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Reviews & Giveaways

Back to School Giveaway: Nanny McPhee Returns

by Monica on August 10, 2010

Welcome! I'm so glad you dropped by! Make yourself at HOME. If this is your first visit, you may want to SUBSCRIBE to Peapod Squad Stuff so you don't miss any of the fun. Thanks! Y'all come back now, you hear?

(Update: Giveaway extended! Hurry and enter.
Winners will be chosen at random on September 1st.)

The Magic is Back!

It’s so hard to find a movie that the whole family can really enjoy…little ones and grown-ups alike. So when one comes along, I sit up and pay attention!

For those of you who saw the original Nanny McPhee and loved it as much as I, you’ll be thrilled to know that Nanny McPhee Returns is due in theaters nationwide on August 20th!

nanny mcphee movie back to school

Movie Synopsis

Oscar®-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson (LOVE her) reprises the title role, brilliantly doling out McPhee’s rather unique pedagogical style with a new family. She’s got five new lessons and a ton of laughter up her sleeves!

In the latest installment, Nanny McPhee appears at the door of a harried young mother, Mrs. Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war. But once she’s arrived, Nanny McPhee discovers that Mrs. Green’s children are fighting a war of their own against two spoiled city cousins who have just moved in and refuse to leave.

Relying on everything from a flying motorcycle and a statue that comes to life to a tree-climbing piglet and a baby elephant who turns up in the oddest places, Nanny McPhee uses her magic to teach her mischievous charges five new lessons.

Movie Trailer

Looks cute, right? I can’t wait to take the Peapod Squad to see it!

Giveaway

nanny mcphee giveaway

If your family loves Nanny McPhee, you’ll want to jump on this giveaway! 3 Lucky Winners will receive:

  • Youth t-shirt
  • Notebook
  • Lunchbox
  • Crayon Wheel

How to Win

Watch the movie trailer above and leave a comment about your favorite part on this post to enter. Want extra entries? Here’s how you can earn extra entries (more chances to win).

  • Subscribe to Peapod Squad Stuff.

  • Mention this giveaway on your own blog (with links back to this post). Leave the link to your blog mention post in the comments area here.

  • Twitter! Tweet about this giveaway (don’t forget to link back to here) and leave link to your tweet in the comments area here. Can tweet for an entry each day!

  • If you feel compelled to help spread the word in other ways, just let me know in the comments area. Extra entries coming your way! Why? Because I’m awesome like that.

Three winners will be chosen via random.org on August 24th. I will notify winners via email and will list winners as an update to this post.

Good luck!!

(I received no compensation for this post. The giveaway prize packages are provided by Universal Pictures.)

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Children’s Book Review and Giveaway: Bob Books Sight Words

by Monica on August 9, 2010

(UPDATE: Congratulations, Lisa and Mitzi! Email me with the address to which you’d like these shipped!)

Back to School Book Review and Giveaway

Today was a big day for our family. HUGE. The first day of kindergarten for our triplets. I’ll try to dry my eyes long enough to write this review!

In trying to prepare the little people for this big adventure, we’ve used games and other fun tools to help them recognize some basic sight words. We want them to be ready for reading! And Scholastic Books helped us with that by providing these awesome books/flash card sets. Thank you, Scholastic!

back to school litaracy aids

From the #1 bestselling learn-to-read program come two brand-new sets focused on learning and practicing Sight Words.

Sight Words are words that are recognized by sight rather than sounded out, in order to achieve reading fluency. They are the most frequently used words in the English language, and are often unable to be read phonetically (“was”, “are”, and “out” are examples).  Bob Books Sight Words feature the top Sight Words in two sets – one for kindergarten and one for first grade – in order to allow parents and children to read, learn, and practice easily and enjoyably.

Each Sight Words box includes 10 original books, 30 flashcards, and a parent guide.  Soon your child will be saying “I read the whole book!”®

We absolutely LOVE the simplicity of these kits. Each box contains several small booklets (perfect size for little hands) that are numerically ordered for foundational learning. The booklets each focus on a few sight words and are adorably illustrated to hold children’s attention. My kids are already recognizing many of the words in the first few books of the kindergarten series. The repetition in the stories and the reinforcement of the flash cards work in tandem to create a rich learning experience.

Head on over to Scholastic’s Bob Books site to see the other great things they have to offer! There are Sight Word activities and even a  VIDEO presentation on Bob Books.

pre literacy back to school

Two lucky readers can win a set of their own Bob Books Sight Words PLUS a Bob Books lunchbox (made my Thermos).

Enter to Winthermos back to school lunchbox

(NOTE: Contest open to US residents or entrants with a US resident friend who can accept shipment of the prize package only)

Leave a comment on this post to enter. Want extra entries? Here’s how you can earn extra entries (more chances to win).

  • Subscribe to Peapod Squad Stuff.

  • Mention this giveaway on your own blog (with links back to this post). Leave the link to your blog mention post in the comments area here.

  • Twitter! Tweet about this giveaway (don’t forget to link back to here) and leave link to your tweet in the comments area here. Can tweet for an entry each day!

  • If you feel compelled to help spread the word in other ways, just let me know in the comments area. Extra entries coming your way! Why? Because I’m awesome like that.

Winners will be chosen via random.org on August 23rd. Hurry up and enter! What are you waiting for?!?

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CD Review: Sarah McLachlan’s “Laws of Illusion”

July 2, 2010

I am a LONG-TIME fan of Grammy® award winning, multi-platinum singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan. She is supremely talented as a songwriter and as a performer and I’ve completely adored every one of her albums. I was beyond thrilled to receive her brand new project, Laws of Illusion, from One2One to review (the CD was given to [...]

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CD Review: Sex and the City 2 Soundtrack

June 12, 2010

I know nothing about the movie, but the soundtrack for Sex and the City 2 is a big old blast of fun! A big THANK YOU to One2One Network for providing me with a CD to review. As always, you can know that these opinions are my very own. The soundtrack  features a brand-new duet [...]

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Creative Memories Storybook Creator Plus 3.0

December 19, 2009

I love scrapbooking. I love the whole concept of preserving precious memories in a beautiful way for years to come. But I don’t love having to drag out the cutters and the papers and the special pens. I don’t love having to print out or order copies of digital pictures before I can even sit [...]

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Book Review: Eileen Goudge’s “Once in a Blue Moon”

November 11, 2009

Once in a blue moon, I get a chance to sit in a quiet place and have some uninterrupted time with a book. A book that has more than 10 words on a page. A book without full-color illustrations or cute rhymes. A book for grown-ups. Because these precious moments rarely come along, I am [...]

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