Marley and Me: The Puppy Years on DVD Aug. 16 Review

MARLEY & ME: THE PUPPY YEARS

Arriving On Blu-ray and DVD August 16

Exclusively at Walmart, Sam’s Club and Walmart.com

Anyone who reads our blog knows my son loves dogs and cats. I think this movie has moved him to the Dogs are the best category. As a kid I loved dogs. I wanted to be a vet at one time. I have fond memories of my first dog and I know my son will have great memories of our black lab we have now. He strongly knows the word "dog" and shouts it anytime he sees a dog, a picture of a dog or even a cartoon of one. He can pick out a dog in a picture full of items and in a crowd of people he will let you know if there is a dog in there somewhere.

Marley as a Puppy

My husband and I thought the first Marley movie was sweet. I really wanted to see this movie Marley and  Me: The Puppy Years since its a prequel to the original movie. It is a really cute movie and my son loved it.

Marley at the Dog Agility Competition

Summary:  
"One loveable canine goes on a magical new adventure for the entire family in MARLEY & ME: THE PUPPY YEARS, cuddling up on Blu-ray and DVD August 16 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.  Filmed on location in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia by acclaimed director Michael Damian (Flicka 2, Moondance Alexander), this touching side story to the original $240 million global box office smash Marley & Me introduces us to Marley as the lovable pint sized pup.

Fall into puppy love with “the world’s worst dog,” who now has a frisky voice and an attitude to match.  Join Marley for his mischievous puppy years, as he and his summer pal, Bodie Grogan, wreak havoc on a neighborhood dog contest.  Marley outwits Dobermans, Shepherds and Collies, while stealing hearts in his own unique and lovable way.  Get your paws on MARLEY & ME: THE PUPPY YEARS and fetch big laughs for the whole family!"

This is definitely a family friendly movie that has the story line of good vs bad, a hint of a romance story (a bit of puppy love one might say!) and of course good wins!

There is a specific part of this movie that makes my son laugh out loud. The first time I heard him laugh from it I too laughed from how tickled he was by Marley. He normally claps and has some giggles during movies but this was a full on laugh from the belly. Every time we watch the movie that scene every time gets him laughing.
Marley goes into the kitchen to see there is a Spam sandwich on the counter he tries to jump up and get it down but instead it flies into the air. My son laughs so hard it makes me smile so big.

This is a cute and family friendly movie that any Marley fan or dog lover should see.


*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 of Marley and Me The Puppy Years on DVD  for my review.

The ultrasound is in and It's a...

GIRL!!!!!!!

Finally we are seeing pink!! Ahhhhhh we are on cloud 9 right now mixed in with a bit of shock. I told myself it was probably a boy so that I would not be shocked (ok maybe a bit disappointed) if they told me we were having our 3rd boy. Don't get me wrong I love my boys and if it was a boy then of coarse we would love him just the same. But I don't even have to worry or think about that because we are having a GIRL!!!

It is still sinking in and my thoughts are all over the place. She will have 2 big brothers to love her and torture her, she will be the "baby" of the family and will know it. My husband in so excited, although he is trying to keep his cool. There is just something about a Daddy and his daughter :) There is girl scouts and sleepovers and I have not forgotten about the DRAMA!! Girls are dramatic, I know I am one, but I am still so excited over it. My Mom is one of my best friends and I hope to create and nurture that same relationship with my daughter.

Now excuse me, I am off to search the Internet for all things PINK!!

DIY Please?!

Oddly I was more DIY before I was married. My sister and I would paint and revamp stuff all the time as kids and teenagers. We would repaint dressers, tables, our room and once a play house we made light purple with white hand prints. It was the 80s so hand prints and the splash paint was big lol. Having a Dad that is a contractor made having the supplies right there for us to use. We would use drills, sanders, tools and we once made a funny statue that we still laugh about today.

Now that I am a Mom my DIY desires have returned. I am not sure if its the desire to be more Frugal or to just create something great from something no one wanted. Either way I need to DIY! The other day our neighbors were cleaning out there garage and placed stuff on the end of their driveway and a FREE sign attached to it.

My DIY ideas were twirling in my head. It was a round wooden claw foot table that looked worn but had tons of potential. It was really hot out and there was no one to help me get the table from across the street to my garage. I thought of calling my MIL to have her help me but its a long drive to just help me carry a table across a street. I told myself its ok I don't need an extra table. But in my heart I wanted to make something cool out of it like a craft or activity table for my son and I.

I thought to myself in the morning I will ask my neighbor if she would help me but the next morning it was gone! We do not have much traffic on our street so I figured it would still be there in the morning. My DIY dreams were shattered and now I really really need to get out this creativity streak I am having. So I say DIY Please!!!

What has been your greatest find that you have done a DIY fix up to?

Social Experiment or a Chance to get Free Drinks?

Did anyone else hear about the guy who started a social experiment by loading his Starbucks gift card with $30 and let anyone use it? My local news showed it is empty now but I am sure it might be loaded again by a random person. They said over $4,000 had been loaded and used and that was yesterday.

Crazy right?!? After we watched the news story my husband laughed and said Wow he will be getting a TON of free drinks mailed to him. I thought OH Man why did I not think of that. You can register any gift card to the Starbucks rewards program and every time a drink is purchased it racks up points towards a FREE drink. A little postcard is mailed to you so you can redeem your free drink in person.

Sadly I don't have a Smart Phone or I would start my own Coffee campaign to get myself free drinks lol!

My Diapering Adventures with my Baby Tumble Weed

I have to admit I do not have the diaper changing finesse that I thought I would. When my little sister was a baby it was so easy to change her diaper she patiently waited until you were done. Well my own son, OH MY! I am baffled at how wild he gets and squirmy when I change his diaper. It has been a battle in our home since he was born. I thought this will just fade he will be easier to change when he is bigger. Boy was I wrong! He is the wildest child when he needs to be changed. We call him Tumble Weed since he rolls into a ball and tries to get away then second you unfasten his diaper. Its messy, gross and frustrating at times. When he is sleepy or grumpy he tries with all his might to wiggle away during a diaper change. He scoots as fast as he can upward to get away. I have to grab him and pull him back onto the changing mat and put on his diaper as fast as I can before I get kicked. He is a wild Tumble Weed!

In public its even worse he has a fear of the changing tables they have in bathrooms. One time we were at the mall and as soon as I unfastened his diaper to change a pee diaper he grabbed the diaper from under himself and threw it. My son has the arm of a football star so it flew very far and flopped onto the floor. I was embarrassed and grossed out! Thankfully it was just pee and there was only one other family in the family changing room. They giggled a bit and I apologize that they were barely missed by a flying wet diaper.


I have talked to many other moms about does your kid do this or what would you do and not many have a solution that works and some look at me like I am nuts! We have tried many things such as dangling a toy above him to make him distracted, singing or silly faces when I am changing him and even letting him hold some wipes while I changed him. None of them lasted more than one change. He catches on easily!

I recently read about the new Huggies quick change Little Movers Slip On Diapers and I am excited to try them. I feel these might be my answer to the relief I need from wiggly wild diaper changes. They are the type of diaper that I can pull of his diaper and put on a new one quickly. I know this would make pee diapers super fast since I could change him in seconds not giving him time to wiggle away or in his case tumble away!

*I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Huggies blogging program, for a gift card worth $35. For more information on how you can participate, click here

Crazy for Bargains Sleepwear Review and $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway

Just as I was telling my husband our son needs new pjs and I wanted to find some cool but cute ones I found the website CrazyforBargains.com. They carry tons of great pjs for the whole family for good prices. They carry kids, toddlers, men's and woman's pajamas, robes and slippers. I had visions of matching pjs and slippers for the up coming holiday season. Call me a dork but its on my Christmas wish list. My husband might not be so willing! My sister Sam started a Christmas tradition that I love. She buys all the kids matching pajamas for all the kids to wear on Christmas morning. This year I will be telling her about Crazy for Bargains.

I spent over a hour looking at all the cute stuff just for toddler boys. There was so much cute stuff to select from. I found the coolest Batman with Cape and Hood PJs for my son that I has spotted while we were shopping at the mall last weekend. They are so cute but yet so cool! Perfect for my little super hero. He loved the cape and made whooshing noises as he jumped off his ride on jet ski. He is a dare devil and it makes me nuts but he smiles so big!

His crazy morning hair!

I found the sweetest giraffe pajamas called Lazy One Looooong Day. He LOVES giraffes his best buddy is his stuffed animal giraffe. He immediately knew what it was on his pjs he pointed and said "giafe" and grabbed his stuffed animal to show me he knew that his pjs were like his toy. He snuggled his toy all night in his giraffe pjs it was super sweet!

Since he has a new found love for shoes, thank goodness since I thought he would want to be barefoot everywhere he went. I thought it would be perfect to get him some slippers. We got him Elmo slippers that he  looks so cute in when he dances in the morning to commercials during the morning show I watch. He gets wild with his fancy foot work while wearing Elmo. He gets really mad if I try to take them off too. He has worn them to the store a few times when he has a melt down at me trying to take them off. I know I should not give in to that, I am learning!

One of the greatest sections on the Crazy for Bargains website for me is the SALE section. Its a frugal moms haven! We found pajamas as low as $4.99! We were sent Marvel Heroes VS Villains Footed Pajamas from the sale section. I love how colorful the outfit was and my husband had fun pointing out who the characters are to our son.

All of the Pajamas we were sent have held up awesome in the washer and dryer. No shrinking or fading. 
The selection is one of the best things about the company. For kids and adults alike there are novelty designs like Happy Faces, Sports themes, Animals and Character themes like Buzz Light Year, Super Heroes, Disney, Smurfs and many regular patterns like plaids and hearts. There is almost any type of design I could think of. I would recommend Crazy for Bargains as a great place to find pajamas for the whole family!

GIVEAWAY

Win a $25 Gift Certificate with free shipping to use on any item in their online store.

 To Enter This Giveaway:
 
What is one item from the CrazyforBargains.com website would you love to have?

 *Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address if not in GFC profile*

 

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 Crazy for Bargains on Facebook. +1
-Follow Crazy for Bargains on Twitter  +1

-Follow Frugal Family Tree on GFC ( right hand side) +3

-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. +2 for each share you do. (can be done once a day)

-Add our button to your blog and leave a link of where it is located +5 (right hand side) 

-Vote for us on the Were On the Fence  +2 (left hand side just click it

 

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts August 10, 2011 and ends on August 25, 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

My brother is not an Alient right?

JJ has been learning/struggling with learning to be nice to his little brother. Although Baby L is a tough little guy, he is still a baby and we are forever telling JJ this.

While eating lunch the other day JJ says: My brother is not an alient (that is what he calls an alien) right Mom?
Me: No he is not an alient.
JJ: So he is a real boy and not an alient from another planet?
Me (again) No he is your little brother.
JJ: Well then I guess I will not try to destroy him anymore.
Me: (belly laughing)

Haha although he meant it at the time, he has since tried to "destroy" his brother many times. Boys!

My Little Helper

My son makes me laugh at his willingness to help me clean up. Of course its always on his terms! The other day I was collecting laundry to put in the washer and I could not find his green plaid shorts I wanted him to wear the next day. I looked everywhere until I discovered he had placed them in what I am sure looked like a hamper to him, the trash can! I give him an "A" for effort though. I will now get him his own little hamper so he can properly put his dirty clothing in it.

This evening too he was a helper. When we got home from the grocery store he noticed I did not immediately put away my purse and diaper bag since I was putting away groceries. So he dragged them both one by one down the hall and placed them in front of the hall closet where I store them. I watched him do this and it was just so sweet to see that he really does learn by watching me. He knows we are suppose to put away our stuff when we get home. I love it!

Hopefully these cleaning and put away habits stick through the teenage years lol!

Shaun the Sheep Animal Antics DVD Review and Giveaway

I have to admit I love Shaun the Sheep! I have always been a fan of Wallace and Gromit, I even played the video game of W&G. I am just a big kid at heart so I will confess I watch cartoons with my son. Yes some of them are really silly and just for him but the smile on his face when he looks over and sees that I am watching too melts my heart. He likes when I sing and dance with him. I always like to of course watch it the first time for content but only a few do I find myself laughing at.

I thought Shaun the Sheep was really cute. It has great Claymation type cartoon characters with simple and sweet story lines. My son loved it too. He almost can say Sheep. We are working on it. He watched it 3 times before he would let me turn it off. You can see more about Shaun the Sheep at his website.

A little about this Shaun the Sheep DVD "Animal Antics":


Get ready for farm-fresh fun and laughter with Shaun the Sheep and his barnyard buddies, as they set the scene for more mayhem on the farm. Laugh out loud as Shaun tries to outfox a fox, Bitzer discovers his jazzy side, and the sheep try to sell everything on the farm to the highest bidder. Shaun and his friends deliver seven hilarious adventures full of animal antics that will make the whole family cock-a-doodle doo!

My favorite episode is:
Who's the Caddy: The Farmer discovers his old golf clubs and decides to knock a few balls around in the field, instantly putting his back out. Shaun takes the opportunity to learn how to play while Bitzer, who desperately wants to show off his golfing prowess, is forced to tend to his injured master inside the house.

This one made me laugh since I am a bit of a golfer myself. The heartbeat noise that was made when he almost got a hole in one was great, right off a golfing video game!

My second favorite episode is:
Everything Must Go: The Farmer has set up a stall by the side of the road, selling produce from the garden. He leaves Bitzer in charge for the day. But lazy Bitzer soon gets bored and gives Shaun the job while he puts his feet up by the pool. Shaun proves to be a much better salesman than Bitzer and the flock is only too happy to get stuck in selling pretty much all of the Farmer's worldly possessions!

This made me laugh since its how yard sales go around my house. My husband would push everything out on the lawn and sell it if I didn't keep an eye on stuff!

GIVEAWAY

Shaun the Sheep Animal Antics DVD
 

To Enter This Giveaway: 

What cartoon animal character is yours or your kids/grandkids favorite?

 *Leave a comment answering the question and be sure to leave your email address*

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 Shaun the Sheep on Facebook +1

-Follow Frugal Family Tree on GFC ( right hand side) +3

-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. +2 for each share you do. (can be done once a day)

-Add our button to your blog and leave a link of where it is located +5 (right hand side) 

-Vote for us on the Were On the Fence  +2 (left hand side just click it)

 

*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts August 5, 2011 and ends on August 20, 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.

Sacramento Local Giveaway: 4 River Cats Baseball Game Tickets

Local Giveaway for Sacramento California. Win 4 Tickets to go see the RiverCats play a home game. The tickets are for any non sold out game in the Delta Section of the seating. Redeem at box office and subject to availability (does not include parking)

We are thinking we might try to go on a Friday night since its Family Day. The have $1 hotdogs and $1 desserts.  Saturday nights they have a fireworks show at the end of the game.

You can visit the Sacramento RiverCats website to see more info on game times and days.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:

 Leave a comment telling me who you will take to go see a game. (include your email address so I can contact you if you win)




Extra Entries: These can be done after leaving the first comment. Leave one comment for each extra entry.

Like Frugal Family Tree fan page on Facebook
Follow Frugal Family Tree on Twitter


That is a total of 3 entries per person! Good Luck!


*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts August 3, 2011 and ends on August 07, 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 will be providing the tickets to you by mail. No P.O. Box addresses will be excepted. I am not responsible for tickets lost in the mail. I will however provide delivery confirmation when the tickets are mailed.