My son’s 10 and he covered his eyes and refuse to watch several times. He’s not usually scared by movies. Not sure if it was the 3D part that was getting him, or just the ghosts themselves. The ghosts were really bizarre. I did like the third one, but the first one looked like the flame on a candle and he was freaky, but not in a good way.

Another thing that really bugged me, from the trailers I thought the movie would be more cute and funny. It wasn’t that at all! It was a very dark movie for Children, I think the only funny moments were the ones they showed in the trailer. I was very disappointed about that too. I probably would not have taken my son to see it if I would have known ahead of time how dark and scary the movie actually was.

I usually rate a movie on whether we would want to see it again, and I’m afraid this one is a no.

Image: Amazon

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We still have my son’s personalized story, it’s one of a few of his storybooks I’m definitely holding on to for a keepsake. I See Me! creates that kind of high-quality personalized book, a book you can share with your child. They’ll be delighted when they’re included in the story.

I See Me! has a new book out this Christmas, A Christmas Bear for Me is a beautiful, heart-warming, personalized story about a child’s Christmas wish for a special Teddy Bear friend. Each copy of the book comes with an adorable plush Gund bear with the child’s name on the tag and a personalized letter to the child from Santa.

A Christmas Bear For Me is written by Jennifer Dewing and illustrated by the nationally renowned artist Wilson Ong, the story follows the child’s journey from longing and wishing to the magic of Christmas morning, when the child finds his or her special bear along with a personalized note from Santa under the tree. This high-quality, hard cover, 26-page book includes wonderfully hand-painted, personalized illustrations that capture the magic of the season through a child’s eyes.

You can find out more about A Christmas Bear For Me, and other personalized stories at ISeeMe.com

Image: I See Me!

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So what do I think of the myWallaby bag? I think it would make a wonderful gift idea for a little girl who loves to take her dolls along with her wherever she goes. There are several features I really like about the bag.

• It’s hard to tell by the photos, but the materials and fabrics the bag is made from are very nice quality. The shell is canvas, and the straps and bottom are made of a soft microfiber material. The inside of the bag is made up of a satin fabric.
• I also like the Velcro safety release on the strap. I always worry about straps, so this definitely put my mind at ease on the safety issue.
• Another great feature is the bag bottom, there’s a kangaroo pouch that unfolds and drops down to allow room for the dolls legs. This allows the doll carrier to hold dolls of several different sizes. Smaller dolls can be held in the bag without the pouch down. For dolls that need a little leg room little fingers can easily release the pouch to accommodate their longer legs.

I always like to judge items I review on whether I would buy the product, and I have to say this is one product I would definitely buy for my niece who loves to haul her dolls around with her wherever she goes.

While we’re holding the myWallaby giveaway, myWallaby is also offering free shipping for anyone who purchases the bag during the giveaway and for three days afterwards. Just add the promo code “PLAYSHIP” when you’re ready to check out.

I think the myWallaby doll carrier would make the perfect gift for a little girl who loves dolls, and it’s a unique gift idea that you won’t find anywhere else.

Image myWallaby.com

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Here are some of the great value toys for Christmas 2009:

• Zhu Zhu Pets are big this year, they’re low on price, but big on fun, if you can find them in stock!
• Invasion of the Bristlebots is another toy I’ve been seeing on top of Christmas 2009 toy lists.
• Legos and other building toys are always a great value for the money (at least in our house).
• Bakugan is a boys favorite, and you can find most of the play sets for under $15.
• This time of year you can find some great bargains on most of the board games, many stores feature them at rock bottom prices during the holiday season.

Are you stretching your toy budget this Christmas season, looking for the best deals for your dollar this Christmas shopping season?

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This year we will be watching the 83rd edition of the Macy’s Parade. This year’s parade will be setting another new milestone, it’s marched down parts of Broadway for 82 years, the 2009 procession will be the first to bypass Broadway during the route.

Joining Macy’s parade favorites this year will be several new high flying giant balloons, including:

The Pillsbury Doughboy~ The Doughboy marches in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with his arms outstretched, with his bright blue eyes shining ready to ring in the holidays. At more than 63 times his traditional 8 3/4-inch size, the Doughboy balloon will measure 53.7 feet in length, 34.4 feet in width and will be 46.4 feet tall. This Doughboy will rise to the occasion filled with 12,280 cubic feet of helium.

Ronald McDonald~ This year, there’s a new Ronald McDonald. He’s in a playful mood and has strapped on the world’s largest pair of ice skates for some fun-filled holiday activity. This giant balloon is 76.4 feet long, 28.8 feet wide and 48.6 feet tall, Ronald will be inflated with 13,650 cubic feet of helium on Parade day. Wow!

Sailor Mickey~ Sporting his nautically inspired red, white and blue sailor gear, Mickey will salute the crowds as he rides down the Macy’s Parade route. Mickey measures 48.1-feet long, 33.6-feet wide and 60.9-feet tall. Sailor Mickey will be filled with 14,750 cubic feet of helium on his maiden voyage on Thanksgiving Day.

Spiderman~ After a decade, the legendary crime-fighting web-slinger returns to the Macy’s Parade line-up in celebration of Marvel’s 70th Anniversary. Spider-Man made his Macy’s Parade debut in 1987, becoming an instant classic. The new, more modern and muscular Spidey is in full crawling mode with one hand set to release his web. On Parade day, the Spider-Man balloon will measure 78-feet long, 37.8-feet wide and 29.1-feet tall and will be filled with 11,800 cubic feet of helium.

Other Macy’s parades highlights include Santa in his new sleigh, after 40 years, and the magical world of Yo Gabba Gabba Live! comes to life on the brand new There’s A Party in My City float.

Is the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade a tradition at your house?
Image: Newscom

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In Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey for the Nintendo DS you can care for and train your own elephant. You work with your elephant, feeding and caring for it while you teach it to do tricks for its circus act. Your elephant friend is in your care, from a bubbly bath, to polishing his nails.

Are you ready to soar through the air as a human cannonball? Do you think you can perform with magnificent Bengal tigers, or defy gravity on a motorcycle in the Globe of Steel? Or will you dazzle the crowd with aerial acrobatics, clown around in a juggling jamboree or dance with an exotic Asian elephant? Any of those can be experienced at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey™ for the Wii.

The Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Video Game for both the Nintendo Wii and DS will be available in major national retailers for $39.99 beginning November 10th, just in time to get on your Christmas wish list.

Image: 2K Play

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Plug It In & Play TV Games™ are perfect for kids, because you don’t have to worry about them tearing up an expensive gaming system while they’re playing.

The latest TV games from Jakks-Pacific even feature motion control. Now when kids move the controls they also control the action on screen as characters replicate their movements in real time on the TV screen when they jump, wave, and move around.

Some of the planned TV Games Motion titles from Jakks include Star Wars: Clone Wars, Toy Story, SpongeBob SquarePants, Spider-Man, Disney Fairies, and Power Rangers.

The games are geared toward children 5 and up, and all have a price point of around $29.99 retail. They’ll be available at major retailers and online at Amazon.com.

Images (c) Jakks Pacific

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Today I have a great recipe for you to use for your party, and some cookie decorating party tips to share from the author of a new cooking with kids book Cindy Mushet. Her new book is called Baking Kids Love.

Send out the invitations a couple weeks ahead of time, letting the children and their parents know what to expect. You can make the dough ahead of time and have it ready for the party.

Don’t forget to pick up some cute little decorative boxes or tins to let the kids carry their cookies home in (if there are any left).

First up I have a great sugar cookie recipe for your cookie decorating party.

Be Creative Sugar Cookies
—From Baking Kids Love by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet/Andrews McMeel Publishing

Makes 25 to 30 Fun Shapes

Ingredients
Cookies:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Icing:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup meringue powder
• ½ cup water
• Food coloring, in various colors to decorate
• Sprinkles, sugar pearls, large crystal sugar, dragées, and/or candies

Cookie Making Tools:

• Measuring cups and spoons
• 2 baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• 2 large, 2 medium, and 2 to 4 small bowls
• Electric mixer
• Silicone spatula
• Whisk
• Plastic wrap
• Rolling pin
• 3-inch cookie cutters
• Oven mitts
• Cooling rack
• Sieve
• 1 or more small offset spatulas or small spoons
• Small disposable piping bags or other piping tools (optional)

Before you begin

• Position 1 oven rack in the top ¹⁄³ of the oven and 1 oven rack in the bottom ¹⁄³ of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking sheets with the parchment paper (see page 4).

Mix the dough

• Put the butter and sugar in 1 of the large bowls. Using the mixer, beat on low speed for 1 minute. Turn up the speed to medium and beat for another minute. The mixture should be blended and smooth. Turn off the mixer. Using the silicone spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until well blended. Turn off the mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Put the flour and salt into 1 of the medium bowls and whisk until blended. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until the ingredients are blended and no patches of flour are visible. The mixture will have the texture of gravel and pebbles. Scrape down the bowl one last time, and make sure no clumps of flour are hiding in the bottom. Dump the clumps of dough onto your work surface, and squeeze them together until they form a cohesive dough. Flatten the dough into a 9-inch circle, wrap in plastic or parchment, and chill for 30 minutes before continuing.

Roll the dough

• Place a large sheet of parchment paper on your work surface, about the size of a baking sheet. Have a second parchment sheet the same size ready. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it in the center of the first parchment sheet. Top with the second parchment sheet, and flatten the dough slightly. Using the rolling pin, and starting from the edge closest to you, roll gently but firmly to the edge opposite you and then back again twice. Be careful not to roll the pin off the edge of the dough, or the dough will stick to the paper. Turn the dough, between the parchment paper, a quarter turn and roll up and back again twice. Repeat rolling up and back and turning until the dough is ¼ inch thick.
• If the paper creases into the dough, gently peel back the paper, straighten it out, and smooth it back on top of the dough. You’ll need to do this several times during the rolling process. If the dough gets too soft and squishy while you are rolling, transfer it to a baking sheet (still between the parchment paper) and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes, until cool but flexible.

Cut out the shapes

• Peel off the top sheet of parchment. If the dough is soft and sticky, refrigerate for 15 minutes. Using the cookie cutters, press down firmly to cut out shapes (see photos). Cut them as close together as possible. Using a small offset spatula, lift the shapes off the parchment paper and transfer to the prepared pans, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Press all the dough scraps together, roll the dough out, and cut out more shapes.

Bake the cookies

• Place 1 baking sheet on each oven rack. Bake for 8 minutes, then, using the oven mitts, switch the pans between the oven racks. Bake for another 5 to 9 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and lightly golden in the center. Using the oven mitts, transfer the pans to the cooling racks and let the cookies cool completely before decorating. You may need to reuse the pans to finish baking all the cookies. Let the pans cool before you put more dough on them for baking.

Make the icing

• Sift the powdered sugar into the other medium bowl (see page 11). Put the meringue powder and water in the other large bowl. Make sure the bowl and your mixer beaters are very clean so the icing will whip up nicely. Beat the meringue on medium speed for about 1 minute, then turn the mixer to high and continue to whip until the mixture looks like whipped cream and has formed soft peaks (see page 17).
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the sifted sugar, about ¼ cup at a time, shaking it gently over the bowl and letting it blend in slowly. Once all the sugar has been added, turn the mixer to high speed and continue to beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture is very fluffy and shiny and forms firm peaks. Turn off the mixer and check the peaks again. At this point, the slope should be nearly vertical.
• Divide the icing among the small bowls—the number depends on how many different colors of icing you want. Color each bowl of icing a different color by stirring in a few drops of food coloring. You can even make you own “custom” colors by combining food colorings. Cover each bowl with a damp, wrung-out paper towel and top with a piece of plastic wrap until you are ready to decorate, or a hard skin will form on top.

Decorate the cookies

• Using the small offset spatula, spread the icing over the cookies, wiping the spatula clean each time you switch to a different colored icing. You can also pipe icing: Spoon some icing into a small disposable piping bag, cut a tiny hole in the bottom, and squeeze the bag gently to create patterns and shapes on your cookies. Or fill another icing tool, such as a squeeze bottle, and frost the cookies. While the icing is wet, add sprinkles or other decorations as desired. Let the icing dry for 1 to 2 hours. It will harden. Once it is hard, you can stack the cookies in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

Baking Kids Love is loaded with 30 kid-tastic recipes for cooking with your child. The recipes have step by step instructions and photographs to help little bakers know what to do next.

The book was just released in October, so it would make a wonderful Christmas book for a child who loves to help out in the kitchen. Pair it with a chefs hat and apron to encourage your little baker in the kitchen. You can find Baking Kids Love at major book retailers, the Sir La Table website and Amazon.com.

Images: Baking Kids Love

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I recently had the opportunity to check out Callie’s Rules by Naomi Zucker. It’s a wonderful book about a young ladies transition into junior high, learning to be herself, when to follow the rules, and when to make her own rules.

When the town council (led by one mom) decides to cancel Halloween and replace it with an Autumn Fest, Callie decides she has to take action, so she sets out to shape her own Halloween. As she goes along Callie writes down her notes to live by.

Even though I’m not a tween I really enjoyed reading about Callie’s adventures as she learned that she doesn’t have to be just like everyone else, and that people will like her for just who she is.

Image: Edgemont Publishing

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I want to say a huge thank you to SanDisk for sponsoring the contest. I learned quite a bit in the process about the importance of picking the right SD card for your camera or photo device.

The winner was chosen by Random.org. Congratulations to Mads who entered a photo of his adorable son as Swiper the Fox. Mads had this to say about the costume:

I just uploaded a picture of my son as Swiper the Fox.

Dora the Explorer is my son’s favorite show, so his grandmother made him a Swiper the Fox costume. She did it without any patterns, just modeled it after pictures of Swiper the fox.

Here is Mads’ winning entry:

Thank you Mads for sharing your son’s costume with us! I’ll be contacting you in the next day or so to find out where to send the SanDisk II~ 8 GB SDHC Card.

Thank you to everyone who shared their photo in the costume contest, every one of them was totally adorable!

Image: Flickr hansonmc

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