Giraffe Dreams

My son ADORES Giraffes! I am not sure what it is about them or why he picked Giraffes as his favorite animal but he loves them. In books, in stores and on TV if he sees one he goes crazy with joy. His stuffed giraffe "Giafe" is his best friend. He goes everywhere with him. He gets very upset if we do not take him with us. He has had him since his first birthday and now has two giraffes since Nana bought him another one for his second birthday. He has to sleep with both giraffes with him. Thankfully now that there are two of them I can give him "Geoffrey" giraffe when "Giafe" is in the washing machine. It was epic melt downs when his first giraffe would go into the washer but now he second giraffe keeps him company.

While we were at the mall the other day we walked by the Hallmark store to see what after Christmas deals they had. When my son started to squeal and yell Giraffe! He spotted the biggest toy giraffe we have ever seen. Sadly it was priced around $100. But he still loved seeing it and oh how I wish he could have one! When we got home we played giraffe battles where he likes to have me be Geoffrey and he Giafe and we make them wrestle, its hilarious!

Happy New Year 2012!

Happy New Year everyone! I cannot believe its 2012. I had a plan to write what I learned this year and my goals for myself, my family life and my blog. But then New Years Eve morning we took our son to the park to play and I changed my mind. It was a beautiful sunny day in Cali to go to the park and there were other families playing and having fun. My son adores dogs and if he sees one at the park he always wants to go pet it. Of course I always ask first since I do not want him to try to pet an unfriendly dog. This time there was an old couple and their dogs walking pass the slide area. My son ran over to them saying "Dog Dog" The old man stopped and after letting us know it was ok to pet the dog he just smiled away seeing my son gently pet the dog. The mans wife kept walking towards the dog area but the old man stayed to let my son pet the dog to his hearts content. I would guess the old man was at least in his late 70s maybe early 80s and he talked moved very slowly.

As we were standing there he put out his hand out towards us and quietly said "This world would be a great place......(then he paused to catch his breath).....if everyone would just do the right thing" Then he smiled and said he had to "go back to the boss" referring to catching up to his wife who was on the other side of the park. This left my husband and I a bit baffled and touched by his words. It seemed like such a simple thing but so complex at the same time. I thought to myself that will be my motto for 2012 to just do the right thing, what I feel is right in my heart. So many versions in the world of what is "the right thing" is what seems to make it hard for it to work. But I am going to live this year to do my best to do the right thing for my family, myself and my blog.

We will of course be watching the Rose Parade in the morning on TV like Nana mentioned in her New Years post and we will eat Panda Express like we do every year! We are now making a new tradition of taking our son to the park to play on New Years Eve morning. We also take a picture of my son by the TV as the ball drops in Time Square, its cheesy but its as close as we get to being there.

Happy New Year 2012 everyone I hope this year will be the year I find a way to make blogging a full time job for myself, Nana and Sam, and for Meg to work for us part time. Keeping all the women in our family connected through the blog is what brings me an unmeasurable joy. Thank You to my family for the support in keeping this blog going and a Thank You to all of our readers who make our blog as great as it is!

It Wouldn't Be New Years If We Didn't Watch The Rose Parade

On the morning of January 1st of every year, I know exactly where I will be. I will be sitting down watching the Rose Parade on TV and loving every second of it. I grew up in the Los Angeles/Pasadena area so the Parade and all of it's elaborate preparations were just a fact of life. It wasn't until I was older that I realized this was an event that was watched and loved by millions of people all around the world. Every New Year's Eve when I was a teenager I would beg my parents to let me spend the night on Colorado Blvd. which is the main Parade route we all see on TV. Talk about a party! Every year they said no. I have only recently stopped carrying a grudge about this.

Have you ever gone to the Rose Parade? It truly is a once in a lifetime, very special experience. People come from all over the country to see the floats, the marching bands and all of those beautiful horses and their riders. The flowers on the floats are so stunningly beautiful they almost seem unreal. Amazingly, every flower, seed, or decoration used must be real or natural. There are not many people who can say they have decorated a float in the Rose Parade. But my daughter Sam did when she was in eighth grade with her Drill Team. It was quite an honor to do this and she came home dirty, covered in glue and seeds, but extremely happy. Each year she never fails to mention that she is the only one in the family who holds this honor. A couple of years later Laura was on the Drill Team, but the team wasn't involved with the decorating that year. From the Parade's humble beginning back in 1890 with decorated carriages and games to play, we have all come to love and appreciate the Tournament Of Roses Parade. Whether you are lucky enough to be in sunny Pasadena to see it in person or watching it on TV, our New Year's Day would not be the same without it. Happy New Year everybody!

Thomas & Friends Rescue on the Rails DVD and Thomas & Friends Adventure on the Tracks 6-DVD Set Movie Review

 Trains and Firefighters how cool is that! A newly released Thomas and Friends Rescue on the Rails DVD is full of firefighting action with the fire engine Flynn. Flynn was a new character to us when we saw him in "Day of the Diesels", still one of my son's favorite Thomas movies. It was great to see Flynn back in action saving the day on the Island of Sodor.

DVD SYNOPSIS
Ready to Rescue! The Sodor Search and Rescue Team is racing to the rescue -- Bertie's stuck on Shake Shake Bridge, Gordon's derailed and Thomas' firebox is on fire! In these exciting episodes, your favorite engines brave the rails to rescue their friends. Discover that being heroic is more than having speed and strength; it's about teamwork and a big heart – which puts every Really Useful Engine on the right track.
Episodes include:

• “Fiery Flynn”
• “James to the Rescue”
• “Edward the Hero”
• “Stop That Bus!”

DVD BONUS FEATURES
Who's Pulling Into The Station? Game
“Thomas, You're The Leader” Karaoke Music Video

This Thomas & Friends Adventure on the Tracks 6-DVD Set is great! My son loves putting the DVDs in the player and telling me "Okay Go" so I can push play. Sometimes when he says it I like to be ready with the remote so he thinks he made it work. Having 6 new DVDs from this Thomas set made is day! He is more and more of a Choo Choo aka Thomas and Friends fan with each DVD he sees. I love that he enjoys trains and hearing him say Choo Choo is beyond sweet!

DVDS INCLUDE:
Thomas & Friends: Percy's Ghostly Trick & Other Thomas Stories
Discover laughs and surprises around every bend! Thomas thinks he's seen a ghost, Percy puffs into a giant pile of hay, Oliver encounters some troublesome trucks and Donald and Douglas rescue a mischievous engine.
Bonus Features:

• Character Gallery
• Sing-Along Song: Thomas' Anthem
• Bonus DVD Game: Who Am I?

Thomas & Friends: Thomas and the Jet Engine & Other Adventures
Always expect the unexpected on the Island of Sodor! Thomas gets a surprising push from a jet engine, Percy lets his imagination run away with him, Harold makes a horse fly and Salty and Fergus prove they're useful on and off the tracks.
Bonus Features:

• Sing Along Song: Boo! Boo! Choo Choo
• Thomas Gallery
• 3 Bonus DVD Games: Counting Corner, What Came First? and Memory Madness

Thomas & Friends: Rusty To The Rescue
Thomas and his friends discover that fun and excitement never end! Join in the adventure as little Rusty sets off where only big, brave diesels dare to go and Duke gets rescued and reunited with Stuart and Falcon.
Bonus Features:

• Sing-Along Song: Gone Fishing
• Sodor Memories
• Game and Activity Sheets

Thomas & Friends: Percy Saves The Day
Learn the importance of listening to others when Thomas ignores Percy's wobbly track warning, Rusty sets off to save a reckless Duncan and Fergus proves himself to be really useful.
Bonus Features:

• Read Along Story: Thomas and Percy and the Dragon
• Sing Along Song: There Once Was An Engine Who Ran Away
• Bonus DVD Game: Pick that Sound
• 2 DVD-Rom Games: Percy's Maze Adventure and Counting Fun

Thomas & Friends: Thomas Comes To Breakfast & Other Thomas Adventures
Everyone learns important lessons about good behavior when Thomas shows off a little too much, Diesel causes trouble between the other engines and Gordon finds out that sabotage can backfire.
Bonus Features:

• Read Along Story: Thomas and the Naughty Diesel
• Sing Along Song: Little Engines
• DVD Bonus Game: James' Connects the Dots Fun

Thomas & Friends: Steamies vs. Diesels
Find out how just how much the Steamies and Diesels have in common when they put aside their differences and start working together to keep Sir Topham Hatt's railway running smoothly.
Bonus Features:

• Fun and Games
• Pick a Story

Website: www.thomasandfriends.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thomasandfriends
Twitter: @TrueBlueEngine



*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. 

The Looney Tunes Show Season 1 Volume 2 DVD Review

Bugs Bunny and his friends are classic cartoon characters. I remember watching it as a kid. They are short but funny clips that are fun to watch even as an adult. Its always fun to share characters like Daffy, Tweety and Taz with my son. He can be a Tweety one minute and a Taz the next lol. One of my favorite episodes on this DVD is Devil Dog where Bugs befriends Taz and scares Daffy! Too cute.



Movie Summary:
This half-hour animated comedy series starring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck is no longer confined to 7-minute shorts. Bugs and Daffy are out of the woods and living in the suburbs among such colorful neighbors as Yosemite Sam, Granny, Tweety and Sylvester. In addition to each episode’s main story, The Looney Tunes Show also features “cartoons within a cartoon.” The Tasmanian Devil, Speedy Gonzales, Marvin the Martian and other classic characters sing original songs in two-minute music videos called Merrie Melodies . The legendary Looney Tunes cartoons are getting a 21st century relaunch and a CGI overhaul for a new generation.

You can buy The Looney Tunes Show Season 1 Volume 2 on DVD from the WBShop online.




*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.