Awesome Children's Books From Raincoast Publishing

My kids love books. They are happy to read the same book over and over, but they are always THRILLED when new ones make it into the collection.  A few weeks ago we had a package delivered from Raincoast Publishing and Mr. J was very excited!

We hurriedly went to the kitchen table to open the envelope and see what books we had received! 

Our package contained 5 books:

1) I didn't Do My Homework Because

A book filled with every excuse you can probably think of for NOT having homework done - excuses that could only be thought up by the imagination of a child.  Mr. J and I enjoyed reading this at bedtime - he thought the excuses the child was giving to the teacher were absolutely hilarious, and then started talking about what reasons people may have for NOT completing their homework.  We settled on 2 being acceptable: you were ill or there was an emergency. Otherwise, he said that you have to do your homework.  Mr. J is really starting to improve with his reading now, and this was one that he was able to read with me.  He had trouble with some of the words, but the sentences are short and the book is an easy read.

2) Lately Lily

This is a book that takes you around the world on travels with Lily (she accompanies her parents on their trips).  The colours in this book are so vibrant and the illustrations are great.  This one didn't hold the kids interest though - I think perhaps better suited to a slightly older age group (8+) than my boys.

3) At The Same Moment Around The World

This one was a great book to talk about time. It goes through the hours of the day, and the fact that at the same moment, there are different countries/cities that are experiencing a different hour of the day. At 5 o'clock here in Ottawa, it is 2 o'clock in Vancouver (the book doesn't use these cities, but we did to help him understand a little better) He thought it was really interesting that when he is getting ready for bed, there are others that are waking up to start their day.  Mr. J (6 yrs) thought it was great, but it didn't hold Mr. K's (3 yrs) attention.

4) Here Comes Destructosauras

This book is about a child's temper tantrum when he can't find his favourite toy.  Of course, kids wouldn't make this connection as the illustrations show a dinosaur destroying a city.  Mr. J didn't make the connection at all, but I definitely knew immediately what was going on and had a little chuckle. Both the kids (ages 3 and 6) enjoyed when I read it to them, and it has wonderful, detailed photo's.  

5) Busy Bunny Days

This one is by far the boys favourite.  You follow the Bunny family through their day with the chance to find different scenarios throughout each section.  Both kids enjoy looking at this one and finding the different characters through the different themes. They love to look and find, and they make it a race to see who can find Benny the Badger first!  

All of the above books can be purchased online or in-store at Indigo Kids.

See the following posts for more children's book review:

Rose and the Lost Princess

DK Canada books

I See Me

GIVEAWAY

How would you like to add the above titles to your home library?  If you live in Canada and want a chance to win, simply fill out the form below. Closes April 21 at 9PM (est). Good luck!

Entry-Form

Disney's The Pirate Fairy Will Be Available on DVD and Blu ray Combo Pack April 1st

From the world of “Peter Pan” comes “The Pirate Fairy,” a swashbuckling new adventure about Zarina (voice of Christina Hendricks), a smart and ambitious dust-keeper fairy who’s captivated by Blue Pixie Dust and its endless possibilities. When Zarina’s wild ideas get her into trouble, she flees Pixie Hollow and joins forces with the scheming pirates of Skull Rock, who make her captain of their ship. Tinker Bell (voice of Mae Whitman) and her friends must embark on an epic adventure to find Zarina, and together they go sword-to-sword with the band of pirates led by a cabin boy named James (voice of Tom Hiddleston), who’ll soon be known as Captain Hook himself. With laughter, heart, magic and thrills, “The Pirate Fairy” sets sail April 1, 2014.

Another great Disney movie that kids are sure to love. My boys love to watch anything created by Disney, and The Pirate Fairy is no different! They love that the fairies and the pirates are shown together in a movie.  Baby Croc was my favourite, and seeing how he became Tick Tock Croc

You can own the movie on April 1 2014 when it is released on DVD and Blu ray combo!

Running with Roselle {book review}

My children are often running around, chasing each other, bumping into things and falling down. Of course I worry they will get hurt, but they can't live in a bubble. Would I feel the same way about them exploring if they couldn't see? I am not sure - hard to know how you would react in situations that you haven't faced.

Dragons: Defenders of Berk Part 1 {review}

My kids absolutely love How To Train Your Dragon; they were super excited when Dragons: Riders of Berk was released on DVD and now even more excited that Dragons: Defenders of Berk Pt 1 is available for purchase as well.

We received a DVD copy for review, and the kids were ecstatic. We had just returned from a movie at the theater, where they saw the trailer for How To Train Your Dragon 2 (to be released in June) and this got them even more wound up about the release of the sequel.

The boys love watching what Hiccup, Toothless and the rest of the characters are up to, and it's a great way to hold the kids over until the movie is released.  They can see their favourite characters on new adventures and challenges!

The Book Thief Blu-ray {review}

Available on Blu-ray and DVD March 11

Synopsis

Based on the beloved best-selling book comes an “extremely moving” (Leonard Maltin, Indiewire) story of a girl who transforms the lives of those around her during World War II, Germany. When her mother can no longer care for her, Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) is adopted by a German couple (OSCAR® Winner Geoffrey Rush* and OSCAR® Nominee Emily Watson**). Although she arrives illiterate, Liesel is encouraged to learn to read by her adoptive father. When the couple then takes in Max (Ben Schnetzer), a Jew hiding from Hitler’s army, Liesel befriends him. Ultimately, words and imagination provide the friends with an escape from the events unfolding around them in this extraordinary, acclaimed film directed by Brian Percival (Downton Abbey).

March Break With DK Canada

It's no secret that I am a fan of the selection that DK Canada has to offer.  With March Break here, they have a March Break Boutique which offers you a selection of activities, crafts, cooking and building to choose from - all at 30% off! Something for everyone - hands on creative activities, gift making and science kits - I am sure you will find something your kids will love!

I am really looking forward to trying some of the recipes in the Mom and Me Cookbook with the boys! They love to be with me creating in the kitchen!

If you have kids that LOVE lego like mine do, then  The Lego Ideas Book may be the way to go. Which book do you think would come in most handy at your house?

Transformers Rescue Bots: Hereos On The Scene

My youngest, Mr. K (3.5) absolutely loves Rescue Bots. For Christmas he received an abundance of Rescue Bots Toys (Optimus Prime Rescue Trailer and many more!) He will talk to anyone and everyone about Boulder, Chase, Heatwave and Blades - and he can go on and on for hours about the transforming vehicles.

Transformers Rescue Bots: Hereos On The Scene will be available on DVD March 18! We already had Griffin Rock Rescue, so when this one arrived Mr. K was ecstatic, it contains 5 different episodes. He is sick right now, so the arrival came at a great time - lots of rest on the couch with his favourite show playing!

Autobots to the Rescue!

TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS:

Heroes on the Scene

Own the Adventures on DVD March 18th, 2014

Join the Autobots’ best rescue team­­- CHASE, HEATWAVE, BLADES and BOULDER —for more fun-filled adventures!

 TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS: Heroes on the Scene, produced by Hasbro Studios, will be released on DVD March 18th, 2014 by Shout! Factory Kids . Featuring five exciting episodes that the whole family can enjoy, this DVD is priced to own with a suggested retail price of $14.93.

In this collection, the Rescue Bots go undercover to protect the quiet little town of Griffin Rock from the green ooze known as the Squilsh, recover treasure stolen by pirates and help Griffin Rock recover from an earthquake! Along with their human friends, the Burns family, the RESCUE BOTShelp keep people safe, and along the way they learn what it really means to be a hero!

 Executive produced by Jeff Kline (TRANSFORMERS PRIME), TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS features the vocal talents of LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Lacey Chabert (Party of Five), Steve Blum (TRANSFORMERS PRIME), Maurice LaMarche (Emmy® Award winner for Futurama) and the legendary Peter Cullen who voices OPTIMUS PRIME when he makes cameo appearances in the series. The TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS series is currently airing on The HUB TV Network in the U.S. and on Treehouse in Canada.

Episodes Include:
The Lost Bell 

You’ve Been Squilshed 

Little White Lies 

Shake Up 

Rescue Boy

If you have a preschooler that likes action, then Rescue Bots are sure to be a hit! 

Disney On Ice: 100 Years of Magic {recap}

If you are a Disney fan, then you are sure to love Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic.  Our family had the chance to see the show today, and it was great.  The boys sat, eye's glued to the ice watching as some of their favourite characters skated around the ice.  Mickey and Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Daisy.

The show takes you through short versions of Finding Nemo, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Pinocchio and more.

Hubby and I loved watching the excitement on the boys faces as they took it all in!

If you plan on heading to the Ottawa show you can order tickets from Capital Tickets - use the discount codes below:

MUM44 (*4 tickets for $44.00 - weekday shows only) and MUM4 (*$4.00 off tickets for weekend shows)

Excludes Front Row, Rinkside, and VIP tickets. No double discounts. Additional Fees May Apply. Weekday is defined as Monday thru Thursday and Friday Matinee. Weekend is defined as Friday evening and Saturday and Sunday

A few things to keep in mind if you will be attending:

• Parking was $8.00 (not sure if that changes for the evening performances or not)
• Disney products for sale when you walk in the door (immediately in front) 
• Sno cones can be purchased in souvenir cups - they range in price from $12-$15
• Programs can be bought for $20.00

If you go - have fun! It is such a wonderful family outing!

*As a Feld Family Entertainment Ambassador, we received tickets at no charge in exchange for helping to promote the show on Tales of Mommyhood. All opinions are honest and belong to Tales of Mommyhood, your opinion/experience may differ*

DK Canada Sticker Books

Like most little kids, mine are obsessed with stickers. They love to peel them off and stick them to any surface possible....that includes my walls, baseboards, fridge and even their BEDS! While I am happy they have fun, and peeling stickers is great for fine motor development, I don't really want their batman, lego and vehicle stickers adorning every surface of my home.

DK Canada has a promotion running in their sticker book boutique right now where you buy 2 and receive the 3rd for free.

DK Canada was kind enough to send us 3 books to test out! What I love about the books we received, they have pages and pages of characters (with their names) and then they have the sticker pages. So you have to hunt for the character or item you want, find it and then go back to the page and stick it. Which means that they have an actual place to PUT the stickers, and that saves my walls!  They also come with a ton of extra stickers for them to do with as they like.

They are great activities when you have a long wait (doctors office etc) or even just for filling in some time when they are "bored".

Are your kids into stickers? What is their favourite?

The above items were sent to Tales of Mommyhood at no charge in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are honest and belong to Tales of Mommyhood. Your opinion/experience may vary.

Happy New Year!

Well, I guess first I should start off with Merry Christmas - and an apology for being so delinquent with my blog.

The a/c adaptor to my laptop died, and I rarely have time to get on the desktop - so here I am, after New Years coming to update on the last few weeks.

December was a crazy month for us - all of us have been sick at least 1x, but it seems to be sticking around.

Christmas was fun, but I ended up with a stomach flu that night that had me out for a couple days - thankfully, no one else seemed to pick up that bug.  The boys enjoyed all the Christmas festivities, and had lots of fun opening their stockings and gift from santa!

New Years Eve was spent watching Canada against the USA in the IIHF World Jr's Hockey tournament....(good luck for the rest of the tournament guys) and playing go fish and war with Julien. We ordered pizza and spent the evening in. Unfortunately, with all of us still fighting off our virus, we didn't make it to midnight.

Maybe next year.

All of my giveaways have come to and end, but now that the craziness of December and Christmas is behind us, I am hoping to get a couple more started in the next few weeks.

New giveaway coming soon!

I was approached today to review a product and host a giveaway! It's a secret for now, but keep checking back to see when it gets posted.

Just a heads up - you will have to follow me publicly to be eligible to win!