Catdog... My "Kids' Choice" Review

It's kind of funny... when I was offered the chance to review Catdog, I was thinking "It's a cartoon! That won't fit on my blog."  Then as I was about to log off my email, a voice behind me said "Catdog!  I love that show!  Mom, you have to get it!" 

And so, we now have an official "kids' choice" review.  :)

My youngest kids are 12 and 8 years old... so they've actually only seen a couple of re-runs of Catdog.  On the other hand, my oldest kids grew up watching it and have, I'm sure, seen every episode ever made.  So in our family, as the saying goes... "Everything old is new again!"

I miss some of the older cartoons and prefer many of them over what is on today.  My kids love watching them and some, like Catdog, actually have a moral to them.  We enjoyed it!

CATDOG: SEASON 1 – PART 1

POUNCES ITS WAY ONTO DVD

 

 The First 10 Episodes From The First Season Debuts On DVD

 October 18, 2011 from Shout! Factory

A fan favorite, CatDog: Season One - Part One, is a tale of opposites attached starring CatDog, the most unlikely brother duo ever seen. The conjoined brothers love each other yet they are so different, they can’t help but annoy themselves silly with their contrarian activities. Prim and proper, Cat is the very definition of culture, while Dog is the ultimate tail-wagging, sofa-jumping, car-chasing roughneck. But despite their very different personalities, CatDog are the best of friends, sticking to one another — literally — through thick and thin, even when it comes to facing off against their devious neighbor Winslow and the rough ’n’ tough gang of Greaser Dogs!

Created by Peter Hannan, CatDog premiered on Nickelodeon in1998 and ran for four seasons until 2001. Reruns aired onNicktoons from 2002 to 2011.

CatDog: Season One, Part One

About Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company’s audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY^®-nominated box sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.

 

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 32nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and hasbeen the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. Formore information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com.  Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

  

*I received a free DVD from Click Communications in exchange for my honest review. ~Thanks! :)

3 DIY Mother’s Day Gifts that Celebrate Family By Beth Engelman

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit http://www.pearlgirls.info/ and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!

3 DIY Mother’s Day Gifts that Celebrate Family By Beth Engelman

This Mother’s Day, celebrate family with this crafty games the whole family can enjoy.  

Block Photo Puzzle
Not only does this 6-sided photo puzzle provide hours of family fun, but it’s also a great way to reuse favorite family photos.

Materials:
•    9 - Wooden Blocks (Use old alphabet blocks)
•    6 - 8 x 10 Photograph Prints or Colored Copies
•    Ruler
•    Scissors
•    Mod Podge and Paintbrush

Directions:
1.  Arrange blocks in a square and measure the length and width of the square.
2. Measure and cut print to the exact same size as the 9-block square.
3. Place blocks in a square on top of print. Position blocks so they’re lined up neatly and as close together as possible.
4. Trace and cut the outline of each block.
5. Glue print pieces to blocks using Mod Podge. Set aside to dry and then seal with 1-2 top layers of Mod Podge.
6. Repeat process until all 6 sides of the blocks are covered with different photographs.
Thank you to the creative folks at www.photojojo.com for sharing this idea!

 “Go Fish with the Family” Card Game
This gift is perfect for Moms who like card games. Another bonus?  There’s always room to “grow” the deck.

Materials:
•    Camera
•    Double stick tape, or a glue stick
•    Several pieces of cardstock (one color)
•    Scissors

Directions:
1.    Take pictures of each family member and develop the pictures in duplicates (3x5 or 4x6 is fine, just make sure all the pictures are the same size).
2.    Turn the pictures into playing cards by gluing or taping a piece of card-stock to the backside of each picture.
3.    Game ideas include “Go Fishing with the Family” which is similar to “Go Fish” but, instead of matching numbers, the object is to collect matching pairs of photos. “Memory” is another fun game to play.  Place the cards face down in a grid and try to find matching pairs of photos.

Family Bingo
In my house, Bingo is always a big hit because regardless of age or skill level, everyone has the same chance to win.  However this version is extra special because the playing boards are populated with pictures of family members.

Materials:
•    Color Coordinated Game Boards (download here)
•    Images of Family Members (use photographs, drawings or clip art)
•    Bingo Markers (pennies, pebbles or buttons)
•    Glue and Scissors

Directions:
1.    Create the game boards:  Download and print desired number of game-boards. Remember each player gets a different game board.
2.    Color-copy and paste images of family members onto each game board.  Remember to paste one person per square and make each board slightly different.
3.    Make “call-out cards” by writing the name of each family member in yellow, green, blue, purple and pink (which coordinates with the colors on the board)
4.    To Play: Game play is similar to traditional Bingo except the caller will randomly select a call-out card and then read the color and person.  For example, “Blue, Grandma Mary” means there is a picture of Grandma Mary in a blue square.  Just like Bingo, the first person to get 5 in a row (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) wins!

Beth Engelman is a columnist for the Sun Times News Group’s Pioneer Press. Her column “Mommy on a Shoestring,” appears in over 30 local papers around Chicago area as well as on the Sun-times website where you can also view her Mommy on a Shoestring video series. She is also a regular on “You and Me this Morning” on WCIU and is frequent contributor for WGN America’s Midday News at Noon.  Recently, Beth was chosen by a celebrity panel from NBC Universal and iVillage to become one of 15 national  “mom” correspondents for NBC’s popular website, http://www.ivillage.com/ (over 3 million visitors a day) where she reports on issues that affect moms, families and communities such as bullying, divorce and weight loss.  For more information visit Beth at http://www.mommyonashoestring.com/

Children Will Know The Truth... and It Ain't About The Bunny

Yesterday, the day before Good Friday, I sat down to watch a documentary with my youngest son and daughter. It was called "The True Easter Story". It's part of a video DVD series from Focus On The Family called That The World May Know. The series is filmed in Israel and it's narrated by a great historian and Bible teacher, Ray Vander Laan. An excellent series if you want to know more about Bible times, traditions, culture, etc.

Anyway, almost from the beginning, my 7-year-old Baby Girl was asking a lot of questions. I told her to watch first and then we'd talk about it at the end. Well, I guess she got tired of waiting and began to write her questions down so she wouldn't forget. Here is one of her questions below...

In my Baby Girl's own words... "Why do we celebrate Easter like when we celebrate when Jesus has risen when we just hide Easter eggs and find them and also have Easter dinner cause we never talk or do anything about how Jesus has risen?"



This came as a surprise to me. I thought I was going to be the adult in the conversation. Instead it was my Baby Girl asking "Why do we have baskets?", "Why do we color eggs?", "Why is there a bunny?". And mostly she kept asking "Why don't we do anything to celebrate Jesus if that's what Easter is about?"

Imagine my surprise (again) when I couldn't think of anything to say! I told her we go to church to celebrate Jesus and that's why we have Easter dinner to celebrate with family. But as I began to think even more, I realized we do those things anyway. What DO we do to celebrate Jesus being risen from the dead?

She suggested that we read the real Easter story from the Bible each night until Sunday. I think that's a good idea. We will be sure to do that. We were following the Holy Week a little more closely this year, which kept the kids interested. And I will be sure to make a point of talking about Jesus and how He laid His life down for us... and took it up again.

My Baby Girl is ready to learn. She wants to know and she's paying close attention. Just tonight, shortly after dinner, she asked "Is is 3:00 yet mom?" I told her it was past... and she said... "Jesus died. He's on His way to the tomb." She has a sadness... knowing that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. And now she knows the sacrifice He made because He loves us. She knows! And now she will celebrate on Easter morning as she remembers that Jesus ROSE AGAIN! She won't be sad for long, because....

Sunday's on the way!!!

Thanks for reading and God bless!

Mary Ann :)

Kite Flying... It's A Breeze!

It's a breeze!  Get it?

Windy... kite... breeze...?

Oh, never mind. :)

A couple of weeks ago I bought kites for my kids.  They looked pretty cool.  And it's cheap entertainment... right?  Something we can all do together? 

Well... That's what I was thinking!  Great minds think alike!

My kids had never even flown a kite until last year.  Seriously.  And even then, they would never have owned a kite if my dad hadn't given them one.  It was a cute little pink piggy kite.  Not only my kids, but a couple little boys at the park as well, got the chance to fly their first kite.

What great fun it was!  "We should do this again!" I tell them.  But wait.  My hubby set the kite in the back of the van... where our 100 pound lab sits.  "No!... don't let him jump in...."  Poor piggy!!!  He was so cute and my Baby Girl was sad to see him go.  But next year...

Yep, this is next year!  And when I saw those cool looking kites, that poor piggy kite came to mind and I HAD to buy them... in his memory, of course!  So glad I did.  These are really cool kites! I know I said that.... but it's true. They fly much better than anything I'd ever flown.  Who didn't know that?  LOL.  After 30? years I guess they were bound to improve.

Kite flying is one of those fun childhood pastimes.  Don't you think?  I've been trying to let my kids experience some of the things I did when I was a child.  You know roller skating, bike riding, and kite flying. (And just using your imagination...)  It was all fun.  And it still is.  We just need to remind them how much fun we had when we were young(er).

This is my Baby Girl flying her butterfly kite.

Really colorful and durable.  Not like the paper kites I remember.

This is my Young Man teaching his brother, Baby Boy, how to fly his jet kite.

And now Baby Boy can fly his own kite.

We just drive to the desert at the end of our street.  It's a safe place where we won't hit anyone if one of the kites come crashing down.  You know that happens.

We don't always realize it, but it's the simple things that bring the most pleasure in life.  My kids were excited when they could do this themselves.  I got to show them something from my childhood that is now a part of their own.  They learned something new, and we had a great time together.

What's your favorite childhood pastime?  What did you enjoy that you'd like to share with your kids or grandkids?  I know there must be something.  And I'm sure they'd enjoy it too.  Don't let them fool you into thinking they can't part from those video games.  Take them out and have fun!  Time spent together is the best time of all!

***In case you were wondering... I usually don't post pictures of my family or give their real names.  I'm not sure if I want to do that yet, or at all. Once you put something out there, it's out there. No taking it back. So... until I'm ready, I will just give out their 'blog names' and post photos that still protect their privacy. Yes, I'm weird like that. Thanks for understanding! :)

God bless!
Mary Ann :)

"First Things First" by Kurt & Brenda Warner

This is a book, not about the celebrity of Kurt Warner, but rather a book about a husband and wife doing all they can to put their family first in the midst of all the celebrity and daily life itself. Yes, it does touch on Kurt's career with stories here and there, but it equally shares of Brenda's background. Kurt is not the center of the book and clearly he is not the center of the family home. He is a husband and father before anything else. He and Brenda are partners... in parenting, marriage, and life in general.

I found some very useful ideas for parenting. With seven children, one being a special needs child, they have found rules that work for them and share those rules in hopes that they will work for us as well... or at least show us how to find what works for us. They really stress to their kids, by rules and example, to put others first, treat others well, and be their best.

They also set a good example of how to put your marriage first. Even above your children. They teach their kids by the way they treat one another. And what better way to see how a future spouse should treat you than by your parents' example. Love and respect are shown throughout the entire book. They each write part of every chapter. Kurt first, then Brenda. Two sides, but with common rules and respect for one another.

If you're married, if you have a family or planning to start one someday, I would recommend reading "First Things First". There is so much great advice. If Kurt and Brenda can make it work in world of celebrity... there is hope for the rest of us!

*Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review. -Thanks Tyndale House!  :)


Thanks for reading and God bless!
Mary Ann :)