January 4, 2016
Kubo and the Two Strings
Get ready for a thrilling adventure and mystery, as a young boy must save his family in Kubo and the Two Strings.
Kubo and the Two Strings features some of your favourite celebrities including Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara and Ralph Fiennes. The film, slated to open August 19, 2016, is brought to us by Laika whose film roll also includes The Boxtrolls and Paranorman.
About Kubo and the Two Strings
Kubo and the Two Strings is an epic action-adventure set in Japan. Clever, kindhearted Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson of Game of Thrones) eke out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including Hosato (George Takei), Hashi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) and Kamekichi (Academy Award nominee Brenda Vaccaro). But his quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past that storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey), and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen – a magical musical instrument – Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King (Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) and the evil twin Sisters (Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara) to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family and fulfill his heroic destiny (no small task there!).
The Trailer
Watch out for more information coming to you later this year!
January 4, 2016
Energy Bites Book Review
Welcome to the new year! Many of you may be already making resolutions to eat healthier, lose weight and to get active. I know many of these are on my on long-term goal lists. Eating healthy is a long-term commitment, that sometimes we can find ourselves unsure of where to start and what food choices to begin with. Energy Bites turns snacks into protein packed and energy fueled nutrition for your body and overall health.
About Energy Bites
15 flavorful recipes for high-protein, bite-sized balls of balanced nutrition to increase vitality and wellness.
Keep your blood sugar steady and your energy levels high with the ultimate snack for active lifestyles: protein balls.
Energy Bites features 15 bake and no-bake vegetarian recipes for sweet and savory bite-sized balls to feed your need for a healthy treat. A core of protein-rich ingredients combine with low-GI carbohydrates and healthy fats in frozen avocado balls, yellow lentil seed balls, kale and seaweed balls, and more. Step-by-step photography, explanations of cooking techniques, and a special infographic feature will have you building and creating your own recipes in no time.
Whether you are looking for a post-workout refuel, an intense immunity boost, a healthy midday pick-me-up, or a nutritious on-the-go treat for kids, Energy Bites has a super snack that will help you achieve your goal without having to compromise on flavor.
My Thoughts
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this extremely helpful recipe book. It was easy to follow with clear directions (and substitutions you can make) along with bright, bold and delicious looking photographs. The ingredients I did have to pick up as some were not ingredients that I commonly stored but it was well worth it. I tried out the Banana Peanut Butter bites, Spicy Sweet Potato bites and Fruit bites. My personal favourite was the fruit bites and I added in some Goji berries! They were delicious, it was actually hard to stop eating them. I made several batches and kept them ready in the fridge to go as a snack. They made the perfect snack for work (easy to pop out for a quick break at the desk and not messy), late night snack or an early morning bite with my coffee. The book also includes the caloric breakdown for each item to help you with your meal planning. Energy Bites will be the perfect addition to your recipe book collection!
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Kate Turner is a biodynamic gardener, forager, home chef, author of the popular blog Homegrown Kate, and mother of three. Annie Nichols is a respected culinary writer, home economist, photographer, and stylist.
Disclosure: I received a copy of Energy Bites in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
January 4, 2016
Dare to Dream with Disney On Ice
Disney On Ice has been a long-standing tradition not only in my home but throughout my childhood. Every holiday break marked our yearly trip downtown to Toronto to watch magic come alive with Disney On Ice. My parents would take us along with their close friends and their children to watch Disney come to life through music, dance and lights.
We would hop on the subway and our poor parents had to ensure we were at the front of the subway line to get the best view for our trip. Nothing beat watching the ride out of the front window and sometimes getting lucky and the conductor allowing you to view the inside of the controls. We all still have fond memories of hopping off and heading to the Sky Dome, which I still call it by this name to my children’s annoyance as they like to remind me that is now called the Rogers Centre!
Disney on Ice was magical from the moment you stepped inside the stadium. The vibe in the air is full of excitement (sometimes we dressed up in our costumes), the smell of popcorn and the areas marked off for souvenirs and programs. To think this is just the prelude to come! I can still remember the magic as the skaters brought the Disney story to life through dance, music and props.
This is what I couldn’t wait for my children to experience when we headed to Toronto for Disney on Ice Dare to Dream. Sharing these moments with my own children to me has been one of the highlights of parenting. I now know why my parents loved taking us year after year! The look on their faces as the stadium dimmed and the first sounds of music started and out came Mickey and Minnie was priceless. As the show evolved, we found ourselves singing and dancing in our seats. My children and husband were quite impressed with my Disney song knowledge (my personal favourite being all of the songs from The Little Mermaid). I won’t even lie our trip ended with us coming home for a Disney movie marathon! We watched the classics (The Sword in the Stone and Beauty and the Beast) and newer classics like Mulan. This made our whole experience memorable beyond compare. My children are already talking about what the next Disney on Ice should be!
What are your favourite childhood Disney memories? Keep up to date with all things Disney Junior, videos, games and more by visiting the Disney Junior website.
Disclosure: I received tickets to attend this event but was not obligated to post, all opinions expressed are my own.
December 29, 2015
The New Midnight on New Years Eve #StreamTeam
I don’t know about you but ever since I had children, I have not made one New Years Eve ball drop countdown! Our family usually falls asleep around nine and my husband tries to wake us up at the midnight mark. Sometimes he is successful and other times we just can’t get up out of bed. The problem? I am just too tired to stay up until midnight even though I would love to celebrate as a family together.
While I thought I may have been one of the few people who fall asleep early, studies have shown that I am not alone. While 97% of families celebrate together, here is how we stack up to other families globally:
- Parents in the US, UK, Canada and Australia agree 9 p.m. is the new midnight. Nearly half of parents in these countries say they’d countdown those famous 10 seconds by 9 p.m. (49%).
- Parents down under can’t wait for bedtime. One-third of Aussie parents (34%) admit they’d hit the sack themselves after kissing the kids goodnight — long before midnight.
- Italian and French parents are getting cozy with their significant others after lights out. Parents in both countries most look forward to spending time with their other half after putting the kids to sleep (51% and 43%, respectively). Now I wouldn’t mind that!
- Parents love a good party in Spain and Mexico. 50% of parents in both countries can’t wait to kick off the parents-only party after tucking in their little ones. I wish I could do this!!!
Netflix is helping parents with the midnight countdown by bumping up midnight to whenever you want to start the countdown. That way your child can experience all of the magic of the New Years countdown and as a family you can enjoy the time with them. Netflix has six on demand specials launching today, including your favourite characters such as:
- Puffin Rock residents Oona and Baba re-live their adventures from the past year and celebrate with the Northern Lights, nature’s very own fireworks.
- Care Bears & Cousins head to Share Bear’s Shake Shack to gear up for a belly badge-tastic countdown in Care-a-Lot.
- Inspector Gadget saves New Year’s Eve from a mischievous M.A.D. agent just in the nick of time for a dazzling firework display.
- King Julien lives up to his party animal persona with a countdown to dance your way into the new year. My personal favourite guy!
- Mr. Peabody and Sherman venture around the world to gather their favorite talk show guests for a star-studded countdown event featuring Hiccup and Toothless, Puss in Boots, the Croods and the entire Dinotrux team.
- Project Mc2 stars McKeyla, Adrienne, Bryden and Camryn team up for NOV8’s most important mission yet: Party!
Check out the Netflix: It’s Almost Midnight Trailer to get a sneak peek.
Enjoy your New Years Eve celebrations!
Disclosure: I am a Netflix StreamTeam Member and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.
December 16, 2015
At Love’s Bidding by Regina Jennings
In At Love’s Bidding, she sells priceless antiques. He sells livestock by the pound. Is he really the man to make a bid for her heart?
About At Love’s Bidding
After helping her grandfather at their Boston auction house, Miranda Wimplegate discovers she’s accidentally sold a powerful family’s prized portrait to an anonymous bidder. Desperate to appease the people who could ruin them forever, they track it to the Missouri Ozarks and make an outlandish offer to buy the local auction house and all its holdings before the painting can move again.
Upon crossing the country, however, Miranda and her grandfather discover their new auction house doesn’t deal in fine antiques, but in livestock. And it’s frustratingly handsome manager, Wyatt Ballentine, is annoyed to discover his fussy new bosses don’t know a thing about the business he’s single-handedly kept afloat. Faced with more heads of cattle than they can count but no mysterious painting Miranda and Wyatt form an unlikely but charged partnership to try to prevent a bad situation from getting worse.
My Thoughts
A historical novel set in a time where a young lady such as Miranda, had very few options for her future. Her interests lie in her family’s auction business but this is not a position that society would see her in. She is not quite wealthy enough to be accepted by ‘polite’ society but too far above the lower class. What sets Miranda above others though is her compassion and kindness, she would do anything for anyone even at the expense of her own pride and happiness.
When she tries to set right an accident that her Grandfather made, she meets the frustrating and mysterious Wyatt, whom we later learn has many more secrets than she would believe. Together they find a partnership and friendship but could it ever be anything more? If society had its way, they would never be together but can they truly break these bonds?
At Love’s Bidding is romantic, sweet, funny and heartbreaking (with the slow decline of Miranda’s Grandfather). It is hard to know whether their story will be one of happiness or of a heartbreak but every minute is worth it!
You can find more reviews on At Love’s Bidding on the Litfuse Blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a history minor. She is the author of A Most Inconvenient Marriage, Sixty Acres and a Bride, and Caught in the Middle, and contributed a novella to A Match Made in Texas. Regina has worked at the Mustang News and First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. She now lives outside Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with her husband and four children.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.