Leaving the “yellow shirt” slot open, Sam Moran stepped in. Sam had been a part of The Wiggles show since 1998 and was a great addition when he stepped up to take the lead singer position for The Wiggles. Now that Greg is rejoining The Wiggles, Sam will be taking time to continue working on his own personal music ventures, (he released The Colour of Love in 2010) and also to spend time with his family.

Thankfully, there was a great person who was able to step in for a time and also step back from this position. Sam has been praised for continuing the success of The Wiggles during Greg’s leave. Yet when the day comes for Greg to rejoin the group and appear in his yellow shirt this year, there may be some confused or upset children.

With any television show there is a chance that characters will need to be replaced. I featured this story on The Fresh Beat Band replacing their, “Marina” character: What Happened to the Fresh Beat’s Marina? And with all of the traffic and comments it has had you can tell the change certainly struck a nerve in viewing homes. Recently other children’s television shows that have replaced characters or voices have been Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, and one who did it well, Blues Clues.

Not all shows give such great transition to a new character as Blues Clues with their switch from Steve to Joe, so as parents we need to learn the best ways to deal with these changes, because like it or not, they will happen. You may adapt these tips for your own child depending on their age and maturity.

1. Watch TV with your child – this gives your child an opportunity to discuss with you and you and opportunity to ask them questions, gauge their comfort with the changes and opens lines of communication.
2. Do your homework - if your child has a favorite show, why not set it up for a Google Alert or receive newsletters from that show so you can be abreast of changes before they even appear on the tube.
3. Explain TV vs Reality - of course this depends on the show and your child’s age, but in an age appropriate manner discuss what they think differences between television and real-life are and have fun with it.
4. Keep a positive attitude - so many of us parents are upset when characters change even when often, our children move on easily. When we aren’t disturbed by things, occasionally it will help our kids deal as well.
5. Choose different programming - if your child is very upset and no amount of discussion will ease their minds choose to watch something else on TV, but keep in mind characters in some shows may change. You can always opt to watch recorded versions of that show as well to keep with the consistency however boredom is a factor there.
6. Turn off the TV - when all else fails, or if TV seems to be more of an issue in your household, perhaps it’s time for a break from shows and the television in general. Get your kids interested in puzzles, coloring books, imaginative play, and if it’s nice weather head outside for some fresh air.

Do you have any tips to add?

Have any children’s television character switches effected your home?

Today is the day declared to honor the life and works of Martin Luther King Jr. I however, am thankful each day for Martin Luther King Jr. and others like him, who paved the rocky roads to integration and aided in the decrease of racism. Of course I am not naive enough to think that racism is gone, but there have been so many great people like Dr. King led and lead their lives for the cause of peace and it has not been in vain.

Why is integration such a big deal to me? If by some chance our society was still segregated by races, I would not be allowed to marry my husband, who is African American. I would not have two, beautiful, biracial daughters, and my life would not be the same.

So, I am thankful, and I celebrate. My family would not be together without the help of Martin Luther King Jr. And so instead of going shopping or rushing through another day off, we will celebrate our rights and the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

Are you celebrating this year? Perhaps you could take a moment today to realize what has truly been done for this society. Whether or not you think racism directly effects you, think of your friends, family, coworkers who have been and are impacted. And remember those who’ve endured hardship to fight for their rights as Americans.

DaddyB and I have not been on a date, with each other {meaning aside from our night’s out with friends}, in a very, very, very, very long time. And if I told you exactly how many years {yes years} it has been I know some of you would shout at me. So I’m keeping that info to myself. Needless to say, we have not ventured out on the dating scene here in Charlotte, however, my local site, TheCharlotteMoms.com affords me the opportunity to visit all kinds of great places here in Charlotte that I might not have seen otherwise. I’d love to tell you about two amazing places in and around Charlotte that I would highly suggest for a Valentine’s Day treat.

If you’re looking to stay in town, no matter the reason, and want great food I love Harvest Moon Grille. Not only do they tout, “Farm to fork” food, but their Executive Chef and Proprietor, Cassie Parsons puts her whole heart into her food, and you can tell. Named Restaurateur of the Year by Charlotte Magazine, Parsons not only manages the business side of things, but she’s also a local farmer and mom too. I was lucky enough to meet with her and enjoy some delicious dishes. Here’s some of the great food we tasted on our visit:

Make your reservations for Valentine’s Weekend or Valentine’s Day at Harvest Moon Grille here: http://opentable.com

If you’re looking for something a little more romantic however, consider a weekend getaway without the kiddos. Asheville is close enough to have a great get away, but not too far from home and the kiddos. Asheville has a lot of great places that offer romantic settings, but I recommend Grove Park Inn. Grove Park Inn has a few Valentine’s Day packages that are already set up for you, but make sure you plan in advance, because spots book quickly.

Valentine’s Day Weekend events include their Starlight & Chocolate party, dinner at your choice of one of their fine restaurants, Valentine’s Dance with dance instruction, and “It Takes Two” cooking demonstration and a commemorative portrait to remember the weekend by. Also, add a special couple’s spa appointment to make it even more romantic.

Check out some of their package choices here: http://www.groveparkinn.com/Valentine and tell them you heard about them on MommyB Knows Best it’s definitely going to be a weekend you will remember.

Both of my girls, Miss A, who is 4 and a half {as she would proudly exclaim}, and Baby C who is now 20 months old LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to dance. Seriously they do all sorts of styles anywhere, in the tub, in the kitchen, on their beds/cribs, on mommy’s back, so much so that I often will have to ask them to take a break so they don’t choke-break-something-break-someone-get-dizzy-and-so-on.

I have found the perfect game(s) though. Thanks to Ubisoft we can have our cake and eat it too with Just Dance 3 and Just Dance Kids 2. Personally I think these are amazing gifts for anyone who likes to dance, young, or not so young. If you haven’t picked up a copy or sent yours yet it makes a great Christmas present or even upcoming birthday presents too, and if you like to dance it’ll give you and the recipient a good excuse to play together.

What I like about Just Dance 3 on Nintendo Wii:

• Variety – 45+ songs by various artists and several different play modes, make it easy for you to be choosy
• Non-Stop Dancing - Just Dance 3 has a great non-stop mode that allows you to “dance your heart out” without the interruption of song selection or point tallies.
• FUN! – With great songs from hot artist like Katy Perry, Cee Lo, Jessie J, I get to have fun dancing around the livingroom.
• Calorie Burner - Depending on the song you choose and how “into it” you are you can really work up a sweat which is always a plus, right?

I personally didn’t love all the songs on this game, but you’d probably have to be a pretty eclectic person for that to happen anyway. Also, there are some songs on the game that I wouldn’t want my girls to hear, and the game is rated E+10, meaning best for everyone ages 10 years old and up. Depending on your parenting style this age recommendation may vary, but again there are some “safe” songs you can choose and dance with your kids to.

It seems like Just Dance 3 is pretty hot right now, and I would definitely recommend it for purchase for yourself or as a gift.

Just Dance Kids 2 for Nintendo Wii left this impression on me:

• GREAT for kids of different ages - even Baby C gets her own controller and dances away
• Classic songs that are both fun and help kids learn {left and right, numbers, etc}
• Trendy songs – from great children’s artists like The Wiggles, Imagination Movers, Yo Gabba Gabba and more.

All the songs are kid-appropriate based on lyrics, I love that they have their own game that’s more their age. In addition, this game offers classic kids songs like “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and “The Hokey Pokey” in several languages. We love promoting learning other languages in the B household, do you??

Both games can be purchased for use on several game platforms like the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3. Head over to Ubisoft website here: http://shop.ubi.com to check out more details and make your purchases for the dancers in your life and if that person is you, have fun and happy dancing!!

I received both Just Dance 3 and Just Dance Kids 2 in order to give my thoughts on these products for this review. The above thoughts are my honest opinions, however yours may vary. 

When I was offered the opportunity to watch, review, and give away this 5 DVD holiday collection of some of our favorite shows from NCircle, it was right up our alley.

The Wiggles, “It’s Always Christmas With You!,” includes a mix of 14 original new tunes and seasonal favorites. It’s the first holiday DVD in seven years from the beloved platinum-selling band from Down Under, and it features celebrity guests including ‘N Sync’s Joey Fatone, who sings a sweet rendition of “O Holy Night.” We love it because it introduces children to the diverse ways different cultures celebrate the holidays and The Wiggles are always good, clean, fun.

“The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That: Told From the Cold” DVD has four episodes from the popular PBS Kids series. Actor-comedian Martin Short is the voice of The Cat in the Hat, and I love his characters in movies. The four episodes on this learning-and-fun-filled DVD are: Snowman’s Land, Flight of the Penguin, A Long Winter’s Nap and Reindeer Games. The girls really liked the episode on the penguin named Percy and learn how to waddle like a penguin and love to sing along to the easy songs.

My favorite DVD is “WordWorld: New Happy Holiday WordFriends”. The show is an Emmy Award-winning PBS Kids series for obvious reasons. This DVD features three holiday-themed episodes: The Christmas Star, A Christmas Present for Dog, and Duck’s Family Reunion – plus a bonus music video, Dancing Dog. I love how the characters demonstrate that it is better to give than receive. Great messages to be had in this DVD for sure.

The DVD that Miss A requests the most is: “Chloe’s Closet: Winter Wonderland”. The DVD features four episodes: On Frozen Pond, Best in Snow, Getting to Snow You, and Icing Escapades. Miss A loves that the girls turn into snow princesses and make snowflakes and also one of the episodes features Chloe ice skating, pretty nice since we don’t get much of the white stuff here in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Lastly, “The Fairies: Christmas Wishes in Fairyland” is a DVD where Fairyland is transformed into a magical Christmas setting. Tiny tots will sing and dance along to their favorite Christmas carols {and some of mine too} and learn new songs as they celebrate the joys of the season with the beautiful fairies, Harmony and Rhapsody! I love that my girls can learn traditional Christmas carols through this DVD.

Overall we are pleased and love every one of these DVDs and think they are great for the Christmas/Winter-y weather season and I highly recommend them for long trips or even short moments of fun for your kiddos. They would even be great for a holiday movie viewing party since there are no scary parts, no questionable moments, and some good messages for our kiddos.

NCircle is provide a prize of FIVE DVDs (one of each title) to a MommyB Knows Best reader!!

Head over to NCircle’s website here: http://www.ncircleentertainment.com/default.aspx and tell me which is your favorite title. If you don’t use the prize pack for yourself consider giving it as a gift for the holiday season.

1. Follow MommyBKnowsBest on Twitter

2. Tweet- using @mommybknowsbest and #NCircle linking back to this giveaway. (up to 5 tweets a day)

Not an entry because MommyB Knows Best follows Facebook TOS, but we’d love it if you’d go check out NCircle here: on Facebook

Giveaway ends December 15th @12:00 am. The winner will be chosen at random, verified, emailed, and announced in a Winner’s post. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the email from MommyB to claim the prize, if the prize is not claimed within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen at random. You must be a US resident and 18 years or older to enter.

I received a copy of the above DVDs to watch and give my opinion on. I received no monetary compensation for this post and all words and thoughts are my own. Yours may vary.

As a child I loved making family videotapes on VHS tapes, but now we have no way to view these fun memories. Instead of having them collect dust in your house, you can now through YesVideo conveniently transfer them to DVDs. This a great service where you can send your old homemade videotapes, 35mm slides, movie film reels, prints, and digital videos and photos and have them nicely converted to a DVD or Blu-ray disc to view in your home. Through YesVideo you can also add some personalization to the DVD which is a nice feature if you are planning to use it for a gift.

So how does it work? Log onto Yesvideo.com and start the easy step-by-step guidelines for your order. I chose to send some old VHS tapes and prints that were not in digital format. When creating your DVD, you are able to choose special features like a personalized title, background, and music style. I was also able to choose the order in which the photos would be in for the DVD. Then print out a shipping label and send it off. In a few weeks you will be enjoying a new DVD format. This process can also be done through local retailers in your area; visit their website {http://bit.ly/YesVideo} for details.

I was a bit skeptical at how the finished product would look, and had some questions before sending in my order. The customer service folks at YesVideo were helpful and pleasant to speak with. After receiving my finished product I was amazed at how much detail they put into the DVD. It was great seeing my pictures come to life, not to mention my old family videotapes. Plus the DVD also had some one-minute movie trailers that were great to watch.

The cost of this service – conversion and shipping – can add up, but relieving old memories was money well spent. There will be smiles and maybe tears when you view your DVD. One minor setback for me was not having finished samples of the product to view online. While they do give samples of the backgrounds I wanted to see what the finished product would look like all together. The music selection for your DVD if doing prints or slides was also too limited for my tastes, only about 25 basic instrumental tracks to choose from. It was a bit disappointing, but I was still able to find something suitable and with everything put together in a finished piece it turned out great!

Of course, with the right program and a good deal of time, the technologically-savvy person could do some of these services themselves. So, for picture prints and digital formats, I found this to be more of a convenience. This would be very time consuming if done on your own and with YesVideo you send in your prints and you are done. As far as VHS, 35mm slides, and picture reels this is great. It is a nice way to view your past memories and share them with loved ones.

Overall, the services provided by YesVideo are valuable, and it seems they’ve found a nice all-in-one place to get your old memories in a format where you can enjoy them again and again. So, remember the tissues and enjoy the show!

If you purchase services from YesVideo you can get 15% off right now using the code TRANSFER15 during check out at http://bit.ly/YesVideo

Also, YesVideo is giving one lucky MommyB Knows Best reader a chance to win a $60 transfer service coupon for their services. 

Head over to YesVideo’s website here: http://bit.ly/YesVideo and tell me what service you would want (under “Services” tab.) If you don’t use the prize pack for yourself consider giving it as a gift for the holiday season.

1. Follow YesVideo on Twitter

2. Follow MommyBKnowsBest on Twitter

3. Tweet- make sure you comment each time you tweet (no more than 1 time an hour):  I entered to #win the @yesvideo GIVEAWAY to transform my memories into a DVD by @mommybknowsbest: http://bit.ly/uxWcLd

Not an entry, but we’d love it if you’d go check out YesVideo here: on Facebook

Giveaway ends December 8th @12:00 am. The winner will be chosen at random, verified, emailed, and announced in a Winner’s post. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the email from MommyB to claim the prize, if the prize is not claimed within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen at random. You must be a US resident and 18 years or older to enter.

This is a sponsored post from YesVideo. I received services from YesVideo in order to review their services. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own, however yours may vary.

But let’s face it — sometimes it’s nice to feel like, even for one brief, shining moment, that it is all about us. And kids love it when they have something personalized just for them. It gives them a feeling of ownership, and it captures their attention.

Knowing this, I was really excited to try out a new line of kids’ books from JibJab. You know JibJab, right? That’s the hilarious company that makes those electronic greeting cards, the ones where you can add your face to the dancing characters and send it to all your friends so they can laugh at you. Don’t act like you’ve never Elfed Yourself — you know you have.

Well now JibJab has created JibJab Jr. This is a fantastic ebook concept for the iPad. Instead of plugging your boss’ face into a turkey, you plug your child’s face into the main character of a book. And suddenly, your kid becomes the star of his very own personalized story!

This app is super easy to use. It comes with one free book — a cute story about a kid who makes a ginormous pizza. Once you select this story, you’re prompted to create either a boy or girl character.

Then comes the fun part — adding your photo. You can choose a photo from your library, or you can connect to your Facebook account and choose a photo from one of your albums.

Once you’ve picked a shot, you simply rotate and resize to make your child’s face fit into the character’s face. You type in your kid’s name, and choose a skin tone for your character. Then just hit “Go!,” and your animated story begins!

Of course, you can switch out characters as often as you like, so multiple children can be the star of each story. I also love how the app saves your characters. This means you don’t have to go in and choose a new picture every time you start a new book. You simply swipe to choose the photo you want.

The stories we’ve tried have been on a nice reading level for Jack, who is in 2nd grade, but slightly behind in his reading skills. There are enough big words to challenge him (he learned “expertise” from one of the books, and it’s his new favorite word), but the reading level isn’t so difficult that it frustrates him. Jack has to read for at least 20 minutes a day as part of his homework, and at this point in the school year, this has been getting a little tiresome for him. These JibJab Jr. books have been great for reinvigorating his love of reading. He’s now excited to sit down and read to his brother, and he’s even great at choosing and resizing his own pictures. (FYI to my Facebook friends — he chooses his pictures from my albums, so you may or may not have starred in a book. And I may or may not have laughed my butt off at you scuba diving with a shark.)

But what’s surprised me is how Finn is also starting to read along on his own. I think this is because the animation helps his comprehension skills. With a regular book, the pictures do help tell the story to a degree. But seeing the characters and other aspects of the story actually move — literally seeing the action progress — adds a new layer of understanding and excitement for emerging readers.

The only improvement I’d like to see would be multiple characters in a story. I’d love to have a book where my boys could interact with each other in the story, or where families or groups of friends could have their own adventures. Hmm, perhaps they should consider a Freaky Perfect Family series! Jack and Finn both mentioned that they’d like the app to have some sound. They’ve read other ebooks that had either background music or ambient sounds that matched the stories, and I think they missed that a bit.

From a technical standpoint, the app has always worked well for me. It even worked well through the iOS5 update, but it seems there might have been problems for some. However, JibJab Jr. quickly pushed out an update that fixed any quirks. I dig an app company that provides a bug-free product and regular service and updates.

The JibJab Jr. app itself is free, and as I mentioned, it comes with one free book. Subsequent titles are $7.99 each. But they also offer a subscription plan. For $3.99 a month, you get one new book each month, and any more titles you chose to buy are only $3.99 each, instead of full price. I think this is a great deal.

I wholeheartedly recommend the JibJab Jr. ebook app. It’s a great educational tool for kids. But beyond that, it creates lots of laughs and smiles. JibJab not only makes reading fun, it also makes your child the center of the universe for a moment. And that’s a really awesome thing.

While I did not receive compensation for this post, JibJab Jr. did give me an iTunes credit to purchase an additional title. All opinions are my own.

Although I couldn’t actually remember the full story I knew as soon as I started watching I would be reminded of the plot. I watched with my 4 year-old and 1.5 year-old and we are very cautious of movies because our oldest is very sensitive to material that could be perceived as “scary”.

For Miss A and Baby C the movie was appropriate. I was amazed at the quality of animation in The Gruffalo DVD. Seriously, from the little details to the perspective of the movie I was very impressed.

The story itself was a great one, and I won’t give everything away, but the storyline goes a little something like this: The mouse in all his tiny-ness, does his best not to get eaten by creatures of the forest. He makes up the existence of the Gruffalo {at least he thinks he makes it up}, but mouse’s creativity leads him to the one and only Gruffalo himself.

I would recommend, {as I always do with children’s DVDs}, for parents to watch the video without their children, because as parents we know our children’s tolerance of certain things best. I can understand where some children may be scared by the Gruffalo or other woodland creatures in this movie and want to make sure that you, my readers know that ahead of time.

Overall I think it’s a great movie, based on a classic book and definitely worth purchasing for the holidays or any reason really. I think the message behind the story is one that is valuable and the girls and I will definitely keep this movie in our collection.

I received a review copy of this dvd for the sole purpose of writing this post. The opinions expressed above are my own honest opinions, however yours may vary.

Last weekend, on behalf of one of my most favorite companies, Tiny Prints, I hosted a blogger holiday party and with a few tips I used it was a success.

Invite the Right People for the Right Event – If you are having a play date don’t invite people who don’t like children, pretty obvious right? However I’ve seen interesting mixes at parties because often times people don’t want to leave anyone out, but by being selective, {at times}, it can pay off. I invited some amazing bloggers including {in alphabetical order, so as not to show favoritism *LOL*} Faith, Jamie, Jessica, Kelley, Lisa, Maricris, and Susan.

Find a unique place or theme for the party – Sometimes when you are in a smaller city it’s hard to find new venues to host events at, and even if you choose to host events in your home, one key tip is to get creative. Thinking outside the box when it comes to venues and themes are what can make or break a party. Choose locations you wouldn’t normally think of but work out logistically and look on places like pinterest {which I have vowed to stay away from,} for ideas. I chose Fran’s Filling Station because the menu selection sounded different, and it wasn’t a chain and I’m so glad I chose it because the food and staff were amazing, and I’m dying to go back for round 2.

Find some entertainment or a purpose – While sometimes it’s nice to just get together with friends, when there is a purpose or something fun scheduled for a party people get even more excited to attend. At the Tiny Prints event, Chris Garner, local photographer and owner of TPS Photography, spoke about tips for photography which will not only come in handy for our blogs, but also for our own photos during the holidays. Whatever your purpose or entertainment make it a good fit for your attendees.

Make sure the guests leave with something in hand – aka Goodies. We all love them, let’s face it, when you leave a party with a goodie bag you get a little excited. Recently, I went to a Mom’s Night In, where we made pies and the hostess made pie pops {like these from Bakerella} and although my girls didn’t get to go to the Mom’s Night In {for obvious reasons}, they were able to enjoy the goodies. And I must say for this Tiny Prints event the goodies were pretty awesome!

I am a little biased anyway because I love Tiny Prints. Not only do I really love their designs, but there are some celebs designing their products now {which is not HUGE for me but an added bonus for sure,} but most of all because of their AMAZING customer service. And yes, I have to say “AMAZING” in caps and here’s why: last year I was creating my Christmas and New Year’s combination card with them, you know Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, well my mush brain got the best of me and I wrote Happy 2010, but didn’t notice and submitted for printing. Tiny Prints customer service not only called me and left really nice voice messages, but they also emailed a couple of times to ask me if I really wanted 2010 or actually wanted 2011. Phew, crisis averted all because the staff at Tiny Prints caught my mistake. Honestly that catch is a constant reminder of a successful customer service experience and that’s the biggest reason why I continue to use Tiny Prints for my printing needs.

If you want to check them and their 2011 Holiday Line out head over here: http://www.tinyprints.com/shop/picture-christmas-cards.htm. This year, I have been drooling over the Ornament cards, something people can use and reuse every year for their tree, what.a.great.idea! In fact, here are some of my favorites:

Because there are so many different parties to attend this holiday season it’s difficult to make sure yours is unique, but with my tips above, some creativity, and the right tools your party is sure to be a success.

I was compensated by Tiny Prints for hosting this Holiday Party, however the thoughts and words in this post are solely mine. My personal experiences with Tiny Prints and my opinions of their amazing services are my own testament to their work, however yours may vary.

The Mr. Handyman blog has step-by-step instructions for each of the carving techniques in the video, as well as free printable pumpkin carving patterns, including: Bats, Cat, Crescent Moon, Howling Wolf, Cute Jack-o-Lattern, Scary Jack-o-Lanterns, Skull, Ghost, and Scarecrow.

Check it out and tell me if you plan on using any of the techniques shared by Mr. Handyman or if you decorate your pumpkins in a different way.

This is a sponsored video post from Mr. Handyman. The opinions expressed in this post are my own words and thoughts yours may vary.