Family « Real Moms Real Views

Don’t Look Back {Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire Review}

Who knew that Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby could sing? Throw in a few singing vampires and you have a hit!! The crew stars in their first ever animated musical/movie, Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire.

“Get set for big laughs, good times and cool tunes with the Scooby-Doo gang as they travel to the super spooky parts of the Deep South for the Vampire-Palooza Festival. The event kicks off with good fun and lots of tasty Southern snacks, but it’s not long before the festivities are interrupted by a real vampire who threatens the townsfolk and tries to take Daphne for his vampire bride!

Good thing our intrepid heroes don’t believe in the bloodsuckers — or do they? Packing a little garlic never hurt anyone, except a vampire, and so the gang sets out to investigate. Could the culprit be the descendant of a famous vampire hunter who is trying to sell his book? Or is it the festival’s owner, who is trying to use vampire lore to promote the fair? Maybe it’s the festival’s traveling musical troupe, whose very handsome lead singer is taking his vampire role just a little too seriously?

Things get more complicated when Shaggy, believing he’s been bit by a vampire, decides to hide from his friends in the swamp, but his loyal friend Scooby-Doo will not abandon him. And when Daphne goes missing, can Fred and Velma bring everyone together to prevent her from becoming the vampire queen? Everything culminates in a not-to-be-missed song-filled showdown in the swamp!”

http://shutterandcut.com/WB/ScoobyDoo_MOTV/ScoobyDoo_MOTV_DontLookBack.mov

The minute my kids saw the DVD/Blu-Ray sitting on the counter, it was a mad dash to get it playing. One grabbed the box and began ripping the wrapper off. The second turned on the TV and DVD player, while the third got treats ready. Mia, she just sat and waited for the fun to begin. We have always loved Scooby at our house, but this DVD is a fun twist on the original show. My kids loved the movie! They think vampires are pretty cool, so for them to have a movie that combines and a little scare with a little silly, they were thrilled! Once the movie was over, they karaoked….over and over. At the end of the movie is about a 15 minute karaoke segment where you can sing with Shaggy and the gang. Mia begged to take it to the sitters house the next day.

The movie was perfect! It was funny, silly and perfectly Scooby! Rhu-Row! Real Mom and Kiddo’s Approved!

Erin March 22, 2012 PRODUCT REVIEWS children, dvd, entertainment, Family, kids, movies, music, Scooby Doo, television

Must have iPhone accessory! {iLoveHandles: BARNACLE Review & Giveaway}

My iPhone has quickly become my favorite accessory in the world! I can do pretty much anything with it and stay connected to everyone through it! I love playing games on it and taking pictures…of course the kids do, too! It’s pretty much the greatest invention ever. I’m sure you all agree! Since it’s my favorite little thing, I am always looking for little accessories and fun do-dads to go along with it! I stumbled upon iLoveHandles, a great resource for all kinds of apple accessories, while on Pinterest one night. I was instantly smitten with the colorful, cute, and inventive little barnacle!

iLoveHandles designs and develops unique carrying solutions for Apple products. In early September 2010, iLoveHandles created an overnight media frenzy when it announced ROCK BAND.

Use your iPhone as a stand on your desk, a mount on your car windshield, on a wall, or any slick surface.

Barnacle. What a suck-up.

iLoveHandles generously sent me a few of their Barnacles. I think this is one of the most fun accessories I’ve found for my iPhone and has come in handy on so many occasions. I keep one by my bed on my nightstand, which has a glass top. I love how my phone no longer lays on the nightstand flat. Now it sits at a nice angle on the barnacle and I can easily see the time whenever I need to without having to pick up my phone! I also keep one in the car. My phone can sit on the center console or even hang off the window! So cool! I gave a Barnacle to my mom and she is equally impressed with this tiny little accessory. The Barnacle comes in a variety of bright colors, you’re sure to find your favorite! iLoveHandles also offers iPad bags and even some stylish computer bags. So many awesome accessories for all your apple goodness!

Today, iLoveHandles is giving a six pack of Barnacles to one winner!

Want to enter to win? Here’s how!

Mandatory First Entry:

Visit iLoveHandles and take a look around. Come back and tell us another product you would love to try!

Once the mandatory entries are completed you can gain additional entries from the following:

2 entries – Like iLoveHandles on Facebook.

2 entries – Like RMRV on Facebook.

3 entries-Follow RMRV on Pinterest

3 entries – Follow iLoveHandles on Pinterest.

2 entries-Subscribe to RMRV emails.

2 entries- Follow RMRV on Twitter

2 entries – Follow iLoveHandles on Twitter.

1 entry per day-Tweet this giveaway and leave us your tweet url.

5 entries- Blog about this entry and leave us the link

3 entries- Add RMRV on Google +.

The Barnacle is Real Mom Recommended!

You have until April 2nd @ 11:59 PM EDT to enter the giveaway. All giveaways are open to USA only.

Amanda March 19, 2012 PRODUCT REVIEWS WITH GIVEAWAYS dad, Family, Gifts, mom, technology

A New Favorite {Timmy Time DVD Review}

I thought we had seen every cartoon known to man. I was wrong! Ever heard of Timmy Time? It is on Disney’s Junior Channel (which we don’t have-so I have an excuse). It is made by the producers of Wallace and Gromit and Shawn the Sheep. It has that same kind of animation…looks kinda clay-mation to me. The DVD we go to check out is called Timmy Finds Treasure.

There’s tons of fun to boot-y with preschool favorite Timmy in the all-new release Timmy Time™: Timmy Finds Treasure, available on DVD March 13, 2012 from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment. Come aboard and yo-ho-hold on as the loveable lamb gets his pirate on in five treasure-filled episodes that arrrrrr sure to entertain your little swashbuckler again and again. With slapstick humor and not a single line of dialogue, Timmy Time follows a day in the life of barnyard preschoolers. With diverse animal characters along with a rich and colorful nursery school backdrop, Timmy and his friends learn life lessons that every preschooler needs to know.

Ahoy! There’s LOOTs of fun to be had with Timmy and his mateys in this collection of woolly tales! Timmy practices his pirate captain skills, accidentally leading his crew to special treasure. There’s mis-arrrdventure on the hunt for treasure and the crew must get creative to get back on course. Then when Timmy sets sail, he and his friends cause chaos on the seas. Join Timmy for some swashbuckling fun and see that good mateys are the best treasure of all!

Episodes:

· “Timmy Finds Treasure”

· “Timmy’s Treasure Hunt”

· “Timmy’s Tractor”

· “Timmy Makes A Splash”

· “Timmy’s Spring Surprise”

Mia was so excited to take this one to her friends house (who doesn’have Disney Junior, either). Both of them sat glued to the TV watching hte entire DVD. Then, the friend wanted to borrow the DVD. It was a HIT! The little girls loved it and laughed hysterically. I love to hear the kids laugh at the TV! Makes me laugh at them laughing Real Mom and the Neighbors Approved!

Erin March 16, 2012 PRODUCT REVIEWS children, discount code, dvd, entertainment, Family, kids, movies, Timmy Time

Pound Puppies: Homeward Pound now on DVD!

Mention the word “puppies” and my kids go crazy! They LOVE puppies. When Pound Puppies: Homeward Pound arrived for us to review they were super excited! When I think of Pound Puppies I remember being a little girl and owning quite a few of them. I remember they were adorable and they came in a little puppy dog house, which I kept with each one as their homes! Now I am excited to share these fun pups with my kiddos. They have brought a lot of smiles and giggles to our television time. My son’s favorite is Lucky. Once he learned his name he kept saying it over and over again.

This DVD includes 5 episodes:

Homeward Pound
My Fair Rebound
Quintuplets
K-9 Kid
Zoltron

There’s even a great bonus feature that you can enjoy:
Learn to draw Lucky! This will be fun when my son gets older. Right now it’s strictly crayons and scribbles for us! LOL

While I thought my 1.5 and 3.5 year old would only make it through one episode…..I was wrong. Once the first one was over they were asking me to play another! It was a hit, now do you think we will see a come back of the pound puppies in stores? I sure hope so, I would definitely buy them for my kids!

You can pick this up NOW at your local retailer!

Just in time for Easter basket giving!

Hollie March 10, 2012 PRODUCT REVIEWS children, dvd, Family, television

Silky and Smooth {Fairy Tales Hair Care Review}

Between me and my 3 little girls, we have A LOT of hair! Just ask my husband. He is forever cleaning out the drain in the shower or the brush of the vacuum. Gross, I know. But when you have girls, you have hair! (I think he is just grossed out by it cuz he is bald :) ) We spend a lot of time washing, brushing, blow drying, curling and styling a 4 of our head of hair every morning. If there was something I could do to make any of those things easier or faster, I would! Oh wait! Fairy Tale’s Hair Care has a solution!

“Fairy Tales Hair Care was created over 20 years ago in the Fairy Tales Salon in Hewlett, NY. For years, parents would ask the stylists what were these products that made their children’s hair so soft and manageable. But our stylists just smiled and said it was our secret recipe! The Fairy Tales Hair Care line was launched nationally in 1999 with great success! Within one week of our launch, Rosie O’ Donnell was showing off her bottle of Rosemary Repel Shampoo on her talk show. We were a hit! Parents and kids love these natural products loaded with organic herbs to cleanse, condition style and most importantly, help repel hair lice.”

They so kindly sent us a few goods to give a try. First up, detangling shampoo + conditioner and detangling conditioner. My girls have always just used whatever was pink and smelled good….those were their prerequisites. We haven’t ever used a detangling shampoo and we were AMAZED at how well it worked! Not only did it smell sweet, but it left my girl’s hair smooth and tangle free straight out of the shower. We were even able to run a fine toothed comb through their hair! Once they were done with their showers, we gave their hair a few squirts of detangling spray. Again, it smelled sweet, like a little girls hair should smell. If their hair had any teensy tiny tangle left after the shampoo/conditioner, the spray took care of it! We blew it dry without any problems (or tangles). I noticed that once their hair was dry, it was so full of body and it didn’t have any fly always! Amazingly, my little girl’s hair looked better than mine, which I had used nice shampoo/condition on. Which made me think, if it works for them, why not me!? I lathered and rinsed and added conditioner and was amazed at how smooth my hair was as I applied the conditioner. Since my hair is so long, the shampooing usually leaves me with some pretty good tangles. I didn’t notice them so much this time. Once The conditioner was rinsed out, there wasn’t a tangle to be found! I was shocked!! I added the spray and it took care of the fly-aways, too. I usually have to add some kind of serum to tame my mane, but not this time!! I was incredibly impressed! (Mia was not thrilled about me taking her picture…but I couldn’t pass it up because her hair was SO smooth straight out of the shower!)

They have a bunch of other products as well. They specialize in Lice prevention and removal…hope we never have to worry about that!! They also have Sun and Surf products to help keep hair healthy in the summer and the pool. That is one product I would love to see in action. My girls get a serious case of pool hair in the summer

My girls and I gave Fairy Tale Products 2 thumbs up. 2 thumbs x 4 girls = 8 thumbs up! That is a pretty good score if you ask me!! Real Mom (and her tangle-free locks) Approved!!

Erin March 9, 2012 PRODUCT REVIEWS beauty, children, conditioner, detangler, eco-friendly, Family, hair care, health, kids, shampoo

Look Whats Coming Down The Tracks {Thomas and Friends Up, Up and Away DVD Review}

You know when you hear “Thomas The Train” and in your mind you automatically sing the theme song, that it is being played (and enjoyed) in your house a little too much! If there is a thing as “too much.” Thomas is a slightly new thing at our house. But since we got our first Thomas DVD set, I have heard the music playing over and over. We are getting to know all of the train’s names, including Sir Topham Hat.

In Thomas’ newest movie Up, Up and Away you get to enjoy 4 more adventures with Thomas and his friends.

Thomas and his friends reach new heights in these high-flying adventures! Thomas and Percy have a special adventure as they try and try again to bring balloons to Mr. Bubbles’ Big Balloon Show. At the Children’s Steam Fair, Emily learns there are great rewards – and laughs — in helping others; Kevin tries his hook at Hide and Peep and Thomas has a wonky whistle! Up, Up & Away for fun and adventure with Thomas & Friends!

Episodes:

· Up, Up & Away

· Wonky Whistle

· Kevin the Steamie

· Emily and Dash

Can you believe what a hit Thomas and his friends are after 10 years of being one of preschool aged-kids top selling toys?! They get better with time! They will continue to make your kids laugh and smile while teaching them life lessons. Real Mom Approved!!

Erin March 7, 2012 PRODUCT REVIEWS children, dvd, entertainment, Family, kids, movies, television, Thomas the Train

Cup o’ heaven! {MOCAFE Review & Giveaway}

I love a delicious and warm coffee house, coffee drink; especially in the colder months. As much as I adore visiting a local coffee house, sometimes with two kids and crazy schedules, the coffee house just isn’t an option. I was thrilled to discover MOCAFE! With their delicious line of coffee house lattes, frappes, cocoas and smoothies you can make easily in your own home, you will not be left disappointed! Many of their tasty options are sure to tickle your taste buds and are a wonderful treat anytime; day or night!

Discover why MOCAFE and MOCAFE ORGANIC products are considered by many of the coffee industry’s top professionals to be their product of choice. By using select, exotic ingredients for maximum flavor and yield, such as Trinidad nib roasted cocoas, Tahitian vanillas, Colombian coffees, Darjeeling black teas, shade grown Japanese matcha green tea, and more to create the best tasting products found anywhere – guaranteed!

MOCAFE generously sent me a variety of their wonderful instant cafe drinks, many from the Coca & Precious Divinity Chai lines. They arrived in tins ready to go, complete with their own little scoopers! I immediately had to try a cup of the Vanilla Chai Latte. I could tell from the spiced aroma as soon as I opened the tin it was going to be amazing, and it surely was! Truly the best Chai latte I’ve tasted! With ingredients like fresh ginger, clove, cinnamon, and more, you can only imagine how amazing it smells and tastes! So incredibly simple to make, too. Heat up a cup of water, add a scoop of the MOCAFE powder, stir and enjoy! Quick and easy. I am also enjoying the Spiced Chai & Mango Chai; both so delicious! With not a lot of time to spend making drinks for msyelf, MOCAFE is a perfect match for me! I feel like I’m bringing the coffee house into my kitchen and am truly a huge fan of MOCAFE.

Today, MOCAFE is giving away a variety of their Coca & Chai cafe drinks to one winner!!

Want to win? Here is how to enter:

Mandatory First Entry:

Visit MOCAFE and take a look around. Come back and tell us a flavor you would love to try!

Once the mandatory entries are completed you can gain additional entries from the following:

2 entries – Like MOCAFE on Facebook.

2 entries-Follow RMRV on Facebook

3 entries-Follow RMRV on Pinterest

2 entries-Subscribe to RMRV emails.

2 entries- Follow RMRV on Twitter

2 entries – Follow MOCAFE on Twitter.

1 entry per day-Tweet this giveaway and leave us your tweet url.

5 entries- Blog about this entry and leave us the link

3 entries- Add RMRV on Google +.

MOCAFE is Real Mom Recommended!

You have until March 20th @ 11:59 PM EDT to enter the giveaway. All giveaways are open to USA only.

Amanda March 6, 2012 PRODUCT REVIEWS WITH GIVEAWAYS dad, Family, kitchen, mom

Two of Our Favorite Pals! {Barney Movie Pack & Thomas and Friends Movie Pack Review}

None of my kids have ever really gotten into either barney or Thomas…except Mia!! She is totally differant then my other three. She loves the silly songs and dances that Barney does and the fun adventures that Thomas goes on. She was thrilled when one package came and it had a Barney 3-Movie Pack and a Thomas and Friends 3-Movie Pack in it!!

Barney brought lots of fun, music and laughs to my house with this 3 DVD set!

It includes threse 3 DVDs-

Barney: Jungle Friends

Grab your safari hat and join your best friends, Barney, BJ™, and Baby Bop™ as they laugh, dance and sing through an enchanted rainforest and learn about all of the amazing animals, plants and insects that call the rainforest their home. Watch and learn as kids play with monkeys, collect butterflies and search for the Higgledy Piggledy Pear Tree in this super-dee-duper tale of friendship and fun!

Barney: Animal ABC’s

BJ, Baby Bop and Riff™ have gathered alphabet blocks for a fun game of…. what? They wonder what game they can play with the blocks. When Megan’s dog, Gracie, picks up the D block, Barney comments that she’s a very smart dog, because D is for dog! He suggests a game of finding an animal for each letter of the alphabet, and everyone is excited to give it a try. During the game, the kids and dinos have fun coming up with animals, but BJ has a hard time with the letters, W, X, Y and Z. In the end, an animal is found for every letter, even though they have to use a make-believe animal for the letter U; Unicorn!

Barney: Let’s Go On Vacation

Pack your bags with Barney & Friends™ and come along for a musical adventure and a whole new world of fun! From exotic new foods to exciting new friends, the trip turns into a singing and dancing celebration. The gang quickly learns that the things that matter most — like family and friends — are the same all over the world. Don’t miss a magical minute!

All three of these DVDs became an instant hit in our house! Mia loved the ABC’s because that is what she is working on in school right now and thought it was fun to see all of the animals that went with the letters. Jungle Friends taught about being friends…it was a good one for Mia to share with her friends. They sometimes have a hard time sharing and getting along and this was a helpful was to remind them to be nice. The Vacation DVD made me need a vaca! Mia did like hearing about the differant kinds of food and wanted me to make them all…good luck!

Thomas the Tank Engine is not one of my favorites, but Mia really likes it! I even caught Austin watching it!

The 3 DVD pack includes-

Thomas& Friends: Hero of The Rails

Follow Thomas as he discovers Hiro, an abandoned engine from a faraway land. Fearing that Hiro will be scrapped, Thomas enlists the help of many friends, but mishaps, mistakes and one boastful engine could foil their rescue plans.

Thomas & Friends: The Great Discovery

Sodor Day is coming and all the engines are busy preparing. When Thomas gets lost in the mountains, he discovers the old town of Great Waterton! Soon the whole island is buzzing with the news of Thomas’ discovery and restoring the old town in time for the big day.

Thomas & Friends: Calling All Engines

Summertime is a busy time on the Island of Sodor. When the Steam engines and Diesels can’t get along and no work is getting done, the engines are in a terrible mess! Will the new airport be ready in time? Will the bridge get built? Can the engines save the day? Find out in Calling All Engines!

This was the first time that Mia had seen Thomas, but since then has found a new love for these fun trains. We were at the dentist the other day and Mia was playing “Thomas” with the trains and cars there. I love that each episiode has a story that teaches something. I like that they are all kind of based on friendship, learning, and getting along.

Thanks to L

Erin March 2, 2012 PRODUCT REVIEWS Barney, children, dvd, Family, kids, learning tools, television, Thomas the Train

“I Speak for the Trees” {Lorax Movie Review}

If you haven’t been hit with the Lorax craze yet, wait til this weekend when the movie hits the theater!!

April and I were lucky enough to get to see a sneak preview of The Lorax!! This was a super special treat for us! April LOVES Dr. Seuss and had just check The Lorax book out at the library, so she knew the story forwards and backwards. On the way to the theater, April talked non stop about how excited she was to see the movie and told me the entire story…every last detail. Once we arrived at the theater, she realized we were going to see our first 3D movie and her excitement about sent her through the roof. We got our popcorn, drinks, and 3D glasses and “patiently” awaited for the movie to start.

In the first few minutes of the movie, we were immediately pulled in with the beautiful, bright colors and the wonderful music! We love kids movies and have see quite a few of them, but none of them compare to The Lorax’s color. It had fantastically bright colors and things looked liked you could reach out and touch them. The trees looked so soft and fluffy. Even the Lorax’s mustache was fluffy!

The not only was the story great, the colors bright, but the music was fantastic! I super want the sound track! There were also lots of great lines…April keeps saying “Shut your mustache!” and “That’s a woman?!” We laughed through the entire movie!

With character voices by Danny Devito, Zac Effron, Taylor Swift and Ed Helms you are pulled into one of Dr. Seuss’ classic books. Even though the little kids may not understand the idea behind the story (save the trees-they are good for the environment) but they are sure to love the show! April, who is 8, understood every last bit of the story. She talked the entire way home about how important trees were to us. She told me how the Once-ler should not have cut down all of the trees and when he did, it made it so no new air was produced. She also “explained” the UNLESS rock to me. That “unless” someone like Ted had come along, then nothing would have changed. But also, “unless” the Once-ler told Ted the whole story about how all of the trees had been cut down, he would have never wanted to fix the problem. She told me that even though she is just a little girl, she can change things, too. They DO get it!!

This movie is a double super thumbs up!! We love, LOVED it!! In fact, we are going again on Saturday…all the kids HAVE to see this one!

Real Mom and Daughter Approved!!

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

Erin March 2, 2012 PRODUCT REVIEWS, Uncategorized children, Dr. Seuss, entertainment, Family, kids, movies, The Lorax

All the Pretty Horses {Music Together Lullabies Review}

My little munchkin LOVES music! He is running around the house now and I find that he is very attentive to the sounds around him. He has a favorite music player that he will bounce up and down to… yes primitive dancing, but dancing all the same! We love to listen to music together. From the tie he was a newborn I have always had music playing for him when he goes to sleep. I was recently given the opportunity to add to our collection of music with a great CD called Music Together Lullabies.

It is a fantastic collection of lullabies put together by Music Together founder/director Kenneth K. Guilmartin. He wanted to create a way for children to develop music skills naturally and joyfully and they learn to talk. He worked with music education researcher Lili M. Levinowitz, Ph. D, to develop Music Together, a pioneering music and movement program introduced to the public in 1987. This innovative program is based on the philosophy that all children are musical, that hey can achieve basic music competence, that the modeling of parents and caregivers is essential to the child’s music learning, and that this learning is best accomplished in a non-formal, developmentally appropriate setting. The curriculum includes a mix of original songs and traditional tunes from the folk, jazz, and world-music traditions. I was also sent a mini rain maker shaker, which allows baby to add to the music and also discover the world of music on their own.

I am in LOVE with this collection of lullabies. My favorite thing is that this is NOT the typical lullaby collection. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the good old standards like Twinkle, Twinkle, Rock a bye Baby, etc, but it is so very refreshing to have a collection that is new, original, and that also has a new world twist to it. I sometimes play MY relaxing music for my little guy, but now he has his very own collection. This great collection can be found along with some other great collections online. There is also information on the classes as well as a class locator. I think I may just have to look into going to a class. Music is such an important part of learning for a child and I am so excited to have discovered this world of music exploration. Thanks Music Together!

Audrey March 1, 2012 PRODUCT REVIEWS Baby, children, entertainment, Family, learning tools, music

RECOMMENDED

Don’t Look Back {Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire Review}

Must have iPhone accessory! {iLoveHandles: BARNACLE Review & Giveaway}

Today, iLoveHandles is giving a six pack of Barnacles to one winner!

The Barnacle is Real Mom Recommended!

A New Favorite {Timmy Time DVD Review}

Pound Puppies: Homeward Pound now on DVD!

Silky and Smooth {Fairy Tales Hair Care Review}

My girls and I gave Fairy Tale Products 2 thumbs up. 2 thumbs x 4 girls = 8 thumbs up! That is a pretty good score if you ask me!! Real Mom (and her tangle-free locks) Approved!!

Look Whats Coming Down The Tracks {Thomas and Friends Up, Up and Away DVD Review}

Cup o’ heaven! {MOCAFE Review & Giveaway}

Today, MOCAFE is giving away a variety of their Coca & Chai cafe drinks to one winner!!

MOCAFE is Real Mom Recommended!

Two of Our Favorite Pals! {Barney Movie Pack & Thomas and Friends Movie Pack Review}

“I Speak for the Trees” {Lorax Movie Review}

All the Pretty Horses {Music Together Lullabies Review}

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Today, iLoveHandles is giving a six pack of Barnacles to one winner!

The Barnacle is Real Mom Recommended!

My girls and I gave Fairy Tale Products 2 thumbs up. 2 thumbs x 4 girls = 8 thumbs up! That is a pretty good score if you ask me!! Real Mom (and her tangle-free locks) Approved!!

Today, MOCAFE is giving away a variety of their Coca & Chai cafe drinks to one winner!!

MOCAFE is Real Mom Recommended!

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