Bones: Season 8 Blu-ray Review

Disclosure: I received a copy of the Blu-ray to review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own and are my honest opinion of the product.

My week is so busy that I do not watch too much TV. There are only three shows that I watch when I have the time. However, out of those three, the one that I always make time for is Bones. I have been watching it since the beginning and absolutely love it, so I was very excited when I received the newest Blu-ray release in the mail. Here is a little about Bones: Season 8:

Unearth even more thrills from Bones Season Eight with all-new content only available here! Finally cleared of wrongdoing, Bones reunites with Booth (David Boreanaz) and the squints. Although the team solves some of their most challenging cases yet, madman Christopher Pelant continues his murderous rampage-inching closer to Bones and Booth daily. From solving the mystery of a roller derby darling's demise to uncovering a previously unrecognized 9/11 hero to stopping a pandemic, Bones and the team make one remarkable discovery after another. Meanwhile, as if the challenges Booth faces with parenthood and his unique relationship with Bones aren't enough, his mother shows up after a 24-year absence, and there is shocking news about some of his colleagues. Relive all of the 24 killer episodes! 

My thoughts:  As I mentioned before, I am a huge Bones fan. This season, just like all of the others, kept me watching to see what was going to happen next. Season 7 left off with Bones on the run after being framed for murder by Chris Pelant. So the first episode, called "The Future in the Past," was quite exciting to see how her name was cleared from this crime. While all of the episodes were great, there were a few that stood out. One was called "The Ghost in the Machine," and was told from the perspective of the deceased. Another one is called "The Shot in the Dark," where Brennan is shot and she sees her deceased mother during hallucinations. The last one that stood out was the final episode called "The Secret in the Siege," where Pelant returns again and Booth may be his next target. It is finally in this episode, that Brennan asks Booth to marry her and of course, Pelant puts a twist to their plans. I have to admit, that I had mixed feelings about the last episode. While it did keep me on the edge of my seat, it was not quite the ending I had hoped for. It left things up in the air and made me feel like September was too long to wait to watch the new season.

Watching Bones since the beginning of the show, I have to share that I think their writers are amazing! I have never been disappointed with a season yet. The actors and actresses do a fantastic job portraying their characters, and I love the squinterns. I just can't wait to see what they have in store for the rest of Season 9. If you have never watched Bones, I would encourage you to check it out!

"Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Peter Pan Returns" DVD Review

My boys love to watch Disney's Peter Pan, as well as its sequel. Of course their favorite characters are Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. When we visited Disney World a few years ago, they were thrilled to meet these characters on the street and get their picture taken with them. They love that Captain Hook is a pirate with a sword and hook. So I knew that "Jake and the Never Land Pirates" would be a hit with them when it first aired on TV, and they were excited to watch "Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Peter Pan Returns" on DVD. Here is a little about the DVD:

Peter Pan is back-but his shadow is missing! When Peter loses his shadow while playing a game of Catch-Me-If-You-Can, he returns to Never Land to seek help from his kid pirate friend Jake. Embarking on one of his most daring and exciting adventures ever, Jake and his kid pirate pals, Izzy and Cubby, along with lookout parrot Skully, must use teamwork to find Peter's shadow and return it to its rightful owner. However, their mission is nearly thwarted by the fiendish Captain Hook, and his bumbling first mate Mr. Smee. But bravery and justice win the day and Jake and his Never Land pirate crew once again reveal what it takes to become heroes, in Disney's "Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Peter Pan Returns."

Episodes: 
1-Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Peter Pan Returns
2-The Elephant Surprise!/Jake's Jungle Groove
3- The Pirate Pup!/Pirate Rock!
4- The Sword and the Stone/Jake's Home Run
5- The Pirate Princess/The Rainbow Wand
6-Mama Hook Knows Best/Pixie Dust Away 
  (Never-Before-Seen-Episode)

Bonus Materials:  

 "Yo Ho, You Ready to Find Jake's Shadow?" -Taking a cue from Peter's shadow, now Jake's shadow has run off and disappeared. Help Izzy and Cubby find Jake's shadow by discovering clues to where the shadow is hiding while learning about pirate lore along the way (just where did the name "doubloon" come from anyway?). 

Our thoughts: My boys ages 8 and 5 enjoyed watching "Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Peter Pan Returns." While both boys love Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, my youngest says that all of the characters in this series are his favorite. In particular he likes Jake because he has a sword, Izzy has pixie dust, Cubby has a map, and Peter Pan has a little sword. Both boys love Captain Hook and Mr. Smee because they are funny and in the words of my oldest, "Captain Hook is awesome!" With six episodes and bonus material there are over two hours of content on this DVD. I also like that this series teaches kids the importance of teamwork as the main characters work together to solve problems. This DVD is cute, family friendly, and is sure to capture you kids' interest!

Disclosure: I received a copy of the DVD to review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own and are my honest opinion of the product.

Holiday Gift Guide: Glow Crazy Distance Doodler

Recently, we received the Glow Crazy Distance Doodler in the mail to review and my boys were so excited. They could not wait to open the package and were not happy when I told them they had to eat dinner first. However, after dinner we opened the box. The Glow Crazy Distance Doodler comes with 1 Dual-Action Magic Wand, 3 Crazy Color Clings, 3 Super Clings, and 4 Stencil Sheets. The only thing else we needed was 2 AAA batteries and a dark room.

I put up one Super Cling in each of my boys' rooms and told them that they had to take turns. I set a time limit of 10 minutes each-which for my boys seems like a very long time. However, they absolutely loved playing with the Distance Doodler-especially since it is glows in the dark. The other cool thing is you can write with the wand up to 10 feet away. With the wand you can either make wide beams or thin beams. The Distance Doodler is great because it keeps them occupied for a long time. The only problem we have is that the boys fight over it. Looks like we might need to buy another one for Christmas so that they can each have their own. For $19.99, it would make a great Christmas present for your kids ages 6 and up.

Disclosure: I received the above product to review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own and are my honest opinion of the product.

Scared Shrekless and Monsters vs Aliens Halloween Party DVD Pack Review

My boys both love to watch the Shrek movies as well as Monsters vs Aliens, so they were super excited when they heard that some of their favorite characters would be in a new Halloween DVD. Released on September 27th, this double DVD pack is sure to get your kids ready for Halloween. Here is the synopsis of both movies:

In Scared Shrekless, the gang gathers to celebrate Shrek’s favorite holiday: Halloween!  But instead of the usual tricks or treats, Shrek ups the ante and challenges everyone to spend the night telling scary stories—the last one to be scared Shrekless wins.  The DVD includes spooky spoofs on classics horror movies and features the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas.

Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space finds Susan, B.O.B., The Missing Link, and Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. dispatched as special operatives to investigate a mysterious alien presence on Halloween.  As the night unravels, innocent-looking pumpkins are revealed for what they really are – mutant aliens!  Luckily the monsters are there to smash the mutants’ wicked scheme to take over Earth.  Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space features the star-studded cast of voice talent from the original hit film including Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland and Rainn Wilson.

Our thoughts: Although we knew that we would be sent both the DVD and a Halloween pack, we were so surprised when we opened up the box. What a way to prepare to watch Scared Shrekless! We were sent Shrek gloves and ears, Ogre Snot (green licorice), Donkey Droppings (green jellybeans), Swamp slugs (gummy worms), popcorn, and a Shrek Trick or Treat container. The boys absolutely loved the gloves and ears and couldn't wait to open up the candy. It was time to start the movies. We started with Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space. I thought it was a cute movie, just perfect for my two boys. And I love that it points out that too much candy is not a good thing! Next we put in Scared Shrekless. In this DVD, there are spoofs of classic horror movies such as Psycho, but of course since my two boys are young, they had no idea. To them, it was just a story shared by some of their favorite characters from Shrek and as long as it has Puss in Boots in it they are happy. I always enjoy the songs in the Shrek movies, so I was excited to watch the parody of Michael's Jackson's Thriller. Both movies are perfect for my two boys because although they are made for Halloween, they are not scary!

Disclosure: I received a Halloween pack of goodies as well as a copy of the DVD to review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own and my honest opinion of the products.

FRESCHETTA Proud to Support Pink Giveaway

October is National Breast Cancer awareness month and all over you see the color pink. In June of this year, I was a member of a Relay for Life Team, and it was an awesome experience to help support all kinds of cancers, and to watch the survivors walk around the track. So many people are affected by cancer in one way or another. 

In order to help support Breast Cancer research, FRESCETTA has announced the PROUD TO SUPPORT PINK Program. From September 25 - October 31st, when you purchase specially marked packages of FRESCHETTA pizzas and Artisan Pizza Crusts you can help them reach their goal of a $50,000 donation to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Specially marked packages are printed with codes that you can enter at www.ProudToSupportPink.com. For each code entry, the makers of FRESCETTA products will donate a $1 to this center to support breast cancer research, up to $50,000. On the site, there is also a place for people to share their breast cancer journey or the journey of a friend or loved one.

Win it: FRESCETTA has offered to giveaway the following prize pack to one lucky reader:

•  A coupon to try FRESCETTA pizza, 12 oz. or larger

• Two pairs of FRESCETTA PROUD TO SUPPORT PINK® earphones

          (One pair for you to keep and another pair to share with a friend)

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment below letting me know what your favorite type of pizza is.

Extra Entries:
1) Become a follower of my blog through google connect (this counts if you are already a follower too.)
2) "Like" Dealightfully Frugal on Facebook and leave your username.
3) "Like" FRESCHETTA Pizza on Facebook and leave your username.
4) Follow me on Twitter and leave your username.

5) Follow FRESCHETTA Pizza on Twitter and leave your username.

Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, as well as your email in one of the comments.

This giveaway will end October 21, 2011 at 11:59 pm(EST). Giveaway is open to US residents. The winner will be chosen using random.org and will be notified by email. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: The makers of FRESCHETTA Pizza contacted me and provided products for me to review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

BJ's Black Friday Survival Kit Giveaway

I can not believe that in less than two weeks, Thanksgiving will be here. This year has really flown by for me. Of course, now it is time to think about shopping for Christmas. And if you are looking for that great bargain, you will want to shop on Black Friday. Before I had kids, I can remember being at the mall with my mom and sister at four or five in the morning to get that great deal! Now if I go out on Black Friday, I go out later on in the day, or check those deals online.

While it may not always be fun to go shopping on Black Friday, BJ's Wholesale Club is offering to give away Black Friday Survival Kits to four of my lucky readers.

From snacks to keep your energy up to hot drinks to stay warm while waiting in line, items included in BJ's Black Friday Survival Kits will get you ready for the busiest shopping day of the year! We've also included multiple items to help plan your shopping strategy, like Black Friday tips directly from our Facebook fans and BJ's complete Black Friday coupon book to use in-Club. The coupon book contains tremendous savings on the newest technology for TV's (think 3D!), electronics like notebook computers, wireless printers and touch screen cameras, and small appliances from a digital convection toaster oven to a 20-bottle wine cellar! If you're not a BJ's member, don't worry-we'll include a 60-Day trial membership, too.

In addition, one lucky winner will receive a surprise "hidden gem" in BJ's Black Survival Kit: a unique item guaranteed to provide relaxations after the stresses of Black Friday!

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling me what you plan to buy on Black Friday.

Extra Entries:
1) Become a follower of my blog through google connect (this counts if you are already a follower too.)
2) "Like" Dealightfully Frugal on facebook and leave your username.
3) "Like" BJ's Wholesale Club on facebook and leave your username.
5) Follow me on Twitter and leave your username.
6) Tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link to your tweet.
7) Follow BJ's Wholesale Club on Twitter and leave your username.

Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, as well as your email in one of the comments.

This giveaway will end November 17, 2010 at 8:00 pm(EST). The giveaway is open to US residents only. The winners will be chosen using random.org and will be notified by email. The winners will then have 20 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: I will be receiving a Black Friday Survival Kit. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own and are my honest opinion.