Coraline (Giveaway)

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is Kelly F. Congratulations!

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has recently released Coraline in Blu-ray Hi-Def and 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD featuring 2-D and 3-D versions of the movie, four pairs of 3-D glasses, plus a digital copy of the film.

MOVIE DESCRIPTION

11-year-old Coraline Jones (voiced by Dakota Fanning) has just moved with her parents (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman) to a new home in Oregon. With no friends and her parents distracted by work, the feisty and adventurous Coraline sets out to find some excitement in her isolated new environment. She is befriended—or, as she sees it, pestered—by a local boy close to her age, Wybie Lovat (Robert Bailey Jr.) and visits her older neighbors, eccentric British actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible (Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French) as well as the arguably even more eccentric Russian, Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane). Just as she’s beginning to think her new home is utterly uninteresting, she uncovers a secret door which leads to a parallel existence much like her own life—but much better. The adults, including the solicitous Other Mother (also voiced by Teri Hatcher) welcome her warmly. And Coraline gets far more attention there—even from the mysterious Cat (Keith David). She begins to think that this Other World might be where she truly belongs. But when her wondrously off-kilter, fantastical visit turns dangerous, Coraline must summon all her resourcefulness, determination and courage to get back home—and save her real family.

Want to check out something really cool? Stop by Coraline’s 3-D Garden. This augmented reality site allows you to view a 3-D digital image on their computer screen that appears in yourr own hands when used in tandem with a unique print out and webcam.

WIN IT!

I have 2 lenticular Coraline cups for one lucky winner! To enter:

• Just mention in comments before midnight, Aug 8th why you’d like to win this. That’s it!
• A random winner will be selected and notified via email shortly thereafter.
• The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

• Subscribe to my feed.
• Follow me on Twitter.
• Place my button in your sidebar.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.

This giveaway is open to US addresses. Good luck!

The Island News

On occasion I receive emails from various companies and organizations asking me to forward their messages on to you. So, here they are in their own words . . . well, mostly.

KIDS ENTERTAINMENT

Disney Channel will debut the second season of its hit music-filled Playhouse Disney series, “Imagination Movers,” SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 (10:00 a.m., ET/PT). New episodes of the series, starring New Orleans’ favorite alternative rock band for preschoolers, will air every Saturday throughout September. The season will include more than 25 new original songs by the band.

Disney Channel will premiere eight new episodes of its hit multicultural series “Handy Manny,” starring the voice of Wilmer Valderrama, every Saturday throughout the summer beginning SATURDAY, JUNE 20 (8:30 a.m. ET/PT) and concluding with a marathon of episodes on SATURDAY, AUGUST 15 (6:00 – 10:00 a.m. ET/PT). Guest stars featured in the new episodes include “Happy Days” alumni Henry Winkler and Marion Ross, Broadway’s “Hairspray” alumni Shannon Durig and Ashley Parker Angel, and Lance Bass.

Random House will be introducing a new children’s book series this summer aimed at girls, ages 7 – 12, called The Fairy Godmother Academy. The first book in the series, entitled Birdie’s Book, isn’t being released until August 25th, but a new social community centered around games, music and social networking is being launched very soon. Get a special sneak peek at the website at www.fairygodmotheracademy.com.

Earlier Media announced the launch of Kideos (www.kideos.com), an entertainment destination for kids to safely watch videos online. Kideos features popular children’s videos, from Elmo to Thomas, with a kid-friendly interface within a safe environment. Kideos is the newest web property from Earlier Media, a company dedicated to providing trustworthy destinations for children of all ages to learn, watch videos and play games online. Additionally, the site offers parents their own personalization tools to limit videos shown to their children by selecting the appropriate age-based category. Once chosen, children will only be able to view videos specifically targeted towards their exact age group.

WORTHY CAUSES

Beginning on August 3, all T.J. Maxx stores will carry limited edition reusable shopping bags for $0.99. The bags are designed with Save the Children original children’s artwork, and for each bag purchased, T.J. Maxx will donate one basic item such as; socks, underwear and backpacks to Save the Children’s U.S. programs, up to 25,000 items. This initiative marks 25 years of partnership for T.J. Maxx and Save the Children.

This year, in a “twist” to their annual Sunkist Take a Stand program, Sunkist is issuing a creative challenge for America’s kids to express themselves and their desire to raise money for their favorite charity, in the very fundraising tool itself — the lemonade stand. By posting their designs on Sunkist’s Facebook page, with their parents’ help, children can not only display their creativity, but also enter for the chance to increase their donations and win cash prizes.

CONTESTS

Forget the long lines or red velvet ropes. Don’t worry about rude, burly bouncers or dress to impress door policies. This summer, the biggest party of the year is taking place right in your own home! On August 10th, Belli, a line of luxe and teratology-tested skincare products to address the specific issues of pregnant women, new moms and babies, will be hosting their annual online party. To kick-off the party, Belli and its partner sponsors will have a drawing for a prize each day during the two week promotion. On August 24th, a grand prizewinner will be picked to take home each of the prizes awarded during the promotional period.

Earthbound Farm has just launched a web-based contest seeking quotes from children for the inside of its clamshell salad labels. Kids will be encouraged to submit quotes thanking those who purchase organic for helping protect the future. For each child’s quote that’s chosen, they will recieve a $500 US Savings Bond & a $500 donation in your child’s name to a nonprofit environmental organization.

Calling all Lil’ Heroes! Nestle Drumstick Lil’ Drums is searching for ten kids across the nation who have shown outstanding acts of bravery or have made a difference in their communities. From now until August 15, 2009, parents, teachers and inspired adults can nominate their Lil’ Heroes, who will have a chance to win a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond and a special delivery of enough Nestle Drumstick Lil’ Drums sundae cones to host a party for up to 50 family and friends.

You can nominate an extraordinary educator by visiting www.expoeducator.com and submitting a brief essay about the teacher you feel deserves a little more recognition. 12 semi-finalists and one-grand prize winner (known as the EXPO Extraordinary Educator will be given a financial break. Prizes include cash, free EXPO school supplies and more.

SanDisk has launched a summer video contest! With summer in full swing – which means family trips to Disneyland, the beach, camping, and more – families can turn these exciting summer moments into cash for the next family vacation! With just a quick 60-second video of summer fun, families can enter to win a $1,000 in weekly prizes and a grand prize of $5,000! All you need to do is post your video at http://www.youtube.com/sandisk for a chance to win.

Aloha Friday #93

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My question is:

Do you tip the delivery people when they come to install something you purchased from their store?

Our big screen projection television recently died after 9 years. From what I understand, it lived a long and full life. We purchased an HDTV from Best Buy and it came with delivery/installation. However, I wasn’t sure if I should tip the installers. I hadn’t planned to but they were so nice and friendly to my daughters that not only did I tip them, I also gave them drinks-to-go.

Making Life Better

Have I ever mentioned that I do all the cooking in this house? And I mean all.the.cooking. It doesn’t matter if I’m tired, sick, or suffering from morning sickness – if I don’t cook, they don’t eat. So when Mom Central announced their blog tour for Making Life Better & the Family Fun Book, I jumped at the chance.

The Family Fun Book is a free download filled with meal ideas and great recipes that the whole family will enjoy.  The great thing about this book is that they also offer tips on how to include everyone in the family in the planning process turning meals into quality family time.

In addition to kid-friendly recipes, Bushman suggests, add in a little fun with creative themes and recipes like these:

• Have an at-home dinner picnic. Spread a blanket out in the living room and prepare simple sandwiches or wraps, like a delicious Chicken & Basil Sandwich. Opt for Hellmann’s Light Mayonnaise, which has the great taste but half the calories and fat of Hellmann’s. Get the kids involved by letting them pick the sandwich fixins and spread the mayo!
• Save on cooking and clean-up time by choosing easy, delicious, one-pot dips and recipes. Use sweet potatoes or yams to prepare Spicy Oven Fries and pair with your favorite dipping sauce. To sneak in some nutrition and receive 20 percent of your daily value of Vitamin D, top with melted Shedd’s Spread Country Crock Calcium Plus Vitamin D. With just three steps, this recipe is perfect for setting loose your child’s inner chef.
• To make nights in even more enjoyable, pair meals with fun at-home entertainment. Spend less time in the kitchen by using Knorr Rice Sides to make an easy one-dish meal like Grilled Chicken & Veggies Over Rice, then create a show by letting your kids sing their favorite songs in your very own “kitchen cabaret.”
• Host a camping-inspired sleepover for the kids and create a kitchen retreat with campfire meals. Use whole grain tortillas as a healthy and easy dipper for your favorite one-pot recipes like Super Easy Slow-Cooked Chili with Ragu Pasta Sauce, which packs a full serving of vegetables in every half-cup of sauce. Not to mention that a slow cooked meal leaves more time for “camping” activities!
• Use versatile ingredients from your well-stocked pantry. Wish-Bone Dressings can do double-duty as delicious salad dressings and simple, great tasting marinades for chicken, pork, beef and fish. Pair with soy sauce for a delicious Asian Grilled Steak. You may want to keep your children away from the grill, but they can help by preparing the steak ahead of time.
• Summer and iced tea go hand-in-hand to stay hydrated. Did you know those tea bags can also spice up your cooking?  Use Lipton Teabags to create Tasty Tea Baked Apples – a delicious desert with an extra helping of antioxidants for just $1 per serving.

I never thought about having a living room picnic before but I know it’s something my girls would love to do.  To kids, anything different is fun, right? However, my favorite section was the One Dish Wonders. I love the idea of putting everything into one pot and just turning on the heat. It’s easy and clean-up is a breeze!

Making Life Better not only has great cooking tips but they also have resources in other areas as well: beauty & style, home & family, vitality & wellness, as well as special offers to save you money. Talk about a well-rounded site. Stop by today for some valuable information.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Unilever/Making Life Better. Mom Central sent me a gift card and a copy of the Family Fun Book to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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