Mommy Holly and Wild Olive giveaway

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Halloween Movies for Kids, Part 3

Now we've made it to the movies that would be appropriate for teens. Some of these movies may be a little young, but most would be great for a party with teenagers. I've separated them based on rating, with PG at the top and a few select R rated films at the bottom.

Rated PG:
Twitches & Twitches Too - Two stories following twin witches Alex and Camryn, who learn that they were separated at birth and possess magical powers. Will they learn to use their powers in time to save Coventry and their father?

Nightmare Before Christmas - I can never decide if this is a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie, but it is certainly a classic. Follow Jack Skellington and his pals from Halloween Town as they try to make this the best Christmas ever! This would probably also be good for some younger children, but does have some scary monsters.

Corpse Bride - While not strictly a Halloween movie, the story of Victor and his accidental marriage to a Corpse Bride is full of spooky humor and misadventures.

The Good Witch - This film would be acceptable for the entire family (Bean loves it) but, the romantic relationships and town problems would probably bore most kids.

Young Frankenstein - This ridiculously campy film pokes fun at most every Frankenstein movie ever made. It's fun and silly with a fantastic cast. Who doesn't love Mel Brooks films?

Ghostbusters & Ghostbusters 2 - Another pair of campy horror films. The Ghostbusters must uses their skills to prevent ancient evils from raising hell in Manhattan.

Beetlejuice - When a young couple discovers that they are ghosts, they must learn how to haunt their house to get rid of intruding New Yorkers. Can they do it without the aid of the unpredictable Beetlejuice?

Rated PG-13:
Blood and Chocolate - The story of a young werewolf, on the threshold of adulthood, who is torn between her loyalty to the pack and the graphic novelist she's attracted to.

Covenant - This is kind of the boy version of the Craft. A good story with some great action scenes.

Cursed - Although this movie is available in PG-13 and an unrated version, it's a good werewolf film. I haven't seen the special unrated version, but the regular film would be appropriate for most teens.

Practical Magic - Follow the Owens family of witches and their cursed love lives. Can Sally save her sister Gillian and escape the curse?

Rated R:
The Craft - Sarah's always been different. When she arrives at St. Benedict's, she falls in with a group of outsiders, and together they can make real magic.

Sleepy Hollow - By far the bloodiest retelling of Washington Irving's classic story, Johnny Depp is fantastic in the role of Ichabod Crane, no longer a simple schoolmaster, but an eccentric investigator sent to solve the mysterious murders in Sleepy Hollow.

**These last two are a fabulous retelling of classic stories, however, both contain nudity, sex and extreme violence and should only be watched by older teens. I would recommend watching them before allowing teens to view them.**

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - The best of the Frankenstein movies, this is a fairly faithful retelling of the classic story of obsession.

Bram Stoker's Dracula - The closest to the book of the Dracula movies, this story also incorporates the myths and history surrounding Vlad the Impaler, the main inspiration for the book.

Disneystrology

Have you heard about the new book combining beloved Disney characters and astrology? In Disneystrology: What Your Birthday Character Says About You, astrologer and author Lisa Finander has identified 366 unique Disney character types and paired them to appropriate birth dates. Each page features an illustration of the character, the three words that best describe that character, a description of your personality, what magical gifts that character bestows, the keys to your success, and which film the character first appeared in. My family and I each checked our birth dates and found the information to be surprisingly accurate. We had a lot of fun comparing each others characters and traits.

For instance, my character is Princess Atta from A Bug's Life.
Three words - "Destined, conscientious, and thoughtful."
Personality - "Fate plays a strong role in your life. The subjects you study early on prepare you for your occupation as an adult. Responsible, cautious, and creative, you realize that your best friends are those who allow you to express your silly side. As you grow older, your life gets easier because you have learned to trust your own wisdom and abilities."
Magical gifts - "Atta brings you the gifts of awareness, courage, and open-mindedness. When presented with novel ideas, she teaches patience and encourages you to convince others to give it a try."
Keys to your success - "Developing your own style of leadership."

I'm truly enjoying this book, which has helped me to see some of my favorite Disney characters in a new light. Check it out and see how much like a Disney character you are. It may surprise you!

I was provided with a copy of this book by Quirk Books for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

Halloween Movies for Kids, Part 2

For children in elementary school, there are a lot of movies available, but it can be tricky to decide which ones are appropriate for your child. After all, you don't want a movie that's too scary, but you don't want one that's too young either or they won't be interested. Here's a list of movies that Bean enjoys. I'll try to make a note of which movies are a little scarier and which are good for most ages.

Mickey's House of Villains - Mickey and pals throw a Halloween bash at the House of Mouse, complete with old Disney favorites and new ones too.

Casper - Casper the Friendly Ghost meets some new friends. An "afterlife therapist" and his daughter move into Casper's home to remove the ghosts, but the ghosts don't want to leave. This movie may be slightly scary for young children. Casper Meets Wendy is less scary, but somewhat annoying.

Scary Godmother: A Halloween Spooktakular & The Revenge of Jimmy - These two films show that monsters are just people too, and that you just can't stop Halloween!

Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein & the Wolfman - Alvin, Simon and Theodore get mixed up with Frankenstein's monster and bitten by a wolf in this hilarious double feature.

The Magic School Bus: Creepy, Crawly Fun! - Educational and fun, the kids in Ms. Frizzle's class learn about sound, bats, and spiders in this Halloween flick.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - While I don't generally watch Mr. Toad, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow as sung by Bing Crosby is not to be missed.

The Haunted Pumpkin of Sleepy Hollow - Two school kids try to escape from the Headless Horseman and keep him from reclaiming the pumpkin containing the original Legend of Sleepy Hollow manuscript. Catchy music and simple animation make this a fun film.

Under Wraps - A mummy comes back to life on Halloween to search for his lost love. A young horror movie buff and his two friends try to help the mummy, dubbed "Harold", in his search.

The Halloween Tree - Unfortunately, this movie is only available on VHS, but it is a wonderful retelling of Ray Bradbury's classic story, with Leonard Nimoy as the voice of Mr. Moundshroud.

Halloweentown & Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge, Halloweentown High, and Return to Halloweentown - A fantastic series of 4 movies about a family of witches. The stories follow the misadventures of the oldest daughter, Marnie. The grandmother, played by Debbie Reynolds, tries to encourage the family to learn about their ancestry and use their magic. These films are one of my favorites.

The following movies, while some of my favorites, can be a little dark and scary at times. If you haven't seen them, I would recommend watching them first to make sure they are appropriate for your family.

When Good Ghouls Go Bad - When Danny and his dad move back home to Walker Falls, Danny discovers that Halloween is cursed and everyone is afraid to celebrate. This movie may be better for older children.

Hocus Pocus - I love this movie! The Sanderson sisters have been brought back to life for one day, but to stay, they must cast a spell to reclaim their youth. Only Max, his sister, girlfriend, and an immortal cat named Binx can stop them.

Tower of Terror - A fun movie based on the story created for the Disney Parks ride Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

The Haunted Mansion - Another ride-based movie. This one features a family trapped in a mansion full of ghosts and the hi-jinx they undergo to escape.

The Little Vampire - A campy story about a family of vampires and the little boy who helps them find redemption.

Halloween Movies for Kids, Part 1

Every year, we start watching our vast collection of Halloween movies on the first of October. Okay, okay, so some years we start just a few days early. We love Halloween movies and collect several new ones every year. I'd love to share a few of our favorites with you.

For toddlers, I would recommend the following:

Rolie Polie Olie: A Spookie Ookie Halloween - This movie has Rolie Polie Olie, Book of Pooh, and Out of the Box, all wonderful Disney Halloween stories.

Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie - Roo and Lumpy must overcome their fears and save Halloween for the Hundred Acre Wood.

My Friends Tigger and Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt - Piglet's friends must help him overcome his fears. Also includes a Handy Manny Halloween.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Treat - Mickey and his pals have to get to Trick or Treat Tower before the moon is full to celebrate Halloween at Pete's party.

WordWorld Kooky: Spooky Halloween - Pig sleepwalks and scares everyone into thinking he's a ghost and Sheep shares all of her costume and then must find something to wear herself. I love WordWorld and it's mix of letters, spelling, and fun.

Spookley the Square Pumpkin - Poor Spookley is different, but maybe being different is not such a bad thing after all.

Max & Ruby's Halloween and Max & Ruby: Perfect Pumpkin - Both movies feature 1 Halloween episode and then 3 non-Halloween episodes. Max and his sister Ruby are cute and sweet, although Ruby can be bossy and Max doesn't talk very often.

Franklin: Franklin's Halloween - Franklin tries to create a scary costume for Mr. Mole's Halloween party.

Maurice Sendak's Little Bear: Halloween Stories - Little Bear discovers what really makes those spooky night sounds.

Halloween is coming.....

It's hard to believe, but I've already been thinking about Halloween for the last two weeks. It may just be my favorite holiday. I've started planning costumes and thinking about having a party. I've even started making decorations. My sister and I recently found a fun new book called Witch Craft: Wicked Accessories, Creepy-Cute Toys, Magical Treats, and More! It has a ton of easy to make, creative crafts to haunt your house. There are projects for crafters of all ages and skill levels. The projects include several treats: such as the Witches' Brew punch, and my personal favorite, Peanut Butter & Jelly Skull Sandwiches; and also several tricks: beaded Spider Earrings, and crocheted Vampire Bite Necklaces. I love the Plushie Poison Apples and Fuzzy Bats and think that the crocheted Good Little Witch is absolutely darling. I'll probably end up making most of the crafts in the book before too long. I started with the crocheted amigurumi bone, but I still need to put the face on it. Bean loved it but now thinks we need a dog to go with it!

Then, since I had a ton of yarn left over, I looked for more patterns on the internet. I made a little amigurumi ghosty, but I still need to put a face on it too. Next, I thought I'd try my hand at making a crocheted spiderweb. The white sport weight yarn looked far too heavy, rather like those rope webs that people create for their porches. So, I used some fuzzy grey-green yarn that I had laying around. The web looks fantastic and is huge, all dusty and dirty looking. Currently, I'm making a web using size 10 crochet thread. It should end up being a rather large doily, and while it's not very delicate, it's not too heavy either.

Anyway, it's a start and I'm sure there will be more to come over the next few weeks. I'll try to keep you updated on my progress and may even end up putting a few things on Etsy. We'll see. At least it should be fun!

I was provided with a copy of this book by Quirk Books for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

Trip to the World

I just got back from a six day trip to Disney World and I have loads of new information to share.

Magic Kingdom:
The new Fantasyland expansion is in full swing. They have blocked off large sections of what used to be Pooh Corner and some backstage areas so that they can begin construction. There are several pictures on the walls hiding the construction that detail all of the changes. While I'm not sure how I feel about the new Princess-themed land, it should be amazing when it's finished. They haven't closed Toontown yet, which was great for us because we love Goofy's Barnstormer, but it should be closing in the next few months.

We ate at Tony's Town Square for the first time. We had a little trouble getting to the restaurant because we got stuck in Toontown in a torrential downpour and Tony's is near the front gate, but we threw on ponchos and made a mad dash for it. The food at Tony's was really good, both dinner and the desserts. However, the atmosphere was not what I had expected. It was rather dark and tried to be upscale rather than the family dining experience that they advertise. The seating was very crowded. However, our waitress was very attentive and nice.

EPCOT:
We had our first character meal this trip. We decided to go for the Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was wonderful. We were greeted by Belle when we came in. Bean got to spend several minutes talking with her before they took a photo, which was included in the price of the meal. Once we were seated, our very attentive server explained the Norwegian buffet to us and took our orders. My sister and I ordered the traditional Norwegian meatballs, but Bean ordered pizza. After everyone in our section had been served, the Princesses began to make their way through the dining hall. We saw Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, and Aurora. They spend about a minute with each child, sign autographs and pose for pictures. They were all wonderful. At the end of the meal, they brought out the dessert plate, a preset selection of three different desserts. They were fabulous! I would definitely consider returning to Akershus.

Hollywood Studios:
They have re-imagined the Tower of Terror, adding all new drop sequences. The last room before the elevator shaft has been altered to remain dark as you travel through it. The new drop sequences add a new thrill for long time riders and new riders alike.

We rode Star Tours several times as it is scheduled to close for renovations soon. It's Bean's favorite ride, so we couldn't pass up what may be our last chance to ride the old ride.

Lotso Huggin' Bear has been added to the characters that you can meet at the Magic of Disney Animation. He is huge and pink and really does smell like strawberries!

We ate at the 50s Prime Time Cafe for the second time. Again the meal and the service were fabulous. It's such a fun place to eat and totally reminds me of my paternal grandmother's house. We ordered Bean the Mickey's Bee Bop Drink with the glowing ice cubes. When the waiter first brought it out, it was pale pink. Bean said that it wasn't pink enough, so he took it back and added extra cherry syrup. She was thrilled. When she asked for a refill before we left, he even took her back to the kitchen and let her watch as he made it to make sure she had enough cherry in her drink!

Animal Kingdom:
At the Animal Kingdom, we decided to eat at the Yak and Yeti for the first time. Unfortunately, it wasn't the greatest experience. The ambiance was fantastic. The theme of the place was great. The drinks were wonderful; my sister ordered a Yak Attack which she loved, and I ordered a Glacier Water, which I also enjoyed. For the meal, I ordered the Maple Tamarind Chicken which I didn't really care for at all. My sister ordered the MalAsian Seafood Curry which she enjoyed but it didn't really agree with her. In all, I don't know that I would eat there again because the Yak and Yeti counter service was actually better and less expensive than eating in the restaurant.

All in all, it was a good trip. We got to experience several new dining choices and revisit some old favorites. As always, we truly enjoyed our latest trip to the World.