Sketch It Game by Blue Orange

If you are looking to add a cheery simple game to those family nights that are sure to be in abundance over the upcoming holiday season, you'll want to check out Sketch It by Blue Orange.


This game had our family laughing within minutes.  I loved that unlike other drawing games, there is a bit of strategy to how you play.  It's not just draw and wait for the others to finish too.  In Sketch It, if you take your time too long on drawing the "word" you risk not getting much points and if you draw the "word" too quickly your points are in jeopardy too!  Even better, you score when you are a good guesser, a good sketcher, or both.

No Name Premium Meats #food #giveaway

Individual wrapped cuts of steak, chicken, or seafood ready to go in my freezer are a life saver in a busy home such as ours.  You can make 1 or you can make 7 whenever.  It's not unusual for me to be unsure about who is going to be around for dinner, or exactly when someone is going to need to eat.  Sometimes we have an extra guest or two and other times we are minus a few.  You know how that goes.

Take last night as an example ...

Football and S'mores

Another year of high school football has come to a close.  My oldest son's team made it all the way to the state finals, but we returned without the victory.  What we did bring home was immense pride in our son and his teammates for all their hard work this season.  That and many fun memories from attending all those games.  

If you asked the younger siblings, near the top of the list might have to be all the tailgating we did pre-game.  There were sandwiches, sloppy joes, popcorn, pizzas, and S'mores.  Did you know that S'mores have been declared the Official Dessert of Tailgating?

Hallmark Channel’s COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS December TV Premieres

We watched several of the November Hallmark Movie Premieres including "A Christmas Wedding Tale" with Jennie Garth, "A Christmas Wish" with Kristy Swanson, and Jingle All the Way.  I think "A Christmas Wish" was the favorite among the adults and I know "Jingle All the Way" was a huge hit with my twins.  That scene with the little cardinal at the end .... ohhhhhhh!  Here's what's coming in December.

20% discount off at EducationalInsights.com & more

We've had the chance to review several items from EducationalInsights.com that we just loved this year including the Sneaky Snack Squirrel Game, Playfoam, Bean Bags, and Design & Drill just to name a few.  With that in mind, I just had to let you know about a special offer for a 20% discount off of ALL products on EducationalInsights.com.  You won't find news about this on their site as this is an exclusive deal offered to their bloggers such as myself and our readers. 

Family Movie Night 12/2: “Game of Your Life” #giveaway

The Walmart and P&G Family Movie Night returns this Friday, December 2 at 8/7c on NBC. This latest family flick is called "Game of Your Life" and here's the synopsis: 

"When industrious high school gamer Zach Taylor lands a prized scholarship to the prestigious Digital Institute of Game Design (DIGD), his future breaks wide open. The opportunity to study under gaming legend Marcus Bentton and alongside the country’s most creative minds will certainly propel him into a successful career as a video game designer. That is, if he can pass the infamous freshman project that eliminates more than half of the class within the first three months. 

Jessica Simpson's BeautyMint skin care system

Celebrity skin care expert Nerida Joy and Jessica Simpson have teamed up to create a personalized, monthly skin care system that features exclusive beauty products.  The line is called BeautyMint and I've been trying a couple of the products out this past couple weeks.  So far so good!  They seem to agree with my at times sensitive and dry skin.

So what's different about this line?  It is customized to your skins needs.  You start by heading to the website and taking a quiz. The questionnaire is designed to find products that will work best for your skin.

Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World on Blu-ray & DVD

If you are on the hunt for a new family movie release to watch over the holiday weekend, you might want to check out Spy Kids:  All the Time in the World.  It just released on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital copy yesterday (Nov 22nd).

We had a chance to view this movie in the car on the way home from a distant football playoff game a few weeks ago.  It had just the right amount of action for every age group and what's not to love about a powerful supermom?

Disney's Prep & Landing now available on DVD

Thanksgiving is almost here! Soon it will be time for me to switch out my normal car DVDs I play for the kids for a batch of Christmas themed ones. New to our holiday movie line up is Disney's Prep & Landing released yesterday (Nov. 22nd) on DVD.

Top Christmas iPad & iPod Apps for Kids (2011 Edition)

We will be spending our first Christmas in many years home in Illinois, but we leave the next day for our Colorado Ski trip. A must will be some Christmas themed apps to help the kids pass time on the long drive. Here's a list of our favorites from the many we recently tried.

Feeling a bit like Santa as I announce ...

The winner of the Yoplait Chocolate Banana Smoothie Gift Pack Giveaway is #70, Niecey D.
The winner of the Coca-Cola Family Night Giveaway is also #70, Tina M.
Both winners were #70, what are the odds of that happening?

New Strawberry Shortcake character, Cherry Jam, debuts on HubTV

I was a big fan of the Strawberry Shortcake Dolls and show when I was little.  I can sign the songs and name way too many of the original characters.  My daughter fell in love with Strawberry too.  She even had a it as a birthday theme one year.  So I just had to share the latest news from Berry Bitty City. 

On Saturday, November 19, a major addition to the magical world of Strawberry Shortcake – the awesome Cherry Jam – will make her worldwide debut on “Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures,” which airs at 9 am on The Hub.  

Tassimo T20 brewer & discs #giveaway #coffee

Hubby and I have been the owner of a Tassimo Brewer for just about a year now.  Hubby likes to have one cup of regular coffee followed by one cup of decaf every morning.  I'm more of the random tea one day followed by a latte the next kind of girl.  Add in a few hot chocolate drinkers and one chai latte addict and you have our family in a coffee mug.  The one cup at a time style coffee brewers were made precisely because of households like ours.

I originally reviewed the Tassimo T20 Brewer back in January and our love for the machine has only grown.  To briefly reiterate we were immediately pleased by the unit's shorter design and more attractive exterior complete with customizable color panel inserts.  However, it was the much hotter and overall better tasting beverages it produced that really sold us.

Drum Roll ...

The winner of the Oreck DualMax Air Purifier Giveaway with a value of $399.00 is #434, Lona728!
The 3 winners of the Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almond Pieces Giveaway are #s 79, 91, & 3!

Free Downloadable Thanksgiving Cards from Company Kids

With Thanksgiving only one week away, Company Kids is getting your little pilgrims in the spirit with free, Downloadable Thanksgiving Cards.  All you have to do is download, print and let your kids color.  Once they’re done decorating, kids can add a fun message for their friends or teacher.

Hallmark Channel’s COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS November TV Premieres

It seems Hallmark Channel has been nearly as busy preparing for the Christmas Holidays as Santa and his eleves.  They have a huge list of original holiday made for tv movies lined up that will keep you and your DVR busy all season long!

On our "must see" list for November is the animated Christmas original "Jingle All The Way".  See our list below for the November listings and check back for another huge list for December.

A CHRISTMAS WEDDING TAIL
Hallmark Channel Original Movie World Premiere
Saturday, November 19 (6p.m. ET/PT, 5C)
Starring: Jennie Garth, Jay Mohr, Nikki Cox, Brad Rowe, Tom Arnold, Catherine Hicks

It’s puppy love at first sight when Rusty the Labrador (Mohr) and Cheri the Poodle (Cox) meet one day while jogging in the park.  Even better, their owners fall in love too, but love is more complicated for the humans.  Susan (Garth) and Jake (Rowe) marry and combine their large family of five children.  With kids fighting and a household in complete chaos, it’s up to the dogs to keep the family together and perform a Christmas Day miracle.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Space Adventure DVD

It's a rare day when my 3 year old twins don't ask to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  The problem being, they don't seem to realize I can't just snap my fingers and make the show of their request begin.  I'm sure at the rate technology is moving that's coming, but it isn't here yet.  I can locate & put on one of the DVDs we own though, and luckily our collection includes a new one from Mickey and his gang.

Twins are like a Soap Opera

I've decided that the day to day life with my twins is much like a soap opera.  It's fitting too because I don't think there has been a soap, daytime or primetime, that hasn't included a twin plot in at some point.

Each day I awake to the same cast of characters and find myself deeply embedded into their day to day relationship.  My how they are fickle.  Declan is mad at Cormac, Cormac is mad at Declan.  Look now they are best best friends and the worst one ... beware of the evil twin.

I find each day is generally unpredictable and chock full of plot twists.  Most befitting is that much like soap operas the question you find yourself asking the most around these two is "who did this?"  The answer?  "It wasn't me!"

Cordelia's First Flat Iron, the Conair CS710

I give a virtual high five daily to the person who invented the flat iron.  I only wish the person had done it sooner.  What I would have given to have had one back in my tween / teen years along with some anti frizz products.  I have very thick curly hair that is absolutely impossible to manage without both.  I spent my teenage years stuck using a blow dryer and a round brush along with a set of hot rollers trying to redirect my curls into something less wild.

Pretend & Play Pro Chef Set by Learning Resources #giveaway #toys

My twin 3 year olds love playing kitchen or "restaurant" as they prefer to call it.  They would hold one of their older siblings hostage in their room playing for hours if they could.  Forcing them to sit at the little table in their room and order food.  They'd then be expected to "eat" the yummy creation and "pay" them for the meal.  The more real the chef tools and food are the more they get into it.

ABC Family Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas

Just a quick note to all you fans of family holiday shows, while the ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas officially begins on December 1st, there is a countdown to the countdown.  Tune in starting November 20th for Holiday themed shows along with other favorites including Holiday in Handcuffs, Santa Buddies, Happy Feet, Snoopy Come Home, and many more.  The full line up of shows and times can be viewed here.

Black Friday at Toys R Us

Can't wait until Friday to shop?  How about right after Thanksgiving dinner?  I'm not planning on shopping Thanksgiving evening, but for a private store experience I could be persuaded.

Toys“R”Us® announced yesterday that its stores nationwide will open their doors at 9pm on Thanksgiving night to welcome Black Friday shoppers as they kick off the holiday shopping season.  Customers eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Toys“R”Us Thanksgiving weekend circular on November 24, which is filled with more than $12,500 in savings, including doorbusters, Thursday through Saturday discounts and free gift-with-purchase offers, can receive a sneak preview by visiting the Toys“R”Us Facebook page, Facebook.com/Toysrus, beginning at 12 noon today. Toys“R”Us Facebook fans will also have the opportunity to win a red carpet, private shopping experience at their local store before the Black Friday crowd enters.

Black Friday at Kohl's

Are you a Black Friday Shopper like myself?  If so, you'll be interested to hear that Kohl’s Department Stores have revealed some information about their Thanksgiving Day deals.  I've summarized the highlights below:

• Doors will open nationwide for 24 hours – from 12 a.m. to midnight on Friday, Nov. 25, to help shoppers get a jump on tremendous savings opportunities.
• Online shoppers can start saving even earlier with more than 500 Early Bird specials available on Kohls.com on Thanksgiving Day.
• For the first time ever, all Kohl’s shoppers will earn $15 Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent in store or online.
• Beginning Sunday, Nov. 20, Kohl’s customers can preview the company’s “Happy Thanksaving Days” print ad on Kohls.com.

The Littlest Angel DVD

Some Angels soar the skies, and some fall a little short. Anchor Bay Entertainment presents the DVD release of the new animated feature film, The Littlest Angel, today (Tuesday, November 15th). A colorful adaptation of the fifteenth best-selling children’s book of all time, The Littlest Angel.

The Littlest Angel tells the story of a young boy who arrives in heaven before his time. Home-sick and lonely, he will travel back to earth, with his friendly pup Halo, to retrieve a most selfless and precious gift for The Baby Jesus. First released in book form in 1946, The Littlest Angel became popular for its ornate words and phrases paired with beautifully muted oil paintings. Tazewell’s book was adapted into a TV musical in 1969 starring Johnny Whitaker, and theatrical versions continue to be done by schools and church groups today. The author would follow-up with another childhood favorite, "The Littlest Snowman," that would be read annually on the “Captain Kangaroo” show.

Congrats goes to ...

Congratulations to the winners of our recent giveaways:

The winner of our huge Kraft Foods Prize Pack Giveaway is #239 Angelacisco
The winner of our Playtex Baby Snacking Prize Pack Giveaway is # 22 nanlara
The winner of our CitiBlocs 100 piece toy set Giveaway is # 14 Elaine L.

Arts and Envy Time, Pass the Green Crayon?

Image via Wikipedia
There was one happy face and one sad face when I picked up my twin three year olds after school today.  Cormac was the last one out the door and he looked like he was fighting back tears.  He wouldn't make eye contact with me at first, but I kept asking him what was wrong.  Had someone been mean to him?  Was he sick or hurt?  I could just tell he was upset about something.  No response, just a slow stream of tears ... finally he replied that he didn't get to color and Declan did.

Jealous twin alert!

New Gamewright Games, Splish Splash & Gubs

We have quite a few Gamewright game titles on our shelves including Rat-a-tat Cat, Slamwich, Go Away Monster, Hiss, and Take the Cake.  New to our collection are two new titles; Splish Splash aimed at the 3 & up crowd and GUBS aimed at the 10 and ups.

Disney Channel's Pixie Hollow Games TV Special

Image COPYRIGHT ©2011 Disney Channel

Last Friday we enjoyed watching the Disney Channel original Geek Charming and this weekend, we'll be tuning on Saturday (November 19th) for a new Disney Channel special premiere about the much beloved Disney Fairies entitled Pixie Hollow Games.

Coca-Cola Family Night #Giveaway #CokeFamilyNight

Sunday Night tends to be the one night out of the week that we can get all 5 kids home together for a nice meal, some ice cream, and some family fun.  This past weekend we were minus 1 (Bears Game) but the rest of us had a little video game tournament.  (Tip: We give the twins each an unconnected video game controller and they think they are playing too.)  The weekend before that it was a couple rounds of board games.  Whatever it is we do, it's just nice to take some time together without being in any rush to get somewhere.  It's all about just hanging out together.

Beethoven's Christmas Adventure DVD #giveaway

We purchased the twins Christmas pajamas at the store this weekend and they insisted on wearing them last night even though it's not even Thanksgiving yet.  I caved and let them.  I could hardly argue since they knew the family movie we planned to watch was Beethoven's Christmas Adventure newly released on  DVD Nov. 8th.

Classic Game ‘CLUE’ becomes a live-action miniseries on Hub TV Network

We love the classic board game Clue in our home, so the news of a Clue miniseries to premiere tonight caught my eye.

Thank the Veterans for your "Free Day" & keep your pants on

(Image by Mark Sardella via Flickr)
My daughter came home with a note from her school and a story to go with it.  She attends a private school in the area and it seems a group of kids (assumably from a nearby public school) came on to her school's grounds at recess.  This group proceeded to moon some of my daughters fellow students along with showing off their profane vocabulary skills as well as demonstrating the hoodlum version of sign language.

Disney Channel Original Movie "Geek Charming" premieres tonight! 11/11/11

©PHOTOGRAPHER/DISNEY CHANNEL

This post is dedicated to my daughter, Cordelia, who is worried her friends might miss this "awesome looking" new Disney Channel Original Movie called "Geek Charming" if I don't make sure I cover it on my blog.  Parents of Cordelia's pals take note, this movie airs tonight; Friday, November 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (that's 7pm for us here in Chicago) on of course the Disney Channel.  Go set the DVR, I'll wait ...

MasterLock Portable SafeSpace

My oldest son is 17 and as I've mentioned in previous posts, he's a busy guy.  He's a 3 sport athlete that is in his junior year of high school.  Not a day goes by without him heading off to some practice, game, or meet.

The good news is I no longer have to drive him myself to all that stuff.  He has his own car and since he's in high school he takes a team bus to all the away events.

Education Insights Bean Bags #toys #giveaway

My two littles guys have been in preschool for about 2 months and I am so proud of how they seem to be doing.  They've really adjusted to the changes in schedule in routine nicely at this point.

Black Friday & Cyber Monday at Disney Store

For the first time, 150 Disney Stores across the nation will open at midnight on Black Friday. That’s more than ever before!   In anticipation of increased holiday traffic, Disney Store has increased its staff by 40%(hiring close to 2,000 additional employees)  Even the Times Square Disney Store will be open on Thanksgiving Day!

Flatout Flatbread

My 5 kids do school lunches from home every weekday, so I'm constantly looking for new ways to keep the day to day from getting too mundane.  How many soynut butter and jelly sandwiches can one eat in a row?  And so I often change up the content of the sandwiches or swap the sandwich out completely in lieu of left over pasta.  However, I've rarely thought to make the changes in the bread itself ... until now.

Top iPod & IPad Kid Apps (November 2011 Edition)

This month our ultra popular children's iTunes app round-up feature returns with 9 more picks we hope you and your little ones will enjoy.  Some are books and some are games, all are releases my three year old twins and I found entertaining.

Yoplait Chocolate Banana Smoothie #giveaway #myblogspark

There is just something about a frozen sweet treat that delights everyone and here's one you can feel good about indulging in ... the New Yoplait Chocolate Banana Smoothies. The best part is that these are more than just delicious, they’re an easy, guilt-free, anytime snack with only 130 calories per serving. Perfect for anytime of the day or night, just plop it in the blender, add milk, and enjoy!

Design & Drill Power Tool Workshop #Toys #Giveaway

As a mommy of 5 including twins, I adore toys that allow for multiple children to play together and my kids really love those kind of toys best too.  What a bonus it is when that toy includes key elements that are lots of fun to do and teach my children things as they do them.

Info on New 24-hour Disney Junior Channel & Jake and the Never Land Pirates upcoming holiday episode

Moms like myself have spoken and Disney Junior is listening!  

I'm clearly not the only mom who was hoping for more Disney programming for my three year old twins during those later afternoon/early evening hours when I'm rushing to make dinner or when their up sick & miserable in the middle of the night!  Disney's launching a brand new standalone 24-hour Disney Junior channel in early 2012 for the 2-7 year old crowd to enjoy! 

A Bunch of Giveaway Winners!

And here it is ...  a big group of giveaway winners!  Thanks to everyone who entered.

The winner of the Educational Insights Playfoam Combo is # 57, Lisa L.
The winner of the EI Hot Dots Jr Getting Ready for School is #108, Jodi J.
The winner of the Betty Crocker Fun Da Middles is #159, Heidi B.
The winner of the Apple iPod Touch & Baby Wipes from Pampers is #405, Schmidty
The winner of the Pampers Play-A-Palooza Pack is #311, RoseyThe winner of the Play-Doh Twirl N Top Pizza Shop is #208, Cee L.
And the winner of the Hearts for Hearts Girls Doll is #51, Monique R.

New Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds Pieces #Giveaway

So the email read something like Hi Stephanie, would you like a sneak-peek at a new candy by Hershey's?  There was a whole lot more in the email including the fact that this candy was not coming out on the market officially until Dec. 2nd.  It also mentioned I could share the taste-test with three readers, however to be honest I was already replying back a "yes" when I read the words NEW and HERSHEYS.

Hanna Anderrson Cover Shoot Event in Oakbrook IL

Here's a fun little event for local (Chicagoland) readers!

Windows Phone is collaborating with the Hanna Andersson store in Oak Brook to invite Moms to a “Merry Little Cover Shoot” — a free, catalog-style photo shoot for the kids with a holiday theme. Here’s the link to RSVP to it on Facebook: http://newwp.it/merrylittlecovershoot

Coming Soon! 2011 Holiday Gift Guide

Don't panic, I'm not putting out all the Christmas decorations quite yet, but I just had to mention what I've been busy working on behind the scenes. I am super excited to announce that our AndTwinsMake5.com 2011 Holiday Gift Guide is really taking shape. Much like previous year's highly popular guides, I have some terrific finds for nearly everyone on your list.

I'm confident you won't want to miss a thing, so now is the perfect time to double check you are following us via Facebook & Twitter in addition to subscribing to our blog feed.

Now back to the countdown to Thanksgiving and all things November!

Companies wishing to submit items for consideration in my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide can review my blog bio for more information about this blog and myself. Additionally, companies can review the AndTwinsMake5 2009 Holiday Gift Guide and 2010 Holiday Gift Guide to get a feel for items we are seeking. Submissions for this year's guide are limited and will be closing soon. Please read my review submission page and disclosure statement for further details or simply email me at andtwinsmake5@gmail.com.

Advice on buying Kids Clothing & Haddad Brands

The topic of kids and their clothing is one I'm practically a mommy expert on by the sheer volume of experiences involving apparel over the years.  With five children spanning the ages of 17 all the way down to twin 3 year olds; I have purchased, washed, sorted, folded, hunted desperately for, argued at length over, consulted lovingly on, and sentimentally handed down a lot of children's clothes.  And while they may just be made of fabrics and threads, I've seen first hand how passionate my kids feel about their clothing and accessory items.

You know Linus and his blanket?  A hoodie, tee, shirt, pants, or even jeans deemed "awesome" or "slick" by any of my kids becomes practically the equivalent.  (Although, I do pry it off them for washings.)

Wishing for a Halloween Do-Over

There's that saying from Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men' about best laid plans often going awry, well that was our Halloween this year.  I'd planned it all out; lovely outdoor decorations, fridge stocked with Halloween themed foods, and completed costumes.  However, I had not planned on anyone getting sick.