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.

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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.

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.

Recently, I was offered the chance to try out h20, a natural spring water from Canada, and I found that I really loved the taste of. I kid you not, it’s up there will my all-time favorite {or favourite if you’re from CA} waters, very crisp and totally refreshing, plus, it does NOT come in a plastic bottle, hooray!!

I’m not completely eco-friendly, however I do like to recycle and try to do my part. h2o’s packaging is 100% paper, from “responsibly sourced well managed forests, a renewable resource, unlike plastic bottles made from oil”.  And in my opinion the packaging is pretty too, see:

Here are some really great facts that I love about h2o and some random ones I found out on my own too:

• h2o keeps contents safe up to 5 years compared to the 2 year shelf-life of plastic bottles
• h2o does not roll around in the car if you drop it on the ground like other water bottles {yes this did actually happen to me}
• h2o has “wings” {aka the flaps at the top that kids can hang on to so they don’t squeeze the drink} like our favorite paper milk and juice box containers
• h2o, even though the bottle is not see-through, has really great packaging so those of you who are bothered by not being able to “see” what you are drinking can look down the top and see for yourself, crystal clear.

This great water is available for purchase on their website http://www.h2Ospringwater.com in singles and packs, and in single 16.9 ounce bottles at Super K-marts. Pricing is average in my opinion and for the taste of the water I’d personally pay a little more than they are asking, but that may just be my superior taste buds talking

Also, h2O has also launched a special online sweepstakes. One winner is randomly chosen every 2 days to win a Rio DVD and a 6-pack of h2O natural spring water. Check out rules and enter at h2Ospringwater.com now through September 30, 2011 (at 11:59 p.m. PST).

Do you have a favorite spring water? If so, what brand is it?

I received samples from h2o and their partners in order to complete this review. The samples in no way effect my opinions on the product. The words above are my own, completely honest opinions. Thank you for taking the time to read the review and if you have any questions or comments I would love to hear them! 

The first release, Goodnight Moon…and More Great Bedtime Stories is a hit. In the B Household Goodnight Moon has been a favorite since Little Miss A was a baby and truth-be-told she still loves when I read her that book, in fact I caught her just a second ago, during her “rest time” reading, “Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Moon,” to her Barbies. This 36 minute DVD holds 3 great stories on one DVD and supports learning in vocabulary, fine motor skills, and comprehension.

Now the second DVD, I know I will get in trouble for not reading…is A Pocket for Corduroy and More Stories about Friendship. Okay here’s your chance…I know, I should have read this classic when I was a child and if not then now that I have two beauties of my own….but I just haven’t, sorry. Anyway, it was great getting the opportunity to watch this children’s classic along with the sign language bonus.

The first time we watched this Miss A just loved that the movie was the book in video form. Then she noticed the ASL right away and started copying the signs, I thought that was pretty cool. When Miss A was about 4 months old we started teaching her baby sign so she could communicate with us, so I’ve always thought that even for hearing children sign is a great way to teach and help them learn. So many studies back up the findings that learning sign language has so many benefits for children, so I enjoy that both videos are jam packed with opportunities for learning.

The great part about both DVDs is that a hearing impaired or a hearing child can watch together and both get enjoyment out of fun stories that never grow old. I love them and know you will too, check out http://newkideo.com/ to buy yours for less than $13 a video.

Are there any Storybook Classics that you have not read?? PS I promise I won’t harass you!!

I have never read or seen any of the Wimpy Kid series, but I really got into this book. If you are a fan of Wimpy Kid you will love this book. From creating the storyboard, to choosing the actors, to wrapping up the movie — all of your favorite Diary of a Wimpy Kid Movie minutes are here.

The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary has a great notebook feel, with original Diary of a Wimpy Kid drawings that act as a narration in the book. You’ll enjoy the great color pictures sprinkled throughout sharing behind the scenes tips and tricks all about the film.

Most of the book describes the tricks of the trade on making the movie. The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary starts with a section on casting and how they decided to use certain actors. I love the way the Wimpy Kid Gregs are discussed: Jeff Kinney, who wrote the original Diary of a Wimpy Kid books uses a timeline to parallel their two lives, the book version of Greg Heffley to the actor playing Greg, Zachary Gordon. Through casting the filmmakers also asked both actors auditioning for Greg and Rowley’s parts, two of the main characters, to do some homework and write journal entries in the voice of their characters; this book shows the journal entries and introduces you to each of the characters in the movie.

I love how the book describes the tricks of changing seasons in the motion picture, filming day at night and vice versa, using twins and using adult stunt doubles to make filming go a lot smoother. After all, “…a whole DAY of filming usually produces only about two MINUTES of a finished movie.” That’s crazy!

A lot of work is put into each movie and The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary was no exception. Read more about how filmmakers used three different schools, created graphic images of the cheese villain, and wrap up the movie with their wrap party.

Part of me wishes every movie had a Movie Companion, okay well maybe not every movie, but I do love how even though I’m not a Diary of a Wimpy Kid fan, this book makes me want to see the movie and read the other books.

What book do you wish was a movie?

Miss A wanted to open it and play right away, but I made her save it for a trip, I know mean mommy! The kit is pretty cool, it comes in a big box with a velcro closure and a plastic handle, Miss A loved carrying it all around the house and to the “car”. Two DVDs are included in their own DVD boxes, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly and The Wheels on the Bus. A The Wheels on the Bus CD, a Sing-Along Travel Kit Activity Booklet, and a 4 pack of crayons.

I like that the DVDs are a good amount of time, each about 65 minutes plus extras, although I haven’t quite figured out how to play anything but the main movie in our van. The movies feature several stories like, Frog Went A-Courtin’, Giraffes Can’t Dance, Bugs! Bugs! Bugs, and of course their title videos, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly and The Wheels on the Bus.As you’re listening from the front seat or watching from the back, with your children you may recognize the voices of Cyndi Lauper, Billy Dee Williams, Rob Reiner and more.  I think Miss A was pretty entertained by the DVDs because they were new stories to her and we also watch a lot of different types of programming so the animation was not something that bothered her. If you have a child however, that only watches the latest cartoons with the best graffics they may complain a little about these discs being a little antiquated. Scholastic suggests this set for ages 2-8.

Since I had Baby C I haven’t been in the car by myself and 99 percent of the time I listen to children’s music or DVDs playing, so I actually liked the CD that came with The Wheels on the Bus Sing-Along Travel Kit. My two favorite songs are, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands and The Erie Canal. Don’t ask me why I like The Erie Canal, I just do, and this version is a fun upbeat version that A and I danced to around the house, so I know you’ll be bopping in your cars too when this one comes on. Don’t worry about holding it in, have some fun, when you have 8 more hours of driving it’s totally worth being a little silly!

The Activity Booklet has a great front page section with Tips for Traveling with Kids. One tip that I really like is, “Bring a backpack of activities for each child and give out the activities one-by-one so they have something “new” every 30-45 minutes.” Now of course I’d probably change that up to 20-30 minutes for smaller children, and well, Baby C really can’t participate in that activity, but it’s a great idea.

Personally, I think the Activity Booklet is my favorite in the entire kit. It has some fun, “Color Me,” pages, and activities that go along with the CD and DVDs like, “See if you can remember the worlds to the song There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and then circle the pictures of the animals the old lady swallows.” It’s also pretty educational asking your child to pick out colors, match shapes, write numbers, connect the dots. While I love this book I think it may work best for children 3 and up, unless you really don’t care about the activities and just want something to keep the kids busy. Also a great idea for 2 or more siblings so they can help each other and work together on the pages.

Overall we loved this kit and will be using it for more trips to come, but for our own family we’ll probably try to reserve it only for trips so Miss A doesn’t get tired of it like she does with most of her videos. Way to go Scholastic, great pairing of DVDs, CDs, and who could forget, my favorite Activity Booklet. No favoritism here

I found the The Wheels on the Bus Sing-Along Travel Kit at Amazon for about $22 brand new, not bad for everything that it has in it.

What tips or tricks do you have for making a long car ride bearable?

Get ready for an adventure with everyone’s favorite furry monkey, Curious George, in his latest movie, Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey. This fun-filled sequel will keep you entertained the entire time with the usual silly antics and some oh-so-sweet moments.

George and the man in the yellow hat, Ted Shackleford, visit the Piccadilly Circus and end up on the trip of a lifetime when Kayla, a zoo elephant turned magician’s assistant, decides that George should take her home to her family in California. Not to mention that Ted has been offered the opportunity to become the museum’s new director and should be preparing for a meeting with the board of directors.

Ted is focused on getting Kayla back to Piccadilly’s so he can focus on his speech, but George and Kayla have other plans. By foot, bus, train, and truck, this cross-country adventure takes many bends, turning into a fugitive chase to find “the missing elephant.” Of course it’s just a failure to communicate, but nonetheless Ted and George realize they are on the run and have to decide between turning themselves in or keeping their promise and taking Kayla back to her family at the zoo.

This movie is filled with some great characters. Of course the lovable Curious George, as always, intrigues us with his sweet, curious nature and big heart. The man in the yellow hat, Ted Shackleford, voiced by Jeff Bennett (known for many cartoon voice-overs), brings accidental sensibility to this elephant chase. Lastly, Jamie Kennedy voices “Danno” Wolfe, an overboard private investigator who brings many laughs to the movie because he’s just too much. You’ll find yourself wondering what move he’s going to make next. Other star voices in this film include Tim Curry, Matt Lauer, and Jerry Lewis.

Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey focuses on the importance of family and shows examples between George and Ted, Kayla and her family, and Kayla and Piccadilly. It is a movie that will warm your heart and bring family together. This movie is suitable for children of all ages.

I won’t give the full story away but Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey, directed by Norton Virgien, has a happy ending for everyone, and Ted realizes what is truly important in life — his best buddy, George. This movie is one you’ll want to add to your collection even if you haven’t seen the first Curious George movie or any of the television or book series.

What’s your favorite children’s book turned movie?

In “Minnie’s Bow-Tique,” Minnie decides to become and entrepreneur, selling various kinds of bows. These aren’t your typical bows of course, you’ll see everything from butterfly bows to fan bows, mood bows and more! This episode teaches counting, using buttons as payment for bows, sorting, using the patterns of the bow shelves to put bows in their spots, and counting to make sure they recover all the bows from the trees.

In addition to learning and great animation quality, it is great to see the creative bows in a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse original song made for the episode. My daughter and I can’t help but bust out laughing each time the cat and monkey chime in. The song, along with Pete’s impression of his Auntie, is really very silly.

Aside from “Minnie’s Bow-Tique,” the other episodes teach your children how to share and help others. This is especially true of “Minnie’s Picnic” and “Minnie’s Bee Story” where almost everyone is lending a helping hand.

Another favorite episode on this great DVD is “Minnie’s Pajama Party.” In this one, Minnie and her friends from the clubhouse teach us about fractions at a very, very elementary level, using a fun, short song. “Minnie’s Pajama Party” also features a fun pajama jam song that your family will want to dance to.

Along with the DVD you receive a magnet fridge-frame, a magnet of Minnie’s face, and four colorful magnet bows to change up Minnie’s look. The DVD also features Disney’s Fastplay feature and an interactive game mode.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Minnie’s Bow-Tique is truly an entertaining DVD, but also a great learning tool. And, even if you get nothing else from these goofy, (pun intended) characters, you’ll have some good laughs.

This DVD is definitely one that you can watch over and over again. I think this is our favorite home video release of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse series to date, but there assuredly are more to come down the line.

Who’s your favorite Mickey Mouse Clubhouse character.

I’ve invited a mom friend of mine, Courtney, to review Thomas & Friends newest DVD Thomas & The Runaway Kite. This film is not something my household is into but Courtney has two boys who adore Thomas so I figured she’d be the better expert on this one.

Courtney is not only a mom of two boys, her husband is hearing impared, she takes care of two little ones during the week and is a huge animal lover. Hopefully this will not be her only review for MommyB Knows Best. Thanks again Courtney and I hope you all enjoy her review.

Thomas and his friends have done it again! Thomas & the Runaway Kite is packed full of attention grabbing adventures, teaching valuable lessons to children of all ages.

Thomas was given the exciting duty of carrying the Winners Cup, to be given to the lucky winner at the Kite Festival. When Sir Topham Hatt’s grandchildren lose their kite the adventure begins. Thomas thinks he is just the train to catch the kite before it flies out of Sodor. When he gets so wrapped up in thinking he’s the fastest train and he can catch the kite all by himself he hurts his friends’ feelings by telling them he doesn’t need their help. After many failed attempts he begins to realize that maybe a little extra help is just what he needed after all. If Thomas plans to get the Winners Cup back in time he will have to ask his friends to help him. Luckily Thomas’s friends are quick to forgive and help him get the kite so he can still deliver the Winners Cup in time.

This movie continues on with many other lessons for Thomas and his friends. One such lesson is when Toby is sent out to pick up Lady Hatt, but before leaving he has to have his whistle replaced while his old one can be fixed. His original, quiet whistle was what he was used to, and he wanted to keep it that way. Instead, he got a brand new three-chime steam whistle. It’s the loudest one on the market! Just the thought of having such a loud, booming whistle made Toby anxious and uncomfortable. Toby struggles with his new whistle, but after being stopped on the rail road tracks by cows grazing, and already being late to pick up Lady Hatt, he finally finds the courage to use his new, louder whistle.

Once he finally made it to pick up Lady Hatt, Sir Topham Hatt was waiting angrily. He already asked Gordon to complete the job that Toby was unable to do. It was just then that they saw Gordon headed straight for trouble- Toby knew there was only one thing to do. He blew his three-chime steam whistle loudly to warn Gordon, and he saved the day. After that, Sir Topham Hatt can’t possibly be upset with him. In the end, he is proud of himself and his friends are proud too. He learns that he really shouldn’t be so worried and afraid to try new things.

Over all, this movie was exactly the kind of thing I want my kids to watch and learn from. The length of the movie was perfect for keeping my 3 year olds attention, at approximately 46 minutes. It touches on some very important lessons of problem solving, bravery, and friendships.

On an additional note that may not apply in most families but is important in our home, because my husband is hearing impared, this movie has closed captioning. Many cartoons and children’s movies unfortunately, do not have that feature. Once again, I am impressed by another entertaining and fun Thomas & Friends movie.

Who’s your favorite Thomas & Friends character?? Have you seen Thomas & The Runaway Kite yet and if so what did you think of it?

On March 2, 2010, Veggie Tales presents its newest family DVD release, Pistachio: The Little Boy that Woodn’t. This video teaches children the value of listening to their parents. With new opening song illustrations, “Extreme Re-do” Qwerty the computer, and a fun video letter, this Veggie Tales video is the dawn of a new age for Big Idea Productions.

The story of Pistachio replicates, like many other Veggie Tales videos,  another familiar story, in this case the story of Pinocchio. Much likePinocchio, there is a lonely toy maker (with an insect assistant), who carves the main character from wood, only for that character to encounter several temptations, deviations, and lies just like Pinocchio himself.

Pistachio plays on the idea that the original tale of Pinocchio is Italian by naming the Geppetto character Gelato, a form of Italian ice cream and illustrating Gelato’s brothers to look like famous Italian actors. I think it adds some fun for the adults watching.Some other fun parts of this film are when Gelato takes in three motherless ducklings and teaches them just like he would teach children. Gelato, instead of having a cricket like Geppetto does in the tale of Pinocchio, has a caterpillar named Cricket, which is an ongoing theme throughout Pistachio that’s a source of amusement.

In case you don’t already know, every Veggie Tales movie features an intermission, which is the “Silly Songs” part of the show. This DVD’s “Silly Song” episode is Obscure Broadway Show Tunes from the mock “hit show” Office Supplies: Where Have all the Staplers Gone?

Being a huge Veggie Tales fan I can tell you that 99.9% of their videos are completely kid friendly; there is one section at the end of this segment showing a “scary stapler” with big teeth that may frighten smaller children, something adults may want to look out for.

Aside from the two-second scare, this Veggie Tales movie touches on some great lessons, the main lesson being that listening to your parents is a good idea.

Gelato the toy maker tells Pistachio the parable of the shepherd who left his 99 sheep to retrieve the one sheep that had gone astray. Pistachio remembers this story after being defiant while at the carnival with the two villans, Confetti the Fox and Purina the cat. Soon after, Pistachio realizes that Gelato loves him and that he should have listened to his father in the first place.

After an adventure filled with puppets, ducklings, a whale, and a blue fairy, the wholesome messages shine through. If you’re looking for a virtuous family movie with lots of laughs and great animation Pistachio: The Little Boy that Woodn’t is one you’ll want to add to your collection.

Click Here to view the Family Fun Guide with games and activities that go along with this great movie!

What’s your favorite Veggie Tales movie?