Toddler Talk!!!

Meet The Robinsons

Disney/Pixar's "Meet The Robinsons" was a wonderful movie. I can not rave about it enough.  My family liked the movie so much, I took my children to see both the regular and 3-D version of the movie. They never cease to amaze me, each time I see a movie trailer for one of their movies I think "Oh, that can't be half as good as The Incredibles, or Monsters Inc. etc." but each and every time I go to the theater I'm floored.

The characters are not only fun but lovable too.  The movie is hilarious, sweet, and colorful at the same time. Both my four year old and my two year old have memorized as many lines as possible and quote them frequently. They run through the house pretending that they are the characters.

The main character is a genius of a boy who is also an orphan. He is looking for the only thing an orphan cares to have... a family. In a twist of events he finds them, but not in the way you would imagine and in finding them he finds himself. He finds a reason to keep going and to have faith in himself. In the end you are left feeling elated and reminding yourself that every goal seeking man, woman, or child (Walt Disney included) at some point in time realized two things

1) In the words of Napoleon "Imagination rules the world" 

2) Never give up on your dreams or yourself. That you learn to improve your craft (what ever it may be) from failure. In my opinion those are two of the most important things any child or adult should know when it comes to success in by means.

If you have liked any of Disney/Pixar movies you will love this one.

For Now,

Lauri

a lot of sick children

Well, I have been extremely busy but in the least happy way. We have had RSV go through our house twice so as you could guess, I haven't had much time to post, but now now that everyone is officially over it I can resume my work. Not only am I going to catch you up on all the books, movies, and toys we have tried but also (in two weeks) I will give those of you who have yet to visit Disneyland (or those who haven't been in a while) I will be telling you first hand hour our stay at Disneyland resort is going while we are there! I am extremely excited!

For Now,

Lauri

Plantzilla

Plantzilla, written by Jerdine Nolen and illustrated by David Catrow, was quite an odd adventure. The whole story is written in letters from one character to the next. It is about a boy (Mortimer) who badly wants to take a school plant home for the summer (affectionately named Plantzilla). He loves everything about the plant… watering, feeding, and yes even brushing it’s cilia (hair-like pieces of the plant). Mortimer gets his wish and discovers (at first to his parents dismay) over his summer vacation that the plant has adopted some strange qualities.

My four year old was sincerely interested in this book but my two year old found it to be too long for his attention span. I wouldn’t call it one of my four year olds favorites but he did enjoy it at least once. The illustrations are colorful, and quite a few of them had him looking closer and asking what Plantzilla was doing (which is good, he was paying attention). Check it out and see what you think.

For Now,

Lauri

Pinkerton Behave

Pinkerton Behave, by Steven Kellogg, was one of my favorite books from the time I was about four years old and is still one of my favorite children‘s books to this day. Steven Kellogg’s illustrations were more than enough to keep me busy as I scanned the page for every detail, which is something that Steven Kellogg had a wonderful knack for. His story’s are always something small kids and parents can relate to. So what better time to introduce my little ones to the big, bouncy, disobedient, Great Dane, Pinkerton.

Pinkerton is not so good at following directions, or should I say he follows them in his own unique way. After his owners take him to obedience school to fix their four legged conundrum, they are forced to take the dog home as a lost cause. When trouble arises, Pinkerton’s owner figures out just the right thing to do, and Pinkerton saves the day.

As I suspected my two little boys fell in love with Pinkerton, especially after they found out that Pinkerton is the same type of dog as our beloved and goofy dog Scooby (who is named for yet another favorite Great Dane). Steven Kellogg’s work has been around for quite a while, so I wouldn’t be surprised if parents are familiar with it. If not go discover a true gem. If you have ever owned a dog you will enjoy Pinkerton Behave.

For Now,

Lauri

The Bridge To Terabithia

For those of you who have not read the book, the movie (Disney's The Bridge To Terabithia), although a good story, is sad for kids who are old enough to understand death ( heck, I even cried!). My kids loved the creatures that were conjured out of the minds of the main characters. But, as I have said if you haven't read the book, don't expect the majority of the movie to be about the magical land of Terabithia (as the previews depict) because in all reality the story is about two outcasts and their imaginations as they divert from reality to short moments of magical imagination through out the movie. It is about a farm boy who has a great talent for art and lives to draw and a new kid in school who loves to write. Both of them are teased for being different, because of this (and the fact that they happen to be neighbors), they find each other and together make a pretend world of their own in the woods near their homes. When they are in the woods their minds take over and the kingdom of Terabithia comes to life. A huge tragedy  arrives towards the end though I will not say to whom this happens. The end does give back some that has been lost in a different way. Though as I have said it is a good but sad story. 

This movie does show kids how to use imagination (which I find to be extremely important for anyone), as a matter of fact my four year old was telling me that he was going to make up his own magical land (that, by the way, already has a name). It teaches the importance of love and friendship, that being popular is everything, and it also teaches them to be themselves.

For Now,

Lauri

Barnyard

I finally got to see Barnyard! It had quite and array of voices in it including, Kevin James, Courtney Cox Arquette, Sam Elliot, Danny Glover and many more. I really enjoyed much of this movie despite the fact that all of the cows (male and female) had utters, and the fact that the story had more potential than it could have taken. The moral however of the story was great, it was about putting your friends before yourself, and standing for what you believe in. It was extremely colorful, and had some very fun barn dance scenes that had my kids laughing and dancing, saying "play it again!". I even enjoyed the soundtrack which isn't always the case these days. Just remember take it as it is...a kid's movie.

For Now,

Lauri

Mega Blocks

Mega Block have been my best friend and my worst enemy (I say this only because anyone with a toddler knows you are bound to step on a block in the middle of the night at sometime or other). The reasons they are wonderful are vast. For starters, they are great for eye-hand coordination, teaching small babies how to pick up on of the many bright colored blocks (without being a choking hazard because of their large size, hense the “Mega” in Mega Block), and teaching toddlers how to stack and build. Playing with the blocks teaches them how to coordinate small and large muscles. They let their imaginations show themselves in 3-d, making garages for their cars, and castles for their dolls. You can by the blocks packages with varied amounts of blocks in them or you can opt for buying one of the many wagons, trucks, or bath toys. Trust me if you are buying for a toddler, this is a great toy for them.

For Now,

Lauri

The Halo SleepSac

The Halo SleepSac is a very useful accessory and is the first product ever to be endorsed by the First Candle/SIDS Alliance. Whether or not SIDS is something that you are particularly worried about this product it is extremely easy to use and great for travel. Your little one wears it like a wearable sleeping bag, made out of Micro-Fleece. The SleepSac even makes it easy to change diapers, unlike the conventional sleep bag outfits the zipper zips down to the feet so you don’t have to completely have to undress your baby, just un-zip the bottom and to the waist and change the diaper. It is flame resistant, and is great for the obvious reason that your baby can’t kick the covers off (which any parent knows that you are up half the night covering your baby over and over again). The only downfall that I have found it that the SleepSac is sleeveless (according to the makers this is to reduce the risk of re-breathing carbon dioxide into a sleeve) which can be nice for summer time when it’s hot, but in the winter you have to make sure to put your baby in a long sleeve outfit while wearing it.

For Now,

Lauri

Open Season

If you have been waiting for Open Season, which features the vocal starlings Ashton Kutcher and Martin Lawrence, to come out on video and DVD, your wait is over. This movie was a lot of fun. The story is about a pet bear (Martin Lawrence) who is forced to live in the wild after he meets a pesky deer (Ashton Kutcher) who gets him in trouble and is avidly being hunted by an evil man. Trying to forge a way home in the wild they encounter a few road block, including... ta da... the hunter and end up bonding at the same time. The story is ultimately about friendship and taking care of one another. There is some rude humor, but any child over the age of 24 months loves this kind of humor. There are plenty of moments that made my little ones and myself laugh. Try it out for yourself.

For Now,

Lauri

Go Diego Go

Diego, who is Dora the Explorers cousin has a slightly different twist to his show. In Go Diego Go, Your child learns facts about animals as Diego goes on a mission to find the animal in need.  He even quizzes them on facts he has told them.  This show is extremely popular in my house, it is a  nick favorite along with The Backyardigans, Blues Clues, The Wonder Pets, and Dora The Explorer. Go Diego Go promotes child participation, animal conservation, and language development (Spanish and English, I can not tell you how many times my kids have come running through the house yelling out the newest Spanish word they have learned and I have to go look it up). This is a wholesome show that entertains and inspires, it is great for ages 2 - 5 years.

For Now,

Lauri