Prima Pincessa (presents the Nutcracker)

I have always been a fan of Ballet, and I love watching the Ballet plays. When I was little, I was in Ballet and Tap dancing~ and I loved it. I wasn't flexible/limber enough remain in ballet, but I kept with the Tap. My sister went through ballet, and made it to the hard toe shoes. I remember hearing her mention the different positions, or moves of ballet. I loved the sounds of the words, and thought the different moves were beautiful and graceful. I just recently reviewed the Prima Princessa DVD and I was thrilled! This DVD is super! I think this would make an excellent gift for your little girl this Christmas.
I love the Nutcracker Ballet, and the world famous San Fransisco Ballet is performing bits and pieces of it. The setting of the DVD is a party of children...girls in tutus. They are coming to learn different ballet moves, and at the end practice their moves (also getting a lollipop).
My little kids, Caleb (age 4 1/2) and Madelyn (age 2 1/2) loved this DVD. They were fascinated by the complex moves of the ballet. My kids like to try the moves out, and say the names like passe. I really like that the Prima Princessa shows so many moves/positions of ballet and I think this is a very educational film. If you have a child that is interested in ballet, or you would like to expose your child to ballet....I HIGHLY recommend the Prima Princessa!
Throughout the movie, there is a little cartoon fairy ballerina (Prima Princessa) that is helping assist with the narration and introductions. If there was any con that I would give this movie, I would say that Prima Princessa (herself) isn't my favorite. Otherwise, I think the whole DVD is superb! I know that my kids love it, and it is one they want to watch over and over. I love that the kids learn real ballet steps, demonstrated by students from the School of American Ballet, the official academy of the New York City Ballet. There are about 3-4 breaks in the Nutcracker Ballet performance, so kids can try out the moves that are being demonstrated.
“Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker” is the second show in the Prima Princessa Presents series, which is designed by two stay at home mom-entrepreneurs on a mission to bring the beauty and magic of ballet into the lives of children everywhere.

This review was sponsored by Family Review Network and Prima Princessa.com. They have supplied me with a free DVD to keep for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

My Baby: First Steps for Nintendo DS and Wii **coming soon!!

There is a fun new game being released tomorrow that looks so cute and fun for little girls! Most little girls love to play "mommy," and I think that the new Wii and Nintendo DS game My Baby: First Steps would be fun for them! I remember playing paper dolls when I was a little girl...and let's just say that My Baby First Steps sounds similar (but in video formation...for this generation). The game is made to represent the 21 Century Baby Doll.

Here is a tidbit of information about the new SouthPeak Games game:

My Baby: First Steps continues the journey of raising a baby at 15-months-old. You will get the challenging, yet very rewarding, task of teaching their baby how to walk, talk and more.

Your baby has grown so fast! Can you believe that a year has already gone by? Take care of your baby from their 1st birthday until they're 3 years old. Your baby will discover its entire environment and learn from it, they'll walk, babble and speak, try to catch every object they can, and put everything in their mouth... Your baby will be the apple of your eye!
Features
Your baby looks more lifelike than ever with brand new 3D animations and reactions
Make sure that your baby has the latest trends with even more items; customize your furniture, clothes, and hair just to name a few...
With a new and improved AI your baby will react as if they were in the room with you
Innovative gameplay that is based on stylus, touch pad, voice recognition, and the microphone - not a compilation of mini-games
Interact with your baby whenever you want and experience real baby-like reactions
Watch your baby grow from both a physical and psychological point of view
My Baby Villiage has a mini game that is similar to the game coming out tomorrow, your task is to try and help your baby with naming the different body parts she points to! Make sure to pay attention because you will have to click the body parts she does in the same order. This will be great practice for all of the different skills you get to teach your baby in My Baby First Steps.
My Baby Villiage will be in stores on and offline November 3. Wii game has a SRP $39.99, and the Nintendo DS game SRP $29.99. I look forward to checking this game out more!

Barbie: Thumbelina movie and products

Barbie has gone "Green" in the celebration of Earth month (April) by creating an eco-friendly packaged product line up and eco-themed toys. I was excited to review a few of the eco-friendly Barbie products, and share them with you.
"Barbie Presents: Thumbelina" is the new DVD starring the classic character, Thumbelina, but with a new tale. Here is what the synopsis is:
Thumbelina lives in harmony with nature in the
magical world of the Twillerbees that’s hidden among
the wildflowers. At the whim of a spoiled young girl
named Makena, Thumbelina and her two friends have
their patch of wildflowers uprooted and are transported to
a lavish apartment in the city. Here they learn of
construction plans that threaten to destroy the land of the
Twillerbees! Harnessing the magic of nature,
Thumbelina sets out to prove that even the smallest
person can make a big difference.
This was a cute movie, with a good message. I thought that some of the language between the characters was a little demeaning at times. I think this movie is geared toward the older kids (ages 7 and up) just because of how the girls talk to each other. However, the message is that Makena is spoiled, so really her character is portrayed accurately. Otherwise, I think the overall message is a good one about confidence and teamwork. Suggested Retail Price: $19.99 for ages 3 and up.

The Thumbelina-themed toy line features a doll in 100%
recyclable packaging and a solar-powered gardening set with seeds for planting. Each garden activity features a flower pot, peet pellets, two seeds packets for grass and flowers, and an innovative solar-activated character to guide light to the garden. The wings of the doll move back and forth, which displays that it is getting the right sunlight. Packaged in 100% recyclable cardboard, girls can watch their garden grow with this easy-to-use playset.
My kids and I had fun planting the seeds. You have to let the water soak into the peet pellets, and that can take some time. Then, you stick the seeds into the dirt. The grass grows quickly, and it was fun seeing my children's reaction to their "garden."
Suggested Retail Price: $15.99 for ages: 3 and up.

My kids really had fun playing with the Barbie Blooming Thumbelina Doll! Thumbelina has her purple wings and stands inside of a pretty, glittering flower. You can pull down a button and the flower will close around her. Then, you push the button, and the petals open to see Thumbelina.
Consistent with the DVDs eco-friendly theme, all packaging is made of Kraft paper and consists of 100% recyclable cardboard, and the toy line includes special instructions to girls for recycling their packaging. I really think the doll is made with quality, and I like that she can be played with without the wings and petals, too.
Suggested Retail Price: 17.99 for ages 3 and up

Beautiful Blossoming Babies are so cute, and smell wonderful! These adorable
Twillerbabies are tiny babies that nestle inside a pretty
flower. Each Twilllerbaby sits upon a scented flower
pedestal that doubles as a wearable bracelet so girls can watch over their Twillerbaby wherever they go. Girls can also take out their Twillerbaby so they can play with her. There are six different Twillerbaby flower varieties for girls to collect, including a dahlia, daisy, hydrangea, rose, sunflower and tulip. My daughter loved wearing her Twillerbaby on her wrist and taking her out to play. I think this toy would make a great stocking stuffer or a goodie bag filler for a birthday party. Of coarse, this gift would be great just because.
Suggested Retail Price: $5.99 for ages 3 and up.

Here is a fun website that your kids can play a garden game, make a movie poster, learn how to make a flower crown and throw a Thumbelina Tea Party, get coloring sheets, and more.

Da' girls, in Da-lute!

I had a great weekend away with 5 of my dear friends! We were blessed with a whole weekend together in a hotel up in Duluth, MN. Our friend, Jody's husband does a lot of travel with his job. They had a lot of points stored up for hotel stays, and she graciously covered the hotel fees using their points~ thank you so much, Jody!! It was so much fun to go away and be Sarah for the weekend. I did bring little Cole with me, because I am nursing...and he is only 3 months old today! I still can't believe he is 3 months old already! Anyway, my husband came home at about 11 on Friday (April 3rd) and I was getting ready to go. I was the designated driver, because I am one of those cool moms who drive a mini van! ~lol. I first picked up Anna, then Lisa, next Jeannie, and finally Jody and her princess~K. It was a full van with 5 women, 2 babies (and their car seats)...not to mention all of our stuff.

I am the driver, Anna is in the passenger seat, Jeannie is behind me, and in the front of this picture you see Jody on the left and Lisa on the right. Baby K is in between them.
We all did a good job packing lightly, and I have to say I am mightily impressed!
Friday night, we had dinner at the Giant Panda (a Chinese restaurant). We all enjoy Chinese, but I think we were all a bit disappointed with this restaurant. They didn't put in fresh food, or restock what ran out, we didn't get our beverages refilled~ actually the waitress never came back, except with the bill, and their ice cream machine was broken (looks like it had been like that for a long time). I would understand if they were super busy, but that wasn't the case. At least we still had fun and great conversations. I was shocked at this lady that was there, though. She came over to us and wanted to see Cole. No biggie...but then, she squatted down to see him and was touching him over and over. I am very uncomfortable with strangers touching my kids, especially my newborns. I don't mind people admiring my cute kids, but caressing their cheeks, putting their nuk in their mouth, touching his chin and his hair....PLEASE, have some common courtesy. What do you do? Do you tell them to back off and stop touching your baby? She just talked on and on for about 10-15 minutes. I think it was a bit rude, especially since we were all there to socialize. There is something to be said about manners and etiquette.
Anyway...we were off to the Comfort Inn and Suites. We had 2 double beds and a hide-a-bed couch in the room. We also had a refrigerator and a microwave. It was just right for our girls weekend lock-in! We had to snap a few photos of us all giddy. Jeannie had a timer on her camera, so she jumped on the end of the bed to get in the photo for these.
From Left to Right: Lisa, Anna, me, Jody, and Jeannie. See our hands? Yeah, it was planned.
Time to make the kissy faces! We had this on-going teasing about the "control freak" a.k.a. Lisa, but come to think of it, I think I may have stole that role for the pictures...I kept saying, "Now lets do this...."

I love this photo best! I love how happy we look to have such a special weekend away together!
Psst...I didn't have my foot up for this photo, either. Opps, I missed that instruction! :)
This picture is of us in the van driving down the super big hill. You can see Lake Superior from this glance. The lake is HUGE...one of the biggest, and it is beautiful anytime of the year.
This is a photo of the back of the hotel. There are walk paths all over. Duluth is a big-time tourist city. It is a favorite city of mine living here.
The three amigos! We always have a grand time together! I think Jody should get square-shaped glasses, too!
Sweet baby Cole sleeping so soundly. I love watching him sleep! He is so snuggly~
The babies loving on each other. Cole is not going to let her go.
We had a great time, soaking our feet, painting our nails (fingers and toes), and Jody and I died our hair. I gave Jody a hair cut, too! It was fun to pamper ourselves and each other!
Me and Anna!
Miss K, Lisa and I! I love the look Miss K is giving us!
Jody and I!
Jeannie and I! Notice my hair color? This is pretty much my natural color these days. Terry didn't notice, although I really wasn't surprised. It is OK, it just isn't his thing to notice that.
Yep, we had a pillow fight on Saturday night. This was so much fun! Lisa and I had a blast! My favorite was tackling her down on the bed. We even got security to come and knock on our door from the racket! Yes!! We got in trouble!
Two on the bed, and the little one said, "Roll over, roll over...."
Sleeping so peacefully! Doesn't he look snug as a bug?? The beds were very comfortable and great to sleep on. We did get a night in the hot tub. A few of us jumped into the pool~ literally...Jeannie was happily floating a long, and Lisa and I did a cannon ball near her! It was a hoot! I wish I would have had pictures of us gals in the hot tub. None of us thought of it, though.
Here are the little ones on our trip...Cole and K. It was their first weekend in a hotel together. They were so good the whole weekend! They got along great, too!
Brrr....it was chilly, but great to have this photo! We asked a guy who was running by, and he got a bit overwhelmed when we all handed him our cameras. He joked and even said he could go get his camera.

Then, we headed home. It was sad to end our time together...but we had a grand time! We definitely want to plan something like this again! It was so refreshing and therapeutic! This is a good portion of ladies from my monthly ladies night out that I talk about. We so much enjoy each other's company. Thank you Jody, for supplying the means to escape life for awhile, and thank you to all of you ladies for a great weekend...and lasting memories!

Fun "girly" toys now available!

Madelyn had her 2nd birthday party this weekend (with the Grandparents) and she was very curious about one of her gifts. Every time she walked near the gift, it moved and babbled. Her brother, Caleb was quite curious as well, and almost opened it up himself!
Here are some pictures of her opening her gift:

Caleb wanted to "help" her out. He wanted to open all of her gifts.
She was really excited to see the little baby inside her gift!
She couldn't figure out how the baby was crawling and making baby sounds.
I think she was trying to get the baby to look at her.
She was having her new little baby kissing her new little puppy. She is really getting into pretend play at her age, and the Little Mommy Scoot so Cute doll from Fisher Price is fun for her to "be the mommy" to. The Scoot so Cute dolls are perfect for ages 2 and up, and retail for $27.00 from Fisher Price. She crawls, coos, giggles, and makes a spitting sound. She is pretty quick across the floor, and starts crawling from a motion sensor. Scoot so Cute doll is a fun toy for your little girl to play with and pretend to be mommy to.

Are you looking for a gift for your daughter's birthday, or for her to give to her friend?Polly Pocket Designables Perfect Party Bag makes the perfect present for the birthday girl! Polly Pockets are a popular hit for girls ages 4 and up. Madelyn is a little young for Polly Pockets yet, due to the small parts, but I am sure she will enjoy them in a few years. The new set of Polly's: Designables Perfect Party Bag has 25 pieces, including a birthday cake, invitations, decorations, and more! The packaging is a fun on-the-go tote with a floral handle. There are two different totes containing either Polly or Lila (dolls). Available for $17.99, ages 4+ You can find them online, or at a local retailer like Target or Walmart.
Polly Pockets also have other fun sets available! Polly Pocket Designable Doll Packs would be a fun gift to put in the Easter basket! Polly Pocket and her friends Chrissy, Lea, Lila, Shani and Kerstie bring the trendy, stylish and polly-tastic fashions to every girls Easter basket! Each doll pack includes a doll and super-chic interchangeable outfits and, at only $5.99 each, they’re a perfect, affordable alternative to all those sugar-laden sweets! Available for ages 4+.
Polly and friends will love to shop and play in the new, multi-level Polly Pocket Designables Courtyard. The girls can dance the night away in the disco, visit the glam shopping boutique and shop til they drop or visit the scrumptious café – the possibilities are endless! To make it ever more Polly-fabulous, the Courtyard glows with a light up feature! The Polly Pocket Designables Mall Stores lets girls build their own Polly world, their way, and features shopping at its best to include the Glamour Shop with Polly, Candy Shop with Crissy, Electronics Shop with Lea, Fashion Boutique with Lila, Sports Shop with Shani and Music Shop with Kerstie. When attached to the Designables Courtyard, the individual Mall Stores will each light up. The Desingables Courtyard is available for $25.99 and the Designables Mall Stores are available for $13.99, both are ages 4+.

Bella Sara Treasures & Miniatures: review, plus a contest!

Ever hear of Bella Sara, the most successful trading cards for girls? The trading cards feature horse-themed fantasy that offer positive and inspirational messages. I did a review on them for Team Mom, and now I had the opportunity to review the newest addition to Bella Sara: Treasures & Miniatures!

The miniatures collection is a brand new line showcasing 20 velvety horses from the land of North of North. Girls can collect, trade, display and cherish these cutelittle horses. These fun little horse miniatures go nicely with the trading cards and in online and video game worlds. Each pack of Miniatures contain one random velvety horse, a random bonus code (to be used online) and a full-color checklist. SRP $1.99 per pack and geared toward ages 5 and up. The Bella Sara Miniatures packs will be available on March 3rd.
Bella Sara Treasures is the eighth series in the Bella Sara line, which has sold more than 55 million cards to date. Treasures brings a new element to BellaSara.com with more printable activities (bonus codes, coloring pages, wallpapers, a poster, and jigsaw puzzles). This series features rare jewels, amazing natural wonders, and historical artifacts. SRP $2.99 per pack and are geared toward ages 5 and up.
To celebrate Treasures, Bella Sara is kicking off a contest for a chance for kids to win an exciting Treasure Hunt Party for themselves and their friends! Contest runs from now until April 30th. Sign up here.Grand-prize winner in each age group will have his or her treasure featured on a winners’ page here at BellaSara.com, receive a full set of Treasures cards, and win a Bella Sara treasure hunt with prizes for friends and family*. Two runners-up in each age group will receive a Treasures Value Box, a Bella Sara novel, and Treasure Trot.