CRAZED MIND: PBS Kids

Showing posts with label PBS Kids. Show all posts

It's Time to do the Monkey

Do you have favorite cartoons you watch with the kids? I know they tend to run all day long in most homes. Mostly background noise but often we find ourselves humming theme songs too. Or better yet sitting and watching them side by side with our kiddos. My favorite is Curious George and he is back with a new season of (mis)adventures beginning Labor Day, September 5, 2011 on PBS KIDS (check local listings). If you wish you can follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.

Don't you love it when the new fall TV season starts? Princess Emma loves to follow George as he encourages her to find her creativity. The fun starts with three brand-new episodes - "Auctioneer George/Sock Monkey Opera", "Hamster Cam/The Great Monkey Detective", and "George and the Giant Thumb/Shutter Monkey". And continues all season long as George explores arts themed activities including helping Betsy enter a photography contest, creating a wind symphony, sand painting the desert, and even dancing the box step.

We were lucky enough to preview this new season. And Princess Emma already has some favorites.
“Sock Monkey Opera,” when Betsy gets the chicken pox and can’t see her favorite opera, Hansel and Gretel, she sends George in her place. George loves the opera so much, he decides to cheer up Betsy by performing for his itchy friend. Can one little monkey sing, dance, and act for an entire cast of characters?” Princess Emma was thrilled to mime the show along with George. She is a natural actress or is that a natural 'ham'? Actually I love to see the great dances she gives to us. What beauty and grace shine through her love of music.

Princess Emma also loved “Shutter Monkey”. Betsy’s “Out of Sight Shapes” entry for the photo contest is sure to win first prize—that is until George and Steve accidentally ruin her pictures. George runs around town trying to re-shoot the photographs. But finding the hidden shapes in things is hard for a little monkey! Since Princess Emma loves to take photos this was a good one for her. She has a whole collection of foot photos. Yeah, she looks up from time to time but is fascinated with feet. Or is it that like any girl she loves shoes?

As with all reviews I do, they are unpaid unless directly stated. Today we was able to view the DVD that was provided to us. Hey, that is nice enough. If you don't believe me then just ask Princess Emma!

All Aboard!

Image via WikipediaI had such fun turning Princess Emma onto a new show. She has never seen Dinosaur Train. How? I don't know. Personally it is one of my favorites. I have had it on when the grandbabes are here. Emma loved the conductor and his mother. This is one of the few shows she watched the whole show and did not budge. Normally she has a spring in her butt when she is watching a show. There is a new episode on of Junior Conductor Jamboree and Troodon Train Day. This is to celebrate National Train Day! Sounds just right for Buddy and the rest of the gang. We also played the All Aboard game online too! If you love to print coloring sheets for the kids then do that too! We also call our grandbabe our lil Buddy. So I plan on sharing the Buddy with Train Car with him on his birthday!

PBS Kids is also sharing with you too! Just leave a comment about your kiddos favorite PBS show for an entry. One will get to have their own Buddy with Train Car! Make sure I have an email to contact you if you win. Leave me a comment....enter.....WIN!

Monday Mayhem

The ladies over at RHOK have asked, what is your favorite lil' Road Trip? And invited me to link up to share one or some of your favorite places to visit close to your home.

Mine is the WOW tour. WOW is the Way Out Wineries of Texas. Since we have an award winning vineyard here in Comanche Texas let's start there. Brennan Vineyards located in Comanche, TX has the tasting room in the McCrary House built in 1879. The McCray house is one of the oldest houses in West Central Texas. The new winery and event center buildings are only feet away from the tasting room. My favorite is the Three White Chicks. This is a sweet white wine that is perfect at the end of the day. I can sip it and sit on the porch on a summer evening. Nothing can be better at that time. Pure relaxation.

The Way Out Wineries offer events throughout the year. In March there is a St. Patrick’s Day Weekend event. Later the Wildflowers Road Trip takes place. The first weekend of July is the Picnic Road trip. Most of the events require tickets. Road trip winery events take place over the course of three days enabling wine enthusiasts to travel to all of the wineries. Don't forget to get your Go Texan WOW passport too. Lots of extras there for free!

My next favorite is Sister Creek Vineyards. It is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country in Sisterdale, Texas (Pop. 25). The Muscat Canelli Reserve is better than the bubbly champagne in my book. You will find a white Italian style wine with residual sugar and slightly carbonated. This is the perfect pairing with some fruit and cheese to enjoy with friends on a Sunday afternoon. I can not think of a better wine to serve then.

Another fun thing was that Debra Ann Elliott of High Heels and Hot Flashes tagged me with this writing meme/blog award called "7 Facts. So now I must tell you seven unknown facts about me and tag 15 of my blogger friends.
Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog.
2. Post seven random facts about yourself.
3. Pass on the award along to 15 other worthy bloggers.

Here are my seven little know facts:

1. I am a pen pal to several people in prison. I can not think how hard it is to be locked up and not have some sort of support system. So I have different people that I write to on a regular basis. Giving a outlook to life when they eventually get to go home. It is very rewarding to have these friendships to build on. The first thing I had to learn was not to judge anyone. That accepting them for the person they are now is the key. Gosh, I know we all have our past and I would not want mine all dug up either.
2. I ran out of deodorant recently. And since for a weird unexplainable reason we have 6 men's deodorant here. I decided not to buy mine but use what was available. Gosh, I smell all manly now! EWWW!
3. I bought me ANOTHER travel coffee cup. Mine keep getting 'lost' by some man who lives here (eyeing Dear Hubby). This one is looks like a paper coffee to go cup but is ceramic with a silicone lid. I am going to have to soak the lid...it taste like rubber.
4. My favorite thing to do at night is to curl up in bed with a book and a snack. We are told not to eat right at bedtime. But I will say I always fall asleep so happy and satisfied this way.
5. I love playing the Wii with my Dear Hubby. Especially if I win. Just so happy to be able to physically move and get him too. Horrid I know but I have a bad competitive streak.
6. When I get overwhelmed I do 1 of three things. Clean/rearrange the house. Color my hair a different shade. Break old plates. Yes I keep old sets of dishes just for this reason. When I just can not handle life anymore and the stress is making me crazy, I take a few of these not needed dishes outside and bust them up. Okay, I have to clean up the mess. But it is so good to hear the crash and bang. And still have not torn up anything of importance to me. They say you should try throwing wadded up kleenex as hard as you can. Just not any loud noise there for me!
7. I miss miss miss not having a houseful of kiddos here. I miss not doing childcare. I miss the income from it. I miss the happiness of the kids. I miss the order to a day when they are around. I miss the laughter and awe. I miss the cuddles and kisses.

Now I am tagging the following blogger friends:

That's Baloney!

Frugal Living by Rachael

itsrandombutrelevant-tome

The Way I See Things

Reinvented Mama

Not Worth Mentioning

Oh and talking about kiddos let me share one more thing. Princess Emma is a fan of Martha Speaks. That I am glad of. So many children's shows that I do not like but this is a great one for content and learning. This week there are new episodes of Martha Speaks. PBS KIDS will premiere 5 brand new episodes featuring everyone’s favorite talking dog beginning today, President’s Day, Monday, February 21, 2011 (check local listings). Join Martha and her friends as they explore the arts while learning words such as soprano, conductor, legend, dramatize, and more.

The fun starts with “The Opera Contest” and “Maestro Martha”. In “The Opera Contest,” a local opera company is holding a contest to get kids interested in opera. In “Maestro Martha,” bad guys Pablum and Weaselgraft have a plan to turn a charity concert into a heist by using the power of music...very strange music. On Wednesday, February 23, in “Martha Acts Up,” Mrs. Boxwood offers Martha a part in Alice in Wonderland. Martha is thrilled at her opportunity to become a star of the theater, but when she finds out she’s cast as the Cheshire cat, she’s horrified. The week concludes on Friday, February 25 with the kids’ take on classic Greek myths. In “Myth Me?” and “TD’s Myth Take,” the gang turns a boring, rainy day into fun by acting out Greek myths.

In addition to the new episodes, join Martha and pals online at PBSKIDS.org/martha for new games, printables, and videos. New this season is a feature called Dog. In addition, kids can play with theater-associated words in the new game Truman’s Word Play. There is a Martha Speaks Facebook page too. We even have a coupon that you can post which enables your readers to get 10% off personalized Martha Speaks merchandise at Ty’s Toy Box.

Now last but not least at all....is my 30 Minutes for me for Sunday was....sat on the porch and had a couple glasses of wine. It was so nice to sit and soak up some sunshine. By the time my 30 minutes was up I felt as if I had had a refreshing nap. Relaxed and ready to start in on the next project.

So tell me what your doing for yourself every day? Anything? Come on....you know how important you are. Just give in and indulge a little. You won't regret it....I am sure.

Weekend Wrapup

Hello everyone. I have several items I want to share with you. Some for the kids and some for the kid in us. Peruse through and see what you find of interest. I bet there might be an item or two. I know I have info here on some footie pj's. I sure wish I had me a great big ol set to pad around in. My toes are back to there frozen state again. Last night Dear Hubby woke with horrid itching of his legs. Well that woke me at 2:30 a.m. I went ahead and got up til 6:30 a.m. When I went back to bed my poor house shoe clad toes were aching. At 9:00 a.m. they were still cold to the touch even though I had been in bed the last 2 1/2 hours.

Dinosaur Train ® has an all-new episode (“The Good Mom;” “Diamond Anniversary,”) premiering on Monday, January 17 on PBS KIDS® (check local listings). Mrs. Pteranodon meets fellow mom Millie Maiasaura (meaning "good mother lizard"), who is a little too over-protective of her kids. The two moms share some time comparing mothering methods in a play date at the Big Pond. The Maiasaura, a large duck-billed dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous. There is evidence that Maisaura lived in large nesting colonies and that the parents diligently cared for their young. And, Mr. and Mrs. Pteranodon decide to surprise each other with gifts on their anniversary. Available at Kohl’s are the “Dinosaur Train™ Striped Footed Pajamas,” just what a “good mom” dresses her toddlers in to keep them warm and cozy during the winter months! I know that we should have a set for Princess Emma soon. The dinosaur appliques and striped pattern on these footed pajamas offer timeless touches, and the footed design keep toes toasty.

On February 1st Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will release Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 on DVD and Blu-ray. The combo pack includes the "This is My Paradise" music video, Blooper Faux Paws, an interactive game and much more! I love my two lil Chihuahuas, Baby Doll and Aliea. I have had Chihuahua's most of my life. They are very loyal doggies. I can't wait to share this movie with Princess Emma. I am sure she will notice that they are the same kind of doggies as the ones that will surely be in her lap. Puppy mayhem turns the lives of newlywed Chihuahua parents, Papi and Chloe, upside down when their playful puppies present onechallenge after another. But, when their human owners find themselves in trouble, the tiny pups will stop at nothing to save them—because in good times and hard times, the family always sticks together.

Image via WikipediaThis time of year, there are few drinks I would rather have than hot cocoa; but did you know that consuming this creamy drink is actually good for you? Hot cocoa contains antioxidants which have been shown to fight heart disease, cancer and even aging! The ‘wonder’ ingredient is also found in a number of other products, drinking cocoa is actually the best way of ingesting the antioxidants because it is much lower in saturated fats than for instance eating a bar of chocolate. (Of course we all love to eat our chocolate too.) So curl up with a mug of warm, rich cocoa and treat both your taste buds and your body to a healthy, seasonal snack! Medifast has a cocoa which boasts only 110 calories per serving.

Here is one especially for PJ of PJ's Prayer Line. I know she would so use The Biblical Cyclopedic Index from The Open Bible. There are more listings than any other Bible resource available. The reference tool helps you quickly pull together a thorough and comprehensive Bible study, lesson, or sermon. The index combines a concordance, a topical Bible, and a Bible dictionary. This make it an incomparable resource for Bible study, with more subjects detailed than any other publication. The Biblical Cyclopedic Index offers more than 8,000 subjects, names, places, things, concepts, events, and doctrines of the Bible. And I have a copy of it here for her birthday present. I wonder if she will read this and find out? If so PJ, come and get it!!!!! Happy Birthday my dear friend and prayer warrior.

DISCLOSURE: I received or will receive complimentary copies of books, dvds or clothing to facilitate these reviews. No other compensation was provided. I did not get any hot cocoa....dang it!

Mish-Mash

It has been a busy week around here. And with Dear Hubby working so hard on mastering the remote control....well let's say that I am going to be even busier.

Now I do the house work around here all the time. Some days it feels like all I do is housework. Mine and for others too! The other day it really got to me and I ended up in my own lil pitty party. Sad to say, no one joined me. Now if I had had a proper cocktail pitty party then I may have had some takers. But no, instead I had to put on my big girl panties and get to work. I think I am going to start a club....the big girl pantie club. You know one that has the motto "No G-Strings Allowed!" It does help to have the proper tools to clean with. I told you, ok, gushed about my Libman Freedom Spray Mop that I had one. Well, I loved it so much I had gone on the search for more Libman products to win. Hey, that is the way I afford some things. Needless to say.....I did just that. I won a Libman Precision Angle broom and dustpan at The Crazy Suburban Mom, Thanks Tracy and Libman! BTW, Libman is doing a $500 Target Gift Card with their Money Mop Up on Face Book....just have to like them....might wanna try and get that. I know I am trying!
Well the broom works great too. I have 5 dogs and tons of dog hair to sweep up every day. I tease that I am a June Cleaver (wish I had her shape) and want to clean house in my pearls and heels. Well it is easier to do if the tools actually do most of the work for you. How is this for a one room clean sweep? Yeah! That was just the living room and the one area rug. What a mess!

What else is going on? Well we had Princess Emma here the day Dear Hubby came home from his surgery. Of course he was so worried that she might bump into his feet. So we needed her to stay occupied with other things. Sure we did the coloring and all, but it is chilly outside and she is prone to ear aches so we had to stay inside. But I am telling you Princess Emma did not move once while we were watching the PBS Kids Dinosaur Train, Dinosaurs in the Snow DVD. I love this show, I think as much as Princess Emma. “Cretaceous Conifers” will broadcast on December 8, 12, 20, and 24 (check local listings). It also helped that the DVD had coloring pages, interactive games and a dinosaur reference guide too! With the 8 shows on this one we were able to while away a lil time and let Dear Hubby rest on the couch. I am giving this copy of Dinosaur Train to Princess Emma since she seemed to love it so much! And for you....go see the Dinosaur Train GeoCache program. It is a great new adventure game that you can do with your kids. BTW, Thanks so to PBS Kids for sharing this DVD with me!

What else to tell you. Well I have my Hershey's Pot of Gold candy here. They were sweet to send it to me. Last night all of us were enjoying the truffles so very much! I do not know if I have a favorite yet. I think I will wait til I get to the bottom of the box to decided! Oh, and College Girl always wanted to tattoo Dear Hubby's chest. She is worried that he may need it in case of an emergency. Since he has a pace maker it makes a change in the way they use those paddles for a heart attack. And with the pig values there they need to know that too. So she drew it off on him.
I do not know if you can see it well....but it has place paddle here and paddle here in the circles. And on the upper left of his arm is an arrow that says pacemaker and pig value. Think that would work? Oh and since he can not move around it is going to be hard to wash his hair. Oh the joys of learning how to care for a bed ridden person. So Princess Emma's mom was kind enough to fix Dear Hubby's hair. Doesn't he have a lovely french braid now?

Oh and if this is not enough....go read about Eddie the Fish.....we all was laughing so hard. Poor Dear Hubby could not go pee.....urnial time.....EWWWWW!

Talking Dogs with Manners

Image via WikipediaI am so thankful that there is PBS Kids. When College Girl was a child she loved Sesame Street.All she wanted was to hang out with her friends Big Bird, Little Bird, Elmo, Grover, Snuffy and Cookie Monster. Her first sign language words were Cookie Monster. We still use the signs for yes and no in our everyday conversations.
Well today there are so many shows to choose from. But one that I really enjoy as well as the kiddos is Martha Speaks. First off, which of us did not wish that our pets could talk to us. Add in the fun of learning words and their usage in a fun form, what is not there to love. Martha is coming on to her third season on PBS Kids. One of the shows is a two part special where Martha and her friends try to create their own TV show. I remember as a child pretending to have my own TV show...they were musical marathons. I do have to give a two thumbs up to Martha. She is great at helping expand the vocabulary of children and even some adults too. One of the things that Martha does teach is how to say Thank You! The sign for "thank you" is made by starting with the fingers of your dominant hand near your lips. Your hand should be a "flat hand. Move your hand forward and a bit down in the direction of the person you are thanking. Smile.

You can teach your child how to say Thank You and other family values. One aid is the book When You Say "Thank You," Mean It. This would have been one of the books my Grandmother would have loved to share with me. She was big on manners and how to present yourself to others. I love that Mary O"'Donohue has put together a month-by-month guide for families on life long values to teach your children. Now you may be wondering what lessons would these be? Each chapter deals with on lesson or value.

Gratitude
Self-Respect
Respect for Others
Intergrity
Compassion
Forgiveness
A Sense of Joy
Commitment
Lifelong Learning
Inner Strength
Spirituality
A Sense of Purpose

Now I could not have put together a better list of values I wish to pass on to my child. The lessons are interactive and have hands on games to help enforce the idea you are teaching. Some of the games are:

Keeping a Gratitude Board
Creating Respect Tiles
Making a Compassion in Action Calendar
Hosting an Earning for Learning Game show
Starting a Life Map

I love the ease of understanding that Mary has imparted. It is not hard to envision how to explain a thought and idea when you have someone to guide you along the way. One of the ways to do this is to win your own copy of When You Say "Thank You," Mean It. Yes, we have one book to giveaway to you. Entry is easy as always. Just leave a comment telling me how you have helped impart your values on your children. Make sure to leave a email so I can contact the winner. And extra entries to those who follow me on Goggle Friend Connect. Just leave an extra comment with GFC on it. I will announce a winner in two weeks.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of this book and DVD to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.

Arthur is Back!

I love the new season of TV. It provides me with evenings of enjoyment...yes I have my favorite shows. But you know what, the kids are excited too. Why? Well they have new shows too. You know how fast they memorize everything they have seen. So it is great that new shows are coming on for them too.

Now I am a PBS mom/nonnie/aunt/sitter. College Girl was raised on PBS shows. She still loves the Sesame Street characters in her mid twenties. PBS Kids has so many great shows that are educational and entertaining too. One of Princess Emma's favorites is Arthur Read. ARTHUR, based on Marc Brown's best-selling books, ranks alongside Curious George as the highest rated weekday children's series on PBS among children 6-11. The new season starts on October 11th. And we are waiting to see all the friends gather once more.

"This season, we're hoping to empower our young viewers to go after their goals and dreams. Whether that means becoming a wheelchair basketball champion, or expressing yourself through writing, drawing, and making movies, Arthur and his friends show kids that determination and hard work really pay off," said Executive Producer Jacqui Deegan. I love this idea. I know that Princess Emma is dreaming of dancing all of the time. Many people would look at her and say she is a chunky lil girl....she can not dance. But instead she has her cheering section that loves to see her delicate ballets put on.

Also new this season, Arthur and his friends team up with Martha from Martha Speaks in a new game called "Marthur Stickerbook Mashup." Kids can choose characters and props from each show to create unique mashup scenes. I have been having so much fun playing on it myself. Yeah Yeah, moms can be kids too!

Thanks so to PBS Kids for sharing a review copy of Arthur's new season with us. We loved the sneak preview!

Quiet Time Giveaway

Today has been another of those run run run days. And I hate them! Especially when I expected it to be a quiet day at home with the Grandbabes. I thought we would have time to play and enjoy each others company. Instead College Girl has had the blunt of the caring for them this time.

But I have had a lil bit of fun. I got to do story time and nap time. Yeah I know the best two parts of the day right! With nap time, my Granddaughter gets to do a quiet activity while the lil one sleeps. She picked watching our new Madeline's Halloween & Other Spooky Tales DVD. Yeah a bit early but heck, Madeline is always timeless. There was 5 different adventures so it kept her interest during his whole nap. What a great plus for us. And you will be able to pick up a copy in the stores on August 17th for $12.99.

Then once the lil man woke up we plunged right on into Dinosaur Train with a special DVD. In Dinosaur Train Under the Sea we were able to learn first hand the oceans during different time periods. Then we looked at the interactive games. Granddaughter is into the games big time. But the lil Man loved the coloring pages. I am a lil slower than they are so having the dinosaur reference guide and info sure did help me catch up. I heard "Silly Nonnie" so many times when I was guessing who was who. You will be able to see this on PBS KIDS on Friday, August the 20th. And in the mean time pop over to YouTube to see a short clip.

Now that we have had a great movie time (I will tell you about the books tomorrow!) let's all learn a lil about sharing. I have one copy of Dinosaurs Under the Sea on DVD to giveaway. First I ask you to be so kind and visit Dinosaur Trains PBS site and tell me what time Dinosaur Train airs in your area and on what station. Mine is PBS station KERA at 10:30 a.m. This is your mandatory first entry. Make sure we have your email or contact information in case you win. Extra entries are always the same. Entries are with the normal comments. Another for following me anywhere....here, facebook, twitter...leave a comment for each place you follow me at. Make sure your email is with you profile or on the comment. I will have a winner within two weeks.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copies of these DVDs to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.

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