DVD Review : Spongebob Squarepants The Great Party Caper

Spongebob Squarepants : The Great Party Caper is brand new seven episode Spongebob collection featuring the title episode The Great Party Caper. Spongebob seems to endlessly entertain Connor and Chris but I've really never been a huge Spongebob fan though I do enjoy the fact that it keeps my crazed munchkin entertained. However, The Great Patty Caper episode by far has been one of my favorite episodes to date. Spongebob and Patrick have to find the missing Patty recipe. It was stolen from the vault... could Plankton be behind this one?

The other six episodes included are not mystery episodes and really follow no particular theme.. but they all seem to be from season seven so if your waiting on that season seven collection this is a great way to get a few of the episodes now to enjoy.

Included Episodes :

• The Great Patty Caper - It’s part whodunit, part whereisit as SpongeBob, Patrick and Plankton take a train to search for the Krabby Patty recipe’s latest hiding place.

• Growth Spout - When Pearl starts growing rapidly, Mr. Krabs’ wallet is in for a fight to survive.

• Stuck in the Wringer - SpongeBob gets himself into quite a situation when he gets stuck in a wringer after his shower.

• Someone’s in the Kitchen with Sandy - In his latest attempt to steal the Krabby Patty formula, Plankton disguises himself as Sandy.

• The Inside Job - In another crazy move for the Krabby Patty formula, Plankton manages to infiltrate SpongeBob’s head.

• Greasy Buffoons - Mr. Krabs and Plankton overindulge everyone and their love of greasy food in an all-out fast food war.

All in all that's 89 minutes of Spongebob goodness including some very short but cute animated shorts. A great pre-season seven edition to your collection!

Spongebob The Great Patty Caper is available right now on DVD and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

Disclosure: We were given a copy of Spongebob Squarepants : The Great Party Caper free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors

DVD Review : Invader Zim Operation Doom

Ok call me a total geek but I giggled like a mindless supervillian when this dvd came in the mail. Invader Zim has long been one of my favorite and if you ask me one of the most under appreciated kids. Why they ever took it off the air in the first place is beyond me but it's one of those cartoons that adults as well as kids can really enjoy. Actually I was an avid Invader Zim watcher way before I even thought about having kids. Invader Zim's creator Johnen Vasquez is my comic book hero of all time creating the very dark but super funny Johnny the Homicidal Maniac series and Squee both of which will make me squeal for joy and both of which are the two comic books that I read over and over on a fairly regular basis.


Invader Zim was most certainly written more for the main stream and lacks most of the dark aspects of the comic book series but it still includes the quirky humor. How can you NOT like Invader Zim... he's a robot banished to Earth and he decides to discuise himself as a human and go to school so he can learn more about the humans. He isn't very popular but maybe that has a little to do with the fact that all he ever thinks about is how he is going to take over the world. My favorite character is by far Gir though.. possibly he is sort of the opposite to Zim like Squee was to Johnny. Melos (my beloved Chihuahua was almost named Gir but I realized he was a little too smart to be Gir early on). Gir is completely mad, totally messed up, robot companion of Zim's and I have to say he's easily if anything a huge factor in why I was totally obessed with this show when it was on the air. They could have made a Gir show all on its own and I would have ended up sitting there hours on end drooling on the screen. He's cute, completely idiotic, and aboslutely hiallrious.


Now let me squeal with joy when I tell you that though this is not the complete set of episodes made for Invader Zim, Invader Zim : Operation Doom includes 14 episodes of the series which is close enough to the whole series as if I'm not mistaken there are only 20ish episodes of the show total, which still totally depresses me. And though its not as fancy, nor does it include any extras, as perviously released box sets it will also not set you back $50+ like those would. So if your a Invader Zim fan or if you just want to add a little evil robot takes over the world to your dvd colllection I highly.. HIGHLY.. recommend you buy this dvd. I rarely say this, but if I could recommend any Nickelodean release this year this would hands down be the one I'd buy.


Invader Zim : Operation Doom is gloriously available right now on DVD and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!


Now excuse me while I go do a happy dance.

Disclosure: We were given a copy of Invader Zim : Operation Doom free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors

DVD Review : Felicity : An American Girl Adventure

I was not lucky enough to grow up with American Girl Dolls, they really came on the scene after I became too old to really show interest. I did however grow up with Anne of Green Gables and the Secret Garden and Felicity has the same sort of appeal.

American Girl Adventures are dvd adaptations of American Girl Dolls stories. Each doll has it's own story line and book and these dvds are just a extension of that. Felicity won my heart right away as well she loves an abused horse that she calls Penny and wants to set her free. A girl after my own heart indeed!

Felicity has more than just horses on the mind though, she has to learn how to juggle the expectations set on her as well as the revolution that is coming. People that she loves are conflicted between being loyal to the king and wanting to live free as their own independent country. Friendships and her own family is divided. As well she has to juggle the struggle in her own heart between growing up and taking her place as a lady in society and her adventurist spirit and what she feels is right. The horse she calls Penny belongs to a man who mistreats his animals and she wants nothing more than to free his animals from his cruelty. Though it may not be the same issues girls face today the spirit of the issues is the same. We all struggle with our own sense of self and sense of right and what society and family puts on us.




American Girl Doll fans I'm sure will also enjoy seeing their favorite doll brought to life!

You can pick up your own copy of Felicity : An American Girl Doll Adventure right now on Amazon!

DVD Review : Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated : Season One Volume 1

Every time I turn around I seem to find another Scooby-Doo series out on dvd. Though that sounds like I'm complaining, believe me I'm not. Really I mean it when I say there is no such thing as too much Scooby-Doo and I'm grateful that there are enough episodes across several series to keep you busy for quite some time. My own childhood afternoons would have never been the same without endless amounts of Scooby-Doo to keep me busy.

The newest dvd release is Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated : Season One Volume 1 and it was the one series I had not seen any episodes of prior to doing this review. I was a little excited as this series claimed to be the most modern as well as offered some new aspects to the plot line that though hinted at in the past with some of the series was never really played out. The first of which is the love interests between the group. You always just assumed that the gang must have had something going on there, but it was really never that obvious or at least I can't remember it ever being part of the plot before. With Mystery Incorporated the gang's love interests have come into full view and in some ways I kinda like that aspect it does sometimes honestly get a little frustrating. It certainly does make Scooby-Doo more interesting to some of the girls out there though! The other aspect that I found really interesting is getting glimpses of the gang's parents. Again something you just always assumed but never really saw up till now.

The part I really like about this series is the new face lift the gang gets. Though their outfits and the van really do remain the same the graphics are very obviously cleaned up and the whole show gets sort of a modern comic book feel. All the lines are cleaner and the camera work is just far superior to some of the other series. It certainly brings the gang into the modern world.

You can pick up your own copy of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated : Season One Volume 1 on dvd on Amazon!

Disclosure: We were given a copy of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated : Season One Volume 1 free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors

DVD Review : Dora's Ballet Adventures

I always figured Dora for more of the tomboyish type but in her new dvd adventures Dora is a full out ballet princess which has it's good points and bad. Regardless of if Dora is meant for girls or not, Dora is one of Connor's favorite Nick Jr friends. So much so when we moved into our new house and found one of the bedrooms already decorated with a Dora border it was almost world war kids when we decided to take it down for a more neutral look. Dora's new dvd adventure Dora's Ballet Adventures is  geared more towards the girlie girls and though I think that's absolutely fair as Dora deserves to have a little girl time of her own, it did loose Connor's interest in this particular dvd. With that said it's a great addition to your Dora collection, at least for her girl fans.

Dora's Ballet Adventures is an exclusive of Target and it includes four never seen before episodes all focused on music and dancing!

Included :

• Dora’s Ballet Adventure - Dora’s dance class is getting ready for a special dance recital and her whole family’s there to watch her perform. They just need to wait for the Delivery Duck to deliver their ballet slippers. But the Delivery Duck brings scuba flippers instead of ballet slippers! Dora and Boots must get the slippers before the recital begins.

• Dora, La Músico - C’mon and join the musical parade! Dora and Boots are leading a parranda over the Piano Bridge and through the Singing Gate to free the instruments that were locked up by the evil Señor Shhh!

• The Super Silly Fiesta - Dora and Boots are invited to the Big Red Chicken’s Super Silly Fiesta where there will be silly snacks, silly games, silly hats and even silly dancing. But, the Big Red Chicken lost his party cake! Dora and Boots set off to save the fiesta. After searching forever, they find the cake in the silliest place Big Red Chicken could have left it – on his head!

• Surprise - It’s Boots’ birthday! Dora tells him that all of his friends are waiting at her house to give Boots a big party. To reach Dora’s house, they’ll have to climb a long flight of Stairs and cross the Troll Bridge.

You can purchase your own copy of Dora's Ballet Adventures at Target!

Disclosure: We were given a copy of Dora's Ballet Adventures free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors.

Game Review : Kidz Bop Dance Party! The Video Game for Wii

I'm whole heartily addicted to dance video games, which is in itself is sort of sad as I'm really not a good dancer in the first place. Though when no one is looking I dance my little heart out to the wii which is not only great exercise but it's the type of exercise you get into and really don't even realize you are doing it in the first place. The biggest problem is Connor usually wants to play with me and with some of the adult themed titles he really has a super hard time keeping up and just ends up getting frustrated.

Kidz Bop Dance Party! The Video Game is a Wii dance game that is truly made for kids. The included songs are popular songs but they are redone with kids in mind. Twenty four songs are included like : Party In The USA, Paparazzi, Since U Where Gone, Thriller, and many more. The songs will appeal to kids as well as get them moving. The game itself though the graphics are not nearly as good as some of the other dance games I have played they are very very colorful and unlike some of the other dance games you can to some extent customize your own avatar.

Now what really sets this title apart from some of the more adult skill level dance games is the actual game play. Kidz Bop Dance Party! is beyond simple in its controls. Actually I'm not so sure if it's a good or a bad thing but practically anyone can play it and as long as you keep the controller moving you can score pretty well no matter if your dance moves really are anything like what's happening on the screen. Connor loved the fact that "he could do it" but if I played it with him I found the whole experience aggravating as I didn't seem to score much differently if I just jumped around like a crazy person or actually attempted to follow the moves.

Now my honest opinion after really thinking about it... I will completely forgive Kidz Bop Dance Party for being geared towards kids, being super simple to control, and lacking some of the graphical aspects of my own dance games. The reason for this is Connor was beyond excited that he could play this game without any help from "Mom" and if it gets him up and moving burning off some of that excess energy it's beyond worth its faults. So all in all if your looking for a kid friendly easy to play dance game for the Wii, we really do recommend it.

Kidz Bop Dance Party! The Video Game is available right now and you can pick up a copy on Amazon!


Disclosure: We were given a copy of Kidz Bop Dance Party! The Video Game free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors

DVD Review : Hit Entertainment 4 DVD Action Pack!

One package, four seperately dvds in one fat chunky case. You know what that means mommas... the perfect travel companion and an all in one entertainment center. heh. Sorry I couldn't resist. Actually we love collections like this for just that reason they are easy to transport and even easier to store.

Hit Entertainment's new 4 DVD Action Pack includes two of the favorites for boys both Thomas & Friends and Bob The Builder with a Fireman Sam dvd thrown in for good measure. All four dvds are full length Hit Entertainment features all feature several episodes each as well as bonus features.

Included :

• Thomas & Friends : Steamies vs. Diesels - This is an older dvd and is not CGI though to be perfectly honest I'm a big non CGI Thomas fan though the animation is not as smooth there is something about the old style Thomas that I really enjoy. 
• Thomas & Friends : Track Stars - a newer dvd and not one we had previously seen. We especially love the sing along extra on this dvd as well as the read along. 
• Bob The Builder : Heavy Duty Diggers - I was really suprised to see this dvd included as its fairly new and we even did a full review for it when it was released singally. It inlcudes five Bob episodes and is still one of Connor's favorites.
• Fireman Sam : Help is here - Fireman Sam is one of my favorite Hit Entertainment characters. I guess we are partial around here as my husband is in public service as well. I also love the fact that Fireman Sam gives kids a role model for safety and helping others, something Connor desperately needs.

All in all you end up with 182 minutes of run time which is more than enough to make it through most car trips! I especially love that all the dvds are included in one thicker than average case that keeps them organized and it's easy to grab on the way out the door or to throw in an overnight bag for the grandparents.

You can pick up your own copy of Hit Entertainment 4 DVD Action Pack on Amazon right now!

Disclosure: We were given a copy of Hit Entertainment 4 DVD Action Pack free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors.

DVD Review : Wishbone

OH Wishbone, how I loved you afterschool on PBS and how pleased I was to see you on DVD to share with my son. I almost am a little embarassed to admit that I watched Wishbone faithfully every day after school, as a high school student! I even watched Wishbone later when it was rereleased in the late 90s as an adult while I worked on my sewing projects, which ironically were also for dogs. Wishbone is not only one of the cutest jack russell terriers you will ever see but the costume quality for a dog costume was really supurb in this series.

Wishbone is not just any dog, he is a dog with a really serious imagination. Wishbone dreams of some of the great literary stories and acts them out for you with a flair that only a certain jack russell terrier could!

Episodes Included :

• The Impawssible Dream - With Wishbone's owner Joe aspiring to make his best in free throws, Wishbone dreams about "Don Quixote"!
• The Hunchdog of Notre Dame - Inspired by his new friend Nathaniel who's just a little bit different, Wishbone dreams of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Personally our favorite of the episodes included too, Wishbone's hunchback costume is so adorable.
• Hot Diggety Dog - Wishbone starts dreaming of "Journey to the Center of the Earth" when digging in the yard!
• Paw Prints of Thieves - Wishbone is inspired when his owner Joe saves food from the cafeteria and gives it to those that need it and it make him think of "Robin Hood"! A close second in my opinion to the hunchback episode and Connor's personal favorite!

Each episode not only introduces kids to some classic stories but presents them in a way that sparks their interest and hopefully will inspire them to read them and act out their own favorite books as well. After watching I had Connor pick a book from his collection and I had him help me act out small parts. He's not really ready yet for a full production but we've started introducing the idea that he can act out small parts of each book as I read them. It's a great way to get kids more involved and interested in reading! Wishbone is just fabulous and I can't say how pleased and excited I am to see him on dvd. I just hope the release follow up dvds with additional episodes on them!

Wishbone is available right now on dvd and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

Disclosure: We were given a copy of Wishbone free of charge, we were not compensated for this post in any other way. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors.

Dylan turns a year old!

I'm still speechless, how on earth has it been a year? Dylan had his first birthday party over the weekend. It was a small event compared to some of our other parties in the past.. no blow ups, no fancy location, just a good ole fashioned home birthday party with friends and family. I have to admit I did splurge on our cake and I hired a photographer though both were more than reasonable and I really didn't spend more on the cake than I would have regularly. However the party was amazing and I loved having our friends and family all at our new house and even Nana (my grandmother) came up from Florida for the day.

Dylan has had quite the first year most of which he spent being sick, going through therapy, and visiting countless doctors trying to figure out exactly what happened in the first place. For those of you that have not kept up with us on Facebook we've had sort of an up and down year. It all started when he was about two months old and he started crying non stop 12 to 14 hours a day.. every day.. for several months. We were told it was acid reflux and colic but nothing helped him and the movements of even a swing would set him off. He never gained a ton of weight and though I'm an avid breast feeding supporter he could never seem to get enough suction to keep my milk supply going and I was forced to put him on formula against everything I felt was important. He just seemed to be getting weaker and weaker and smaller and smaller and finally around five months he got very ill with what at first seemed like a virus which landed him in the hospital for over a week with severe nausea and he couldn't keep any formula or even just plain water down. The poor little guy left the hospital at only barely over his birth weight. I really didn't even realize how fragile he was until I went back recently and looked at some pictures I took of him not long after. His little arms were soo skinny.

Afterwards it was all a struggle to get back to normality. He failed to meet any of his milestones, and had to be put in physical therapy and he just couldn't seem to get his strength up and was missing all his milestones. To top it off we could never figure out exactly what happened in the first place. We were sent to neurologists, nutritionists, and even to the children's hospital. His gross motor skills were severely off and his leg muscles were so tight early on that I couldn't even get him into a proper sitting position. Though many scary things were mentioned thus far he has tested negative for everything he's been tested for. I will say however that physical therapy was a godsend and he's improved dramatically since we started working on his muscle tone and flexibility. Now I'm proud to say at a year old it's almost impossible to tell anything was ever wrong he now meets all his milestones and he took his first independent step during his birthday party (though I missed it!!!). He still suffers from slightly stiffer than normal leg muscles but I'm more than positive that if we keep on it and keep him active that as he grows that too will become a distant memory.

Dylan is a beautiful baby, always happy, always smiling, just a pure joy. He's taken everything in stride and worked so hard to build those muscles and he refuses to hear the word no. It seems every time we have a setback and any time anyone mentioned that it may take him longer to reach a milestone it always seems like he understands and works three times as hard to show them differently. I mean can you believe that he learned to sit up at Christmas and now just a few short weeks later he is not only standing and cruising but attempting to walk as well! Even just two weeks ago they were sure he would be in leg braces for at least a year if not more and now he's attempting to walk independently. Now I wonder if leg braces are even the best choice for him. He always surprises me! Even in the last two months he has gained SIX pounds and now is not only on the growth chart but is shooting up it at amazing speeds.

Dylan, I love you little man. I know it seems like we got cheated a little on your first year... I can't wait to see what you do this year. I love you and I will be at your side and ready and excited for all there is to come!

For all our readers I'm grateful for your continued support. Dylan, Connor and I love you guys and we hope that this year will bring us more towards normality and we can't wait to share what is to come with you all.

All of the above photos were taken by Jessala White Photography and the amazing cakes were made by Coloring on the Walls. Thanks ladies they were amazing!