If you are looking for a fun way to take in the sites of New York City and celebrate the holidays, you have to hear this! How does a warm and cozy cruise tailored for friends and family sound? Step inside Manhattan’s toasty solarium which is decked out in holiday decor for a 90 minute cruise to see the lights of New York City! Of course delicious hot cocoa, cookies and treats for all guests are included. Then join in on 20 to 30 minutes of live holiday carols or enjoy 2 live Jazz Trio Sets!
Aboard the 1920’s style yacht, you can relax on the heated back deck salon to enjoy the gorgeous view of the island. Take in picturesque views from the glassed-in observatory.
Along the way you will see:
The Yacht Manhattan in Full Holiday Decor!
Cocoa, Cookies & some sing-along Holiday Carols or live Holiday Jazz!
Battery Park, South Street Seaport & the Financial District
Governor’s Island, The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
Parts of Brooklyn & Queens & the NYC skyline
The Williamsburg, Manhattan & Brooklyn Bridges of the East River
A complimentary beer, wine, spiked hot cocoa or champagne from the bar is offered on all trips. Mixed drinks are available for purchase. For more information to see cruise schedule please click HERE! Receive 15% off each ticket purchased at www.sail-nyc.com using ONLINE promo code 15COCOA – Valid for any Cocoa & Carols Cruise aboard Yacht Manhattan II!
I believe in buying quality especially when it comes to things that we will be using for a long time. If you go cheap on things like that, you will just end up replacing them many times over and it will cost you more in the long run. When shopping for a swingset you may be enticed by super low prices. However, take a look at what you are really getting. Will the structure grow with your child? Sure they may be toddlers now but they won’t be for long and you want a set that will grow with them. Can it support adults. It certainly should so you can get in on the fun and help your child navigate some of the structures.
When we were shopping for a swing set 6 years ago our kids were super little. one was not even 2 months old when I started shopping for the set. I scoured everything I could find, looking for the best materials, quality construction, adaptability, large number of activities and play areas. I spent a many weeks of painstaking research. I knew we wanted 100% cedar construction, a climbing wall, swings, clubhouses, slides, monkey bars, horse glider swing, picnic table, tire swing and a quality construction that would stand up to cold winters and allow adults to play too. I found what I was looking for at Eastern Jungle Gym. I even hit a spectacular sale that made the set I purchased a tremendous value for the money. I am not saying it was cheap, but when I tell you 6 years later that our set is still going strong and still something our kids play on daily, we are definitely getting more than our money’s worth out of it.
We chose theFantasy wooden swing setwhich is the most popular of their Multi-Deck Series. Two of the clubhouses are covered with canopies. The third clubhouse takes the place of a walkway and acts as an uncovered bridge between the two. Beneath the two higher clubhouses the kids will discover a set of double-wide monkey bars, large enough to not interfere with the nearby tire swing.
We started big with our set but one of the things I love about Eastern Jungle Gym is their sets are able to be expanded with new accessories. This way, no matter what size set you have, you can add additional features or structures to expand your child’s play options. They also have replacement tarps and accessories so you can easily renew your set as needed. After 6 years and two active boys our set is going strong. The only things showing any wear were the 2 clubhouse tarps and it needs some touch up on the wood stain. We also wanted a few extra rock grips for the climbing wall as our 6-year-old was needing some that were closer and filled in a few large gaps. I called Eastern Jungle Gym and spoke to Ashley who was so pleasant and helpful. I explained what I wanted and she directed me to what I needed. We even discussed color options for the tarps to really change the look. In the end we decided on the green and yellow striped tarps and 8 extra rock grips for the rock wall. Next year we plan to get the stain to touch up the set since we were moving into colder weather, we will take care of that in the spring. Easter Jungle Gym graciously provided the tarps and rock grips and had them shipped out promptly to us.
My husband was able to easily change out the tarps and add the rock grips.
So next spring we plan to power wash all the wood and re-stain and we should be all good to go for more years of fun!!! Eastern Jungle Gym is having a HUGE SALENow! Check out their website where prices are slashed to move out their current inventory. You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Harry Connick Jr. takes a true departure out of his comfort zone in his new album released today, That Would Be Me. For the first time in 25 years, he worked in the studio with outside producers on this album which continues to stretch boundaries and embrace the plainspoken instincts that have guided him throughout his life.
When talking about the new album, Connick half-jokingly confided: “It’s the only time I’ve violently thrown myself out of my own comfort zone,’ enthusiastically agreeing to work in the studio with two ‘external’ producers. The noted collaborators he’s chosen are acclaimed musical craftsman in their own right – Producers Eg White (Sam Smith, Adele, Florence And The Machine), and Butch Walker (Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Pink, Weezer, Fall Out Boy). The result is a riveting album full of surprises and stirring musical conjurations, delivering great songs and new insights into a prolific artist who Butch Walker, himself, has called ‘an American musical treasure.’
TRACK LISTING:
1. (I Like It When You) Smile
2. (I Do) Like We Do
3. Tryin’ To Matter
4. Songwriter
5. Do You Really Need Her
6. You Don’t Need A Man
7. You Have No Idea
8. Where Prisoners Drown
9. (I Think I) Love You A Little Bit
10. Every Time I Fall In Love
11. Right Where It Hurts
I actually liked the second half of this album this best. I think it is because I am a sucker for love ballads. So not hard not to believe that Every Time I Fall In Love, You Have No Idea followed by Love You A Little Bit were my favorite tracks. Yes, this album was a departure from Harry’s usual style but not a derailment by any means. It is true reaching and stretching out of our comfort zone we can discover the best things await us there.
Are these the best things for Mr. Connick Jr. I highly doubt that he has reached his peak. He may say he is one year closer to dead in I Like It When You Smile but I think it is safe to say, “Harry there’s a lot of life in you yet and a lot of music in your soul!”
I participated in the That Would Be Me album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SnackAndGo #CollectiveBias
Do you have a Halloween party coming up? Are you in charge of bringing in snacks for a Halloween class party? If so, I have a fun idea you might want to try. I was in Walmart recently and picked up some NABISCO Go-Paks!, Snack Pack® puddings and Reddi-Wip. You might wonder why these three items? Well, did you know that Go-Paks! come in sturdy, plastic containers that are half full and perfect for adding mix-ins or other ingredients to create a super, special treat!
Go-Paks! come in many varieties like TEDDY GRAHAMS, Mini NILLA wafers, Mini OREO Chocolate Sandwich cookies, CHIPS AHOY! Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, NUTTER BUTTER Bites Sandwich Cookies, Mini OREO Golden Sandwich Cookies and more. Snack Pack® puddings are available in chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, chocolate and vanilla mix and more.
Another cool thing is that the containers themselves are great to decorate. You can even let the kids help!
Some easy ways to dress up the containers for a Halloween, Halloween parties, classroom treats and more are:
Pirates- Take a costume pirate eye patch and secure it to the container. This would make a great favor at a pirate theme birthday party too!
Mummies-Wrap vanilla pudding cups with white net fabric securing the beginning and end with tape. Then, glue on some google eyes.
Spiders-Take a pudding cup and 3 long sparkle craft sticks in any color you like. Next, just cut the craft sticks in half so you have 6 spider legs. Tape the legs to the back of the pudding cup and fold them around to the front. Add some google or sticker eyes.
Bats-Cut out bat wings from black construction paper and tape to back of chocolate pudding cups. Add google or sticker eyes.
Create Your Own-Cover Go-Paks! with sparkly paper and use it as a blank canvas to create monsters, funny faces and more. Decorate pudding cups with stickers to create funny faces.
There are endless possibilities. Kids will love them and love helping you make them!
Then let them mix up a fun snack! Some great combinations we found were big hits are the TEDDY GRAHAMS, Chocolate Pudding and Mini Marshmallows topped with Reddi-Wip and some additional Teddy Grahams for a new take on the S’more. If you take Mini NILLA wafers Go-Pak! and mix with vanilla pudding and fresh sliced banana then top with Reddi-Wip and banana and more Mini Nilla wafers you have a banana cream pudding snack cup. Let kids pick and choose and mix up their own creations. They will love being able to create their own recipe.
Save Now With This Coupon!
BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE NABISCO Go-Paks! Buy ONE (1) Snack Pack® Pudding and get ONE (1) FREE (up to $1.00) NABISCO Go-Paks! (2.25 oz. or larger) with Coupon-Click HERE To Get Coupon!
So what do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts and if you do try this, please let me know how it went in the comments.
I just love the Peanuts® Gang and so do my kids. Did you know that a classic feature-length movie is arriving on DVD for the first time ever about the gangs first international adventure? It is! BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!)will be available on DVD on October 6th, 2015!
So go get your passport, even Woodstock has his and pack your bags! Released in theaters in 1980, BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!), celebrates its 35th anniversary this year! This film was the fourth feature-length film made with Charles Schulz’s beloved Peanuts characters. The film was a product of the long-time collaboration between Schulz, animation director Bill Melendez and producer Lee Mendelson. Together, these three helped create all of the Peanuts animated television specials and feature films, starting with A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1969.
In BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!) Charlie Brown, Linus, Peppermint Patty and Marcie are chosen as – you guessed it! – exchange students, destined to spend two weeks in France. Of course, Snoopy and Woodstock join the French odyssey, which turns out to be a combination of mystery, intrigue, and romance coupled with the usual misadventures that seem to follow Charlie Brown wherever he goes!
The BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!) DVD includes the classic film digitally remastered in 4K, along with a brand new featurette that gives fans insight into the creative process of animating the beloved comic strip, how the feature film came to be and what it took to bring the movie to the big screen. The featurette includes new interviews with Charles Schulz’s widow, Jean, at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, producer Lee Mendelson and Steve Melendez, son of Bill Melendez and president of Bill Melendez Productions.
The BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!) DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with English Mono Dolby Digital, French Mono Dolby Digital, and Spanish Mono Dolby Digital; English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles; and English captions. The DVD includes the following:
Feature film, digitally remastered in 4K and presented in standard definition
New Making-of Featurette
Theatrical Trailer
BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!)
Street Date: October 6, 2015
SRP: $14.99 U.S.
Running Time: 75 minutes
U.S. Rating: G
About Paramount Home Media Distribution
Paramount Home Media Distribution (PHMD) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), home to premier media brands that create television programs, motion pictures, consumer products, and digital content for audiences in more than 165 countries and territories. The PHMD division oversees PPC’s home entertainment and transactional digital distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CBS and applicable licensing and servicing of certain DreamWorks Animation titles. PHMD additionally manages global licensing of studio content and transactional distribution across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies.
GIVEAWAY
Paramount Home Media is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!) on DVD. Thank you Paramount Home Media for the review product and for sponsoring this fantastic giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.
BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN (AND DON’T COME BACK!!) DVD Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
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Kids, pets, muddy feet, spills and more are all in and out of our cars every day. Well, maybe the spills are not out. If you’re a parent you’ve probably deal with a lot, if not all, of what I mentioned. My husband and I have leather seats in our vehicles but they still require cleaning. We also like to have our seats protected against scratches or tears as much as possible. Most of all, we like to protect our leather seats from having the car seats installed right on top of them. Maybe you have thought about car seat covers. We recently installed a full seat cover in the back seat of my husbands truck.
We used to use the seat protectors that just go where the car seats are but this cover fits over the entire back seat. It was easy to install. The car seats fit great, there are Velcro openings for the seat belts. The cover we chose is the VersaVia , this cover comes in three colors; black, tan and gray. The cover is quilted with a non-slip rubber backing that keeps it in place. It looks like a custom cover. The cover is waterproof, and 54″ wide so with the adjustable tight-fitting straps it fits most trucks, SUVs and vans.
Giveaway
Versaliving is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog winner will win their own VersaVia Car Seat Cover in their color choice of black, tan or gray. Thank you t Versaliving for the review product and for sponsoring this awesome giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.
VersaVia Car Seat Cover Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Earlier this month we went on a family safari. My kids loved it and so did my husband and I. It was all our younger kids talked about in the following days. They are still bringing it up and asking all kinds of questions about the animals. They are so curious about the lions, tigers, bears, rhinos and more! In keeping with the safari theme, I want to introduce you to a great learning game. One that parents won’t mind their kids playing, because they are learning reading, vocabulary and reasoning skills through highly engaging games.
SAFARI TALES™, is an enchanting animal adventure game which encourages exploration in reading and vocabulary skills by casting the player as both adventurer and storyteller. Following in the fossilized footsteps of award-winning DINO TALES™, children join five baby animal friends as they explore a vast African Savannah bursting at the seams with wildlife, mini games to master and artifacts and relics to discover and collect. Throughout their in-game adventures, kids learn countless facts and figures about the various environments, their inhabitants and items they encounter on their way, building knowledge and enhancing reading skills.
I downloaded this app on iTunes to try it out. My husband and I were both amazed at how much there was to do and how interactive and fun it was. You start out with an adorable baby elephant named Eshe. You can change Eshe’s appearance with fun textures and colors, teach her tricks and walk with her to find other animals and go on quests together. The graphics are so much fun and there are lots of surprises to discover at every turn.
You also learn about what your animal can eat and what is not an appropriate food or drink for them. All along the way you can stop and ask questions to your adorable Meerkat host, Darwin. The game has great music and realistic sounds that make it even more fun. I have only just started discovering all there is to do and I can see why Kuato Studios, is the world-leading developer in learning-through-games.
SAFARI TALES further feeds inquisitive minds through an adaptive gaming engine built around Apple’s SIRI technology. Curious kids are encouraged to construct over a thousand different questions to ask their in-game guide, Darwin, who will supply intelligent and fact-filled answers, aiding literacy skills in sentence structure, reading and creative thought.
At the end of each play session, SAFARI TALES uses patented technology to convert children’s adventures, discoveries and achievements into an incredible interactive storybook. Each new tale can be saved and stored to be read over and again with parents and loved ones, strengthening literacy, reasoning and inquiry skills.
I was happy to see this game encourages parents to participate in their child’s SAFARI TALES playtime through ‘Parent Corner’, selected from the home screen. From here, access to the game can be PIN-restricted, parents can set their child’s reading age and can control game length from a variety of session times, ensuring playtime fits the family routine. Additionally, notifications can be received each time a new creative artwork is produced in the game, allowing parents to monitor their child’s learning and share in their creativity.
Aimed at children aged between four and ten, SAFARI TALES has been developed in conjunction with pupils and teachers, to ensure that content is age-appropriate and game play fun. “Feedback from both kids and adults is invaluable for us as a studio,” said David Miller, award-winning teacher and now Director of Learning at Kuato Studios. “This participation in the development allows us to pinpoint particular opportunities where the child’s engagement with the game play, their creativity and performance peak, producing the perfect learning experience.”
Safari Tales is avail able now on iOS and Android platforms on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon. Just click the links and check it out yourself. You can join the adventure at Safari Tales and follow Kuato Studios on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Get a Safari Tales Coloring BookHERE!
About Kuato Studios
Kuato Studios is a learning company building fun and interactive products that inspire kids to learn the new skills of the future. Kuato Studios was founded in 2012 by the creators and investors behind Siri, to disrupt, innovate and lead the education market, and is working on integrating the latest cutting edge technology, like next generation conversation AI from SRI International, into a smart tutoring platform. Beginning in March 2013 with the release of Hakitzu, a game that teaches coding skills and problem solving, Kuato Studios has pioneered the next generation of educational video games. Through the recent release of Dino Tales and Safari Tales, Kuato Studios continues to be at the forefront of educational technology.
I was provided with a code to download this app for free and while compensated my words and views are always 100% my own.
With more and more time spent on our computers, tablets and laptops it is inevitable that we will have a mug of coffee, tea or other beverage around our work area. This can lead to very unfortunate and devastating consequences if drink gets spilled. Travel mugs are good but they tip easily and if you have the top open which most do it will spill when knocked over. How about a mug that did not need any fancy maneuvers to get it to stay secure in place and stay upright even if you knock into it accidentally? One that was super secure but you could just lift right up to take a sip and then place it down and it would not tip. Does that sound impossible. I am sure it does but then you have not met the Mighty Mug. Let me introduce you.
Developed by a team of industrial designers and mechanical engineers, Mighty Mug, is the world’s only Mug that grips to your desk when knocked into, but lifts naturally. Mighty Mug is powered by an innovative and patented Smartgrip Technology. Simply place Mighty Mug down on your desk and it creates a powerful airlock which allows Mighty Mug to resist accidental knocks to help avoid spills. When you lift Mighty Mug the pressure is instantly normalized allowing the airlock to release and Mighty Mug to lift naturally. You need to try it to believe it.
Mighty Mug Go comes in a variety of colors and holds 16 oz. It is BPA free, fits in car cup holders, is dishwasher safe and comes with a 100% Happiness Guarantee! I tried the Might Mug Go in Lilac and I was very impressed at how it worked. It effortlessly performed exactly as stated. It gives me such peace of mind, I am a wreck when one of my kids comes bounding in my office with the energy of a tree monkey and I have a cup of coffee on my desk. Now I don’t have to tell them a dozen times to be careful, watch out, don’t hit my cup.
Mighty Mug is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win a Mighty Mug Go in their choice of color (subject to availability) . Thank you for the review product and for sponsoring this fantastic giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.
Mighty Mug Go Travel Mug Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Our kids are extremely active! They will be outdoors playing from sun up to long after sun down. Definitely no couch potatoes here! They love riding bikes around the lake we live, we all do! I was intrigued when I saw the Rockboard RBX Scooter. This scooter allows kids and adults up to 220 lbs to propel themselves without the typical kicking. With the Rockboard RBX you propel yourself by rocking and your feet never need to touch the ground. It is a rocking motion that propels the scooter and our 6-year-old and 8-year-old were able to get the hang of it rather quickly.
The RBX is not something you will spend all day assembling. In fact there are only a few pieces to connect and you can be off and rocking. My husband was able to get this from the box to a fully functioning scooter in a matter of minutes. It is recommended for ages 8 and up and can scoot along at up to 10 MPH. It comes in red, blue and black.
Rockboard is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win their own Rockboard RBX Scooter (color selected by rockboard)! Thank you to Rockboard for sponsoring this fantastic review and giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents. Rockboard RBX Scooter Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules: Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Allow me the pleasure of introducing you to Harriet Hamsterbone, this royal rodent princess finds her life rather dull. She sighs a lot at the less than exciting life she has. That is, until the day that Harriet’s parents reveal to her a secret! They tell her that a rat placed a curse on her on the day of her birth. This curse said she will prick her finger on a hamster wheel when she is twelve and fall into a deep sleep!
Harriet has a bit of a different reaction than you might expect hearing this news. She was thrilled because it meant she was invincible until she turned twelve! So she started that adventurous life she wanted along with her riding quail, Mumfrey and enjoyed herself immensely. Oh, but what do they say about all good things? Her 12th birthday arrives and the curse…well, it manifests in a most unexpected way for this Hamster Princess.
You will just love reading this book aloud with your kids or presenting it to your middle grade school child to read on their own. This hilarious new comic series is a feisty, furry, twist on Sleeping Beauty from the creator of Dragonbreath, Ursula Vernon.
Take a look Inside The Book-HERE!You can read an excerpt HERE!
Perfect for fans of Babymouse and Chris Colfer’s Land of Stories, this laugh-out-loud new comic hybrid series will turn everything you thought you knew about princesses on its head.
GIVEAWAY:
Penguin Random House is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win their own copy of Hamster Princess. Thank you Penguin Random House for the review copy and for sponsoring this fantastic giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.
Hamster Princess Book Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
Hello, I’m Carolyn! I am a PR Savvy, WAH Mom to 5! I love Photography, Baking, DIY Projects, Crafts, Cooking and making memories with my family. I love sharing reviews and giveaways too!
