Author: cvegnad

October 19, 2017

Trick, Treat or Binge: Top 10 Child Friendly Halloween Flicks #StreamTeam

Halloween is by far my favourite holiday of the year. I begin decorating our house in the middle of September (although my husband makes me wait to decorate the outside until after Thanksgiving weekend) and begin working on crafts with my youngest around the same time.

I love the feeling of Halloween, the spirit, the colours and just the all around fun of the day and the excitement leading up to it. Family adventures to the pumpkin patches and hay rides complete the month!

I completely understand and can appreciate when some children are scared of the holiday. The monsters, ghosts and scary characters can definitely be overwhelming for some children (and adults too!).

Movies are a great way to introduce children to this holiday but you have to be careful about what you choose to let them watch. One scary movie can ruin the whole night for a child, trust me I am still traumatized to this day by Child’s Play. I can not walk out of a room that has porcelain dolls unless I walk out backwards so that I can ensure that doll isn’t going to come to life and attack me.

Here are my top ten child friendly Halloween flicks for you to enjoy before the big night hits:

Hotel Transylvania

The owner of Hotel Transylvania, Dracula, does double duty as an overprotective Father as an unwelcome suitor pays attention to his daughter.

Hotel Transylvania 2

In the second edition of this hilarious cartoon movie, Adam Sandler players the over protective Dracula. His daughter and son-in-law have a baby, Dennis, and Dracula will do anything to prove that his Grandson is a vampire. This hilarious movie is full of monsters and grossness that your child will love.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman

In this spooky feature-length film, Alvin, Simon and Theodore stage a production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and things begin to get creepy!

Casper

A doctor who specializes in ghosts is hired by an heiress to rid a house of ghosts. His daughter befriends a friendly ghost that lives there. This movie is one of my favourite from my own childhood!

Coraline

Curious Coraline unlocks a door in her family’s home and is transported to a new universe that strangely resembles her own but better!

Monster High: Ghouls Rule

After learning that Monsters and Normies used to spend Halloween together, Frankie and her pals rally together the groups for a frightful good time!

Monster House

Three friends uncover the secret behind a scary abandoned house in their neighbourhood that seems to have a personality of its own and eats people!

ParaNorman

When an army of zombies invade a small town, it is up to an odd boy who has a knack for talking to the dead to save the day.

Power Rangers Super Samurai: Trickster Treat

When a Nighlock invades the Power Rangers dreams and turns them into nightmares, the Rangers must figure out what is reality and what is an illusion.

Scooby Doo

In this live action feature, Scooby Doo and the gang journey to Spooky Island, where a magical force has been awakened that could destroy human kind.

While these Halloween flicks are geared for younger children to late childhood, here are some that may be suited for an older child or early teen:

Goosebumps
Monster Trucks
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
R. L Stine’s Mostly Ghostly

What is your favourite Halloween movie of all time?

Disclosure: I am a #StreamTeam member and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.

October 18, 2017

13 1/2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything

This myth-busting visual encyclopedia will amaze kids with 13 things they need to know about every topic they love and one “half fact” that dispels a common misconception or half-truth.

About 13 1/2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything

This myth-busting visual encyclopedia will amaze kids with 13 things they need to know about every topic they love and one “half fact” that dispels a common misconception or half-truth.

Extraordinary images and irresistible fact snippets on each topic spread—from space to gemstones to the food we eat—make learning fun, but it’s the “13½” fact that kids will be most eager to know. Does cracking your knuckles really cause arthritis? Do ligers really exist? Are scorpions really deadly to humans? The answers to these questions and many others are revealed and will have kids digging for even more information behind the truths.

A perfect gift for curious young minds, 13½ Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything will stimulate the imagination of young readers, satisfy their thirst for knowledge, and allow them to look at the universe from a new perspective as they explore a wide variety of topics and discover the truth.

My Thoughts

Children love to learn and explore the world around them. This book covers everything and anything that a young mind can think of or would want to know!

This large, hard covered book covers topics from animals to planets to technology and everything in between (ex) hot rocks, blood rush, chocolate chunks and busy bees are topics to name a few! Each topic comes with thirteen interesting and unique facts (think: a tiger’s claws are made up of the same substance as human nails, who would have known!). It also includes that very important 1/2 fact that clears up common misconception we may all have.

This is an excellent book for both young readers and more mature readers. Even adults will enjoy this book – I learned quite a few new interesting facts myself. I love this about educational books, if I can learn something new then I know it is a must read for my children. The illustrations are perfect and well suited for each topic. They are very realistic and seem to pop out of the page.

13 1/2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything is a fantastic educational resource for your child and makes a perfect gift for the young child.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

October 18, 2017

My Little Pony: Holiday Hearts DVD Giveaway

Get ready for the holidays with your favourite little pony characters in My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Holiday Hearts DVD!

About My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Holiday Hearts

‘Tis the season to celebrate with family and your very best friends – the My Little Ponies!

But you know that no holiday in Equestria is complete without a little adventure. Join Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy as they embark on six exciting adventures sure to put you in the holiday spirit!

Gather Around For Six Hearth-Warming Holiday Tales including:

Applebuck Season
Winter Wrap Up
Castle Sweet Castle
Hearthbreakers
A Hearth’s Warming Tail
Not Asking For Trouble

Bonus: Sing-Along

I love the My Little Pony series, I was a huge fan as a child and my love has only grown as I have become a parent and an Aunt (I know – my kids make fun of me because I love movies geared for children more than they do sometimes). These series are excellent for young children as they not only feature some of their favourite characters but they teach excellent life lessons that are crucial for this age group in a fun manner. Not to mention the awesome graphics and plot lines! This DVD does not disappoint at all.

This DVD, which is slightly over two hours long, has been released in North America on October 3rd from Shout! Kids Factory – just in time for you to purchase to add either under the Christmas tree or as an early Christmas surprise to help get your child in the Christmas spirit. You can purchase a copy of this DVD on Amazon or on Shout Factory.

The Giveaway!

Do you have a HUGE My Little Pony fan in your house? Or maybe a niece or nephew that this would be a perfect gift for? My Canadian and American readers can now enter to win one of two DVDs just in time for the holiday season. Please enter via the Rafflecopter form below – good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a DVD copy of this movie. All opinions expressed are my own.

October 18, 2017

Good Night, Baby Moon Book Review

A special bedtime story that follows a family of curious rabbits on their nighttime walks to explain the phases of the moon, with a charming design that includes a light-up LED moon.

About Good Night, Baby Moon

A special bedtime story that follows a family of curious rabbits on their nighttime walks to explain the phases of the moon, with a charming design that includes a light-up LED moon.

When we first meet the family of rabbits in Good Night, Baby Moon, the moon is full and shining bright, but as the days wear on and the nights come and go, the baby rabbits ask their parents why the moon looks different and worry as it disappears and loses its glow. Their parents reassure them that all will be well and that soon it will be back, for this is not farewell.

This delightful story teaches little ones that the moon will always return, and is a fun and exciting way for them to learn. The sweet illustrations and light-up moon make it the perfect gift and will cause little ones to swoon.

Our Thoughts

A very special bed time story can be found in this book. Children are always full of questions and wonder, this book tackles the topic of what happens when something/someone goes away? Will they come back? These are honest fears in children and can sometimes be difficult for them to voice and understand.

This book uses the moon and its cycle to tackle the topic of leaving and coming back. The little rabbits love basking in the glow of the moon but are puzzled when it disappears. It isn’t until the next moon phase that the moon returns to their delight! It helps them to learn that things sometimes go away but they will always come back.

This book is done in darker tones which suits the story line. It also includes a light up moon on the cover to really help engage your child in the story! The story is easy to read out loud together with your child and flows very well together.

This is beautiful bedtime story perfect for children up to the age of seven.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and DK Canada.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

October 18, 2017

How to Turn Your Mom Into a Monster Book Review

Guess what: Mom can be a monster too! It’s up to you to make your mom’s monster come out to play!

About How to Turn Your Mom Into a Monster

Do you like smearing your lunch all over yourself? Do you fight with your sister just because she’s there? Do you find yourself unable to go to bed because mysterious ninjas keep stealing your pajamas? Then you’re a little monster! Guess what: Mom can be a monster too! It’s up to you to make your mom’s monster come out to play.

Our Thoughts

Have you ever read the title of a story and saw the front cover and knew that you were going to love it? Even better that your kids would love it too? This is that book!

We are forever teasing our boys that they have this special magic power that can turn us from nice, quiet parents into grumpy monsters. But it is way too hard to stay mad at them because they are so cute as they do naughty things. Or when they are driving us batty! Those sweet little smiles just can’t help but make us smile too.

This was an awesome book to read together as we could make silly voices and we would alternate turns reading the story. The plot of the story is fantastic and I am sure that both parents and children alike can relate to each page. For example, tooting in public and your child blaming you. Yup, we can definitely relate!

This is a laugh out loud book that is perfect for bed time and basically anytime during the day. Our boys were begging for more! Our youngest even added in his own suggestions for turning Mommy into a monster, boy were they good!

This book is in paperback format and done in bright colours, greens, oranges, purples and blues. The monsters were adorable (just like your child) and not scary at all which is great for all ages. The actual length of the book makes it great for reading any time of the day and the wording is perfect for reading out loud to your child or together. This book is a definite must have addition to your child’s personal library.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Aurora Whittet started out as a wild red-haired girl in Minnesota dreaming up stories for her friends to read. Today, she has completed Bloodmark, Bloodrealms, and Bloodmoon of the Bloodmark Saga trilogy, Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love, and How to Turn Your Mom into a Monster. She’s a national award-winning graphic designer in her day job. Aurora lives with her family in Minnesota.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.