It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

We rented "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" for Caleb's Halloween party about 3 weeks ago. Since then, he has watched it every single day. My Netflix program is an old, 1 at a time, two per month for 4.99 that isn't offered anymore. I keep wanting to upgrade it, but never have. Now may be the time, or I will never get another movie. Caleb just can't get enough of the Peanuts gang in It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

It's so cute because he has started reciting lines from the movie. Yesterday he was playing with his trains and I heard him murmur, "I wouldn't want to be accused... of taking part in a rumble." Which is Sally's line from the movie when she asks if trick or treating is legal. He has also been saying some classic Charlie Brown lines such as, "good grief" and "I can't stand it".

There is an extra short on the disc called, "It's Magic, Charlie Brown". One show plays seamlessly into the next and I am pretty sure that he thinks they are the same show. In this episode, Snoopy turns Charlie Brown invisible. Caleb thinks this is hilarious. Especially when Snoopy tries to make him visible again. He covers Charlie brown with a sheet, ties a neck tie on him and gives him boots. Charlie Brown ends up looking like an executive ghost. It scares his sister, which always makes Caleb howl with laughter.

There is just something about these Peanuts movies that enchant children. I remember adoring "A Charlie Brown Christmas" when I was a little kid, and I'm sure that Caleb will love it this year as well. I really enjoy being able to relive these movies and holiday memories with Caleb. When you have a little one, it's as if everything is new again.

Playstation Move

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I first heard about Playstation Move during E3 this year, I was skeptical. It seems as if all of the major players in the console gaming industry are trying to get people more integrated with their game. It started out with being able to name and create your own character, or choose your own adventure, and now it's putting your very own body into the game.

I watched the demo videos online and decided that the Playstation Move was probably going to work better than the Microsoft version of kinetic game play. It wasn't until I read some reviews from IGN about their 2 hour demo with Playstation Move did I decide that I was willing to try it.

Playstation hasn't made any really large updates to their game controllers since... well, ever. The DualShock gave you pressure sensitivity and vibration. That's nothing to scoff at; it changed the way you were able to play on your console, but there wasn't any real change to the way the controller looked.

The new Playstation Move system looks totally different than the DualShock, and different even compared to the already wildly popular Nintendo Wii. There is a right and left handed controller, and unlike the Wii, they don't have to be tied together like nunchucks. The right hand controller has a globe on top that looks like it houses an LED light which identifies it by color for the player, if I'm not mistaken. This controller also has a main button, and the action buttons of geometric shape that have been on every other PS controller. The left controller also has the shapes, as well as a directional toggle similar to the DualShocks. Lightguns are available for certain shooter games. The main controller fits inside similar to the Nintendo Wii Resedent Evil game.

The nice thing about the Playstation Move is that if you already have a Playstation 3, you don't have to buy a new console. It works with the one you already have, it just needs a few additions. You can get a bundle to make your PS3 compatible for around $99. If you don't have a PS3, now is the time to get one. It seems like there are a million popular titles out there that are going to be move compatible.

Far from the nifty marketing ploy that I assumed it was, the Playstation Move seems as if it really does enhance gameplay. I would never assume that a title as vital as SOCOM would risk the ability to play their game with a chincy controller. The Playstation Move gives you full control over your character and the game. Movement and targeting are quick and accurate which is key on an online gaming experience. If you're using a cruddy PS Move controller and you can get wasted by opponents using DualShocks, why would you make a change?

I'm excited to try this system out for myself. I have never been a fan of FPS games like SOCOM, but I love light guns and I love playing online. I think that this system will allow me to finally play these FPS games with a functionality that will make then easier to control. I am terrible at lining up shots on a DualShock, but if I can just point and pull the trigger, I am sure I will be unstoppable.

Tivo: More Than a DVR

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of TiVo. All opinions are 100% mine.

Recently, I had lunch with a friend and we were talking about which TV shows we have been watching. Since I have been missing the South, I have been watching Swamp People on the History Channel. She has been watching Glee and Modern Family.

I had meant to watch Glee since it started. Then, I meant to catch up on it. Now, I'm just so far behind that I'm pretty much lost. The ads for the new season of Modern Family have really appealed to me lately. It's another show that I am thinking about getting into. Bleh, but catching up is such an investment.

"Just Tivo it," she told me.

"Well, yeah, I can record it, but I still have to find the past episodes, get them on demand, find time to watch them, blah blah blah."

"No, TIVO it." I almost asked what the difference, but then I realized something...

In order for a noun to become a verb, it has to be pretty special. "Google it," for example. Yesterday, a customer was telling me how her 5 year old grandson told her, "Just Google it, Grammy!" It's because Google has changed the way we look for things online. I think that Tivo has changed the way we watch TV, but it you haven't tried it, then you don't know.

Tivo makes recommendations for you, based on your favorite actors, genres, and more. If I had Tivo oh so long ago, I wouldn't have missed the first two seasons of Angel when it spun off of Buffy. Tivo would have recommended it to me. Then, I wouldn't have missed the first 3 seasons of Bones after Angel ended. Tivo would have seen that David Boreanaz had a new project and would have not only made the recommendation, but would have recorded for me and saved it until I was ready to give it a try. Your DVR won't go out of its way like that!

So if there is anything new coming out this year for Fall TV, your Tivo will let you know about it so you won't miss out.

If you're even remotely interested in trying Tivo, now is a great time. They are giving away their newest product, a slide remote, everyday until Sept 22. If you don't know what a slide remote is, think if a smart phone and a remote control had a baby. Best feature possible on any device ever? Full keyboard! I'm all about Qwerty! If they put a Qwerty on a Casio watch, you know I would rock that. You can also check out a picture of it on the Enter to Winpage. You can also check it out on their Facebook Fan Page. I suggest becoming a Tivo friend on FB so that you can learn about the newest promotions fast.

HBO!

Somebody help! My free 1 year subscription to HBO is coming to an end! I don't know what I am going to do. This was obviously a part of their plan. Get me hooked on HBO and then start charging me for it. Just like a crack dealer - that's right, I said it.

Now that there is no way that I can live without Larry David and especially True Blood. Just when I was starting to watch new shows, they threaten to take away my HBO. Now I have to try to find a way to get them to give it to me at a discount. I can't live without it but I sure as heck can't afford it. That stuff is expensive!

Or I can find a way to make more money. Should I really start looking for a new job to be able to support my HBO habbit? Oh dear me it IS like a drug.

I can't help myself though, I mean, have you SEEN True Blood. That show is awesome. I have always been a sucker for the Vampire Love Story. I have all of the seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD and I have the first season of Angel on DVD as well. I knew when I even heard the story line that I was going to love it. Plus, I am originally from Pascagoula, MS. The story being set in the South is another part about it that I really like.

So, I have to find a way to support my HBO addiction. Any ideas?

Left 4 Dead

Shawn borrowed the Xbox game, Left 4 Dead from my brother a couple of days ago. This is a zombie killing game that you can play online or offline. I thought it was a game where you get a light gun to shoot at the screen like Duck Hunt, but it's not. It's done in the FPS style and you just use the regular controller. Since Shawn has borrowed the game, he is on it non stop.

He played it all weekend. He plays every night until about 4 am. He plays all day long, only taking breaks to eat and go potty. He even moved the furniture in our living room so that there is a chair directly in front of the TV.

Since he is playing on Xbox live, he has been talking to his team mates on the headset, or as my dad calls it, "The Game Phone". I can hear him late at night, and even now as I type this. He is instructing his team members on how to best carry on their resistance to the Zombies that have taken over the world. He is using military tactics. If only his teammates knew they were playing with a United States Marine!

Shrek 4

Last weekend, Shawn and I took Caleb to see the new Shrek movie. Shawn normally doesn't like kid's movies, but made the exception for Shrek. We both really enjoyed the first one, and that was even before we had Caleb!

While Shawn wasn't very impressed with Shrek Forever After, Caleb loved it. He talked about it for days after. "Shrek was funny!" "Shrek is an ogre!" "I want to go to the movie store and watch Shrek!" It was so cute that Caleb called the theater "the movie store". I guess he just didn't know what else to call it!

Caleb sat through the whole movie very well. He got a little wiggly at the end, but that was better than I expected. He was so well behaved that I think we will probably go see bigger movies before they get to the $3 theater. My little man is growing up!

It's Not My Fault I Like Melrose Place

The first time Melrose Place was on the air, I didn't watch it. Not one single episode. However Shawn watched every episode. He kept track of who slept with who, and who died, and who pretended to die.

Now that Melrose Place is on TV again, he is back to his old routine. Every week, without fail, he watches Melrose Place. He also fills me in on episodes and characters from yester-year. Since I have been watching the show here and there, I have to say, I am getting interested!

It's weird; it sucks you in. It's like TV crack and I can't help myself. I can't wait to see what sleezy thing someone is going to do next. It's so off the wall and unreal. Art thieves, prostitutes, and murderers, oh my!

Friday is Date Night

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 20th Century Fox. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you guys seen the commercials for this new Steve Carell & Tina Fey movie called Date Night? I saw a trailer for the first time 2 days ago and it looks SO funny! I love both Steve Carell and Tina Fey; I'm a big fan of The Office and 30 Rock, so I am super excited to see them together in this movie.

Basically what happens in this Date Night Movie is as follows. The suburban parents of an average family go out on a normal date night. From what I saw on TV, they pretend to be a different couple on the restaurant's wait list so that they can get a table faster. (A la Ferris Bueller's Day Off, perhaps?)Hijinx ensues when they soon learn that the couple they are masquerading as is wanted by a group of underworld criminals.

Here is the short trailer from YouTube.

I think my favorite line from this trailer is, "This phone smells like urine!" Hilarious! Comedy movies are my favorite types of movies to watch in the theater. I don't enjoy paying money to sit in a theater to watch some heart wrenching story that is going to make my make-up and my nose run (way to go, Titanic). Comedies and big block busters with killer special effects, like Avatar, are the types of movies that you will most likely see me watching in theaters.

My husband, Shawn is not a big movie goer. We used to live across the street from the movie theater and went all the time, but recently he hasn't been that into it. He was with me when we saw the Date Night trailer on TV and even he seemed excited about it.

"That looks so funny!" I literally exclaimed

"Yeah, I like Steve Carell and Tina Fey. It looks good." Shawn was moderately interested and I saw an opportunity to go to the movies.

"It comes out Friday, we should totally go!" Again, that is a well deserved exclamation mark.

"Okay."

Yes! Score for me, I am going out on a date with my husband! I think the last movie we saw in theaters together was Forgetting Sarah Marshall, so that tell you how long it has been since we have been. I remember having such a great time, and now every time I watch that movie on DVD I think of the great time that we had together.

The movie comes out this Friday, April 9th. Friday night! What a perfect night for date night! I get off just a little bit earlier than normal this Friday and I am going to ask Shawn out on our own date night to see this movie... and I don't think we'll be the only ones!

Ladies, grab your husbands, boyfriends, crushes - whatever! This movie is going to be a blast and a great way to kick off the weekend. I hope to see everyone there on opening night. Oooh, I better Fandango my tickets now!

Gimme a Kissimmee

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Kissimmee Tourism. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I was in middle school, my best friend had a shirt that read, "Gimme a Kissimmee" on the front and, "Somebody in Kissimmee Loves Me" on the back. That was about 15 years ago, and that was the time when I decided that I wanted to visit Kissimmee, FL for myself. I still haven't gone, but plans are in the works as we speak.

The parents of a friend of a friend own a vacation home in Orlando, which is very near to Kissimmee. My friend, Jen, thinks that will be able to get us a good deal on it! We are planning on going in a big group, so that will cut down on the costs as well. Oh, and who do I mean by "we"? Why, the whole family, of course!

When Caleb was born I told everyone that I wanted to bring him to Disney World for his 5th birthday and that everyone was invited. Where is Disney World? Right next to Kissimmee, where else? There's Disney World, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, and Medivel Times, just to name a few of the awseome things we are going to be doing!

I'm sure my dad will want to play a round of golf. Caleb's birthday is in December, but Kissimmee will be warm, unlike Washington state. My dad isn't object to playing golf in the cold. It was snowing like crazy the day Caleb was born, and my dad finished his golf game before he came to the hospital. In Kissimmee, he won't have to bundle up; he can soak up the sun at The Royal St. Cloud or the Harmony Golf Preserve. Nothing but top notch courses for my daddy, he's been spoiled by the local country club.

While there are so many family oriented things to do in Kissimmee, Shawn and I are going to try to sneak away for just one afternoon and evening to be alone together. We are going to go shopping and then out to a nice dinner. I love hanging out with the "townies", and so I think we are going to go to the Kissimmee Steak House. They've been in business for over 25 years and they are family owned. I just love to support businesses like that.

Did I mention that its just a few hours to get to Mississippi where my family lives? My mom's side is from the gulf coast, and you can drive there in a day from Kissimmee. We will wrap up our family vacation by seeing our extended family. They don't get to see Caleb much, and he is growing so fast. I know that they are all excited for our visit as well. I have started saving a secret stash for this trip, and I know it will be a time to cherish with family and friends.

Bye Bye Big Fat Loser Night

Sadly, I haven't been keeping up on the latest season of Biggest Loser. And even more sad is that Big Fat Loser night has been cancelled! Not the show, I mean the family night. We haven't been watching this season together at all, and that is why I haven't been keeping up with it.

When I get a moment, I try to watch them on my DVR, but it's just not the same. The best part of Big Fat Loser night was being with my family. We had so much fun cracking jokes and spending quality time together. It just seems like everyone is too busy these days. I can only hope that next season we will be able to get everything back together again.

I just happened to be at my parents' house tonight when Biggest Loser Couples came on, and they invited me to stay and watch it. It was fun to have an almost Big Fat Loser night. It was just my parents, my sister, Caleb - who was playing with a whistle - and myself. Michael was home, but he was quarantined to his room with a bad cold. :::insert sad face here:::

This is the only episode of the season that I have watched all the way through, and lemme tell ya, one episode is all it takes for me to make up my mind. I can't stand that Michael guy. He is greasy, gross, and I abhor his attitude. I really hope he doesn't make it to the end. He is this season's Heba!

I'd Pay For Jersey Shore Insurance

Would you pay to party with the cast from MTV's Jersey Shore? I wouldn't. I wouldn't even pay a measly $5 cover charge to get into a club if I knew they were there. I would purposefully avoid a club if I knew anyone from Jersey Shore was inside. I'd pay someone to promise to warn me if I was ever about to accidentally bump into someone from that cast.

Apparently, I'm the weird one. According to this TMZ article too many people want to get some JS action. I learned enough about the way they party from watching the TV show. It would be easier to just avoid anyone from that show and skip right to the morning after of guilt, shame, and regret.

Maybe I am being unfair. These are just normal people... Normal people who totally asked to be put into the spotlight, most of whom tried unceasingly to have sex with a different stranger every night. Um, no; I'm pretty sure these are the types of people that I try to avoid.

It's not that I am against regular people becoming sub D-list celebrities by means of reality TV. And I should probably state for the record, that I watched every single episode of Jersey Shore, including the reunion show!

Walking With Dinosaurs RULES

I found this picture online, but I wanted to use it instead of my own because I think it better conveys the impression of BEING IN THE FRONT ROW!!! That's right! We were in the FRONT ROW! See that empty seat right in front of the dinosaur's face? That's where we were! I even ducked when the T-Rex turned around because I thought its tail was going to hit me in the head. Of course it wouldn't have, but it sure looked like it!

The dinos were huge! They were so lifelike! Being in the front row, you could see the texture in their skin and some of them even had battle scars. When the T-Rex walked, its feet would stomp and you could see the muscles in its legs move. It was really an incredible experience.

The first hour, Caleb was in awe. He didn't really understand everything that was going on. Then, there was an intermission. The house lights came up and the announcer said that there was a 20 minute break. "More dinosaurs!" Caleb demanded. I convinced him that the dinosaurs were going potty and so we should go potty too. (He is wearing underwear all day now! Yay!) After the potty, Shawn went to get an overpriced bottle of water and Caleb demanded, "More Dinosaurs" as we settled into our seats.

The second hour, Caleb was all chattery. He talked about every dinosaur that came out. He remarked on how big they were and how loud they were. He talked about whether they were fast or slow. He also made several requests for "more baby dinosaurs". A young Torosaurus fought his elder for control of the herd. He won. Caleb clapped and said, "Yay"!

After the show was over, Caleb insisted on more dinosaurs. When we started to leave, it turned to pleas for more dinosaurs, we were on the verge of a meltdown when I found (dun-dun-DUN) a piece of candy in my pocket! Disaster averted. We rode the MAX train back to our car, which Cal thought was an adventure in its self. He fell asleep on the way home.

When we got home, Caleb woke up. He told me that he is a baby dinosaur, I am a Mama dinosaur, Shawn is a Dada dinosaur, and that he was going to go sleep in his dinosaur bed. I'm sure he's having dinosaur dreams right about now.

Walking With Dinosaurs

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago - I can hear your automatic "Happy Birthday" response, so thanks - and I spent the day at my parents' house.

"What's that commercial I saw on TV today? Something about dinosaurs?" said my mom.

"Walking With Dinosaurs! I really want to take Caleb!" I exclaimed.

"I'll give you tickets for your birthday." resolved my dad. He's always so practical.

Moments later he produced a check, which I am sure I would have gotten anyway, but this one was for the exact amount of 3 center stage, mid level tickets to Walking With Dinosaurs.

A few days later, I got online to buy my tickets. I really wanted to upgrade the seats to the front row, but with the service fees it was so much more expensive. So here is a Frugal Friday tip on a Saturday morning. I googled "rose quarter discounts coupons" and found a discount code. I was able to upgrade the tickets for only about $35 more!

So tonight is the night! I am so excited I have been counting down the days since last weekend. I stopped mentioning it to Caleb because every time anyone brings it up, he puts his coat on and walks to the door. He just doesn't understand the concept of time. This morning, however, I have been telling him that when the sun goes down and the moon comes up, we are going to see dinosaurs! We looked up some videos online and OHMIGOSH! This is going to be even better than I expected! The dinosaurs are so lifelike, and they are all life size. I can't wait to blog all about it!