experience renewed comfort with Furniture Fix!"





We have a micro fiber couch that is really easy to clean. It is easy to see sticky hand print marks, spilled sippy cup marks but those come right out with a bit of hot water and soap. The one thing I can't change is the saggy cushions and springs that over time and many jumping adventures have ruined. Or so I thought! I really was surprised that the Furniture Fix made it feel firmer and I could sit without the couch trying to pull me in. My son loves to make cushion forts so it did take a day or so for him to get not to mess with the panels but he understood that the cushions are for play. Thankfully I only have two seats in my sectional that needed help with the saggy issue. I will now be needed more sets of Furniture Fix for my bed!
 



GIVEAWAY

Win a Furniture Fix set for your furniture

To Enter This Giveaway: 

What is your favorite piece of furniture in your home?


 *Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if its not public in your Google account*

Extra Entries: Can be done after leaving a comment for mandatory entry. If the extra entry says 1 extra entry leave 1 comment and 2 extra entries leave me 2 comments and so on. 

-Like As Seen on TV on Facebook +1

-Follow Frugal Family Tree on GFC ( right hand side) +1

-Like our new fan page on Facebook Frugal Family Tree +1

-Follow FrugalFamTree on Twitter +1

-Share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook using the Share Button at the bottom on this post. +1 for each share you do. (can be done once a day) This means you have the chance to get 2 extra entries a day.


-Add our button to your blog and leave a link of where it is located +2 (right hand side) 


*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts September 26, 2011 and ends on October 8, 2011 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. I was provide the item in this review for free by the company or PR firm representing them. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others.

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GREENPAN Fondue Pot Review





Whenever we host a party, or as I like call it now that I am in my 30's a gathering, I like to do a little something different. What better way to eat and talk than over Fondue, your guests will love it. GREENPAN makes a Fondue Pot among tons of other cooking wear. The Fondue GREENPAN with Thermolon Technology is Stainless Steel and includes 1 Fondue Pot, 1 Splatter Guard/Fork Rest and 6 Fondue Forks.

We had a little mini Fondue Party at our house to see how it works before we launched it at a gathering. We added all of our ingredients; chocolate chips, peanut butter and heavy creme so it is not too thick.

I turned the stove top on low and slowly melted the ingredients. I was amazed at how easily the ingredients came off of the pan and the Non-stick was working really well in my opinion. Not all products that say Non-stick are really non-stick.



Once it was all mixed up on the stove top we moved the pot to the table on a hot pad along with out fruits and pound cake. We each picked out a Fondue Fork, they are color coded. How FUN!




And we dipped and dipped til we were so full we could not do it anymore. Well all of us except for JJ of coarse.




We had a great time and I will for sure be using my new Fondue pot in the near future with some friends. I loved the non-stick pot, and it is not strictly for fondue, you can remove the spatter guard and use it as a "regular" cooking pot for whatever your cooking needs are. If you are in the market for new pots, pans, cookwear, ovenwear or any cooking accessories check out GREENPAN products, they won't disappoint.



A few things about GREENPAN and Health from their web site:


A healthy and happy life in an enjoyable environment is our biggest goal in life. GreenPan™ commits to this, and invests 100% in research towards healthy and eco-friendly technologies.

Traditional non-stick is achieved by coating the fry pan with PTFE (PolyTetraFluoroEthylene); a waxy, synthetic substance. PTFE has well-documented disadvantages in practical household use. Above 260° C/500°F, this PTFE coating starts to decompose. The released fumes are proven to be lethal to small pets like birds! On humans, these fumes can potentially harm the respiratory tract and cause nausea and headaches. So, when you overheat your pan you damage not only your pan but possibly also your health.
GreenPan™ does not use PTFE, but brings with Thermolon™ non-stick technology a healthy alternative to the market. Thermolon™ is heat resistant up to high temperatures. This means that GreenPan™ has an extra safety feature; if you overheat your pan, even up to 450°C/850°F, no toxic fumes will be released and the coating will not blister or peel.



* I was not paid or compensated for this post. I was sent a free GreenPan Fondue Pot for my review by the company/PR company. The opinions are 100% mine and may vary from others.
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50 ft Party Kmart Halloween Shopping Review




Halloween has been a favorite holiday since I was a kid. I have awesome memories of my parents making the day super fun and spooky! My mom always had the greatest decorations for inside and outside our home. She would do spider webs, creatures, skeletons, vampires, pumpkins, witches and so much more! My brothers and sisters would always dress up and be something new each year.

Now that I am a mom too I want Halloween to be memorable for my son and just as fun as my mom made it for me. For me the decorations are what make Halloween feel real. Costumes you wear maybe a few times during October but decorations are up for a whole month.

A new tradition we have started for my son is Halloween costume contest. Last year he won second place and he was dressed as a lobster. Everyone asked where I got the costume from. It was soooo cute! Handing out candy is always something we do and a spooky decorated house is what makes it fun for us and the trick or treaters.

This year we headed to Kmart to shop for Halloween decorations. I tried to buy stuff that was spooky but not scary. My son was a bit apprehensive over some of the stuff we saw. Last year he was kinda mellow about everything, this year he is much more aware of things that make him scared. Before I went to Kmart I looked at the online items to get some ideas of what I wanted. I found a site by Kmart specifically for Halloween called Attack of the 50 ft Party .This site is full of Halloween ideas, tips, and tricks to have the spookiest and coolest Halloween! You can read more about the other blogs sharing their Halloween ideas from Kmart on twitter by searching the hashtag #KmartHalloween








When we first arrived at Kmart I noticed the signs for the Halloween department. As we were headed to it we found the Halloween Candy section first. There were great displays and a lot of candy to select from. They were having a 2 for $5 sale that was great. I could not find the Harvest M&M's I was looking for and even though there were a few employees stocking the shelves no one asked if I needed help. So I had to pass on finding those. I like the bags they come in but I did find one of my favorite treats, Branch's Mellowcreme Pumpkins. Its not officially Halloween time until I buy a bag!






After leaving the candy section I followed the signs and products along the way to the Halloween Costumes and decor section. But when I got there I was slightly disappointed with it looking a bit empty. They had some cool stuff but there was a large empty spot that looked like it could be for more Halloween items.
The stuff they did have was great. The Totally Ghoul items were cool and a good price. Everything from skeletons, spiders, haunted mirrors, headstones, lots of animated items and skulls. My son was pointing to stuff saying “wass at?” His way of saying “whats that?” I had to explain a bit about Halloween being make believe to a 22 month old he was kinda freaked out by it all so we headed to the more cute section.
The more cartoon looking items he liked and the big spider webs he said ohhhh when he saw them. The costume section had lots of great stuff too. I found a cute M&M’s costume but it was not my size lol! I looked at the kids costumes trying to find something for my son but nothing really jumped out at me as a I have to have this costume.














My original plan was much different from what I wanted to buy to what I did buy. I placed a wooden sign in my cart since I could not find the door greeter I wanted to buy that I found online. As we headed to the check out area I found where all the workers were, standing by customer service! I asked one of them about the Red Vampire M&M’s Door Greeter I wanted so bad and they replied its right behind you. They were on a display by the entrance of the store. Oddly I had not noticed them on the way in and there were none of them in the Halloween section. I wish they would have placed a few of them in the actual section so I would have been able to plan out my shop better. I put back the wooden sign and got my awesome door greeter as I had planned.

The check out clerk was a really nice guy. He talked to my son about his cool stuff. Asked me if I had my rewards card and I did thankfully! My rewards card printed out a coupon for 25% off costumes so I might be headed back there thanks to my great coupon! Kmart had some great Totally Ghoul items but it seemed like the same Kmart I shopped at as a kid. I think the store needs updating to look newer and more appealing.
We paid for our items and headed to the car. When I put all the Halloween stuff in the trunk it made me laugh to see the M&M’s vampire in the trunk like it was his sleeping coffin!










When we arrived home I was excited I got my Door Greeter and Scary Flying Ghost as I planned to. In addition to those items I ended up buying some candy, a candy cauldron, Snoopy Luminary and a trick or treat bag. Overall I was happy with my purchase.

I cannot wait to set up my ghost and door greeter as it gets closer to Halloween. They are both great purchases I will enjoy for many years. A big surprise in how cool the item was is the Snoopy Flameless Luminary Kit . It had little battery operated fake candles that fit perfect and lit up the candles just like a real candle would. I waited until sundown and placed them in the front yard. They looked really cool and I can’t wait to use them.

Kmart is really having a fun time with Halloween this year with their sales and promotions. On the Kmart Facebook page there is a Monster Bash contest celebrating the 50 ft Party promotion. You can win a gift card to Kmart to create your own awesome Halloween party. You can enter once a week as the prizes get bigger the closer it gets to Halloween.

Costumes
20% Off All Children's and Teen Costumes.Offer valid in all stores. No coupon required.
Decor
$10 OFF All Halloween Licensed Porch Greeters, plus 25% off All Halloween Licensed Décor. Offer valid in all stores. No coupon required.
Candy
Buy two get one free Mars singles
$2.99 Paper napkins
$3.99 Paper plates
2 for $3 Little Debbie Fall Cakes
2 for $6 Lay’s chips
10 for $10 Beverages
20% off Smart Sense cookies or cracker
2 for $3 Snacks
2 for $5 Hershey’s candy

I made an Intersect Story about my Kmart Halloween Shopping experience for you to read here.


*Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are my own and may vary from others.
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