Category: review

March 18, 2014

The Muppets Most Wanted #subwayandamovie #review

This past weekend we were thrilled to attend an advance screening of the Muppets Most Wanted in Toronto. I grew up watching the Muppets so was super excited at the chance to attend and see all my favourite characters especially Miss Piggy.

We were treated to a special “green” carpet walkway which the boys thought was pretty awesome. We felt famous standing in front of the Subway sign! And of course they had to fool around in front of it too!

While we waited for the show to begin Subway Canada treated us to trivia questions about the Muppets and Subway Canada. We had so much fun guessing the answers and tweeting out our answers. The bonus? Our answer for the meaning of BMT – biggest, meatiest and tastiest won! We also had a photo opp with a very special monkey. Subway Canada went above and beyond to make this advance screening a fantastic time for kids and adults alike!

The Muppets Most Wanted was a hilarious movie that had all four of us laughing from start to finish. The music was fantastic and my youngest who has never seen a Muppet show prior to this fell in love with Animal. It was the perfect family movie and I can not wait to purchase a copy for our own collection when it eventually comes to Blu Ray.

If you have not yet seen the trailer for The Muppets Most Wanted, take a peek here and let me know what you think! Are you planning on seeing Muppets Most Wanted in theatres starting March 21st?

March 17, 2014

The 500 Hats of a Modern-Day Woman Review

Life as a woman can be hard and trying as we try to fit into our roles as mother, sister, wife, daughter, friend and so much more! The 500 Hats of a Modern-Day Woman examines these roles with humor and faith showing us how we can fit all of these roles together.

In The 500 Hats of a Modern-Day Woman by Joyce Ellis you will find strength, purpose and perspective to balance the many roles and gain insight into the roles of women around you. Using honesty, humor and practicality, Joyce helps you to see how your roles can fit together to make a difference in your world.

Joyce Ellis is an award winning author of more than a dozen books, speaks for women’s groups and at retreats across the USA and internationally. She and her husband enjoy reading by lakes and rivers and spending time with their grown children and grandchildren.

The 500 Hats of a Modern-Day Woman was a faith building read. Sometimes life can be too busy and too stressful that sometimes that I forget who I am as a person and what each person needs from me. I loved that Joyce wrote from personal experiences – she was not afraid to share her own personal story or those of her loved ones. It really helped to connect with her as a person. I did not feel like it was someone telling me how I should live my life but a conversation with her that allows her to guide us.

The only part that I was a tad bit disappointed with was the section on “working” mothers. She included quotes from other parents that hurt personally (ex. why have children if someone else will raise them – I am paraphrasing here but this was my interpretation of the comment from that mother). Working outside of the home comes with it’s own pressures and as women we should encourage and support each other (again this was not her words but a woman that was surveyed) regardless what our personal choices for working in or out of the home are.

At the end of each section there are questions for discussion and reflection which were perfect! I would love to work on these with friends and at a Church group.

To find more reviews on this book you can view the Litfuse blog tour here. To purchase your own copy you can do so here.

Rating: 4/5

Want a helper for your modern-day journey? Enter to win a Kindle Fire in Joyce’s “500 Hats” giveaway!

One winner will receive:

A Kindle Fire
The 500 Hats of a Modern-Day Woman by Joyce K. Ellis
A Modern-Day woman kit (T-shirt and hat)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 30th. Winner will be announced April 1st on the Litfuse blog.

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by the Litfuse blog on April 1st to see if you won.

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

March 4, 2014

Staying Ahead of the Times with iParent.TV #giveaway

There is no way to get around it – technology is everywhere. My children are so advanced with apps and electronics I am constantly giving them my stuff to figure out!

I am always scared that they will be exposed to something that is harmful, download or share inappropriate information. What is even scarier is how many young adults will hide their online activities from their parents!

Here is where iParent.TV comes in! They will educate parents with all the latest trends via websites, social media, apps and devices. iParent.TV will carry hundreds of videos and product reviews that are current and trending with our youth.

iParent.TV will be a subscription based site costing $49 a year for parents to access as well as receive live chat support. They are currently offering it at $29 on Indiegogo.

With it you will get articles,videos, reviews, tips and tools on:

popular apps
social network sites
major websites
top devices

Check out this awesome video on iParent.TV:

They are offering one of my readers a one year subscription! US and CAN residents, eighteen years of age and older can enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I will receive a subscription to iParent.TV in return for posting and hosting this giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own.

February 28, 2014

Murder and Mystery: Distortion

Murder and mystery – what is there not to love?! Distortion by Terri Blackstock is full of both.

Distortion by Terri Blackstock is based on the murder of Juliet Cole’s husband. Her husband is murdered right before her eyes in what she believes is a completely random and awful shooting. She is devastated at the loss of her husband and the father to her children. It is not until after hours of initial questioning when she heads home to deliver the news to her sons that a threatening voicemail changes everything.

Now the man she has been married to for fifteen years has become a stranger. Evidence emerges that shows this was not a random shooting but a deliberate attack. Juliet and her children’s lives are in danger. As they work through the mystery that was her husband’s life, his dark secrets come centre stage.

Distortion was a fast paced and suspenseful read right to the end. Juliet’s story is so frightening! Makes you wonder how well we really know the people around us. How many stories have we seen in the news of someone leading a completely second life! It is scary and terrifying. I literally could not put this novel down. I was so worried about Juliet and her boys and what her husband’s actions had done to them. So many curve balls thrown in this book it is hard to count!

Rating: 5/5

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

February 26, 2014

The Barbarian Bride by Eva Scott #Review

Set in Ancient Rome, The Barbarian Bride is an excellent read full of Roman political suspense, gladiator battles and love.

The Barbarian Bride is the story of Klara, a Hun princess, whose husband was murdered. Even though she did not love her husband, she vows to track down the man who murdered him to avenge his death. Klara tracks down the mysterious Roman, Lucius Aurelius, through the Roman Empire. They only realize later that this was a clever plot to overthrow Klara’s father, the Chief of the Huns.

Klara is separated from Lucius and captured by slavers. She is sold to a gladiator school. The only way to save herself is by fighting for her freedom. Lucius is the only one who can ensure her battle is safer and easier but to do so he must sacrifice all he cares about and stands for.

The Barbarian Bride is a fantastic read. It gave such a great insight into the lives of ancient Romans – the politics and the lives of the gladiators. The story focuses on the politics and how it affects the relationship of Klara and Lucius but their relationship does not dominate the story which I liked. It was great to see Klara develop as a character and the way she struggled with her ties to her family and her feelings. The two characters were normal individuals trying to survive under difficult circumstances and find happiness. The Barbarian Bride is full of surprises that you are constantly left guessing what is going to happen next!

A fantastic historical romance to add to your must read list!

Rating: 4.75/5

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