Angelina Ballerina: Love to Dance - Her First CG Animated DVD! {Giveaway}

Angelina Ballerina, the eight-year old mouseling who dreams of becoming a prima ballerina, brings the love of dance to little girls everywhere! My girls have loved Angelina Ballerina almost since they could walk. Angelina has been a favorite of girls for over 25 years. She's been featured in over 50 book titles, and fourteen DVDs. In the fall of 2009 (read our post about the new Angelina series - a year ago - HERE), PBS KIDS gave Angelina Ballerina a whole new look featuring CG animation, and a whole new cast of friends joined Angelina as she took on her first year at Camembert Academy. This week, the series released on DVD for the first time in Love to Dance!

Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to take center stage with Angelina Ballerina! On Angelina’s first day at Camembert Academy she discovers new forms of music and dance, like jazz, tap and hip hop, and meets new friends who have their own unique rhythm. Together with her friends new and old, like best friend Alice and the new Hip-Hop Kid AZ, Angelina realizes that becoming a prima ballerina requires collaboration and compromise, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! Get ready to step, leap and groove as you discover your own love of dance in these fun-filled episodes!

Episode include:

* “Angelina’s New School” – Angelina is excited, yet nervous, about her first day of school at Camembert Academy. When she finds her new classmates proficient in other styles of dance, she tries to copy their moves – without success. Angelina soon discovers that when she’s true to her own style of dance – ballet – she excels, and soon understands that everyone is different, and different is good.

* “Angelina’s Dance Partner” – Angelina is ecstatic to have the opportunity to dance with her best friend, Alice, at Camembert Academy’s “Dance With a Partner Day.” Angelina likes to choreograph the routine down to the very last detail and Alice is happy to oblige! Unfortunately, when Alice gets the sniffles Angelina must partner with Viki, whose style of improvisation contradicts with Angelina’s style. Angelina learns the importance of collaboration, cooperation and adaptability when working with a partner.

* “Angelina’s Oldest Friend” – Angelina loves her new Camembert Academy friends and also loves her old friend Alice. She expects that both sets of friends will love each other too. Unfortunately, their first encounter is not as smooth as Angelina would have liked so the new and old friends work together to find a new way to play so all can have fun.

* “Angelina’s Sleepover” – Angelina, Viki and Gracie decide to have a sleepover the night before a rehearsal for the big performance, but they do everything except sleep! The next day they are too tired for the morning rehearsal and have to choose between an afternoon rehearsal or attending the annual Silly Hat Carnival, a fun tradition in Mouseland. Angelina and her friends decide to rehearse and learn that being prepared is the best fun of all!

* “Angelina and the Hip Hop Kid” – Angelina is very excited to be directing her very first Hip Hop Show when suddenly her star, AZ, falls and hurts his foot! Who can step into his shoes at the last minute? Marco is the number one choice. However, though he can play Hip Hop music, dancing Hip Hop is another thing. The show is in danger of not going on… unless Angelina can come up with a solution in time!

This DVD is full of fun, great character lessons, music, and of course - lots of dancing. Angelina Ballerina isn't all about ballet anymore! Angelina, along with her best friend, Alice (one of the few original characters from the old series that show up in the new series), meet many new friends and learn lots of new styles of dance including hip hop. The DVD runs for about an hour, and also includes an “Angelina Says” bonus feature game, and two Angelina music videos - “Get Up and Dance” and “I Will Be A Star”.

I have my own "Angelina" here at our house, and I love letting her watch Angelina Ballerina. It's clean, it's fun, and its messages are inspiring. Work hard to reach your goals! Be a good friend! Dream big dreams! As a mom, I appreciate the good role model Angelina is for my daughters, and the fact that she's a mouse is super cute! :)

Be sure and visit Angelina Ballerina online at www.angelinaballerina.com, and snag your won copy of Love to Dance at Amazon for $11.49 ($14.98 SRP)! Click on the image below to download this Angelina Ballerina coloring page for your little one!

Win It: One lucky reader will win a copy of Angelina Ballerina: Love to Dance on DVD! For your first required entry, just swing on over to www.angelinaballerina.com and leave a comment below telling me what you think of Angelina's new look. All entries must be received by 11:59 PM EST on September 13th.

Want extra entries?

1. Follow HiT Entertainment on Twitter.
2. Show Angelina Ballerina you like them on Facebook and leave a message on their wall letting them know that you entered this giveaway.
3. Enter this giveaway in a giveaway linky on another blog. Be sure to leave me the url to the linky you posted the link to! (Can be done twice - Good for 2 extra entries each time)
   
4. Follow My Four Monkeys on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway (This can be done once daily) including a link to the giveaway and @MyFourMonkeys or you can copy and paste this: Win a copy of  Angelina Ballerina: Love to Dance on DVD - #GIVEAWAY @MyFourMonkeys! http://bit.ly/9bZXIj @HITEntertainmnt
5. Subscribe to My Four Monkey RSS Feed and/or via email.
6. Become a My Four Monkeys follower on Blogger.
7. Join the My Four Monkeys fan page on Facebook and leave a comment about this giveaway.
8. Blog about this giveaway and link back to this page (leave your post url). (Good for 2 extra entries)
9. Stumble this post (the post, not the site). Leave a comment with your Stumble name and/or URL. (Now easily done with the "Share This" button at the bottom of the post!)
10. Grab our button and put it on your blog (leave your blog url).

**NOTE: Leave one comment for every entry. You must have a visible email address in your Blogger Profile, otherwise it needs to be listed on every entry!!**

Giveaway Rules:

1. Giveaway is open to US residents only unless otherwise stated.

2. You must answer the question in the giveaway accordingly. Please don't just say "I want to win" or "Pick me."

3. Winner will be chosen via random.org and notified via email.
4. Winner will be asked to respond with full contact information within 48 hours of being notified. Failure to do so will result in another winner being picked.

**Thank you to HiT Entertainment and Lionsgate for providing the products for review and giveaway! I only recommend products or services I can stand behind and believe will be good for my readers. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I paid for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. If you have any questions please refer to my Terms of Use.**

My Four Monkeys' Story Time 9/3 - One Hand, Two Hands by Max Lucado

One Hand, Two Hands is our My Four Monkeys' Story Time pick for this week. It's a new children's book from best selling author, Max Lucado. We own several of Lucado's children's book, and a few of his books for adults. He is a fabulous Christian author, and his books are touching and full of powerful messages. One Hand, Two Hands is no different with it's rhyming words that tells your child how to use their little hands for God's glory.

A delightful way to show little ones how their hands are a blessing from God that they can use to do help others. Written in rhyming text and illustrated with the charming art of Gaby Hansen, this simple message of God’s blessing of hands not only entertains . . . as it teaches what wonderful things our hands can do from scratching, latching, and petting a pup to washing dishes with mommy and putting toys in a box . . . but it also conveys the important message: We can use God’s gift of hands to show our love for Him by helping others. The book ends tenderly with a prayer of thanks to God for hands and asks Him to use them again:


One hand, two hands,

Five fingers, ten.
God, thanks, for my hands.

Please, use them again.

The illustrations are super cute, and the rhyming words catch the kids' attention quickly. The illustrations also have some cute humor that my kiddos appreciated. Like this picture of the main character picking up dirty socks with tongs! :)

The kids and I enjoyed the message of this book - for children to use their hands to help others, to love, to be kind, and above all... to please God. What a great character lesson for preschoolers! You can snag your own copy of One Hand, Two Hands by Max Lucado on Amazon for $11.46 (hardcover). Find out more about Max Lucado and all his fantastic books online at www.maxlucado.com, and don't forget to check out more children's books from Thomas Nelson at www.tommynelson.com!

**Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing the product for review via BookSneeze.com! I only recommend products or services I can stand behind and believe will be good for my readers. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I paid for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. If you have any questions please refer to my Terms of Use.**

DIY Decorating Ideas for Your Child's Room from FamilyFun.Go.com!

Jeremy and I have been busy working on redecorating the kids' rooms. We switched the girls in to the bigger room, now that the crib has been put away and Luke has been in his "big boy" bed successfully for several months now. The girls are getting older, and just plain needed the bigger room. So along with switching rooms comes the painting, and the girls are in desperate need of some new bedding and curtains, too.

When I got this month's Family Fun magazine, I saw a project that will be perfect for the girls' room. It's a Book Sling that's mounted to the wall. We're thinking about putting one over each of the girls' beds. Won't these be fantastic for our bedtime reading time?! Here's how you can make your own Book Sling:

The Book Sling

Cost: About $25

Total Time Needed: 1-2 Hours

(posted at FamilyFun.Go.com, created by Megan Cooley, who writes about her creative life with her family at pennycarnival.typepad.com.)

Materials

* Iron
* 1 (48- by 32-inch) piece of fabric
* 2 (48- by 6-inch) lengths of iron-on adhesive (we cut ours from a roll of Therm O Web HeatnBond UltraHold)
* Pinking shears

* 2 double curtain rod brackets (we used the Style Selections brand, $5 each at Lowe's)
* 2 (48-inch-long) dowels with diameters that fit your brackets
* Level


Instructions

1. Wash, dry, and iron the fabric. Lay it printed side down and fold it in half lengthwise. Iron the crease.

2. Unfold the fabric with the printed side down. Atop each long edge, place a 48- by 6-inch length of iron-on adhesive, paper side up. Following the product's instructions, iron over the paper to adhere the sheets, allow them to cool, then peel off the paper.

3. Fold the fabric's long edges toward the center crease (this will leave a channel along each side for inserting the dowels). Turn the fabric over and iron the printed side to bond the adhesive in place. Allow the fabric to cool completely.
4. Trim the sling's edges with pinking shears so that it measures 46 inches from end to end. Mark spots on your wall for the brackets, which should be hung 47 1/2 inches apart (check your measurements by placing the bare dowels in the brackets and using a level to ensure that the sling will hang straight).

5. Hang the brackets with hardware appropriate for your wall. Slide the dowels into the sling's channels, insert them in the rod holders, and secure them with the holders' setscrews.

Tips:

● This project calls for a fab fabric. Check out whipstitchfabrics.com, which has a huge selection of fun prints for less than $10 a yard.
● For the most secure sling, use brackets that fully encircle the rod and lock them in place with a setscrew.

While I was browsing the Family Fun website (FamilyFun.Go.com), I came across another cute and easy decorating idea for a child's room. Check out this Glow-in-the-Dark Mural!

Glow-in-the-Dark Mural

Total Time Needed: Weekend Project

Materials

* Interior acrylic white wall paint
* 2 or 3 rectangular sponges of assorted sizes
* Paintbrush (optional)

* Interior acrylic glow-in-the-dark paint (generally available in several colors and sold at most hardware or craft stores)
* Night-light (the moon-shaped one shown here, manufactured by Lightning Bug Ltd., is battery-operated)
* 1 or 2 dozen glow-in-the-dark stars


Instructions

1. First, make sure the wall you plan to decorate is clean and dry. Then pour a shallow layer of white wall paint into a flat-bottomed container (you need an opaque white undercoat to make the buildings clearly visible during daylight).
2. Dip one of the sponges into the paint to evenly coat its surface, then holding it upright, evenly press the sponge against the wall just above the baseboard to create a "building" imprint. You may want to practice on newspaper until you are able to achieve an effect you like.
3. Continue in this way, using all the sponges to stamp a row of buildings. You can even trim a sponge into a triangular roof or steeple shape or use a paintbrush to add finer details.
4. Once the paint is dry, use the same method to apply a topcoat of glow-in-the-dark paint to all the buildings.
5. Let the final coat dry thoroughly. Then attach the night-light and glow-in-the-dark stars to the wall.

Striking Skin Care by Helix BioMedix {Giveaway - $100 RV!}

Striking Skin Care with SmartPeptides is a skin care line created by Helix Biomedix, and marketed to women over 40. The Striking Skin Care line features products with SmartPeptides. As we age, our skin thins and collagen breaks down. Tests have shown that SmartPeptides boost collagen production and migration to support the extracellular matrix. This helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while increasing firmness. Over time, skin feels firmer and supple and looks younger, vibrant and refreshed. All of the Striking Skin Care products are paraben, phthalate and fragrance free.

Check out this video for more about SmartPeptides!

I received four Striking Care Skin Care products to review: Multi-Peptide Serum, Rejuvenating Eye Creme, Restorative Moisture Creme, and the Multi-Vitamin Creme Cleanser. I replaced my normal skincare products with the Striking Skin Care Products and noticed great results. The Multi-Vitamin Creme Cleanser was probably my favorite product as it really left my face feeling soft and very clean, and was such a gentle cleanser. I had less breakouts, and found myself being more aware of my skincare regimen and making sure that all my makeup was removed at bedtime, etc. Since I'm just into my thirties, I have yet to really develop fine lines in my skin, but I can attest to the fact that the Striking Skin Care line is very healthy for your face, and left my skin feeling refreshed, and hydrated.

I have very oily skin, and often feel like moisturizers only add to the oiliness. I was pleasantly surprised when the Restorative Moisture Creme had none of the oily feel to it, and left my face feeling soft, not oily. I did find the Rejuvenating Eye Creme to be a bit oily, but the thick creme really hydrates the skin, and I noticed the decrease of puffiness around my eyes.

You can find out more about the Striking Skin Care line online at www.strikingskincare.com. Be sure and check them out on Twitter and on Facebook!

Win It: One lucky reader will win a Striking Daily Defense Duo which includes the Striking Multi-Peptide Serum and Striking Rejuvenating Eye Creme (a $100 value!)! For your first required entry, just swing on over to www.strikingskincare.com and leave a comment below telling me another Striking Skin Care product you would like to try. All entries must be received by 11:59 PM EST on September 13th.

Want extra entries?

1. Follow Striking Skin Care on Twitter.
2. Show Striking Skin Care you like them on Facebook and leave a message on their wall letting them know that you entered this giveaway.
3. Enter this giveaway in a giveaway linky on another blog. Be sure to leave me the url to the linky you posted the link to! (Can be done twice - Good for 2 extra entries each time)
   
4. Follow My Four Monkeys on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway (This can be done once daily) including a link to the giveaway and @MyFourMonkeys or you can copy and paste this: Win a Striking Daily Defense Duo from @StrikingSkin - a $100 Value - #GIVEAWAY @MyFourMonkeys! http://bit.ly/aEPyxC
5. Subscribe to My Four Monkey RSS Feed and/or via email.
6. Become a My Four Monkeys follower on Blogger.
7. Join the My Four Monkeys fan page on Facebook and leave a comment about this giveaway.
8. Blog about this giveaway and link back to this page (leave your post url). (Good for 2 extra entries)
9. Stumble this post (the post, not the site). Leave a comment with your Stumble name and/or URL. (Now easily done with the "Share This" button at the bottom of the post!)
10. Grab our button and put it on your blog (leave your blog url).

**NOTE: Leave one comment for every entry. You must have a visible email address in your Blogger Profile, otherwise it needs to be listed on every entry!!**

Giveaway Rules:

1. Giveaway is open to US residents only unless otherwise stated.

2. You must answer the question in the giveaway accordingly. Please don't just say "I want to win" or "Pick me."

3. Winner will be chosen via random.org and notified via email.
4. Winner will be asked to respond with full contact information within 48 hours of being notified. Failure to do so will result in another winner being picked.

**This review was made possible by Mama Buzz. Thank you to HelixBiomedix for providing the products for review and giveaway! I only recommend products or services I can stand behind and believe will be good for my readers. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I paid for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. If you have any questions please refer to my Terms of Use.**